Chapter 57:《Rebellion》
(I)
“So, did you bring what I asked for?”
…The fortress city of Nevirthol.
The Prime Minister’s secretary, Roderick Whitefin, sat in his office, welcoming a visitor. The one who had come to see him bowed politely and answered.
“Yes, I have investigated the adventurer named Isera, as you requested.”
This visitor was none other than one of Roderick’s spies, who were scattered throughout the kingdom.
At Roderick’s orders, the spy had spent the past few days combing through every corner of Nevirthol, gathering information on Isera, who had recently been appointed as a new member of the Hero’s Party.
“Very well, begin your report.”
Roderick sipped his tea and urged his subordinate to start reporting. The subordinate, maintaining a calm demeanor, began to share what he had learned about Isera.
“Yes, sir. The adventurer named Isera entered Nevirthol just five days ago.”
“Five days….”
Roderick stroked his white beard.
Five days ago—the day when a Mutant Behemoth appeared and devastated the city. He had already suspected it, but Isera’s arrival in the city coincided exactly with that day.
“Hmm….”
…On the day Isera arrived in Nevirthol, the Behemoth suddenly appeared, and then, just as suddenly, she showed up at the perfect time and subdued the beast.
Could this truly be a coincidence?
Suppressing the wave of suspicions rising within him, Roderick motioned for his subordinate to continue the report.
“…Go on.”
“Yes, sir.”
The spy nodded.
“…After entering the city, her actions were not particularly noteworthy. She walked around the city for a while, sightseeing, and then, when the Behemoth appeared, she simply went to subjugate it. She did not check into an inn, nor did she visit any restaurants.”
“She neither rented a room nor ate at a restaurant…?”
Hearing the report, Roderick furrowed his brows.
Ordinarily, the first thing an adventurer would do upon entering a city was to secure lodging at an inn. Given that adventurers often stayed in one place for extended periods, securing a base of operations was essential.
However, this Isera had neither secured a place to stay nor visited a restaurant.
For an adventurer, her behavior was highly irregular.
The only thing she did was casually explore the city before heading off to slay the Behemoth, as if she had already planned to be there.
As if she had known in advance that she wouldn’t need to book a room.
As if hunting the Behemoth had been planned all along….
“Ahem….”
Roderick let out a deep sigh. He gestured for the spy to continue, and the subordinate resumed his report.
“…One particularly unusual detail is what happened when she passed through the checkpoint.”
“The checkpoint…?”
“Yes. The guards attempted to measure her mana with the Mana Detection Orb, but the moment she placed her hand on it, the orb shattered.”
“The orb shattered…?”
“Yes, it happened so quickly that even the guards were unsure of the cause, but they reported that the orb was completely destroyed, shattered into pieces.”
“A mana detection orb that shattered instantly….”
Roderick quietly mulled over the report.
…The moment Isera placed her hand on the Mana Detection Orb, it instantly shattered.
A familiar scene flashed through his mind.
“That’s exactly….”
Just five days ago, when Isera was recruited into the Hero’s Party, the Prime Minister had tested her Chantless Magic in the meeting room. He had placed a glass cup as a target.
The result?
The glass cup froze over and shattered in an instant.
Just like the Mana Detection Orb at the checkpoint.
‘Could it be…?’
The small seed of doubt in his mind had now grown into a mountain. Roderick asked his spy in a grave tone.
“…So, did she complete the mana detection process? Did they replace the orb and redo the test?”
After all, the Mana Detection Orb breaking was one thing, but the checkpoint procedures were another matter entirely. Roderick wanted to know whether Isera had gone through the process properly.
“No.”
At his question, the spy shook his head.
“She pressured them by asking if they intended to keep an S-rank adventurer waiting. In the end, they skipped the mana detection process entirely.”
“What…?”
Roderick’s expression hardened.
“They skipped the mana detection process…?”
“Yes. The only thing they fully verified was her adventurer’s license.”
“That, that’s absurd…!!”
Losing his composure, he slammed his desk as he shot to his feet. The impact knocked over a flower vase, spilling its contents onto the table.
“They skipped the checkpoint procedures?! How does that make any sense?!”
For once, Roderick’s usually measured tone turned into an outburst. He clutched his throbbing head, staggering slightly.
“Damn it….”
