Chapter 154: The Wicked Witch – 3

Pushing through the crowd, I made my way to the square.

Whether I was swept up in mob mentality or not, a literal witch hunt was unfolding before me.

“Kill her!! Kill her!!”

“Burn the witch!! Let her burn in the fire!!”

Rage and hatred filled the air.

It was impossible that all these people were citizens of Loctana.

Some of them must have been mixed in, but there was no way all of them despised Vivian, who had worked so hard to revive Loctana.

Still, even those who remained silent were somewhat unsettling.

Knowing how many sleepless nights Vivian had endured for them, anger simmered within me.

But even that was soon swallowed by the overwhelming hatred directed at her.

In the distance, I could see a tall platform.

Standing on it were high-ranking members of the Las Order.

To the left of the platform stood a massive pyre, and to the right, a drowning stand.

I didn’t understand why the two were separated.

However, one thing was clear—the sight of the two instruments of execution, both meant to take Vivian’s life, made my chest tighten as though I was being suffocated.

Was this the effect of a curse?

I clenched and unclenched my left hand.

“…Ha.”

Before I knew it, my hand was moving freely.

The paralysis I had suffered for the past two months had vanished as if it had never existed.

Had it been a curse that made my hand stop working?

Or was it a curse that had allowed it to move in the first place?

I stared at my hand with a complicated expression.

She was near.

I could feel her.

‘Kill her!! Kill her!!’

‘Kill her!! Kill her!!’

She must be struggling, hearing all these voices of hatred.

Just as she had always shown me her honest self.

At that moment, the bishop—dressed in the most extravagant robes—raised his hand.

The citizens, who had been screaming profanities at Vivian while proclaiming their own innocence, fell silent in an instant.

The only remaining commotion came from the paladins in the distance, seemingly searching for me.

I pulled my hood lower over my face and looked up at the platform.

And then, she stepped forward.

Red hair.

Tall for a woman.

An undeniable beauty.

Sharp, yet powerless eyes.

Soft, pale skin.

Vivian Rondor.

It hadn’t been long since we had parted, yet why?

Why did it feel like I was seeing her again after years, just like when I met my father after a long time?

I forcefully suppressed my emotions.

I didn’t want to be swept away by them again.

Her eyes were red, as if she had cried a lot.

Her body was thinner, as if she had been locked away for too long.

Her expression was weary, as if she had endured too much darkness.

She had pleaded so much that there was no longer a trace of hope in her gaze.

She was waiting for death.

Why?

If she had used me so thoroughly…

If she had deceived me for years…

She shouldn’t be like this.

If she had wanted to survive that desperately, she should have fought to the end.

Or did she see me as her enemy?

Had her goal been to make me suffer?

Did she believe my family had trampled hers, so she sought to ruin my life?

Now that it was over, was she simply giving up?

For that reason, her resignation filled me with resentment that made my hands tremble…

And sorrow so deep that it made my teeth clench.

A companion who had survived countless deaths with me was kneeling there.

—Thud!

The paladins forced Vivian to her knees.

At the same time, the archbishop opened his mouth.

“I, Archbishop Rockpen, stand here in the name of Las to execute the vile witch, Vivian Rondor!”

His powerful voice echoed across the square.

Vivian gazed weakly at the crowd before her.

To think that the last thing she would see in this world was such a grotesque assembly of people.

Even the hatred she had once buried within her began to resurface.

“The trial has already concluded, and everything that needed to be said has been said. There is no need for repetition. However, before death, all must be given the chance to repent.”

His gaze turned to Vivian.

“Be honest, Vivian Rondor. Admit that you are a witch and beg for forgiveness.”

Repent.

Vivian finally let out a small chuckle.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t afraid.

She was terrified—insanely so.

But more than that, she found the situation utterly ridiculous.

As soon as she burst into laughter, the murmuring of the crowd grew louder.

Still, Vivian asked,

“…What sins must I repent for?”

Her voice rang out in the silence.

“Shouldn’t this cruel world be the one begging for my forgiveness instead?”

She fought hard not to stutter.

It wasn’t easy, but with her words laced with raw fury, it became more manageable.

