Bull Jealousy

“Is this where the incident happened?”

“This is it… Viscount McGregor-sama.”

As Yuin waited, having someone nearby call the guards, a middle-aged man wearing a prestigious-looking dark purple robe appeared with several soldiers in tow.
Pretentious gray rolled hair. The wrinkles on his thin face were deep, and he always wore a sarcastic expression on his face, as if it were pasted on.

Ralph Brett McGregor.

He was a knight under Marquis Edfeldt, with jurisdiction over one small city.

His specialty was magic rather than martial arts, and as magicians in the service of the same Marquis, Yuin and Ralph had fought together on several occasions.

However, they were not on good terms with each other.

Ralph came from a family that had a short history, having been knighted by his father for only 15 years, and had a strong sense of aristocracy and upward mobility that seemed to be the flip side of his family’s history. He was a military man of the first generation of nobility, and although he greeted Yuin a few times, he didn’t want to get involved with him.

Currently, many of the knights and soldiers in the Marquis’s domain were gathered in Terra Kaine.

But why had Ralph come to this scene?

“It’s too much for the guards to handle, you know. I’ll take care of it.”

“Is that so? I think you have already heard about the situation from the guards…”

For one thing, Yuin was a knight on the fringe of nobility.

And this was a case involving a complicated interstate situation.

The top brass must have thought that they should send a knight, anyone, to solve the situation.

At the time when Yuin was about to be convinced of this, the soldiers brought by Ralph were already pointing their swords at him.

“… What?”

“It’s no use being so defensive. You are the one who is to blame.”

Ralph cut him off with an assertive tone of voice that allowed no excuse.

Yuin did not understand what Ralph was saying.

But he knew that something worse than he had imagined was about to happen.

“That’s a misunderstanding! I’m talking about…”

“Seize him!”

Under Ralph’s command, the soldiers grabbed Yuin without question and held him in a tight rope.

“What are you doing! Stop! Let go of me!”

“Father, father!”

Wilfred was left on the spot, and Yuin was dragged away.

＊ ＊ ＊

One of the towers on the city wall.

It was a week after the incident that Ralph appeared at the jail where Yuin was being held.

“Hi, good luck. Your execution has been scheduled.”

“…You’ve got to be joking, right? Not even a trial, not even an interrogation.”

Yuin, who had been sitting still with his hands shackled behind his back so that he could not make signs, and even shackles around his neck to prevent him from chanting, jumped up when he heard the unbelievable words.

Ralph only laughed coldly from beyond the iron bars.

“A joke? What is the joke? This is an extra-judicial measure decided by the Marquis himself. In order to protect Ciel-Terra! Now! We can’t have any conflict with Noacurio. For that reason, a swift punishment is necessary. If we can’t let Noacurio’s forces get into trouble with us, we can’t allow you to kill them! Oh, how terrifying. After all, a knight who is akin to an aristocrat is a barbarian.”

“’Trouble’? It’s not that simple! If I had not protected my son, he would have been killed!”

“Unfortunately, there is no such testimony, is there? Neither the soldiers who were with the victim nor the citizens who were there. All the witnesses testified that you were one-sidedly causing the incident.”

“That’s ridiculous…!”

No, it was still understandable that the two soldiers who escaped unanimously said so.

But why would they be believed? Of course they would say something appropriate.

And who are the citizens who gave false testimony?

… Why wasn’t the «Lie Detection» used?

Something was not right.

Something was fatally, hopelessly wrong.

Ralph looked at the startled Yuin and laughed with relish.

“This is the last time I’ll be speaking to you, so let me tell you something. You’ve been a bit overzealous for a commoner knight, haven’t you?”

“What…?”

He didn’t know what Ralph was talking about.

If he thought back on his own actions and tried to evil guess at the level that he could turn a baby into a murderer, he would not have been doing anything that would fall under the word “brash”.

He didn’t meddle in what other people do. Yuin was a man who looked forward to his daily dinner, had low aspirations, and did only the work he was told to do. And he rarely even exchanged a word with Ralph, so what could he have done to cause his displeasure?

No, he had been involved with Ralph before.

Once, when the Knights were dispatched to take down a Worm that had appeared in the territory.

“No way, you’re not referring to me taking the final blow of the Worm? That was three years ago!?”

Yuin slammed the ≪Fire Ball≫ into its mouth and tore it to pieces.

