The ship crossed the canal much faster than in her last memory.

This was natural, as in her previous life, Idren had taken a longer route waiting for her to wake up.

Ophelia arrived on the other side of the canal before the yellow candy in her mouth had fully dissolved. As the ship docked at the port belonging to Aglante, Penrel helped her set foot on land again.

After helping her into the prepared carriage, the knight hesitated for a moment before saying:

“It would be best to keep the carriage windows covered until we reach Lord Rohos’s castle.”

Ophelia tilted her head at the incomprehensible words. Reading her puzzlement, Penrel added:

“There may be things in the outside scenery that would disturb you.”

It was clearly an answer that deliberately omitted detailed descriptions.

Ophelia did not press the knight for details. She would surely need Penrel’s cooperation in the future, so there was no need to trouble him from the start.

Besides, now that she had crossed into Aglante territory, she could find out enough of what she wanted to know.

When they finally arrived at Lord Rohos’s castle, Ophelia realized why the knight had prevented her from looking outside.

Taeran Rohos’s head was hanging on the castle wall.

Seeing where her gaze had turned as she got out of the carriage, Penrel hastily said:

“I’ll have it taken down right away.”

“No, there’s no need for that.”

It must have been hung there by Idren anyway. At this point, there was no one else who would have killed Taeran Rohos.

“For what reason did His Majesty execute that lord?”

When she asked out of sudden curiosity, the knight hesitated for a moment before answering:

“He was charged with embezzlement of taxes, slave trading, and smuggling of prohibited items.”

It was a plausible reason. As she walked on the stone path leading to the castle gate, Ophelia tried to grasp Idren’s thoughts. Judging by his killing Lord Rohos first, it didn’t seem like his feelings for her had cooled, but his decisiveness was too good.

As if he had some kind of purpose.

Ophelia asked Penrel, who was now standing in place of where Idren had been:

“The king has already left Rohos territory by now, hasn’t he?”

“Yes, but I wrote a letter saying I escorted you across the canal, so news should arrive soon.”

Then the knight fell silent for a moment, perhaps remembering that her letter had been returned. He added:

“If you have any message you wish to convey to His Majesty, please write a letter. The previous return was due to circumstances, so this time it will be delivered on time.”

“No, it’s alright. I’ll be going to Edegrun soon anyway, so I can speak to him face to face.”

“…I see.”

Penrel glanced at her, perhaps thinking she might be upset.

Though she wasn’t angry, knowing the knight was only guilty of following his master’s orders, Ophelia didn’t clear up the misunderstanding. As long as she was not the master but the one being guarded, it was better to have more emotional debt.

Instead of continuing the conversation with the knight, Ophelia raised her head. Someone was waiting for them in front of the castle gate.

Ophelia frowned for a moment to confirm who it was, then her eyes widened.

Anika was standing in front of the castle gate.

The head of the Onde family patriarch fell.

He was the last man scheduled for execution.

As the middle-aged man’s head rolled on the ground in front of the castle gate, a sigh escaped from the king’s lips as well. It was a moment that reminded everyone that the man who had been watching the situation with emotionless eyes all along was still alive.

Hazel watched as the man rubbed his face dry and rose from the judge’s seat. Following the custom of execution days, the man washed his hands and face with the prepared water before entering the castle gate. As they watched his retreating figure, a few people quietly exhaled sighs of relief. They seemed to think that today’s share of bloodshed was over.

The spectators who had been watching the execution with anxious eyes also quietly left their places. Hazel saw people dispersing and asking each other for opinions on the current situation.

Anxiety grows first on blood-soaked ground. Even if those whose heads were hung on the castle walls had lived in a world as different as heaven and earth from the common people, commoners inevitably tremble with anxiety that the heads of their next-door neighbors or their own family members might be hung there next.

Hazel didn’t think the king was unaware of this fact.

He simply chose not to consider it.

Anxiety born from imagination is uncontrollable, but it takes longer than expected for it to materialize. The king seemed to plan to handle everything in the meantime. Having learned some political science, albeit half-heartedly, Hazel noticed this fact.

As long as the king didn’t directly oppress the public, Hazel didn’t care either way. The old men of the elder faction had lived for too long. The same went for fathers who treated their daughters’ lives lightly, and those who bought and sold other people’s precious children.

