The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 32

Paladin Amelda.

Her life was governed by a few principles she had set for herself.

She did not resist what she believed was unavoidable; instead, she complied.

And…

Amelda, the Elf, focused solely on reaping the sweet rewards amidst the flow of events.

This was the complacency in Amelda’s life, and the rules embedded in her heart led her to choose a single path each time she faced critical decisions.

Even when she first received the call of the God and became a Paladin.

When she joined the Hero party, basking in the expectations of those around her.

Or when she was swept away by the waves of worldly pleasure that Torare had shown her.

And… when her companions suggested abandoning the Hero.

She always concentrated on gaining her small benefits while not going against the will of those around her.

However.

At this very moment.

Having lived a life of constant compliance and compromise…

Her life, which had solely pursued self-preservation in the current trend…

Suddenly fell into the abyss, caught unawares by an unforeseen reef.

-Crackle!!!

“GAAAAAH!!!!”

The burning hot metal pierced her chest.

Amelda let out a ghastly scream, enveloped in the worst pain she had never experienced since her birth.

The horrific sounds and acrid smells resulting from her flesh being scorched.

And the utterly horrific sensations that served as the source of it all.

As Amelda writhed in agony…

That person.

Achilles, the general of the Empire—whom Amelda knew all too well—coldly stated.

“There’s no need for mercy. This girl has been a wicked servant of the Holy Pope, deceiving and exploiting countless people with false doctrines. Ensure she pays dearly for her sins.”

“Yes, General!”

With those words, the soldiers began bringing forth heated metal instruments once more.

Seeing this, Amelda trembled in terror, slowly shaking her head.

“I-I don’t want to… Please… No more… Please, I beg you—AAAGGGHHH!!!”

Before her words could finish, the heated branding iron fell upon her chest.

The precious flesh in that region was being tormented in the worst possible way.

Once again, a pain-filled scream erupted from Amelda’s lips.

However, those present did not show even a hint of compassion for her suffering.

They were not torturing her to extract a confession or force any actions from her.

The reason they were torturing Amelda was simply to inflict pain upon her…

To express their hatred and animosity towards the Elves, who had now essentially become their enemies.

The tortures continued endlessly, showing no signs of stopping or weakening.

In those moments, all Amelda could do was unleash her pain-filled screams and shed her tears.

And…

All that remained was to futilely regret the past she could no longer undo.

*

“Hah… Hah… Hah…”

The unrelenting cruel torture continued beyond her ability to track time.

After what actually amounted to three days of torment, it briefly halted, and Amelda was thrown alone into a solitary confinement cell, cuffs on her body.

A dim light filtered into the narrow, dreary space.

There, Amelda gasped for breath amidst the lingering pain, exhibiting a vacant expression.

Yet.

At this moment, the greatest torment afflicting Amelda was not…

The physical pain gnawing at her body.

Nor the anguish stemming from an obscured and miserable future.

The root cause weighing heavily on her heart…

Was this.

The destiny she had encountered at the end of the trajectory of her life.

The profound misery of her current reality, so disconnected from her existence…

And the past that birthed this state.

“Where did it all go wrong… Where… Where did it begin…?”

Always believing she had chosen the best path for herself, Amelda.

Yet,

The extreme conclusion she now faced…

A conclusion as dark as a bottomless pit, where not a glimmer of light shone…

Made her feel as though her entire life had been denied…

No, it straightforwardly revealed the fact that her life had been fundamentally flawed.

“Having always chosen the path I thought was the best… Trying to be as safe as possible… Choosing a path that didn’t go against the trend… Why did it end up like this…?”

It was akin to receiving a failing grade of zero on an exam she had prepared for to the best of her ability.

As Amelda grappled with that realization, suddenly…

A man’s words, who had once pointed out the flaws in her life, sprang to mind.

– “You are a Paladin, aren’t you? Please act more proactively.” –

Those words…

Had always been filled with complaints shrouded in advice directed at her.

A man who possessed the greatest power among humans she had known…

Yet always spoke bluntly to others.

