The heavy, rune-etched greatsword stopped exactly one inch from Ethan's neck.
The wind caught Lysandra Vance's silver hair, whipping it across her face. Her icy blue eyes, previously blazing with the absolute certainty of a righteous executioner, suddenly fractured with profound, paralyzing confusion.
The deafening roar of the crowd died out in a wave. Thousands of peasants and nobles leaned forward in the stands, straining their necks, wondering why the Sword Maiden had paused mid-swing.
Ethan didn't move. He kept his eyes locked onto hers, maintaining that soft, melancholic smile.
Internally, however, he was screaming so loud his soul was vibrating.
Please work please work please work PLEASE WORK!
[DING!]
A flurry of translucent blue screens suddenly exploded in the corner of his vision.
[Target: Lysandra Vance is experiencing severe cognitive dissonance!]
[Target's Murderous Intent is fluctuating with: Suspicion, Confusion, and Doubt!]
[Unique Skill: Peerless Scapegoat activated! The Target's intense emotional conflict regarding your death is generating massive friction!]
[Generating 15 EXP per second...]
[Generating 20 EXP per second...]
Yes! Ethan thought, mentally doing backflips. God bless the 'Misunderstood Villain' trope!
He could feel his '95 Charm' stat working overtime. He knew, objectively, what he must look like right now. With the wind blowing through his dark hair, his striking crimson eyes staring fearlessly into the face of death, and that tragic little smile—he didn't look like a corrupt, lecherous scumbag.
He looked like a martyr.
Lysandra's grip on the hilt of her sword tightened until her knuckles turned bone-white. The runes on the blade hissed, inches from Ethan's collarbone.
"What trick is this, Nox?" Lysandra hissed, her voice trembling slightly. "Glad it's me? You framed my father for treason. You bankrupted my clan. You left my brother to die in the Frost Marches! Do not mock me in your final moments!"
'Okay, Ethan, think,' he frantically commanded himself. 'She's a righteous knight archetype. If I deny it, I'm a liar. If I admit it, I'm dead. I have to completely recontextualize the crime!'
Ethan let out a slow, raspy exhale.
He lowered his gaze to the cobblestones, as if the weight of the world rested entirely on his shoulders.
"Your brother..." Ethan whispered, making sure his voice was just loud enough for her to hear. "Yes. I wear that sin. I framed your father. I took your wealth." He looked back up, his crimson eyes perfectly reflecting the sunlight. "But tell me, Lysandra... if the Nox family hadn't 'ruined' you, who do you think the Crown would have come for next?"
Lysandra flinched. The blade lowered by another half-inch. "What are you talking about?"
"A military clan with too much power, too much honor, and a direct bloodline to the old kings," Ethan said softly, delivering the grade-A, premium-quality webnovel gaslighting. "You think the Emperor was just going to let your family exist? I played the villain, Lysandra. I took your wealth to hide it from the treasury. I sent your brother to the Frost Marches so he wouldn't be assassinated in the capital."
Ethan leaned forward, the sharp edge of her blade actually grazing his neck. A single drop of blood rolled down his collarbone.
"I gladly played the monster," Ethan whispered, perfectly hitting a tone of tragic devotion, "just so you could live long enough to swing that sword at me."
[CRITICAL HIT!]
[Target: Lysandra Vance's worldview is cracking!]
[Target is experiencing extreme emotional whiplash!]
[Murderous Intent is now violently clashing with Guilt!]
[EXP generation increased to 40 per second!]
[DING! You have leveled up! Level 2!]
[DING! You have leveled up! Level 3!]
Lysandra took a physical step back.
Her breath hitched.
The absolute conviction that had fueled her for the last three years was suddenly violently undermined.
'Was it true?' she thought, her icy eyes scanning his face. 'He doesn't look like he's lying. He looks... relieved. He's pressing his own neck against my sword! What kind of coward does that?!'
"Lies," Lysandra choked out, though the venom was entirely gone from her voice. "You're a snake. You're lying to save your own skin!"
"Then swing the sword, Lysandra," Ethan challenged softly.
He didn't want her to swing the sword.
He very much wanted to keep his head attached to his neck. But he knew that hesitation was the enemy of the executioner.
