The closer my body got to the Guillotine, the heavier it felt.
Besides the two Shadows on either side of me, it was as if there was some invisible force pressing down on me.
Staring at the approaching Guillotine, and that gleaming slanted blade, I couldn’t help but feel a chill in my heart.
Each drop of the Blood Drop kept falling, like hammer blows pounding on my chest.
The suffocating pressure almost made it impossible for me to breathe.
“Sinner Chatu Te, attempting to usurp the position of City Lord, your crime is punishable by death.
However, the Mage Association is fair and just, and allows sinners to defend themselves.”
“Now, does sinner Chatu Te have any objections to the above accusations?”
A slightly aged voice echoed out of the darkness, followed by the sudden appearance of a Gavel, which slammed down with a resounding crash.
I have to admit, this really does feel a bit like being judged.
But come on, could your reason for this trial be any more ridiculous?!
Chatu Te is already the City Lord—charging him with ‘attempting to usurp the position of City Lord’—how does that make any sense! Besides, isn’t Chatu Te supposed to be on the same side as the Mage Association?
Soon after the Gavel came down, more Shadows appeared in front of the Guillotine, their angry shouts nearly drowning me out.
“Kill him!”
“Kill this demon!”
“Don’t let him live!”
“……”
I didn’t respond to any of those furious cries, mainly because my entire body felt so heavy that I could barely even open my mouth.
Though I didn’t answer, the crisp clatter of chains suddenly echoed amid the shouts.
The enormous Head that had been dragged away before appeared once more, hanging above the Guillotine, face twisted in rage.
“You promised me! As long as I completed—”
Before the Head could finish, a complex pattern flashed into existence by its mouth, sealing it shut so tightly it couldn’t make another sound.
The anger on the Head’s face turned instantly to terror as it glanced pleadingly toward the Gavel.
But, sadly, what came from the direction of the Gavel was only that stern, unquestionable voice.
“Chatu Te attempts to twist the truth, to frame and incriminate—his crime worsens. Execute him immediately!”
Once more, the Gavel struck down with force.
In an instant, the enormous Head exploded, yellow, white, and red fluids spraying everywhere.
A great deal of it splattered onto me, coating me in foul-smelling, disgusting liquid.
I wrinkled my brow, struggling to endure the discomfort.
Right now, I couldn’t move at all. Thankfully, there was a layer of light magic disguise on the surface of my body, so none of that liquid actually touched me.
Still, the disgust was unavoidable.
I wanted to reach out and wipe my face clean, but as the Head burst, the Shadows on either side continued dragging me toward the Guillotine, and my body felt even heavier.
Before long, I was shoved in front of the Guillotine. The invisible pressure instantly bent my spine, forcing my body forward until my neck was locked into the groove of the Guillotine.
Hiss…
Knowing the slanted blade was poised right above my neck, I felt a chill run through me.
Sure, I could guarantee this blade wouldn’t kill me, but it was impossible not to feel a little scared… Plus, I couldn’t move at all because of all this pressure on me.
Once I was firmly locked onto the Guillotine, the Shadows on either side slowly faded away.
At the same time, the Gavel above slammed down again.
“Zheng——”
Before I could react, the glittering blade swung down.
With the head flying off, the Gavel disappeared into the darkness. The Shadows gathered before the Guillotine let out a burst of wild cheers, then slowly faded away too.
As the faint light vanished, the whole space was swallowed up in darkness.
Everything became deathly quiet.
No telling how much time passed before a golden light once more lit up the space.
I shook my head, still a bit dazed from that frightening blade, but once I was sure the pressure had truly disappeared, I breathed a huge sigh of relief.
But right after, my round, adorable cheeks puffed up in irritation, and I wore an expression of deep displeasure.
From the moment I’d been forced down the path toward the Guillotine, I’d already guessed the rules here.
For this Guillotine story to end, someone’s head actually had to roll.
I only have one head, but fortunately, I’d used light magic to disguise myself!
Walking over to where the head had fallen after flying off the Guillotine, I carefully picked up several silver hairs from the ground, feeling a twinge of distress.
To make the decapitation seem realistic, I’d actually sacrificed several strands of my hair!
I don’t know why losing a few hairs makes me feel so bad, but just thinking about my hair getting chopped off by that cursed thing fills me with anger.
With one hand clutching the hair fragments and the other tightening the clothes slipping off my shoulders, I gathered a large surge of light magic without hesitation and blasted it at the Guillotine.
Only after reducing the Guillotine to dust did I feel a little better, humming twice under my breath as my golden, cross-shaped pupils narrowed in a smug smile.
Serves you right for bullying my hair!
Right now, I was basking in the joy of sweet revenge, completely unaware that something about my demeanor had subtly changed.
After smoothing out my loose, silver hair, I used a bit more light magic to secure my clothes, making sure there was no friction between fabric and skin, then slowly made my way back the way I’d come.
Since there was no road at the end, I could only go back the way I came.
Only, the fragments in my hand had stopped trembling ever since the huge Head exploded.
That made me think maybe the Head and the fragments were related.
But with the Head gone, there was nothing else I could do.
So was this whole trip for nothing?
Thinking this, I felt even more indignant. I’d suffered all this pain and didn’t gain anything at all.
When I finally reached the place where I’d been dragged at the very beginning and saw the exit door again, my dissatisfaction eased just a little.
But just as I was about to leave, the fragments in my hand suddenly started to tremble violently, and before I could react, they flew out of my grip, stirring up a gust of wind.
The wind blew, and in an instant, my clothes were lifted up.
Feeling the sudden chill below, I quickly pressed my robes down, my face flushing bright red.
Back when I was still in my male body, I never gave it much thought. Now that I’d turned into a girl, I suddenly remembered—I was still not wearing anything underneath!
Feeling the strange sensation below, my cheeks burned even brighter, and my chest tingled with a faint swelling at two spots.
My head grew dizzy from all these unfamiliar sensations, and for a moment, I forgot all about chasing after the fragments that had flown away.