Rebellion Rising from the Depths: Mocked by the Hero Who Impregnated My Childhood Friend Before My Very Eyes. - Chapter 3: Orchestrated Downfall.

Orchestrated Downfall.

The dungeon was so quiet it felt out of place on a night of celebration.

No—perhaps it wasn’t actually quiet. Far above, the echoes of the banquet continued; laughter and the music of the orchestra drifted down, vibrating dully through the stone walls. But those sounds were so distant, so clearly from another world, that to Noah, they only deepened the profound silence of the cell.

Sitting on the damp floor, the iron shackles bit coldly into his wrists. His cheekbone was swollen, and the taste of blood still lingered in his mouth. When he tried to lean his back against the wall, the shoulder blade he’d struck while being restrained throbbed with a sharp ache. With every breath, the wounds he’d brought back from the battlefield and the new pains carved into him just moments ago writhed together inside his body.

But there was something that hurt far more than all of those.

There’s no future with you.

Every time he closed his eyes, Lydie’s voice was resurrected. The blue-stoned ring had been shining on her finger. Her profile as she leaned into Leon’s arm had been unhesitatingly beautiful. What he had seen in that room would likely never be stripped from his mind as long as he lived.

“Hey.”

A voice dropped down from outside the iron bars.

When Noah looked up, a sentry was staring at him with a bored expression. He was a young man, but his eyes were strangely jaded.

“Don’t go wailing on me. The Hero’s celebration is still going on upstairs. It’d be bad luck if the voice of a piece of trash who laid hands on a woman reached them.”

Noah didn’t say a word.

There was no point in responding. No matter what he said here, the story was already finished in this man’s mind. An incompetent fool had obsessed over the Hero’s fiancée and turned violent. So, he was caught. That was all.

Taking the silence as affirmation, the soldier snorted.

“Tch. Know your place, seriously. Even a chore-runner like you only stayed fed this long because of the Hero’s mercy, right?”

Chore-runner.

The usual word. He was used to hearing it. Yet, for some reason, its lightness grated on his heart tonight.

Noah lowered his gaze. Dried mud was encrusted on the stone floor. There were dark stains that looked like someone’s blood. In places hidden from the beautiful main streets of the capital, filth like this was always pushed aside. And now, he was the same.

“…Please.”

A raspy voice came out, weaker than he expected.

The soldier frowned. “What?”

“To my home… a message. My father… he’s sick.”

Before he could finish, the soldier shrugged with an air of annoyance.

“Not happening. Not tonight, and maybe not tomorrow, either.”

“Just a word. That I can’t come home—just that—”

“I said shut up!”

The soldier struck the bars with the butt of his spear. A high-pitched metallic clang echoed through the cell, and Noah instinctively fell silent.

“I don’t care about your circumstances. Tomorrow, after the interrogation, you might get kicked out if you’re lucky. Sit there and be quiet until then.”

The soldier spat the words out and walked away, his footsteps echoing.

All that remained was dampness, cold, and a sense of panic that had nowhere to go.

Father is waiting.

That fact struck his mind more often than the sounds of the banquet. The face that had smiled and sent him off flashed before him. He’d said he took his medicine. But his father was a man who smiled while hiding his suffering. He couldn’t help but remember that about him.

Noah pulled at the shackles, knowing it was meaningless. The metal bit in. Only a dull pain returned.

***

The night was long.

Even if he closed his eyes, he couldn’t sleep. If he closed them, the scene in that room was resurrected. If he opened them, the darkness of the dungeon spread before him. Both were hell. Sobbing could be heard from one of the cells; in another, drunken soldiers were laughing. Once, late into the night, someone let out a scream that was cut short halfway through. He didn’t have the energy to imagine what had happened.

Eventually, the noise subsided, and by the time the clamor of the festival had completely faded, Noah finally realized he was terribly hungry. But even though his stomach was empty, he didn’t want to eat anything. Nausea was the only thing pooling in the depths of his stomach.

He didn’t know how much time had passed.

Footsteps returned just as the area above began to turn white.

