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Chapter 47 Part 2 – A memory from the previous「108 times」. Beyond sorrowful. The men risk their lives to challenge the monster called Alisa, who is playing with fate.

Arnold roared in his mind and went crazy.
His bones creaked and muscle fibers ripped with a plopping sound as he was driven beyond his limits.
The executioners rushed to push Arnold to the ground with rods, but they stepped back when they heard a small growl from the back of his throat. They locked eyes with Arnold’s ferocious gaze.
The current Arnold was as dangerous as a wounded wild tiger.
Arnold was exerting the strength from his self-destructive madness to save his beloved mother and brother.
The chains that bound him creaked and burst open.

「…… I hope you don’t disturb my enjoyment. It’s a beautiful ending. I don’t need any unnecessary additions. Just be yourself and weep miserably as you send them off. That’s what a loser does.」

The queen fearlessly approached him and suddenly kicked Arnold in the chin with her toe after he slowly lifted his upper body. Arnold’s eyes that blurred with anger and sorrow shook with a jolt.
With a single blow, Arnold’s consciousness and body were separated.
Arnold was dumbfounded as he fell down face-first into the ground.
He could not believe what was happening to him.
He had confidence in his sturdy body, but perhaps he had been hit in the wrong place and suffered a concussion, making his body become weak like a toy with dead battery, and no matter how hard he tried to stand up, he remained powerless and laid on the ground. He could not move a finger. Arnold wailed at his own inadequacy, but even his lamentations were muffled by the sturdy gag. The queen laughed amusedly.

「……Ahh …… You have a lovely crying face. My heart trembles to see you, a person with such unyielding spirit, sobbing like a child when your heart is broken. …… so I’ll let you see more hellish scenes …….」

Ordered by the queen, the executioners grabbed the fallen Arnold by the hair and lifted his upper body up, making him witness the scene of his mother and brother being burned on the stake.

His mother and brother were in the midst of the flames with their heads hung down, no longer moving.
The merciless flames overwrote the precious memories of his mother and brother into an unfamiliar mass of black charcoal.
Unable to shake his head or close his eyes, Arnold was forced to witness the whole nightmare. He wished he could just go crazy, but the queen’s whispers did not allow him to do so.

「…… Oh my, are you going to turn your eyes away from your mother and brother, who are both dying a beautiful death? Even though they both died to save you because of your foolishness? You should at least witness the whole process of their death and feel guilty for the rest of your life. That way you can always remember the two people you love. Can’t you give that much love to your family?」

The main culprit of the whole situation, the queen, mercifully said something that gouged the bottom of Arnold’s heart.
She crouched down beside Arnold and continued to breathe venom into his heart as she whispered to him.
Her beautiful smile was nothing short of demonic.
Unable to bear the malice any longer, Arnold shuddered and vomited.
The leather gag blocked his mouth, causing the vomit to flow backwards.
Seeing Arnold spewing filth from his nose and having his mucous membranes burned by the stomach acid and flailing about, the queen laughed innocently.

「…… Ahahaha!! That’s so gross. Isn’t it fitting that you’re choking to death on your own vomit right now? You must be a really horrible man to send off your family while being covered in filth. But I don’t mind the look of despair on your face. I have to reward you for entertaining me …… Let’s quickly open the second act. Here comes your beloved father ……!」

Arnold’s hair stood on end in horror as the queen stood up in all the splendor of an actress answering a curtain call and turned around with her arms outstretched. The hell was not over yet.

The remains of his mother and brother were haphazardly moved out of the way and got mixed with the charcoal and dirt of the execution site, making them almost indistinguishable. The embers of the charcoal flared sadly.
A brand-new execution stake was erected on the still-smoldering ground.
With a blood-curdling scream, Arnold’s father was led out to the execution site.
His hands, tied behind his back, were purple and swollen, pointing at unnatural angles. The bones in his father’s hands had been crushed.

「…… Oohhh ……!! …… Natasha!! …… Cedric!! Why!! How could this happen!!」

By the queen’s instructions, father was untied from his restraints and he collapsed to his knees and knelt beside the scattered remains of the two people.
The queen stopped the executioners from grabbing him by the shoulders and forcing him to stand up.

