The people tied up on the city wall were soon covered in bloody welts. In some places, the flesh was split open, and bright red blood bloomed like flowers.
Screams of pain echoed from the wall. But Guard Yang, maybe trying to keep the last shred of dignity as the head of the city's defense, bit his lip hard. He almost tore his own mouth apart but didn't let out a single cry.
He glared down at Elara from the wall with eyes full of venom, remembering every bit of the shame and pain of today in his heart.
"Elara!" One day, he would pay her back a hundred times over.
Below the wall, Elara acted as if she hadn't heard a thing. She slowly chewed on a nut as the cries from above grew louder.
She wanted the hatred. The more, the better. Let them hate her so much that they would rush at her without thinking. That was when she could fight back openly and legally.
After all, she really didn't like letting beasts live for long in this world.
…
Far off, among the low houses of the common people.
The scared, huddled citizens had been silent. But as the sound of whips and screams outside grew louder, someone finally dared to peek through a window. A low gasp escaped.
"They're really beating them?"
"Guard Yang... he's actually being whipped??"
"And those others who hit us earlier! They're all being whipped! It's Elara's people doing it!"
"Heavens… is Plumera's capital finally changing? Even someone like Guard Yang, so powerful and cruel, is getting punished?"
"Retribution! This is retribution, right?"
"Yes! It must be! Those beasts! They're finally paying for what they did!"
More and more people dared to peek out once they saw it was safe.
When they recognized who the screams were coming from on that high platform, many couldn't help but get excited. Some shouted for justice. Some had tears in their eyes. They pressed against the windows, trying to burn this moment into memory forever.
Old people and children held bloody, half-dead loved ones in their arms and cried.
"Yezi! Huhua! Did you see that? The ones who hit you are being beaten now! You must hold on! Heaven finally opened its eyes and punished those beasts! You must live and see this with your own eyes! This is retribution! It finally came for them!"
The weak children cried beside them.
"Father, Mother, please wake up and look. The bad people are being punished! They're being hit too, just like they hit you! Wuwuwu!"
Some people were too numb to react. Years of abuse had made them feel nothing, even when they stared at the scene on the wall.
Those who still had emotions were quickly warned by others who were scared.
"Hey! Keep your voice down! If those monsters hear, they'll come after you or your whole family!"
"Exactly! Even if Guard Yang and his men are getting punished now, the one punishing them is also someone powerful. We can't afford to offend either side. They could crush us with a finger. Be happy quietly. If someone sees, we're dead!"
But many couldn't hold back anymore. The screams and whip sounds from outside lit a fire in their chests.
"Pah! What noble lords? They're all monsters! Monsters who feast on human flesh and blood! They all deserve to die!"
"Right! Guard Yang getting beaten today is his punishment! He should be beaten to death! He'll go to hell and pay for his sins forever!"
"Wuwu, my son! My son died because of Guard Yang! Just because he touched the man's horse, he was accused of stealing and beaten to death! Wuwuwu! My son! This is justice! It's justice! Wuwuwu! Justice! It's finally their turn!"
An old woman stared at the tall wall with tears and laughter. Her face, once pale and thin, now had a strange red flush as if madness had taken hold.
Farther off, a thin young man looked much the same. His wide eyes were full of grief and madness that had been bottled up too long.
"My father and mother were also driven to death by those monsters! This is their punishment! They deserved this! Better if they die! It's all justice! These beasts! They're getting what they deserve!"
As more screams and whippings echoed from the wall, the noise among the low houses grew louder too.
Cries of anger, curses, and suppressed grief mixed together.
Even though this was Plumera's capital, supposedly the safest place under the ruler's feet, no one wanted to stay here.
Who would choose to live in a place full of monsters who stepped on them, sucked their blood, and took their lives?
Now, when they saw the villains who had always stood above them being punished, how could they not be emotional?
A skinny old man with white hair leaned on the wall, neck craned up to look at the platform. His eyes were red as he trembled and sobbed.
They had suffered too long. Now they finally saw some justice for themselves and their dead loved ones.
It wasn't much. But maybe it counted for something.
In this hell called Plumera's capital, they had suffered far too much.
…
[Ding~ Congratulations, Master! You have punished the villains in Plumera's capital. The people's anger has been released. Their resentment has slightly decreased. Your image as the Princess has slightly improved. You have gained 15 National Fortune Points.]
The familiar voice of System 92 rang in her mind again. But this time, it wasn't excited like usual. It sounded a bit down, just like Elara's face that had no joy at all.
She had seen most of the people's reactions.
Some were excited. Some wept. Some looked mad. Some sobbed. Some even knelt and prayed toward her direction with tears in their eyes, as if mourning their lost loved ones after finally getting revenge.
Elara's mood couldn't lift at all.
This was the capital. And yet, the people had this much anger toward the court.
She didn't know what to say.
This was maybe the first time since coming to this world that she truly faced its cruelty. For a second, she really felt a strong urge to make this place better.
Elara wasn't some saint. She was a businesswoman. She always thought in terms of gains and losses.
But she was still a normal person. She had empathy.
After living peacefully for so long in the 21st century, she couldn't really understand how hard life could be, no matter how real those dramas looked.
But now, seeing these eyes filled with numbness, despair, and grief…
She finally felt something real about the mission System 92 had given her.
If, before leaving this time, she could at least help these miserable people eat a full meal… then maybe that would count as something meaningful too.
Just as she was thinking, she saw a flash of something sharp and bright in the corner of her eye, speeding toward the wall.
Before she even turned, she shouted on instinct,
"Uno!"
Uno moved slightly where he stood on the wall. The arrow that had been heading straight for Guard Yang's forehead changed course. It shot into his right arm instead.
At the same time, the remaining guards, already frustrated by Elara's words, rushed toward the edge of the wall.
"Who's there?!"