.jpg)
LOS 85
Radios distributed across the country had been keeping people awake since the morning. Newspaper boys, unwilling to be outdone, sprinted through the crowds in exchange for a few coins.
That day was one where it felt impossible not to read the news. Everyone on the street held either a cigarette or a newspaper.
Had war broken out once more? Some thought as much, for the faces of the people were stained with gravity.
However, the headline on the front page did not announce a declaration of war by a neighboring country; instead, it told the story of one man.
The man who had held the undivided attention of the Beldam for a long, long time would stand before the people as of today. And he would witness the moment his fate was pronounced.
People were excited. What did the man, whom they had only seen in newspapers, actually look like?
Everyone knew Giles Hessen's face, but very few had seen him in person. Photographs and reality are always subtly different.
Children, who had overheard the adults talking, placed bets. "He'll definitely have slanted eyes and pupils as red as blood, like a monster from an old folktale." "No, he'll be a man with a pale complexion and a terrifying look." "He probably became one-eyed because of the war."
The jurors had long since been selected. Some wanted to be spectators, while others did not.
He was a man most people would prefer not to encounter, yet the public's curiosity regarding the man named Hessen remained immense.
On a sunny spring day, before the arrival of summer.
The day of Giles Hessen's trial arrived.
The soldiers dressed Giles in a standard prisoner's uniform. It was an off-white garment made of coarse cotton. Because people believed Giles had been incarcerated in prison, he had to change into new clothes.
Giles left the safe house at dawn. He did not get to say goodbye to Anna. Her condition was worse than it had been three days ago. Now, she struggled even to open her eyes.
But Anna had survived in the end. That alone meant half the crisis had been weathered. At the very least, Anna's death would not be today, and the rest depended entirely on Giles.
Indeed, everything now depended on what he did.
Steeling his resolve, he was led by the rough hands of soldiers into a large transport vehicle.
When entering the courthouse, they used a passage that was as inconspicuous as possible. He was like a dangerous chemical substance; they didn't know what effect he might have simply by being seen by others.
Luise did not follow. Giles was actually relieved. It was better for Luise to be with Anna than to leave her with other soldiers.
In her place, a familiar middle-aged man appeared. Before the trial began, he entered the room where Giles was being held and sat at a desk.
Giles remembered who he was. He was the man who had brought Anna to the safe house.
"How does it feel?" the man asked. "That you are finally bringing everything to a close."
Giles stared at the man intently and then turned his head away. He had no desire to be caught up in the man's games.
The man merely shrugged, adjusted his glasses, and continued.
"I've come to inform you of a few things. First, public defenders are usually assigned to prisoners like you, but I must tell you that no one wanted to take your case. You will have to stand trial without a lawyer."
"It doesn't matter."
"Many people will gather in the courtroom. I'm told there has never been such a large crowd of spectators. They will all be watching you. And unfortunately, it seems you are not yet fully prepared."
He took off his glasses and tucked them into his jacket pocket. The man's tone became slightly irritable.
"Just what on earth did you do that your condition is still like this?"
"Everything was carried out according to procedure."
"Nothing has changed since the last time I saw you. This means I'll have to put up with dirty work."
As if truly regrettable, he pressed his eyes and sighed.
Giles felt a surge of anxiety.
"What do you mean—"
"Grab him."
The soldiers lunged. Giles, whose hands were already not free, could not move an inch in their grip. Someone grabbed his head and pressed it down to the right.
He saw the man take something out of a thin case. It was a syringe. He injected something into the syringe, which glinted under the lights.
"Mr. Hessen, this will hurt a bit. Endure it without screaming."
"Wait...!"
Without hesitation, he pressed the needle into Giles's neck. Because someone was covering Giles's mouth, he couldn't even scream.
An unknown liquid penetrated his veins. His heart pounded, and a splitting headache struck. The man never told him what he had injected.
Giles tried to regain his senses, but his consciousness was gradually detaching from him. He couldn't think straight. While his reason blurred, the powerful urge to shake off the pain grew stronger with time.
Seeing Giles struggling while held by the soldiers, the man nodded with satisfaction.
"That's a bit better."
"When should we head out?" a soldier asked. The man checked his wristwatch.
"Roughly five minutes from now, we will enter."
Meanwhile, Giles gasped for air, struggling to see clearly. If he lost his mind, Anna would die too.
I have to save Anna. I have to save Anna... While constantly repeating this to himself, Anna appeared before his eyes. It was clearly a hallucination caused by the drug. Giles's gaze fixed on the lover who was not present.
Anna was approaching...
Giles, acting as if there were something in the air, was enough to put the man at ease. Instead of paying further attention to Giles, the man discussed the post-trial schedule with a soldier.
Giles opened his eyes wide, watching Anna, who repeatedly became clear and then blurred. The thought that she was dead flashed through his mind. Anna is already dead. That's why she's a ghost.
She doesn't look whole because she's dead.
Plunged into despair, he shed tears. He wanted to reach out, but he couldn't because the soldiers were holding him.
Suddenly, rage surged. These people were the ones who had killed Anna. An impulse to kill them all seized him.
Then, Anna spoke to him.
"Calm down, Giles. Are you planning to ruin everything? Just like before?"
"Anna..."
"Don't worry. I've always told you. I won't die. No one can kill me unless I want them to. You have to save me. Only you can save me. So, wake up."
Giles felt his breathing stabilize. Yes. Her life or death depended on him. If Giles failed, Anna would end up on that ship and set foot in the frozen lands.
I have to wake up. He squeezed his eyes shut. He had to gather his scattered thoughts back into one place.
When he opened his eyes again, Anna was gone. But the pain tormenting him remained.
The voices in his ears overlapped with a loud, buzzing noise.
"Let's go."
"Understood."
Giles left the room, held firmly by the arms of the soldiers. After walking down the corridor for a long time, they finally entered the courtroom.
Inside the vast and solemn space, everyone was looking down at Giles. The sound of whispering grew louder. To Giles, who was not in a normal state, even the murmuring was translated into pain.
When his face contorted, the people seemed excited.
Before the trial began, the soldiers strapped him to the chair with heavy leather belts. This was to prevent him from starting any dangerous behavior.
Ironically, everyone gathered there hoped such a thing would happen.
Giles trembled, feeling a chill come over him. Only after the soldiers stepped back did the bell ring, signaling the start of the trial.
"...prisoner Giles ... of ... [inaudible] ..."
Bang, bang, bang! The sound of the gavel amplified in his ears like gunshots. Giles wanted to cover his ears, but he couldn't because his hands were bound.
The judge seemed to be saying something, but not a single word reached his ears clearly. A strong impulse to struggle repeatedly surged and surrounded him.
Even at this moment, the physical pain was intensifying. Even the pressure of the belts binding his body tightly became unbearable.
Cold sweat poured down. He knew he had to stay still, but it was difficult.
I have to stay conscious until the trial ends.
Anna must be waiting for me.
He glared desperately into the void. However, it was hard to keep his focus because of the judge's shouting.
"...Hessen! ...Do [inaudible]!"
The murmuring grew louder.
Every noise, every single word became a stimulus, fueling a violent impulse. Even the name Anna was being slowly erased from his mind.
Anna, Anna is waiting for me.
Anna...
...Who was that again?
"Testify!"
He wanted to kill the judge who kept shouting at him. Giles felt that there was very little reason left. A phenomenon bordering on the irresistible pressed down on him heavily, rendering him unable to move.
It was just as he was about to open his mouth.
Suddenly, Giles's movements stopped. Unlike the noise that had been piercing his ears, a clear and beautiful sound captured his spirit.
Someone was playing the piano.
.jpg)