The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 33

“I’m sorry… I was wrong, Hero… I didn’t understand your will, and I did that… I didn’t comprehend the noble meaning and acted in such a despicable way…”

In a voice full of despair and emptiness, Amelda spat out her apologies and regrets towards a Hero who was no longer present in this place.

However, in a situation where everything had already ended, her words of apology and regret—aimed at someone who was dead—felt shameless and utterly disgusting, even to herself.

There was no meaning in it, and it changed nothing.

What remained was merely a wretched self that had betrayed everyone’s expectations, caught in an addiction akin to a drug, and the emotion of an overwhelming void.

Thus, in that moment of belated regret…

As Amelda shed tears of genuine remorse that were both shameless and repulsive, it happened.

-Creeeak…

“!…”

The door suddenly began to creak open.

Amelda instinctively shrank back, thinking that people were entering to torture her again.

Her chest was already filled with burn scars from endless branding, and her back bore countless wounds from cruel whipping.

Her knees were covered in cuts, having become tattered from being pressed against broken glass and rocks.

The joints of her left hand were horrifically twisted and broken, rendering it incapable of functioning as a normal hand.

Moreover… a few of her teeth had been violently pulled out.

Though she had yet to be sexually assaulted, Amelda knew that it wasn’t far off.

“What if… today is that day? Y-Yeah, it doesn’t matter, right? It might hurt less that way… After all, I’m a piece of trash, even if treated like a roadside whore. I don’t deserve to feel shame anymore…”

With such deep resignation, Amelda began to envision the miserable future that was approaching her.

But then…

“…Huh?”

In the next moment, contrary to her expectations that someone would storm in roughly, a hand emerged from behind the slightly opened door.

Though not clearly visible, the hand, clad in something resembling the gloves worn by witches, tossed something in front of Amelda before disappearing without closing the door.

What began to catch Amelda’s eye was a small metallic object lying on the floor.

As soon as she recognized what it was, a glimmer of surprise lit up in her eyes.

‘Th… This is… a key?’

From its shape, it seemed like it could unlock the Magic Sealing Handcuffs that were clasped around her.

With a hopeful thought, Amelda decided to use it.

And then…

*Click!*

“!”

Her handcuffs came off effortlessly.

Amelda couldn’t be certain of what was happening, but at least in that moment, she realized what she needed to choose.

Immediately after, she began to use Restoration Magic to imperfectly restore her battered body.

While trying to mend her body, which could barely stand, doubts began to surface in her mind first.

‘Could this be a trap? Is someone pretending to help me escape, only to catch me again…?’

Having once fallen into a trap while trying to escape, this question was unavoidable.

However…

Amelda quickly shook her head and made a decisive choice, separate from those thoughts.

‘No, even if this is a trap, I have to try to move. After all, I’ve already lost my life… I must struggle to get out somehow. And… if I succeed in escaping, I will surely fulfill the Hero’s noble will in this world…’

Thus, feeling a determination to seize what might be her last chance and a sense of duty to do something for that person’s honor, Amelda led her body, now able to move reasonably, cautiously out of the prison.

She passed by the guards who were already knocked out, as if someone had arranged it beforehand, and came out.

The timing was perfect; it was now night, allowing her to take advantage of the darkness.

Amelda began to move cautiously, hiding herself as much as possible in the shadows.

Fortunately, unlike before, it didn’t seem like there was a trap. She felt no signs of anyone pursuing her.

Feeling relief in that fact, Amelda continued to use her elf’s agility.

Although she faced several dangerous situations along the way, nearly getting caught multiple times.

Yet, each time, she called out internally to that person.

Reciting the name of the Hero, the embodiment of justice who carried out Divine Will, calmed her anxious heart, allowing her to barely overcome the crises.

As a result, after passing through several close calls, Amelda finally managed to slip out of the castle.

‘I did it! I… I actually did it! Ahh… Thank you, Hero!’

Having achieved her escape from what had felt like hell, Amelda expressed her gratitude to the Hero, who had always been her mental support in the prison. Then she leaped into the forest, completely vanishing from view.

And.

About a week later.

Having escaped from prison in tatters, at this moment, Amelda, dressed once again in the attire of a Paladin, stood before countless others.

Before the High Archbishop of the Elf Church, the highest-ranking Paladins, and the Pope, she began to recount the entire truth of the events she had experienced without filter.

Of course, she also spoke of the distorted ‘truth’ that had been born from her warped reasoning.