With the final piece of the report, Roderick was certain.
The adventurer named Isera had deliberately approached the Prime Minister and the Hero with a hidden agenda.
…She must have anticipated that her mana would expose her identity and shattered the Mana Detection Orb with Chantless Magic to prevent it.
Her behavior inside the city was also abnormal.
No matter how he looked at it, Roderick could only conclude that Isera was a spy—that she had unleashed the Behemoth herself to stage a deception.
‘Verification is needed….’
Of course, a more thorough investigation was necessary. But even with the information at hand, it was more than enough to arrest and interrogate her.
‘There’s a banquet today, isn’t there….’
Conveniently, there was a banquet scheduled that evening—an event to welcome the new members of the Hero’s Party, attended by the Prime Minister and Lilianel Greenfield.
That would be the perfect opportunity to inform them of the situation and stage an ambush to apprehend Isera.
“…No.”
However, after a moment of contemplation, Roderick shook his head.
This was Isera—the woman who had single-handedly slain the Behemoth.
This was Isera—who wielded Chantless Magic effortlessly.
If he attempted a straightforward arrest, he himself would likely be the one to fall.
A different approach was needed.
“…Listen.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Fetch me the Alpheum, immediately.”
“Alpheum, sir? That dreadful thing… where will you…?”
“Just shut up and bring it.”
“U-Understood….”
Alpheum.
A sedative so potent that even thirty dragons could be subdued with a single dose.
At Roderick’s command, the spy hurried out of the office.
‘This is the only way to neutralize Isera.’
Watching the door swing open and shut, Roderick sank deep into thought.
Since he couldn’t defeat her by force, the only way to capture her was to lull her into unconsciousness with Alpheum-laced alcohol.
‘They say Alpheum works even on gods.’
No matter how overwhelmingly powerful Isera was as an S-rank adventurer, she would not be able to withstand Alpheum’s effects.
‘…Once she’s asleep, there’s nothing to fear.’
The plan was simple.
Slip Alpheum into her drink at the banquet.
Once she passed out, his soldiers—already stationed outside—would seize her and drag her to the Palace Dungeons.
If they secured her with enough Sealing Orbs, interrogating her wouldn’t be an issue.
“Perfect….”
Sweating slightly, Roderick retrieved his finest bottle of liquor from the shelf.
***
(II)
‘Sssssshiiiiiit!!’
A member of the Red Moon Extermination Squad and S-rank adventurer, Derin, let out a silent scream.
Her emotions were in turmoil, making it nearly impossible to maintain a composed expression.
‘Why?! Why me?! WHY?!’
She could hardly believe the scene before her eyes.
She had already pinched her thigh five times, but it was no dream.
‘This… this can’t be real….’
…She was in the central banquet hall of Nevirthol Palace.
Present at the banquet were Vellius Grandius, the 21st Hero, and none other than the esteemed Prime Minister, Lilianel Greenfield.
The two most powerful figures in the Avilia Kingdom had gathered for one reason.
To celebrate the newly recruited members of the Hero’s Party.
Replacing the fallen Sword Maiden, Maiden Alice, and the traitor Judith Evergrit, two new comrades had been hastily selected.
“How is it, Isera? Does the food suit your taste?”
“…It’s passable.”
The first was Isera, the S-rank adventurer who had effortlessly slain the Mutant Behemoth, which had even made the Hero struggle.
“Derin, how about you? Does the food suit your taste?”
“Yes? Yes!..M…ah.. it’s delicious!”
And the second…
Was none other than Derin herself.
As she trembled while cutting her meat, a drop of sweat—or perhaps it was a tear—fell onto the back of her hand.
‘Why am I in the Hero’s Party…?’
She screamed internally, over and over again.
Just five days ago, she had been lounging in bed at an inn without a care in the world. How had she ended up here, as one of the Hero’s companions?
‘It was supposed to be just an interview… just a formality….’
The Hero’s Party selection interview had forcibly gathered all S-rank adventurers in Nevirthol.
Having no desire to be involved in another major event, especially anything related to the Progenitor Vampire, Derin had intentionally performed terribly at the interview.
Yet, she had been accepted.
There was only one reason.
She was a member of the Red Moon Extermination Squad—the only survivor from the Immortal Labyrinth.
