The Dawning Light
The council chamber was packed to the brim. Opulent carpets lined the floor beneath glittering chandeliers, and the gathered nobles wore garments so extravagant they seemed like peacocks vying for preeminence. Yet despite the splendor, the atmosphere was suffocatingly heavy, dragged down as though submerged in the ocean's abyssal depths.
"Are you certain the Hero has committed treason?"
The voice of the white-haired elder bearing the imperial crown echoed across the great hall of the Imperial Palace.
A man with plump, ruddy cheeks rose abruptly from his seat.
"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. Hard though it is to fathom, the circumstances make his treachery all but undeniable—especially when considering the soldiers' testimonies regarding his hesitation to strike down the witch, alongside his insubordinate conduct upon receiving orders to prepare for war against her."
The white-haired Emperor stroked his beard with fingers laden in jeweled rings. "Hmph..."
"Above all else," the plump official pressed, "the brand typically borne by cultists in league with the Demon King has manifested across the Hero's flesh. Furthermore, the Holy Sword has shattered. One can only deduce that the sacred blade, recognizing his foul communion with the demon race, refused to be wielded by his hand any longer."
As the man concluded his testimony, the Emperor pondered in silence for a brief moment before addressing the assembly.
"Duchess Luderan."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Red Duchess rose to her feet with immaculate military poise.
"As his comrade-in-arms, how did you judge the Hero, Einzel Leonhardt?"
"He was... exemplary, and deeply considerate," Sein Luderan replied, her voice steady yet strained. "Or so he appeared. However, after striking the Demon King's vanguard and confronting Corps Commander Grandis, he began making tactical decisions that defied all reason."
At those words, an emaciated official sprang from his chair.
"Does that not prove he began his collusion the moment he laid eyes on Grandis? The strategic staff concluded unequivocally that the Hero concealed all intelligence regarding her, and that very deceit led directly to our crushing defeat!"
A middle-aged noble with a bushy beard stood in rebuttal.
"Hold a moment. Was the Hero not our supreme commander to begin with? The staff exists merely to advise; it was his rightful prerogative to direct the campaign. Yet from what I understand, he was never even granted a proper voice during council."
"Are you suggesting the finest minds in the Empire should have bowed to a provincial rustic who knows nothing of grand strategy?" the emaciated official sneered. "A foreigner who isn't even an imperial subject? Besides, lacking influence in council is hardly an excuse for withholding vital military intelligence. That is sheer absurdity!"
"Enough."
With a single word from the Emperor, the chamber fell dead silent, the squabbling nobles hastily sinking back into their seats.
"Be that as it may, it strikes Us as odd that a Hero who served faithfully until now would abruptly conspire with the enemy. Does anyone possess knowledge regarding his personal conduct?"
At the Emperor's subtle gesture, a one-eyed man overseeing the Imperial Intelligence Bureau rose to his feet.
"Your Imperial Majesty... Forgive my presumption, but according to our investigations, there exists a profound discrepancy between the man Duchess Luderan witnessed and the true Einzel Leonhardt."
The Emperor inclined his head. "Proceed."
"Our findings reveal that several individuals who vanished without a trace were, in truth, murdered by his hand and concealed."
Sein Luderan's face twisted in disbelief as she stood once more. "What madness is this?"
"It appears the Hero harbored an insatiable greed," the spymaster answered smoothly. "According to multiple testimonies, he extorted coin and valuables from the vulnerable, resorting to violence—or even outright murder—should they refuse. Having spent his entire life in a backwater village, it is likely the grandeur of the capital awakened a vile avarice within his soul."
"Good heavens! The Hero committed such atrocities?"
"A baseborn peasant who wasn't even born of the Empire... I knew he couldn't be trusted!"
Gasps of outrage and disgust rippled through the nobility. The assembly, having revered the Hero as a paragon of hope and deliverance, could not conceal their revulsion at this grotesque revelation.
"Furthermore," the spymaster pressed on, his tone growing increasingly fervent as the room hung on his words, "his depravity was not limited to extortion and slaughter. He defiled women by force. Night after night, he abducted innocent maidens, and his victims, terrified that no one would believe an accusation against the revered Hero, were forced into weeping silence."
Emboldened by the mounting horror across the hall, the chief drove his point home with theatrical fervor.
"In short, the Hero was rotten to the core from the very beginning! When the demons offered their seductive whispers, his corrupt nature could not resist, and he willingly conspired with the enemy. That is the definitive conclusion of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau."
A stunned hush descended over the council. In the face of such monstrous accusations, not a single soul dared speak.
"B-But... did the Hero not slay the Demon King in the end?"
