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There were few people in the square, apart from a few of Snow’s Praetorian Guards, the seven representatives of the Senate’s factions, and the imperial judge with a small pack of pedigree dogs by his side, along with the Archduke of Golden and his minions.

I suppose that’s to be expected. That disgusting Golden Retriever wouldn’t want to miss this show. As for everyone else, they surely had more important matters to attend to.

I thought I felt the disgusting gaze of those pedigree dogs, but I decided to act indifferent. I was here for Luther, not for the likes of you.

"By Rationalism!" The sudden impact left me momentarily stunned as José embraced me from the front. "I’ve been so worried you might’ve done something reckless."

He was hugging me tightly.

At that moment, I didn’t even mind the coyote’s occasional heavy body odor from not bathing.

"Where’s Ian?" José asked with concern after stepping back and noticing the absence of the big yellow dog. His pale yellow eyes scanned the square.

"He’ll show up anytime," I replied softly. The coyote nodded, then turned his head toward the gallows.

I knew it had begun.

It felt strange.

Clearly, this was something I would never get used to.

My vision seemed to blur as everything became fuzzy. I couldn’t hear anything, even though I could feel the vibrations of voices in the air.

They were probably reading out some lengthy speech. José shouted something again in a language I didn’t understand, conversing with the Senate’s wolf a few times, but ultimately didn’t achieve his expected result—I could tell from the frustration in his voice.

The only thing I could see was that noose, every fiber so vividly clear; the only sound I could hear was the creak of the rope tightening and loosening.

Swaying ever so slightly in the wind.

Why do these things keep happening again and again?

Is there really some sense to this world?

What does it mean that Luther must prove his worth? Luther’s worth doesn’t need to be proven to anyone.

In the shattered timeline, I felt a cold drop slide down my cheek, but I didn’t know whether I was crying for someone or grieving for something.

My vision had long since blurred, and the only thing keeping me from looking away was my stubbornness—the only means of resisting this cruel reality.

I was certain that I could collapse like a decayed dead tree at any moment because there was nothing left inside me. Clearly, I had overestimated myself. At least Ian had enough self-awareness.

Unexpectedly, José’s hand grasped mine, supporting me.

The lump in my throat could no longer be suppressed, and I trembled as I began to cry.

I must have looked terrible, sobbing like that, but I didn’t care at all. I was mourning for my friends, for all the atrocities I could only watch helplessly, and for myself.

So, I wiped my eyes, smearing the overflowing tears onto the fur, and resolved to steadfastly watch and witness every moment that followed.

Luther showed no signs of improvement, still looking as if he didn’t know where he was. Perhaps the only thing to be thankful for was that it hadn’t gotten worse. Even when the noose was placed around his neck, Luther still stared blankly into the distance.

I almost turned my head again. Seeing him like that was… just too painful.

But I could feel José standing beside me. He was trembling too, his breathing unsteady, swaying as if he was about to collapse.

Just like me.

That gave me strength.

Fragile and broken as we were, we managed to support each other, keeping ourselves from falling because we were together.

I moved a step closer to the coyote, letting us stand shoulder to shoulder, leaning on each other.

The judge said something again, but I didn’t bother to listen. I looked into Luther’s brown eyes, trying to let him know that I was here—we were here—and that he wasn’t alone.

Suddenly, Luther smiled.

His upturned lips revealed white fangs against his black fur, standing out starkly. His body slumped, his eyes filled with exhaustion, but at least they regained focus. Then, the mutt raised his head and met my gaze. That weak yet sincere smile seemed to soothe me, as if asking me not to worry.

Maybe I was reading too much into it, but in that moment, I knew for sure that miracles do exist.

I wiped away the tears once more and saw Luther raise his muzzle high, standing tall and proud, refusing to bow to any oppression, facing the end with dignity.

No… it wasn’t just pride. It was… the look of someone staring at something, someone who knew and saw hope. Just like… back then, that day.

Then, with a thunderous roar, a crack of lightning tore through the air, announcing his arrival.

“What is the meaning of this?” A voice like the fury of an endless storm bellowed. “Beauregard, you’d better start explaining!”

Come to think of it, no one ever claimed to have seen the Admiral angry before. But just hearing that voice, I knew I was witnessing this mass extinction, catastrophic event.