In other words, whether she liked it or not, she was the only person alive who had fought against the Progenitor Vampire.
The Hero’s side valued that experience too much to pass up.
‘Aaaaaaah! If I had known, I never would’ve come to Nevirthol! Damn it!’
What had brought her all the way to this northernmost city in the first place?
She had come precisely to avoid anything related to the Progenitor Vampire, yet she had ended up drafted and forced into facing it again.
Her mind felt like it was unraveling.
‘…I can’t even escape.’
She sighed deeply in her heart.
Being selected for the Hero’s Party was not like being drafted into an ordinary army.
Like it or not, she was bound to this position for at least five years.
If she refused?
She would be branded a traitor and executed under the kingdom’s law.
She had no choice.
“Derin?”
“Y-Yes! Hero!”
…The Hero’s noble voice jolted her out of her thoughts.
Vellius Grandius smiled at her reaction and asked the question that had been on his mind.
“Can you tell us in detail what happened in the Immortal Labyrinth? I was truly shocked to hear that its sole survivor was in Nevirthol.”
“Ah… yes….”
The Hero wanted to hear about the day the Progenitor Vampire’s seal was broken.
Suppressing the memories of that hellish day, Derin forced herself to speak.
“…One of our members accidentally removed the talisman attached to the seal. That’s how the Progenitor Vampire was freed.”
In truth, it had been Derin herself who removed the seal—out of sheer curiosity.
But if she admitted that here, she would be executed on the spot.
Guilt gnawed at her, but she had no regrets.
After all, she was the only one left who knew the truth.
“After that, everything happened in an instant. Heads burst open out of nowhere. With just a wave of its hand, the vampire decapitated everyone.”
“….”
“I… I only survived because of the sacrifices of our captain and vice-captain….”
“…That’s enough. You don’t have to say more.”
As Derin trembled, struggling to recall the nightmare, the Hero reassured her that it was sufficient.
At that moment, Lilianel Greenfield, who had been silently listening, took a sip of her wine and muttered.
“…It really is Elzerba.”
Lilianel Greenfield had personally sealed the Progenitor Vampire alongside the first Hero a thousand years ago.
She had never shared the details of that event with anyone.
But the way she spoke now made it clear she still remembered it vividly.
“That pig of a woman… always going for the throat first. Disgusting.”
“Ugh….”
Lilianel cursed without restraint, while, for some reason, Isera flinched at her words.
The Hero chuckled at the exchange and spoke.
“Now that we have our replacements, let’s discuss how we’re going to stop the Progenitor Vampire.”
“…A plan?”
“Yes. We received word about a week ago that Lavaheart had fallen. Their next destination is set north, so at this rate, there’s a high chance they’ll reach Nevirthol within the next ten days.”
“Oh….”
“We need to come up with a plan—fast.”
‘And you’re only thinking about this now?’
Derin barely contained her shock.
A drop of cold sweat trickled down her chin, landing on her thigh.
‘The seal was broken ages ago… and you’re only making plans now?’
It had been a long time since she had unsealed the Progenitor Vampire.
It had been an entire week since Lavaheart fell.
What had the Hero and Prime Minister been doing this whole time?
No matter how powerful Nevirthol was, could they really prepare for a full-scale war in just ten days?
‘We’re screwed.’
Derin wanted to scream.
“Hmm, well.”
Meanwhile, Lilianel remained relaxed as she responded to the Hero.
At the same time, she casually stabbed her fork into a slice of pork.
“Ten days is just an estimate. But since Roderick already hired the Stormhounds, we might have more time than that.”
“Stormhounds!!”
Upon hearing that the Stormhound Mercenaries had been hired, Derin’s face lit up.
Yes.
The Stormhounds, the legendary mercenary band with a thousand-year history.
If anyone could land a meaningful blow on the Progenitor Vampire, it would be them.
“Not to mention, the reinforcement unit from Serion is set to arrive in two days. Ah, and Marina Bergard is personally coming. That was a surprise. That uptight shut-in saint never leaves her temple.”
“Marina Bergard…!!”
Marina Bergard.
A fallen angel, once said to have directly served the Celestial Deity Astira.
The high saint of Serion.
Hearing that such a noble figure was personally coming to fight the Progenitor Vampire, Derin’s eyes widened.
