episode_0061

“I have come to keep my promise.”

“Ah…!”

I willingly reciprocated Charlotte’s faith.

“As of this moment, all revolution in this country shall end.”

That was—the new promise I had brought.

It was not my initial objective.

Because it was I who had lit the spark of revolution in this country in the first place.

Whoever first planned such a goal, it was solely my will and actions that directly brought it to the surface.

Through such a revolution, the populace would rise, the heart of the nation would burn, and amidst the chaos where meaningless witch hunts ran rampant, demanding a choice between revolution and death, I had merely intended to wait.

Just how much irreversible chaos would need to engulf this nation before a being called a ‘hero’ would finally answer the people’s wishes—.

Whether the hero that appeared was a character I had nurtured with my own hands, or a new individual who had yet to reveal themselves.

I had a duty to confirm the true nature of occurring in this world, which resembled a game more than anything.

And the will of the hidden stars and the goddess within it.

Still—that objective had not changed.

Because the hero who appeared in that way was the objective of the 《Black Serpent》, and Rain Grey’s objective, and also my objective here now.

However, that process would no longer be the easily recognizable form of ‘radical revolution’.

Because it would take a form far more cruel, direct, and obvious.

For no other reason than my sole change of heart.

It was because the justice of the revolution, which they blindly believed to be infallibly right, had become utterly nauseating.

There is no good or evil in something nauseating. It is simply nauseating. Now, I had not an ounce of desire to criticize the justice or duplicity of the revolution. That was the entirety of my change of heart.

“You, why is the 《Black Serpent》—!”

The twelve paladins of Charlemagne, now only four, placed their hands on their sword hilts in bewilderment. They were fools who knew nothing.

“……”

I remained silent, not answering.

“Take your hands off your sword hilt, Sir Bradamante.”

Charlotte restrained them with a cold voice. It was a calm and chilling command tone, completely different from before.

“But Your Majesty, these people are…!”

“Are you, Sir, intending to defy the Holy Queen’s command right now?”

“!”

The ruler of the Star Nation, the Holy Kingdom.

“That person there, and those people, are no longer our enemies.”

Such a woman allied with evil and knelt.

Before an insurmountable foe, there was only one action to take. It was simply to prostrate oneself, kneel, and bow one’s head.

“As the Queen of this nation, please tell me what I must do.”

“……The price of blood.”

Nothing would change for me either.

I still desired to bring chaos to this nation.

“The rebels who threaten and seek to shake the kingdom’s authority and system shall pay a fitting price.”

A hellish chaos that could not be endured without crying out for and longing for a hero.

“In the most brutal and terrible form they can possibly pay.”

“……Of course.”

At least concerning that content, Charlotte’s will was not much different.

A bloody purge.

Because if enough blood flowed and overflowed to form a river, the form of chaos didn’t particularly matter to me.

“Aria.”

“Yes, Leader-nim.”

“……Reconvene Jeanne and Alina.”

Accordingly, the roles of the members would also be newly assigned due to this change of heart.

However, no matter what command I gave, Aria’s answer was always the same.

“—As Leader-nim wills it.”

*

“Hehe, Master-nim called for me.”

It was a mansion filled with jewels, gold, and all sorts of luxury and vanity.

The purpose of the 《Black Serpent》 was not wealth or honor. However, even to fulfill their objectives, money was an indispensable virtue.

That’s why they had an overflowing amount of wealth.

It was hidden everywhere across the continent, in every nation, in various tangible and intangible forms that could hold value, such as movable or immovable assets, artworks, or promissory notes.

If they put their minds to it, acquiring all the riches and glory of this world was not impossible.

They simply chose not to.

A secluded grand mansion situated on the border between the Holy Kingdom and the Principality of Germania was also one of their organization’s numerous assets.

Furthermore, the distinct brilliance of the gold and jewels filling the mansion was the light she so dearly loved.

She simply plastered herself with indiscriminately glittering, expensive things.

It was a method of luxury so vulgar it was cringe-inducingly tacky.