A man who championed only restraint and integrity.

Now deceased.

When she had heard these words,

Amelda had concealed her reactions but felt only irritation, resistance, and disregard within her heart.

Until that point, Amelda had believed her way of life was not wrong.

The sweet fruits of pleasure offered by Torare and her life dedicated to desire had rendered the Hero’s words mere useless nagging, just deepening her dislike for that man.

After all, with that Hero’s power, the war would eventually end.

She thought she could merely appease him and enjoy the fruits that fell.

However, despite her thoughts, the Hero’s nagging continued, further diminishing her already low regard for him.

Possessing such feelings,

Amelda could actively agree with her companions’ proposal to eliminate the Hero.

Simultaneously, she began planning how to design a sweet life with Torare—that was just a bonus.

Yet.

As a result of this series of actions, Amelda now found herself in a pitiful state of having no dream, no hope…

And the words of that man, who had automatically offered her unfiltered advice, began to resurface in her mind.

It resembled the instinctive recall of parental nagging that comes to mind when one reaches the end of life.

In her deep despair, she wondered if acting with integrity could have led to different outcomes…

This thought naturally evoked profound feelings of regret within Amelda.

‘What if… I had listened to you… I should have walked my path without being swayed by those around me, just like the Hero said…’

In reality, no one could be certain what would have happened had she altered her choices.

Yet, for one who had fallen to the depths, it was entirely natural to dwell on small possibilities of the past, hoping against hope.

Furthermore, the overwhelming mental exhaustion from unendurable torture, the despair of a colorless existence…

And the guilt over the sins she had tried to ignore.

These intricate emotions began…

To lead Amelda into profound chaos in her thinking, inducing distorted exaggerations and hallucinations.

As a result,

Amelda’s mind was now filled with warped “If” scenarios related to the final confrontation that had determined her fate with the Demon King.

‘If at that moment I had rejected Torare’s offer and remained side by side with the Hero… If I had genuinely aimed to aid the Hero instead of acting on playful whims… perhaps I could have avoided this outcome.’

In reality, the straightforward goals established during their last battle were incredibly selfish despite being preparation for the final showdown in a perilous journey.

An unbalanced plan designed to have the Hero face the Demon King head-on, exposing the Hero’s power while everyone weakened in the process.

However…

Had they not intended to toss the Hero aside and instead designed a plan purely for victory…

If they had meticulously constructed a strategy to defeat the Demon King’s subordinates one by one and then combined their strength to vanquish the Demon King…

Then perhaps Amelda would be… not a wretched prisoner undergoing merciless tortures but a celebrated hero who had ended the war.

Additionally, her beloved homeland, the Elf Church Country, likely wouldn’t have found itself in such dire straits as it currently was.

‘That’s right. Perhaps the Hero’s rigid demeanor and stern warnings were to prevent this situation…’

Thinking back, the last scene of the Hero heading toward the Demon King alone had seemed to carry a sense of resignation.

Moreover, though barely visible from her position at the back, there had been a subtle, inscrutable smile lingering on the Hero’s lips.

In her superior Elf vision, Amelda had initially thought that smile merely conveyed confidence in victory. But now, reflecting back, it felt different.

Perhaps, that smile represented…

An awareness of the impending failure of the battle against the Demon King and the possibility of her deplorable fate.

Such thoughts began crystallizing into a certainty within Amelda’s unstable heart.

And as a result, words of regret and apology began to flow from her lips uncontrollably.

“I’m so… sorry, Hero. I… I should have listened to you… I should have realized much earlier, following your advice… Because of my foolishness… because I fell into pleasure without knowing anything… like a dog…”

Amelda had always felt guilty for sullying the honor of the Hero, who fought to the end for their sake.

Although she had reluctantly sacrificed him for Torare’s plan, the guilt had once more clawed its way out of the grave and cruelly began to gnaw at Amelda’s heart.

In the twisted mindset, excessive overestimation of the Hero lingered on.

“I was wrong… I… I was wrong, Hero…”