Between the Stormhounds and Serion’s reinforcements, things weren’t looking as hopeless anymore.
Yet Vellius Grandius, the Hero, still wore a grim expression.
“Hmm, Serion’s involvement is indeed an advantage. However—”
“However?”
“…We cannot trust the Stormhounds that Roderick hired.”
“What?”
Hearing this, Lilianel frowned.
“Not trust them? Why? Do you not know what the Stormhounds are? They’re the strongest mercenary force, an army of human weapons! Do you know how much we paid to hire them? 100 million gold coins!”
“….”
The Hero fell silent, deep in thought.
Then, with a heavy sigh, he spoke.
“… It’s not the Stormhounds that we can’t trust but Roderick Whitefin.”
“Roderick…? What do you mean?”
Hearing that her most loyal aide should not be trusted, Lilianel demanded an explanation.
The Hero’s response was serious.
The banquet hall’s atmosphere grew heavy.
“Do you remember how I told you I had secretly interrogated the guards to find out who helped Judith Evergrit escape?”
“Yeah, I remember. Why?”
“After five days of torture, we extracted confessions from all of them this morning. And every single guard’s testimony was identical.”
“No way….”
“…Yes. It’s true.”
Lilianel flinched.
The Hero handed her a tightly rolled parchment.
“…All ten prison guards testified that Roderick Whitefin bribed them. That he ordered them to allow Judith Evergrit to escape.”
“Impossible….”
As she read the parchment, Lilianel’s expression darkened.
The Hero added a final remark.
“And shortly after Judith escaped, the Behemoth appeared in Nevirthol.”
“….”
“If we assume that the Behemoth’s sudden appearance was also planned by someone on the inside—like Judith and Roderick—it all makes sense.”
“This can’t be….”
“I don’t know why he did it. But I cannot trust the Stormhounds, since they were hired by Roderick. I can’t help but wonder if they were hired as our aliies or..In fact, I doubt if they were even hired in the first place.”
‘100 million gold coins is an amount of money anyone would want to have.’
At the hero’s speculation that there might even be embezzlement, Lilianel’s expression turned grim.
Her face was filled only with shock at being betrayed by someone she had kept close to her for decades.
“Anyway, I think we should call him in separately and investigate. He broke out the high treasonous criminal Judith and released Behemoth to destroy the city, so it wouldn’t be strange if he were executed on the spot if we were to judge him solely by his crimes.”
“Robert, how dare you, how dare you do such a thing….”
It is still unknown why he broke Judith out of prison, or why he released Behemoth into the city.
It could have been a plot to take over Lilianel’s position, or in the worst case scenario, he could have been secretly persuaded by Elzerba or the Demons.
However, if there was one thing that was certain,
“Get the soldiers ready right now. Bring that bastard Robert right here in front of me.”
…Lilianel would never forgive the traitor.
“Yes, let’s get the soldiers ready. Isera, Derin, I’m sorry things have turned out this way on such a rare occasion.”
At the command of Lilianel, who was everything to him, the hero immediately prepared to follow her.
After apologizing to the new party members, Isera and Derin, he abruptly stood up from his seat to leave the banquet hall.
“…Prepare the soldiers.”
Lilianel clenched her fists.
“Bring Roderick to me. Now.”
At that moment—
Knock. Knock.
A soft but polite voice came from the other side of the door.
“…Prime Minister, it’s Roderick. I’ve brought some fine wine.”
They say speak of the tiger, and it shall appear.
Just as they had been discussing him, Roderick Whitefin arrived at the banquet hall, leaving everyone at the table wide-eyed in surprise.
“….”
“….”
The Hero and Lilianel Greenfield exchanged a knowing glance.
Not a word was spoken between them, but in that single exchange, volumes were conveyed.
“…Come in.”
With a nod toward the Hero, Lilianel granted Roderick permission to enter the banquet hall.
A moment later, the grand doors swung open, and in walked an elderly man with white hair, carrying an exquisite bottle of liquor.
It was none other than Roderick Whitefin, the Prime Minister’s secretary.
Clutching the bottle as if it were a prized treasure, he approached the Prime Minister and bowed.
“I heard that my men procured a fine drink, so I thought it only fitting to present it first to our newest members of the Hero’s Party.”
