Liberation
It had already been more than a month since the Hero was locked away in the deepest solitary cell beneath the Church.
Contrary to the Pope’s promise that she would eventually be released, time had continued to pass without the Hero ever leaving that cell, and whispers had begun to spread within the Church itself.
She had merely made a small mistake after falling for the second son of House Frigid’s honey trap. The Pope, terrified of the Imperial Family and the Grand Ducal House—or perhaps because she had received something from them—was tormenting the poor Hero by keeping her imprisoned for so long in that freezing underground cell.
Of course, these were only back-alley rumors. Anyone foolish enough to utter such words to the Pope’s face would have no idea what punishment awaited them. Though Tenesa rarely lost her temper and was generally gentle by nature, she was still the head of the Church; few ever dared to act rashly in her presence. Even the cardinals who stood directly beneath her rarely challenged her, so absolute was her authority.
As the only person in the Church who could communicate directly with Goddess Rabinus, most simply assumed that confining the Hero this way had received the Goddess’s blessing. Those who harbored grievances merely muttered among themselves in secret.
But as more time passed—and under the deliberate influence of one man who kept spreading ill words about the Pope—the whispers grew louder. The atmosphere within the Church shifted until more and more people began to question the Pope’s decision.
The one driving it all was Claude, one of the Saint Candidates.
“No matter how small a mistake the Hero may have made, this treatment is far too harsh!”
Tonight, as on so many nights before, he had secretly gathered those who shared his views and was making his appeal.
“To lock that poor Hero—who came to this strange world burdened with such a heavy mission—in a freezing cell for so long is truly cruel!”
“He’s right!”
“Ah… the Hero is so pitiful…”
More people had attended the gathering than he expected. As a Saint Candidate and one of the most beautiful men in the Church—known for his righteous, upright character that could not tolerate injustice—Claude had no shortage of admirers of both sexes. Though the Church had designated several Saint Candidates, many already believed he would be the one chosen. That belief only made them more willing to be swayed by his words and to help foster the idea that the Hero was suffering an unjust fate.
“Even though the Hero has already spent more than a month in that freezing cell… it seems, so sadly, that Her Holiness has no intention of releasing her…”
He wiped a tear that had gathered at the corner of his eye as he spoke. Many looked on with pity. One woman raised her hand.
“Is Her Holiness truly doing this because she fears the Imperial Family and the Grand Ducal House? Or could it be that she…?”
“Enough. Say no more, Sister. It is dangerous.”
Claude cut her off, already knowing what she was about to say. She had clearly been about to claim that the Pope had submitted to the Imperial Family and the Grand Duke—or that she had accepted something from them. Even though this was a gathering of like-minded people, openly crossing that line about their own leader remained extremely dangerous.
“Ah… Saint…”
Understanding his intent, the woman called him Saint rather than Candidate, clearly moved. What she did not know was that the very reason she had begun to think so poorly of the Pope was entirely by Claude’s design. She was not alone. The people gathered here, and many more throughout the Church, already harbored deep doubts and resentment over the Pope’s refusal to free the Hero and the harsh treatment she continued to inflict.
Seizing the momentum, Claude stirred them further by bringing up the greatest topic currently sweeping the Empire.
“And yet the very man who put the Hero in this state—Edward Frigid—is scheduled to hold his wedding with the Imperial Princess tomorrow!!”
Barely a month had passed since the Imperial Debutante was held at the Frigid Grand Ducal Castle, and already the news that the second son of House Frigid would skip the betrothal entirely and marry the Imperial Princess had the entire Empire in an uproar.
“Exactly! Did the Frigids just toy with the Hero?!”
“The Hero is so pitiful!”
“That Edward Frigid is despicable!!”
From the Church’s perspective, the outrage was inevitable. Because of that man’s beauty, the Hero was suffering in a freezing underground cell while he prepared to marry another woman.
Satisfied by their furious reaction, Claude made his proposal.
“Everyone, let us go to the cell where the Hero is being held and demand her liberation!”
On any ordinary night, almost no one would have accepted such a suggestion—either because it was far too late, or because it was the Pope’s decision. But Claude had spent a long time carefully shaping the mood within the Church, and right now the people were angry.
“He’s right! Let’s go at once, Saint!”
“We must tell Her Holiness what we brothers and sisters think!”
“Hurry, to the Hero!”
Inciting them had been almost effortless.
Hero… I will save you!
Claude led nearly a hundred people from the gathering down toward the underground where the Hero was imprisoned.
“Just what do you think you are doing at this late hour, Saint Candidate Claude?”
Yuria spoke in a voice as cold as ice to the man standing before her. She could already guess what purpose had brought him here.
“I have come to petition Her Holiness!”
He surely knew that Tenesa never visited these deep underground levels at such an hour. Leading a crowd of people into a place no ordinary person was allowed to enter and claiming he sought the Pope made his true intent obvious.
“That’s right! Your Holiness! Please free the Hero!”
