"Miss Executioner! The time has come!"

A loud man's voice and the sound of the door being violently opened woke Vertin up from her nap after a long night of preparation.

'Preparation for what?' She vaguely asked herself.

Her head was still a little dizzy due to the lack of sleep, so the way the knight called her seemed so strange to her as well.

"The witch has been brought to the execution ground. People are waiting for your arrival!"

Although that extremely loud voice made her ears hurt a lot, it immediately reminded Vertin of her most important mission today - to execute a witch publicly. It was also one of the reasons why she had to stay up all night to prepare.

The other reasons were because–

"Don't think of sparing her by pretending that you are tired." The knight looked down on her and said in an obviously contemptuous tone, "Despite the fact that you and her are women, it's lucky of you to be the successor of the former executioner."

"Or else, your place was definitely in the kitchen, not in this house of your own."

–she was a woman and this execution was also her first one after her mentor was brutally assassinated by the rebel group.

The people above were scared of the loss of their force and at the same time, they wanted to show their authority, so they quickly decided to choose Vertin, the adopted child of the former executioner and a woman, to inherit the execution job.

To them, if a useless woman like her died, there would be no loss at all.

"I'm ready."

Vertin stood up from her seat and brought a big suitcase with diamond pattern along.

"Please lead the way."

She nodded and spoke to the knight wearing silver armor.

Seeing her calm manner, the man snorted but he didn't say anything more and began escorting her to the execution ground. As a clever knight, he knew that the woman before him played an important role in spreading his lord's name and authority to the people in their new territory.

That was why he needed to endure her arrogance for the large picture of their territory's brilliant future under his lord's regime!

As they were on their way, Vertin once again reviewed the circumstances and allegations as well as the background of the criminal who would be executed at 4 p.m.

It wasn't actually a part of her duty to do these things because the final verdict had been passed down by the court, nothing could be changed at this time.

However, there was a terribly strong urge inside her body telling her that something wasn't right!

'But the witch's execution happened many times when my teacher was still alive.'

'Even that person was actually guilty or not, if she was a woman and did things that a woman shouldn't do, she would eventually be brought to death by the hatred crowds and the liar nobles.'

'Just like the knight's previous words, I'm nothing but a bit more lucky woman than others. I can't do anything for that pitiful girl, except giving her a less painful death.'

Thoughts about the common sense of this era tried to overwhelm the doubts that were rising in Vertin's mind like mushrooms grew after rain. Still, they didn't have a chance to affect anything in that stubborn head.

She was an executioner, who was about to set her first step on the journey of reaping the lives of countless people, regardless of their crimes. Therefore, she must be more steadfast and cold-blooded than anyone on her own stage - the execution ground.

'Why was the name of the girl smeared with black ink?'

Vertin knitted her eyebrows as she read the papers in her hand.

"Do you hear the latest news?" Someone in the crowd whispered.

"They found another accomplice of the witch, huh?" Someone guessed.

"No! It's about the new executioner!"

Many people gathered at the spot of the person who was spreading hot news. As he saw a lot of people listening to him, the man tried to behave mysteriously and spoke in an exaggerated tone.

"It's a woman! The new executioner is a woman!"

"Oh my...!"

"Gosh..."

Countless shouts of surprise came out from one person to another and soon covered all the crowded streets.

"Did our new lord..." The woman instantly lowered her voice, "...out of his mind?"

"Shhhhh..."

Her husband quickly used his palm to cover her mouth and carefully looked around.

"Do you want to be the next one on the gallows?!"

"I'm s-sorry... dear."

The woman was so scared that she followed her husband home without saying a single word right after.

Though there were objections to the fact that an executioner was female, no one dared to comment on this. Because the dried heads of the previous lord as well as his courtiers and knights were still being hanged outside the castle wall after the invasion one month ago.

On the execution platform, Vertin checked the time on her pocket watch. It was 3:53 p.m, which was 7 minutes till the execution time.

The angry crowd below were giving insults to the young girl wearing a pillory as well as curiously watching the female executioner. In those claimed-to-be-human eyes, there may be some pitying gazes, but most of them were gloating, vindictive and jealous.

"What a dreary afternoon!"

Another knight who wore a luxury blue cloak approached Vertin and her escort knight. Based on his cloak and the shiny sword he was holding, there was no doubt that his rank was definitely higher than the one who stood next to her.

"Someone will take over the escort mission of Miss Executioner from now on."

The people above always had some weird hobbies, so compared to them, the way he used a rather strange word to call himself wasn't that noticeable.

"My fellow knight, you can leave now."

That knight asked the other to move away with a smile that wouldn't allow any objections.

"Yes, Sir!"

When that person left, the knight lightly patted Vertin's head, lowered his body and gently whispered in her ears.

"The preparation of thee hath all set. Please become the brightest star under this ironic daylight."

