To Miledi Reisen, the world was full of absolutes.
The law was absolute. The country that decided the law was absolute. The Holy Church that controlled the country was absolute. The god they worshiped was absolute. His teachings and doctrines were absolute. The conventions of her house were absolute. Everything from the time she had to get up in the morning, to what her tutors told her, to what her father asked of her, to her role in the family, was absolute.
The Grandort Empire’s influence was vast. It stretched from the central part of the continent all the way to the east, and within it was the Reisen Gorge. It was the country most well-known for its magical prowess, and though most of its mages weren’t as strong as the demons, they were still the strongest the humans had.
As magic was the forte of most citizens, they all considered the Reisen Gorge, which dispersed mana inside of it, an execution ground. Without the aid of their spells, no Grandortian could hope to survive in a place like that, teeming with powerful monsters as it was.
Political prisoners, criminals, witnesses... Anyone who was sent into that hellish crack in the earth never returned. An execution ground was a fitting term for it.
As the gorge was known around the world, the noble family that managed the lands around it was, too.
That was the Reisen family.
They were also known as a family of executioners. The family ran and maintained the massive prison that was the Reisen Gorge. They handled not only criminals the empire sent them, but those from the Holy Church or other countries as well.
The family dated back so many generations that some scholars believed they’d existed since even before the founding of the Grandort Empire. No one was sure if the gorge got its name from the family that managed it, or if the family that managed it had taken on the name of the gorge.
Regardless, the family was known for being utterly ruthless. They were called a family of executioners not only because of the job they handled, but because of the fear their name struck in the hearts of others.
And Miledi was the daughter of that ruthless and terrifying earl.
Because she could use gravity magic, and control her mana directly without any need for a magic circle, she was hailed as a genius Atavist.
Normally, she would have been taken under the Holy Church’s protection and raised as one of Ehit’s descendants, but because of the influence the Reisen family held, she had been allowed to remain home. According to history, the very first Reisen had been able to use ancient magic as well. Records claimed that he’d used it to turn the gorge into a magic-sealing execution grounds. Because of that legend as well, Miledi was allowed to remain part of the family.
The only people Miledi had ever seen in her life were her grandfather, her parents, her uncle, her cousin, the doll-like servants, her tutors, her father’s soldiers, and the criminals that came to be executed.
She had been completely isolated from the outside world, and spent her days learning how to be an upstanding member of the Reisen family.
That was all that was expected of her, and all that was granted to her. Nothing more, nothing less.
To the outside world, Miledi’s family would have seemed cold and inhuman. Whether for good or ill, however, Miledi had nothing else to compare her own situation to, so she didn’t see it that way.
Once she turned eight, she began helping out with the family business.
Every time she sat down with a criminal, she was met with cursing, begging, and despair. Still, they were criminals. Someone had to take on the job of executing them. The law was absolute, and the law said that they were to be cast into the gorge.
And so, Miledi did her job. She read out the charges to the condemned, and watched as they were flung into the gorge.
Those that tried to flee died at her hands.
Those that tried to climb their way up were shoved back down.
Over the course of a year, Miledi’s face lost all emotion. Their despair, grudges, and lamentations no longer moved her. After all, what did it matter? They were here because they tried to go against an absolute. That they would face retribution for it was also an absolute. Their fates had already been decided.
It was all pointless in the end, so Miledi found it easier not to feel anything at all.
By the age of ten, Miledi had become the perfect Reisen daughter. She was taciturn, expressionless, and emotionless.
One day her father, Colt, summoned her to his office.
“Father, it’s Miledi.”
“Enter.” The same inorganic voice greeted her after she knocked on the door. But she didn’t seem to mind, and entered the room.
“This is the next person to be condemned.”
“Understood.” Miledi took the documents her father handed her.
Inwardly, she was a little confused. Though each criminal was given a chance to plead their defense or repent their sins, that was nothing more than a front the family put on to seem fair. In truth, all who passed through the estate’s gates were doomed to be executed, so why was her father bothering to give her the details of one of the condemned?
“Their punishment is death. The execution will proceed at the appointed time. But before it happens, I want you to ask them something.”
“What would that be?” Miledi looked down at the documents.
“The condemned is a heretic, but there is a strong possibility they weren’t working alone. There may be an organization that they belong to.”
“May?”
“It was the Holy Church who captured them. They tried to interrogate the heretic, but learned nothing. It was one of Ehit’s descendants who oversaw the interrogation, so there’s no reason to believe they were deceived by their interrogator. That’s why they are still unsure.”
“......” Miledi’s lips twitched at the mention of the word “interrogation.” She knew what the Holy Church conducted was no interrogation, but torture. She wondered what kind of state the criminal would come to her in. Colt had been in charge of this particular criminal, so Miledi hadn’t met him before. Chances were he’d be on death’s door already.
“How do you want me to phrase the question?” She didn’t ask why Colt wanted her to do it. An order from her father was absolute. Questioning it wasn’t allowed. She only needed to fulfill her duty as a Reisen.
“As if you were a child.”
Her father’s words were so surprising that Miledi almost laughed. She knew what the servants said about her. She was probably the most adult-like ten-year-old in existence.
All thanks to the Reisen upbringing. Though acting like a child would be... I suppose I do still look like one. There is certainly a possibility they may be more willing to open up to a child.
“I am not asking you to pull off a perfect act. Simply do what you can.”
“Yes, sir.” Miledi sharply bowed her head. Manners were also part of the Reisen upbringing.
As she left the room, she put the man she was to execute out of her mind and began thinking about how to act like a child.
That evening, Miledi stood before a man dressed in rags. He was flanked by two guards and standing on the execution platform that overlooked the gorge.
One push, and his fate would be sealed. Without magic, survival was nigh impossible. Even the man’s remains would be eaten by the monsters that lurked below. In practice, execution was simple.
The criminal was lying in a heap on the stand, not even twitching. He was already at death’s door. In fact, he was likely to die before Miledi got the chance to push him.
However, work was work. The rules were absolute. Whether the condemned was deceased or not, she would push him into the ravine.
“Davy Consman. You have been charged with heresy. Your crimes include denouncing Ehit’s doctrine and attacking a priest. You have rebelled against our lord, and thus will be executed.” Miledi spoke emotionlessly, reading from the document she’d been given.
There was no response. Normally, this was when they started hurling curses at Miledi.
She waited for a while, but when it was obvious he wasn’t going to say anything she signaled to the two guards.
“You two are dismissed. I’ll handle the rest.”
“Miledi-sama?”
“What’s this about?”
The two guards followed the script to the letter. Miledi curtly replied with “That’s an order,” and watched them shuffle away.
Then, after a moment of feigned hesitation, Miledi leaned closer to the man.
“Umm, can I ask you something?” Miledi did her best to sound like a child.
There still wasn’t much emotion in her voice, but it was a far cry from the inorganic way she’d read the charges.
Davy stirred. Miledi could see empty eyes staring at her from behind his dirty bangs.
“What?” To her surprise, he answered.
“Why did you attack that priest? You should have known what would happen if you did.”
What she really wanted to know was what organization he’d been a part of. However, she figured asking that right away would look suspicious, so she started with something more innocuous.
Davy stared at Miledi. His empty eyes began to glow with a fiery determination.
“How horrible.”
“Hm? You definitely did something horrible. But if you knew that, then why—”
“I can’t believe you’re like this already, at such a young age.”
“What?” Miledi’s surprise wasn’t feigned this time.
Davy smiled at Miledi. He struggled to his knees, coughing up blood.