Chapter 104: I am afraid of you – 2

I stood before the execution platform, now a place I had grown accustomed to.

Vivian stood in front of me, grasping my hand.

“…Just get it over with.”

“Alright.”

We exchanged glances for a long while.

Until the execution ceremony began, we continued to look at one another.

Both Vivian and I likely felt something different from usual at today’s execution.

This was the end of a long connection, the conclusion of the past.

To exaggerate a bit, it was the day we severed our nightmare with our own hands.

No matter how much Vivian pretended to be strong, I knew she’d been losing sleep every night, haunted by the fear of death.

I might have been training every day driven by a similar fear.

In the end, I understood.

It was my swordsmanship that was our means to resolve this.

Vivian had tried to grow her own strength, but in the end, it was my blade that was required.

Perhaps that’s why today felt even more intense.

Yes, that must have been the reason.

There was an itch at the back of my mind, as though something ominous might happen today, but I brushed it off as merely the unease of clearing away the past.

I broke my gaze from Vivian and turned my head.

There stood Robert Rondor, gagged, glaring at us.

His gaze never left us, as if to remember us until the moment of his death.

As the crowd began to gather, I sighed and hoisted my greatsword onto my shoulder.

Vivian, too, slowly ascended the prepared platform and quietly spoke.

“Begin.”

At her signal, Valon, Wallace, and Martin dragged Robert forward.

His figure struck me as somehow smaller than I remembered.

I recalled how the adults, including him, once seemed so enormous.

Baelor had been the same, as had countless other vassals.

But now, none of them seemed so terrifying anymore.

“Sob… Father!”

“Dear…!”

My attention turned to the source of the sobbing.

It was Robert Rondor’s family.

His son looked older than me, while his daughter seemed younger.

All of them, along with Robert’s wife, knelt bound and trembling in fear.

-Vivian, do they really have to watch this?

-Fear must ensure control. The heir of Nerumport has to govern eventually. If that’s the case… it’s better to carve fear into their eyes so they never rebel again. In truth, sparing them at all is my mercy.

Vivian’s logic wasn’t wrong, but in the end, it was my sword that would strike the blow.

I wanted Robert dead too, but doing it in front of his family was a burden to me.

It wasn’t fear of their resentment, but a pang of human empathy.

Should anyone have to watch their loved ones die before their eyes?

…No matter how great Robert’s sins were.

“…Hah.”

With a sigh, I shook off my pathetic thoughts.

Nestor approached me, holding a document.

The seal of Rondor’s sun was stamped at the bottom.

I began to read aloud.

“This man is guilty of plotting the assassination of Vivian Rondor, his lord and liege of Loctana. Among his direct actions, he attempted poisoning once, set fire to the castle twice, and further destabilized Rondor by bribing and inciting her vassals, repeatedly threatening Vivian Rondor’s life both directly and indirectly.”

“Khh… urgh…”

Robert Rondor knelt, his hands bound in shackles.

His head hung low, as though he lacked even the strength to hold it up, drooling uncontrollably.

Yet within his dwindling strength, his face overflowed with turbulent emotions.

His bloodshot eyes revealed all his feelings without restraint.

I stopped reading and looked down at him.

Then I glanced at Vivian.

She sat on the chair atop the platform, her face resolute, coldly observing the scene.

Her gaze was chillingly frigid, her eyes like icy steel.

“Khh… sniff…”

I turned back to Robert.

For some reason, I wanted to hear his words.

Removing the gag was technically only permitted just before execution, but I wanted to know his truth, the sincerity behind his sobs and laughs that mixed together in madness.

I slowly untied his gag.

“Hah!!”

Robert gasped for air, his breath ragged.

There was a faint insanity in his expression.

“Do you have anything to say?”

I asked.

Robert twisted his lips, letting out an eerie laugh.

It wasn’t my imagination; he was laughing.

“Khh… No… no, I admit it all.”

As soon as he spoke, furious shouts erupted from the crowd.

“That beastly wretch!”

“Blinded by greed, he tried to kill his own niece! Tear him apart!”

But Robert Rondor seemed oblivious to the hatred around him.

He continued laughing, his sobs intermixed with his strange mirth.

“Khh…! Hah! Khh!”

The sight was grotesque.

“What’s so funny?”

Unable to hold back, I asked.

