Last Chance
Under the beautiful chandelier, "What do we do? Aren't we in deep shit now?" Lein, the nimble girl with a slight build, whispered in a low voice.
"Yeah," Arshe nodded slowly.
"……"
Lurein said nothing, but she bowed her head deeply in agreement. She looked so dejected that her golden blonde hair seemed faintly faded.
"……."
"……."
"…Hmm."
The three girls sat side by side on the sofa, lost in thought as they each took a sip of tea. They racked their brains for a long time on how to handle this situation, but with no real solution in sight, they could only let out heavy sighs.
"Haa…"
"Fuu…"
"……."
"What do we do? We should've just sent Tanas to the execution block."
"Yeah, right?"
"He chose to undergo the Goddess's Judgment… Fuu."
Then they glanced at each other furtively.
Maybe that's why. "Even though Seria suggested it, honestly… I never really liked the idea from the start…"
"What? Lein! You trying to play the good girl now, after the fact?"
As the situation soured, they slyly revealed their true feelings—thoughts they'd never voiced before.
"I-It's true!"
"What difference does it make? You agreed too! This is so fucking annoying!"
Lurein slammed her teacup down with a sharp clink and shot up from the sofa, glaring at Lein. Her eyes blazed fiercely, as if saying, 'Just try saying more.'
"I only nodded because I had to… My heart never felt right about it. I'd seen Tanas crying alone at night so many times. You heartless bitches wouldn't get it…"
"What the hell? You tormented him just fine yourself. You had a real talent for it, like a proper thief."
Lein shot to her feet too, locking eyes with Lurein in a tense standoff!
"W-What did you say? What about you? You even used magic on Tanas! You're a total psycho mage!"
"The situation left me no choice!"
"And that's your excuse…?!"
"You think you're on my level just because I'm talking to you? You filthy commoner…!"
At that moment, "But."
Unable to watch the bickering any longer, Arshe shook her blue hair and stepped between them.
"It definitely worked. …Both of you, cool your heads."
Her firm tone got through to them somewhat.
"……."
"…Hmph!"
Reluctantly, the two sat back down on the sofa. Arshe clicked her tongue and shook her head at their childish antics.
They were all members of the Hero's party, but they were still greenhorns without real experience. Not like her, dispatched from the church.
"You all saw Tanas during the trial, right? It might be tough on him, but our actions bore fruit. Isn't that so?"
The image of him confidently persuading the audience with overflowing self-assurance flashed in their minds.
"Yeah… Definitely…"
"True."
They smiled faintly.
"Didn't the God of Justice, Tyr, say it himself? Heroes grow stronger the more trials they overcome."
"Yeah."
"Right!"
Men are drawn to mature charm. These kids could step up all they wanted—they weren't even a threat.
"I won't ask what you two think of that man. But what we're doing isn't wrong, so don't worry too much. And…"
"And?"
"Seria said it too. He'll surely laugh it off even if he finds out the truth later."
It was just empty comfort, but the two girls' faces visibly brightened.
"R-Right? Yeah, he will."
"Yeah. He'll breeze through something like this. Tanas is a hero, after all."
Thank goodness—the stiff atmosphere softened in an instant.
"So what now? We were supposed to let him experience a 'brush with death.'"
"Right. Then Seria was going to sneak him out after."
Lurein pondered for a moment as she watched Lein and Arshe still sighing, then swept her golden hair back and stood confidently.
"Haa… No helping it. Looks like I'm stuck playing the villain again."
"You have a plan?"
"It'd be great if Tanas made a false confession. But even if not, we just need to give him a major trial, right?"
"Uh? True, but…"
She pulled a small crystal orb from her cloak.
"I was gonna contact the porter and that woman before. Not sure, but I heard the Goddess's Judgment locks you away for 100 days in a purification ritual."
"The judgment isn't dangerous, is it?"
"Hmm… Not sure, but maybe they splash you with water or something? If it's risky, Seria would get word."
"That porter…? Oh? Him? He seemed like bad news… What if Tanas gets seriously hurt?"
Lein frowned as she vaguely recalled the porters and shook her head.
"It'll be fine… Right? …No way they'd kill him? Just enough to make him feel the brink of death."
"And that woman? You mean your master?"
"That sounds kinda gross… Gives me chills thinking she was my master."
"Sorry. So?"
"…Given her personality, she'll torment him just right?"
They exchanged glances, and Lein spoke first.
"I'm in."
