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ter 241-242 – The Weight of Sin
The queen's throne room was the largest of the hundreds of chambers within the royal castle.
On that day, all the members of the castle had gathered there—the queen's servants and maids, the Duke, and the knights as well.
"Hello, minister…"
"Yes… why did the human call me for today?"
"Indeed. I hope it's not something serious."
The elves exchanged greetings, but their faces were clouded with anxiety.
That was natural. Shocking events always followed whenever Dayke gathered them together. Because of this, the elves summoned to the hall could not help but fear what kind of evil they might face this time.
"Hmm."
The sound of a throat being cleared silenced the noisy throne room.
All eyes turned toward the queen's throne, where Dayke stood tall before them.
"Has everyone gathered?"
When Kiella nodded in response, Dayke looked down at the frightened elves and spoke.
"Everyone, welcome. The reason we are here today is because Nermedia has something she wishes to say to you all."
His voice was quieter than usual. But rather than calming the elves, it only deepened their unease.
"It is something of great importance. She said she thought long and hard before deciding to stand here, so I ask you all to listen carefully."
Dayke then stepped aside, allowing Nermedia to move to the center, where countless gazes fell upon her.
For a moment, the elves felt relief at seeing her composed figure, but that relief soon vanished. The atmosphere grew tense as they noticed the heavy expression on their Queen's face.
Nermedia clasped her neatly folded hands together, as though struggling with her thoughts. At last, she lowered her gaze to the floor and began to speak softly.
"My dear elf sisters, I stand here today to confess my sins and to ask forgiveness from all of you."
"A sin…?"
"What crime could the queen have committed…?"
"Dayke once told me of the goddess's prophecy. That if a hero were to defeat the Demon King, he would then become the rightful leader of the kingdom…"
"…"
"And yet, I disobeyed the words of the goddess. I killed her chosen hero, all so I would not have to relinquish my position as queen."
Her lips trembled as she confessed.
The reactions of those listening were split into two.
Some felt their worst fears confirmed, while others still could not understand what she meant. But her next words shattered every doubt and united their reactions into one.
"That is the truth."
"W-What?!"
"That's impossible! The queen would never do such a thing!"
"What did I just hear…?"
The shocking revelation threw the throne room into utter chaos.
To her people, Nermedia had always been a benevolent and righteous queen.
Five years ago, she had indeed seemed harsh toward the warrior and toward Dayke, but even that had been understood as a decision made for the good of the kingdom.
But this was no minor misstep. She had committed the gravest sin of all—disobeying the goddess's command. It was a transgression no elf could easily forgive.
"A queen… her duty is to spread the word of the goddess and to ensure that all her elf sisters live in peace under the goddess's grace. Yet I, intoxicated by the sweetness of power, forgot her words. To cling to this position, I made my choice."
Nermedia's confession continued amidst the noisy atmosphere of the throne room.
"Immediately after defeating the Demon King, I killed the hero. I then covered it up by using my authority as queen to manage the Book of Prophecy. I… I am truly sorry. Ugh, uh…"
Tears burst from the corners of her eyes.
For years, she had lived while averting her gaze from her own sins. But the past few months she had spent with Dayke had forced her to confront the unbearable weight of those sins.
"Oh my…"
Iril, who was watching from the same place, also shed tears. She was not so much moved by her mother's repentance as she was relieved that her mother had finally been able to change.
However, while the knights and Kiella looked at their queen with pity, the reactions of the subjects and maids were entirely different.
"The queen would never do that!"
"That's right! Dayke, you must have threatened her into lying!"
"Ah… how cruel of you to force this from her…!"
They still clung tightly to their faith in their queen.
"I can't stand it anymore! I'd rather die than see my kingdom fall into your hands!"
"Let us reclaim the castle! If the royal wizards will not come, then we must do it ourselves!"
"That's right!"
Their cries grew louder. Their voices were blending together into a storm of anger.
Yet Dayke remained calm. He had prepared a sure way to turn that raging tide of opinion in his favor.
"Quiet, all of you! You think I threatened the queen? Then I will show you proof. Nermedia, tell them the location of the book of prophecy."
"…"
"Hurry."
"…It is kept in a secret underground chamber that only I know of. The hero's sword rests there as well."
"Good. Go with Agnes and bring both back here."
After some time, the women returned to the throne room.
Agnes was carrying in her hands the very sword once wielded by the hero in my past life, while Nermedia was carrying the Book of Prophecy.
"Here. The Book of Prophecy. If you doubt the queen's words, come and read it for yourself."
The elves hesitated at Dayke's confident tone.
At last, the one who raised her hand was the head maid—the same woman who had taught Iril the language of the ancient elves.
"May I… may I read it?"
When I nodded, she approached the throne with trembling steps.
"Whoo…"
She took the prophecy from the queen's hands and let out a long breath.