“My family is all dead…! There were no adults I could trust…! I grew up alone!!”

Her cries overwhelmed the crowd.

“The moments I was happy… they were so short…! What sins must I repent for in this wretched world!!”

If there was anyone she owed an apology to, it would be only one person—Kailo.

This filthy world…

The only person she was truly indebted to.

The only person who had ever told her that she deserved to live.

…Though in the end, even he had left, telling her she had to die.

“You dare use that tongue to deceive people once more, witch!!”

Archbishop Rockpen shouted back.

“How could you not know the depth of your own wickedness?! As a ruler of this land, you must have stolen countless innocent lives! The disasters brought upon by your sorcery and curses have tainted this land! I will give you one last chance to seek forgiveness from Las, our great god! Repent!”

What a laughable play.

A staged performance meant to reinforce the church’s power by subjugating her.

Seeing the mighty ruler of Loctana powerless against the archbishop would only instill terror in the hearts of the people.

Fear was the most effective tool for control, after all.

“…I have done nothing wrong.”

Vivian smiled.

Anyone in this situation would have gone mad.

The archbishop let out a deep sigh and shook his head.

“So, you refuse to repent until the end. Very well. Then I shall ask you something else—this is, after all, a choice regarding your own death.”

He turned to the gathered citizens and declared,

“All of you here should remember this! The knight who was once closest to this vile witch!”

…Ah.

Vivian lowered her head.

They were striking at her weakness again.

…Right now, they were talking about Kailo.

She knew the moment she saw the guillotine and the pyre.

“That knight, Kailo Alan, is the heir to a vast territory, just like Loctana! If such evil is allowed to wield power, those under him will suffer! Vivian Rondor, I will give you a choice. That knight—Kailo Alan—did he know you were a witch, or did he not?”

Being asked the same question once again, in front of all these people—

She couldn’t breathe.

She remembered Kailo’s smile whenever he looked at Gisela.

Just a slight shift of her gaze, and the sight of the looming pyre sent chills down her spine.

“Did he know, or did he not?!”

He knew.

Kailo had known.

That’s why he left.

But if she admitted it, the Church of Las would never stop hunting him.

…But she was about to die.

Would it be so wrong to be selfish just this once?

She didn’t want to burn.

She knew all too well what it felt like.

Even the act of breathing would become unbearable.

How long had she endured?

How long had she fought to not betray Kailo, even after he left?

She was just so tired now.

Staring at that pyre right in front of her, she felt the last of her courage slip away.

Without Kailo to lean on, it was so much harder.

The agitated archbishop grabbed a nearby torch and thrust it close to her face.

The searing heat licked at her skin as he bellowed once more,

“Did he know, or did he not?!!”

No matter what she said now, Kailo would hate her.

That truth would never change.

His voice echoed in her mind.

-…You should have died, Vivian.

“Ugh…!”

Her emotions surged uncontrollably.

-A wretch like you… should never have been born.

“He—”

“He knew!!”

Vivian finally screamed.

—Drip, drip…

Tears fell as her cry echoed through the square.

“Kailo… knew I was a witch….”

A triumphant smile curled on the archbishop’s lips.

The elation of a zealot who had secured his victory.

“Did you all hear that?! This is the witch’s—”

“I—!!”

Vivian wasn’t finished.

Ignoring the stunned archbishop, she turned her gaze toward the crowd.

Ah.

The words she was about to utter were the ones she never wanted to say, even if it killed her.

She had made up her mind, yet they would not easily leave her lips.

Even so, she forced herself to say them, one by one, clearly and deliberately.

“I… placed a curse.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Once you hear this, you will resent me for the rest of your life.

You will completely abandon even the memories we shared.

Your doubts will turn into certainty, and until the day you die, you will find me repulsive.

…But I no longer wanted to be an obstacle to you.

I resented that smile you directed at another woman.

…And yet, now that you’ve finally found that smile, I didn’t want to stand in your way anymore.

I hate this.

I hate that I have to let you go.

But I will die here, and you will continue to live…

Only by doing this… will the Las Order stop interfering with your happiness without me.

Vivian gave up everything as she spoke.

“…A curse that makes him love me.”