The princess and the gods are synonymous.
Of course, that’s not actually true, but at least the citizens of the Empire accepted it that way. Those of royal blood were revered to such a divine degree.
In the Empire, the princess was the miracle born with the sacred bloodline. There exists a religion that worships the Sun God, but the princesses are also exalted.
However, it was decided that a public execution of a princess would take place.
Even princesses could not treat a fellow princess carelessly, and considering the consequences of the emperor’s decision, it was not something that could be taken lightly, yet it happened anyway.
And now, the condemned criminal stood before Ezekiel.
The 5th Princess, Neo.
“What on earth happened?”
Ezekiel asked, feeling a headache coming on.
But surprisingly, Neo remained very composed.
Swish— swish—
Only the sound of her fingers brushing against the letter resounded in the space. Neo still did not look at Ezekiel, only reading the letter.
It was a while before her lips finally parted.
“The emperor won’t reverse his decision. My execution is already decided, and stopping it is impossible.”
Logically, that was a given.
Once the emperor made a decision, it was rare for him to reverse it. Moreover, it had already been publicly declared in front of everyone.
Stopping the 5th Princess’s execution now would be extremely difficult. It would take a miracle to change that.
However, what Ezekiel wanted to ask Neo was not about the execution.
Why on earth did she do such a thing?
Yes, that was the first thing that needed to be discussed.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it, teacher?”
At this point, Ezekiel was sure that the 5th Princess had changed somewhat from the past he knew.
In the past, the 5th Princess had spoken little but had a particularly pure and composed aura; now, it was different. She looked like she was under some kind of compulsion.
“How have you been, teacher?”
“….”
Moreover, she didn’t answer any of Ezekiel’s questions. She kept reading the letter repeatedly, occasionally tossing out only the things she wanted to say.
“Neo, what’s wrong with you?”
In the end, Ezekiel couldn’t help but ask.
He couldn’t not ask. The current state of the 5th Princess was undeniably peculiar.
She was not looking normal at all.
“You’re not even looking at me, and you aren’t answering my questions. What on earth are you thinking?”
As he began to ask one question after another, her words came pouring out non-stop.
“And how do you know about the Balance? I’ll ask again, what the hell happened?”
Finally, Neo shook her head.
Unlike Ezekiel, who was pressed for time every second, she exuded calmness through her actions. A third party might think that it was Ezekiel who was about to be executed.
“Teacher, you’ve gotten quite impatient in the time we haven’t seen each other.”
The 5th Princess finally turned her head and met Ezekiel’s gaze with her blue eyes.
Eyes as blue as a lake, resembling Ezekiel’s.
Those eyes finally locked onto the man before her.
“…It’s not something to be so worked up about. Even if someone like me dies.”
Ezekiel’s actions came to a stiff halt.
He had heard such shocking words that he didn’t even realize he had furrowed his brow. Ezekiel doubted his own ears and looked back at her.
There she was.
A calm-faced 5th Princess.
“What’s important is not my life; it was a plan that had to succeed, but since it has failed, someone like me….”
“…Neo!”
Ezekiel finally shouted.
Neo saying things like that was absolutely unacceptable, and it was content he could no longer bear to hear.
First of all, Neo didn’t seem to be in a good state.
If communication was failing, how was he supposed to gather information? He had already broken into the underground prison and thus was implicated in treason. How could he sort this out…?
His mind was a jumbled mess.
No clear solutions were coming to mind.
But if Ezekiel showed any wavering in this situation, it would truly be the end. Therefore, Ezekiel desperately tried to gather his thoughts.
“What on earth are you babbling about? You deserve to die? What kind of crime did you commit?”
“Of course, the crime of failing the Spirit Trap plan.”
Ezekiel was speechless.
Even as the enormous event of the execution approached, the 5th Princess didn’t seem to care at all about her impending death.
All she could think about was how she hadn’t been able to convey what she had intended through the Spirit Trap. It seemed her mind was completely occupied with that.
Instead, she even subtly questioned Ezekiel.
“…Did you lose faith in me?”
