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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
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“I… I was wrong. Forgive me, Hero… I acted without understanding your will… committed such despicable deeds without knowing the noble purpose behind them…”
Amelda’s voice, hollow with despair, echoed in apology and regret for the Hero who was no longer there.
But at this point, speaking words of regret and apology to the dead was shameless and repulsive even to herself.
It held no meaning.
It could change nothing.
All that remained was the reality of having betrayed everyone’s expectations, succumbing to pleasures like a drug, and the hollow void of regret pushing her deeper into despair.
Thus, as Amelda was caught in too-late remorse, she shed tears of genuine repentance, tainted with shame.
– Creeeak…
“!…”
The door began to open.
Amelda assumed her torturers had returned and instinctively shrank back.
Her chest was marred with countless burn scars.
Her back was covered in lash marks.
Her knees were shredded, pressed down on broken glass and crushed under heavy stones, leaving them in tatters.
The joints of her left hand were twisted and broken, no longer able to function like a normal hand.
On top of that, a few of her teeth had been yanked out raw.
While they hadn’t yet defiled her body, Amelda knew it was only a matter of time.
‘Perhaps… today will be the day. Well… does it even matter at this point? Maybe it would hurt less that way… After all, someone like me, trash that I am, deserves no better than to be tossed aside like a street harlot. I have no right to feel shame anymore…’
She let herself sink into the bleak future awaiting her.
But then—
“…Huh?”
Though barely visible, the hand—wearing what looked like gloves worn by witches—threw something in front of Amelda, then left without closing the door, disappearing as swiftly as it had appeared.
Lying on the floor before her was a small metal object.
As soon as Amelda realized what it was, her eyes widened in surprise.
‘This… this is… a key?’
The key appeared to match the magical restraints binding her.
With a glimmer of hope, Amelda used the key.
– Click!
“!”
Her cuffs came loose easily.
Though she wasn’t certain what was happening, she realized she had a choice to make.
Immediately, she cast a healing spell to repair her broken body enough to stand. Although doubt surfaced in her mind, she pushed through it.
‘Could this be another trap? A ruse to make me escape, only to capture me again?’
But Amelda shook her head, swiftly making a decision.
‘No, even if it’s a trap, I have to try. My life is already forfeit… but I must struggle to survive. And if I escape, I will carry on the Hero’s noble will…’
With determination to seize what might be her last chance and a sense of duty to honor his name, Amelda carefully left her cell.
She emerged outside sneaking past unconscious guards.
Fortuitously, night had fallen, allowing her to hide in the shadows. She moved cautiously, her elven agility aiding her escape.
Although she encountered several close calls, each time she narrowly evaded detection by calling upon the Hero’s name, stabilizing her nerve and escaping each perilous moment.
Although she faced numerous dangerous situations along the way, there were several close calls where she almost got caught.
However, each time, Amelda called out the name of that person in her heart – the Hero, the apostle of justice who inherited the will of the divine. This helped her calm her anxious feelings and narrowly overcome the crisis.
Eventually, after several tense encounters, she made it out of the fortress.
‘I did it! I… I succeeded! Thank you, Hero… thank you!’
Escaping from what had been her living hell, Amelda expressed her gratitude to the hero, her unwavering pillar of strength, and disappeared into the forest to erase all traces of herself.
About a week later, Amelda, having emerged from prison in rags,
now donned the robes of a holy knight.
Standing before a multitude that included the archbishops of the Elf Church, high-ranking holy knights, and the Pope,
she began to recount every detail of her harrowing experience without holding back.
Naturally, she also included the twisted “truth” that her distorted reasoning had created.
“So… we failed. In the end, we abandoned the noble and sacred will of the Hero, which was to defeat the Demon King using all our thoughts, abilities, and intentions until the very last moment. As a result, our party forsook the perfect opportunity that the gods granted through the Hero—a chance to end this long war.”
“Such a thing…”
“I knew something was amiss, but to think there was such a truth…”
“In the end, it was the Empire’s greed that ruined everything…”
The high-ranking officials of the Elf Church were greatly disturbed by Amelda’s words, each one starting to murmur in shock and anger.
However, in the next moment, Amelda continued speaking to them in a firm voice.
“However, this is not solely humanity’s sin. I, too, became a sinner, blinded by momentary desires, misinterpreting the Hero’s will. When the time comes, I will face my judgment, and I entrust you, the people of the Church, with that task. But before that, I earnestly ask one thing of you.”
Drawing everyone’s gaze, she extended her arms with a voice brimming with conviction.
“Honor the Hero who gave his life for peace. Deliver righteous retribution to the Falcon Empire, which has defiled his legacy for their own gain. In the name of our savior, Elron the Hero!”
Her declaration, condemning the Emperor of the Empire that sought to undermine the Church, resounded through the hall.
Moved by her fervent plea, the assembly erupted in applause and shouts of defiance.
Until moments ago, they had been filled with fear and doubt due to the “divergence from the divine oracle.” But now, in the face of “justice,” they were emboldened, raising the Hero’s name—a symbol of hope and righteousness—and gathering renewed resolve.
Watching them, Amelda thought of the Hero, whose forgiveness she had begged for in that abyss.
‘Please, Hero… bear witness. I will restore your noble honor. And… when all is over, may you accept my apology… in the afterlife.’
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With Amelda’s heartfelt speech of repentance came the explosive revelation of the “truth.”
Based on this, the Elf Church officially issued a statement regarding the defeat of the Hero party.
The main thrust of the statement was that the situation was not due to a flawed prophecy but was entirely the fault of the party members who had not only failed to assist the Hero but had also hindered him.
The statement requested the execution of Aileen, the former warrior of the Hero party and the Empire’s vice-minister, as well as Torare, the petty thief from the Empire who had instigated her.
Additionally, it sought to hold the Emperor accountable for attempting to conceal this truth and use it as a political tool.
Although it would have been appropriate to criticize the other two involved, the Elf Church opted to focus on the primary adversary to avoid a deadlock in their position.
Typically, they would have been in a vulnerable position, showing a fatal weakness with the failure of the prophecy.
However, bolstered by Amelda’s testimony, the Elf Church launched a major counter-offensive.
In response, the Falcon Empire not only refused to apologize but adopted a more aggressive stance, intensifying their criticism of the Elf Church and the Pope.
They claimed that the Elf Church’s assertion was merely the ravings of a false prophet trying to hide their own sins and an insult to the warriors of the Hero party who had fought for peace on the continent, as well as to Torare, who had risked his life to save them.
From the Empire’s perspective, while Aileen might bear some blame, they had no real concern for Torare’s life.
However, since they were the ones who had instigated the conflict, they had no intention of backing down.
Meanwhile, the Magic Kingdom and the Beast Nation maintained a neutral stance, choosing to observe the situation.
However, this neutrality could not prevent significant rifts within the Alliance aimed at the downfall of the Demon King.
Thus, the turmoil that erupted at the border between the Empire and the Church began to show signs of escalating into an outright confrontation.
Yet, contrary to everyone’s expectations, this unrest did not immediately lead to full-scale war.
Instead, a shocking report hit the leaders of both nations like a blow to the back of the head: a devastating loss at Rob, the main supply base of the Allied Races, followed by a massive counterattack launched by the Demon King’s army.
News of the emergence of the black-armored ‘Demon King’ sent ripples of panic through both nations.
Bruh this author is dragging things along >.<