A frail, diminutive nobleman stood up hesitantly. The intelligence chief fixed him with a cold, piercing stare.
"Whatever blame he may bear for the recent defeat, he ended the war by striking down the Demon King himself! How can we claim he was conspiring with the demon race?" The noble's voice trembled as he squeezed out each syllable.
The spymaster scoffed condescendingly.
"The answer is quite obvious. Colluding with demons does not mean colluding with the Demon King."
"What...?" The frail noble blinked blankly.
Sighing as if lecturing an ignorant child, the chief continued, "Grandis. It was Grandis he conspired with, not the Demon King. The two of them undoubtedly struck a pact so that she might claim the demonic throne for herself."
A triumphant smirk crept across the spymaster's lips as he turned his gaze toward the dais.
"Lady Saintess, if an unworthy lamb of the Goddess may venture a question: did you not state that the Hero displayed an unnatural reluctance whenever it came to pursuing Grandis?"
"...Yes," Saintess Beatrice replied, her head bowed.
Her luminous, sky-blue eyes were clouded with deep sorrow and lingering doubt.
"And when confronting the other Corps Commanders, he struck them down without a moment's hesitation. Is that not so?"
"...It is."
"What further proof could one possibly require?"
The Emperor smiled faintly. "Indeed. You have done well. Take your seat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." The one-eyed chief sat back down, wearing a blatant smirk of victory.
"...Even so, I find the physical evidence severely lacking," the bushy-bearded noble spoke up once more. "Truth be told, nearly all of this remains in the realm of speculation. I do not doubt the diligence of the Intelligence Bureau, but mere conjectures hardly suffice as proof."
At that moment, an arrogant young blond noble stood with a confident grin.
"Allow me to clarify on that front."
The bearded noble frowned at the young man.
"First and foremost, the shattering of the Holy Sword is the greatest evidence of all. Lady Saintess, when is the Hero officially relieved of his sacred duty?"
Beatrice rose, her platinum-silver hair swaying gently over her shoulders.
"Only upon the conclusion of the ritual returning the Holy Sword to the Holy Land."
"Precisely! Yet he broke the Holy Sword before that ceremony could even commence. The rites had not even begun!"
The bearded noble knit his brows. "Even so, a sword is still a blade. Can it not break in the heat of mortal combat?"
"Are you daring to equate a divine armament forged by God with mortal steel?"
Flustered and red-faced, the bearded noble clamped his mouth shut.
"Well, if you insist on dragging a blade fashioned from pure divine radiance down to the level of earthly weapons, so be it. However, the instant the Holy Sword shattered, the brand of demonic mana surfaced upon his flesh."
The blond youth puffed his chest with a triumphantly sly smile.
"Yes—he lost the Protection of the Hero! Never in our history has a Hero lost his divine grace before fulfilling his solemn duty. That is all."
The Emperor's lips curved in quiet satisfaction.
"Indeed. Considering all that has transpired, it is impossible to deny that some manner of corruption or moral failing has taken root within him."
The eyes of those who had quietly sympathized with the Hero shifted in an instant, cold pragmatism replacing their former allegiance.
"Nevertheless," the Emperor proclaimed, his voice carrying the absolute authority of the throne, "it remains an indisputable fact that he made an immense contribution by slaying the Demon King. Therefore, We shall temper justice with mercy. The moment he awakens, he shall be exiled from the Empire."
"Your Majesty, you cannot!"
"Such clemency is far too generous for a traitor!"
Lamentably, those clamoring the loudest for severe punishment were the very nobles who had sung the Hero's praises before the assembly convened.
"Haha, then let us conclude matters here."
Content with the outcome he had orchestrated, the Emperor dismissed the council with a low chuckle.
The Hero's companions trembled with profound betrayal. They had believed him to be a noble, selfless man. To think that behind their backs, he had engaged in such foul debauchery—and colluded with the enemy to boot?
"I never imagined that the Hero chosen by the Goddess would commit such heinous acts..." Beatrice murmured, her delicate shoulders quivering violently. Bound to him by the sacred covenant of Hero and Saintess, she had stood closer to him than anyone; consequently, the sting of betrayal pierced her deepest.
Sein placed a firm hand upon her trembling shoulder. "Do not blame yourself. We were all deceived."
"To put on such a righteous face while hiding that putrid hypocrisy underneath..." Peria scoffed, her gaze turned icy and dismissive.
Lena could not even bring herself to speak; she merely seethed in silent, blistering rage. The royal guard under her command had been completely annihilated while placing their faith in that traitor. She shuddered with self-loathing at her own gullibility.
Thus, the four women buried their burning wrath beneath a shared thirst for retribution.
A few days later, the Hero opened his eyes.