Editing Sorcery Hacker:Volume1 Phase4 (section)

===Part 6===

Several metal locks clicked shut as an old man’s arms and head were bound to the guillotine while he was forced to crawl like a dog. It was a cruel and humiliating position that seemed to deny the value of the life he had lived.

But no one spoke up against it. No one even frowned silently.

He was surrounded on all sides by enemies. Some were stuffing their faces with the boiled potatoes they had bought at a food stall, some were laughing with friends, and some were viewing it with knowing looks in an attempt to look smart.

Negative expectation swirled around him as the people waited impatiently for his head to fall.

The large masked Executioner on the stage whispered in a muffled voice.

“The preparations are complete.”

“Very good.”

Forturiana’s High Priest was named Belbath Ruin Cranky.

His luxurious robes and staff decorated with pure gold were a far cry from religious asceticism. He had clearly been living quite well under the royal family’s protection. Far more money had gone into his clothing than the knights’ armor.

An insect the size of a slipper crawled from his back and up to his shoulder. That false insect made from gems and platinum was a Bell Ringing prototype. A craftsman’s skilled fingers had intricately inlaid that bell cricket with jewels, so it had none of the creepiness of a living creature. It only had the cold shine of a mechanical object.

That fancy bell cricket took all the mana absorbed from the four castle towns and converted it into defensive power, so it alone was equivalent to a small fortress of Level 799. A sorcery gun’s range was based on the distance the sound of its gunshot traveled, so by vibrating those thin wings fast enough to compress the air and create a protective barrier of sound, snipers and all other attackers were no longer a threat.

In the trenches of war where you would never find a luxurious High Priest, fine mesh netting was apparently set up to protect against magical grenades, but he must have reached a similar level with nothing but this air barrier.

To him, this performance was necessary for Forturiana and for Sky City Celedileka. There was no real difference between preaching to the believers with the cathedral’s stained glass behind him, visiting hospitals according to a schedule calculated out to maximize advertising efficiency, or leading an execution like this.

It was time for a new stage in his life. It was time for the Temple Moving Ceremony.

“Ladies and gentlemen.”

The tone of his voice was not affected by the impending death. He already knew the best way for his words to reach people’s hearts, so there was no need to switch modes.

“Is this a day of sadness? Is it a day for anger? Is it a day wrapped in frustration? Is it a day filled with fear? …No, today is a joyous day. For our Sky City Celedileka is gaining one more way to destroy a great evil.”

He could not say so out loud, but what he said here did not really matter.

As long as his words created a solemn atmosphere and used up a fair amount of time, anything was fine.

They had taken the proper steps, so righteousness was on their side. If anyone did protest, he had a powerful shield of counterarguments he could use.

Not that anyone was going to criticize them.

The people only wanted an excuse to enjoy this cruel show guilt free.

“The death of a brutal criminal will bring greater stability to the world. The one and only public service they can provide is to prove through their death that the laws of heaven are alive and well. So let us witness that benevolent coincidences can indeed happen. Let us witness that those blessed by the element of light are rewarded and those led astray by the element of darkness are punished. Let us witness that we live in a wonderful world where no one’s efforts are denied! This Temple Moving Ceremony is a necessary act that shall provide us with eternal light, establish a solid foundation of peace, and promise all of you even greater happiness and prosperity!!”

So the High Priest himself did not notice the hidden meaning in the script he was reading off. He only felt like he was reading an endless loop of meaningless terminology.

But when the crowd erupted into applause, he could tell something in his words must have appealed to them.

This was all it took for someone to die.

And the right atmosphere was all it took to draw out an emotional response.