Her intensely idealistic cousin seemed to have a different opinion. That man, who resembled his mother more and more as he aged, was appalled every time the king dropped someone’s head.

However, as one of those who thought Salode Chesa’s idealism stemmed from his smooth childhood, Hazel didn’t care how horrified her cousin was.

Salode, who had lived a life where the whole world listened to him, had always concluded that things were wrong if they didn’t flow as he deemed right.

When her intelligent cousin would recite reasons why he was right and she was wrong, Hazel felt the urge to lock him up in a stable. She wanted to tell him to try getting kicked by a horse’s hoof before wagging his tongue.

But unlike the dead who remain forever at the same age, she had grown up. So instead of doing such things, Hazel chose to ignore her cousin’s words.

Just like now.

“Hazel, let’s talk.”

Hazel walked past Salode, who called out to her as soon as she entered the castle, as if he had been waiting. She had a constitution that made her feel unwell if she conversed with pampered men for more than a certain amount of time.

Salode, who never gave up, followed behind her.

“Hazel!”

When her cousin grabbed her wrist with those words, Hazel immediately struck away his hand. Salode, who had spent most of his life at a desk, was pushed back.

But since it was still annoying, Hazel stopped and snapped:

“Don’t you know that laying hands on a knight’s body is a challenge to a duel?”

“You can’t duel with an opponent who hasn’t been knighted.”

“Why, there are many knights in Chesa, so send any of them as your proxy. If I win, you’ll keep your mouth shut for the rest of your life. How about it?”

Hazel was confident she could crush anyone from her family no matter who came out.

“Hazel.”

Salode sighed as he rubbed his wrist.

“I have no intention of fighting you.”

“Do I have to consider your thoughts too?”

At that, Salode tightened his lips as if he was truly hurt. Hazel suppressed the urge to hit him and really hurt him, and said:

“If it’s about the king’s current course of action, I’ve said I have nothing to say.”

From the return journey from Reden until now, the king had executed a large number of lords who had been committing corruption.

Hazel was one of the knights who had captured and delivered the lords as he ordered.

Of course, not everyone agreed with the king’s handling of the situation.

Some said he should be more cautious. Among those who raised their voices saying that even rotten flesh should be cut out according to procedure was her aunt.

Hazel didn’t pay attention to those words. She already knew the result of deaths compensated according to procedure.

Right now, the people might be frightened. It was natural, with blood spilling from the castle every other day.

But the king’s executions had a clear purpose. To eradicate the exploitation of the people by those who opposed royal authority.

Purposeful actions eventually come to an end. The country could be stabilized again when that time came.

The problem was trying to treat unethical people according to ethics and rules in the first place. Hazel thought it was rather fortunate that the king didn’t hesitate to get his hands bloody. It would have been difficult to reform even if one lived for hundreds of years using the methods Salode Chesa or Risana spoke of.

Salode, who had been looking at her with a troubled expression for a moment, opened his mouth.

“You’ll soon be dispatched to Brinwell.”

“What?”

“There’s no way there would be a southern conscription just to change the capital’s water. And if war breaks out… His Majesty will definitely take you with him.”

“Isn’t that natural since Penrel Soer is gone?”

“You know it’s not that kind of problem!”

Salode, who had shouted in a low voice, bit his lip.

“You’re being conscripted as a hostage. To ensure Chesa doesn’t go against the king’s decisions by any chance…”

There was no need to listen further. Hazel shook her head briefly and brushed back her fallen hair.

“Shut up.”

“…What?”

“Hostage? Did you think I’d like hearing such words?”

It was an assumption that the family would be swayed because of her in the first place. For someone who didn’t want to be involved with Chesa in any way, it was naturally unwelcome.

“I’m going on this expedition because I’m a knight. You grew up preciously, so you think everything gets cut neatly according to your taste.”

And Hazel pushed the chest of the man obstructing her.

“But it’s not.”

“…”

“So if you’re going to pretend to worry about me and preach your idealism, get lost.”

With those final words, Hazel walked past her cousin. This time, Salode didn’t cling on.

Salode’s prediction came true to some extent.

Not long after, the king summoned the living elder family patriarchs and ministers and said:

“I declare war on Brinwell.”