「…… Let him do what he wants. It’s a touching family reunion. Don’t ruin it. …… Look, it’s your wife and son who gave up their lives to save you. You should embrace and praise them with all your might. ……」

Arnold’s father cried tears of blood and tried to scoop up the charcoal with both hands, but his broken arms hung slack and powerless. Arnold let out a groan of despair as he realized that the queen had made his father’s hands useless for this purpose.
Arnold’s father bent down and laid his cheek directly on the remains of the two.
Amidst the white smoke, he lovingly held on to the remains of his beloved two people.
The queen clapped her hands deliberately.

「…… Family love is really wonderful. Life is a repetition of the usual tragicomedy, but love breathes life into it. But when the love for each other crosses paths, the more devastating the tragedy. Love is beautiful and cruel. …… My sincerest condolences.」

「…… You ……! How dare you say that ……!! How dare you …… how dare you ……!!」

Speechless with anger and his cheeks inflamed, Arnold’s father stood up.
While spitting curses on the queen, he rushed to attack her.

「…… I’ll kill you ……!! Go back to hell ……!! …… You monster ……!!」

But his legs had lost their strength due to imprisonment and so became tangled and Arnold’s father fell at the queen’s feet.

「Ahahahaha!! You? You want to kiss my shoes to show your sincerity? In front of your family that has turned to ashes …… What a fatherly act. This is your reward for the comedy.」

With a sneer, the queen kicked Arnold’s father in the face.
With a stubborn tenacity, he jumped up and tried to bite the queen’s throat but was unexpectedly counterattacked by the queen. The executioners roughly seized Arnold’s father whose bridge of the nose was crushed and dragged him to the stake where he’ll be burned.
The queen sighed in annoyance at Arnold’s father furious screaming.

「…… What a hopeless person. I did promise the two people that had turned to ashes that I would forgive your sins, but the sins you committed after that promise are not included. …… You just seriously tried to kill me. Attempted murder and disrespect for the queen. Fufufu, that’s more than enough reason for the death penalty. It’s so pitiful that both of them died in vain.」

With a chuckle that showed not a hint of pity, the queen whispered to Arnold.

「…… As your mother said on her deathbed, you and your father are just like each other …… He personally walked into the trap. Or maybe he wanted to be reunited with his family in the afterlife as soon as possible, so he acted foolishly on purpose. Then you’ll be the only one left behind. Poor Arnold ……」

It was a terrifying smile that showed the great delight she received after it all went according to her plan.
It was the expression of a demon harvesting the souls of the contractors he had deceived.

From the very beginning, the queen had no intention of letting Arnold’s family live.
After turning Arnold’s mother and younger brother into ashes, on the same execution site where their souls still remain, she calmly trampled on their wish of letting her spare Arnold and his father in exchange for their lives.

Arnold groaned.
With tears in his eyes, he prayed to God.

God!! Please stop this!! I’ve had enough of this nightmare!! Just kill me right here and now!!

The queen laughed as if she had read Arnold’s heart.

「…… That’s no good. I’m not going to kill you. I won’t let you have it that easy. I’m going to brand you for rebelling against me, and I’m going to burn it into your soul. Listen carefully, Arnold ……」

The queen’s face was so close to Arnold’s that he could almost feel her breath.
In the midst of the residual heat from the flames, icicles pierced Arnold’s spine.

「…… Nightmares are nightmares because you can never wake up from it. There will be no more peaceful sleep for you. From now on, you will wake up screaming in the middle of the night, regretting that you couldn’t save your family. Who will heal your wounds, your dependable comrade-in-arms? Or perhaps a kind-hearted maiden …… Fufufu, your wounded heart might be comforted …… Sounds fun. …… But no, that won’t end the nightmare. You know that. The only way for you to wake up from this nightmare …… is to kill me ……」

The queen smiled with gleeful splendor. She whispered ominously.
Her sweet breath tickled my ear.
She invited me into a world of horror and bloody hatred.