“After that?”
Allison Visseran first nodded slowly at the question, then shook her head.
“There was nothing after that, Prince.”
In those eyes that saw through the world, an overwhelming sorrow flowed, impossible to dissolve.
“The Ancient Alliance… lost.”
“Although the Blood Empress was severely wounded by the combined strength of the Seven Heroes, she was not destroyed.”
“Before she tore the continent and retreated into Eternal Night, she captured the Alliance’s greatest hope—Justice Hero Alice.”
“And then, she unleashed the most vicious Curse upon this world, completely…”
“Blackening the remaining six Heroes into witches!”
What?!
Astreia’s heart trembled violently.
Wendy furrowed his brow even more, blurting out a question based on game logic:
“If that Curse was so powerful, why didn’t the Blood Empress use it earlier? If she did, wouldn’t she have gained seven top-tier subordinates out of nowhere?”
“That’s impossible.”
Allison Visseran immediately shook her head, denying his guess.
She explained,
“That Curse doesn’t take effect instantly. It’s like maggots clinging to bones, slowly eroding and twisting over time.”
“Moreover, it’s deeply connected to the origin of the Heroes’ powers.”
“The Seven Heroes didn’t wield ordinary magic or physical strength, but a ‘power of emotion’ derived from soul magic.”
“Specifically: Justice, Tolerance, Fortitude, Diligence, Generosity, Temperance, and Chastity.”
“Each of them endured unimaginable trials beyond mortal comprehension to ultimately master the Virtue Power corresponding to their own soul.”
“But the Blood Empress’s vile Curse insidiously reversed the very foundation of that power!”
At this point, Allison Visseran clenched her fists so tightly they creaked, her teeth grinding with bone-deep hatred.
Wendy and Astreia exchanged a glance.
In each other’s eyes, they saw the weight of an impending tragedy.
They had already guessed at the terrible end.
Sure enough, the Prime Minister’s voice grew lower and more ethereal, as if recounting a nightmare too painful to recall.
“At first, after the battle, the six surviving Heroes returned to their countries amid the jubilation of the entire Erashia Continent, becoming saviors worshipped by all.”
“However, soon after, terrifying events began to unfold one after another.”
“Originally, the most tolerant of all—Hero Sylvia, who could forgive any sin—killed a young woman in cold blood out of mere jealousy of her beauty.”
“She became the first to fall—Witch of Envy.”
“Next, the generous Hero Delysia, who once gave all her wealth to the poor, assassinated her own king, usurped the throne, and imposed a hundred percent tax on the nation. Any who dared resist were brutally executed by her own hand.”
“She became the second fallen—Witch of Greed.”
“And the most chaste Hero Arvela, who valued loyalty above life itself, went mad. She began seizing all men and women she deemed beautiful across the continent, imprisoning them in her palace and toying with them at will.”
“She became—the Demon King of Lust.”
“According to the oldest records of the Church, people of that era were helpless before the evil witches who had once been their saviors. The entire continent fell into despair even deeper than when facing the Blood Empress.”
In the Prime Minister’s mournful gaze, the despair of all living beings of that time was reflected.
“In their terror, people placed their last hope on the three remaining Heroes: Movila the Hero of Temperance, Liliana the Hero of Diligence, and Beota the Hero of Fortitude.”
“Yet, when people finally found them, they witnessed scenes even more heartbreaking.”
“Liliana, renowned for her diligence, who had once built a dam to save a city after three sleepless nights, now lay like a rotting corpse in her bed, covered in mold. Any who dared approach or disturb her slumber were slain in a single blow.”
“She had become—the Witch of Sloth.”
“Beota, second only to Justice Hero in strength and famed for her fortitude, used the last of her reason to seal herself deep within an abandoned mine using boulders and divine chains. In endless rage and anguish, she transformed into—the Witch of Wrath.”
“The only one who retained a shred of sanity was Movila, the Hero of Temperance. Under the Curse, she was consumed by a relentless appetite, ceaselessly cooking and eating.”
“Fortunately, she lived in the grasslands where wild game was plentiful and humans were scarce, so no tragedy of cannibalism occurred.”
“She became—the Witch of Gluttony.”
“At that point, all hope was lost. Even the Church of the time didn’t know what to do.”
“But at that moment, the Demon King of Lust, Arvela, moved in secret.”
“She sought out Delysia, now the Witch of Greed, and proposed a wicked alliance—to conquer the entire continent together.”
“All beautiful men and women would belong to Arvela; all money, treasures, and taxes to Delysia.”
“The two struck a dark pact.”
“With terrifying might, they conquered the western Erashia Continent in just three days, destroying the now-mad Witch of Envy, Sylvia, and the deranged Witch of Wrath, Beota.”
“For a time, the entire continent was gripped with fear.”
“The remaining nations, led by the Church, were forced to exhaust all resources to hastily forge a new generation of warriors to stand against the witches—the Second Generation Warriors.”
“During this period, the Demon King of Lust and the Witch of Greed united to seize half the continent, and hunted down the slumbering Witch of Sloth, Liliana, and killed her as well.”
“At that moment, it seemed the entire world would fall under the rule of the two witches.”
At this, Allison’s tone suddenly flickered with a hint of emotion.
“But that was also when hope reemerged!”
“Because Movila, the Hero of Temperance, was exceptionally skilled in cooking, she managed to maintain her sanity by indulging her appetite to the fullest.”
“Upon learning of Arvela and Delysia’s atrocities, she went to the Church and led the newly formed Second Generation Warriors into battle against her former companions.”
“Yet, in the final battle, no one could have foreseen what happened next.”
“Arvela, the Demon King of Lust, who seemed to be in an unbreakable alliance, displayed shocking cunning and composure.”
“While Delysia, the Witch of Greed, was engaged in fierce combat with Movila and the Second Generation Warriors, Arvela betrayed her from behind—devouring her only ally and claiming the Witch of Greed’s power for herself.”
“She became unimaginably strong.”
“But in the end, the Witch of Gluttony—still retaining her sanity—used the Holy Sword left behind by Justice Hero Alice to forever seal the now-invincible Demon King of Lust within the blade.”
At this, Allison Visseran sighed deeply, her eyes filled with sorrow.
“But Movila’s life was spent in the process.”
“And due to the devastation wrought by the two witches, the population and civilization of the entire continent regressed greatly.”
“In the histories that followed, the martyred Witch of Gluttony, Movila, was honored as the ‘First Hero’—the ancestor of the Cavalier Kingdom.”
“And the so-called ‘Sernye Demon King’ refers to that very Demon King of Lust—Arvela—who was sealed within the Holy Sword.”