Vol 3: Chapter 1: Aria of Regret

The Atonement of the Guilty

Aria of Regret

--Three days ago--

The hero Hayato was brutally murdered by someone.

The story takes place in the royal castle after dawn has broken since Hayato's death.

"Oh my, my, my dear... I betrayed you... what a terrible thing to do..."

"Nooooooo! Damian!!! Where is Damian?!!! Why did it end up like this...!"

The women whose charm was broken started calling out the names of their spouses or lovers, unable to comprehend the situation they were in. Hayato's victims were his hobby, and most of them were women with beloved husbands or lovers, so the damage was devastating.

The royal magicians were already exhausted from the morning. Using the skill Analyze, they examined their condition, investigated the cause, and explained the situation to the victimized women so as not to provoke them, and sometimes tried to calm them down.

They ended up putting in a lot of effort that was far beyond what their salary were worth.

After investigating, they discovered that all of them were under the control of Hayato's brainwashing skill, Charm Eyes.

The Foolish King had absolute trust in Hayato, the hero, and did not investigate what skills he possessed, which led to this tragedy.

It is truly a tragedy that was bound to happen.

Now, a short distance from the room where many of the women were gathered, there were three special rooms.

It was a private room for three women whom Hayato was particularly fond of.

This is the room of girls who possess the skills of a sword saint, a sage, and an assassin, and who once traveled with the hero to defeat the demon king.

With Hayato's death, the brainwashing of the girls was also broken, and the cruel reality began to flood their minds. The strength of the brainwashing was incomparable to that of the girls in the shared room.

The effects of this had been multiplied so much that by the time Hayato died, they had almost no self left and had become a doll, ready to devote everything to Hayato.

They had sex with the hero every day in front of their beloved Aleph, constantly assaulting and verbally abusing the man, and even going so far as to kill him. The hero also forced them to cut off ties with their family, and they were impregnated by the hero many times, after which he forced them to have an abortion.

The actions they have taken thus far have certainly not been done with pure will. They are victims who have suffered such horrible things.

However, while they are victims, they are also perpetrators at the same time, so what awaits them once they regain their senses is...definitely... not sympathy.

And then the scene shifts to the Sword Saint's room...

What on earth happened to Aria before she came to the inn?

It was early in the morning that I realized the situation.

When women suddenly started screaming in the middle of the night, I always wondered what was going on, but now I know why.

I was conscious up until then, but I suddenly woke up. ...No, maybe it would be more accurate to say I regained my senses.

I have become aware of what I have done up until now.

I lost my beloved Aleph, the one with whom I had even promised to marry, once the defeat of the Demon King was over.

--- I killed him. Pushed him off with these hands.

"...Ugh! Ugh... Ugh... Ugh... Ughhhhh!"

I just kept throwing up. My head hurts. Even though I know what I've done, I can't comprehend it.

Why? Why did I do that? How was I able to do that...?

There's no way I'd do something like that. After all, I love Aleph. There's no way I'd do something like that to someone I love, right? I wouldn't kill someone I love...

But I did kill him. Because I pushed him off the cliff.

I tricked Aleph, and when he turned around, I kicked him with all my might.

I killed him with my own hands... I know because I did it myself.

But I don't understand. No, I understand. I don't understand. I understand. I don't understand.

"Aaaaahhhh!! Why why why why why?! Why did I do that... Ah, ahhhhh... Aleph... Aleph... did I... kill you?"

I am the one who most cannot understand what I have done.

It was a disgusting feeling. I had killed my childhood friend...someone I loved and cared about.

No... No way... Why did I do that? Why did I hit and beat Aleph every day? Was he doing something wrong? ...No, he wasn't!

We were hitting him even though he hadn't done anything. We were saying nasty things to him. I remember that. Because I was the one doing it.

...What a trash, right? For someone who hasn't done anything wrong, for us to be able to do something like that...aren't we just trash? We were trash after all...

Hahaha... Poor Aleph has such terrible childhood friends.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

I want to apologize... I killed him, so these are words I shouldn't say.

Still, I want to apologize.

I want to apologize to Aleph again and again. He must hate me in the afterlife. He may even be wishing for my death, because I'm still living happily.

But even if I die... I probably won't be able to go to him. He'll go to heaven and I'll go to hell. I guess I can't apologize anymore.

"Aleph, I'm sorry. I'm sorry... I did all those terrible things, I said all those terrible things to you. I... I wanted to kill you... Ugh, ahhhh... I, I..."

I can no longer apologize to him.

So no matter how much I apologize to myself, I can no longer be forgiven.

I feel like, so what if I can apologized directly to Aleph?

Seriously, I'm such an idiot.

I can't take it anymore... I want to die. But even that would just feel like running away, and I can't move anymore.

What should I do...? Whenever I was worried like this, Aleph would always laugh, pat me on the shoulder, and comfort me.

Even when we went with the hero and everyone else to defeat the Demon King...you cheered me up when I was anxious...and when my anxiety disappear, you proposed to me...and we also had our first kiss.

I was so happy. At that time, I was like, "Okay, let's do our best!"

I wonder why it turned out like this.

That was my first time and I was supposed to give it to Aleph.

I wonder why I gave it to another guy...

After defeating the Demon King, Aleph and I returned to the village. We shared our joy. After that, we acted a bit like lovers, relying on Aleph. We even drank alcohol together, which we're not used to...

When the atmosphere is right, invite Aleph to my room.

I'm going to answer that proposal again.

"I want to be happy with Aleph."

And there the two of us fall in love with each other and are united in happiness.

...That's what I dreamed of.

It definitely wasn't a dream worth having for a terrible person like me.

I'm so dirty, I don't feel worthy of being with Aleph.

What a stupid woman to do such a thing...

A truly hopeless slut. That's who I am.

I'm sorry, Aleph... I'm sorry that a woman like me fell in love with you, Aleph.

Aleph would be a much happier man if I wasn't here.

I'm sorry...I'm sorry...

Ahh... There's some kind of noise in the room over there.

Finne-san and Lily-chan... if they feel the same way as me, it's only natural that they'd make a fuss.

I need to meet Finne and Lily and talk to them too.

Because I don't know what to do anymore...

It might be a good idea for the three of them to discuss what to do next.

I left the room feeling exhausted with self-loathing and regret.

I headed to Finne's room.

If Hayato hadn't been there, the two of them would have become a happy couple.