Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Demon Sword Forte (18) - Divergence
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The princess of the kingdom that summoned the Demon King.
At that description pointing to the Saintess, I couldn't hide my inner shock, even after shedding blood for it.
It was content even Pina, who knew as much as anyone about the hero's tale, had never heard before.
However, it was too overt to simply dismiss it as baseless slander—the Saintess's reaction upon hearing the sage's words.
Her eyes, filled with deep anxiety, frantically scanned her surroundings.
The sage who saw it snorted derisively.
"Looks like you know you've done wrong. Pretending to be a saintess when you're a criminal of a fallen kingdom? Your face is thicker than sheet iron!"
"Th-that's..."
"Did you think no one would find out? Well, no surprise there! Everyone connected to the royal family was either slaughtered or serving as the Demon King's toys by now!"
With the sage's repeated accusations, the Saintess's face grew as pale as a blank sheet of paper. Unable to bear the sight any longer, Pina cautiously intervened.
"Um, Sage? Shouldn't we at least hear her story first?"
"Hear what? She's probably just gonna spin some flimsy lie!"
"No, but still, we should at least listen to what she has to say..."
"This mess happened because of scum like her! And she calls herself a saintess? Bullsh—"
What to do.
This sage won't listen to a word.
Feeling troubled, Pina subtly asked Forte without showing it outwardly.
'What should we do, Demon Sword?'
《Aim for the side.》
Pina jabbed the sage's right side with her elbow.
The sage let out a choking gasp and collapsed to the floor, writhing in spasms.
"Are you okay? Sorry about that. Our sage has a foul mouth, a prickly personality, and can be a bit harmful sometimes, but he's not a bad person at heart."
"Uh, yes?"
"Could we hear your side of things?"
The Saintess looked back and forth between Pina and the sage in confusion before cautiously nodding.
Claire Edelweiss.
Her tale as the princess of a kingdom now in the Demon King's hands was, in a way, predictable.
A princess who opposed the mad act of offering her own citizens as sacrifices to summon the Demon King, even as her country was losing the war.
A king who, angered by such a daughter, confined her to a tower rarely visited by people.
But when the Demon King broke the contract's chains and seized the palace, the guard system holding the princess also crumbled. Somehow, she escaped without being swept up in the disaster.
Feeling guilty toward the people suffering from the war the Demon King ignited, the princess wandered healing them with the blessing power she possessed. The people came to call such a princess the Saintess.
And upon hearing this story, the sage said:
"In short, her family did all the bad stuff, and she's innocent? Well aren't you just perfect!"
"Sage, your words..."
"What'd I say wrong? It's obvious she's dodging responsibility! If this wench really wanted to atone, she wouldn't be hiding her identity!"
At the sage's point, the Saintess could only tremble at her fingertips, unable to muster any rebuttal.
Tears welled in her eyes, but she didn't even let out a sob—the shame and despair she felt were plain to see.
Pina, finding her too pitiful, offered gentle words of comfort.
"I-I think you had no choice. If you'd revealed who you were, you probably couldn't have even walked among the people. Then you couldn't have healed the wounded."
"No, Hero."
The Saintess shook her head with a sorrowful expression.
"The sage is right. If I truly meant to take responsibility as a princess of a fallen kingdom, I should have revealed myself and faced that sin head-on. But I lacked even that resolve, while helping people and feeling relief when they thanked me. 'I'm different from Father. I'm helping within my power.'"
"Exactly. What a pathetic hypocrisy and self-satisfaction!"
"Sage?"
Pina quietly gripped the sword hilt.
At Pina's chilling tone, the sage scowled and turned his head away, muttering things like 'It's not wrong' or 'Brutal to cover the truth with violence.'
Ignoring the sage, Pina decided to persuade the Saintess.
One of her and Forte's goals was uncovering the events the original hero's party faced.
For that, the Saintess was someone they absolutely needed to recruit into the party.
"Saintess, we have to defeat the Demon King. Could you please help us?"
"......"
The Saintess hesitated, unable to answer easily.
The emotions on her face were incredibly complex, but somehow Pina felt she understood that complexity.
The sense of duty to fulfill her burdens.
But the fear of what she'd have to endure for it.
Wanting to nod, knowing it was right, yet hesitating and hating herself for it.
Only then did Pina realize how cruel her words had been.
To Pina, defeating the Demon King was already a thing of the past.
But to the Saintess, it was a perilous gamble with no guaranteed success.
'Demon Sword, what now? I can't think of anything to convince her. No, I don't even know if I should try.'
To Pina's question, Forte replied simply.
《Then don't convince her.》
'But the hero's tale has three main characters.'
《History is just history. What you thought was fake might be real, and what seemed true could be fiction. The choice is yours. My role is to support that.》
It sounded irresponsible at first, but it was also profoundly reassuring encouragement.
Buoyed by it, Pina spoke.
"If you're conflicted, you don't have to answer now. Or just refuse outright. Actually, helping people like this is admirable in itself."