Up in the VIP balcony overlooking the courtyard, someone had finally had enough.
"Lysandra! What are you waiting for?!" a sharp, authoritative female voice echoed over the silent crowd. "Take the bastard's head! If you do not have the stomach for it, I will burn him to ashes myself!"
Ethan glanced up.
Standing on the balcony was a stunning woman in flowing crimson robes, a staff of swirling fire gripped in her hand.
Oh great. Fated Harem Member #2. The angry mage.
Lysandra gritted her teeth. She raised the sword high into the air once more. The crowd erupted into cheers, sensing the climax.
Dammit, Ethan panicked. The gaslighting isn't enough! I need a physical distraction!
Suddenly, his crippled, poisoned body gave him the exact out he needed. The Black Lotus poison lurking in his veins flared up in a surge of agonizing pain.
Ethan didn't have to fake it. He doubled over, violently coughing.
Hack! Cough!
He collapsed against the wooden execution block, violently spitting up a mouthful of pitch-black, sludgy blood. It splattered across the pale wood and onto Lysandra's silver boots.
The crowd gasped.
Lysandra froze, her sword still raised. She stared at the black, bubbling blood. As a top-tier warrior, she recognized it instantly.
"Black Lotus..." Lysandra whispered, her eyes widening in horror. She looked down at Ethan, who was currently gasping for air, his skin pale and slick with cold sweat. "You... you've been poisoned? A lethal dose. You're already dying."
Ethan wiped the black blood from his chin with the back of his trembling hand. He gave her one last, heroic smile.
"A parting gift from the true culprits," Ethan rasped, his voice legitimately weak. "My time is up anyway. Don't let them have the satisfaction, Lysandra. Do it. Free yourself."
Reverse psychology. The ultimate weapon of the cornered transmigrator.
Lysandra stared at him. She stared at the black blood.
She looked at his 95-Charm, tragically handsome face, realizing that the man she had hated for years was currently dying a painful, agonizing death, and yet his only concern was her freedom.
"RAAAAGH!"
Lysandra roared, swinging the massive, rune-etched greatsword down with the force of a falling meteor.
Ethan squeezed his eyes shut. Well. It was a nice try.
KRA-KOOM!
Wood exploded like shrapnel. Dust and splinters rained down on Ethan's head.
He slowly opened his eyes.
The massive greatsword was embedded hilt-deep into the cobblestones, exactly two inches to the left of Ethan's ear. The execution block had been completely obliterated.
The entire courtyard descended into a stunned, pin-drop silence.
Up on the balcony, the woman in the crimson robes dropped her fiery staff in pure shock.
Lysandra stood over Ethan, her chest heaving, her eyes wild with a storm of conflicted emotions.
She reached down, grabbing Ethan by his collar, and hoisted his weak body up so they were eye-to-eye.
"No," Lysandra snarled, though her voice betrayed a hint of desperate panic. "If you die today, Ethan Nox, I don't get the truth. I will not be a pawn in whatever grand, twisted game you are playing!"
She turned to the royal guards who were staring at her in slack-jawed disbelief.
"The execution is postponed!" Lysandra bellowed, her voice commanding absolute authority. "The prisoner has been poisoned with Black Lotus! Throw him in the deepest cell of the Royal Dungeon and send for the Grand Cleric! If he dies before I interrogate him, I will take all of your heads!"
The guards scrambled, instantly moving to comply with the Sword Maiden.
Ethan was roughly pulled to his feet, his vision swimming from the poison, but his mind was soaring.
[DING!]
[MAIN QUEST COMPLETE: Survive the Guillotine!]
[Rewards Processing...]
[Full Poison Cleanse Initiated...]
[Mana Pathways Unlocking...]
[+1,000 System Points Awarded!]
As the guards dragged him away toward the dark descent of the dungeons, Ethan caught sight of his tiny chibi Soul Guide.
She was floating near the shattered execution block, furiously taking notes on a tiny glowing clipboard with an expression of absolute awe.
Ethan let his head slump forward, hiding the massive, arrogant grin spreading across his face.
Step one complete, he thought as the poison miraculously began to burn away from his veins.
I lived.
Now... how do I gaslight the other four?