Chapter 88: As God Leads (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 88: As God Leads (7)
“Recover the body.”
Arasen’s corpse was placed into a coffin following the old man’s instructions.
Only after a death had occurred did silence and order finally descend upon the square.
The crowds parted of their own accord, and the soldiers moved with disciplined precision.
All I could do was reach down and close Arasen’s eyelids, which had rolled back to reveal only the whites of her eyes.
She had died instantly.
A poor woman who had wailed that she only wanted to be loved.
Arasen, who had dedicated her life to one man and given him everything, only to never receive even a handful of love in return, had perished. The fall had shattered the back of her head, and she died as her brains spilled onto the pavement.
Priests and doctors arrived, but they all shook their heads and simply began chanting prayers for the dead.
A bitter taste lingered in my mouth.
“The rain and the distance made it hard to cast magic… I’m sorry…”
Narupa apologized gloomily, but it wasn’t her fault.
Diane also agonized over her failure, saying she had tried to use the space-time power she had recently acquired but failed.
There were too many constraints; I told them both it wasn’t their fault.
Since the square had been packed with people, I suppose I should consider it a stroke of luck that no one else was at the impact site…
Discussing “strokes of luck” when someone has died—I suppose I’m not exactly normal either.
Cruelly enough, the rain that had hindered Narupa’s magic stopped the moment Arasen died, and the sun began to peek through the clouds.
“I, Airune Dakuren, the legitimate heir of Hus, command you!”
Rune, who had watched Arasen’s fall as helplessly as I had, finally pulled out the Dakuren family crest and announced her presence.
Both the old man and I were surprised, but just as I had revealed my own identity, I suppose a moment had come where she had no other choice.
“Apprehend that murderer! Subdue the three men he associated with as well and throw them in prison!”
The moment she saw Fran being brought down the magitech elevator by soldiers, Rune’s fury exploded.
With this, the whereabouts of the heir to the Great Lord of Hus and the war veteran Alto Bertrand would be known to the world, but I suppose staying hidden at the scene of such a major incident would have been immoral.
“Airune Dakuren…!”
“My god, it’s the direct bloodline of Hus!”
“So she’s been traveling as an adventurer all this time. Wait, those Four Handsome Heavenly Kings bastards were hitting on Rene like crazy, weren’t they?”
“They’re insane. I knew they were trouble from the moment they started acting out.”
“Yeah, no wonder Lord Alto and Rene were always together. A war veteran and the heir to the Great Lord—it’s a natural pairing.”
Airune Dakuren’s appearance would surely spark new rumors, but our immediate priority was cleaning up this mess.
“Disperse! Everyone, disperse! Count Dakuus, clear the area!”
“I shall obey your command.”
While the old man and the soldiers struggled to scatter the crowd, sunlight spilled over the square.
That sunlight began to dry the clotted pool of blood—the last trace of Arasen.
And so, we lost a carriage driver friend who, despite her cheerful exterior, had carried a deep sorrow in a corner of her heart.
* * *
“We want justice!”
“We want love!”
“We are not ATMs!”
Starting the day after the carriage driver Arasen’s death, a movement began in Hus, centered around Dakuren. It appealed against the unfairness of women’s unconditional sacrifice and devotion, demanding love and proper treatment from men.
Through the gossip of idle tongues, the tragic life of the carriage driver Arasen spread in an instant. This became the catalyst for women, who had been enduring in silence despite the overwhelming sex ratio, to rise up.
The women held black-dyed roses to commemorate Arasen’s death and continued their protests.
Because of this, later historians would name it the Black Rose Movement, noting its significance as the first demand for a minimum guarantee of women’s rights caused by the imbalanced sex ratio.
“We only wanted to be loved!”
However, there was one person who didn’t fit the scene at all.
“Women are not ATMs!!!”
That was Krima, who was shouting slogans more enthusiastically than anyone else, her voice going hoarse.
Even though it was working hours, the maids of the salon could not stay still.
From the Madame down to the last maid, they were all women who had been abandoned by men. They had closed the salon and were participating in the protests day and night.
“We want an Alto of our own!!”
This was one of the main slogans of the protest.
The women had witnessed it.
They saw Alto Bertrand sacrificing himself to soothe Arasen during the hostage situation.
They saw Alto Bertrand jumping down without hesitation to save Arasen as she was pushed by Fran.