“Get up.”

It was a different soldier this time. An older man wearing a city guard’s jacket over his leather armor. Two of them opened the cell and forced Noah to stand. His knees were stiff; he couldn’t find the strength to move properly.

“Where…?”

“Interrogation. If you’re lucky, it’ll be over today.”

If you’re lucky.

He knew what that meant without asking.

He was made to walk through a narrow passage. The underground air remained damp even in the morning, and the smell of iron and mold hit his nose. As they climbed the stairs, they finally emerged into a hallway with windows. The morning light was painful to his eyes. Noah blinked repeatedly. It had been a long time since light had pierced him like this. Even though he’d only been underground for a single night, he felt as if he alone had been left behind in a different place.

In a small room, his face was roughly washed, and a dry cloth was thrown at him. There was no mirror, but he could feel the swelling of his cheekbone just by touching it. The corner of his lip was also split. Like this, no matter what he said, he would look like nothing more than a violent criminal.

A soldier pointed at a stack of papers on a desk.

“Sign your name.”

“For what…?”

“The record of your restraint last night. It’s not like you can’t read.”

Noah took the paper with trembling hands. The text was already written there.

‘Unauthorized entry into the private chamber in the West Tower of the estate of Hero Leon Vals. Attempted assault against the fiancée, Lady Lydie Cern. Attempted theft of money and jewelry within the room. Act of resistance against the Hero who intervened—’

For a while, the words failed to form any meaning.

Unauthorized entry. Attempted assault. Attempted theft.

All of it was wrong. They were all tidy criminal charges that seemed to have been decided from the start.

“It wasn’t unauthorized.”

Noah looked up from the paper.

“I was called by Lydie. There was a letter.”

The older soldier snorted, looking fed up.

“Ah, the letter, is it? It’s already been submitted.”

“Submitted…?”

“By the other side.”

The other side.

At those words, a cold chill ran down his spine.

“What do you mean?”

“Ask at the interrogation.”

The soldier said no more and shoved Noah’s shoulder.

***

The place they took him was the main building of the Adventurers Guild in the center of the capital. It was a large stone building, usually bustling from morning with adventurers looking for requests and merchants bringing in materials. Noah had crossed this threshold countless times. Receiving rewards after a subjugation, applying for injury compensation, replenishing supplies. It was a place necessary for survival.

But today, the atmosphere from the entrance was different.

Seeing Noah walking between the soldiers, the people in the lobby turned their gazes all at once. A stir arose, and whispers spread.

“Hey, isn’t that… from the Hero’s party?” “That incompetent named Noah, right?” “I heard he laid a hand on the fiancée last night.” “Ugh, he’s the worst…”

The worst.

The word lingered in his ears. He realized people could call someone that so easily.

He was led to the interrogation room on the second floor. The room was small for a courtroom, but it was spacious enough to overwhelm a person. There was a long table in the front, and behind it sat the Guild Master, a clerk from the city guard, and a man dressed in gray robes who seemed to be from the House of Lords. Two scribes were by the wall. There were even spectators in the back: guild staff, a few adventurers, and merchants who had heard the rumors. Noah realized then that they intended to make this public.

To leave him with no place to run.

Forced to stand in the center at the front, Noah clenched his fists. The shackles had been removed, but soldiers were on either side of him. They were close enough to pin him down immediately if he moved.

Eventually, the door opened, and two more people entered.

Leon and Lydie.

Even after a night had passed, the two of them were perfect. Leon had taken off his formal wear, but his groomed platinum hair and his unblemished face were those of the hero from yesterday. Lydie had changed into a deep navy dress that covered her properly up to her neck. But on her left hand, that ring was still there.

Noah’s throat tightened.

Following behind them were familiar faces.

Gareth, the shield-bearer. Milena, the mage. Ewan, the priest.

The people who had been his comrades in the subjugation party.

Gareth scowled explicitly the moment he saw Noah. Milena wouldn’t even try to make eye contact, and Ewan looked down with a troubled expression, yet he remained in line. An ill omen took shape in the depths of Noah’s chest.