“So… we have failed. As a result of neglecting the Hero’s noble and sacred will to defeat the Demon King with all our thoughts, abilities, and intentions until the last moment… our Hero Party squandered the once-in-a-lifetime chance offered by God through the Hero. We forsook the opportunity to end this long, long war.”

“That…”

“I suspected something was off, but is this the reality behind it?”

“Ultimately, the ugly selfishness of those imperial humans has tainted everything…”

The high-ranking members of the Church began to speak out, collectively stunned and enraged by Amelda’s words.

However, in the next moment, Amelda continued with a firm voice directed at them.

“However, this is not solely to blame on humans. I too, captivated by momentary desires, misinterpreted the Hero’s will and became a sinner who committed wrongdoing… In due time, I will surely pay for that sin, and at that moment, I implore you all here to condemn me! But before that… I want to earnestly request from the members of the Church who uphold God’s Will.”

Drawing everyone’s attention once again, Amelda then…

In a voice that seemed to resonate with fervent faith, she stretched out her arms and shouted with a pleading tone.

“Everyone, please protect the honor of the Hero who dedicated himself to the peace of the continent! Deliver rightful punishment to the evil Falcon Empire that is tarnishing his noble name for their own power! In accordance with Divine Will! By the name of the Hero, Ellen Savior, the embodiment of pure and noble justice!”

Amelda’s declaration directly contradicted the Emperor, who was criticizing the Church using the actions of the Hero Party.

At this moment, those present began to respond with enthusiastic cheers toward her, who was saying exactly what they needed to hear.

The conference room filled with applause and the fervent cries of determination.

Just moments before Amelda spoke, they had been engulfed in chaos and anxiety due to the ‘distortion of the oracle’,

Now, under the firm justification of ‘justice’ that had been bestowed upon them, they started to rediscover their intense motivation, placing the name of the Hero—who had become a symbol of justice through ‘death’—at the forefront.

And seeing this, Amelda resolved to engrave in her heart the face of the man she had been seeking forgiveness from in that hell.

“Please, watch over me, Hero. I will surely restore your noble honor. And… once everything is over, I pray that I can offer my apology in the afterlife…”

*

With Amelda’s heartfelt speech of remorse came the revelation of the ‘truth.’

Based on this, the Elf Church formally announced a statement regarding the defeat of the Hero Party.

The essence of this statement was that the incident occurred not because the oracle was wrong, but because the members of the Hero Party had entirely hindered the Hero instead of aiding him.

It included a request for the execution of Eileen, the Female Warrior and Vice Minister of the Empire, and Porter Torare, who had instigated her, for their roles in muddling the divine oracle delivered from God.

Furthermore, it held the Emperor accountable for attempting to cover up the truth and use it as a political tool.

Normally, they would have needed to include mention of the other two who were complicit in this matter, but given that involving them would create an unresolvable situation for the Church, they decided to focus on the ‘main enemy’ for now.

Thus, even while they were likely to face severe backlash for revealing the ‘failure of the oracle,’ the Elf Church launched a massive counter-attack based on Amelda’s testimony.

However…

The Falcon Empire’s response was one of intensifying hostility, rather than an apology, strongly denouncing the Elf Church and the Pope.

They claimed that the Elf Church’s assertion was merely the nonsensical words of a false divine envoy attempting to hide their sins, and at the same time, they accused Amelda and the Hero Party for defaming Torare, who had risked his life to save them.

To be blunt, the Empire didn’t care about Torare’s life—who they had effectively labeled as the prime culprit—but, given that they had initiated this fight, they had no intentions of backing down.

The Magic Kingdom and Beastman Kingdom maintained a neutral stance, saying they would observe the developments, but this neutrality couldn’t prevent significant fractures within the Racial Alliance, which had formed with the intention of destroying the Demon Kingdom.

Thus, the unrest brought about by the clash between the Empire and the Church escalated further.

Though this was a minor issue, the unmistakable seeds of hostility between the two nations began to show signs of expanding into a full-scale conflict.

However.

Contrary to what both nations had anticipated, these disturbances at the border did not immediately transition into outright hostility.

It was a sudden report that hit the heads of both nations, who had been prepared to go all out, unexpectedly.

It was…

A massive loss at Rob, which had served as a major supply base for the Alliance army.

And the news of a large-scale counterattack from the Demon King’s Army that began soon after.

The emergence of the Demon King clad in Black Armor…