Chapter 31: It Never Disappears (2)

A cold wind was blowing.

It was the season when the petals of flowers that had bloomed beautifully in summer were carried away by the breeze.

Watching the people bustling about to keep the castle clean and beautiful, the princess thought to herself that the gardeners would have quite a hard time again this year.

Knock, knock.

When she knocked on the study door, a low and deep voice replied, “Come in.”

“You two stay back. Ensure no one comes near.”

At the voice permitting her entry, the princess firmly ordered her maid and escort knight before calmly opening the door to the study.

“I thought I said I wanted to be alone today,” the king said with a hint of irritation, though he didn’t bother to reprimand the princess for her actions.

“You seem troubled, Father.”

“How could I not be? Did you read the letter from the Holy Kingdom?”

“Yes, most of it was about the Saint noticing the presence of the First Hero.”

As usual, the princess retrieved the tea set and tea leaves prepared on one side of the study, watching her father as she did so.

The king, who appeared slightly anxious, was absorbed in reading the letter from the Holy Kingdom.

It was no surprise—after all, the existence he had worked so hard to conceal was now coming to light.

“The corrupted hero mentioned in the letter is unlikely to be the current Hero. They trust each other too much for that,” she said.

“…Unfortunately, yes.”

The princess handed over her reports to the king, detailing incidents caused by Incubus Cain and Succubus Lilith in the capital, as well as the events that had recently transpired on the Kaputa Plateau.

The more the king read, the clearer it became that the relationship between the Hero and the Saint was far from ordinary.

Saint Sarah trusted Hero Kim Suhyeon.

Perhaps, she even regarded him as something more.

That was the conclusion the princess had reached.

Even without hearing it directly from the Saint, investigations into the incidents in the capital made it evident that the Saint had thrown herself into the flames to save the Hero.

It was a situation where she could have drowned if things had gone awry—who would risk their life like that for a corrupted Hero?

The answer was obvious.

“I made sure to keep all information about the First Hero strictly confidential. But how can anyone be certain that the one who orchestrated the Kaputa Plateau incident is the ‘corrupted hero’?”

The evidence was undeniable, and that made the situation even more complex.

Knowing this, the princess quietly handed over a cup of tea without saying a word.

Only the leaders of each nation knew about the existence of the First Hero.

Even if someone claimed to be the corrupted hero, the Saint, who was unaware of the truth, would have dismissed them as an imposter.

Yet, the letter from the Saint was clear, unambiguous—it explicitly referred to the “corrupted hero.”

The implications were clear to anyone who wasn’t a fool.

The gods had intervened in this world.

“Three hundred years ago, they sent a gift. This time, it’s an oracle, isn’t it?”

The Saint knew information she could not have possibly known.

The only explanation was a divine prophecy—an oracle.

When people think of the word “oracle,” they often imagine it to carry a positive connotation.

After all, it suggests divine revelation about the future or crucial information.

The princess had once thought the same.

Stories by poets always included tales of Saints receiving oracles.

But she hadn’t understood the true meaning of divine intervention in the mortal world.

When the gods intervene, it signifies a trial that humans cannot overcome on their own.

Just like three hundred years ago, when the Demon King descended.

Countless nations vanished, and innumerable people perished.

Yet, what people remembered was the gift from the gods—the tale of the summoned Hero and the five champions from another world.

It was ironic, to say the least.

“The gods’ gift still exists in this world. Even so, a warning through the Saint means…”

“It means a great darkness, one that even the Hero’s party cannot handle, is approaching.”

The princess took a deep breath, pondering.

The corrupted Hero and the corrupted Saint—what were those two plotting?

The thought of a darkness greater than the Demon King sent a sharp pain through her head.

“No, no. Whether it’s an oracle or a coincidence, no one can be certain,” she told herself.

Though the Saint’s actions couldn’t be explained without considering the oracle, the princess preferred to hold onto the possibility that it was mere coincidence.

An oracle required a more credible, universally acceptable process.

Furthermore, she didn’t want to believe in the idea of a darkness worse than the Demon King.

“Dammit…”

Today, once again, a voice echoed in her mind, disrupting her thoughts.

Startled awake by the unpleasant whispers, I stood in front of the mirror.

My appearance, worthy of a main heroine, showed no flaws—a delicate face and a slim figure.

However, the dark circles under my eyes stood out prominently.

My hair was a complete mess, sticking to my damp pajamas from the cold sweat that drenched me.

The sensation was unpleasant, to say the least.

I briefly considered cutting it all off but decided against it.

The Holy Kingdom didn’t look favorably upon women with short hair.

