In just one week, Hans, Kaede, and Alaric successfully exterminated all the traitorous nobles.
Not only that, all the heads of these nobles were cut off, and hung up in a crowded place for anyone to see.
This could only mean one thing.
Freedom had returned to the common people.
And they would no longer be exploited by those demons disguised as humans.
Obviously, because of this, everyone felt happy.
"Long live Prince Erza Dicathen!!!!"
"Long live the Dicathen Kingdom!!"
And they were even happier when they learned that Prince Erza had returned.
"The Dicathen Kingdom no longer has to fear destruction!"
"Please lead us, prince!"
Flames of hope began to rise in everyone’s hearts.
And it wasn’t just a small, smoldering flame, like that of a candle, but something even more enormous.
The fire of a forest fire.
"Those who need money, please line up here properly. Please don’t push! There’s enough money for everyone!"
After each family was destroyed, the royal family had collected a huge amount of money.
But, instead of using it for himself, Erza decided to 40% of it to those who truly needed it.
Now, in everyone’s eyes, the prince was no different from a god.
A god who was always by their side, blessing them.
Wishing them the best.
Meanwhile, the power, land, and soldiers of the dead were divided among the nobles who had sworn allegiance to the royal family.
Clearly, the kingdom was growing.
Now, it was no longer an empty shell, but something more.
Happiness was waiting for everyone ahead.
But, was that really true?
Wearing a cloak, covering his entire face, Erza completely blended into the crowd.
They were all smiling happily.
Of course, the prince saw that.
But, he couldn’t smile like them.
Erza muttered, his expression looking terrible.
All he had done was not out of pity, not out of sympathy, nor because he wanted the kingdom to be better.
They were just an apology from the prince.
With that, Erza separated from the crowd, entered the alley, and completely disappeared into the darkness.
Sitting on top of a tower, Erza silently watched the sunset.
His eyes were sad, as if he had just witnessed the death of his entire family.
"Tsk, it’s been three hours and you still haven’t finished a bottle of wine, are you a turtle?"
A mocking voice rang out.
The prince didn’t even have to raise his head to know who it was.
"What are you doing here, Kael?"
Kael sat down beside him casually, shaking the only bottle of wine, only to find that there were only a few drops left.
"Why can’t I stay here? I’ve already completed my mission, after all."
As he spoke, he handed Erza a glass vial.
And inside was a red liquid.
It brought back painful memories for Kael.
"So, what’s your current expression?"
"...Today, I witnessed the happiness of my people with my own eyes, but..."
"Don’t tell me that your conscience is rising now, and you’re starting to feel regret."
Silence was the clearest answer.
"...We’ve come this far, and you still want to turn back?"
At this moment, Kael was really annoyed with Erza.
"Just because of your plan, I accepted to become a demon, and now, you are saying that you are not willing to become one?"
He pointed at the glass vial that was in the prince’s palm.
"Do you know what I had to do to get that?!"
Kael was really angry.
The way Erza spoke was like he was denying all of his efforts from the beginning until now.
"What did you have to do?"
"I had to kill two innocent lives!"
Kael felt disgusted with himself.
"And worse, one of them was only 5 years old!"
He slapped the prince hard across the face.
"Get a grip, you bastard! Your conscience has no use in this plan! Get rid of it, don’t pay attention to it!"
Erza’s left cheek ached from the slap.
But the prince’s expression didn’t change.
Kael really wanted to continue beating Erza to a pulp.
But unfortunately, his time on the 24th floor was over.
In a daze, Erza walked aimlessly through the streets, not knowing where his next stop would be.
Kael was right, his conscience would only make things worse.
However, it wasn’t something the prince could just get rid of overnight.
"Hey buddy, want to have a drink with me?"
A large man, carrying two bottles of wine, approached Erza.
The smell of alcohol and sweat coming from his body made the prince frown.
"Sorry, I’m not in the mood today."
Hearing that, the man’s expression immediately changed.
It became more serious.
"If that’s the case, then it’s really bad, after all, today is a happy day for the entire kingdom."
It was as if the drunkard just now and the current one were two completely opposite people.
"Are you worried about something?"
"If you don’t mind, would you like to share it with me? I’m a pretty tight-lipped person."
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Honestly, Erza had intended to refuse outright.
But somehow, in the end, he ended up sitting next to him, watching the moon and drinking wine together.
"What do you think about Prince Erza Dicathen?"
Without taking any time to think, the man replied immediately:
"A wonderful person."
"Is there anything else?"
"To all of us, he is a living god."
"And we’re willing to listen to all of his decisions."
"Everyone says such things, but in the end, who can actually do it?"
"You’re wrong, young man."
The man shook his head.
"If it weren’t for Prince Erza, we would probably still be working hard somewhere, risking our lives to earn money for those nobles."
"But, Prince Erza freed us all."
"That’s why all the people of this kingdom owe him a great favor. No kidding."
With a gentle smile, the man looked towards Erza, who was still sitting there, silent.
"Even if he told us to die, we would be willing."
At that moment, the prince’s emerald eyes flashed with determination.
At that second, a decision had been made.