“The poor Hero!”
He had stirred them up so he could use their numbers to drive her away from the cell door she guarded.
Over the past month Claude had come several times, claiming he wished to speak with the Hero. Naturally Tenesa had never approved it, so Yuria had refused him every time. At first he said he was merely worried and only wanted a brief conversation. Later he had tried to seduce her in an attempt to create an opening. She had rejected him coldly, of course. When he tried to use his looks, she had nearly drawn the mace at her hip and swung it. For a man—especially one called a Saint Candidate—to attempt to seduce a high-ranking cardinal of the Church with his beauty was enough to fill her with pure rage. She had thought him garbage, yet because he was an officially designated Saint Candidate with a good reputation inside the Church, she had restrained herself.
And still he had not given up. Judging that coming alone would be dangerous, he had dragged this entire crowd with him.
If she had known he would become this much of a nuisance, she almost regretted never mentioning his earlier visits to Tenesa on the rare occasions the Pope came down. She had simply not wanted to trouble her. No matter what Claude tried, no matter what rabble he brought, Yuria had been certain she could guard this door without difficulty.
This was a task entrusted to her by the woman she called Mother—even if she had never been formally adopted or entered into the family register. Lately the Hero had created some distance between them, and Yuria had felt a little hurt that Tenesa treated the Hero like a daughter just as she did her. All the more reason, then, to prove that the only person Tenesa could truly trust was her.
Yuria had absolutely no intention of opening this cell door without Tenesa’s permission. Even if the Emperor himself came, she was prepared to die defending it.
“If you continue to cause a disturbance at this late hour without Her Holiness’s leave, I will exercise my independent authority as Cardinal and discipline you.”
Judging that words alone would not resolve this, Yuria drew the mace from her hip. The people behind Claude flinched and stepped back. As an Inquisitor who had risen to the rank of Cardinal at a young age, Yuria had not hesitated to commit brutal acts with that very mace on her way up. Many of those Claude had brought knew it, and fear forced them to retreat.
Even so, Claude—who had brought so many people and now faced both her complete lack of panic and the threat of force—did not lose his composure.
“Isabella! Paisley! Help me as we agreed!”
He had an ace up his sleeve.
“Poor Claude… being threatened by Cardinal Yuria like this…”
“Yuria… no matter how high your rank, Claude is a Saint Candidate and a delicate man.”
Two middle-aged women in armor stepped up on either side of him. Cardinal Isabella and Cardinal Paisley—people who held the same rank as Yuria within the Church. Because Claude could not overcome Yuria through position or force alone, he had recruited them. These were not women who merely thought well of him; they had harbored genuine feelings, and he had seduced them into his service. One cardinal might have been manageable, but two of them would be difficult even for someone as capable as Yuria, who had reached her rank so young.
Yuria saw through his intent immediately, yet she remained completely unfazed and spoke to the cardinals with calm authority.
“I am guarding this place under Her Holiness’s orders. This is none of your concern.”
She was carrying out the Pope’s command; there was nothing for her to feel guilty about. No matter how many cardinals arrived, what could they do against the Pope’s will?
Yet—
“In any case, Lady Tenesa is away preparing to officiate tomorrow’s wedding.”
“We came partly at Claude’s request… but we also oppose keeping the Hero imprisoned for so long.”
Their attitude was nothing like what Yuria had expected.
“Don’t tell me the two of you intend to defy Her Holiness’s will?!”
Sensing that something had gone badly wrong, Yuria readied herself. The two cardinals answered with leisurely smiles.
“Even if she is the Pope, when she has made the wrong choice, there are times one must act boldly. Of course, Claude’s request is the greatest reason… hoho…”
“I believe Lady Tenesa will understand. And of course I, too, came here to grant Claude’s request.”
As if competing for Claude’s favor, they drew their weapons to subdue Yuria.
“Cardinals, of all people, falling for a man and doing something like this! And Claude! Do you truly believe a Saint Candidate can commit such acts and still be forgiven?!”
Shaaaaaaaa!!!
Yuria wrapped her body in Aura and shouted at them in fury, but—
“On the contrary, it is your attitude—helping to keep the Hero locked away—that is unforgivable!”
Claude shouted back with complete confidence.
“Isabella! Paisley! Please!”
He begged the cardinals to restrain Yuria. The two women likewise cloaked themselves in Aura and settled into fighting stances, then immediately began cooing at him.
“Yes, Claude. Once this is over, you’ll give us the reward you promised, won’t you?”
“Lady Isabella, how greedy! Don’t forget about me either, Claude!”
“You bitches!!”
Enraged by the sight, Yuria charged straight into the cardinals.
“Both of you have worked hard!”
“Hehe… anything for you, Claude.”
“The same goes for me, Claude!”
Claude offered his thanks to the two cardinals. Together they had succeeded in subduing Cardinal Yuria, something he could never have managed alone. Her skill had been formidable and her resistance fierce; for a moment he had worried even two cardinals might not be enough. But the people he had brought with him had joined the fray, and at last they had managed to restrain her.
