Chapter 217 ·Maiden of Blood (6)
Maiden of Blood (6)
It took a long time for the girl, who had faced the crisis of death, to open her eyes.
Meanwhile, various events were unfolding in the East Continent.
Because someone had carried out a strange ritual in the capital, the environment across the entire continent began to change.
Fields where people had usually grown their favorite food ingredients all rotted away, and the monsters that occasionally threatened people became several times more ferocious than usual.
Moreover, natural disasters began occurring throughout the continent, turning many regions into a hellscape.
The power of the East Continent alone could not handle this, and they eventually came to receive help from foreign countries.
The residents, in despair, wondered.
What sin could they possibly have committed to deserve such calamity?
Was there someone who had caused all this?
Or was it divine punishment from a god who had grown disillusioned with humanity?
If there was a culprit, whether it was intentional or not, there was a clear course of action.
"Kill the Maiden of Blood!!"
"Get rid of that evil witch at once!!"
The girl who had opened her eyes could not comprehend the situation unfolding before her.
She understood that disasters had broken out and the monsters had become more violent, but the real problem was that she had become the main culprit behind all these events.
"I knew it! We never should have let that girl live!"
"Should've known since the moment she killed on the battlefield!"
"Cut off her head!!"
Though the girl was incapable of emotion, this time, even she could not help but wear an incredulous expression.
It was shocking enough that the continent had become like this, but the fact that she was being blamed as the main cause was enough to revive the sense of injustice she'd lost.
"Did you understand?"
"..."
The Emperor explained the current situation to the girl, who was locked away in a prison.
Hearing about all the events that had transpired, the girl kept her mouth shut, unable to immediately reply.
"No matter how stoic you are, this situation must be a serious shock. So I'll give you some time to sort out your thoughts."
But it didn't take her long to organize her thoughts.
It was clear that the Imperial Court intended to blame all the catastrophic events they had caused on her.
"I see."
Even after realizing that, the girl maintained a calm expression.
Seeing that, the Emperor felt greatly relieved.
"*Haaa*... That's a relief. I was worried you might go on a rampage because of the shock, but you're no different than usual. I'm truly grateful."
"I'm not sure why you're complimenting me, but thank you anyway."
The girl was as composed as always.
No matter how sudden the turn of events, she did not let her emotions dictate her judgment of the situation.
That very trait was what had allowed her to end the great war all by herself.
"In any case, since you've been unconscious until now, there must be some things you're not yet aware of."
"I understand that, thanks to Your Majesty's attempt at the Blood Sword Technique ritual, a disaster has befallen the entire continent."
"You're quite right. Damn it! I was far too careless."
The real purpose of the Blood Sword Technique was to carry out a ritual to awaken the black horde.
Initially, not even the girl herself knew that fact.
However, during the process of creating the manual, she came to realize that it was some kind of awakening ritual, though no one could have predicted the aftereffects that would result.
"But there was no problem with the ritual I attempted."
"What do you mean?"
Did that mean the ritual itself had no issues?
"The problem lies with the continent. During the ritual, a whisper came to me in my head."
The blood on the continent is insufficient.
Without enough blood, there can be no perfect resurrection.
This ritual is a failure.
"The continent's blood is insufficient?"
"Fortunately, due to the wars until now, a lot of blood has been imprinted on the land, but several years have passed since the war ended, so the blood is almost dried up."
"So that's how it was."
If only the ritual had been conducted a bit sooner, this disaster could have been avoided.
Nothing could be more frustrating.
The Emperor let out a sigh at the thought that the continent's current state was due to his own blunder.
"By the way, I don't see the adjutant anywhere."
"You mean him?"
Since he was always by the girl's side, it was natural to notice his absence.
"He's currently handling the fallout from this crisis."
"Don't tell me... he's also taking responsibility for this...?"
"That's right. He's taking responsibility and handling the mess—by putting all the blame on you, of course."
If someone else had heard that, they'd be beyond shocked to the point of screaming, but the girl simply maintained an emotionless expression.
"So that's how it is."
"This is all my responsibility, but... I'll use every move I can. Including finding a way for me and my family to survive."
Though the Emperor claimed responsibility, he was in reality dumping it onto the girl.
It was a plain contradiction.
Even knowing that, the girl simply accepted it as it was.
"Throwing you away is no different from discarding a tool, is it? Don't you think?"
"..."
Can one just pin responsibility on a tool with no will of its own?
The Emperor's remarks only served to make one's head hurt, but no one in this place dared refute him.
"So steel yourself, number 666. And know that we, the royal family, will never forget your sacrifice. We will surely repay your favor."
She was going to become a criminal remembered for all of history, so how would that help?
"People will resent you, but I will restore your honor one day."
The Emperor's words seemed meant to placate the girl, but carried no real sincerity.
The girl was about to respond with her usual composure.
"Excuse me...!"
"What is it?"
Just then, a certain thought suddenly struck the girl.
"You said I was unconscious for a while, correct?"
"I told you it was about thirty days, didn't I?"
A period that could feel long or short, depending on one's perspective.
In that time, many people must have died.
"If I may ask..."
The girl mentioned the name of the person closest to her.
"What became of Her Highness the Princess?"
"The girl?"
The Emperor responded indifferently upon hearing the name.
"While you were down, our prince was all excited, claiming he'd finally do what he'd always wanted. In the end..."
