Ch 147
『Title: What the heck? The True Ones weren’t the enemy?』
Content: The insane fanatics seemed crazy, so I killed the crazy dogs, but…
Now I see they were a friendly faction.
-: I killed the True Ones…
-: I killed the True Ones and became the victor.
I’m just proud of you, yeah.
-: How can a religion be called “The True Ones”?
-: Following the Saint’s will, the Bearer shoulders the sins and pain…
…of others, that’s why they’re called the True Ones, yeah.
-: Then aren’t they beneficial insects?
-: How do you feel about becoming the victor after killing innocent fanatics?
-『Author』 : Innocent fanatics, my ass.
How is that even possible?
-: But seeing what these guys do, they’re fanatics themselves.
Judging by their Code of Conduct alone, it’s truly a True Religion, there’s no such True Religion.
Following the Saint’s will, shouldering the sins and suffering of the righteous, really.
-: Actually, when playing the game, they’re helpful sometimes.
It’s just that they sometimes show fanatic vibes, which is really creepy.
-: I don’t know much, why are those people called fanatics?
Explain without spoilers.
-: （Spoiler alert） This guy Hella cut off Dwen’s arm and suddenly started a frenzy of self-harm.
-: Explain without spoilers, dammit.
-: I put a spoiler alert, dammit.
-: The guy who wants spoilers without spoilers and…
The guy who puts spoilers and warns about spoilers.
If you had to choose one girlfriend, who would you choose?
-: I was wondering where my girlfriend was, and she was with those guys?
-『Author』 : But…
Why did those innocent guys cut off Dwen’s sister’s arm, really?
What a waste.
-: A waste?
-: A typo for “sad”.
-: How can you make a typo like that…?
-: That’s the Abomination’s heart-grasping hand.
If it’s merged with the arm like that, even Saint Ebi can’t fix it.
You have no choice but to remove the entire arm, yeah.
If you leave it as it is, the corruption will spread throughout the body, and you’ll become a Demon.
-: But whether Dwen’s arm becomes a rubber glove…
Or a full-body red latex human…
What does it have to do with the True Ones?
-: Originally, it was an item kept by the True Ones…
Dwen forcibly took it, yeah.
-『Author』 : Why the hell would you extort an Abomination, really?
-: lol Swordsmen do that.
-: That’s why adults say if you don’t study hard, you’ll become a Swordsman, really;
-: Swordsman reverse world, what is it?
-: That’s why Dwen forcibly took it.
There are children who became devotees without knowing anything, following their parents into the True Ones.
Those kids inherited…
…the role of the manager of that heart-grasping hand from their parents.
-: Dammit, did she take it from the kids?
-: Taking the kids’ Abomination lol
-: To seal that Abomination, you have to keep performing the ritual…
The True Ones’ ritual is ‘self-harm’, yeah.
Dwen couldn’t bear to watch…
…those kids, around the same age as her disciples, self-torturing…
…so she took it, saying she would shoulder it instead.
-『Author』 : Dammit, all the mothers who insulted Dwen, come out.
-: At least one came out.
-: As expected, the love for children is lol
-: If they were just mages who cast magic from afar…
They would have watched children self-torture in VIP seats in the name of satisfying their academic curiosity.
-: Even Dwen…
…took the sins and suffering that those kids should have shouldered, so her life is really ruined, isn’t it?
Even after removing one arm…
…the Pain Pouch isn’t even 1/10 full, legendary.
✦✦✦
『Title: Guys, how do you fill this Pain Pouch?』
Content: I made my character almost dead, but it’s not filling up at all???
-: Core of Suffering?
-『Author』 : Yeah, that.
-: It’s not just about reducing HP indiscriminately…
You have to get a status ailment.
-: Yeah, the amount filled depends on the level of the status ailment.
It’s set to be proportional to the intensity of the suffering felt by the True One.
Roughly, if you get about 10 A-rank or higher status ailments, it’s filled, yeah.
-『Author』 : 10 A-rank or higher status ailments, bullshit.
Even though my character’s level is in the late 60s…
One A-rank ailment makes my character half-crippled and gives me a bunch of Negative Traits.
-: So, practically, even if you fill it about 30%, it says Destiny Quest Clear, yeah.
-『Author』 : Oh, so Dwen isn’t joining the True Ones?
-: No, no. She performs the ritual of shouldering the suffering in the True Ones…
If it’s over 70%, the child goes crazy…
If it’s below that, it ends with them becoming a wreck, so it’s a Happy Ending, yeah.
-『Author』 : Yeah lol, it’s clean.
-: Didn’t these guys play this shitty game for too long?
A kind Sword Master becoming a wreck is clean, bullshit.
✦✦✦
Shouldering the sins and suffering on behalf of the True Ones.
How noble a deed.
Yet, it is also an arrogant one.
Hella, the one who loses.
She respected Dwen’s judgment, but at the same time, she harbored doubts.
As her name, Iron Sword, attests, she is a truly great Swordsman.
Hella also harbored no doubts about that.