"…No better options, so let's go with that. I'm just following the will of the gods."
"Good, it's decided then."
As Lurein infused mana into the crystal, it trembled faintly, emitting a soft glow.
"By the way, who killed the princess? That trash."
"It wasn't really Tanas… We'll ask Seria later."
"Yeah… Tyr won't forgive a demon like that."
Soon the crystal orb shone brightly, and the three slowly rose from their seats.
"It'll work out… right?"
"This is the last time anyway, isn't it?"
"Yeah, just this once."
They had no real worries.
They just assumed that when Seria brought the Hero back, the five of them would reunite and set off on adventures like old times.
…That's what they thought.
"This settles it. We'll have to split up for a bit. I'm heading to the Sword Hero's side."
"I'm for the Magic…"
"Bow."
Did they know? That this was their very last chance to turn back.
Back then, they didn't.
Clatter— Clatter—
The carriage raced relentlessly along the road.
"Hmm… As expected of a hero?"
"Carrying that heavy load for a whole week without a single groan. Impressive."
"Frightening… I can't understand why this man was called incompetent."
"Remember his swordsmanship from the other day?"
"Brutal… Without the Hero, we'd all be dead."
Tanas ignored whether the surrounding soldiers admired or wary him. This came first.
Wooong—
Sitting cross-legged, he continued circulating his inner energy throughout his body. It was only the Small Heavenly Circulation, but he couldn't stop training.
Martial arts had to start from childhood; achieving mastery later in life was nearly impossible.
Of course, he was the exception.
'Halfway there.'
Spiritual herbs would help, but no such luck. Even if there were, acquiring them now would be like reaching for stars.
Hero or not, his frame was decent, but all his meridians were blocked, so he'd spent the past week opening them.
"Halt. We'll rest here."
"Understood."
The lead knight raised his hand, and the carriage jolted to a stop.
"Come out and get your dinner."
Whether due to the events a couple days ago, the soldiers' hostility had softened noticeably.
"…No need."
"Hmph, suit yourself."
Easier said than done. He still wore restraints on his hands and feet, plus massive steel weights chained to his neck, waist, and back.
Whose brilliant idea was this? As if crushing him with weight would work.
Block a hero like this?
'What if I just rip these off and bolt?'
Truly idiotic.
Come to think of it, the royal court's leadership were all incompetents. That's why the kingdom fell the moment the Demon King's army invaded.
"……."
Good thing this situation didn't hinder his qi circulation and breath regulation. Impurities from his body gathered at his dantian along the meridians.
Ghostly yin energy, starkly different from the pure inner energy he'd used in his previous martial world. Each Small Heavenly Circulation made his energy roil in dark crimson swirls.
'Looks like the villain no matter who sees it.'
He'd planned to start with the Heaven-Shattering Flow Divine Art… but no choice.
Because of that bastard…
"B-Bro, I brought dinner. Eek!"
The one-armed man with a wooden bowl flinched and averted his eyes in terror.
"Seeing you pisses me off. Why'd you crawl back in?"
"S-Sorry! A worm like me… P-Please, just spare me."
Fearing his other arm might go next, he groveled and apologized profusely.
The porter. Normally just a menial who tagged along with adventurer parties, but for the Hero's party, they were usually skilled.
That's why this assassin-porter had boldly attacked the carriage with bandits the other day on commission.
Thus, he'd been forced to cultivate a demonic art that granted immediate power.
Otherwise, the knights and soldiers outside would've all turned into cold corpses…
And the client? Obviously those women.
"……."
How'd he know? "Sorry, bro…"
Desperate to live, the guy had spilled everything truthfully. Tanas had lopped off one arm in exchange for his life.
Of course, that wasn't the end.
"Remember this. With just this one…"
He trailed off deliberately, gripped the air while channeling inner energy, and
"G-Guh…"
the porter's face drained of color in an instant.
"…If you want to test if my words are true, I won't stop you."
He always respected a fighting spirit.
"I-I'll keep it in mind."
Still, trying to kill humanity's hope, the Hero? Are they insane? Who's gonna stop the Demon King…
"B-But with skills like yours, why haven't you escaped yet?"
"……."
Tanas silently raised his hand, and
"Sorry!"
the porter jolted and slammed his head down.
There were reasons, damn it.
"I have someone to meet."
"Pardon?"
He currently bore the absurd false charge of "assassinating the Empire's princess." Without pretext, they wouldn't send porters like this.
Catch the real culprit.