There was no need to explain what happened to the princess after that.
The prince had always wanted to remove the princess, and after the girl who had held him in check collapsed, it had become all too predictable.
"Well... if my son wants it, it's not like I can stop him. After all, no father can beat his own child."
"..."
"By the way, you... Your expression just now looked a bit odd?"
The Emperor momentarily saw a vein stand out on the girl's face.
He'd almost missed it because it passed so quickly, but he couldn't shake off the strange feeling.
"It's nothing."
"That's a relief."
But the girl neither smiled nor showed anger.
After all, she would soon take the fall for all of this and disappear from the world.
"It's about time. Come along."
With that, the girl, her hands cuffed, was taken out of the underground cell and dragged to the execution ground.
At the top stood two executioners, blades in hand, waiting. From her vantage point, the girl could see the vast crowd.
As she looked at them, the girl felt a sense of novelty.
The citizens who once praised her as the hero who unified the continent were now glaring at her with contempt.
Shouts of "Kill her,"
"Execute her,"
"Bring judgment," rang out from all directions.
It was truly remarkable.
Even a hero who had unified the continent could be reduced to a mere criminal so easily.
"Commence the execution!!"
At that instant, the adjutant's booming voice rang out.
He had apparently taken a supervisory position at the side of the execution ground.
"Soldier Number 666. Known as the Maiden of Blood. She, who once made great contributions to the empire, is now nothing more than a criminal deserving of execution..."
The adjutant began listing the girl's crimes in front of the crowd.
Just a mere criminal, a traitor, a walking disaster, and so on and so forth...
The girl found it tiresome, but the crowd listened to every word with rapt attention.
Were they really that eager to hear it?
Perhaps the catastrophe on the continent had left everyone out of their minds.
'It's over anyway.'
Regardless, the girl simply zoned out, uncaring.
It made no difference to her whether people called her a hero or a traitor.
Once her head hit the ground, all those proclamations would become meaningless anyway.
Sriing!—
The sound of the executioner's sword being drawn echoed over the platform.
The sword's speed was slow compared to the swords the girl herself wielded, yet she had no intention of dodging.
She would simply die as ordered.
Slice!—
At the same time as the sound of flesh being cut, the girl's head rolled across the execution platform's ground.
A hush fell over the crowd in that instant, and then, realizing that the witch who caused the disaster was finally gone, the citizens burst out into a resounding cheer.
People rejoiced as if that alone solved everything.
Of course, the disaster afflicting the continent did not disappear.
But—
"Huh?"
With a smile, the adjutant watched the girl's head fall—only for his eyes to fly wide in shock.
Everyone else, too, gasped and the mood suddenly grew tense.
"Hm?"
Simultaneously, even the girl expressed puzzlement.
Wait, could she even process anything, brain or no, with her head chopped off?
Amazingly, it was possible.
The head that should have been severed was now reattached to the girl's body.
It looked just like a lizard regrowing a tail, stunning not only the crowd but the two executioners as well.
'What is this?'
While the girl pondered this, the executioners tried again.
They slashed at her arms, her legs, her head, and her chest, but the result was always the same.
No matter how many times she was cut, the girl regenerated each time.
"I've never heard of anything like this before?"
The incredible sight turned the cheers into screams.
Some citizens even began to flee, and the Emperor, observing from the back, wore a look of panic.
"Your Majesty."
"..."
"What should we do?"
...
After much deliberation, the Emperor managed to devise a way to deal with the girl.
Though, it wasn't a method of killing her.
After all, with an opponent who could come back to life even after decapitation, no one at present could possibly kill her.
According to the girl herself, it was suspected to be some kind of effect related to the Blood Sword Technique as well.
Her monstrous strength, great enough to unify the continent, was apparently due to her complete mastery of the Blood Sword Technique.
In short, ever since becoming a legend, the girl had become someone who could not die even if she wanted to.
'No other monster could compare.'
So the way to handle her was not to kill her.
It was either to seal her away or banish her somewhere else.
Sealing her wasn't impossible.
If thousands of the continent's finest mages gathered together, they could create a barrier strong enough to seal away any monster or mighty foe.
Thus, they tried.
The result was a complete failure.
The barrier that a thousand mages had formed could not restrain the girl's strength.
It just proved again that the girl was an unparalleled monster.
The other option was banishment, but that idea hardly seemed reliable.
Even if they exiled her, where would be suitable?
'No—there is a place!'
But it wasn't entirely impossible.
Warriors from other continents had come recently to support the ravaged East Continent.
They had struck a deal: if they helped them, the East Continent would, in turn, dispatch troops to assist on the other side as well.
'This is it.'
They had already sent many soldiers, so if they sent the girl as well, the problem would be resolved quickly.
Everyone in the East Continent now rejected her existence.
'Of course, I'm the one who framed her.'
In the end, just as the Emperor planned, the girl was sent off to the side of the West Continent, which had supported them.
He had already made sure to warn King Woodrock on that side that, no matter how strong she was, the girl could do nothing unless ordered, being nothing more than a homunculus.
Upon hearing this, king Woodrock had licked his lips at the sight of the girl.
He clearly saw her as more than just a disposable soldier, but that was hardly cause for optimism.
'Farewell, number 666.'
Since she was incapable of holding a grudge even if she wanted to, both the Emperor and King Woodrock felt at ease.
Unaware of what would happen hundreds of years from now.