The women’s demands were very natural and simple.
Men, do not look at us women as mere tools; love us.
That was all.
And Alto Bertrand had become the paragon of such an ideal lover and husband.
While it served as a warning to men, it was also a turning point that greatly changed women’s ideal types.
Looks aren’t everything.
How much does he love me? Does he treat me like a human being?
That is what makes a man among men.
“Lord Alto is the true man among men!!”
To anyone watching, Krima looked absolutely thrilled.
As expected, coming to Dakuren from Aztera was divine providence.
Not only had she found Alto, but she was also able to participate in activities where she could beg for forgiveness.
That stupid Diane.
She probably just hovered around him, mindlessly asking for forgiveness.
That’s not how you do it; you have to be practically helpful.
Through this protest, she would be the first to spread word of Alto’s coolness and greatness and earn his praise.
By spreading his influence far and wide, she would be forgiven and allowed to stay by his side.
If only that happened…
Krima’s heart swelled with the imagination of a hopeful future.
If only that happened…!
“We want lov—!”
“Krima.”
Just as she was about to shout a slogan, someone called her name.
“Yes?”
She turned to find the senior maids surrounding her.
Seeing their ominous glares, a shrinking Krima lowered her posture and asked, “What is it?”
“Don’t say a word and follow us.”
“Huh? I’m leading the slogans right now… Ah! Wait a minute!”
“I said come!”
The maids restrained her entire body and forcibly dragged her into the alley in front of the salon.
Krima was thrown onto the ground. When she looked up, she saw the Madame lazily holding a long pipe in her mouth.
“Madame…! Why are you doing this? I was just working hard participating in the protest.”
“Krima San.”
Krima’s body froze.
“You’re Krima San, the priestess of Mirei’s Party, that Hero-rank adventurer party from Lukart, right?”
That bitch Diane told them everything!
Even without a detailed explanation, Krima figured it all out.
And she was right.
Diane, who had resolved to become Alto’s faithful dog, had informed Eris of Krima’s existence as soon as they returned home after the crowd dispersed on the day Arasen died.
Eris, instead of telling Airune—who was reacting with raw rage—went to the cool-headed Narupa. This resulted in Narupa summoning the Madame.
“I heard you’re the pathetic, bitchy woman who had Lord Alto in your party but dared to cheat on him with another guy, which ended up being the reason Lord Alto came to Hus?”
The maids, who hadn’t known the inner details, let out hollow laughs at those words.
“Madame, is that true?”
“This girl was bragging to us—well, not exactly bragging, but talking about how she debated between two men, chose one, and then got dumped.”
“It wasn’t even a choice, it was cheating? And on Lord Alto, of all people?”
Krima tried to flee as the maids slowly approached, but she was blocked from both front and back.
“Beat that girl just enough so she doesn’t die, then deliver her to Lady Narupa as a gift.”
“Madame, Madame! It’s true I did wrong, but I came to beg Lord Alto for forgiveness…”
“Ha… I wasn’t going to say this much.”
The Madame pointed her pipe at Krima.
“She said if you say or do anything pathetic, we can even tear off an arm or a leg before handing you over.”
She was already on Narupa’s bad side, and now she had failed to manage the quality of her subordinates.
From the perspective of the Madame and the maids, this was a nightmare.
“Don’t come any closer! Stay away!”
She tried to resist by summoning divine power, but there was no winning against such numbers.
Especially not for a priestess who wasn’t even a combatant.
Seeing the maids closing in, Krima squeezed her eyes shut.
Please, God! Save me!
[…Open your eyes.]
Huh?
Krima opened her eyes at the voice that pierced through her ears and into her mind.
Neeeeigh!
A carriage came charging down the alley, even though it was too narrow for its width.
“Stop the carriage, sto— Get out of the way!”
Seeing the carriage charging without brakes, the Madame and the maids fled. The driver grabbed Krima by the collar and hauled her onto the driver’s seat.
“Who are you…?”
“What do you mean ‘who are you,’ you idiot! I’m the woman whose life was ruined because of you, that’s who!”
The driver was none other than the Dakuren Carriage Station Manager.
Word that Krima had entered Dakuren had finally reached Airune’s ears, and the heir to the Great Lord had flown into a rage, ordering the Station Manager to be brought in to answer for how she was managing the entries.