The ground trembled with his words, and fist-sized stones floated into the air as if gravity no longer existed. The violent gusts of wind made it nearly impossible for me to keep my eyes open, but I still tried my best to prop myself up from the ground, sitting on my knees against the wind.

I saw José still lying on the ground, clutching a crack in the earth with all his strength, trying to anchor himself from being blown away. But the coyote’s face was beaming with wild laughter.

Summoning all my courage, I looked toward the center of the storm, where everything seemed destined to be crushed. I raised my arm to shield my eyes, trying to witness the destructive power with my own eyes.

“...carrying out an execution, a sentence passed by the Imperial Court.” The phantom poodle judge remained standing, seemingly unaffected by the continual radiation of air currents. But his body language clearly indicated that if given the chance, he would immediately turn and flee.

I quickly scanned the square, noting that a few people, including the Archduke of Golden, could still maintain their footing, while the rest, those who hadn’t been blown away by the wind, were all immobilized.

“Charge?” With just a single word, it struck my eardrums like thunder.

The Admiral stood naked in the center of a shallow pit, his emaciated body showing muscles twisted to their extreme, taut as if they were about to snap. His short white fur stood on end, the tips whipping wildly in the wind. Occasionally, blue-white arcs of electricity would shoot out, sparking and crackling on the ground.

My nose twitched involuntarily, the air thick with the scent of ozone.

“Murder of the fleet Admiral…” the judge said, now more hesitant.

“Do I look dead to you?” The Admiral pronounced each word slowly. As if to emphasize the question, a bolt of lightning struck—or shot up from the Admiral’s body—I couldn’t tell which.

“No.” This time, the judge answered swiftly and without hesitation. Even though my vision was still washed out from the recent flash, I could clearly see the poodle’s tail tucked between his legs.

“Then is this case closed?” The Admiral tilted his head ever so slowly, folding down his right ear. I can only say it somehow made him look even more terrifying.

“Yes.” The judge glanced at Luther, who looked utterly drained, just as he had been earlier, seemingly unaware of his surroundings, the noose still hanging around his neck. The poodle quickly made a few hand gestures that I couldn’t quite understand. “Case closed.”

In the next instant, the gallows disintegrated into dust, swept away by the wind. Luther descended slowly, as if cradled by an invisible hand.

I wanted to rush forward and check on him, but the effort just to keep myself steady left no room to move. I tried to call out to the Admiral, but the wind was so strong that opening my mouth only filled it with roaring air.

For some reason I couldn’t quite grasp, the Admiral did notice me. He slowly turned his head and glanced at me.

I was startled by those completely crimson eyes.

By the time I regained my composure, the Admiral had already turned and continued walking toward Luther. But at least the wind had lessened enough that I could stand up easily.

However, just as I was about to follow the Admiral, a firm hand clasped my shoulder.

“You’re one of Richter’s guards, right?” I turned toward the source of the voice and saw a brown-and-black Siberian husky. “Go bring his private aircraft. The sooner, the better.”

I shot him a confused look, hoping for more explanation. The Archduke of Siberian exchanged glances with the heterochromatic-eyed guard beside him, who gave a slight nod.

“The fact that something of this scale made Richter enter the red-eye state…” The husky looked worriedly at the Admiral. “If he were to collapse right now and die on the spot, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

After the Archduke of Siberian ordered his guards to stay with us, he walked over to the Admiral himself.

I wasn’t entirely sure how reliable the husky’s judgment was, but I vaguely remembered that he and the Admiral were friends. So, I asked José for his terminal, activated the Admiral’s airship, and summoned it.

While awaiting clearance from the palace airspace control, I saw the husky had already reached the Admiral’s side, draping his bright blue coat over the white wolf and whispering something in his ear.

When the evacuation vessel arrived, we all boarded the airship together with the Archduke of Siberian.

I really hoped this chaotic commotion would come to an end, so we could check on each other and start tending to our wounds. But even as I stepped into the cabin, I could still feel that gaze of seething hatred on my back. There was no need to confirm it—I knew for certain it came from the Archduke of Golden.

Still… to hell with that pedigree. I knew I had nothing to fear from him.

So, I proudly straightened my back and continued moving forward, deciding to focus my thoughts on the friends who truly mattered to me.