After that, he recalled Ralph regretfully and sarcastically saying, ‘Such coincidences do happen, don’t they?’ Ralph, who should not have wanted to talk to the knight, went out of his way to approach him.

“Property…. status… and deeds and accomplishments… The most valuable things should be acquired by those who deserve them. It seems that you were satisfied with a gold coin as a reward, but if I, as a Viscount, had struck that blow, my estate would have increased by even a village or two.”

Yuin wondered if it would be that convenient, but Ralph was serious.

Ralph was not satisfied with his position as a Viscount ruling a town, and he was determined to rise to the top no matter what. He had always resented the fact that Yuin had denied him that chance.

Ralph, a magician in the service of the same Marquis, did not see Yuin as a “reliable ally” but as a “competitor” in a competition of merits.

–If that’s the case, why was are you just now talking about this … No, no way…

“You set me up…!”

Yuin clenched his hands so hard that his fingernails dug into them and blood flowed.

For that selfish grudge, Ralph had set Yuin up.

“How insulting. I was just doing what was right.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! This is absurd!”

“Well, I am also distressed by this hasty execution, you know. I would have preferred… you to die after seeing your family suffer.”

Ralph’s triumphant words plunged Yuin into further despair.

“What!? My family has nothing to do with this!”

“How can they not be involved!? A family of sinners. You must pay for your sins. The whole family must atone for your sins together. Repent for your deeds.”

It was like the floor collapsed beneath his feet and he felt like he was falling into an endless abyss.

His wife. His son.

“What you did has already become the talk of the town. If the Noacurio forces are in a bad mood and go home, there will be a lot of trouble. The rest of your family will be condemned by the citizens. Come to think of it, their property was seized as well. It was used to pay for the victim’s revival. Well, it seems that it was a failure. What a pity. It was a waste of money. I can only imagine what will happen to your family in the future. But don’t worry. I can arrange a good brothel for your fine wife… Oops, was this joke too crude? Hahahaha!”

Ralph laughed, looking amused from the bottom of his heart.

Yuin finally understood what Ralph had come here for.

To laugh at him and sneer. He came just for that.

“Don’t … think this kind of thing is acceptable!!”

“That’s my line. I’m the one who doesn’t forgive. It’s a recrimination. Now, I will take my leave. It’s a pity I can’t be there to see your execution. Due to unavoidable circumstances, the number of magicians has been reduced, and I’m afraid I’m going to be busy to make up for it. Hahahaha!”

Even after Ralph left with a high laugh, Yuin stared at the void after he was gone.

He stared at it until his eyes were dry.

＊ ＊ ＊

The execution was too swift.

The trial was concluded at the end of the first session without even allowing Yuin a chance to refute the verdict, and the next day he was dragged to the gallows.

It was a special case, but it was appropriate.

It was a very bad position to be in if there was a knight under his command who had a bone to pick with the Noacurio soldiers and kill one of them. The Marquis had to execute him quickly, bow down to the Noacurio and show his position.

If it truly was all Yuin’s fault, that was one thing.

–Why? Wasn’t I supposed to have been saved when the Noacurio army came and defended the city and its territory …? Wasn’t I supposed to have been rescued from the nightmare future predictions of my family, the people of the city, and my friends being turned into undead? Why am I about to die now!?

It was like having a nightmare.

Amidst the angry shouts from the crowd, Yuin was dragged by a horse through the city.

He was so blinded by anger that he could hear only the noise of the people’s voices.

A guillotine stood on an execution platform set up in the square.

When Yuin saw it, he half understood that this was where he was going to die, but he still felt a part of him that could not and did not want to believe it.

He had never lived his life in such a way that he would have to die like this.

He could swear to God and to his wife and children.

When Yuin was led to the execution platform, the crowd went wild.

“Die” and “Murderer” were some of the words that could be heard over and over again.

–I am innocent! I was set up!

He wanted to scream at least that, however, the gag to block his chanting (the gag was not used during the execution because it interfered with cutting off the head) prevented him from making a proper sound.

The strong executioners held Yuin’s body down and restrained him to the guillotine.

Tears of bloody anger streamed from Yuin’s eyes.

–You ….. Ralph Brett McGregor! You …… Noacurio! Curse you!!

Yuin clenched his teeth so hard that his molars shattered.

“… Some good qualities. You pass the test. Now, is your resentment … enough to give your soul to me?”

A voice only Yuin could hear.