Ignoring his pleas, the guards carried him over the gallows.
The two guards were not like Uncle Beard and Elizabeth, who somehow cared for the young man because they were executing the orders of the Lord of the City.
The story of the poor man being abused by the bandits had now spread throughout the town and had become an issue too thorny to be put aside and forgotten with time.
Compelled by the stir caused by that event, the Lord of the City had to find a solution to the problem.
It was precisely for this reason that a week ago, prompted by the wrath of his fellow citizens, the Lord had published a priority request in his town's Mercenary Guild, namely the Extermination of the Bandits.
It might have seemed an effortless action for a person of such high rank as he was.
Unfortunately, the situation was not so simple.
In fact, the Lord of the City knew well how extensive and deep the ties between the bandits and the nobles of the city were.
There were many possible repercussions, and even he was intimidated by the organization running the criminal world from the shadows.
Fortunately, Atlas's story gave the ruler an excellent excuse to get rid of two problems easily. In fact, he was sure that an extermination plan of such magnitude wouldn't have made a little dent in his strength because the primary source of misfortune would fall on poor Atlas.
Clearly, the appearance of such a request from an official source had achieved excellent results. Every single bandit in the forest located north of the city of the Inflamed Chalice had a bounty depending on the cultivation realm. They could get even more if those bandits were brought back alive.
With such a generous reward, in the seven days that Atlas had been unconscious, hordes of mercenaries had poured into the forest to hunt down the bastards, and that time was more than enough to clean out most of the criminals' lairs.
A simple misunderstanding had caused the deaths of hundreds of men and women.
It had shaken the criminal world hiding in the city and the commercial and noble world, which, from behind the scenes, cooperated with those barbarians.
Alas, Atlas was worried about his fame and complaining that his name had been besmirched by this stupid nonexistent story. He did not realize that his situation had become so severe that many people in the crowd wanted his head on a silver platter more than anything else.
Every corner of the square had been decorated for this lavish event.
The stalls had been removed to make room for the joyous citizens, and gallows had been erected on one side of the square, allowing the crowd to see the people above it.
Next to the gallows was a magnificent wooden structure garnished with precious metals and clothes. It was slightly taller than the gallows, thus emphasizing its importance.
Of course, that was where the Lord of the City was located.
Indeed, he could not miss such an important event, and to honor his majesty, he had requested that his personal professionals construct a small private stage at that very spot.
When Atlas reached the top of the scaffold, the thing that struck him most was not the gigantic expanse of people under the platform but the hate-filled eyes of the gang leaders, who were on their knees and bound by unique chains.
The young man could understand the poor unfortunates' rage. Indeed, he pitied them a little.
After all, what the heck were they there for?
They were hardened criminals, but this whole mess stemmed from a misunderstanding, an event so absurd that it fanned an entire town's ire.
He knew that his words now could not stop that madness, and then they were criminals. Indeed, it was unwise to ask for leniency.
So, he remained silent and motionless over the freaking gallows.
He had even thought of running away, but that was not an option since guards were posted at every corner of the area, making that square another damn cage.
The young man did not want to talk to those criminals, but the gang leaders had plenty to say, and their words were not very nice.
"You bastard! It's all your fault... my husband will kill you!"
"You will pay for what you did!"
"Yeah... our brothers, they're going to cut your fucking head off!"
"AH!!! Damned chains! Set me free! Set me free! I want to drink his blood!!!"
"You're lucky... you're lucky we didn't find you. Otherwise, we would have fucked you to death!"
Over the past two years, Atlas had gotten used to people's indifferent looks and their words of contempt because of his trivial profession, but the bandits' words worried him a little.
After all, how could he be sure that every bandit attached to these animals had been killed by those cultivators?
'I've got to get out of this crazy town!' Atlas thought with his heart beating wildly.
DING! DING! DING!
DING! DING! DING!
The bells rang again, and the noise below instantly ceased.
For a short time, the square was silent, but then a portentous voice was heard from the fine palace that flanked the gallows.
"Dear fellow citizens ... as promised, the depraved forest bandits have been eradicated!"
The sound of cheers and joyful shouts shook the square.
DING!
"The sick and rotten heads of those horrible criminal organizations have been captured... and today they will be executed for the good of our city and to bring some peace back to the heart and mind of the poor unfortunate, Atlas!"
Once again, a series of cheers and mad shouts followed.
But Atlas, who heard his name associated with such an absurd thing, was speechless. Indeed, he had much to say but did not dare to insult the Lord of the City aloud.
He wanted to shout 'Crazy lunatics!" but to what end?
No one would listen to him.
Heck, his words were like cursing.
DING!
"Before we begin, I would like to thank the valiant cultivators who have succeeded in the mission in a short time. Thanks to them, our land will experience a period of tranquility and prosperity. Rejoice for them and shout their names!"
This time, the people became even more incensed.
The shouts became so powerful that even the cultivators outside the city heard the commotion.
DING! DING!
"One last thing. I apologize to the young man abused by the bandits, Atlas. As Lord of this territory, I have failed to fulfill my duties and allowed these filthy animals to commit unspeakable acts against my citizens. Therefore, it is my duty not only to cure his weak heart by killing these barbarians but also to reward him. In fact, the young man will be rewarded with 100 Low-Grade Chaos Stones and have access to the city treasury."
There was a moment of silence, and then the people began enthusiastically praising their Lord's name, again shaking the city.
But some were not happy at all. In fact, Atlas had reached the limit. He wanted so badly to shout...
Mauled by whom?
And why the fuck did he have to repeat it so many times?
Man... None of that had happened!
Atlas was enraged by that fatty bastard's words and wanted to strangle him.
But then, when he heard his last words, Atlas calmed down slightly and sighed, depressed: "I'm going to take those treasures and then run away from this town of fools..."
DING! DING! DING!
"The time has come... Executioner, proceed with the first prisoner!"
Hearing the words of the Lord of the City, an energetic man covered in a black hood slowly ascended the scaffold, accompanied by a heavy ax with the blade still encrusted with the blood of his last victims.
Meanwhile, the two guards who had accompanied Atlas to the gallows had already prepared the first criminal, placing his head on a log.
Atlas did not know whether to look at the horrible scene, strengthening his young heart a little, or look away.
Soon, the executioner arrived on top of the scaffold and began waving the weapon as if it were a broom.
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
The gusts of air produced were so powerful that Atlas's slender body began to sway, following the air currents.
Without warning, the executioner hurled his heavy ax toward the log, cleanly chopping off the head of the first prisoner...
"Poor fellows..." Atlas was helpless in the face of this and could only lament in his heart.
|||
The executioner continued to cut off the heads of the gang leaders relentlessly.
After a few minutes, the giant basket placed beside the stump was full of bleeding heads and satisfied with his excellent work, the executioner howled toward the crowd, holding the bloodstained ax above his head.
"HAHAHA... I'm the greatest executioner of the east."
The crowd below followed the jubilant executioner and began shouting the name of the Lord of the City and Atlas.
Everyone was happy at that moment.
Well, everyone except Atlas.
According to their sick minds, his name had become famous because he had been abused by a bunch of barbarians.
How could he be happy?
He was desperate!!!