The Saintess's eyes widened, and the sage, who had been silently displeased beside her, was stunned.
"What? You're just gonna let this girl go?"
"Sage, she's not a caught fish—we don't 'release' people."
"That's not the point!"
"You said you didn't want her in the party anyway. Isn't this for the best?"
The sage's face twisted oddly.
He looked like something was off but couldn't find a retort.
"Hmph, do whatever! I can't tell if you even want to defeat the Demon King!"
The Saintess asked cautiously.
"Really, it's okay if I don't come along?"
"Yes, it's fine. Sorry if I've burdened you."
"......"
Her face a tangle of relief and self-loathing, the Saintess bowed her head deeply.
"Could you give me just a little more time? Then, I'll give you my answer for sure."
At her words, the surrounding scenery began to distort.
As if demanding to halt this improper progression, the stage tried to rewind its curtain.
Of course, Forte wouldn't let it happen.
The aura flowing from Forte's body forcibly pinned the scenery in place, resisting the stage's coercion.
Unable to break through the defense, the stage reluctantly proceeded with the tale.
At the hero and sage's urging, the Saintess gladly accepted.
"Yes, I understand. If it's to save the world, I too will devote myself."
The three set out on a new journey.
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At the hero and sage's urging, the Saintess bowed her head and replied.
"I'm sorry. This burden is too heavy for me, so please give me a bit more time to think."
Unable to help it, the hero and sage left the Saintess—no, an ordinary woman—behind and departed.
Like key scenes flashing by in a movie summary, Pina watched the rapidly shifting scenery and mentally addressed Forte.
'Did our ancestor originally persuade the Saintess here?'
《Probably. She was at a crossroads just now, feeling responsible and guilty in this situation. A stronger push or appeal would've made her join eventually.》
Things like 'You must defeat the Demon King to prevent greater tragedy and bloodshed,' or 'No matter what you do here, your sins won't vanish,' or 'If you don't cooperate, we'll reveal your identity to those around you'—endless ways to persuade.
Had they used that, Forte wouldn't have needed to strain against the stage.
But Forte didn't.
Because he knew Pina didn't want that.
'It's different from the stories I heard. The sage isn't a stern, wise counselor but a grumpy, petty wizard full of complaints. The Saintess isn't an ironclad believer armed with unwavering faith and duty but an ordinary person agonizing and scared.'
《Disappointed?》
'No, I think it's even more amazing. They weren't perfect from the start—flawed and lacking in some way—yet they achieved greatness. They fought a fearsome Demon King.'
Saying that, Pina scratched her cheek.
'Well, giving choices like this won't change actual history, so it doesn't matter. Might even be a minus for uncovering the past's truth.'
《Don't worry about that. No need to dance on a stage that arbitrarily puts people up and dictates moves. Do as you please.》
At Forte's nonchalant assertion, Pina smiled broadly.
As always, this Demon Sword's advice was so reassuring and warm.
Even as the two conversed, the stage's tale pressed on.
They failed to make the Saintess a companion, but the hero and sage continued their journey anyway.
In clashes with the Demon King's army, the hero's party gradually honed their skills, and the Demon King's forces, viewing them as a threat, began sending ever stronger troops.
No matter how skilled the party, they couldn't overcome sheer numbers.
When they were cornered, envoys from a kingdom suffering the Demon King's invasion approached the party and said:
"Ah, brave Hero, wise Sage. We will aid you! Let's defeat the Demon King together!"
"Your great feats have moved us. Please be our rallying point!"
The sage eyed the neighboring kingdom's envoys—no, envoys plural—with a crooked posture.
Realizing she had switched from audience to actor, Pina blinked and awaited their words.
"His Majesty Philip Yusid Albaria, ruler of the great Kingdom of Albaria, praises your contributions and wishes to invite you as honored guests to our land."
"Galilei Lot Iferipara, great descendant of the Sea God and legitimate ruler of Kirkios, has bestowed upon you both the title of Honorary Knights! Please join our kingdom to overcome this crisis!"
"Oh ho! You shall visit us in Albaria as our honored guests!"
"What nonsense! Demanding such great achievers come without even offering a title is sheer rudeness!"
"Trying to boast with mere honorary knights! If His Majesty met them personally, he'd grant fitting positions—how dare you spout empty words to mislead nobles over petty immediate gains!"
"Trying to tempt them with that shoddy cart of treasures, are you!"
"What did you say!?"
Ignoring the hero's party, the neighboring envoys bickered among themselves. The sage spat out:
"Hey, you lot."
"Us, you say?"
"Ahem, Sage. I come as proxy for the great Duke Iferipara, so mind your manners..."
"Manners my ass. So, how much are you adding to the Demon King subjugation? Sending tens of thousands of soldiers?"
At the sage's words, the envoys' mouths snapped shut like clams.
Seeing it, the sage sneered.
"See that, Hero? Even as we bust our asses holding back the Demon King's advance, they don't cooperate—they just try to poach talent. Gotta let these idiots get hit hard to wise up. Only when the fire's on their own feet will they shut up."