That afternoon was a sad day for many of the villagers. After the revelation that most of their family members that they thought to be alive were revealed to be dead and the ones they had spent their time with for quite some time were impostors and were the ones who caused their deaths.
The soldiers carried the dead bodies of the villagers who were used as the base to copy their faces. Since they were rotting and their bodies were releasing a foul stench, I suggested freezing their dead bodies so that they could be transported and they can be buried properly without their bodies decaying on the spot.
Ragga and Mimiko thanked me for the help and asked me to be the one who would sound the bell that they would ring once the corpses were buried so that their souls and bodies separate and they would be able to go to the afterlife. It's a way for them to send their dead to their final destination.
Although I initially declined as I am not part of their culture, Mimiko insisted as she felt that if not for me and my party, they wouldn't even know the true fates of their people in the first place. My party and I gained the right to send the dead to the afterlife just like that and so I accepted.
And so, right now, we are gathered with the remaining people. In front of us are the coffins that I made for everyone and although it was made in a hurry and in materials available, they already appreciate that their families are inside a coffin. As for the people that we can't carry due to how rotten their bodies have become and the transport was impossible, the only way we can do is to gather their ashes and put them in a pot that will serve as their coffin and will be buried along with the others.
Ragga stood in front of the dead and started to say something. As much as I try to understand what he is saying, it seems it's more of a prayer exclusive to them. Afterward, he stopped what he was saying and as the sun set and the darkness started to blanket the whole area, Ragga nodded to one of the soldiers and the latter moved and grabbed the bell that was just sitting nearby and put it on front.
Ragga then gave us a sign to ring the bell so I went to the front of the bell and shook the bell twice before I handed it to Riko. I also sent a silent prayer as well and after the bell rang a few times, the families of the deceased started crying. As for coffins, they are being carried and put inside the hole in the ground, specifically for all coffins and the pots containing the ashes of individual corpses.
With all of them placed in, the soldiers started to pour back the soil that was dug out and fill the holes back in which made the families start crying harder. Riko and the others are sad but for me, I felt indifferent. I don't know why but perhaps, I have grown desensitized to this kind of event. Perhaps. After all, I have attended the funerals of different important people in my life back in the past timeline. It was like all of my tears had dried up and is no longer something I can use to express my grief again.
After burying the dead, Ragga went ahead and proceeded to the next event which was the punishment of the demons. They received a lot of wounds from the "asking" method that the girls did to them and although the girls were satisfied after doing their job, Ragga and the villagers were not yet satisfied with the situation so, they were put into another situation that will allow the villagers to judge them for their actions.
"Lucia, is it alright that you are going to witness their suffering and death? Even if they are not your family, they are still part of the demons of your race..." I asked Lucia who still continued to hide in the Summon's Area.
"I am fine. And I have come to accept everything that the people I love and know are either dead or missing. These demons might be in the same race as I am but I am not going to say they are also family. For me, they have stained and soiled the name of the demon race by becoming evil.
I nodded at Lucia's response. Though I wondered how she knew that the people she loved had already died, did she finish the mountain of papers she had to read that were related to the situation in the primordial times? Perhaps she did, perhaps she didn't. But it doesn't really matter. The demons will have to face this judgment.
As the demons are being lined up while tied up on the metal poles, the villagers who saw them start to throw insults at them. Insults after insults are being thrown at them and yet I don't see anything wrong with what they said. After all, they have killed people for the sake of disguise and do more violence.
"Because of you all, my daughter is dead and I won't be able to see or hug her anymore!" one mother grabbed a stone on the ground and started throwing it at the demons.
The others saw this and followed suit, which then made most of the villagers throw rocks at them.
The demons are clearly irritated and seeing their looks, no one is even showing any remorse or feeling sorry at all. Everyone is just annoyed at the situation they are in. And perhaps since the demons are tougher than humans, the rocks that land on them are not that significant and barely do anything to them compared to humans being under this treatment.
Ragga saw all of these but he didn't stop them. He just watched them as the villagers proceeded to throw their frustrations at them.
"Are you fine with them throwing stones at them?" I asked.
"Yes. In fact, if were in their position, I would also do the same thing. The demons have crossed a border that shouldn't be crossed and their actions only facilitate they don't care in any way about what they did. They might have been living with their false families using the persona of their victims but even still, they are not even showing signs of repentance is clear that these demons are nothing but danger. However, I should be asking your companion demon girl instead. She can see through what was happening right? Shouldn't she be a bit angry at us doing this?"
"Nah, she even recommended us to get angry. She even wanted them dead instead of letting them live as she thinks they are no longer something that can be salvaged by mere talking and imprisonment. They needed to be put down."
Ragga was surprised but he didn't say anything and just watched as the chaos continued. It didn't take long for the people to stop what they were doing. They might have gained satisfaction in doing the attack, but the demons were not likely happy with the situation. In fact, they are more irritated than ever. If not for the cloth tied on their mouths to prevent them from speaking anything, they would be already cursing as well.
"So what is next?" I asked Ragga.
"Just like what your companion said, the demons cannot be let out, and even imprisonment, I doubt they can be held long enough. Perhaps it is best to execute them instead. There is no way I will keep the demons alive like this. I would rather they die instead and avenge all of the fallen villagers that I failed to protect."
"If that is the case, how about we assist you on this one?"
"Assist?" Ragga frowned.
...
...
...
As the villagers were too exhausted from throwing rocks, we slowly approached the demons. They are clearly not exhausted but because Riko and Rika did a splendid job at tying them up, they can't do anything but squirm. Still, I think it is time for them to end their journey give the justice hammer, and deliver their rightful punishments. I faced the villagers and started talking to them.
"Good evening ladies and gents. Today, I will be asking a question whether we let these demons remain and be imprisoned, or do they need to go and die? Whichever answers are fine but the majority will win and that is what we will do."
As soon as I said those, the people started to scream.
"KILL THEM!"
"KILL THEM ALL!"
Despite something that I should be fine with, I can't help but think about the times this happened in human history. Is this how people who were treated as heretics also faced their last moments as well?
I don't know, but since these people are not innocent of crimes and showed no signs of repentance, then perhaps a swift delivery from death and pain is all they ever needed.
I grabbed the gun in my holster and turned to look at the girls beside me.
"Hey girls, how about some target shooting practice? We have the perfect dummies we can use here," I said as I turned to look at the demons who had no idea what was gonna happen next. One thing they were sure of is that it's not going to be something great for them.
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