And Thus… It All Comes to an End - Chapter 31

“Y-you’re a fake!”

Sara took a step toward me. Her trembling finger pointed straight at Anne; I could feel her desperate struggle to maintain her composure. It was almost painful to witness.

Her eyes were a whirlwind of fear and anger. A glinting light similar to that of a cornered beast resided within them.

“You may not know this, Sara…”

I slowly folded my fan. The crisp snap echoed unnaturally loud in the room. Without breaking eye contact, I let my words layer upon one another.

“The crests of two Apostles of the Goddess are identical in size and color. Both mine and Anne’s are red. In contrast, your crest is far too small and the color is black. It is fundamentally different.”

A murmur rippled through the air. A suppressed collective breath leaked from the assembled vassals.

“Th-then… you’re both fakes!”

Her voice cracked. The desperation and panic in her tone invited nothing but pity.

“Besides, I really did come from another world! There isn’t a single person in this country who knew me before!”

“There isn’t a single person in this country who knew me before.” That cry caused a brief, sharp pang in my chest.

—However.

“You claimed you could ‘hear the voices of evil,’ did you not?”

I let the words fall gently. I saw Sara’s shoulders give a violent jolt.

“…W-what are you talking about?”

Her voice was raspy; her gaze wandered aimlessly.

“Hehe, oh please. I am referring to your power. I don’t know its full range, but a room of this size should pose no problem. Well, if I say it, you’ll just claim I’m deceiving everyone. Therefore, let us ask His Majesty the King and His Highness the Crown Prince to assist us.”

“What?” Sara’s eyes went wide.

I offered a graceful bow and turned back toward the throne.

“Now, Your Majesties. Please say something insulting about me, but ensure no one else can hear you.”

A soundless silence fell over the hall.

“Why would we do such a thing…?” The Crown Prince knit his brows, his voice dropping in suspicion.

“Lend me your aid to find the false Apostle.”

“Ugh…!”

As I spoke those silent words in my mind, the eyes of both men shook with fear. They bit their lips and recoiled. The King and the Prince leaned toward each other, whispering briefly while shielding their mouths.

No sound reached the room. However, it was clear to everyone present that something had been exchanged.

“Now, Sara. What did you hear?”

My voice sliced through the stillness. Sara’s lips opened and closed; her gaze darted about. Her throat hitched.

“T-they said… that kidnapping the people was an unpardonable act. That’s what they said!”

Her voice was trembling. Her eyes were those of someone begging for salvation.

“Now then, what did the two of you actually say?”

A few seconds of silence followed. Then, the Crown Prince muttered lowly.

“…We said nothing. No voice would come out.”

The moment those words fell, the hall erupted in a roar of commotion. The murmur surged like a tidal wave, growing louder by the second.

“N-nothing…? That’s impossible! It can’t be…!”

Sara shook her head in disbelief. Her disheveled hair clung to her cheeks, and her crimson lips quivered. The King upon the throne finally opened his eyes wide, burning with rage.

“Sara! You… you were a fraud all along!!”

his roar made the very air vibrate. The blood drained from Sara’s face, and her lips shook uncontrollably.

“No! I can hear the voices of the heart—! I was chosen by the Goddess! That day, at the spring—!”

“Enough! Silence!”

Between Sara, who was descending into incoherence, and the King, who was screaming in blind fury, the chaos was absolute. I took a quiet step forward.

“The reason you claimed to be an ‘Apostle from another world’ was likely because you were guided by a certain whisper. But that voice was not the Goddess. The one who chose you was ‘another existence’ entirely.”

“Stop it… make it stop!” Sara shrieked. It was a sound closer to a scream. Fear and despair swirled in the depths of her eyes as she staggered backward. The sound of her feet scuffing against the carpet echoed.

“I… I really was chosen…!”

The moment her tear-streaked voice collapsed, the King stood up and commanded with a downward swing of his fist.

“Take Sara, who has deceived her King, to the dungeon!”

“Wait, Your Majesty! Please, stay calm—!”

The Prime Minister’s attempt to intervene was futile; the flames of the King’s anger only burned hotter.

“Prime Minister! You knew of this too, didn’t you!?”

At the King’s words, the temperature in the hall froze instantly.

“Forging a crest is not something Sara could have done alone. That ‘other existence’… was it you!? Someone, take the Prime Minister away as well!”

“What—! Your Majesty, please, anything but that—!”

The Prime Minister’s pathetic cries were quickly swallowed by the shadows of the soldiers. As the heavy doors closed, the sound of iron chains echoed in the distance.

The remaining vassals were those who had been close with the Prime Minister. Perhaps seeing their own potential fates reflected in his downfall, they remained utterly motionless, watching the King with bated breath.