As soon as morning ca, Frey’s party left the harbor inn and started looking for a ship to quickly return to their base in the Empire.
Although Irina could use teleportation, it was too risky for Frey’s unstable soul.
While Frey’s party was busy, the Hero Party hiding in the forest near the harbor had their activities restricted.
Too many people had fallen into a panic after recalling the truth.
However, they couldn’t just sit and do nothing.
Taking advantage of the chaotic atmosphere, those who rembered bits of the truth about Frey and the world secretly gathered in a temporary eting room.
Given the circumstances, no one was willing to speak lightly.
“To conclude… the mories we’ve recalled are likely true.”
The one who broke the long silence was Arianne, Irina’s childhood friend.
“You’ve all heard the recording from the eavesdropping device that Alice and I made.”
Being the sub-heroine with the least connection to Frey, Arianne was the least affected by the panic and began briefing on behalf of the panicked sub-heroines.
“Of course, our mories vary. And many in the Hero Party haven’t recalled anything.”
“But if we look at the commonalities among those gathered here, the story becos clearer.”
Arianne bit her lip and spoke.
“I believe that those of us who have recalled mories have all, knowingly or unknowingly, received grace or inflicted harm upon Frey.”
“Isn’t that right, everyone?”
When she asked with a somber expression, everyone’s faces began to twist.
“Frey is the Hero of Money, and he was the one who paid for scholarships for the second years like and saved the freshn…”
The first to speak among them was Alice.
“And I, without knowing this, stabbed him with my sword every week. He even did that to weaken my Curse of Subjugation.”
Alice, speaking with a tearful expression, clenched her hands.
Her hands were always stained with blood and she recognized that fact.
But recently, she had been trying to make it all up in preparation to beco her hero secretary after graduation.
It’s just that the person she hated the most turned out to be the one who saved her all this ti.
- Drip…
Her fingernails dug into her hands, and both familiar blood and unfamiliar tears dripped onto the desk.
“That wasn’t just a nightmare? Then… what about my family? What about my father?”
“…”
“I can’t accept it. Until the investigation results co out…”
Next to speak was Eurelia.
According to the nightmare she recalled, her family was essentially the root cause of everything.
“I can’t trust–”
- Beep… beep… beep…
“…What?”
Her expression, which was desperately denying everything, beca devastated as a report started coming from her communication crystal.
But none of them wanted to know or think about the contents of the report.
They were struggling to handle the truth themselves, with no energy left to worry about others.
“Uh, ugh…”
“…Nng?”
The eting room fell silent again, save for the soft groans of the Youngest Paladin with golden eyes and Miho, who had recalled mories but was still trying to grasp the situation.
“Was I… his escort knight?”
In that dreadful atmosphere, Vener quietly spoke.
“The reason I couldn’t swear fealty to anyone… was that the reason?”
“…”
“No, no way.”
Terrified and trembling more than anyone, Vener stood up, gasping.
Her slowly recovering mories started flooding back all at once.
Rembering kidnapping young Frey. The mont she realized the truth about her family there.
Frey forgives her, and the little Frey shows affection and playfulness towards her every day at the mansion.
At first, she couldn’t adjust, but whenever Frey happily called her his escort knight, it subtly ward her heart.
And then.
She rembers the mont she threw herself to protect Lady Starlight and Frey from a mysterious attacker.
“Ah, ah…”
Once the mories began to resurface, they continued in a panorama.
“Young Master?”
“Vener…!”
A few days after the attack, she woke up to find Frey dozing off beside her bed.
The mont he heard her voice, Frey woke up with a happy expression and rubbed his cheek against her.
“You’re still my escort knight. No one can replace you.”
After hearing those words, she decided to live her life as his knight.
There were many episodes that followed.
mories of single-handedly taking down bandits who tried to kidnap Frey. The ti she went on an adventure for a few weeks with Frey, who suddenly wanted to explore.
The days of secret battles against the shady Isolet, who constantly targeted young Frey when she beca a professor at the academy.
The childish pranks and dates Frey often had with Ruby left her feeling subtly jealous.
And the trip she took with Frey, Ruby, and their friends about a year before entering the academy.
“Vener, the academy only allows one servant in principle, so…”
“I’ll be starting as a temporary professor at the academy tomorrow, Young Master.”
“…???”
She had sacrificed her youth to follow Frey as his sword, and eventually even took a temporary professorship at the academy to stay by his side.
Summing up, the mories that ca flooding back were enough to fill a book with the fun and precious monts they shared.
- Thud, thud…
Stunned, Vener stood frozen in the tent before stumbling forward.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to set things right imdiately. Fix all of this, as his loyal knight–”
“What do you think we can do if we go now?”
“What?”
“In seven days… he’s going to die.”
Vener’s determined words faltered as she heard this, and she sank back into her seat.
“No, it’s now six days.”
Arianne, gritting her teeth, watched the trembling Vener and muttered.
“We… haven’t done anything for him yet.”
Even though she had little connection with Frey, she couldn’t remain indifferent due to her kind nature.
“We need to find a way. Just sitting here won’t help anything, right? So…”
Gathering her courage, Arianne spoke, trying to rally the group.
“There’s a big problem!”