The Guild Master cleared his throat.

“We shall now conduct an emergency interrogation regarding the registered adventurer, Noah Feld.”

His voice was solemn. But to Noah, it was immediately clear that the weight was for the sake of formality, not content. The script was already written. What was about to happen was not a trial, but a procedure toward a predetermined conclusion.

The clerk read out the charges.

“Last night, the suspect, Noah Feld, entered the private chamber in the West Tower of the private residence of Lord Leon Vals and attempted persistent contact and assault against Lady Lydie Cern, who was staying at said residence. Furthermore, there is suspicion of an attempt to steal money and jewelry within the room, as well as the ring owned by the Lady. Additionally, he resisted Lord Leon, who intervened, and the city guards.”

Noah took a step forward. The soldiers on either side immediately placed their hands on his shoulders.

“That’s not right.”

The gazes of the entire room converged on him.

Noah spoke, unconcerned that the wound on his lip was tearing.

“I was called. I got a letter from Lydie. She said we needed to talk.”

The Guild Master looked at the scribe. The scribe turned a page and read matter-of-factly.

“The summons has been confirmed. The text in question was sent by Lady Lydie Cern for the purpose of settling her relationship with the suspect. There is testimony that she intended to explain the situation and end things because she was troubled by the suspect’s continuous advances.”

Continuous advances.

For a moment, Noah didn’t understand the meaning.

“…What are you talking about?”

“Suspect, speak in turn,” the city guard clerk interjected coldly.

Lydie took a step forward.

“I will speak.”

Her voice was trembling. It was different from the coldness that had stabbed Noah to death yesterday. It was the voice of a weak, frightened woman. It was so natural that for a moment, he wondered if she were a different person.

She lowered her gaze and clasped her hands in front of her chest. It was a position where the blue-stoned ring was visible.

“I’ve known Noah since we were children. That’s why, if possible, I wanted to settle things amicably.”

Amicably.

The word alone made nausea well up.

“Recently, he’s been acting strange… Every time he returned from a subjugation, he’d come to my house and say we were getting married, or that he’d protect me… But I told him many times that I no longer felt that way.”

A stir rippled through the audience behind him.

Something rang in the back of Noah’s ears.

“But he wouldn’t listen, and yesterday he sent a letter saying he wanted to talk properly one last time… That was truly all it was. Yet, while we were talking, he suddenly got angry, grabbed my hand… and told me to give the ring back.”

Here, Lydie let her throat tremble.

“I was scared. I… I didn’t know what to do anymore…”

Several spectators scowled openly. The gazes directed at Noah became even colder than before.

No.

He hadn’t been called for something like that. She must have known. She knew everything and did this on purpose—

“That’s a lie!”

Noah’s voice echoed.

The soldiers grabbed his shoulders, but he couldn’t be stopped anymore.

“You knew from the start! That ring is my mother’s keepsake, and you took it—”

“Quiet!” the Guild Master roared.

The room fell silent.

The Guild Master glared at Noah, making no attempt to hide his disgust.

“Lady Lydie is testifying. Your insolence knows no bounds.”

“Listen to my side! She stole it from my house. That ring is—”

“We have already confirmed that matter as well.”

This time, the man in gray robes spoke. It was the dry voice of someone who appeared to be an inspector from the House of Lords.

“Regarding the origin of the ring, the suspect claims ownership, but there are no documents to prove it. On the other hand, Lady Lydie currently holds it as her personal property. Since you attempted to take it by force in the room, attempted theft can be established.”

Noah was speechless.

There was no way he would have documents to prove ownership. Not for a small keepsake entrusted to him by his mother. Someone living in the slums wouldn’t have kept everything in writing.

In other words, from the beginning, there was no chance of winning.

“Next, Lord Leon Vals, who witnessed the scene.”

When called, Leon stepped forward leisurely. It was the same composed gait as last night. The atmosphere in the room shifted. The spectators straightened their backs, and eyes mixed with respect and expectation gathered on the Hero.

Leon bowed and spoke in a quiet voice.

