cp5

Waking up at the break of dawn had become habitual, much to my chagrin. Back in the slums, it was a necessary evil. Dozy merchants who were setting up shop were easy prey. In my current situation, I woke up for a different reason. My lessons started way too early for my liking.

I sigh as I swing my feet over the bed and stand up. It was still quite dark; scattered rays of morning sunlight haphazardly illuminated my room. Drawing open the curtains, I go to the wardrobe to get changed.

A little while later, I hear a knock at the door.

"Come in!" A maid presents herself.

"Climb, by the princess's word, I am to read today's itinerary." I nod. This was normal. Sometimes tutors were unavailable, noble children were a higher priority to me. My schedule is constantly changing.

"Breakfast will be served shortly. Afterwards, you will convene with princess Renner by the palace foyer to be escorted." Escorted?

"Escorted to where?" she shakes her head.

"I am afraid that information hasn't been disclosed with me."

A surprise excursion with Renner? Shit. I think back to yesterday. She must think I've got a screw loose after that. I panic, thinking of the worst-case scenario.

"She's not returning me to the slums, is she?!"

"Nor have I been informed of her highness' intentions."

I slump back into my chair. Well, I've got some time to mull things over before we go. Convincing her to keep me at the palace is a script I've already prepared beforehand.

Let's just hope it doesn't get to that point. Today is just an innocent outing with the future Golden Princess… Just an innocent outing…

Yeah, I can't help but think that something is off.

When the maid mentioned an escort, I had expected a carriage and a large convoy of knights. I assumed too much.

Renner was walking alongside me, with a single knight trailing behind us. When I asked, she said that the trip could be made on foot and that a carriage wouldn't be necessary.

Thank god.

That assuaged my fears somewhat. We weren't leaving castle grounds.

My heart rate kept calm for five whole minutes. That was until we reached our destination. I spotted two guards on either side of a large, stone doorway, both equipped with large spears held upright. I could guess as to what this place was.

I looked around and saw some gallows. An execution ground. It took all of my control to stay beside Renner and not run off in the opposite direction. She wouldn't kill me. I hope.

If things do turn south, they should be surprised by my average adult-male strength. It should buy me some time to escape.

"Welcome to the Ro-Lente dungeons, princess Renner," the guardsman turned and looked at me, "and her honoured friend. We had received some advance notice before your arrival, but what is the nature of your visit?"

"I want to see some of the prisoners here. It would help me understand my people better if I can learn about what drove them to such desperation." He considered her words carefully.

"My princess, if you were hoping to have polite discourse with some of those here, you would, unfortunately, be grasping at straws. As you know, only Re-Estize's worst criminals are detained here, kept under watch by the kingdom's most loyal and elite soldiers. Speaking with them could only be detrimental to your soundness of mind."

"As your princess, I understand your concern. However, don't worry. If any prisoners pose such a threat, I will not hold you responsible. Climb here will protect me." She gestures to me.

"My lady! Please excuse my insolence, but this boy, however much you may trust him, is just a child. He would be equally affected by the wickedness that some of these vile men spew."

"You are excused; you only speak the truth." She eyes the guard. I was a little hurt by her dismissal of his attack on my character.

"However, Climb has a day's break due to his excellent progress in his studies, I do not wish to waste his time. Nor do I wish to be thought of as delicate enough that I could be assaulted by someone behind bars. Isn't that what you are implying?" The guard spluttered, attempting to remedy his previous statement.

After some more back and forth, he relents and allows us into the dungeons.

After spending so much time in the streets, I thought that I knew what the worst the world had to offer. Somehow, these dungeons I was touring provided some more perspective again. The first few cells we passed didn't seem too bad. They were well maintained, excluding the smell. However, the deeper into the complex we went, the worse and worse it got.

The walls were cracked and cold, and you could smell the rust of old chains rubbing against captive wrists. They were in a dreadful state. No sunlight could reach down here. The only light source came from the guard's torch he held in front of him. These men would spend their days in complete darkness and isolation most of the time.

"These men are kept down here for the public's safety. They are all vicious miscreants, unlike the petty thieves and robbers you may know of." The guard spoke.

They were all felons, then? Murderers and terrorists. Their levels must be much higher than most, depending on how many they've killed. I mourn the wasted levels left to spoil here.

"Many of these men you see here are on death-row. Thinking about it… You are actually right on-time to witness today's execution, actually." My hair stands on end. An execution? Was this why Renner wanted me to come here? What a sick joke.

"I'm fine, thank you. A tour of the place is good enough for me," I grumble.

"My, my, Climb. Aren't you just a little curious about how we deal with troublesome citizens?" She leans into my face.

I wasn't amused by Renner's nonchalance at this situation. This is human life we were talking about.

"I'm not curious." Take the hint, Renner.

"Mister guard, can we meet the one to be executed?" He thinks for a moment.

"Well, as long as you keep your distance from the cell, there should be no harm in it. Are you already aware of his crimes?"

"Yes." She didn't say any more.

