Who was most bewildered by the Holy Kingdom of Eldorado's decision to dispatch an investigation team?

Kadir, the previous Hero's close friend? No.

Ludwig, or the investigators' families? Not them, either.

It was Asella, the turncoat Hero with personal ties to Ludwig.

'Why would the Holy Kingdom... Why Teacher...?'

In a room at an inn where she had barely managed to secure food and lodging, Asella studied a newspaper by the light of a lone lamp.

Shocking! Was the Paladins' Teacher Responsible for Creating the Turncoat Hero?

Unsound ideology inevitably breeds misguided convictions.

Eldorado screens ideological loyalty. Anyone who fails to pray to the goddess Aris once a day will be deemed a subversive...

One day. It had been barely a day since word spread of the investigation team's desertion, and already newspapers like these were pouring out.

Their accusatory tone seemed prepared in advance. Asella was bewildered.

But what hurt her most was Ludwig.

Ludwig, Former Instructor of the Paladins, Exposed as a Man Who Insulted Aris.

Ludwig, the Blasphemous Paladin. Where Is He Now?

Paladins trained under him face sweeping investigations...

Ludwig, the instructor responsible for raising and training paladins.

Asella knew his upright, unyielding nature well. Hadn't she grown up under his tutelage and been chosen as the Hero?

He had treated her so well that even she could tell how fond he was of her. To Asella, an orphan who had grown up starved of affection from adults, Ludwig was as good as a father.

'A misunderstanding... There must be some misunderstanding...'

Asella gripped the newspaper tightly. Eldorado had disappointed her time and again.

But it was a nation founded to worship the gods, Aris among them. It was also the place that had raised an orphan like her into a full-fledged paladin.

'Is this all... my fault?'

Asella recalled drawing the holy sword, Revolution.

The moment she drew it, the goddess herself had delivered an oracle. Its contents had been difficult to believe: a deeply shocking prophecy that she would destroy Eldorado.

At first, she had thought it a misunderstanding, but before she knew it, she was a fugitive. Then Eldorado had publicly denounced her as a turncoat far and wide, leading to her present circumstances.

'But I'm not a turncoat...'

Asella herself knew better than anyone that she was not a turncoat. That was why she had concluded that the goddess Aris was mistaken.

A goddess, mistaken? One might consider that utterly blasphemous.

But Asella's situation was more than enough to cause cognitive dissonance.

'Even if I prove I'm not a turncoat... will Teacher be able to reclaim his honor?'

Ludwig's reputation had already begun to crumble. Eldorado had complete control over the press, and this was no small incident.

Her heart grew heavy at the way even the Undying King crisis seemed to be getting swept under the rug.

Lately, Eldorado had done nothing but disappoint her.

Perhaps this was its true face. Perhaps it had been playing the good guy all along, hiding behind the mask of a "Holy Kingdom."

'The Holy Kingdom I knew wasn't like this...'

The Eldorado Asella knew had been a truly beautiful place.

A country where everyone was happy beneath the protection of Aris and the other gods. A place guarded by paladins devoted to service and self-sacrifice. A place where even orphaned children could go beyond fulfilling their dreams and become the Hero.

Yet its recent actions had been the complete opposite.

'It must be... losing its way. Everyone loses their way sometimes.'

If people could lose their way, surely nations were no different.

Originally, Eldorado had been founded to resist the threat of the Demon King—in other words, Mephisto. But as its culture developed, Mephisto had begun pursuing a conciliatory policy.

Its people had become so absorbed in ball games that violence became taboo. They had even offered a courteous apology, leaving Eldorado with no choice but to lose its sense of direction.

'It's at times like these that I have to believe. Abandoning someone when they're struggling is the worst thing you can do.'

That was a lesson Ludwig had taught her: standing beside those in hardship was the virtue of a paladin.

It was no different when the one struggling was a nation. Asella steeled herself once more.

She remained utterly unaware that she herself was among the people suffering most in the world.

Another was working himself to the bone in the Forest of Four Seasons.

'I wonder what Grylls is doing now?'

Curious about how he was faring, Asella logged onto the forum.

Thanks to the sword he had given Ludwig, the investigation team had been able to scatter safely. Hadn't the newspapers themselves said that Ludwig had wielded an evil "demonic sword" to let those wicked people escape alive?

Besides, enough eyewitness accounts were circulating on the forum for her to be certain it was Grylls's gift.

I seriously hate the heavens.

"Eep?!"

Asella made a noise as though she had bitten her tongue.

Seeing Grylls's latest post, she could hardly react otherwise. Since ancient times, the heavens had been known as the domain of the gods. Whether he meant it figuratively or literally, she couldn't simply let it slide.

'Is Grylls committing blasphemy again?'

He committed blasphemy at every opportunity, so she immediately decided to read the post. If that was what he was doing, she intended to give him a stern warning.

I seriously hate the heavens.

Wild Grylls

(Video of rain pouring down outside the cave)

It hasn't been that long since the last rain, so why the fuck is it raining again?

The oven and furnace are fine since I put up tarps, but I think my fish traps are going to get washed away again...

The heavens must seriously hate me. This is why I curse them.

└Heavenly Demon You hate the heavens...? Does that mean you dislike me as well?

└Wild Grylls No, no. You're an exception, Heavenly Demon, haha. You're higher than the heavens.

└Heavenly Demon That is true.

└Damn. Keep licking that ass and you'll rub it raw lmao

└Look at those two playing off each other lol

└Are you two seriously buddying up here? lol

└You gonna head to the Forest of Four Seasons for a meetup? lol

└Let's give that one a pass. That's way beyond just buddying up...

