Atop the fort’s balcony which neglected Karkow’s metropolis sq., Wilhelm Erich Rommel accompanied by his brother; Walther Aldrich Rommel, the Drussian Justice of the Peace of Karkow; Jurren Kol Heupers and their superior; Sicilia Gella Dunnwal lay witness to an nearly unbelievable scene.

Town sq. was stuffed with a jeering crowd that hurled insults at a specific particular person.

One could anticipate that the particular person the gang was insulting was one of many lords standing within the balcony of the fort. In any case, they may have been seen as conquerers who unjustifiably laid declare to the folks’s lands and livelihood.

Nonetheless, the gang’s insults have been as an alternative directed to an individual standing in the midst of the sq.. That particular person in query stood on a stand to be displayed in entrance of the crowds, tightened round her neck was a noose which was tied to a picket bar that was suspended a couple of ft above her head.

It was an execution.

The condemned lady nonetheless wore her noble undergarments but its look was ruined by filth and dust. The realm round her left shin was stained with blood whereas her fingers lay limp by her aspect. Her eyes solely gazed downwards with no indicators of motion, solely generally twitching sporadically.

Opposite to how formal executions by hanging sometimes went, the condemned’s fingers weren’t sure by something in any way. The reply why was slightly easy. If one have been to look intently at her fingers, one might see that every one of her fingernails have been lacking whereas her fingers itself have been barely crooked.

There was little doubt that the bones of her fingers have been damaged. Whether or not the finger-bones have been dislocated from their joints or the bones itself have been systematically damaged, the condemned’s fingers have been now damaged past restore. Irrespective of how onerous she could strive, she’s going to by no means be capable of free herself from the noose.

The truth that she was nonetheless free to maneuver her fingers and even try to free herself in an act of full futility solely added extra insult to harm. It was as if the punishment of loss of life and humiliation wasn’t sufficient for whoever selected her execution.

All Wilhelm needed to do was look to his proper to see the particular person accountable for developing with one thing so sick and twisted. The silver-haired and purple-eyed Sicilia who calmly stood behind the balcony along with her fingers behind her again and a faint smile on her face .

Not like the others who arrived from the core areas to repel the crusaders, Sicilia was the one one who remained in West Porrand as soon as the menace was eradicated. However, Erika Bismark Pollorov and her Omega Corps returned to Maximinus.

The rationale why Sicilia stayed that she advised Wilhelm was so she will ‘end up some paperwork’ however he felt that there was extra to it than simply that. It was only a hunch, however Wilhelm had a sense that Sicilia wished to personally witness the condemned’s execution even when it inconvenienced her.

Though Wilhelm was by no means actually the ‘morally right’ form of particular person, he would nonetheless detest the form of actions that might purposely inconvenience oneself within the pursuit of momentary happiness. Particularly for one thing as merciless as this.

When Wilhelm turned his consideration again to the condemned lady, he seen a slight nearly indiscernible change, or no less than it was an nearly indiscernible change from the place Wilhelm stood.

She was crying.

But, it was in a slightly uncanny method. Sometimes, one’s face would scrunch in anger or disappointment as they cried. Nonetheless, not a single muscle on the condemned’s face moved whereas the tears simply slowly leaked from her eyes.

It was a very pitiful and pathetic sight.

By no means earlier than has Wilhelm ever witnessed such a merciless public humiliation.

Not solely was the condemned overtly mocked by the crowds, however she was mocked by the very individuals who a yr in the past, would have supported her with all of their coronary heart. Or no less than, it was alleged to be that approach till the Imperium intervened.

The condemned’s title was Stefanie Geinen Naftes; the princess of Porrand and the final surviving member of the Porrish royal household, successfully leaving her because the inheritor obvious. Her title ought to have meant that she was the one destined to be beloved and commemorated by the folks of Porrand.

As a substitute, these exact same individuals who have been hurling abuses and insults on the princess. Though Wilhelm knew that it was really slightly simple to sway the ignorant lots to at least one’s aspect, he needed to admit that this was the primary time he had seen such an excessive instance. And it was all due to the Drussian propaganda marketing campaign.

It was on the level that Wilhelm nearly felt sorry for Stefanie. She was damaged, each bodily and mentally. First her bones have been methodically damaged by the hands of Sicilia throughout an ‘interrogation’. Then Stefanie was compelled to witness her personal topics cheer and demand for her personal demise.

This has already on for too lengthy. Stefanie ought to already be put out of her distress.

When Wilhelm glanced across the balcony, he might inform that everybody excluding Sicilia held the identical sentiment.

Quickly, Walther spoke up on behalf of everybody else.

“Pardon me my girl, however do not you suppose that it is time to name it?”

Sicilia nodded barely in response to Walther’s suggestion earlier than she replied.

“Sure. I do imagine that it’s time. Very properly, everybody say goodbye to the princess.”

Everybody appeared confused after they heard Sicilia reply. Stefanie was alone on the stage, there was no executioner to chop the rope and execute Stefanie. This time it was Jurren who spoke up on behalf of everybody else.

“Excuse me my girl, however the executioner is not even on the stage but. I used to be starting to marvel for those who even summoned one.