Roderick expressed his desire to offer the liquor to Isera and Derin, the new recruits.
Under normal circumstances, Lilianel might have smiled approvingly at his gesture.
But after hearing the Hero’s report, she could not.
She called his name, her voice eerily quiet.
“…Roderick.”
“Yes, Prime Minister?”
“Is there anything you’re hiding from me? From us?”
“…Pardon? Hiding, you say…?”
At her words, Roderick tilted his head innocently, as if truly bewildered.
That pure, unassuming expression made Lilianel’s face flush with anger.
“Are you seriously saying there’s nothing?”
“What could I possibly have to hide from you, Prime Minister? I simply wished to share a drink with our new party members.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Lilianel’s face twisted in disgust.
She suddenly stood up, grabbed an empty glass, and slammed it onto the table right in front of him.
“…Then go ahead. Drink it first.”
“…What?”
For a fleeting moment, Roderick’s body stiffened.
His face twitched slightly as he hesitantly asked,
“You mean… I should drink first?”
“Yes! You drink it first!”
The Prime Minister of Avilia Kingdom, Lilianel Greenfield, shouted.
For the briefest of moments, Roderick’s expression wavered.
But he quickly recovered, letting out a sheepish chuckle.
“Haha, surely you remember, Prime Minister. I have been abstaining from alcohol for years now.”
“What? Abstaining? Unless, of course, you poisoned it?”
Her glare sharpened like a blade, sending chills down the spines of those watching.
Yet Roderick maintained his smile, completely unfazed.
Instead, he gestured toward Isera, who had been silently eating all this time.
“Poison? Impossible. It would simply be a waste for someone like me to take the first sip of such a rare liquor. I was hoping that Isera, the one who defeated the Behemoth, would be honored with the first drink.”
“….”
As Lilianel yelled, as Roderick spun excuses,
One person remained entirely unbothered, calmly slicing their meat.
Then, in an uncharacteristically blunt tone, Isera spoke.
“…Hey, old man.”
It was the first time she had spoken without being addressed first.
All eyes immediately turned to her.
Wiping the corners of her lips with a napkin, she spoke again, voice steady and unreadable.
“You brought soldiers with you.”
“…?!!”
“S-Soldiers?! Where?! Outside?!”
The entire room fell into stunned silence.
It was immediately clear what that meant.
The man suspected of freeing Judith Evergrit and summoning the Behemoth had come here—with soldiers in tow.
There was only one conclusion.
Rebellion.
An attempt to overthrow Lilianel Greenfield.
“Roderick, you dare…!!”
“Step back, Roderick!”
With her face burning red in fury, Lilianel shouted, while the Hero immediately drew his sword and shielded her.
“W-What is…?”
Derin, still clutching her staff, stumbled to her feet, utterly bewildered.
Only one person remained unfazed.
“…Delicious.”
Isera, the one who dropped the bombshell, was still calmly savoring her food.
“Wh-Why is everyone overreacting?! How could I, a mere old man, bring soldiers here? Isera! That was a poor joke!”
Roderick, now visibly rattled, tried to feign innocence.
But Lilianel snarled at him, her small frame radiating pure fury.
“I knew it, Roderick. Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?”
“W-What are you talking about…? I truly don’t understand….”
“Let’s see if you can deny this.”
Lilianel threw a parchment onto the table.
“That is….”
Adjusting his monocle, Roderick scanned the document.
The more he read, the darker his expression became.
It was a report.
A report containing testimonies from multiple prison guards,
stating that Roderick Whitefin orchestrated Judith Evergrit’s escape.
The moment he finished reading,
a shadow fell over his face.
“So, are you still going to deny it? Are you going to tell me that all ten guards were lying?”
Lilianel’s voice dripped with scorn.
“…Sigh.”
Roderick let out a deep breath.
His grip weakened, and the bottle of liquor slipped from his hand, shattering on the floor.
The only thing that still gleamed on his now-darkened face—
was his monocle.
And in a low voice, he muttered:
“…This is a disaster.”
***
(III)
‘Damn it….’
From the moment he stepped into the banquet hall, Roderick had sensed that something was off.
But he never imagined that they would have tortured every single guard for confessions.
The Hero and Prime Minister were slow to react to external threats,
but ruthlessly efficient when it came to internal investigations.