Robert didn’t stop.

“Khh…! You wouldn’t understand, Kailo Alan… how hilarious this all is…”

“Kailo!”

From afar, Vivian rose from her seat.

Her eyes, perhaps just a trick of the light, seemed even redder than usual.

“…Finish it.”

She commanded.

Even as I felt something amiss, I didn’t want to know what it was.

As if trying to ignore whether it was a curse or not…

I wanted to bury this matter too.

I gripped my sword.

“Hahaha! Hahahahaha!”

Robert burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Even those who had been cursing him fell silent, staring in astonishment.

I, too, was at a loss for words.

In the end, I could only ask one question.

“…Have you gone mad?”

“Mad? No, you’re the mad one… Khh…”

Robert answered immediately.

“Look at yourself, lifting your sword at a single command to kill…! You must be curious why I laugh. It’s because you’re wagging your tail at the orders of that witch, who isn’t even worth being called one!”

It was purely coincidental, but the moment Robert called Vivian a witch, my thoughts froze.

However, I could no longer suppress my curiosity.

Even the emotions whispering to me not to ask had vanished.

“What on earth have you been talking about all this time?”

“Kailo!!”

Vivian called my name desperately beside me, but Robert spoke first.

“You idiot. You keep talking about guilt and responsibility toward Vivian… but what are you even saying? Hah! What? Your parents’ sins? That Vivian was left alone because of your family’s crimes? Hey, the former Duke and… Lois Rondor!!”

“Kailo!!”

Robert smirked.

“I killed them.”

I couldn’t hide my frozen expression.

“…What?”

“All this time, you’ve been…! Held captive in this land for no reason, you fool!”

***

Vivian knew how much Kailo longed for his hometown at times.

She especially understood that this longing was even more intense during his childhood.

Although Kailo always stood strong, he had been young when he was first brought here, still someone who needed the comfort of his parents.

He often gazed silently at the flowing river by the shore.

In those moments, it seemed as though he was unraveling stories from his heart in a world of his own, filled with yearning.

Vivian had always understood his solitude—she missed her family too.

She remembered how, even when he had a high fever, Kailo had called out to his mother in his sleep.

When his mother passed away, he was deeply pained, and the news of his father’s poor health left him shaken.

She vividly recalled the brightness on his face when his younger sister came to visit.

Kailo was someone who hid his sadness and pain better than anyone.

But Vivian knew it was not for himself but for her.

To provoke and challenge her, Kailo had worn a mask all this time, saying that nothing was too difficult for him, encouraging her forward.

But even when he didn’t say it, Vivian always knew.

Sharing the same pain, she could feel just how much he was struggling.

However, in the past, her feelings of hatred towards him overshadowed any sympathy, and she ignored it all.

“Not even knowing why you were dragged here…! Huff! Taking care as someone even with no responsibility while being cursed and ridiculed…! Feeling sorry as if you had truly done wrong…! Growing up among commoners in enemy territory!! You couldn’t even be there for your mother’s final moments!!”

Robert’s merciless words exposed Kailo’s pain without reserve.

Vivian, too, felt an agonizing pain as if her heart was being pierced by Robert’s words.

She stood frozen in fear, watching Kailo as he remained motionless, staring down at Robert.

“How could I not laugh? Hahaha. In my entire life, I’ve never seen a bigger clown than you.
Even though you’ve committed no crimes,
you live a life less than human to atone… Isn’t it ridiculous? Especially since you’re doing it for the one who ruined your life!!”

Robert turned his gaze to face Vivian.

“Vivian, what have you done to Kailo? Ah, my informants told me everything.
The endless insults and disgraceful treatment connected every moment of his life.
The eldest son of a prestigious family, sent to a punishment unit!
Even after saving your life multiple times, you never once repaid him!
To torment someone so persistently… that’s a skill in itself.
Oh, when I heard that, I could never imagine the two of you getting along!”

“Haa… Haa…”

Vivian’s breathing quickened.

Her guilt overwhelmed her, crashing down on her all at once.

She couldn’t utter a single word in defense.

It was all true.

And Kailo, who was listening to it all, remained frozen in place.

Vivian also couldn’t move, fearing that one wrong move could destroy everything they had built.

Robert then looked around and spoke.

“I killed them!!”

No one dared utter a word in the face of such a colossal revelation.

