Aria had long thought that she would never find peace in her lifetime.

The bondage was so stubborn that she couldn’t even move her body freely. For the past ten years, her body had been nothing short of a prison.

She was just a puppet, manipulated by those who had taken everything from her. It seemed she had no choice but to live such a life.

That was Aria’s belief.

…Until today came.

The familiar holy sword revived her blurrier memories.

Was it fate or inevitability?

A boy sharing the same name as that man crossed blades with her. Through his hands, she would finally be freed.

The peace she believed would never arrive had come.

Of course, she had her regrets.

There were many things left undone.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make it happen, somehow.”

Yet, that boy had taken it upon himself. He declared he would willingly accept the weight of her request, fully aware of its significance.

Thus, she could close her eyes peacefully.

…At least, that was what she thought.

Her eyes, which should have been shut, were forced open by someone.

“I understand you want to see your husband soon, but if it’s okay, could you push the schedule back a bit?”

The white-haired boy smiled as he declared, “I’ll do whatever it takes to save you.”

That was undoubtedly nonsense. If things could be solved that easily, she would have long escaped this dreadful bondage.

But still, his demeanor was so familiar.

It resembled.

The man who boasted even as he writhed in pain and suffering.

Surely, that boy also bore many responsibilities and duties, just like him. That realization hit her hard.

Despite witnessing someone tortured by responsibility, she repeated her mistakes.

She had placed a burden on a boy who was already struggling with responsibilities beyond his years.

Especially since that kind-hearted child, resembling him, was trying to push himself to save her.

But regret always comes when it’s too late. Her body was gradually succumbing to death, making even a simple smile difficult.

She should have told him not to shoulder all the burdens alone.

He didn’t have to take on everything.

But now, that was impossible.

As expected, the boy touched the shard of the holy sword, which spewed a sinister curse, trying to heal her.

The result for the boy, who overexerted himself to save a life, was gruesome.

Approaching such a perilous object that contained curses was no small feat. Naturally, the boy emerged unscathed.

“……?”

Aria’s face twisted in confusion.

But the scene before her didn’t change.

The energy of the World Tree was palpable.

The roots emerging from the boy’s hand wrapped around the blade, perfectly absorbing its energy.

Without even undergoing basic energy manipulation, the boy approached her.

A dazzling light soon burst forth.

Pure white wings suddenly sprouted from his back.

In that moment, the overwhelming force that bound her crumbled under the immense energy and was incinerated entirely.

Her wounds healed.

Life returned.

Of course, her severed limbs would not return. Nevertheless, the essential first aid was complete.

A miracle.

There was no other way to express what she was witnessing as she looked at the one who had triggered this miracle.

But, the boy who performed it had vanished.

In a situation that was utterly inexplicable, where had he suddenly gone?

Before long… footsteps could be heard.

They were too many to belong to just one boy, and felt ominous.

As Aria turned her gaze toward the source of the sound, the sight that met her eyes was…

“Act in accordance with the Saint’s revelation!!”

A group of middle-aged men, covered in blood and various vital organs, emerged.

Behind them, the white-haired boy spread his wings, smiling benevolently.

*

“…What exactly are you?”

Aria, who was receiving treatment from the summoned clergy, asked me with a bewildered expression.

Such a sudden and unexpected question.

Her gaze resembled someone looking at an alien lifeform.

I blinked for a moment, then looked at my notorious self objectively.

An abnormal level of achievement capable of overpowering a swordmaster at this age.

The status of being a hero wielding a holy sword.

Plus, the brilliant pure white wings on my back.

It was only natural that I was commanding key figures within the Holy Church and wielding the power of the World Tree while having the entire elf race under my command.

I hadn’t brought them, but I had also captured most dwarves as slaves, essentially subjugating two races.

…If you don’t see it that way, then it must be more bizarre.

It certainly wasn’t intentional, but somehow, I had stumbled into becoming a colossal figure that defied logic.

Now, claiming to be just an ordinary person wouldn’t be believed in the slightest.