Roderick simply could not understand their priorities.
“…”
His eyes fell once again on the parchment in Lilianel’s hand.
It not only accused him of freeing Judith Evergrit—
but also implied his involvement in the Behemoth incident.
“Hah…”
An exhausted sigh escaped him.
Things had gone terribly, terribly wrong.
His original plan was simple:
Drug Isera with the Alpheum-laced drink.
Then, while she was unconscious, have the waiting soldiers seize her.
But now, with Lilianel having read the report,
it looked as though he had come here to stage an outright coup.
Had he just stayed in his office, he might have been able to argue his innocence later.
But now?
With soldiers outside, the timing could not have been worse.
“Well then, Roderick… Let’s hear your excuses.”
Lilianel’s voice was mocking.
Her tone carried the arrogance of someone who believed they had caught their prey.
“…I will not lie.”
“…What?”
“Half of the report is true, Prime Minister.”
If he was going to be punished, then so be it.
But he refused to take the blame for everything.
The real culprit behind the Behemoth incident was still sitting at the table, unbothered.
“Half? What do you mean?”
“…I did help Judith Evergrit escape. However, I did not summon the Behemoth.”
“Oh? Then tell me—if not you, who else could have done it?”
At that moment, Roderick raised his hand— and pointed directly at Isera.
“…I suspect Isera is responsible.”
“…What?”
Both Lilianel and the Hero frowned.
And Isera, caught off guard— coughed, mid-bite.
“…The one who summoned the Behemoth is presumed to be Lady Isera over there.”
“…What?”
Lilianel Greenfield furrowed her brows,
“…Cough.”
While Isera, who had suddenly been singled out by Robert, choked on her own breath.
Robert raised his voice even more confidently as he continued. Sometimes, a bit of lacking subtlety could make the truth hit even harder.
Now that things had escalated to this point, he decided to lay everything bare.
“I found Lady Isera’s unclear identity concerning, so I conducted an investigation. The number of suspicious points was far from just one or two.”
“Suspicious points?”
“Yes. First, she is suspected of having destroyed the magic detection zone at the checkpoint using something similar to Chantless Magic. Second, she arrived in Nevirthol on the exact same day the Behemoth appeared. And third, unlike other adventurers, she wandered around aimlessly without even booking an inn before the Behemoth appeared.”
“…”
“It may be premature to draw conclusions, but I believe these reasons alone are sufficient to arrest and interrogate Isera.”
“….”
“The soldiers waiting outside the banquet hall were also brought for that very purpose. To sedate Isera with a drugged drink and capture her swiftly.”
“Roderick….”
Roderick Whitefin confessed everything.
A hint of pity flickered across Lilianel’s face as she listened to him.
Perhaps his honest admission had moved her in some way.
Deep down, Roderick hoped that Lilianel and the Hero would at least acknowledge his sincerity—his concerns about Isera.
But Lilianel’s next words crushed that hope instantly.
“Roderick, are you okay…? Do you have a mental illness or something?”
“…What?”
Hearing Lilianel treat him like a madman, Roderick felt his strength drain away.
The green-haired elf looked at him with genuine concern.
“Are you actually saying that as a defense? Use some common sense—who do you think is more trustworthy? You, who broke Judith Evergrit out of prison? Or Isera, who single-handedly defeated the Behemoth?”
“….”
“Besides, your crime of freeing Judith is separate from all of this, isn’t it?”
“Haah….”
Of course.
Why did I expect anything from this fool of an elf?
Roderick sighed once more.
‘Or maybe… this was inevitable.’
With the worst possible timing, there was no way he, with a confirmed crime, would be trusted over Isera, who had earned great merit for slaying the Behemoth.
Roderick had indeed freed Judith.
That was the truth, and a grave crime on its own.
He had no excuses.
“There’s no way out of this.”
Had Celestial Deity Astira forsaken him?
As he examined his current predicament, he let out a heavy sigh.
From here on, the only future awaiting him was arrest, torture, and execution.
With an assassination attempt against the Prime Minister and the Hero on his record,
even if he surrendered quietly, there was no escaping the guillotine.
‘…I suppose there’s no choice left.’
At this point, there was only one path forward.
Though it was earlier than planned, he would have to carry out the operation now.
“So, you will not believe my words, then?”
