Chapter 0

Year 387 of the Old Kingdom Calendar.

July 3rd, Year 1 of the New Empire Calendar.

In the historic city of Lahator, one of the most renowned cities on the Barnat continent.

Once the declining capital of the old kingdom, now the newly born capital of the empire, a public execution was about to begin.

“From this moment—!! The execution of the deposed king Karl VII, the deposed queen Zalomiere, and 97 traitors shall commence!!”

The executioner on the scaffold shouted at the top of his lungs, announcing the moment the citizens had been eagerly awaiting.

“Their crimes are as follows: disrupting the livelihood of the people! Ignoring public opinion and committing tyranny! Embezzling taxes and squandering them on luxury! Colluding with enemy nations, and so many more that it’s hard to list them all!!”

After pausing to catch his breath, the executioner pointed at the condemned with the execution order and declared, “Here and now, their heads shall roll to cleanse their sins!!”

“Finally! Finally, we get to see those bastards die!!!”

“Ugh, if only my late grandmother could have been here to see this…”

The reactions were varied.

Some fainted from joy, others shed tears of emotion, and some sniffled from the weight of their emotions. Each expressed their cheers in their own way.

Some might wonder.

Why are they so happy about the deaths of others? Shouldn’t they at least show some final respect to those about to die?

If you asked the citizens, they’d probably reply:

“Then you try living under their oppression your whole life and come back to talk.”

The anger and hatred of the citizens, exploited for generations over centuries, had long since reached their limit.

It had been a long time since only blood could quell their rage.

“Shut up! Shut the hell up, you maggots!!”

“Disgusting traitors! When the punitive forces arrive, you’ll all be shot! Shot!!”

“How dare you lowly commoners lay hands on my noble self?! Get lost right now!!”

But the shamelessness of the human species is truly remarkable.

Even as thousands cheered for their deaths, the condemned couldn’t stop spewing curses.

They demanded that this farce be stopped and that they be released immediately.

One of them, perhaps with his guts spilling out, even shouted at the Emperor watching from the palace balcony.

“Karolus!! You damn traitor!! How could you, who became a general thanks to His Majesty’s grace, betray him?! Do you not have a human heart?!!”

To this, Emperor Karolus I, that is, me, simply ignored it and thought to myself.

‘So what? Who asked you to make me want to overthrow the country?’

If you didn’t like it, you should’ve made a country that didn’t need a coup.