Chapter 113: Execution of the King
That night, Loren found a random inn by the sea to stay in. The inns here were all very clean and tidy. While not as comfortable as the luxury hotels Loren had stayed in in other countries, they were still quite nice.
Due to the strict laws here, tourism in Anselm wasn't very developed. Wealthy people, in particular, were very unwilling to come here because they would lose the privileges they were accustomed to.
Those who came here mostly did so to see the sea. They were mostly young people, with couples being the majority.
Loren woke up very early the next day. After all, there was drama to watch today. Even with Loren's experience, killing a king was a rare event.
The children were already used to seeing dead bodies by now, so watching a beheading shouldn't be a problem.
"Everyone's here pretty early."
When Loren arrived at the execution ground, quite a few people had already gathered around. So, Loren had to use his money-power to secure a suitable viewing spot.
If you were willing to pay a bit of money, and both parties agreed, you could still exchange it for quite a few privileges. It's just that those who were used to enjoying privileges usually didn't think of this.
On the execution platform knelt three people. Their clothing was still somewhat splendid, especially one of them who was wearing a crown, which undoubtedly indicated he was the King.
The salaries and benefits for officials in Anselm were not low. As long as they fulfilled their duties diligently, there wasn't much danger. Even in cases of collective punishment, as long as they managed their subordinates well, nothing would happen. After all, the premise of collective punishment was prolonged ignorance or harboring of crimes. If something really happened and they didn't know about it for that long, then they really couldn't blame others.
Furthermore, people were still very reverent towards the gods. They wouldn't casually file complaints with the gods. Usually, if there was an issue, they would first report it to their superior. If reporting at that level proved useless, then it was time for the gods to step in.
So, in truth, Anselm didn't execute many people throughout the year. What happened today was genuinely rare, which was also why so many people had gathered here.
A Wind Messenger holding an axe pressed the three people down in front of the guillotine and asked in front of the crowd:
"One week ago, Anselm was attacked by sea monsters. Although they were dealt with by Wind Messengers, significant damage was caused. For this, the Church allocated funds for reconstruction. The official responsible for this matter, Mira Gray, embezzled fifty percent of the disaster relief funds. Do you admit your guilt?"
Facing the Wind Messenger's interrogation, Mira did not answer, keeping her head bowed in silence.
"Bring the person up."
This scene was within the Wind Messenger's expectations. He then ordered the Enforcement Team to bring forward a woman. The woman was somewhat plump and bore the mark of plague on her body.
"Mom..."
The woman began to cry the moment she saw Mira. Only after seeing her daughter did Mira raise her head, her eyes filled with terror.
"Mira Gray gave most of the embezzled funds to her own daughter, allowing her to flee the Kingdom of Anselm with the money and go to the Bardo Kingdom.
"According to the law, in cases of embezzlement and bribery, all who benefited are equally guilty."
As he spoke, the Enforcement Team members also pressed Mira's daughter down onto the guillotine platform.
"I regret it, I truly regret it. I'll never dare to do it again..."
Seeing her daughter also forced onto the guillotine, Mira finally broke down crying.
"You don't regret committing the crime;
you only regret being caught."
After saying this, the Wind Messenger swung the axe, severing the rope connected to the guillotine. The blade fell, and blood instantly stained the execution platform red, soaking the long-dried bloodstains once more.
"This execution platform hasn't been used for so long that you've all forgotten the lesson."
As the Wind Messenger moved towards the next person, Loren was also conversing with the others.