“I killed the Duke and the young lord!! I did it. With my own hands!! Nestor!! You traitorous bastard, you know too. Make sure everyone knows who did it!”

Nestor, feeling the weight of the gazes on him, nodded his head.

The people gasped even louder.

“How does it feel, everyone? All of you must have tormented Kailo Alan in one way or another all this time…
The boy who had been dragged here as a child, innocent of any crime.”

Robert’s laughter didn’t stop.

Tears streamed from his eyes, but they carried more satisfaction of revenge than sorrow.

He turned back to Kailo.

“You, who could have grown and thrived… You’ve lived this way because of me. How does it feel, Kailo Alan? To know how I’ve ruined your life.
Torn away from the comfort of your parents, dragged to this wretched place.
Yet you strutted around like you were the victor—how could I not laugh at that…?”

Kailo still remained motionless.

And to Vivian, that frozen stance was more terrifying than a hundred spoken words.

“Oh, but I wasn’t the only one to ruin your life, was I? Over there— someone who played a much greater role in your suffering is watching you.
I’m so curious.
What does it feel like to realize that everything you’ve done your entire life… was for nothing?”

Only Robert could see Kailo’s face clearly.

And Vivian could tell that Kailo’s expression was anything but ordinary.

Robert’s eyes, filled with simultaneous fear and relief, proved it.

“How does it feel to protect the enemy who ruined your life with your own hands?”

BANG!!

Kailo’s reaction came suddenly and violently.

As if he could no longer bear listening to Robert’s constant provocations, he stomped on Robert’s back harshly.

“Urgh!”

Robert gasped for breath, collapsing face down on the execution platform.

Vivian was so stunned by Kailo’s vivid emotions that she couldn’t even breathe.

Even though she stood far away, she felt as though all that rage was directed at her.

Robert, lying on the execution platform, wasn’t even given a moment to scream.

-SLASH!!!

Like a guillotine, Kailo’s twin swords came crashing down, severing Robert’s neck in two.

His family screamed in grief, but that was the only sound resonating in the courtyard.

Kailo, as if his strings had been cut, stood there for a long while, simply catching his breath.

No one dared speak to him.

Even the three who were known to be closest to him stayed silent.

An eternal silence seemed to stretch out.

Those who knew how much Kailo had suffered especially respected the quiet.

-Swiiiish…

Finally, Kailo moved.

Slowly, he turned his body.

Vivian trembled involuntarily.

She couldn’t bring herself to face him.

She was too terrified of what Kailo might say now that he knew the whole truth.

What should she say?

How could she apologize?

How could she give back the life he had lost?

How could she repay the humiliation, oppression, and pain he had endured?

Kailo’s face, turned toward her and stained with blood, was filled with exhaustion.

It was the demeanor of someone who had spent all their strength just cutting down a single neck.

At that moment, Vivian felt as though she had entered a world where only the two of them existed.

Just the two of them, as if they were alone together in her room, facing each other.

“…Vivian.”

He called her name in the tender tone he always used.

That tenderness only tightened Vivian’s chest further.

She felt like she was about to cry, but nothing came out.

It might have been a survival instinct.

If she cried here, Kailo might truly leave her.

“…Did you know?”

He asked.

Vivian finally furrowed her brows and buried her face in her hands.

Even if she wanted to lie, she knew she couldn’t anymore.

This wasn’t something she could hide.

No matter how much she wanted to avoid it, it was unavoidable.

She had to face it.

“…I’m sorry.”

She whispered.

“…I’m sorry, Kailo.”

People around them quietly held their breath.

“Ha…!”

And then, Kailo started laughing.

“Ahahaha!”

His laughter echoed through the courtyard, taking the place of the now-deceased Robert.

He laughed loudly and heartily.

People, caught off guard by the unexpected reaction, looked around awkwardly.

But as Vivian listened to that laughter, her entire body trembled.

Perhaps others wouldn’t know, but Vivian, who had grown up with him, could tell.

To her ears, that laughter didn’t sound like laughter.

It was crying.

“Ahahahahaha!!”

It was the scream of anguish and fury that Kailo had bottled up for years.

But in Vivian’s ears, that laughter sounded like Kailo’s sobs.

It sounded like all the resentment and pain he had carried with him.

Only Kailo’s laughter echoed through the courtyard.