Vol 1 Chapter 12 – The Witch Who Desires Chaos【Vol 1: The Beastkin Hero Arc】

Leading the squad captains of the Emperor’s Special Task Knight Order, the Secret Guard—the shield that protects the Emperor—Commander Helmis headed for the Forbidden Zone under the Emperor’s direct orders.

That night, after watching the knights depart the castle on Pegasi, Adelmaria, Director of the Holy Spirit Agency and head of internal affairs for the Holy Empire, rose from the chair in her office.

According to reports from her subordinates in the Holy Spirit Agency, the culprit who attacked the Great Prison Island Gehenna the other day was an elf girl with heterochromia.

Hearing that, her smile deepened.

The Emperor had his schemes, but she had her own ulterior motives.

Helmis had left the castle, and the World Knight Gavreel had also headed to a certain port town to prepare for the invasion of the Demon Continent.

Labilia had left the Holy Capital to chase after Eufaria, leaving only Nozes in this land.

It was the dead of night, the moon hidden behind the clouds.

Feigning sleep with the help of an Artifact that rendered her body invisible, Adelmaria slipped out of the Holy Castle unnoticed.

She headed for the 【Tower of the Beast】, where the beast-kin hero Leonhardt lived.

Masking her presence and slipping unnoticed all the way to the top floor, Adelmaria had come to see the disciple of the Obsidian Knight.

“What the hell are you doing here, you bitch…?”

A voice stained with dark murderous intent, yet terribly lacking in vigor, reached Adelmaria’s ears.

It seemed the beast-kin hero Leonhardt still hadn’t left her room, which was decorated with countless portraits of the hero Allen.

With a blanket draped over her head, she sat on her bed, hugging her knees to her chest.

She was shockingly emaciated, clearly having gone without food, and stared at the invisible Adelmaria with eyes swollen from crying.

“…Please forgive my intrusion at this hour, Leonhardt-sama.”

Slipping off her invisibility robe, Adelmaria discreetly observed the state of the room.

Shards of broken tableware and glass littered every corner. It had clearly been trashed.

“…You really gonna make me repeat myself? Don’t show your face here if you ain’t got a reason!”

The lion beast-kin growled, baring her sharp fangs.

“…Of course I have a reason. I’m here to talk about Allen-sama.”

“About Allen…?”

Leonhardt’s body gave a violent twitch at the sound of that name.

A glint of lucidity returned to the eyes that had been filled solely with rage and murderous intent.

“Leonhardt-sama. Have you never wondered why Allen-sama had to die that day? Why the World Knights, supposed heroes, were no match for the Demon Lord?”

“…”

Instantly, Leonhardt’s eyes welled with tears. She gritted her teeth and looked down, as if consumed by shame.

“…It’s because… I was too weak… that Allen died…! He gave me so much, and I couldn’t give him anything back… I couldn’t even read at first… I didn’t even know how to fight properly… I’m only where I am today… because of him, and yet, because I was weak…!”

“You are mistaken.”

Adelmaria denied it, her expression perfectly blank.

“Mistaken about what?!”

“The fault lies entirely with this nation. His Majesty the Emperor had been offering up sacrifices to ensure the Demon Lord grew stronger.”

Adelmaria relayed the truth in a matter-of-fact tone.

Her eyes blown wide, her cheek twitching, Leonhardt tilted her head and let out a raspy voice.

“…What did you… just say…?”

“Demons can gain greater power through a ritual that devours human souls. His Majesty handed criminals over to the Demon Lord, carefully adjusting things so he would reach a level of strength surpassing even the World Knights.”

“…”

A violent shudder racked her body. Leonhardt stopped blinking, her bloodshot eyes locked dead onto Adelmaria.

“His Majesty viewed Allen-sama as a nuisance. He always said he had no need for a hero who opposed the invasion of the Demon Continent. That is exactly why, knowing the terrible price of the Lightning Annihilation Sword, His Majesty set this plan in—”

“You piece of shiiiiiiit!!”

The furious hero’s mighty roar shattered every windowpane behind Adelmaria.

The sheer sonic vibration triggered an earthquake, violently shaking the entire Holy Capital.

The massive shockwave jolted the sleeping imperial capital awake, lights flickering on one by one across the city.

“Give him back… give him back to me! I’ll never forgive you! I’m gonna kill you, you old bastard!!”

Tears streaming from eyes filled with rage and sorrow, Leonhardt leaped from the top floor of the tower, using the pull of gravity to violently shatter the earth as she landed.

Then, with blinding speed, she charged single-mindedly toward the Holy Castle.

Watching the back of that sorrowful beast disappear into the distance, Adelmaria chuckled, a dark smile on her lips.

“I wasn’t even finished speaking… Father. Father Gaivis. I won’t let your death be in vain. I will bring about the era of the demons. I will bring chaos… to this world.”

On her forehead, a third eye peeled open, glaring ominously.