“Oh we do not want an executioner.”

As Sicilia mentioned this, she reached into her interior coat pocket earlier than taking out her musket pistol.

“I am going to do the deed myself.”

Earlier than anybody might even react to Sicilia’s actions, she already aimed her musket at Stefanie earlier than she fired a shot.

In a feat of unbelievable accuracy Sicilia’s shot appeared to landed on its mark because the sound of a rope snapping and barrels transferring overcame the noise of the crowds earlier than the trapdoor bellow Stefanie all of a sudden opened.

What occurred subsequent was a brief drop and a sudden cease.

…

Quickly after Stefanie’s execution, Sicilia excused herself earlier than she made her approach for the non-public bed room that was reserved for her throughout the fort. The second, she entered her bed room, she fell backwards onto her mattress in act of full exhaustion.

After staring silently on the ceiling for a couple of quick moments, Sicilia began to talk to herself. In fact, she did it in a quiet sufficient method in order that nobody snooping can overhear her.

“Effectively that was a let much less… riveting? No… that is not the fitting phrase… amusing? I had one thing that I wished to say… Simply what the hell was it once more?”

Sicilia subconsciously scratched her head as she mentioned this.

“It would not matter, I suppose that it might simply say that it was only a lot much less… entertaining than I hoped it will have been. Rattling it, Stefanie actually spoiled every thing did not she?”

For some motive, Sicilia rolled onto her stomach as she spoke to herself.

“Trash snuck-up princess. She thinks so extremely of herself and but she could not even take a single hour of my ‘remedies’ earlier than she has a psychological breakdown. If she was gonna spoil the temper she might have no less than had the decency to have a robust psychological fortitude.”

As soon as once more, Sicilia rolled on her mattress till this time, her stomach was dealing with the ceiling. As she stared on the ceiling, Sicilia continued chatting with herself.

“It is no enjoyable to torture somebody after they’re already damaged. Wait… why am I even making such a fuss over this. It isn’t like that is the primary time in my life that I used to be disenchanted. What am I even doing? “

Sicilia was positive that she by no means achieved something remotely much like this earlier than and she or he was positively sure that she by no means felt this manner earlier than. Simply what the hell was happening? Quickly, Sicilia’s voice began to tremble as she thought over the probabilities.

“Oh… Oh God… Is that this what Maxwell calls a ‘midlife’ disaster?’ Did not he say that the everyday age for one could be round 30-50 years of age? That… that may’t be proper. I am twenty years outdated rattling it!”

As she mentioned this, Sicilia acquired up from her mattress and made her approach for the mirror of her bed room. In her reflection, Sicilia noticed the mess that her often pristine silver hair was in. Though Sicilia would sometimes be offput by issues reminiscent of this, she managed to disregard it as she spoke to her personal reflection.

“Get a grip of your self Sicilia. You have been born because the third youngster of a noble household of a desolate nation that was getting ready to collapse. You had nothing. You have been born with nothing. And on the finish of all of it, folks could not have even recognized you even existed. However look the place you are actually.”

Sicilia could not even describe what sort of expression her reflection held as she spoke to herself.

“Now you are one of the highly effective and influential folks to have ever existed. Do not you dare overlook that… It isn’t like… energy is meaningless…”

Sicilia’s voice began to decelerate as she got here throughout a realisation.

“That… that may very well be it… This energy… it is… it is meaningless… What is the level of this energy if I will die anyway?..”

Sicilia trailed of into silence as she got here to the conclusion of her state of affairs, within the quiet of her room, she solely stared blankly at her reflection.

Nonetheless, she rapidly seen one thing within the reflection of the mirror. It was a determine, standing within the shadows of her room, who donned a black, hooded cloak and a clean white masks which hid its face.

Sometimes, Sicilia would have been barely embarrassed by this form of state of affairs however fortuitously, she did not must concern herself with such issues with the hooded determine; Operative 0. Quickly, Sicilia circled to face 0 earlier than she spoke up.

“Oh my… I nearly forgot you have been there.”

Sicilia tried to repair her hair and straightened her posture as she gave her orders to 0.

“So inform me, was your mission profitable?”

“Goal survivability probability: 0%. Goal kill: Confirmed. Mission Targets: Accomplished. Mission efficiently completed.”

Sicilia sighed when she heard 0’s report earlier than she made a random comment.

“I am by no means going to get used to that. Maybe we should always pay Johann one other go to and have one thing achieved about that ‘eccentric’ persona of yours.”

In response to Sicilia’s comment, 0 solely barely tilted her head barely sideways in what Sicilia might solely describe as confusion. It was nearly cute in a approach. The truth is, when Sicilia noticed 0 like this, she nearly forgot that 0 was a genetically modified being comprised of the deepest, darkest, depths of the Imperium.

No matter humanity that 0 could have as soon as had was all wiped away the second Johann snd his researchers laid their fingers on her.

In essence, 0 was actually nothing greater than a clean slate that may be ordered to do or be something that Silica wished.

When Sicilia considered this, she could not assist gasping out loud as she lastly got here throughout a life altering revelation.

An answer to her midlife disaster.

She was going to change into immortal.