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“……Brother.”

Amidst the now shadowed palace gardens, Abraham was smoking a strong cigarette, while Aria sat on the ground in a daze.

“……..”

And in such a scene, the only person who had been standing guard until the very end was Ferloche, who stood watching in silence.

“Ugh…”

Why was Ferloche the last person to remain in that spot?

The reason was obvious.

As no one could bring themselves to speak of Frey’s whereabouts, Abraham, thinking there might still be misunderstandings, cheerfully revealed the whole truth of affairs to the people in the garden with a bright smile.

And as if to prove Abraham’s words, various messages and reports swiftly reached the members who were once part of the supposed Hero’s party.

Lastly, Ferloche’s trembling voice drove the nail into the coffin, as she revealed fragments of what she had witnessed and heard during her prayer, thus providing more evidence while the sun gradually set forever.

Everyone who heard such stories and information had complex thoughts. They dispersed while coping in different ways:

“I-I can’t acknowledge it. The Hero is Ms. Ruby. It’s impossible for Frey to be the Hero.”

“Let me investigate this first. If what I heard is true… then surely there’s some kind of evidence remaining.”

The majority of the sub-heroines quickly left, grappling with their inability to accept the information they had just heard.

“Ah…”

“……….”

For reasons unknown, Isolet and the main heroines with faces pale as if possessed, displayed unwavering determination even in this dark moment, as they made their way toward the adjacent command post.

“Heuk…”

Although everyone left for various reasons, Ferloche remained in the garden until the day grew completely dark.

It was because when Frey’s family heard that Ferloche had shattered him into pieces with her last blow, she chased everyone out of the garden before anyone had a chance to give their condolences, assuming that they even wanted to in the first place.

“My son…”

“H-Heuk…”

Ferloche couldn’t leave Abraham and Aria in the garden since they were still oblivious and in shock to what was happening.

“E-Excuse me…”

Burdened by guilt, Ferloche wished she could strangle and end herself as she approached Aria, who was curled up on the ground.

“…Ah.”

However, Ferloche immediately stopped as she realized why Aria was kneeling.

“Brotherrrr…”

Frey’s younger sister, who once thought of killing Frey daily, now found herself in utter despair. She murmured to herself, as her fingers brushed through the dirt infused with the shimmering energy that was all that remained of her brother.

Once again, Ferloche attempted to approach them.

“…..!”

Even when she was in front of Frey’s family, Ferloche only trembled with guilt, unable to utter a single word to them in such a situation.

I’m able to observe everything through your eyes, but it seems I still can’t hear very well.

In her mind, she heard the arrogant voice of the Demon God that had been stringing her all along.

“Ugh…”

Stepping forward, Ferloche firmly closed her tear-filled eyes. For now, she needed to comply with the Demon God’s commands in order to buy time as requested by the Sun God.

“Uh… Ms. Aria.”

At that moment, she saw that Aria was a mess, her knees marred with deep purple bruising.

Upon learning the truth from her father, Aria fell as she rushed from the house. Her suppressed memories had flooded her mind, completely overwhelming her with emotions.

“F-First, let me heal your wounds…”

Just as she always did when she saw someone sick or injured, Ferloche tried to heal Aria’s knee wound with her holy powers.

“…Huh?”

However, she was surprised when nothing came out of her hand.

“W-What’s wrong…?”

Because of that, Ferloche was at a loss. What should she do with Aria’s bleeding knees?

“…Saintess.”

Aria spoke in a spiritless voice as she gulped roughly with tears.

“The things you said earlier, did it truly happen…?”

“T-that’s…”

“Did… my brother really choose death instead of his revival?”

“…Yes.”

With a hard pang to her conscience, Ferloche answered while reminiscing back to that scene.

“Then… I would never be able to meet my brother again…”

Her hollow gaze remained fixed on the glistening soil as she continued to touch it.

“Then… I can no longer talk to him. I can no longer beg him for forgiveness. I can no longer feel his warmth and kindness. I can’t do anything…”

Her voice faded as she murmured.

“…….”

With that, silence settled in for a long while.

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“I hated my older brother. No, it wasn’t mere hatred, but to the point I felt repulsed.”

After sitting in a daze for some time, Aria finally broke the silence with a broken voice.

“For the longest time, I believed he was the one responsible for taking away both my parents, whom I deeply loved”

She began to share her childhood story.

“When I was a child, I fell seriously ill and was bedridden. It was terribly painful, so I always searched for my kind and caring brother.”

She recalled how Frey would gently blow and disinfect her wounds, no matter how minor they were.

Because of that, Aria had no doubts that during the darkest moment of her life, her brother would come running, just as he always did, to gently blow his magical breath and make all her problems go away while giving her a pure smile of reassurance.

“However, I didn’t see my brother and my mother for several days.”

Unable to receive proper care, Aria endured her illness in loneliness until she finally overcame it. Unfortunately, she received shocking news only a few hours after she recovered. Her beloved mother had passed away.

“I heard that my mother went into the forest with my brother to play hide-and-seek, but she died because of his mistake. At that time, I felt like the sky was falling apart.”

Just as Aria had described in her story, for some period of time, her life was filled with great sorrow and depression.

Her resentment towards her brother grew even stronger as he started to get crooked after their mother’s death.

And then… years later, her father fell into a comatose state while trying to clean up after Frey’s mess. Therefore, Aria’s despair evolved into pure hatred.

“Saintess, after I regained my memory and I learned the truth… Do you know what the reality was?”

Because of her hatred, Aria used to attempt to stab Frey with a dagger whenever she was near him.

In her eyes, Frey was the monster responsible for their parents’ death. Consequently, she hurled curses whenever she saw him.