Even if she fell to the darkest, deepest part of this world, she still loved bright light.

A radiance so dazzling it could blind.

“Jeanne-nim……”

Therefore, the Immortal Sword Princess who guarded Jeanne simply bit her lip in silence.

“Alina-yang, you’re making that face again.”

“……”

Jeanne kissed the flustered Alina as if she found her cute.

It wasn’t a light kiss. Their lips met sloppily, exchanging saliva, as her slender white fingers slithered and writhed like a snake, as if exploring Alina’s body.

Her former moniker, ‘Holy Maiden’, was now rendered meaningless as she threw herself into a swamp of luxury and pleasure.

Alina felt Jeanne’s slender white touch and squinted at the radiance of the jewel bracelet on her wrist.

As if she couldn’t look directly at dazzling sunlight.

“Let’s go, Alina-yang. —To carry out what we must do.”

But she knew.

No matter how brilliantly shining jewels adorned their bodies and how much radiance enveloped them, the black and dark uniforms of the 《Black Serpent》 they wore could never be hidden.

《The Black Saint》 Jeanne.

Alina of the 《Death Sword》.

Each of them having gained new names, they began to move according to the will of the Leader they were bound to serve.

*

The revolution, which began because I desired it, simultaneously ended the moment I no longer desired it.

After that day, what was erected throughout the capital of the Holy Kingdom were sharp spikes.

Spikes long and sharp enough to pierce a person completely, and sturdy enough to impale and hold two or three such people without issue—.

That was, by the command of Holy Queen Charlotte, the price to be paid by the ‘rebels’ who had sought to overthrow this nation.

Since that day, the smell of rotting corpses filled the streets. The screams of rebels, impaled alive and unable to die, pierced one’s ears.

When I realized it, I had grown accustomed to walking through such scenes.

Holy Queen Charlotte devised and executed this form of punishment, known as ‘Impalement’.

And it was none other than myself who commanded her to carry out such cruel acts.

“It is horrific.”

“……”

Aria, her eyes covered by a bandage, recited calmly. As if even she couldn’t bear to open her eyes and witness it. So I said nothing.

At this point, the excuse that I hadn’t wanted it to come to this was meaningless.

It was my will to bring chaos to this nation—to make a hero appear in some way.

Despite that, this world remained silent.

“People of the Holy Kingdom, rejoice!”

In a world where the hero remained silent, only evil had the right to shout.

“The Holy Maiden-nim has returned with the heads of the rebels!”

With the crier’s shout, the capital’s gates opened and the royal army’s march began.

Leading the procession was a woman who, despite having been abandoned by this nation, had willingly granted ‘forgiveness’.

The Holy Maiden Jeanne.

Aside from her other name, 《The Black Saint》, she remained the kingdom’s hero.

And she stepped forward, claiming to be the standard-bearer for the nation’s salvation, willingly leading the charge to execute the rebels.

Claiming the position of leader of the newly reorganized Twelve Paladins of Charlemagne, replacing the deceased Divine Spear.

The second-in-command guarding her side was, as always, the Immortal Sword Princess who had protected Jeanne.

Mixed among the trembling crowds, filled with fear and dread, I watched them clear out the rebel groups and march, sounding the drums of victory.

Moreover, awaiting them was the Queen, who, before all the kingdom’s people, was undertaking penance.

Wearing a crown of thorns on her head, she undertook asceticism barefoot, without anything on her feet.

While sharp thorns pierced her head and blood flowed like tears, Holy Queen Charlotte, treading the depths of this nation with bare white feet, faced the Holy Maiden.

“Welcome, Holy Maiden-nim.”

“—Your Majesty the Queen.”

Between them, facing each other, there was no longer any past resentment or private emotions.

They were merely bound by a shared loyalty.

That was the reality of this nation, resting in my palm and moving according to my will.

When I realized it, I, too, had already begun to genuinely yearn for a .

A true hero who would appear like magic in this hellish reality and bring it to an end.