Traditionally, the prophetic book could only be seen by the queen, who bore the sacred duty of preserving the goddess's words. Even in this emergency, it was natural she felt nervous as she held it.
After steadying her breath several times, the maid adjusted her glasses with shaking hands and began to read.
"When Elora is overflowing with laziness and pleasure, and the moon turns red, a soul who cannot distinguish between destruction and delight shall appear…"
Her voice trembled, and when she read further, her eyes widened in shock. Covering her mouth, she gasped.
"Hmph!"
"Keep reading."
"When the Demon King is finally defeated and the body of the evil one who sought this land is burned away… Sword Harmoniere shall completely belong to the hero. The hero shall become the leader of Elora, and eternal peace shall remain in this land."
The maid's legs gave out, and she sank to the floor.
"It… it was all true…"
Her eyes, emptied of hope, stared into nothingness. Her words sent shock through all the elves present.
"Was the queen truly the one who killed the hero?"
"So she deceived the entire kingdom until now?"
"How could she betray us all…!"
Suddenly, the blame shifted away from Dayke and fell squarely upon Nermedia.
"Isn't the sudden rise of monsters also because the queen killed the hero?"
"Yes! The goddess said that peace would come once the hero became leader of Elora! But the queen's greed has brought disaster!"
"It must be true! Even the royal wizards' absence is tied to the queen's betrayal!"
"It's all because of the queen! Had she yielded leadership to the hero, to Dayke, none of this would have happened!"
Nermedia's face turned pale as the fury of her people grew harsher.
Though she had expected this outcome, she could not hide her shock at the sudden change in attitude from those she had known for so long.
Yet all of this was anger she herself had sown.
Even misunderstandings she had not intended were punishments she now had to bear as the guilty one who had committed such a grave sin.
"S-sorry… I am so sorry…!"
"Betrayer!"
"All this time, I trusted only in the queen…!"
Nermedia's mind went blank, and she could do nothing but apologize again and again. But her desperate words did not soothe her sisters' deep sense of betrayal.
Even so, she forced her trembling lips to keep moving, clinging to the hope of somehow finding forgiveness.
"I will dedicate my life to paying for the sins I have committed. I will announce today's events to the entire kingdom and hand over the position of king to Dayke."
"To Dayke?"
"What do you mean?!"
"You can't make someone who oppressed the royal family our king!"
The protest was loud and justified from the perspective of the elves who couldn't understand Nermedia's intentions.
The one who silenced them was Agnes, who had been listening quietly.
"Everyone, be quiet!"
At her sharp cry, accompanied by the sound of her sword being drawn, the elves fell silent.
"Dayke is the most suitable person to be the next leader among us! He is the reincarnation of the hero who was betrayed and died five years ago!"
"What?"
"Dayke … a hero?"
"What nonsense…!!"
Confusion swept through the throne room once again at the shocking revelation.
At that moment, Nermedia walked to Dayke and fell to her knees.
In her raised hands lay the prophecy book, and resting on top of it was the warrior's sword that Agnes had given her.
"From this moment, you are the king of the kingdom. Please guide Elora into peace."
Dayke reached out and picked up the sword.
It looked rather plain for a warrior's blade.
But the instant it touched its rightful owner, it shone with rainbow-colored light, displaying its true nature.
"Th-The hero's sword is shining!"
"That's impossible!"
Ignoring their cries, Dayke slowly turned the sword in his hand, feeling the extraordinary power coursing through his body.
When he had first felt this sensation years ago, he was terrified of the burden of fighting the Demon King. But now, his heart raced with the thrill of having finally reached this moment.
'It's been so long since I felt this.'
All that remained was to accept the prophecy book from Nermedia, who knelt before him with her head bowed.
With this, he could fulfill the goddess's prophecy, take his place as leader, and set right the injustice of the past years. Yet, the words that came out of his mouth shook the throne room once again.
"Ah, Nermedia. There's no need for the prophecy."
"…What?"
"I have no intention of becoming king."
For months, he had been guiding the kingdom alongside the elves. And what he had learned was clear—leading not only a small group but an entire tribe was exhausting.
"Give the prophecy to Iril. From today, she will be queen."
"H-Huh?! M-Me?!"
Iril's eyes went wide, as though struck by lightning.
"But I'm not ready yet…!"
"It's fine. We'll be here to help you."
"No! Then you would be going against the goddess's prophecy again!"
Unlike the shaken princess, Dayke remained calm.
"I'm human. I don't have to obey the elf goddess, do I?"
"Y-Yes, but…"
Iril faltered. She was unconvinced, and the other elves, too, struggled to comprehend the turn of events.
Then, just as silence threatened to choke the throne room—
"Uh?"
A pure white light suddenly burst from the pocket where Dayke kept his phone.
The radiance gathered in the air, slowly shaping into the form of a tall woman with long ears.
Her brilliance filled the throne room like the rising sun.
Her features were hidden behind the veil of light, but Iril already knew this being.
"G-Goddess?!"