However.
Hella knew.
The power of the Iron Sword.
It was different from the power pursued by those who lose.
In Hella’s view, she did not have the strength to shoulder the sins and suffering on behalf of the True Ones.
She did not have the strength to control all those sins and suffering.
She would crumble because of that noble choice.
Watching a righteous person like Dwen crumble is a heartbreaking sight.
But what can be done?
It was a choice she made herself, something she brought upon herself.
The Iron Sword was noble, and also arrogant.
She rashly volunteered to shoulder the duties of those who lose, and now it was time to pay the price.
The predicted failure of the Iron Sword.
Thereby, the pride of those who lose will become even stronger.
Hella firmly believed so.
“…”
But now.
Hella’s eyes, which used to create a gentle smile, were trembling.
What she saw in her eyes were the bleached remains of the Saint.
The relic, which should have turned black upon contact with the Abomination, was instead bleached white.
Hella undoubtedly knew what it meant.
“This is impossible…”
Therefore, Hella could not easily accept the fact.
Sealing that energy alone required an enormous price and sacrifice.
‘Such an Abomination…’
Possessing energy purer than that of the Saint, the Bearer?
It was a denial of the foundation of those who lose.
No.
It was a denial of the very reason of this world.
An Abomination is an Abomination.
Born and sustained by unholy power, it can never escape its nature.
Does fire become cold fire just because it contains coldness?
No. It will only be extinguished.
The Abomination is the same.
The purification of unholy energy did not mean the birth of a new relic, but destruction.
Hella felt extreme confusion that this miracle, which even the Bearer’s great power could not perform, had been accomplished somewhere unknown to those who lose.
“Deception…”
She muttered blankly.
Soon, that vague doubt became conviction, directed at the other party.
“This is impossible! Iron Sword! You are deceiving us!”
“…”
Dwen could not answer.
That’s because she was just as confused.
“Your words are changing.”
Lisir stepped forward in place of Dwen.
“That’s what you said. Whether Dwen’s hand is fine or not, it’s not us who judge, but that thing.”
“…!”
Hella’s eyes, which had been drawing a gentle line, widened at Lisir’s remark.
“What have I done…”
Her trembling eyes were filled with self-loathing.
The destruction of the righteous person who willingly performed noble deeds was postponed.
Another huge sin that weighed down the righteous disappeared.
It was a matter to be rejoiced over.
But-
“Blinded by the stubbornness called pride, ignoring the essence…”
Then, Hella looked at Lisir and created a gentle smile.
“You are right. I am grateful that you have corrected my wrong actions.”
Just as Lisir was about to respond.
“Poien.”
Hella called softly.
Then, a woman from the group guarding Hella’s back walked out and stood beside her.
Hella, who had already tidied her clothes, was wearing a special priest’s robe that revealed her back.
“Begin.”
What should begin?
Lisir had no time to question.
Whoosh!
And slap.
The sound of the wind tearing and the sound of skin tearing followed.
The woman named Poien swung a short bundle of whips towards Hella’s exposed back.
It was punishment and atonement for her wrongdoings.
Repeated whipping.
Hella’s body trembled with each strike.
Matching the gruesome sound, Hella’s expression was contorted in pain.
Cold sweat beaded on her white skin.
And, a certain sense of exhilaration appeared on that expression.
“Hoo.”
The punishment was over.
Hella tidied her clothes again, catching her breath.
Thus, Hella, returned to her pure white attire, created a gentle smile.
“…”
Wow.
Lisir began to see that gentle smile differently.
‘Fanatic…’
That word spontaneously came to his mind.
Then, Hella spoke to Dwen.
“Iron Sword. You seem to have truly perfectly controlled that Abomination. In a way that no one could have imagined. Exactly how you did it… doesn’t matter much. You wouldn’t have used the wrong method.”
I express my respect.
Hella bowed politely.
“Thanks to you, the huge sin that the righteous had to bear has disappeared.”
Lisir, who was listening to the conversation from the side, brightened.
Although he didn’t know the details, the problem between the two seemed to be resolved, and the situation seemed to be flowing in a positive direction.
“So, is it all over?”
Lisir asked with a cheerful expression.
To that, Hella asked Dwen.
“How is the one who loses doing?”
“…”
Dwen took a leather pouch from her bosom with her right hand.
And, with her blood-stained left hand, she carefully took out its contents.
A transparent orb.
Its identity was the Core of Suffering.
It was a token of the suffering Dwen had shouldered in place of the two young devotees.
Dwen had to fill the Core of Suffering within a set period. With nothing but the suffering she herself experienced.
Inside the Core of Suffering was a reddish-brown liquid like wine.
In terms of proportion, it was an extremely small amount, less than 1/10 of the total.
That was the suffering Dwen had endured since obtaining the Core of Suffering.
Dwen was facing the imminent deadline.
“As expected.”
Hella nodded, saying she had expected as much.
That action contained both the twisted pride of one who loses and tolerance towards the other party.
The suffering shouldered by those who lose.