“Personally, I did not wish to have him stand in a place like this.”

At those first words, Noah bit his back teeth.

“Noah is someone who has been a member of the subjugation party for a long time. Even if his abilities were lacking, he did some work with chores and rear support. I do have feelings of attachment. That is why I intended to send him home peacefully yesterday as well.”

Attachment.

His vision nearly turned red with anger at the blatant hypocrisy of those words.

“However, he was obsessed with Lydie. There had been a dangerous quality to his gaze and behavior for some time, so much so that I had even warned her to stay away from him. Yesterday, at her earnest request, I provided an opportunity for them to speak one last time. There, he suddenly flew into a rage, grabbed her arm roughly to steal the ring, and even reached for the bag of gold on the table. I only intervened after hearing a scream.”

The bag of gold.

The leather pouch Leon had tossed at Noah’s feet last night flashed through his mind.

At this point, he even felt a sense of admiration. Leon intended to turn even the gold he’d thrown into evidence of a crime.

“That’s not…!”

“Then what is different?”

For the first time, Leon looked at Noah.

There was a bone-chilling coldness in the gaze directed straight at him.

“Did you not grab her hand? Did you not scream for her to give it back? Did you not try to grab me?”

All of it—Leon was only lining up fragments of the truth.

That was why it was so troublesome.

He had grabbed her. He had screamed. He had tried to grab him. All of it was true. But if you cut off the beginning and the end, it looked like nothing more than the actions of a deranged man.

Leon utilized the few seconds that Noah was lost for words.

“…I do not wish to punish him.”

His voice returned to a soft tone.

“However, I believe appropriate measures are necessary so that he does not lose sight of himself and hurt those around him any further.”

A stir spread.

“He’s such a kind hero,” someone whispered softly.

Noah felt like he was going to vomit.

***

Next to be called was Gareth.

The large shield-bearer crossed his arms as soon as he stood at the witness stand and looked down at Noah with blatant disdain.

“I’ve been thinking he was dangerous for a while now.”

“In what way?” the clerk prompted.

“Noah’s been gloomy for a long time. Every time we fight, he hangs around behind the Hero, making a big show of looking exhausted, yet when it comes to the rewards, he gets weirdly persistent. And when he’s had a few drinks, he says things like, ‘That man wouldn’t be standing if it weren’t for me,’ or ‘I’m the one actually supporting him.'”

Laughter leaked out into the room.

Noah’s eyes widened.

He couldn’t say he had never said it. It wasn’t as if there were absolutely no complaints he’d muttered in a tavern because of exhaustion. But that wasn’t a boast of supporting him so much as a moment of weakness, hoping for at least a little appreciation. If you cut it out like this, it sounded like nothing but a delusion of grandeur.

Gareth continued. “And he was blatant when it came to Lady Lydie. Saying things like, ‘She’s waiting for me.’ Among the comrades, we even laughed, thinking it was just another episode.”

Laughter.

At that word, the thin smiles that had been directed at him countless times before were resurrected. They had noticed. All of them. Noah’s feelings, his suffering—all of it. They knew and laughed about it like it was something to have with a drink.

Next was Milena.

The mage with groomed purple hair didn’t look at him throughout the entire process.

“He was poor at controlling his emotions. Even during missions, there was a severe discrepancy between his self-evaluation and reality; he had a tendency to overestimate his role. I suggested post-war rest to him several times.”

“So you observed mental instability?”

“Yes. I believe his jealousy toward the Hero was also strong. I heard him say, ‘Why is it always me?’ many times.”

Why is it always me?

That, too, was painful because it wasn’t a total lie. The curses, the backlashes, the pain, and the exhaustion—why was he the only one who had to bear it? There were many nights he had thought that. But they must have known the reason. They had seen why Noah vomited blood, why he suddenly couldn’t stand, and why he’d force himself to get up the next day even with a high fever. They’d seen all of it.

And having seen it, they pretended to know nothing.

Finally, Ewan was called, and he stood at the witness stand with a troubled face, as was fitting for a priest.