The three of us continue down the dark, winding corridors. I didn't like where this was going. Renner was plotting something, and I can only swim along with the current.

We come to a stop in front of a jail cell, one among many.

"He's in here." The guard points to the cell. He motioned his torch closer to the bars and the room is lit up in a warm orange by the flames. I can make out an emaciated figure was hunched up against the wall. Arms spread like an eagle, held up by rusty chains. Renner steps forth.

"Hello, I am Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself. Third princess of the Re-Estize kingdom. May I know your name?" What game was she playing at?

The man in the cell looks up at her, and a dark scowl appears on his face.

"Ha! What a fucking joke. The princess herself coming to visit me on the day of my execution."

The guard violently strikes the bars.

"Oi! That is no way to address her highness!"

"It's okay, mister guard. He is going to die today. I can understand his frustration." He steps back. "If you are not going to tell me your name, that is fine. I am only here to present your executioner for today." She looks at me, her eyes a frightening whirlpool of endless blue. Wait…

No.

Renner. That's a bad joke.

"This runt will be the one to kill me?" he murmurs. "Don't fuck with me! I've ended the lives of hundreds of kids like him! Do you think I'll let my own life end by his hands?!"

Hundreds?

This man had killed… hundreds?

What the fuck?

"That is exactly why," Renner replied. "It is quite a poetic end, is it not?"

This man in front of me.

He was a sack of experience just waiting to be picked up.

"Climb-"

Compared to an insect - I can only theorise – "Climb" – A child would be worth… many thousands of times more valuable than a single insect. If I take the average level of a child and multiply that by the lowest estimate of one hundred… Assuming a low of 5% efficiency of EXP transfer on death…

"Climb!"

I jerk my head to the side and see Renner staring at me. I pay it no mind. I point to the man in the cell.

"Is he strong?" I ask the guard.

"Eh?"

"Is that man strong? More powerful than most?" I clarify.

"Um, yeah. In top condition, he would be equivalent to a strong Orichalcum adventurer in terms of brute strength."

A smile breaks out on my face. He should be around level 25. Another piece of evidence that supports my theory. If I killed him, how much EXP would that net? A little more than one level?

That man was worth several months of hard work. He looked so weak in that cell.

…

"Climb? What were you thinking about?" Renner probes.

I let out a depressing chuckle. "It just surprised me. I hadn't expected this man to have a kill count in the hundreds."

"Does it make you angry?"

I look at her quizzically.

"Why would it?" I didn't know any of the people he killed. I'll admit, he is a terrible person, but I wouldn't work myself up enough to get angry at him.

…

…

…

"What is the method of execution? Hanging?" I thought back to the gallows I spotted on my way here.

"That is correct," the guard confirms.

How does EXP transfer work if he dies like that? No experience distributed? Does it go to the person who pulls the lever? The person who led him there? There were too many inefficiencies and unknowns.

What a waste.

...

I hesitate to speak my next words.

"...He's going to die anyway… right?" I spot her in the corner of my eye, smiling madly at me.

I had asked to execute him by beheading. It was the only way I could guarantee full transfer of experience to me. Death by hanging was an indirect method that I suspected would probably yield worse results.

I was going to have to do this at some point anyway. I resigned myself to the fact the moment I learnt the truth about this world. I had wanted to delay it as much as possible. I didn't want to kill people.

Just that…

The situation that presented itself to me was too convenient to pass up.

He was a horrid criminal, anyway. The world would be better off without him.

I looked down at the back of the man's head which rested on the block. He was chained to the ground and struggled against them. He was shouting constant profanities. It began to blur into a muddled mess of noise.

My hands were sweating, and I could hear my heart pulse in my ears. It was deafening. What I was about to do would be irreversible.

I fiddled with the axe in my hands. It was heavy.

His constant prattling was getting distracting.

This was for my own survival.

This was for me.

I raise the axe above my head. The guard showed me how; I'd practised the swing just a few minutes ago. Transfer my weight to my rear foot. Hands resting on opposite sides of the handle, one holding tight, the other for stability.

I line the sharp edge up with the man's squirming neck. I shift backwards slightly to line myself up properly.

Deep breath in.

I slowly raise the axe behind my head, taking care not to rotate it.

Don't think about the blade when it's coming down.

Focus on where you wish to strike.

I bring the guard's instructions to the forefront of my mind.

Exhale.

I stare at the man's neck.

I shift my weight forward.

And bring the axe down.

Character Sheet: Climb

Race: Human

Job: None

Residence: Ro-Lente Castle

Alignment: Neutral

Karma: -10

Job Classes:

[Planner] (lv. 1)

[Thief] (lv. 3)

[Bane of Insects] (lv. 4)

[Executioner] (lv. 1)

Total: lv. 9

Birthday: Unknown

Hobby: Preparing for the future, killing insects, eating palace food.

AN: If there is significant character growth/change, I'll add their Character sheets at the end of the chapter. Of course, the characters themselves don't know this information. A little less Renner this chapter. Don't worry, we'll see a lot more of her later!