49 Escape (9)
It was just like Azrael's assumption when he told it to Althea.
The number of Directive Special Knights drastically decreased.
All of them who killed themselves, who commit their sins until it reaches 7, had already given up their lives as they could not put up with the current situation.
Althea had witnessed all of their death while only gazing at them with blank, straight-faced expressions.
For her, it has already become a natural thing which is also very unfortunate.
In this new era, people's memories are being manipulated in order to control them.
There is no way out of Lucretia.
The true rulers of this kingdom are the absolute order in which they have the authority to kill citizens.
The cruelest thing they had performed was that they had done it without the citizens' realization that they had violated the order until it reached their sins to 10 for the people who are not a Directive Special Knight.
(All of these change too fast. I could barely recognize my surroundings.)
The sky that used to be seen as deep and wide now looked like it narrowed down and became dark.
Many gardens which were planted full of flowers that were once full of various colors were like they had been replaced as they were already filled with red flowers.
The red flower of which resides souls of the dead.
The truths that everyone previously knows are now being manipulated with their memories had immediately been replaced with fake ones.
The criminals who were free to roam in the past without any worry of being caught, can easily lose their lives just because of a single white lie they will tell or violate another order in which can increase the number of sins on their wrist without them knowing.
The death and the reason behind the execution have never been stated truthfully to the citizen.
Resulting in that they do not know anything and will never know about the truth as long as the orders exist.
Althea, who already believes that there is no point in dying, can only survive and make sure her life she still has as her own freedom.
It is because she believed that even death could not obtain freedom for her.
Life is like that for all humans who are trapped inside Lucretia.
From 100 special individuals that were chosen to be Directive Special knights,
There are only 15 remaining that were able to survive.
And even with that number, it will still decrease.
Because the knights have decreased and become fewer in number, Althea's title started changing multiple times over the decades she lives.
Althea Genetta Fourteen Order to Althea Genetta Tenth Order and goes on.
She didn't feel like it was such a big deal back then.
(... Oliver.)
However, one incident has completely devastated Althea's mentality which will ruin half of her life.
She only wanted to visit Oliver for comfort as she was devastated when she could only find him hanging himself to the ceiling with the white scarf she had given him tied around his neck.
Her eyes can only gaze shockingly at her best friend.
He was ghostly pale with his lips already bluish.
His once bright eyes that always greeted her are forever closed and dead.
Death wasn't kind in which Althea realized that.
Death could only take so many people.
It doesn't matter if the people were far too young or far too good in life.
It doesn't care.
But Althea does.
She could not stand the circumstances with her close ones dying.
After finding him commit suicide, it goes own with his execution by burning even though, in reality, he's already dead.
She could only watch his body burn while only hugging the scarf that she made for him in which he used to hang himself.
Events of suicides among Directive Special Knights are a usual thing for her to hear.
Because of that, she was not entirely surprised when Oliver committed suicide.
But despite that, the stress and immense pressure were starting to appear what she felt now as she was letting them drowning her emotions and humanity.
Her face turns sunken and haunted.
Her mind becomes cold and empty.
It was too much that she couldn't even cry when her own friend committed suicide in front of her.
Her tears couldn't come out.
Despite that, Althea felt like crying over death was too outdated for that era.
Her mind went haywire.
She decided to lay down on the floor and was breathing too calmly.
Her life that she uses to have her own freedom has slowly, gently, fading away from inside her.
She never found out the reason why Oliver decided to end his own life.
He was outwardly nice and cheerful, whose only wish was to explore outside of the kingdom and refuse to kill sinners with petty sins.
But deep down in her heart, she knew what his intention was and understood what he felt throughout life.
It was indeed a short encounter but for Althea, meeting with him was like a once in a lifetime miracle.
She had already regarded him as her precious irreplaceable family throughout the time.
Once again, a new red flower bloomed so beautifully after another loss.
-
"Sir Agersia, forgive me for my rudeness but I like to inquire a question about something."
She looked at him with her lifeless eyes which held no life nor light within as she spoke with a toneless voice.
Edward looked at her and immediately realizes what she wants.
With that thought, he lets out a long, deep sigh the moment he understands her current situation.
"I don't have time for you, Lady Genetta."
He casually exclaimed without hesitation and return to his own business without sparing another glance at Althea who is standing in front of him.
Althea didn't look pleased nor she was displeased at all.
"I want to have a match with you, Sir. If I win the duel, I would like for you to answer my question."
"And if you lose?"
Edward asked without looking her in the eyes and still concentrate on his work but that response proved that he was listening to her request.
".. I will not bother you again and perform my duty to the fullest."
Edward spares a quick glance towards her but still focus on his paperwork.
He does not have an interest in anything other than his work.
But despite that, he also doesn't want anyone to rebel against him in the future and cause him troublesome problems even though he knows that they would be dead anyway.
"Fine then. I accept your duel."
He exclaimed without thinking much into it.
"Thank you for your time."
She put her right hand on the center of her chest and bend her back as she briefly bows her head, then stands back up.
-
Althea and Edward both drew their black blades.
She eyed him intently and did not move from her initial stances.
The moment when she felt like she was ready, Althea lung her sword towards Edward.
Edward realizes her attention was as he immediately leaps backward to avoid the thrust.
Even though Althea tried all her might to end this battle with a victory, the battle has ended faster than Althea expected.
Edward immediately closed the gap between them without a sound and drew his blade from the side with the weapon completely slicing both of Althea's eyes without mercy.
It was indeed not a surprise that he has done that without pity and wore an expressionless face.
Althea did not scream from the slash despite how painful it is to have her sight taken in a short period of time.
She was too dumbfounded, stunned, and terrified of Edward after seeing the difference between them in terms of swordsmanship and power that she decided to ignore her own pain.
"Go treat your eyes and do your duties accurately. In this battle, I win."
Edward put back his sword to his sheath in which Althea froze on her spot as a response.
She was unable to process what just happened and could only hear Edward's footsteps drew further and further away from where it currently stood.
The blood from her eyes drip slowly and tainted the green grass below her.
From that point on, she was fully hopeless.
All the hope of winning and obtaining answers vanished into thin air.
Starting from the Directive Order that already took everything, she was stressed out that she couldn't even express her own emotions.
And now, her eyesight was taken from her.
There was nowhere to escape and no one will open the path for her either.
(Oh ...)
She thought when she realized what is her current condition is.
Upon realizing it, she raises her hand to feel her bleeding eyes with the blood kept splattering from her eyes.
The air feels warm to her.
She could hear birds chirping and wind that gently blows through her brown hair without seeing anything.
(... So this is my fate)
Starting from 100 special knights,
After a lot of suicide and death that was caused by their own sins, depression, anxiety, and fear consuming them,
There were now only 5 left that still existed.
5 Directive Special Knights.
With that thought, she finally obtains her permanent title and position as one of the five Directive Special Knight who still can keep her sanity stable.
Althea Genetta Third Order.
(Sinners should just die)
.
.
.