“Hah, who in their right mind would believe you? Regardless of your past service, you’re just a traitor who tried to seize my position.”
“…I understand.”
Having heard Lilianel’s final judgment, Roderick clapped his hands twice.
The sharp sound of his palms colliding echoed throughout the banquet hall.
-“Waaaahhhhhh!”
-“Protect Lord Roderick!”
At the same time, fifty of Roderick’s private soldiers burst into the banquet hall all at once.
Each soldier was fully clad in thick iron armor, wielding heavy crossbows and razor-sharp axes.
“…Take aim.”
-“Yes, sir!!”
At Roderick’s command, fifty crossbows immediately turned toward Lilianel and the Hero’s Party.
Faced with such a menacing sight, Lilianel’s expression hardened.
“You madman… you actually went through with this…?”
“This is not rebellion.”
Roderick cut her off mid-sentence.
Adjusting his monocle, he spoke in an icy tone to everyone in the banquet hall.
“I am merely restoring what was broken.”
“B-Broken…?”
“Lilianel, because of you and the Hero, this country has rotted to its core. I will return it to His Majesty the King, who has gone into seclusion, or to the rightful heirs of the Avilia bloodline.”
“R-Roderick….”
If one wished to put it nicely, it was a revolution.
If one called it what it truly was, it was treason.
Originally, he had planned to wait until after the Progenitor Vampire was dealt with,
to fully prepare and recruit capable individuals before making his move.
But now?
There was no going back.
If Lilianel and the Hero died here,
then the true heir of Avilia would step forward to reclaim the throne.
Whoever they were, one thing was certain—
they would be better rulers than Lilianel.
With a new king and a new hope, they could even find a way to stop the Progenitor Vampire.
Perhaps, if luck was on their side, even Celestial Deity Astira might grant them a miracle.
But under the current rule?
It was impossible.
Originally, the plan was to replace Lilianel with a wise leader after defeating the Progenitor Vampire,
but at this point, planning was a luxury he could no longer afford.
A bitter smile crossed Roderick’s lips.
“…Still, isn’t it an honor to sacrifice myself for the restoration of Avilia Kingdom?”
Ever since Lilianel seized control, no one had dared to challenge her rule.
Now, he would be the first.
No matter what happened, history would remember him.
“Lower your weapons! Now!”
“Do you fools even realize who you’re pointing those crossbows at?!”
Lilianel and the Hero shouted at the soldiers, trying to intimidate them.
But these were Roderick’s private forces.
Bound to him by unshakable loyalty, they had no intention of listening to Lilianel.
“…Soon, a new government will rise elsewhere. Unlike yours, it will not be corrupt, nor lazy. It will face these crises head-on.”
“Roderick, you bastard…!”
“You may call me whatever you wish. After all, we will all die here today.”
Lilianel cursed him, but Roderick remained indifferent.
He stole a glance at Isera, who was still calmly seated, eating her meal.
Despite his bold declaration, there was one thing that unsettled him.
Isera.
An S-rank adventurer and a Chantless Mage.
Had it been only Lilianel and the Hero, he could have succeeded.
But with Isera here, the outcome was uncertain.
At best, she could freeze all fifty crossbows instantly.
At worst, she could kill everyone in the room on the spot.
‘…Please, just keep eating.’
If Isera made a move, everything would fall apart.
All Roderick could do now was pray that she had no interest in the lives of the Hero and Prime Minister.
“Now then… farewell.”
There was no more hesitation.
This was a gamble.
With a final farewell, marking the end of his fifty-year conflict,
Roderick gave the order.
“Fire.”
Fifty crossbow bolts rained down toward Lilianel and the Hero’s Party.
Bolts so thick and heavy, even a single hit would be fatal.
“G-Grandius!!”
“Damn it…!!”
Lilianel instinctively threw herself into the Hero’s arms.
But even for a Hero, blocking fifty arrows from all directions was impossible.
Swoosh.
The arrows cut through the air.
For a moment, time stretched, seconds feeling like minutes.
Roderick awaited the sound of Lilianel’s screams—
the Hero’s dying groans.
But no sound came.
“Haah….”
Staring at the frozen arrows, now shattered across the floor,
Roderick sighed deeply.
“…So, in the end, it’s you.”
