After Work, I Brought Home a Devilish Beauty - Chapter 68

The day of Alice’s execution finally arrived.

The soldiers came early that morning. They unlocked the cell where Alice had been imprisoned and slowly opened the door.

Alice sat quietly on the cold floor with her legs crossed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her once-bright white hair hung loosely around her face, making her look completely lifeless.

The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances.

This was nothing like the Alice they remembered.

One of them had once witnessed Alice’s incredible strength on the battlefield. To him, she had always been a legendary hero worthy of admiration. Yet now, he could do nothing to help her.

He still depended on the Church of Assis for his livelihood, and disobeying their orders would not only cost him his position but could also put his entire family in danger.

“Lady Alice… I’m truly sorry.”

Two soldiers approached her and placed handcuffs around her wrists and shackles around her ankles to prevent any attempt at escape.

Surprisingly, Alice offered almost no resistance.

From the moment she was taken from her cell until she was placed inside the carriage, she remained completely silent and obedient.

Anyone watching might have thought that she had accepted her fate.

But that wasn’t the truth.

Alice simply had no strength left to resist.

The terrible conditions inside the cell had caused her to develop a high fever. Staying conscious was already difficult enough, let alone fighting her way out.

And one more thing had to be remembered.

Alice was only fifteen years old.

Anyone else in her condition would probably have been terrified out of their mind.

Outside, thousands of people had gathered to witness Alice’s departure. Among them were followers of the Church of Assis, heavily armed soldiers, and ordinary citizens who had come simply to see what was happening.

The High Priest stood beside the carriage and immediately raised his voice.

“Anyone who takes another step forward will be executed on the spot!”

His threat silenced the crowd.

The people reluctantly backed away, leaving Alice to be escorted toward the execution ground.

Even so, whispers continued to spread through the crowd.

“Another poor soul is being executed… But who is she? Why are there so many people here?”

“You don’t know? That’s Alice—the heroine who once led humanity to victory against the demons!”

“What?! Then why is someone like her being executed? What did she do?”

“Why are you taking Lady Alice away?!”

Anyone who dared to openly question the Church of Assis was immediately silenced.

Some were even executed on the spot.

Perhaps the sight of a fifteen-year-old girl being executed was simply too cruel.

Most of the people who had initially planned to watch the execution eventually decided not to go.

The followers of Assis were more than happy with this outcome. Fewer spectators meant fewer complications.

Inside the execution ground, the High Priest and several apostles took their seats.

Two soldiers then stepped forward, dragged Alice from the carriage, and tied her to the gallows.

Once everything was prepared, the High Priest slowly stood.

With his head lowered, he began reciting the official declaration.

“Hero Alice has been accused of colluding with demons and harming innocent humans, causing serious consequences for the people. Therefore, I hereby declare that Alice shall be executed by hanging!”

The words sounded righteous enough.

But everyone who knew the truth understood that this was nothing more than a carefully fabricated accusation.

The High Priest looked toward Alice.

“Alice, do you have anything to say before your execution?”

There was no response.

“Alice?”

One of the apostles noticed something was wrong and quickly approached the High Priest.

“Your Holiness… Alice has fainted.”

The High Priest looked toward the unconscious girl and frowned.

“She really couldn’t endure any more…”

After a brief pause, he waved his hand impatiently.

“Forget it. Begin the execution.”

The executioner stepped forward and placed the noose around Alice’s neck.

Everything was ready.

But then—

A sudden commotion erupted outside.

The High Priest frowned.

“What is happening? Why aren’t the soldiers dealing with it?”

A panicked voice came from outside.

“Your Holiness! Someone is trying to break into the execution ground! They’re attempting to rescue the traitor!”

The High Priest immediately turned around.

A figure dressed entirely in black suddenly burst into the execution ground.

His movements were incredibly fast.

Before anyone could react, he reached the gallows, freed Alice, and lifted her into his arms.

The High Priest froze.

He had thoroughly investigated Alice’s background. As far as he knew, she had no family left who would dare risk their lives to save her.

Then who was this man?

“Stop him!”

The High Priest quickly recovered from his shock.

“Do not let that traitor Alice escape!”

The surrounding soldiers immediately drew their weapons and surrounded the mysterious man.

The man in black glanced around.

There were far too many soldiers.

Breaking through them would be difficult. The Church of Assis had trained its troops for countless years, and their strength could not be underestimated.

Should I fly away?

No.

Revealing his true identity now would only create more problems.

For a moment, the man in black found himself trapped in a difficult situation.

Then—

A middle-aged man wearing a straw hat suddenly stood up from within the crowd.

He clenched his fists and shouted:

“Let’s go! We’ll hold them back!”

His voice seemed to ignite something within the crowd.

No one from the Church of Assis had expected what happened next.

A huge wave of people suddenly surged forward from outside.

Chaos erupted.

Most of them were ordinary farmers. They had neither proper weapons nor any military training. Standing against the heavily armed soldiers of the Assisi Order was practically suicide.

Yet they charged forward anyway.

They weren’t afraid.

“What are you doing?!”

The High Priest’s expression twisted with disbelief.

“Have all of you gone mad?!”

The scene was completely unprecedented.

Even throughout the thousands of years since the Church of Assis was founded, nothing like this had ever happened.

Ordinary people were actually risking their lives to protect the very hero the Church had branded a traitor.

“Take Lady Alice and leave!”

Someone shouted from within the crowd.

The man in black finally came to his senses.

He looked around and noticed that the soldiers had left one side of the execution ground almost completely undefended.

Without hesitation, he tightened his grip around Alice and rushed toward the opening.

Behind him, the sounds of fighting continued to echo.

After escaping some distance, the man in black suddenly stopped.

He turned around.

His eyes remained fixed on the people who were still fighting desperately behind him.

For a long moment, he said nothing.

Then he slowly bowed.

It was the deepest expression of respect he could offer.

At that moment, something inside him changed.

He had always viewed humanity from a completely different perspective.

But now…

These people had shown him something he had never expected to see.

They were ordinary humans who had willingly placed themselves in danger for someone else.

Fearless.

Resolute.

Willing to fight even when they knew they might die.

In his eyes, they were no longer merely ordinary humans.

They were warriors.

Warriors worthy of his respect.