Although the existence of mana had indeed increased the number of entertainment options in this world, such as magic films and airship races, these were luxuries that the commoners at the bottom could not enjoy.
There were not many forms of entertainment available to them. It was nothing more than wandering around after meals, gossiping with neighbors, or going to a tavern to drink a mug of cheap ale.
Therefore, they usually would not miss a grand spectacle like the Empire's public execution of a prisoner.
The road leading to the execution square was already packed with people.
Greg blended into the flow of people. His gaze swept over the surrounding crowd, noting young men walking arm-in-arm, women carrying vegetable baskets, and a few vendors taking the opportunity to set up small stalls by the roadside to sell nuts and flatbreads.
It was bustling everywhere, and some people even started arguing due to differing opinions.
“I'm telling you, the Fifth Imperial Princess was definitely framed! Which of the policies she proposed back then wasn't for our sake? Would someone like her conspire with the Demons? I wouldn't believe it even if you beat me to death!”
A burly, bearded man waved his rough hands, spit flying as he spoke.
“Hmph, you can know a person's face but not their heart.”
A thin, middle-aged man next to him sneered.
“She was missing for half a year. Who knows where she went or what she did during that time? What if she only returned after truly making some kind of deal with the Demons?”
“You're full of crap! You're just judging a noble soul by your own petty standards!”
“You're the one who's full of crap! You've just been deceived by her superficial efforts!”
The argument grew increasingly heated, and the surrounding crowd joined in. Some supported Wendy, while others remained skeptical, resulting in an endless debate.
Watching this scene, Greg thought to himself, 'It seems that aside from the children in the slums, Wendy still holds quite a bit of weight in the hearts of the rest of the people. As expected of my Chief Steward, she truly has the people's support!'
But then, he helplessly stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked at the clump of gray hair following behind him.
“So why do you keep following me? Didn't you say yesterday that stalking is perverted? Are we starting with the double standards already?”
Victoria crossed her arms over her chest. An unnatural look flashed through her gray eyes, but her tone remained stubborn:
“Who's following you? I just happen to be heading this way too. Is this road only for you to walk on? Did you buy the right of way or something?”
Victoria wasn't entirely lying.
She had originally agreed to watch the execution together with Silvia, but this morning, Silvia suddenly said she had other matters to attend to, so Victoria had to come alone.
However, she hadn't expected to run into Greg on the way, so she naturally ended up walking behind him.
Victoria knew Greg would definitely do something today.
She figured that since Greg had helped her quite a bit yesterday, she wouldn't mind taking a risk to help him today if he needed it.
But she didn't expect this guy to turn around and accuse her of stalking him—just how shameless could he be!
“Walking on the same road is one thing, but you've been following right behind me for a while now, haven't you?” Greg said. “This isn't even stalking anymore; it's straight-up tailing. Do you like me that much?”
Victoria's cheeks flushed slightly. She grit her teeth, and finally squeezed out a sentence: “...Conceited idiot, then just walk by yourself!”
With a huff, she quickened her pace, walked past him, turned into a side alley, and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Greg stood in place, only letting out a sigh of relief after confirming Victoria had truly left.
Having spent eighty-one playthroughs with that little gray-haired brat, he knew exactly what Victoria wanted to do.
If he didn't separate from her, she would definitely step forward to help him without hesitation when he raided the execution grounds later.
But Greg didn't want her to get involved in this mess.
He believed Victoria only needed to stand openly before everyone and do what she, as the Hero, was supposed to do.
As for these underhanded matters, he would find a way to handle them himself.
Greg resumed his steps. After walking with the crowd for a while longer, he finally arrived in front of the wide square used for public executions.
The overall area of the square was massive, enough to accommodate thousands of people.
At this moment, a large crowd of onlookers had already gathered, and the clamor rose and fell.
Right in the center of the square stood a wooden execution platform about two meters high. A thick wooden post was erected on the platform, with dry firewood and straw piled at its base, drenched in oil. This was likely the instrument of execution that would soon be used to burn Wendy at the stake.
Directly in front of the execution platform stood two imperial thrones, one large and one small.
The larger one was magnificent, with the Empire's eagle emblem carved on its back. The smaller one was slightly inferior, but still gorgeously decorated.
On the right side of the platform, there were five beautifully decorated chairs, each carved with the emblem of a different academy. They were likely reserved in advance for the headmasters of the Five Great Academies.
Although the headmasters were not interested in this farce and would likely not show up, the Empire had still set up these five chairs specifically to show respect.
However, Greg knew that two of the five headmasters had actually already arrived. They had simply disguised themselves and blended into some corner of the crowd instead of sitting in those conspicuous chairs.
On the left side of the platform stood another equally magnificent chair, with the Holy Light cross emblem of the Church of Light carved on its back, clearly reserved for the current Saintess, Veronica.
But at this moment, the chair was still empty, and Veronica had not yet made an appearance.
Retracting his gaze, Greg suddenly realized something. Nightmare seemed a bit too quiet today.
Normally, when she saw the chair representing the Church of Light, she wouldn't be able to resist making a comment. Yet, she had remained completely silent.
Thus, he called out in his mind, 'Hajimi, what's wrong? Are you depressed because of the huge difference in treatment?'
“Hmph, how could I ever envy those wenches?”
Nightmare's voice echoed in his mind, her tone carrying her usual arrogance and disdain:
“I merely... suddenly felt an aura that piqued my interest. But after arriving here, that aura seems to have weakened a bit.”
Knowing that Hajimi wasn't depressed, Greg felt slightly relieved. 'Since you're curious, why don't you go look for it?'
Nightmare said, “But you, later...”
“Don't worry,” Greg interrupted her, his tone light yet assured. “This operation is practically a sure thing. There shouldn't be any major accidents, so you don't need to worry about me. Go investigate the aura that caught your attention. Who knows, you might actually find something valuable.”
Nightmare fell silent for a moment before finally letting out a soft, “Fine.”
“Be careful yourself. Once I find the source, I will return quickly.”
“Understood. Go ahead.”
Just as he finished speaking, the shadow beneath Greg's feet rippled slightly. An extremely faint dark shadow separated from the edge of his shadow like flowing water, quickly sliding past the feet of the crowd along the ground. It dashed in the opposite direction of the square, disappearing around a street corner in the blink of an eye.
Rate on N.U.