“….”
At some point, Isera had risen from her seat, standing in front of the Hero and Lilianel, as if shielding them.
Roderick looked at her and shook his head.
For a brief moment, he had held onto a sliver of hope, but just as he had expected—
It was all for nothing.
If he couldn’t take care of Isera, then no scheme of his would work.
He had taken a gamble.
He had hoped that Isera had infiltrated their ranks as a spy, just like himself—
That she, too, wanted Lilianel and the Hero dead.
But his bet had failed spectacularly.
“…Old man, that was quite disrespectful toward the Prime Minister.”
“A-Ah, Isera….”
The usually aloof Isera had stepped forward to protect them, and in that moment,
Lilianel’s eyes shimmered with gratitude.
Like honey glistening in sunlight, her gaze was filled with sweetness.
“….”
-“Ugh?!”
-“M-My body?!”
-“N-No! I-It’s freezing…!!”
Then, as Isera clenched her fist,
Roderick’s fifty soldiers were instantly frozen solid—
and in the next moment, shattered into pieces.
A blizzard of frosted shards swirled through the banquet hall.
“…!!”
And then, Roderick realized it.
His own legs were frozen solid.
A numbing chill crept up from his lower body, robbing him of all sensation.
The freezing cold wrapped around him, biting into his skin, and before long—
the ice was creeping up his torso, threatening to swallow him whole.
‘…So this is it.’
A bitter laugh escaped Roderick’s lips.
Who should he blame?
Celestial Deity Astira, for cursing him with the worst timing imaginable?
Lilianel, the root of all evil?
Or the mysterious enigma, Isera?
Or perhaps himself, for not being thorough enough?
…At this point, it didn’t matter anymore.
‘It’s fitting.’
No matter what excuse he came up with,
A failed revolution was nothing more than treason.
And history would only be recorded by the victors.
That damned elf, Lilianel, would live for another thousand years,
adding yet another victory to her name.
Was she truly blessed by the gods?
Or was it simply not yet her time to die?
What an incredibly persistent creature she was.
“Hm….”
Now, with only his head left unfrozen,
the one who had shattered his plans,
the one who was perhaps the true mastermind behind everything—
Isera—slowly approached.
Roderick narrowed his eyes and glared at her.
“…So, in your eyes, this elf isn’t meant to die yet, is that it?”
“….”
It was a question based on an assumption—
That Isera was a spy like him, secretly working to bring down Lilianel.
Isera leaned in, so close that her lips nearly brushed against his ear.
And then, in a voice as cold as death,
she whispered—
“…You’re sharper than I thought, human.”
“…!!”
Human.
It wasn’t a casual insult—it was a statement.
Roderick’s eyes widened in horror.
“Y-You… Don’t tell me—!!”
No human calls another human “human.”
There were countless titles she could have used—
Old man. Codger. Geezer. Anything.
Yet she had deliberately chosen that word.
That could only mean one thing.
She wasn’t human.
If she wasn’t human, then there was only one possibility.
A monster.
And at this moment in time,
there was only one entity powerful enough to plant such a creature within Nevirthol.
“The Progenitor Vampire…!!”
Roderick’s eyes blazed with realization.
But Isera only smirked faintly.
“…Well then, sweet dreams.”
“You wretched…!”
A monster beyond comprehension whispered its final farewell in a honeyed voice.
Roderick tried to growl out one last defiant snarl,
but his voice faded into nothingness.
“Hah….”
For what felt like the hundredth time,
Roderick let out a deep sigh.
“To think… I was nothing but a pawn… in a monster’s game.”
And with that,
he closed his eyes.
The ice crept over his face,
and the numbing frost consumed him completely.
“…The worst possible ending.”
He had failed to expose Isera, the Progenitor Vampire’s spy.
He had failed to overthrow Lilianel and install a wise new leader.
To ensure the survival of Avilia Kingdom,
one of those two things needed to happen.
But neither had come to pass.
Now, what fate awaited this kingdom?
“…I can only hope that, in the end, everything returns to its proper course.”
Even if it takes hundreds—or thousands—of years,
perhaps one day, history will correct itself.
With that single thought,
Roderick Whitefin fell into an eternal, frozen slumber.
A blizzard of ice shards swept through the banquet hall of Nevirthol.
—
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