What kind of nonsensical thing was that?
Ezekiel was at a loss for where to begin correcting her, stifling the rising confusion that continued to swell inside him.
“Neo, you’ve been saying strange things since earlier.”
“You said you wanted to announce the names of the members.”
That short response made Ezekiel’s mouth close tightly.
How on earth did she know about that?
While it was true that Ezekiel had harbored such hopes, he never once revealed anything related to it when teaching the 5th Princess.
Moreover, the time when Balance was active was before the 5th Princess was even born. It meant there was a contradiction in timing.
While Ezekiel was sinking into confusion, the 5th Princess, Neo, nodded as if she understood.
“…You trusted me, and I managed to fail spectacularly. I’m sorry for not being able to help until the end.”
Soon, Ezekiel’s expression hardened.
Murmurs could be heard from the gaping hole in the ceiling. It seemed the imperial palace had begun to take action, heightening his urgency.
This was more shocking and incomprehensible than he had imagined.
Not only was the 5th Princess suddenly apologizing to Ezekiel, but she also seemed to think that her death was deserved.
That was something Ezekiel could not accept.
“You don’t need to feel too disappointed. I’ll repay this mistake with my death. Ah, how foolish. After practicing so much, to make a mistake in real life. Just what….”
“Enough!”
Ezekiel shouted to cut off Neo’s words.
Considering it had been so long since they had last met, it would have been nice if they could just smile and ask about each other’s well-being, but the situation didn’t permit it. Ezekiel grabbed the 5th Princess by the shoulders and asked.
“Are you saying you practiced to share information about the Balance? Who the hell made you do such a thing?”
In a tone close to a bark, Ezekiel questioned, and Neo merely turned her head slightly to avoid his gaze.
The 5th Princess wasn’t putting any strength into the shoulders he held. The same went for her voice.
“Right. No one made me do it.”
“Then why!”
Ezekiel, still holding onto Neo’s shoulders, gritted his teeth.
She was recklessly risking her own life to undertake such a foolish act, and even suffering from guilt.
What in the world was this?
Ezekiel raised his voice toward Neo, who still couldn’t meet his eyes.
“Why are you risking your life like this? You’re the princess of the empire! I don’t know how you found out about the Balance, but to do something like that…!”
“…Something like that?”
The princess shot back with just those two words.
But a chill sharper than ice laced those brief words. A completely altered attitude, Neo glared at Ezekiel with wide eyes.
As if her spirit had been drained, she had been devoid of energy, and then suddenly, her eyes sharpened, glaring fiercely at Ezekiel. She felt like a completely different person.
Ezekiel continued.
“Even if I held such intentions… it’s still my goal. You have no reason to risk your life…!”
“A reason?”
The 5th Princess, Neo, repeated Ezekiel’s words again.
But with each repetition, her tone grew slightly stronger. He could feel strength returning to Neo’s previously limp shoulders.
After a while, Neo let out a hollow laugh.
“…What do you mean, act as if I don’t know?”
She continued her words, sporting an expression of disbelief.
“If we were strangers, it might have been possible. But it’s not. I can’t think of you as a stranger.”
“Even so, you have no reason to risk your life….”
“True, I can say that. No one made me do this, and it was purely my own choice.”
Neo’s voice became clearer, as if emotions were welling up within her as she spoke.
She then stared straight at Ezekiel, continuing her words.
“But.”
This time, Neo grabbed Ezekiel’s arm. With her other hand, she held out the letter.
“…To look at this letter and pretend not to see it? To just sit there as if nothing happened? Think about it the other way around. Would you do that, teacher?”
It was at that moment that Ezekiel reacted with a realization.
He suddenly understood a piece of the puzzle in his mind.
The letter in the 5th Princess’s hand was none other than the proposal letter he had personally written and sent.
Could Neo’s behavior stem from the contents of this letter?
“No, I can’t do that.”
He received the letter from the resolute 5th Princess.
The cause of this incident had finally been grasped in Ezekiel’s hands.
Ezekiel began to read the letter immediately.
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