Noah hoped for just a second—just a single second—that Ewan might be different. That at least he wouldn’t tell a blatant lie.

But Ewan kept his eyes down and spoke quietly.

“Noah-dono had self-sacrificial tendencies. He had a strong habit of pushing himself to be recognized by those around him. I suggested mental healing many times, but he wouldn’t listen.”

“And about his obsession with Lady Lydie?”

“…Yes. I am aware. I believe his unrequited feelings gradually became distorted.”

For the first time, Ewan glanced at Noah.

There was something like guilt in those eyes. That made it even worse. Being discarded by someone who looked like they felt bad about it hurt the heart far more than being betrayed by complete malice.

***

By the time the testimonies were finished, the atmosphere in the room was completely settled.

No one believed Noah’s side.

No—even before believing, they didn’t see him as someone worth believing. The Hero, his fiancée, and the comrades from the subjugation party. Multiple testimonies were lined up. Against them was Noah alone, with the marks of the struggle remaining on his face and without even decent clothing. It wasn’t even a contest.

Still, Noah managed to squeeze the words out.

“Listen to my side… to the end.”

The Guild Master nodded reluctantly. “State it briefly.”

Noah swallowed. His parched throat hurt.

“I… I did like Lydie. I wanted to marry her. I thought I was hiding it, but I guess I wasn’t. I admit that.”

Laughter leaked out at that. Someone whispered, “He’s a sore loser.”

Noah clenched his fists and continued.

“But I didn’t intend to attack her. I didn’t intend to steal, either. That ring is my mother’s keepsake. It was gone from my house, and it was on her finger… When I saw that, I only tried to take it back.”

The Guild Master made an overtly annoyed face. “Evidence?”

“I don’t have any… but—”

“Then your claim is weak.”

“Then what about the wounds!” Noah’s voice became louder involuntarily.

“The reason I’m always like this is all—”

He started to speak, but his throat caught.

It’s all your fault.

It’s all because I’ve been taking on the wounds, curses, and fatigue that Leon was supposed to receive.

He wanted to scream it. But there was no way to prove it. The people who knew the reality of his ability were all currently on the enemy side. Even if he voiced it, it would just be dismissed as “delusion,” “exaggeration,” or “instability” again.

As expected, Milena interjected coldly.

“His poor health is due to the immaturity of his ability and a lack of self-management. We stopped him from excessive mission participation many times.”

“That’s a lie…!”

“It is not a lie,” Ewan said, nodding.

“Noah-dono had a habit of overexerting himself. He would push past his limits while carrying pain. That is why we feared it would eventually come to this.”

Come to this.

In other words, his ruin was inevitable.

Noah almost laughed. No matter what he said now, it would only be used as material to reinforce the other side’s words.

The sound of the clerk putting down his quill rang out.

“That should be enough.”

The man in gray robes sent a look to the Guild Master. The Guild Master nodded and spoke solemnly.

“I shall announce the result of the interrogation.”

The moment he heard that voice, Noah understood it was over.

“Regarding the incident last night, we shall forgo criminal prosecution under city law.”

For a moment, the room stirred.

Forgo. The next words immediately supplemented the meaning.

“This is entirely due to the generous intentions of the victim, Lady Lydie, and Lord Leon Vals. In light of the fact that the suspect was engaged as a junior member of the subjugation party for a certain period, we shall grant mercy as a first-time offense.”

Mercy.

Noah’s stomach felt like it was flipping over.

He was beaten, robbed, and framed for a crime, and on top of that, he was being granted “mercy.” They were words meant to make the people think of how kind the Hero was.

The Guild Master continued mercilessly.

“However, the fact that you significantly damaged the dignity of an adventurer and brought danger to your client and colleagues is grave. Therefore, Noah Feld’s guild registration is revoked as of today. Henceforth, you are permanently barred from adventurer activities in the capital and all allied cities.”

A beat late, the words landed as reality.

Registration revoked. Permanent banishment.

The strength nearly left Noah’s knees.