It is a trial that even the Iron Sword cannot bear.
That fact heightened the pride of those who lose.
“It’s alright, Iron Sword. There’s no need to be ashamed. Suffering is naturally something unfamiliar. Even to a great Swordsman like you. Perhaps, because you are such a great Swordsman, it might be even more so.”
“…”
Dwen silently looked at the Core of Suffering.
She relentlessly strived to fill the core.
She overworked herself with intense training, and drove herself to the limit through battles with Demon Beasts and villains-
She used every action she could within her common sense.
The Core of Suffering, which was not even 1/10 full, was the result.
What was the problem?
The answer was clear.
Not being able to escape the framework of common sense.
Dwen recalled the ‘punishment’ Hella had just performed.
That act, performed like a Swordsman’s light training, seemed to clearly show the twisted standards of those who lose.
The Core of Suffering Dwen shouldered was considered excessively heavy even among those who lose.
How should she fill such a Core of Suffering?
The answer to this was also clear.
Hella, the one who loses.
With a gentle smile, she offered her hand to Dwen.
“Iron Sword. Come with us. We, those who lose, will help you fulfill your promise and uphold your pride.”
“No, I can’t…!”
Time had been delayed in many ways.
The two Heroes who had regained their senses.
Their disciples, Dwen’s disciples, staggered over and blocked Dwen’s path.
“Master! You mustn’t go with them!”
“Please, refuse! Don’t just knock us out again!”
The two disciples earnestly pleaded with their Master.
However.
Once again, Dwen moved silently, her gaze…
…directed at the empty Core of Suffering.
Dwen thought.
Could she really fill this Core of Suffering with her own strength?
“We will help!”
-Jane!?
Jane’s unhesitating shout made her Holy Sword, Elysia, horrified.
-Felix! Don’t think strange thoughts!
Then, Pocena, the Sword of Insight, also dissuaded Felix.
-The Bearer… the suffering he shouldered. If you rashly try to shoulder that, you don’t know what price you’ll pay.
-That’s what I’m saying! Your Master, why did she make such a judgment!?
“Elysia!”
A chaotic scene unfolded in an instant.
Hella’s expression was complex as she watched the scene.
There, compassion for the righteous and pride as one who loses coexisted.
Then, Hella said.
“The Abomination has been stabilized. That gives us some leeway.”
One week.
She raised her index finger and said.
“For the next week, I will wait for your decision in Bondales, Iron Sword.”
Then, Hella took a pouch from her bosom and handed it to Dwen.
Several empty Cores of Suffering of various sizes.
“I hope this will help you with your decision.”
Before Dwen could say anything, Jane and Felix immediately received the Cores of Suffering.
The Iron Sword and the two Heroes.
A subtle tension flowed between the master and disciples.
“May I also ask for one?”
Lisir also took a Core of Suffering.
✦✦✦
A dark room lit by candles.
A thick smell of blood seemed to flow like a fog.
In that ominous space, naked figures were scattered everywhere.
The source of the blood was their bodies.
Their bodies were covered with terrible scars.
Torn, broken, bruised, burst, split-
The wounds, which could be considered traces of torture, inflicted unbearable pain on them.
“Ah…”
And, that pain becomes ecstasy.
The injured ones were writhing in ecstasy.
The most seriously injured woman among them.
Hella, her body trembling, got up from her seat and headed somewhere.
The Core of Suffering.
Before the ‘ritual’, it had been empty, but now it was filled with an amount slightly less than 20%.
Hella gazed at the Core of Suffering with a rapturous face for a moment.
“Iron Sword…”
She muttered the name in a trembling voice.
At the same time, she thought.
That great Sword Master would inevitably crave their help.
✦✦✦
After parting with those who lose.
Lisir’s party, who arrived at the mansion where Jane was staying, held a banquet as planned-
Naturally, it ended quickly in an awkward atmosphere.
Afterwards, Lisir returned to the room Jane had given him.
He looked at the empty Core of Suffering and thought.
‘What on earth am I going to do with this.’
The first thing that came to mind was the sight of those who lose punishing themselves.
Lisir briefly put himself in their shoes.
“Ugh.”
He felt disgusted.
He desperately wanted to help Dwen-
‘Self-harm.’
Reaching that unknown act was not easy.
How long had he been rolling around on the bed, glaring at the innocent Core of Suffering?
Lisir left the room, escaping his frustration.
In the backyard of the mansion, he conducted his daily training.
The sensation he had learned through sparring with Dwen-
While practicing ‘Dark Magic Swordsmanship’.
As the training ended, a thought suddenly occurred to him.
‘Does training count as suffering? I trained really hard today, maybe it’s half full or something?’
With a slightly playful and cheeky expectation, Lisir checked the Core of Suffering.
Confusion appeared on his face.
“What the heck? This actually works?”
The Core of Suffering.
It was about 30% full.
Lisir looked bewildered.
Blood was flowing from various parts of his face.
It was the effect of a slight（?） overload.
✦✦✦
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