Even when Aria tried to change him back to the person he used to be, he did not show any signs of remorse nor redemption. Eventually, she gave up on the feeling of concern for him and shifted all her focus into despising the world’s most terrible individual.

Sraasshh…

Aria continued to clutch the soil mingled with Frey’s radiant energy, but the shimmering soil kept slipping through her fingers.

“…..Have a look at this.”

After caressing the soil for a while, Aria took an old diary from her embrace and handed it to Ferloche.

[Frey’s Diary]

The diary had Frey’s slightly skewed signature on its cover.

“My father gave me this diary.”

“I-I see…”

Aria’s words left Ferloche staring at the seemingly ordinary diary.

“Read the part that I marked.”

“….A-all right.”

Ferloche’s various emotions danced across her face after hearing Aria’s request. Nevertheless, she began reading the marked part of the diary with a wavering gaze.

[○○ Year ○○ Month ○○ Day]

[My dear sister has fallen ill. It makes me feel so sad. I wish I was the one sick instead]

“T-This…”

The diary entry began with concern for Aria, as he wrote a long paragraph about it.

[Oh, by the way… our mother just went to the forest. I’m fairly certain about her intentions because she mentioned searching for clues to cure Aria’s illness.]

There was another paragraph at the end of that long entry further worrying about Aria.

[So, I’m going to follow her secretly! I promised Aria to play hide-and-seek, but it has been a few days, and we still haven’t been able to do it because she is so ill. Once I get a cure for her, we can play together again! Also, if I help Mother, she will like it, right?]

After reading the entire contents of the diary, Ferloche read the “P.S.” section.

[P.S. By the way, I overheard my mother talking to someone on the first floor about a curse. A bargain? A deal? These words popped up several times… what does it mean?]

“This is…?”

Ferloche’s trembling gaze turned towards Aria.

“I wasn’t suffering from an illness. I was under a curse.”

“What?”

“The culprits behind these events were the two warlocks who killed my mother and turned her into a monster. They are also the ones who cursed me and blackmailed my mother into doing what they desired.”

Ferloche was stunned when she realized what Aria had implied.

“They told her that if she wanted to keep me alive… she had to submit herself and become a test subject for their experiments.”

Tears welled in Aria’s eyes as she gazed at Ferloche with profound sadness.

“My brother… My brother was so worried about me that he followed Mom, but he ended up witnessing those warlocks kill our mom and turn her into a demonic monster. However, I didn’t know that and continued cursing him, believing he was the monster instead.”

Aria started sobbing as she told her story.

“Moreover, when my brother was imprisoned within the mansion… I was the one who helped the assassins break into the mansion! It was my actions that robbed him of any semblance of peace for months…!”

“…Ah.”

“That wasn’t the only thing. I’ve done so many bad things that are now irreversible…!”

Not knowing what to do, Aria continued to speak.

“I have to apologize to him, I can’t let him go like this.”

Aria started pleading as she held onto Ferloche’s leg.

“I feel so guilty for my brother, who had been suffering all this time, and about his decision to rest. Please convey my message to him.”

“I-I can’t…”

“You can communicate with those who are in Heaven, right? Please, convey my message to him. Just one message, please…”

“…Ms. Aria.”

So, Ferloche responded to Aria’s plea.

“I can’t do it.”

She replied with a heavy heart.

“Mr. Frey has chosen ‘Annihilation’.”

“…..Huh?”

Aria’s eyes grew wider upon realizing the implication of those words.

“Didn’t you hear what I said earlier? The word I used when I told you that Frey has chosen to rest in peace. The explanation I made after that.”

“Ah, ahh…”

Ferloche’s subsequent words left Aria speechless, frozen in place.

“……….”

“H-Heuk… ”

Just like that, Aria continued to shed endless tears.

“Brother…!”

She collapsed onto the glistening soil that Frey had left behind and began wailing.

“………”

While Aria despaired, Ferloche just sat there and stared blankly at her. She felt utterly dead inside. Then, she cautiously spoke to Abraham, who was in the distance.

“E-Excuse me… Lord Abraham.”

“Uh, Lord Abraham. Please, I… uh?”

However, her words faltered as she rose from her spot and saw Abraham’s current condition.

“…….”

Overwhelmed with anguish, Abraham had taken a potent medicine and had fallen into a deep slumber.

“Aaahh…”

It was a potion that would put him in a coma for a few weeks after he consumes it.

“Ah, ahhhh…”

As she witnessed this scene, Ferloche finally lost her mind, falling unconscious and crumbling to the ground.

By the time she eventually regained consciousness, the truth would have been revealed to everyone.

The last thing she heard before darkness enveloped her vision was the gleeful voice of the Demon God.

That’s right. Show me a Hell on Earth.

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Meanwhile, at the barracks for the operations headquarters near the palace.

“The Demon King’s Army has been completely defeated!”

“Additionally, we have received news that Strategist Lemerno’s head has been severed, and…”

“Breaking news! All the newspapers have simultaneously published exposés about corruption and mismanagement within the Sunrise Empire!”

Messengers arrived one after another, bringing news of the battle’s conclusion and its aftermath.

“…….?”

Yet, the messengers found themselves puzzled by the reactions they encountered. Most of those within the barracks wore hollow and ghostly expressions, maintaining an eerie silence.

“Um, everyone?”

“…My memories.”

Among those people, stood a figure with a sword strapped to her waist.

It was Isolet, who was caressing the beloved sword that had been gifted to her by Frey.

“My memories… have returned.”

She murmured, her voice devoid of spirit.

And in that moment, the memories of those manipulated by a young Frey surged back like a wave.