Versilia had been in darkness.
Saying she had been in despair would not have been wrong, either.
A pit so deep that not even a sliver of hope could reach. Drowning in despair that rose like a swamp, she did not even pretend to struggle.
There had been no need. No, from the very beginning, it had been meaningless.
She had grown used to it. It had been despairing and sad, yet familiar.
That strange sense of familiarity, in time, had ceased to feel strange at all.
Bimelion had occasionally dragged her out of despair, only to throw her into pain.
Through the endless cycle of cruel experiments, her body had been changed countless times.
Yet, none of it had been enough to break her.
New limbs had been attached, organs had been removed, and eerie dark magic had been carved into her flesh.
Each time she gained new arms and legs, Versilia had accepted them as her own in mere minutes.
No, it had been as if they had always been a part of her body. As if she had been born that way.
The same had been true for dark magic. With a single glance, she had grasped its principles and replicated it exactly as Bimelion had.
Each time she did, Bimelion had marveled at her, calling her his masterpiece. And with each instance, the shackles that bound her had changed.
Deep within Versilia’s heart, an ember had remained.
She had wanted to leave this place.
It had been painful and suffocating. She had wanted to be free.
But just as if she had been absorbing despair into her very being, she had gradually snuffed out those emotions.
What had filled the void left by those severed feelings had been the madness of destruction.
At some point, chaos had taken root in the very core of her heart.
It had become a part of her—no, it had become her essence. She had come to realize her true identity.
Knowledge and emotions she had never personally experienced had drifted through her mind. Destruction, slaughter, rage, mockery, deceit, derision, mischief, and submission.
And then, one day, as she swam through the waves of those emotions, he had come.
Holding a small lamp, cutting through the darkness.
For a while, the man had simply looked down at her in silence.
His voice when he finally spoke had been a pleasant, deep tone. It was completely different from Bimelion’s shallow gruff voice.
“Do you want to come with me?”
That one sentence had rekindled the dying ember of freedom, setting it ablaze once more.
She had felt joy.
Was this what it felt like to discover a flickering flame deep beneath the sea?
The moment that forgotten emotion had resurfaced, the sheer ecstasy of it had been beyond words.
And so, without hesitation, she took his hand.
He had freed her without the slightest hint of doubt. Without any caution or hesitation.
Did he know?
That she could kill him right here and reclaim her true freedom?
And yet, he did not seem to value his own life in the slightest. Instead, he calmly took her hand and led her forward.
If he had come this far, he must have encountered Bimelion. Even if he had not, there was no way he could be unaware of what kind of place this was.
That was what had felt strange.
And so, the urge to kill him had faded.
Destruction was most satisfying when it shattered something that the other person desperately wanted to protect.
But he was a strange man. A man who did not treat his life as something precious.
In its place, another emotion had begun to rise within her.
Curiosity.
And perhaps, even a sense of wonder.
The one who would one day be called the Bewitching Demon King had instead found herself bewitched. She just took his hand and started following him.
For someone who had spent most of her life imprisoned in an underground dungeon, the world had been full of things she did not understand.
When she had climbed into the carriage with him, she had bombarded him with endless questions.
Then, at one point, he had said he needed power, and those words had struck something deep within her.
She had wanted to give him what he desired. And if, in the end, she died before him…
Would she feel satisfaction?
But he had not been swayed.
“Greed always leads to destruction.”
She had paused for a moment.
For the first time, she understood.
What she had painfully come to realize, he had already known. But how?
Then, a sudden thought had flashed through her mind.
Did he know her intentions from the very beginning?
For the first time, unease crept over her.
He was surely just an ordinary man without a shred of magical power.
And yet, he remained utterly unshaken.
His gaze felt as if he had seen through everything from the very beginning.
It seemed as though something was hidden behind his gentle face.
Power concealed beneath the surface, deception wielded through it, mockery and amusement….those were the very abilities she had been born with.
So why did she see them in this man?
A man who did not fear the darkness, who reached out his hand without hesitation.
Was he unafraid of death?
Or was he simply certain that he would never die?
She still couldn’t be sure.
“There’s only one thing in this world that the more of it exists, the better.”
“What is it?”
“Salvation.”
His words made desires and destruction seem utterly insignificant. As if salvation stood above them all.
“But that’s not something you can get just because you want it.”
“That’s why I’m going to strive for those who do.”
He spoke as if it were an unchangeable fate, with a calmness she could not comprehend.
Once again, her insatiable curiosity stirred.
What exactly was this salvation he sought to bring?
She dozed off for a moment during the long carriage ride. And when she woke up, she was in front of a quiet grave.
“Stella.”
Just then, Ed uttered an unfamiliar word, and in an instant, the silent grave transformed.
Versilia sensed it immediately.
This was a place where immense power lay dormant. Power even she could not yet handle.
Yet Ed strode forward without hesitation.
She corrected herself.
This man truly had no regard for his own life.
And yet, strangely, the powerful force guarding the grave did not reject him. Instead, it embraced him gently.
And when Ed reached the center of the grave, the immense power surged all at once, enveloping him.
It was a force so great that even she wouldn’t dare to touch it.
Even while standing close she might have been killed.
The moment she recoiled in shock and tried to distance herself from Ed—
The power vanished.
As if it had shattered into countless fragments, it was blown away from Ed’s body.
Versilia was stunned.
Before her, Ed stood unharmed. Without a single wound, as if nothing had happened.
Then, a gentle voice rang out.
“You’re awake?”
