Chapter 64: The Hero and the Saintess’ Reunion (2)

[What is it that you desire?]

[The Stigma of Salvation. That alone will be enough.]

[You are not greedy.]

[…That is my greatest greed.]

[I see. You wish to save the hero Emilia before she has even reincarnated. And for that, all you need is the Stigma of Salvation. Is that correct?]

[Yes.]

[I am the Divine Lord who governs this realm. But even I cannot alter fate or overturn the course of destiny once it has been set. However, through my bloodline, I can offer guidance to those who face inevitable fates, allowing them to carve their own paths. That said, while I cannot change fate, I can bestow upon you wealth and power.]

[That will not be necessary. As long as I have the Stigma, I can acquire those on my own.]

[Hoho. I see. I was the foolish one, then.]

[Not at all. That which is gained too easily is easily forgotten. Because this has been my long-held wish, I would rather build it with my own hands. Of course, I will be borrowing a bit of the Divine Lord’s power to do so.]

[No, what I have given is so little that it is barely anything at all. Is there nothing else I can do for you?]

[There is nothing. The Divine Lord need only continue as you always have, overseeing all.]

[Understood. Then, I hope you will achieve the wish you so dearly desire.]

[Thank you.]

[This is the otherworld, Nel Laheim.]

[Hmm…]

[You are awakening, reincarnated soul.]

[Huh…? Where am I…? Is this… the afterlife?]

[Hoho, you could call it the afterlife. You were hit by a dump truck in an accident, and unfortunately, you did not survive.]

[Ah…]

[Do not grieve. Instead, you shall be reincarnated into this world—Nel Laheim. It is quite an extraordinary world.]

[An extraordinary world…? Nel Laheim? What is that…? Ugh… my head feels dizzy… Wait… Okay… I think I feel a little better now. Nel Laheim… is it a fantasy world or something…?]

[Hoho, in your old world, people would call it a fantasy world. The god of that world used to mock me for that childish name.]

[I-I’m sorry…]

[…Just as I heard, you are a very humble girl.]

[Huh?]

[Nothing. Regardless, you shall reincarnate as a hero in this world, Nel Laheim. You will be the first female hero in history. And, as fate dictates, you shall defeat the Demon King, Helroc, and save the Kingdom of Elond.]

[H-Hero…? Me?]

[It is just you and me in this space.]

[Ah… It doesn’t feel real yet… It’s like a dream… Am I really…?]

[Whether you believe it or not, you will understand once you are reincarnated. So, go now.]

[Ah… um…]

[Why do you hesitate? This is the path you have long dreamed of—a journey into a fantasy world. You will now walk this path as a hero. And at the end of this path, you shall meet the one who has been desperately waiting for you.]

[Someone who has been desperately… waiting for me?]

[Go forth, Hero Emilia. From now on, that is your new name.]

[Ah… Yes. Thank you.]

[…That is enough thanks. I have merely fulfilled my duty, guiding you to Nel Laheim. Then… may you overcome all that lies ahead.]

“Yes… the Divine Lady’s words back then were quite strange.”

Following Roselle through the back garden, Emilia pondered over a memory that had suddenly surfaced.

It was her first encounter with the Divine Lady Gaion—the moment she had been sent to this world.

At the time, she had assumed that the one desperately waiting for her was the King of Elond.

After all, if the kingdom was in danger, then naturally, the king would be eagerly awaiting the hero who would save it from the Demon King.

But upon reincarnating, she quickly realized—King Bricall had no real interest in saving the kingdom.

Instead, he had been nothing more than a foolish tyrant, indulging in drink and women rather than preparing for the kingdom’s salvation.

The idea that he had been waiting desperately for her was laughable.

Moreover, as a man with a reputation for womanizing, he had shown nothing but disdain for the fact that she was a female hero.

Then… could it have been the Saintess?

But the Saintess had been the one to lead her into this world, alongside the Divine Lady.

Would the Divine Lady really go out of her way to describe the Saintess as someone who had been desperately waiting for her?

No, that was too obvious.

There would be no need for the Divine Lady to phrase it that way.

Emilia suddenly glanced at Roselle.

He had waited for her to appear at the s*ave auction.

He had purchased her with a staggering 500 gold coins.

Could it have been him?

“Roselle…?”

But that, too, felt illogical.

Before they met, Roselle had been nothing more than a noble of the kingdom.

Why would he—out of all the nobles—have been waiting so desperately for her?

They had never even met before.

There was no prior connection.

“No… that wouldn’t make sense.”

Of course, given everything he had done, he now fit the description of someone who had waited for her.

He had struggled so much to save her.

In fact, he was the most likely candidate.

But there were still too many gaps in the reasoning.

Why would a medieval noble have been so desperate to meet her?

Was it simply for the sake of the kingdom’s salvation?

And after her downfall, did he take pity on her and act out of compassion?

“Ugh… this is too confusing. Who could it be?”

Emilia shook her head.

At first, she had thought it might be someone from her party.

But by now, she had ruled out that possibility entirely.

“Here we are.”

Lost in thought, Emilia was startled when Roselle’s voice interrupted her.

