*(Leo Thoth )*
The nobles always say this crap:
"To be chosen as a sacrifice for the Empire is the greatest honor a citizen could ever hope for."
Yeah. Right. Total bullshit.
Tell me—
how would *you* feel if you were sacrificed for a nation you don't even know, just so it could stay safe behind its shiny little barrier?
Every decade, five poor souls from another world are dragged into this empire, praised as "Heroes"… and then slaughtered like livestock.
Today is the day I finally see it with my own eyes—
the so-called **Sacrificial Summoning.**
*(I glare up at the castle, my stomach twisting with disgust.)*
---
"Oi, Leo!!"
Fredrick bursts past me at full speed, waving his arms and grinning like an idiot. "C'mon, hurry up! You don't wanna miss the glorious spectacle at the castle, do you? Ha! Hahaha!"
I sigh and mutter under my breath—"Glorious, huh?"—before trudging after him.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming."
---
By the time we hit the main street, it looks like a damn festival.
Everywhere I look—banners, food stalls, drunks already singing songs. The air reeks of roasted meat and spilled beer. The same crimson banner hangs from every wall, each one painted with the same words:
**Day of Sacrifice.**
The crowd swells thicker the closer we get. By the time we reach the castle's golden gates, I can barely take a step without someone pressing against me from every direction. The noise is deafening. From the way the whole empire has gathered here, you'd think the king himself was gonna hand out free gold.
Fredrick laughs beside me, practically glowing in excitement. Meanwhile, I stand among the roaring crowd, my jaw tight, my fists clenched.
Just what the hell is so "special" about this?
"**Greetings, my fellow citizens!!**"
Out of nowhere, a voice echoed across the entire city. A massive projection hovered in the air above us, showing the face of the king— **His Majesty, King Harry Greystone the 1st.**
"With this ceremony," the king declared in a booming voice, "our glorious empire shall remain safe yet again for another decade. Now, without wasting time… commence the summoning!"
Around the great circle in the central plaza, a group of robed magi chanted an abnormal incantation. The air trembled, and the ground beneath my feet rumbled. A blinding golden light shot down from the heavens and engulfed the circle.
When the glow faded, I saw them— **five strangers**, each dressed in clothes I could not recognize. But what caught my eyes the most… was *her*.
Among them stood a girl with hair as pure white as fallen snow, and eyes a deep, endless blue—like the faraway ocean. For a moment, I whispered in awe:
> "A… goddess?"
But then I remembered the truth. She did not arrive here as a savior. Such beauty… only to become a **sacrifice**.
King Harry's face twisted into a sinister grin.
"Let the sacrifice… begin."
The guards seized the five, dragging them toward the white stone altars etched with ancient runes of death and protection. One by one, the axe fell— severing heads as if it were nothing more than routine.
I could not breathe. I could not scream. I could only watch as people around me cheered. Some even smiled, as though sacrifice was something worthy of celebration. Even my friends… smiling.
And then came her turn.
The snow-haired girl.
Bound before the altar, as the executioner lifted his axe high above her delicate neck, something inside me screamed—**Move! Help her! Save her!** But my body only trembled uselessly.
Then, cutting through the silence, she suddenly shouted in *our* language—clear, furious words that no one expected from her lips:
> "Screw you bastards! I'm not dying for your shitty kingdom!!"
And in the next instant— **her body vanished.**
The entire plaza erupted in chaos.
"W-what!? Find the girl!!" King Harry's voice growled with fury. "No matter what it takes, find my sacrifice!"
Panic spread through the citizens. "Is the barrier safe? What about the empire?!"
Yes… the barrier.
I remembered the ancient lore—our nation had been protected for millennia by a great shield. Recast once every ten years. Powered by the lives of five people… summoned from other worlds.
They called them "Heroes," but all they truly were… were **offerings**. Four had been slaughtered, and one had escaped. And that one was—
her. **The girl with snow-white hair.**
That night, beneath the three-colored moons, I walked the empty streets. The sky darkened, and something fell —something glowing.
At first, I thought it was a star. But then I realized… it was her.
"Wait—!"
I sprinted, catching her in my arms before she crashed into the ground. Her body was limp, blood staining her back. She was alive… but barely.
Shouts and torchlight flared in the distance—**the king's guards.**
Without thinking, I ran. My legs moved on their own, clutching her tight against my chest.
*Why am I doing this?* I thought. *If I turn her in, I'll be rewarded. The king will praise me. The nation will remain safe…*
And yet, when I looked at that unconscious girl's face, pale yet beautiful under the moonlight, I felt only one thing—
*I cannot let her die.*
I ran until my lungs burned. I stumbled with her into the back alley of my home, barred the door behind me, and slumped down against the wall, gasping for air.
Then—her eyes opened.
Still weak, still bleeding…
But filled with fire.
She glared at me and screamed:
> "Who the hell are you?!"