Conclusion

After a moment's consideration, he was surprised to find the answer clear in his mind: yes, it had to be done. To show his worth to Congming, he had to finish this task. They already knew that the Baron had to be killed; they were just testing him. The decision to become judge, jury, and executioner came to him far easier than he had expected. But the implications of such a decision did not escape him. How had he so swiftly arrived at the point where he could decide another man's fate? Perhaps the real malaise lay not just in a single, neglectful Baron but in a world that made him contemplate such drastic measures. In all practicality, even in this world, it was not his place, a ten-year-old, to decide to kill—imagine that!