“Bastards, give me back my wife!”
“They robbed me blind!”
“The goddesses have granted us justice at last!” the commoners shouted, hurling rocks at the carriages, where the mangled bodies of the officials lay in wait.
Stripped of the skin on their backs and the soles of their feet, torn and infected. Pus and blood oozed from their wounds, and they barely clung to life, tied down and helpless.
Watching the scene unfold, Aiden allowed himself a smile.
There was nothing more powerful than the support of the masses. Their anger fueled his plans, and with them on his side, his path would be that much easier.
He turned to Serena, his voice calm yet heavy with conviction.
“Even if they hadn’t deserved it, I would have done it anyway. The moment they dared act against me, they sealed their fate.”
Serena fell silent, unsure what to think.
The mob's fury gave her pause, making her question whether they truly deserved this level of punishment.
But before she could sort out her feelings, Aiden spoke again, his voice soft but laced with authority.
“You have nothing to worry about, Serena,” he said, his tone strangely comforting. “All of this—everything that’s happening—is my responsibility, not yours.”
Serena shivered at his words. She had killed before, but always in self-defense. Those people had all shown animosity towards her.
But today, she had willingly cursed these people, condemning not just the officers but their families—wives, children, even infants—to a terrible fate.
As if sensing her hesitation, Aiden’s voice sharpened.
“Isn’t this what they did to you?” he asked, his tone turning cold. “Or have you forgotten how they murdered your parents and your siblings?”
Serena's heart clenched.
She could never forget that night; she had only tried to suppress it, burying the memory to dull the pain.
Aiden continued, his voice dropping to a near whisper.
“If anything, I’m being merciful. I’m giving them the chance to live as slaves.”
He cast a look at the criminals being dragged into the iron enclosure, his lips curling into a smile.
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Unable to refute his words, Serena fell silent, her thoughts a chaotic whirlwind.
Aiden rose from his seat, turning to her with a calm yet commanding look.
"Remember, Serena—you have nothing to carry here. That burden is mine alone. Your only duty is to serve me."
Still processing his words, Serena simply nodded, watching him stride to the edge of the platform.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please listen closely!” Aiden’s amplified voice filled the square, bringing the crowd to an expectant hush.
He allowed the silence to settle, and then he unfurled a scroll, his expression grave.
“I am Aiden Hoyle, the current marquis. My uncle has fallen victim to a terrible curse. These people you see before you are responsible. They colluded with a dark sorcerer, one who brought ruin to our lands.”
His words sparked an outburst from the crowd, gasps and cries of shock rippling through the people.
Dark sorcerers were infamous—feared and despised across the empire for their insidious curses.
Their very existence was a sin against the empire’s gods. Murmurs spread, and anger flared again.
“Burn them at the stake!” shouted one voice.
“Monsters!” screamed another.
“Kill them!”
Aiden held up his hand, silencing the crowd.
“There is no need for fear,” he said, his voice steady. “The goddesses themselves guided me, and the sorcerer was found. After a fierce battle, he was defeated and killed.”
A wave of relief swept through the crowd, cheers rising as the tension broke.
The thought of a dark sorcerer lurking near had terrified them all.
Aiden lifted the scroll again.
"Today, we shall execute these criminals and restore justice. Their names and crimes are as follows."
As he listed the names and their heinous acts, the crowd’s hatred grew, their anger bursting into curses and shouts.
Rocks and spit flew through the air, striking the carriages where the nearly-dead criminals lay.
Seeing the reaction, Aiden continued, his voice resonating with authority.
"As you can see, they have been brutally punished to satisfy your need for justice. Their lives will end here, and they will suffer for their crimes against you and your loved ones. The goddesses' justice is absolute!" His tone rang with righteous fervor.
People in the crowd wept, recalling loved ones they had lost, while Aiden’s words ignited a fiery desire for vengeance among the citizens.
Priests and commoners alike felt their blood boil, the air thick with fury and anticipation.
“Death to the traitors!”
“Burn them alive!”
“Make them suffer!”
Aiden signaled to his guards, who moved to bring in iron boxes, each with a heavy lid.
Curious murmurs filled the crowd, but Aiden only smiled, letting the tension build.
"These past days, we have prepared a fitting end for these people. The end that the goddesses demand."
At his command, the guards opened the boxes, revealing large, sharp-toothed rats, their eyes glinting with a ravenous hunger.
These were no ordinary rats; they were carnivorous, far larger than their common counterparts, their fangs capable of piercing bone.
A chorus of squeaks and hisses erupted as the creatures, released from confinement, rushed toward the criminals.
The rats lunged, sinking their teeth into flesh with a sickening crunch, tearing at limbs and exposed bones.
Flesh ripped and blood sprayed as they gnawed through the victims' bodies, relentless and insatiable.
Screams filled the square as the criminals convulsed in pain, their voices raw and desperate.
They cried for mercy, begged to be saved, but the crowd only watched, horrified yet entranced by the spectacle.
The rats tore into legs and arms, biting through muscle and cracking bones.
Skulls shattered as sharp teeth burrowed into them, ripping apart flesh and cartilage.
Blood pooled beneath the criminals, mingling with pus and dirt as the rats feasted, their squeals filling the cold air.
The crowd, stunned and horrified, could only watch as justice, brutal and final, was served.