She came to a halt.

And pushed away her thoughts.

“Well… I suppose someone was waiting for me, after all. But does it really matter now?”

At this point, what did it even matter?

For now, all she needed to do was follow Roselle’s lead and focus on her recovery.

“Here…?”

“Yes.”

Emilia gazed at the door, a sense of unease creeping in.

Saintess Yuria.

One of the key figures behind everything that had happened.

No matter the reason, she was the one who had condemned Emilia to sixty-five days of hell.

Then why was she so uneasy?

She only needed to hate and demand an apology—nothing more.

A fleeting hesitation passed over her as she tried to sort out her thoughts.

Yes.

It was fear—fear of facing the truth that those sixty-five days of torment were nothing more than the result of one person’s lie for survival.

No grand reason.

No noble cause.

Just a cowardly lie told by someone who wanted to live, and that lie had condemned her to hell.

The realization terrified her.

Her pale, trembling hands betrayed her emotions, and Roselle, seeing that, gently took hold of them.

“You don’t have to do this, Emilia.”

“…No. I want to. No, I have to.”

“Do you want me to go in with you?”

Roselle’s voice was filled with concern, but Emilia simply smiled in response.

“It’s fine.”

She didn’t want him to see her like this.

She didn’t want him to see the way her heart was already trembling—the way her eyes were brimming with moisture before she had even stepped inside.

She slowly let go of Roselle’s hand.

“Will you wait for me?”

“Of course. Call for me whenever you need me. I’ll be right here.”

“Thank you.”

And then, with a resolute step, Emilia pushed the door open and entered the room.

Her trembling emerald eyes met Yuria’s shaking pale gray ones.

It was their first reunion in seventy-seven days.

As the door shut behind her, the small bedroom was left with only the two of them.

The air was so cold it felt as though it could freeze their very breath.

The silence was oppressive, every faint inhale echoing loudly through the room.

Yuria, overcome with anxiety, fidgeted restlessly.

It was Emilia who spoke first.

There was no need for formal greetings.

Not after everything that had happened.

“…I was sold as a s*ave, met Duke Roselle, and now we’re preparing to dispose of Bricall, the king who endangered the kingdom.”

“Y-Yes…? What…?”

“We’re committing treason. Just as you predicted, Saintess. We’re making the prophecy come true.”

“…What?”

Yuria’s breath caught, unable to comprehend Emilia’s sharp words.

Emilia took another step forward, her voice strained with desperation.

“Saintess. Because I was sacrificed, Duke Roselle took me in. And because of that, we are now committing treason, just as the prophecy foretold. Is that right?”

She had heard it from Roselle.

That it had all been a lie.

But she couldn’t accept it.

She couldn’t—she didn’t want to believe that her entire downfall had been caused by something so petty.

So she kept asking.

Because right now, the prophecy was coming true.

She desperately wanted to believe that this was fate, that it had always been meant to happen.

That she hadn’t suffered for nothing.

“…Ah… I…”

Yuria shrunk before her.

She knew.

She had been standing beside Roselle—there was no way she didn’t already know the truth.

Emilia’s sixty-five days of hell—they were not a noble sacrifice.

They were not destined martyrdom.

It was nothing more than a coward’s lie.

And yet, Emilia had wanted so badly to believe otherwise.

That naive hope—that small wish—was like a dagger, digging into Yuria’s heart, scraping away at her guilt.

Emilia asked again.

“The prophecy… It was real, wasn’t it? That’s why you gave it to me, right? So that my sacrifice would lead to the fall of a corrupt king and the salvation of the kingdom…?”

“…Ah…”

Yuria’s lips quivered.

She wanted to answer, but no words came out.

Her lips were chapped, her throat dry, and yet she still could not utter the truth.

Because the hero she had condemned now stood before her, demanding answers.

And for the first time, Yuria felt as though she were being dragged into the underworld itself.

She stumbled backward.

Emilia stepped forward.

The short chase ended with Yuria cornered.

And just like Yuria, Emilia’s tears had begun to fall, leaving a single streak down her cheek.

With each step back, the ugly truth drew closer.

“Tell me the truth. Was it… really a false prophecy?”

This was part of Emilia’s recovery.

To confront the truth, to accept it, to overcome it—it was the only way to completely tear out the roots of her pain.

And so, Roselle stood just beyond the door, listening.

Listening, but not intervening.

Thud.

Yuria collapsed to her knees.

Emilia didn’t want to see that.

If the prophecy had been real, Yuria wouldn’t need to kneel.

But then, Yuria clasped her hands together, rubbing them together like an insect, bowing her head.

And in that moment, Emilia felt as though her heart had stopped beating.

“…Hic… I’m sorry… It was a lie… I just… I just wanted to live… Bricall threatened me… I’m so sorry… Hero… hic… I’m so sorry…”

All Yuria could do was weep before the hero she had betrayed.

The words Emilia had longed to hear.

And the words she had dreaded the most.

Faced with the truth, Emilia’s legs gave out, and she fell to her knees before Yuria.

Because sometimes, the truth is crueler than any lie.