└Fr lol. The Forest of Four Seasons should be an exception~

└Sword Masta It seems to rain a lot, perhaps because it's a forest. Why not take the opportunity to focus on training?

└Wild Grylls I've been doing that, but my aura just keeps getting bigger?

└Sword Masta No, seriously... What kind of training makes you stronger in that ridiculous way?

└Wild Grylls Just, well... Eat a meal, practice my cultivation method. Eat an inner core, practice my cultivation method. That's it.

└Sword Masta You're taking inner cores like medicine?

└Wild Grylls For now. I leave some for Speedy to eat, but I've got extras. Is that weird?

└Sword Masta Holy sh*t, I've never seen anyone shovel down inner cores like medicine...

└That's why he's getting stronger in such a dumb*ss way lmaooo

└At this rate, won't his aura reach the heavens?

└Is he gonna start shouting "My aura is the aura that will pierce the heavens!" someday?

└Isn't that what the Stupidly Strong Sword Saint shouted? lol

└Yeah, that's right lmao. I thought it was cool as fuck back then, but now lolol

└It's cool. What's wrong with it?

└Starlight Lady Don't resent the heavens too much. I resented them too, but I was lucky enough to survive, remember?

└Wild Grylls That was me helping you, not the heavens.

└Starlight Lady I can't really argue when you put it that way. But you mustn't be too negative! It's always important to have a positive mindset.

└Wild Grylls Is that what you did, Starlight Lady?

└Starlight Lady No, haha. I just spent every day waiting to die.

└Wild Grylls Come on...

└Starlight Lady But just as I met you, Grylls, you might meet someone who can help you someday!

└When will that day come?

└One thing's for sure, we're talking months lol

└They say Ludwig entered the Forest of Four Seasons, so they'll meet eventually. In heaven, of course lol

└You are soooo wrong for that lmao

The post really was resenting the heavens themselves rather than Aris. Still, his dislike of the gods showed through indirectly here and there.

'He hates the gods because he doesn't want to hate people...'

Asella was troubled. Could she really change Grylls's mind?

But if he couldn't resent the gods, he would come to hate people. His mindset required careful consideration from several angles.

Humans were creatures that couldn't get through life without hatred. There was a reason emotions were described as joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.

'Then I should encourage him to hate them a little less!'

Asella's characteristic optimism asserted itself. She added a comment to Grylls's post, where fresh replies were still steadily appearing.

└Don't Abandon the Hero Times like these are exactly when you should pray to the heavens! Try praying for the rain to stop!

└Wild Grylls Stop selling me snake oil.

└Don't Abandon the Hero The gods don't sell snake oil!!! Just listen to me this once!

└Wild Grylls Sigh. Fine. What do I say?

└Don't Abandon the Hero I beseech you, Aris, goddess of war and wisdom. Please quell the wrath of the heavens and grant me the freedom to go about my day!

└Wild Grylls Wait right there. I'll go pray with that exact sentiment.

└Don't Abandon the Hero Excellent!

Had all her efforts to persuade him finally borne fruit? Grylls had agreed to pray.

In truth, he was only doing it because he genuinely had nothing else to do, but Asella was simply delighted.

'This should ease his hatred of the gods at least a little, right?'

Asella waited quietly for his reply, hoping something good would happen.

Perhaps thirty seconds passed. Grylls did not leave a comment.

Admin, you fraud!!!

Instead, he made a new post that sent Asella's eyes wide. Wondering what had happened, she opened it without hesitation.

Admin, you fraud!!!

Wild Grylls

(Video of a torrential downpour outside the cave, as though a hole has opened in the sky)

What? The gods will listen if I pray?

What a load of bullshit. The gods must hate me too.

He had prayed, and the rain had only grown heavier. That was what the post said.

Asella stared at the forum for a while, then quietly logged off.

'Lady Aris doesn't grant every request, after all!'

It was just like Asella to remain ever optimistic.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

"Excuse me, miss. Are you in there?"

Just as she closed the forum, someone knocked on the door.

Asella had barely recognized the innkeeper's voice before she reflexively circulated her mana. She checked for presences not just behind the door, but throughout the inn.

'There's someone... beside the innkeeper.'

The presence wasn't the only suspicious thing.

"You're certain she's here?"

"Yes. Her hair was definitely orange."

"Then we'll enter immediately. You'll receive your reward once we've taken the turncoat alive."

"Oh, thank you."

They spoke very softly, but Asella heard every word. Rather than hearing the sounds directly, it felt as though the presences had taken shape.

'They've tracked me down already...'

She hadn't even been here a few days, yet her pursuers had already caught up.

Biting her lip hard, Asella hurriedly prepared to leave. First, she grabbed the holy sword, Revolution, and headed toward the window.

'I still need more time. Time for the misunderstanding to be cleared up.'

Asella opened the window and leaped outside.

CRASH!

At the same moment, she heard the door being forced open. Her pursuers had broken it down.

Of course, with Asella already gone through the window, they could only come away empty-handed.

'O Goddess, please grant me the strength to overcome these trials.'

Asella fled without losing her faith in the goddess.

* * *

Around the time Asella began fleeing to shake off her pursuers...

"Aaaaah! You sons of bitches! Get the hell away!! This is my home!!"

"Kieeeeng!"

"Yelp! Yip, yip!"

Grylls was struggling to fend off an unexpected wave of beasts.

"Get out of my house right now!!!"