But her words were drowned out by a student who burst into the eting room in a panic.
“A-Aishi is acting strange!”
“What?”
Everyone’s expressions turned to surprise and concern.
“…”
Except for Aria, who sat there, pale and silent like a corpse.
.
.
.
.
.
“Please… answer… please…”
A few minutes earlier.
“Please… please…”
Aishi, who hadn’t attended the secret eting of those who rembered their mories, was frantically trying to make a call from her room.
- Beep! Beep!
“…!”
Her eyes widened as the signal finally connected.
“Contact the court wizard imdiately. Right now.”
- …Princess?
“Yes, it’s . So hurry! Quickly!”
Raising her voice, she shouted into the communication crystal, as the startled voice responded.
- I’m sorry, but that’s not possible.
But then, the voice conveyed a shocking fact.
- The court wizard is currently imprisoned in the royal dungeon.
“What?”
- I’m sorry we couldn’t inform you due to the secrecy involved, Princess.
“Why… why is he in prison?”
Aishi’s expression turned to one of disbelief as the voice from the crystal began explaining in a grim tone.
- He is charged with treason and attempted regicide.
“T-treason? Attempted regicide?”
- According to the reports, he knew there was a magic crystal buried under the kingdom’s ground for a long ti. All the miraculous magic he perford was borrowed from that stone.
Aishi’s eyes began to tremble.
- He pretended to be a prophet borrowing power from the underground magic crystal, and then he sought greater power. He conspired with the Church to take over the kingdom.
“Oh…”
- The recent slave market incident involving the royals was also part of his plan. And he had even more wicked sches in store.
Aishi’s mind began to go blank.
- Among those plans was a sche to manipulate you to his liking.
The person who had been kind and caring since she was a child, who had always indulged her whims.
The one person she thought she could trust.
Her already few human relationships were crumbling to pieces.
- The person who made the decisive report was none other than the Hero of Money. I heard that he is acquainted with you, Princess…
“The Hero of Money…”
- That remarkable person recently sent us evidence and weaknesses regarding the relationship between the Church and the court wizard. Thanks to him, we were able to successfully capture and imprison the court wizard.
“If it’s the Hero of Money…”
Aishi’s hands started trembling.
- Truly he’s a blessing to our kingdom. He was also the one who inford us about the magic crystal. The king wishes to see him. If you manage to contact him, please invite him…
Her mories were sowhat restored by now.
That ant she knew the true identity of the Hero of Money.
“I must contact him sohow. Right now.”
- Pardon? May I ask the reason…
“I have a magic-related question. It’s a curse that must be resolved within a few days. Please, it’s urgent…”
- Sigh. Listen carefully, Princess.
Aishi, who had been speaking more urgently than ever, listened blankly to the voice coming from the crystal ball.
- That person is a fraud.
“A fraud?”
- He had no magical knowledge or abilities. He only used the magic crystal to perform tricks.
It felt like a hamr had struck Aishi’s head.
Then, what about the thod he told her to break the Frozen Heart Curse?
It clearly worked on Frey, so what–
- The magical scrolls he had, and the curse-breaking thods he gave you, have all been verified as complete fabrications.
“…”
- You haven’t transferred the curse to anyone yet, right? That’s a relief. If his thods were lies, you would never be able to retrieve the curse once transferred.
Aishi’s grip loosened, and the communication crystal rolled off her desk.
- We will find a suitable condemned prisoner soon. I know the thought repulses you, but there’s no other choice–
“Ahhhhhhhh!!!”
- Crash!!!
Unable to bear the calm voice from the crystal any longer, Aishi scread and smashed the crystal to pieces.
“Uaaa, ugh…”
Clenching her now bleeding hands, she began to tear at her hair.
- I told you, didn’t I? Once you transfer that curse, it’s irreversible.
“Yo
The voice echoed in her mind again.
- The reason Hero Frey is going to die in a week is because of your Frozen Heart Curse.
“Ugh, ahh… ahhhh…”
- Because of your foolish choice, the one hero who understood you is going to freeze to death. What an idiot.
“Ah…”
The light in Aishi’s eyes began to fade.
- Shhhh…
A mixture of sky blue and purple demonic energy began to swirl around her.
“I… I killed him? Because of , Frey… the Hero of Money… in seven days…”
- Do you need power now?
“Ugh, ugh…”
Hearing this, Aishi collapsed onto the desk.
- Enough. I’m tired of persuading you. Your ntal defenses are down, so just quietly hand over control to .
“Hero…”
- I’ll give you power anyway. Not for your sake, of course.
“I’m…
Unable to finish her sentence, Aishi slowly closed her eyes.
- Crack, crackle…!!!
Soon, her body was enveloped in powerful demonic energy.
.
.
.
.
.
That night.
- Crack, crackle…!
The western continent’s harbor began to freeze over.
“Huff, huff…”
“What is that…”
Terrified residents fled in panic from the sudden winter in the middle of sumr.
“This can’t be…”
“What on earth is happening…?”
The Hero Party, battered and looking up at the sky, was in shock.
“Aishi…”
“Why… why did this happen?”
Aishi, her eyes now sky blue, looked down at them with a cold gaze as countless ice spears floated in the air.
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