By the time the train finally stopped, it was late at night.

Daphne, who had been dozing lightly, was jolted awake by the sudden commotion. After hurriedly gathering her things, she joined the line of passengers disembarking.

Astasha’s capital was warmer than the Kitaye region, warm enough for her to sense spring approaching.

“Dad!”

The girl who had sat next to Daphne on the entire journey jumped off the train and ran straight into the arms of the middle-aged man who was waiting for her.

Daphne watched the scene blankly for a moment, then turned away.

The capital was far more prosperous than when she had last visited. There were fewer beggars on the streets, and passers-by looked happier.

As she stepped off the train, she felt tense from the crowds pressing in on her from all sides. Having grown accustomed to quiet, sparsely populated rural villages, the city felt all the more foreign.

Once again, the realization that Astasha was the victorious nation weighed heavily on her.

She tightened her grip on her small handbag and quickened her pace.

Pulling out the map that Curtis had given her, she located the place to stay marked nearby. After checking the address, she climbed into a taxi waiting outside the station. When she gave the name of the lodging, the car pulled away smoothly.

Lights swayed and slid past beyond the window.

Guided by their shifting glow, Daphne studied the map, her eyes tracing the routes uncertainly. The prison where Oswald was being held was located on the outskirts of the capital city.

‘At first light tomorrow… I’ll go to the prison.’

The headline she had read in the newspaper earlier that day drifted through her mind.

[Oswald Lawrence, execution date fast approaching]

“Have you heard the news?”

The driver, who had been silently driving until now, suddenly spoke.

Startled, Daphne looked up from the map. Their eyes met in the rearview mirror. The man was middle-aged, with a gentle-looking face.

He studied Daphne’s dazed expression—her eyes blinking wordlessly—then continued.

“Ah, perhaps you haven’t heard. These days, not just the capital but the entire country is abuzz with news of the execution of Phozmeri’s former supreme commander.”

“Ah…”

“The sentence will be carried out in just four days. Are you going to see it in person, miss?”

Beneath the bell tower at Slavivolok Tsaren Square.

Recalling the place she had practically memorized from the articles, Daphne gave a faint shake of her head.

“I probably won’t…”

“So you won’t be going. Well, for a delicate young lady like you, a firing squad might be too horrific to witness. Did you know? Oswald—he’s the one who requested a public execution.”

“…Why?”

“Well… people are already buzzing with speculation about the reason, but if you ask me…”

Daphne swallowed hard and waited for the driver to continue.

It felt as though Oswald had come to this country to see her in the end—but even so, why would he choose death itself?

“I think it may have come from the emptiness of realizing he’s been chasing something meaningless all this time.”

Vrooom—the low hum of the engine continued as the car rolled on.

Sensing that Daphne was listening intently, the driver went on.

“As you know, the country became isolated and fell into poverty once the horrific experiments and plans carried out in Phozmeri were exposed. They are now apologizing and offering compensation in an effort to rebuild, but they have already lost far too much. I can only imagine how overwhelming the sense of futility must be for a soldier who devoted himself so completely to his country that he rose all the way to Supreme Commander. Everything he believed in turned out to be meaningless.”

“…So you’re saying that man truly chose death because he was hollowed out, because he wanted to die?”

“Oh—please don’t misunderstand. It’s just my personal speculation. I served in the military when I was younger, so maybe I’m projecting a bit.”

Noticing the faint tremor in Daphne’s voice, the driver hurried to add that last part, as if chastising himself for saying something too sensitive.

“We’re here.”

Before she realized it, the taxi had reached its destination.

Daphne paid the fare and stepped out of the car.

From the moment she checked in at the lobby and climbed the stairs to her room, she couldn’t stop replaying the driver’s words in her mind.

“The emptiness a soldier would feel, one who was loyal enough to rise to the position of supreme commander must be immense. Everything he chased turned out to be meaningless.”

Click.

Once she was finally alone, Daphne leaned her back against the door and slowly slid down to the floor.

He was no weak man.

He was stronger than anyone she knew.

It was precisely because of that that he would not so easily choose to abandon his life.

She had held onto that belief at the back of her mind all this time.

Perhaps he had planned something until the very end.

A man who loved Phozmeri so fiercely must have had a plan.

She clasped her hands together and brought them to her lips. Her breath fogged against her cold fingers.

She remembered what Douglas had said on the day she had pointed a gun at him.

“If you kill me, Phozmeri will fall apart. Howard is useless, so Oswald will be left to take all the blame. If the experiments are halted or exposed, Phozmeri will be condemned worldwide, its national power will collapse, and it will lose all credibility. If it comes out that you killed me, war with Astasha could break out and Phozmeri would lose. All the blame would fall on Oswald. Do you think someone who has lost you, lost me, and lost their country too could survive with a sound mind? And are you still fine with that?”

‘But what if, what if I never truly knew you at all?’

“So then… you really…”

Tears spilled down her cheeks before she realized it.

“…came here to die.”

***

Day-3

Oswald was sitting at the desk set against the wall of his solitary cell.

The hard wooden chair dug uncomfortably into his gaunt hips. After pausing to adjust to the unfamiliar sensation, he picked up the paper and pen on the desk and began to write.

[Morkien.]

Oswald marveled once again at the strange twist of fate.

There was undoubtedly a way he could help Tessel, and now was the time to act. He was more than willing to help, even a former member of Astasha’s resistance.

The Morkien family was ancient and immensely wealthy. They were so renowned that hardly anyone in Astasha did not know their name. This was why the prison guards had clicked their tongues in disbelief.

Oswald had crossed paths with the head of the Morkien family once before, during the war.

For generations, the Morkien family had produced distinguished generals. The family head at the time, Altraso Morkien, was no exception.

When Oswald first encountered him, Altraso’s leg was caught in a booby trap. Like many Morkien patriarchs before him, Altraso was a seasoned veteran, bold and fiercely patriotic, even volunteering to fight on the front lines himself.

Despite knowing that Altraso was a soldier from an enemy nation, Oswald chose to help him without hesitation. If left alone, the man would soon meet his end, either torn apart by wild beasts or killed by another explosion.

Yet Oswald could not simply walk past him.

When they finally parted, Altraso looked Oswald straight in the eyes and said—

“When this war is over someday, I will remember your name and repay this debt without fail, Oswald.”

“……”

Oswald finished the letter.

The final line read:

[Please uncover the truth as to whether Tessel is facing an unjust death. This is my final request.
—Your beneficiary, Oswald Lawrence]

He carefully folded the letter, placed it in an envelope, and arranged for it to be delivered to Altraso Morkien’s private residence.

Tessel’s next trial was scheduled to take place after Oswald’s execution.

This meant that Oswald would never find out what fate awaited Tessel.

However, if Tessel’s account was accurate, there was a strong possibility that she would be spared the death penalty at her final trial. If it was Altraso, he would not hesitate to put even his own son on trial.

With his heart at ease, Oswald lay down to sleep.

For some reason, he felt that he would have a good dream that night.