Vertin tightened her grip on the suitcase handle and nodded.

"I will."

Now it was 3:57 p.m, 3 minutes till the execution.

An officer from the court began narrating the "crimes" of the "witch".

"This insidious witch has used her witchcraft to remain that young appearance of a girl, despite the fact that she was over 18!"

"With that childlike appearance, she has deceived many adult men and stole all of their assets!"

"Someone doesn't know why a grown man like him could spit out filthy words without feeling ashamed of himself."

Hearing the court officer's words, the blue-cloaked knight slightly shook his head in disapproval.

"Those being sexually attracted to children should be thrown to a pack of hungry wolves or a den of vipers for the sin of daring to dirty the innocence and naivety."

The frankness in his words made Vertin smile.

"... I hereby declare to execute this witch by hanging her on the gallows!"

When the officer finished his speech, it was exactly 4 p.m, no more no less.

Now, it was the time to play the executioner's role - Vertin's role.

Facing hundreds of eyes observing every of her movements, Vertin put her large suitcase on the floor and opened it. Inside the suitcase, there was a piece of special-sized rope that had been knotted, two silver square-shaped objects and an orange folded letter.

[To you, my dearest stranger

Death wasn't that bad, especially if it was in your arms. I'm still scared of death, yet your arms were so warm.

Please don't give me mercy in the world that I'm not belong to.

Just look at me at the final moment and tell me your most sincere words.

That will be enough, My Lord.]

An anonymous letter with a red feather as the token of the sender.

Vertin could almost call out the name of that person, but the thick mist in her memory prevented her from remembering.

You can't cheat at this stage, darling. - An old lady's voice whispered in her head.

To reveal the secret she was seeking for, Vertin must follow her role as the executioner to the end.

"So annoying." She murmured to herself.

Next, the female executioner started to tie the special-sized rope on the gallows. She didn't use the available ones because the body size of the girl was so small compared to the size of a grown person.

If she insisted on using the usual ropes, that girl would feel suffocated and in pain for a long period of time before she could truly meet her death.

"You're still as humanitarian as ever..."

The dainty girl looked at her executioner with a pair of beautiful ruby eyes that could make the latter's heart beat fast in no time. As Vertin was about to say something, the girl put a finger before her lips.

"Please save your words for that final moment."

Vertin rounded her gray eyes.

Before she could have more reactions, the rope had already been around the brown-haired witch's neck and her legs had stood on a high chair. With only a push to the chair, the girl would spent her last breath in less than 3 minutes.

Under the execution platform, the boos and cheers from people with distorted faces urged Vertin to kill the the girl on the gallows. As if all of them had lost their human appearances and turned into some kind of ugly monsters.

"Push the chair! Kill the witch!"

"Push the chair! Kill the witch!"

Among the deafening noises of those people, the calm voice of the brown-haired girl somehow became outstanding in the female executioner's ears.

"What are you waiting for, My Lord?"

These bright ruby eyes that once reflected a confused Vertin had been covered by a black cloth.

"My death is your only exit in this outrageous world."

What she said was true. The only option Vertin could choose to survive was to kill "her". Or else, she would be torn apart and consumed by the hungry monsters below.

"You said I should leave my most sincere words for the final moment."

Vertin took a deep breath and began to act.

"Your words, your colors, your smell and my sensation of you."

She vigorously pushed the tall and heavy chair forward.

"I've recorded them all."

Before the rope became straight and broke the small neck of the girl, a knight wearing blue cloak jumped onto the beam of the gallows and cut all of the ropes in the blink of an eye. Afterwards, he held the girl in his hand and sent her to the female executioner who was waiting on the platform.

"Schneider, please come with me."

With steadfast eyes, Vertin held out her free hand to the girl.

"... You never fail to satisfy me, My Lord."

Without any hesitation, the girl took her hand and smiled peacefully.

"As a loyal knight, Someone won't let any enemies destroy the rare happiness moment of my lord!"

The blue-cloaked knight charged his sacred sword to eliminate all the monsters that swarmed onto the execution platform from everywhere.

While he was fighting heroically, Vertin was activating two "TeLEPorT" floppy disks that were inside her suitcase. As she finished the process, she threw one floppy disk to the knight and expressed her appreciation.

"Thank you for escorting me till the end."

"It's Someone's responsibility to protect my lord. Please hurry up or Someone will be rusty and lose his humour by the blood of those mindless monsters."

Hearing the brown-haired girl chuckled with his joke made the knight feel accomplished.

Hand in hand, the two girls as well as the brave knight in blue cloak left this realm of the dream.

—--------

The moment we met was also the moment you left.

It was alright, because you would always find me and remember me at the end.

Death may already do us part, but as long as you still remembered me, I would always stay here, in your dreams, to lead you to the moment we met.