So, I pondered for a moment on how to respond to that question. But such deliberation didn’t last long.

“Can you not see this brilliant wing and still not recognize His name!!”

Ironically, there were twenty men around me eager to explain my identity more than I was.

The praise felt so overwhelming it was almost embarrassing.

Having to deal with this was burdensome, and I had other pressing matters to attend to, so I decided to take my leave.

The pungent stench of blood assaulted my nose.

Blood was sticking to the soles of my shoes, and I accidentally squished something that resembled a chunk of meat, which I didn’t want to think about.

Ignoring all that, I walked on, and soon a familiar face came into view.

The first prince, who was a complete mess, stood before me.

‘Didn’t they say they had brought Yuli into the royal family?’

He might know something. As a member of royalty, he’d likely possess information unknown to others.

To obtain such intel, I lightly tapped him with the holy sword.

It was an excessively brutal torture.

I was worried he might be too broken to communicate, but I guess a great mage is still a great mage.

He locked his gaze on me.

Despite undergoing something so horrific, his eyes still sparkled with brilliance.

But…

…Laughter rang out.

A very unsettling sort of laughter.

Before I could say anything, the man before me began to laugh as if he found something utterly amusing.

For a moment, I wondered if he had lost his mind. However, those eyes did not reflect someone who had gone insane.

A sense of foreboding washed over me.

Indeed, a most ominous feeling.

I quickly reassessed the situation.

What tricks could he possibly have up his sleeve at this point?

He was definitely neutralized.

He couldn’t move, and his mana circuits were probably damaged, so casting spells would be impossible too.

The only thing I could think of was allies, but there was no way he could call his comrades.

After all, this was the Demon Realm.

Using magical communication here didn’t stand a chance…

‘Hold on.’

Suddenly, a single hypothesis crossed my mind.

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

If…

What if, by some miracle…

He had sent a message to the outside?

Of course, it would be impossible to use mana-based communication, given the circumstances.

But that meant analog communication was entirely possible.

No need to use another person.

Mana communication is often risky to intercept, so mechanical birds are sometimes used.

If the prince had one…

What information could have reached the royal family by now?

Our personal information?

Our current location?

No matter what it was, it would be fatal.

He wouldn’t have secretly sent a mechanical bird. There’s no way that would have happened. I thought as I tried to calm my rising anxiety, but…

Seeing my state, the prince smiled and said.

“Did you just figure it out?”

*

The high-tech magic engineering device.

The letter sent by the prince reached the royal family in no time.

An urgent alarm sounded.

The first to notice the mechanical bird was…

“This is….”

The second prince, Renya.

Renya had to stare in astonishment.

He had finally realized the true identity of the black fangs he had been pursuing relentlessly. Now, he was painfully aware that he had fallen for their trick all along…

But, it wasn’t the same reason.

Renya hadn’t even read the letter.

“Do you take me for a fool?”

Renya muttered with a frown.

The seal on that mechanical bird belonged to his brother, and the letter was drenched in blood. It was an utterly bizarre situation.

Whoever set this trap clearly didn’t have much intelligence.

Renya despised his brother.

But he also acknowledged his strength.

So he knew.

There was no way anyone could take down the great mage, especially one accompanied by powerful guards, to the point of making him blood-soaked.

Perhaps the simpleton who constructed this trap was expecting his response to be something like, ‘Oh no! It’s blood! My brother is in danger! I must read the letter immediately!’

If that was the case, then too bad.

It was the strategist renowned for his cunning who discovered this mechanical bird.

He wouldn’t fall for a curse that activates the moment you open the letter.

There was no reason to hesitate any further.

Renya snapped his fingers, manifesting the spell.

At that moment, the fake letter ignited into flames.

Thus, the heinous scheme of the wicked to carry out a reckless curse-terror on the royal family was thwarted before it could begin.

Truly, a moment of great fortune.

*

“You will truly realize what it means to turn the Empire into your enemy! Bwahaha!!”

The first prince of the Empire laughed wickedly.

…completely unaware of how the situation was unfolding.