“The end of false freedom.”
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“Tr-true freedom!”
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Inside the castle’s corridor, Vera walked with five souls.
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He had a deep frown on his face.
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‘How terrible.’
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The stone corridor was smeared with blood and flesh in various places.
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The stench filled the air, and the dim candles that illuminated the dark corridor only intensified the eeriness.
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‘There are no guards.’
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That was the odd part.
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There were no guards in the inner castle, which should be protecting something important.
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All that was there were apostates in robes, just as he had seen from the outside.
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As his thoughts progressed, an apostate looked at Vera.
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Unfazed, Vera spoke.
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“The end of false freedom.”
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He bowed his head deeply as he spoke.
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Shortly after, a reply came.
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[True freedom!]
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The apostate raised both hands and answered, then passed by Vera.
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Whooong—
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The Holy Sword wailed in discontent.
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Vera caressed the Holy Sword and spoke to himself.
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‘Hold it in. It’s for a greater cause.’
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Whooong—!
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The Holy Sword wailed even louder.
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Vera felt troubled.
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‘It’s becoming more willful.’
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Compared to when it was first created, the change was dramatic.
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Its growing consciousness was now even throwing tantrums at Vera.
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While it wasn’t a bad thing, it became annoying at times like these.
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‘Who did you inherit this stubbornness from?’
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The sword should have been more flexible, but it seemed to dislike anything related to blasphemy. Vera sighed deeply at the unyielding Holy Sword and stroked it again.
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‘It’s almost time. There will be a time to act, just bear it a little longer.’
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Whoong...
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The Holy Sword’s protests subsided.
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Vera smirked.
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It wasn’t until much later that their journey, accompanied by minor mishaps, finally came to an end.
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“Here… here it is.”
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Camilla, the woman with straw-colored hair, whispered to Vera.
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Vera looked at the iron door before him and responded.
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“Is this the prison?”
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“Yes. I definitely saw this door when we were moved to the altar.”
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Vera nodded.
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Then, he knocked lightly on the iron door.
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A voice flowed from the inside.
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[What is it?]
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In response to the inquiry of a dark tone, Vera replied.
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“One has died. We came to get a replacement.”
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According to the information he had previously gathered, it wasn’t rare for a sacrifice to die during the ceremony.
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Vera took advantage of that point, and the apostate accepted it without suspicion.
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[Tsk, come in.]
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Clang—
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The door opened.
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Inside were cramped iron cages and sparsely scattered humans.
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Vera’s brow furrowed slightly at the sight, as if he were looking into a menagerie.
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Yet, his senses sharpened.
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‘There’s only one of him in here.’
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The visibility was blurred due to the surrounding negativity, but Vera was fortunately able to grasp the situation inside the prison.
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‘Is only one person managing this?’
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After all, if the job was more about surveillance rather than caretaking, then there was no need for more than one person.
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Vera stepped inside.
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The five souls followed him in.
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Thud.
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The iron door closed.
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Immediately after, Vera’s hand reached out toward the apostate.
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Crush—
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He crushed his throat.
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Vera grimaced as the splattering blood stained his arm, and the souls with him gasped.
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“Let’s start by releasing the remaining people. I’ll take care of cutting the iron bars, so you should all look for your family.”
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“Ah, yes!”
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Camilla and her group passed by Vera.
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Vera wiped the blood off his robe and grasped his Holy Sword.
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The Holy Sword trembled.
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“Yes, it’s time to work.”
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His divinity layered over the blade, sharpening it further.
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Then, Vera swung his Holy Sword right where he stood.
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Clang—
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He executed a flurry of strikes at such a high speed that his arm blurred.
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The metallic sound swept through the prison, and right after, all the locks on the cages were severed.
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Vera sheathed his Holy Sword and surveyed the prison.
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‘It’s mostly empty.’
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Too many cells were vacant, even if they were emptied for the ritual in the hall they just came from.
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There was only one reason that came to his mind.
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‘Did they also take people to the other side?’
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It must’ve meant that people were taken not only to the altar in the previous hall, but also to the altar behind the door at the far end.
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Vera let out a long sigh.
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He headed towards the faint presence that he sensed nearby.
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He faced the dying soul.
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Like the others he’d seen, this young boy was all skin and bones.
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‘Even kids like this…’
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It was only human to feel rage.
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Vera knelt in front of the boy and gently brushed his head with his divinity.
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The boy’s eyes slowly opened.
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“Shhh... it’s okay. Take it easy.”
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The boy’s shaky breathing gradually stabilized.
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His eyes, once again closed, now seemed to be at peace as if he had just fallen asleep.
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The child was already dead.
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Although Vera knew that, he couldn’t bear to see him in pain.
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Brushing off his rising bitterness, Vera moved on to another cell.
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One by one, he stabilized the victims, and some of them even recovered enough to walk.
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Then, Camilla and her group approached Vera.
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“Did you find them?”
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At Vera’s question, everyone except Camilla nodded.
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Vera’s gaze turned to Camilla.
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Her anxiety-ridden face and her action of biting her nails clearly indicated that her sister was not here.
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Vera reached out and placed his hand over Camilla’s.
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Flinch—
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Startled, Camilla looked up at Vera.
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Vera spoke.
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“Let’s go deeper. You will be able to find her there.”
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Camilla’s expression clouded over.
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She looked as though she was about to burst into tears at any moment.
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Her head creaked, and Vera withdrew his hand with a bitter expression.
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‘All these people…’
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They were the victims here.
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Lost in a time they couldn’t turn back, they were still writhing in agony.
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Woong—!
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Suddenly, the Holy Sword wailed loudly.
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Vera entered the depths of the interior.
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The four who had found their family and the fallen victims were waiting in the prison.