Image management was a crucial part of survival.

“Accept it, and I shall grant you a new world.”

“Stop spewing nonsense.”

With this whispering, two days had already passed.

The voice continued to muddle my mind.

I began glaring at my reflection in the mirror, as if rebelling against it.

Staring into my own eyes in the mirror, I felt them grow tense.

Then, my reflection in the mirror began moving its lips of its own accord, whispering again.

The more I thought about it, the more it felt like I was losing my sanity, so I closed my eyes, trying to ignore it.

“Do not believe that what you trust will save you…”

“So, you’re telling me to accept everything and fall into corruption? You lunatic.”

I threw myself onto the bed, lying there as I stared at the ceiling.

Then, vivid images from the game came rushing back to me.

The Saint crying beneath the Hero, selling her body for his sake, being thrown to goblins or orcs for his amusement, and finally, being reduced to a convenient tool discarded because he grew tired of her.

It was devastating.

The game I once enjoyed so much, the hypnotic suggestions I thought would never affect me, now felt unbearably frightening as they crept into reality.

“What will you gain by rejecting me? Only I can save you.”

Because of this, I hadn’t been able to sleep properly, and the exhaustion was written all over my face.

Ignoring the hypnotic suggestions, I forced myself to search for my nun’s habit.

The Hero would continue to feign ignorance about all of this.

He would act like he had nothing to do with it, like he was pure and kind, until I willingly surrendered.

This cycle would repeat over and over.

I wondered how long he could keep up that handsome façade.

The Holy Kingdom had received my letter safely, and I had even received a reply confirming they would monitor the corrupted Hero.

Everything was being conducted in secrecy, so there was no way the Hero could suspect anything.

I tried to convince myself that this miserable life would soon be over as I prepared to go out.

Walking without any thoughts in mind was a good thing.

It helped calm my restless mind, even just a little.

As the pleasant breeze brushed against me, I slowly began walking through the familiar streets.

Beneath a cloudless blue sky, merchants were preparing their stalls for business since early morning.

Some of them paused to offer a quick prayer when they saw my nun’s habit.

It was autumn, so I thought I might browse for pomegranates or figs.

Thinking about such small things seemed to ease my worries a little.

“Ah, Sarah!”

“… What an annoying bastard.”

If only the Hero didn’t have the habit of taking morning strolls, things would have been perfect.

As I was examining some fruit in the market, the Hero called out to me cheerfully.

“Hmm? What did you say?”

“I said, it’s good to see you, Hero.”

The Hero could have been a successful actor in real life.

He had placed such a strong hypnotic suggestion on me, yet he didn’t so much as flinch, behaving as if everything was perfectly normal.

The Hero walked toward me with a bright smile.

The sound of his footsteps echoed with each step.

When my eyes met his, my head began to ache again.

What could this mean?

Was he not even bothering to hide it anymore?

I couldn’t make sense of it.

“Ugh…”

“Sarah! Are you okay?”

As I stumbled, losing my balance, the Hero reached out to support my waist.

The attention of those around us immediately focused on the scene.

Even without looking, I could tell that this would cause all sorts of troublesome misunderstandings.

In truth, it was the Hero hypnotizing me and me resisting, but who would believe that?

I shook off the Hero’s hands, steadying myself.

We were nothing more than two people scheming to stab each other in the back.

There was no need to interact unnecessarily, nor to be near one another.

“Sarah.”

“I’m not feeling well.”

Using my health as an excuse, I tried to leave, but the Hero stopped me.

“Wait, do you have a moment to talk?”

It was the first time the Hero had gone so far to stay close to me.

Even so, I didn’t want to speak with him.

I repeated that I wasn’t feeling well and that I would listen later if it was serious.

But the Hero let out a deep sigh and grabbed my hand, pulling me toward a secluded spot.

“Wait, what are you doing…?”

“Sarah, I’m getting married.”

What?

In a back alley in broad daylight?

Was he planning some ridiculous roleplay?

I looked at him with a disbelieving expression, resisting as much as I could.

The Hero placed his hand on my shoulder and said something completely unexpected.

“Married? To who? What nonsense is this?”

“Laura Annalise Frostfell. I’ve made a marriage contract with her in the land of dragons.”

Seeing the confusion on my face, he repeated himself with a serious expression.

Laura Annalise Frostfell.

I had heard of her.

She was the petite genius mage who appeared in the game, a girl with horns flowing with dragon blood.

Wasn’t she a current member of the Hero’s party?

Did this game even have a marriage system?

I knew about subjugation, but… marriage?