"It's Clairte!"
"How did he get involved with the Royal Guard?!"
"I heard... it seems to be because of the 'Encyclopedia'."
The citizens of Roland City whispered among themselves, gathering around the corner. Some had indignation written all over their faces, others were numb, or simply shook their heads and walked away.
Ryan unconsciously stopped in his tracks, temporarily forgetting he had come to buy bread, and moved towards the gathering.
But when he stood at the edge of the crowd, and fixed his gaze at the center, he was confronted with a scene that made his soul fly away.
The sunset, as red as blood, stained a hastily built wooden gallows dark red.
Ten men, dressed in rags, had their hands bound behind them, standing numbly on the precarious platform.
Their clothes were covered in blood-soaked whip marks, clearly having suffered inhuman torture, yet there was a hint of relief on their faces as if their ordeal were about to end.