“Wait…”

“Furthermore, the suspect’s unpaid rewards and injury compensation reserves shall be frozen to be used as compensation for the damage caused by this disturbance.”

Injury compensation reserves.

The money he intended to use for his father’s medicine.

“The eligibility for medical vouchers for dependents is also revoked at the same time.”

At that single sentence, the depths of his chest completely froze.

His father’s medicine would stop.

That was the only meaning that echoed in his head.

“Wait a minute!” Noah finally stepped forward. The soldiers immediately restrained him.

“Not that! I have a father, he’s sick, he needs medicine—!”

“Silence!” The Guild Master struck the table.

“It is all your own doing, Noah Feld!”

That condemnation was all too simple.

Your own doing.

It could be settled with just that. No one knew or cared how much pain he had endured until now, or what he had sacrificed.

“Take him out.”

At the clerk’s signal, the soldiers grabbed both of his arms.

Noah resisted. He was desperate. Only his father’s face flashed before him. The medicine would run out. He had to go home right now. But he was pinned down by the two of them and forced to his knees.

Just then, a guild staff member approached holding a piece of metal.

It was Noah’s adventurer’s tag.

The small identification tag he had worn around his neck for many years. It was worn and covered in scratches, but it was still proof to Noah that he had lived his life here.

The staff member placed it on the table with an expressionless face and struck it with a special engraving tool.

A hard metallic sound echoed.

A thick diagonal line was engraved into the center of the tag.

Disqualified.

A mark of cancellation that anyone could see.

Furthermore, the staff member tore off the chain with a practiced hand and tossed the bent tag at Noah’s feet.

“Qualification revoked. Never take a request in that name again.”

The metal tag sliding across the floor made a strangely light sound.

It felt like the last sound everything Noah had done up until now would ever make.

***

When he was dragged out of the interrogation room, even more gazes were waiting in the hallway.

News traveled fast. Crowds had gathered both at the second-floor railing and in the first-floor lobby. As soon as they saw Noah, whispers spread like a wave.

“They revoked it.” “Naturally.” “I heard the Hero showed him mercy.” “And even then, he was still being violent.”

Mercy.

That word again.

Someone laughed. Someone clicked their tongue. One of the young adventurers scowled explicitly and spat on the floor. The spit missed slightly and landed near the tip of Noah’s shoe.

When he went outside, the morning sun was already high.

On the bulletin board in front of the guild, a new paper had already been posted. Large black letters on white paper.

‘Noah Feld: Adventurer qualification revoked due to misconduct and serious breach of regulations. Prohibited from accepting requests under the same name.’

People were reading the paper.

Among them were faces he had accepted requests with before. There was a man who had occasionally sat with him at a tavern, and a shopkeeper who had bought herbs from him. Everyone was watching. Everyone would know. Noah Feld had been kicked out of here as an incompetent who laid hands on a woman and bared his fangs at the Hero.

A soldier shoved his back.

“This isn’t your place anymore. Get lost.”

Staggering, he emerged onto the cobblestones. Behind him, the doors of the guild closed.

With that sound, he finally knew it was truly over.

His job, his savings, his trust, his name.

And above all, his father’s medicine.

Noah picked up the bent adventurer’s tag. it was cold in his hand. When he touched it with his fingers, the groove of the engraving was strangely deep. The cancellation line felt like a line drawn through his very existence.

Someone in the crowd spoke.

“For someone so incompetent, he sure was full of greed.”

Incompetent.

At that word, the voice Leon had spat yesterday overlapped.

For someone so incompetent.

It echoed over and over in the back of his ears, distorting the contours of the world.

But this was no time to stand still.

Noah forced his staggering legs to move and began to run toward the residential district in the south. Every time he breathed, his chest hurt and his flank creaked. His cheekbone was burning hot, and the broken qualification tag bit into his palm. Still, he couldn’t stop.

He had to get back to his father.

Before the medicine ran out. He had to find a way.

Even if nothing else remained, that was the one thing he couldn’t lose.

But the sky of the capital was perfectly clear, just like yesterday, as if mocking his desperation.