The quick-witted Station Manager had executed a plan to secure Krima and flee to another country.
Having recklessly plastered the carriage with all sorts of movement buffs, the Station Manager drove straight through the city walls, forcibly breaking out of Dakuren.
“W-Where are we going?”
“Aztera!”
“T-Thank you for saving me.”
“Cut the crap and keep your eyes open. I’ve stacked twelve movement buffs; if you’re not careful, a tree branch will take your head off!”
As expected, this too is God’s guidance.
It was a shame to leave Hus, but she had to survive first.
Thwack!
“Guh… Ack…!”
“I can’t do this. If I take you along in one piece, I don’t know where you’ll run off to. You bitch, if you hadn’t come to Dakuren in the first place, I would have been on easy street!”
The Station Manager’s heavy fists rained down on Krima.
“Don’t you dare try anything. I have to sell you to the Duchy as a target for Lord Alto’s revenge, so I’ll just beat you enough so you don’t die.”
Beaten mercilessly on her face, chest, and sides, Krima lost consciousness.
* * *
The night air of Aztera is dangerous.
This is common knowledge to anyone in the Duchy.
Therefore, the walls of Aztera are never opened at night and are securely locked.
Even the guards finish their shifts early and return to their homes.
However, outsiders do not know this well.
“Open up! I said open up!”
Krima barely managed to lift her swollen eyelids.
It was dark.
Deep night.
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw the Station Manager relentlessly pounding on the city gate.
“You crazy bitches, I told you I brought a gift, so why won’t you open up! Cough! Ugh, what is this. My throat… Cough!”
[…Krima.]
A voice echoed in her dazed and aching head.
Krima gradually realized that the voice belonged to Alto.
[You all ignored me.]
“No, Lord Alto. We just didn’t recognize you. If we had known it was you…!”
[You ignored me.]
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I was foolish. But not anymore. Now I know!”
[Know what?]
“How great a man you are, Lord Alto! What a kind and wonderful man you are!”
[I am ugly.]
“Looks don’t matter. What matters is love. Yes! Just as the Lord loves us unconditionally!”
[The people of the world don’t know that. They only look at faces.]
“Ah, Lord Alto. If you… if you would only grant this lowly servant your permission, I will dedicate my entire body to spreading your greatness to this world…!”
[Really?]
“Yes, just leave it to me!”
This is God’s will.
The reason her eyes and throat felt like they were burning was also God’s will.
“Guaaa… Uhhhhk, kark…!”
The Station Manager was in pain too, but while she lay writhing on the ground, Krima could stand and walk perfectly fine—this, too, was God’s will.
Clang!
The city gate opening easily was also God’s guidance.
“Please, honey! No one is out at this hour. The night air is dangerous. I’ll sell a lot tomorrow. I’ll sell everything and pay off your gambling debts!”
“You said that yesterday too! And the night air? The sun will be up soon, you bitch! We have to sell as soon as the dawn market opens!”
The fact that a husband abusing his wife was right before her eyes in the middle of the night was also God’s guidance.
“We are… not ATMs…”
“Huh? What? Her face and tits are decent, but is she crazy?”
“We only… want to be loved…”
“Gack?!”
The fact that a thorny vine of black roses erupted from Krima’s fingertips and pierced the husband was also God’s guidance.
“Hieeeeek!”
“Do not be afraid. And do not be bound to something that isn’t even a man…”
Warmly embracing the trembling wife and sharing her energy was also God’s… guidance.
“We only want to be loved. We need a man who treats us kindly and loves us.”
“A man who loves us…”
The fact that the number of women resonating with her heart and murmuring vacantly began to grow one by one was also God’s guidance.
“By any chance, do you know of Lord Alto?”
Right here, in Aztera of the Duchy.
“He is the most manly man in the world, one who never abandons his woman.”
A horrific cult, different from the Black Rose Movement that had arisen in Dakuren, began to flourish.
“A man who would rather starve himself than let his woman go hungry to protect his home! A man who, if something threatens his family, will charge out alone to cut down the enemy and return to whisper that he loves you! That man is our husband, Lord Alto!”
In the night air of Aztera, the black roses formed their buds.
However, it would take quite a long time—until Alto and his party returned from the Magic Tower—for those roses to fully bloom.