The empire was in utter chaos, completely out of control, turning into a lawless land. Crime, riots, and theft were rampant, and there was no one left to maintain the empire’s operation and governance. The powerful nobles had long been divided and slaughtered, their heads severed. The only consolation was that his own family remained intact and united.
It was all Gerard’s doing. This time, he left no room for mercy. After all, these capital nobles hadn’t spared him any chance of survival, so there was no reason for him to be polite.
He eradicated them completely.
There was another reason—he hated trouble. He had no patience to differentiate who was guilty and who was innocent, so he simply wiped them all out.
He also hoped that through this, Emilia would see his remorse and forgive him.
Even if there was only the slightest possibility, he was willing to do it. This had become his obsession and the only thing on his mind.
Heading to the battlefield, he carried the Hero’s Sword, alone. Just by his aura, his traveling speed was incredibly fast. Along the way, he killed several imperial nobles and completely annihilated their families—men, women, young, and old—all mercilessly slaughtered. Let them gather in hell.
Now, in his eyes, all nobles—good or bad—deserved to die. Whether any good nobles were killed in the process didn’t matter to him at all.
He understood only one truth.
Good people would never become oppressive nobles, and nobles would never be good people.
Moreover, as a Hero, his heart was as clear as a mirror. Everything he did was justice.
This was a right bestowed upon him by the gods above.
“Finally arrived. I didn’t expect the army to have gotten here so fast.”
At this moment, Gerard stood on a high tree branch, muttering to himself, looking somewhat surprised. He watched the scouts of the Kingdom of Oth nearby, riding horses and probing the area to help the main army avoid risks.
In the next moment, he shifted his footing and instantly appeared before the scouts. They were about to return and report that the area was safe but were shocked by the presence of the Hero. Their pupils dilated in panic.
Even their horses sensed the danger and tried to flee.
But before they could say anything or warn their comrades…
A flash of sword light cut the people and horses into pieces. Not a single one survived or had a chance to utter a final word. Only mangled corpses were left on the ground.
“All right, next is to deal with the main army.”
At the start, Gerard had been hesitant, disgusted, and confused when he began killing. Maybe it was his lingering conscience acting up since he had rarely killed before—Emilia had protected him too well.
But those so-called limits and conscience were completely replaced by anger and desire.
Now, he had become increasingly proficient in killing. He even took pride in it, found pleasure in it, and rationalized it, justifying his acts with suitable excuses.
Once the line is crossed, there are no limits left.
His eyes fixed on the approaching army in the distance. A dark, unstoppable flame flickered in them. The soldiers marched lifelessly, devoid of humanity, blindly moving toward death.
Gerard made up his mind: these people would die here.
To protect the empire and prevent his and Emilia’s hard work from being wasted.
With blood-stained face, he calmly acted as if playing a game. He even started thinking about how to receive Emilia back properly. She might beg for Sig’s life, but he absolutely wouldn’t show mercy… this was a matter of a man’s dignity.
Then, the two of them would live happily ever after. We are destined to be together. You bear much responsibility for what I’ve become, Emilia. You must compensate me for a lifetime.
Having gone through so much, he had grown and understood a lot.
He didn’t know if he was happy or sad, but at least he understood that life without Emilia was impossible—like the West could never lose Jerusalem.
His thoughts stopped there. Lost in this pleasant moment, he smiled as he stepped over corpses and blood, raised the Hero’s Sword, and charged at the army without looking back.
The battlefield was thrown into turmoil by a single person. The clash of swords and screams filled the air.
These events were all recorded by certain people into newspapers, eventually reaching the delicate hands of a silver-haired girl. To keep her political sensitivity, she still read such reports occasionally, unless overwhelmed by other matters.
Her silver hair lay across the newspaper as her crimson eyes studied the shocking news. Each event was both expected and unexpected. She furrowed her brow slightly, even though she no longer concerned herself with the empire’s affairs.
Still, she couldn’t help but criticize how outrageous it all was.
Gerard was truly reckless—killing all the nobles in a blind rage without leaving a single one alive. Not only had he broken his own rules, but he had lost all limits.
But without replacements, who would work for him? Who would maintain the state’s operation? Who would uphold the rule? Power flows from the bottom up.
Most likely, he acted in a moment of madness without considering the consequences. Before, I was the one who handled all the aftermath.
After all, that guy didn’t care about anything and even complained about my nagging and meddling afterward… Thinking about all this made her feel terrible, as if haunted by nightmares…
She had lost count of how many times she had cleaned up after Gerard since childhood, how much money she had lost, how many favors she had bought, and how many kind words she had spoken. At one point, even apologizing had become a habitual phrase.
…But that’s none of my business anymore.”
Having grown used to it, she subconsciously started thinking of solutions. Quickly, she chastised herself, reminding herself not to think too much.
She gently shook her head and continued focusing on the newspaper, unwilling to miss any detail.
Her crimson eyes reflected another earth-shaking event happening in the empire. Her expression became subtle and complicated as she bit her lip lightly.
She sighed. As expected, the thing she feared the most had happened.
Her tender lips parted slightly as she murmured a worried evaluation of the situation, giving the highest possible combat power rating she could.
“He really inherited the full power of the Hero. That power is comparable to a god… Even Oth’s army couldn’t stop him, completely slaughtered. But it’s not all bad news, at least…”
She paused and continued reading. Her delicate hand clenched tightly upon seeing the news that Gerard had been seriously injured—apparently attacked by some war machine.
She released her grip slowly and exhaled in relief.
“At least we have some breathing room now. That’s good.”
Her thoughts hadn’t finished when Sig arrived, quietly interrupting.
With a blank expression, he spoke the thoughts the girl had been harboring.
“By rights, that Hero shouldn’t have been injured. Even if he was, he should heal quickly or even revive. After all, he’s watched over by the gods. But no matter what, this is good news for us. At least we get some time to develop further. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know what to do.”
It wasn’t that he was belittling himself. If he still had his former strength, with some external help, he might be able to fight on equal footing. Now it was fifty-fifty—if I’m chopped into five pieces in five minutes and still alive, I consider that a win.