“What did you do with Yuria?”
“Sweet Claude… don’t worry. We had the others lock her away somewhere else.”
“She is someone Lady Tenesa cherishes, and she is a fellow cardinal. We couldn’t simply kill her, so we confined her.”
“I see… I hope she stays locked up long enough to feel, even for a little while, what the Hero has been feeling.”
As he answered the cardinals, Claude thought to himself:
Stupid bitch.
She had a beautiful face and seemed capable enough that he had planned to bring her along when he eventually set out with the Hero to slay the Demon King. Yet she had always spoken and acted as if she looked down on him, and this time she had even refused his request to arrange a meeting with the Hero. He had swallowed his pride as a man, appealing to her with his beauty, and she had responded by threatening him with a blunt weapon. So he had been forced to seduce these two older, foolish women who had always looked at him fondly, and use them to subdue her. The thought of having to keep company with those aging idiots later was deeply unpleasant, but he had achieved his primary goal, so it was fine.
All that remained was to open the door in front of him and meet the Hero.
“Hero, can you hear me?!”
“…”
No answering voice came from inside the room. Even though the battle with Yuria outside had been noisy, not a sound emerged. Claude assumed she had cried herself into a deep sleep. Raising his voice, he flung the door open.
“I have come to save you!”
Creeeeak…
“The door… opened?”
As the door swung wide, he saw the Hero curled up on the freezing floor of the solitary cell. The moment the door opened she looked straight at him and spoke; she had clearly not been asleep.
How much must she have suffered? How much must she have grieved?
She was truly beautiful. Enduring the waves of revulsion while seducing those two old cardinals had been worth it.
“Yes! I have come to rescue you, Hero.”
Claude spoke to her in a gentle voice.
“I can leave…?”
She asked after hearing his words.
“Yes! Please come out at once, Hero!”
Claude beamed and spread his arms wide, inviting her to step forward.
“…”
She regarded him in silence for a moment, then—
Thud. Thud.
—walked out of the cell, past the doorway.
Everyone who saw the Hero emerge looked at her with pity for all she had endured. Claude introduced himself.
“Hero, I am Claude, a Saint Candidate!”
The moment he had heard she was summoned, he had wanted to meet her and greet her properly, but the Pope had blocked him. Now, at last—no, better still, in this moment of crisis when he was the one saving her—he could introduce himself. Claude’s chest swelled with emotion.
Yet—
“…”
Even after his introduction, the Hero remained silent.
“You can rest easy now!”
Claude decided her silence came from confusion—she believed she was being punished for her own mistakes and was unsure whether she was allowed to leave without the Pope’s permission. So he told her that her imprisonment had never been her fault.
“You simply fell for Edward Frigid’s wicked schemes!”
It was all Edward Frigid’s fault. The Hero had done nothing wrong!
At that, the Hero’s tightly sealed lips finally opened.
“Edward…?”
When she reacted to Edward’s name, Claude eagerly shared the latest news.
“Yes! That cunning Edward is supposed to marry the Imperial Princess tomorrow, isn’t he?!”
“W-what…?”
Wanting to reassure her further, he continued,
“That’s right! From now on you can simply forget him! And from this day forward, you and I—”
Forget him and stay with me instead. As he spoke those words, he reached out without permission to place a hand on her shoulder.
“Guh—!!”
Slash!
Splaaaaash!!!
In a single instant, the Hero severed his neck with her bare hand.
No Aura. Not a single drop of mana drawn. Just the edge of her hand.
“Claude!!”
“Claude!!”
“Kyaaaaaaa!!”
The sight of blood fountaining from the neck of Claude’s headless body sent every person present—including the two cardinals—into pure horror. The Hero, Lee Hye-yeong, paid them no attention at all.
Whoooooosh!!
No longer restricted from using mana inside the cell, she drew power into her body.
“Hero, what in the world are you doing?!”
“Ah… Claude!!”
The people fell into panic, unable to grasp the situation, and demanded an explanation from Lee Hye-yeong. But the Hero only murmured one name over and over.
“Hyeonwoo… Hyeonwoo…”
“Uwaaaaagh!!!!”
“Hero, why?! Guh—!!”
“Avenge Claude!! Kyaaaak!!”
Slash! Slash!
She began slaughtering everyone in front of her.
“Hyeonwoo… marrying some other bitch…”
Including the two cardinals of the Church, every person who had gathered near the cell was dead by her hand in moments. Standing alone amid the mountain of corpses, she spoke with an expression of pure incomprehension.
“That’s a lie, right?”
He was supposed to hold a wedding with the Imperial Princess… Then the direction she needed to go was toward the Imperial Palace. The distance was a bit far to walk, but this was a woman who had crossed into another world just to find him.
“Wait for me. I’ll come save you…”
She had no intention of ever letting him go.