A chill ran down her spine. Beneath that kindness, she sensed an overwhelming power. He was undoubtedly someone beyond her.
As she stood there, unable to bring herself to let go of his softly held hand, Ed opened the black coffin that had appeared at some point.
After enduring such an immense force, he didn’t even take the final reward.
Inside the coffin, Versilia could clearly feel the immense power emanating from the sword tucked inside.
If she could sense it, there was no way he wouldn’t.
“Why aren’t you taking the big sword?”
When she asked that, Ed simply said that someone was waiting for it.
“…How can you know that?”
“The stars told me.”
And behind Ed stood a stained-glass window depicting the life of the Knight King Ascal.
In the glass, reflecting the soft glow of the wall-mounted lights, the Knight King knelt as if he were receiving a revelation from someone.
And the place where that “someone” should have been—
Ed was standing right there and obscuring it.
Versilia held her breath.
A being shrouded in an indescribable mystery. Versilia felt as if she had caught a fleeting glimpse of Ed’s true nature.
Perhaps the words he had spoken when he first reached out to her and invited her to come with him had not been so simple after all.
***
When Ed and Versilia arrived in Grintania, they found themselves staring at the countless carriages crowding the gates.
They were searching for a coachman willing to take them straight to Vinen, but given the long journey, no one was eager to step forward.
Just then, Ed felt an odd gaze upon him and instinctively turned his head.
Standing there was a boy, staring blankly at Stellion’s hilt, which peeked out from beneath Ed’s robe.
Golden hair and a smudged and dirt-streaked face. Yet despite that, his eyes held a quiet strength, showing no hint of intimidation.
His gaze remained fixed on the sword’s hilt as if he was drawn in by its gleaming allure.
Feeling a strange emotion stir within him, Ed spoke without thinking.
“What’s your name?”
“Ah… I’m Adel.”
For a brief moment, Ed shut his eyes tightly. What a cruel twist of fate. Here, at this time and place, he had unknowingly come face-to-face with the young protagonist of this world.
As Ed stood in silence, Adel thought he had done something wrong and hurriedly apologized.
“S-Sorry. The hilt just looked so beautiful…”
Ed took in a short breath before replying softly.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
After a moment of hesitation, he reached into his coat, pulled out a few silver coins, and placed them in the boy’s hand.
Adel instinctively accepted them, but the moment he realized they were silver coins, his expression hardened.
“I wasn’t staring because I wanted money. I’m fine, so take them back.”
Ed shook his head.
He already knew that Adel wasn’t begging for money, and he was also aware that, at this point in time, Adel was living in poverty.
Ed pulled back his robe, revealing his monk’s attire and the holy emblem of St. Arian embroidered over his left chest.
“I am a monk who serves the Goddess of Mercy. Perhaps our meeting was guided by her will. I didn’t offer you money because I pitied you, so don’t be upset.”
Adel hesitated for a moment. He eyed Ed’s kind expression with uncertainty, but eventually, he nodded his head.
“Thank you… I’ll use it well.”
“Good.”
“Um, I’d like to know your name. I told you mine, after all.”
“……”
After a brief hesitation, Ed quietly answered.
“Ed.”
“Ed… Alright. Thank you, Priest.”
“I’m a monk.”
“Oh… right.”
Adel scratched his head in embarrassment.
Without another word, Ed turned away from him.
Just then, the coachman who had gone to see if anyone was heading to Vinen waved and approached.
“Who was that? Someone you know?”
Versilia who had been glancing back repeatedly and watching Adel disappear into the distance asked.
“A child the stars are waiting for.”
With that, Ed said nothing more.
After all, he couldn’t tell her that the boy was her destined enemy.
Not anymore, anyway.
After a long journey, Ed finally returned to the monastery in Vinen.
She had grown noticeably quieter at some point. Once he had taken Versilia to the orphanage, he went to find Priest Bedrick.
Now that he had secured Montrant’s promise, it was time to leave this place.
A monk needed the bishop’s permission to leave the Church.
Of course, there had been an opportunity to speak directly with the bishop in Kelmer.
However, it would have been disrespectful to do so before speaking with Bedrick first.
Bedrick was busy at work, seated at his old desk.
Standing before him, Ed offered a reasonable excuse for his late return before getting straight to the point.
“I want to leave the monastery.”
Bedrick froze for a moment as if he hadn’t expected to hear those words.
“Is this related to why you returned so late?”
“No.”
“Then I don’t understand why you suddenly want to leave.”
His voice carried a mix of emotions. Concern, doubt, and regret.
Ed spoke honestly. He wanted to leave this place and establish his own orphanage.
At those words, Bedrick’s eyebrows lifted slightly. Then, after a brief pause, he let out a small smile.
“I heard about what happened in Kelmer. You did something remarkable.”
Ed shook his head as if it was nothing.
“Anyone would have done the same.”
“No, that’s not true. Few embody the will of the Goddess of Mercy as sincerely as you do. Knowing that, how could I coldly refuse your request?”
Truthfully, Ed hadn’t expected permission to come so easily.
Becoming a monk required training and vows, yet here he was, abandoning both.
“Does this mean we will meet again as believers?”
Ed did not say no.
After all, keeping a connection to the Grand Church was not a bad thing.
At the same time—
Versilia who had entered the orphanage found herself face to face with an unfamiliar girl.
The girl had long black hair that reached her waist. She appeared to be around the same age as Versilia.
The girl stared at Versilia in silence from a distance.
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