I Became the Substitute for the Runaway Heroine - Chapter 71

Rumble!

A pillar of crimson fire erupted through the thick layers of accumulated dust. The fuel containers gathered to heat the furnaces in the underground chamber had finally caught fire.

“We have incurred the wrath of the Gods!” “You are right. It must be so.” “We have to get out of here right now!”

As the central temple finally collapsed, even the guards began to flee in terror.

“What is that?”

One guard, scrambling down from the castle wall, pointed toward a woman radiating a blinding light from within the pillar of flames. But as if it were a mere hallucination, she vanished without a trace. Nothing remained but the crumbling temple and the roaring, crimson fire.

“An entire city has collapsed.”

On a mountainside overlooking Demuna, Caesar clicked his tongue at Aden’s report.

“And Odette?” “She is heading east in the carriage specially crafted by Eurone.”

Because the Demuna guards had made a habit of reselling all visitors’ carriages, Odette had been left without a means of transport. Anticipating this, Caesar had commissioned the genius blacksmith, Eurone, to build a carriage. It was a carriage made exclusively for Odette.

If she were to stop running simply because her carriage broke down, she might get it into her head to try running away again later. It would be better if she traveled to the very edge of the Empire, because only then would she realize she never wanted to run again.

“Follow her at a distance. Now that she holds the Saint’s Staff, Odette will only become stronger.” “More than she is now?” “Yes.”

Odette likely did not realize it yet, but the moment she grasped the Saint’s Staff, she had essentially accepted the mission to drive back evil.

She turned Demuna into a ruin for that reason.

From now on, whenever Odette encountered evil, whether trivial or grand, she would feel the urge to punish it with her divine power. She would unleash that immense strength and burn it all away. To the forces that pursued absolute evil, this made her a target that had to be broken.

Knowing this was coming, Odette’s mother, Herabrua, had once poured her remaining divine power into Caesar and spoke to him.

“Caesar, when the trials end, your destiny will find you. Please, protect your destiny.”

The hidden meaning behind those words was not a request for him to marry Odette and protect her as a husband.

She meant for me to protect the Saintess as a Hero.

It was said that the three holy relics, the Saint’s Staff, the Hero’s Sword, and the Holy Scripture, chose their own masters. Caesar had been the master of the Hero’s Sword since birth. He had ignored that fact until now.

Revenge was more important.

But he could ignore it no longer.

“Eurone, inform me immediately as soon as a report on Odette comes through Aden. As for me,” Caesar bit his lip hard. “I believe I must visit my maternal family.” “Your maternal family, my Lord?” “I need to meet the Dowager Marchioness Belmonte. Send a carrier pigeon there.”

The historic Belmonte family of the south regarded Caesar’s father as a thief and an enemy.

They believe he took their precious daughter away only to let her die.

When Caesar became an orphan and his sister Andrea died, the Dowager Marchioness had stepped forward to raise him. His godfather at the time, Count Anderson, refused to allow it, but imperial law prioritized blood relations. Had Caesar requested the Dowager Marchioness be appointed his guardian, even the Emperor might not have been able to object.

But Caesar had not done that. He knew the Dowager Marchioness would have demanded he renounce the name Mais. Furthermore, had Caesar chosen the Belmonte family back then, the Belmontes might have been erased from history altogether.

The Emperor and Count Anderson already suspected I might be the master of the Hero’s Sword.

For those reasons, Caesar chose to sever ties with his maternal family, and the Dowager Marchioness had turned away coldly at his decision.

“Since you have denied the Belmonte name, I shall no longer consider you my grandson.”

If he showed up now asking for the Hero’s Sword, would she slap him across the face? Caesar gripped the reins with a bitter expression.

“Hyah!”

As he mounted his black horse and rode into the darkness, his expression was heavy with resolve.

Having the staff is actually quite nice.

Odette used to feel her body grow heavy whenever her divine power surged. At those times, her chest felt as if it were burning, filled with a power she desperately wanted to release.

How refreshing it felt to unleash that power in Demuna.

She had not realized, however, that she possessed enough strength to turn an entire city into ruins. What is more, she did not even feel tired after using that much power.

The best part is that I can finally control it.

Even if she was not actively sensing her divine power, when she suddenly needed it, she could use it like this.

Boom!

Odette unleashed a burst of divine power toward the guards pursuing the carriage. The power struck like a bolt of lightning right in the middle of the unit that had been stubbornly chasing them since the back gate of Demuna.

“Aaargh!” “Gack!”

The guards were sent flying into the distance.

Did I hit them too hard? I did not mean to strike with that much force. I will have to keep practicing my power control.

But why was everyone looking at her like that? Looking at the mixture of shock, terror, and confusion in the many pairs of eyes watching her, Odette simply shrugged.

“It is not dangerous normally. Look, if I just swing it like this, nothing,” she said.

She had meant to say nothing would happen.

Kaboom!

A discharge of divine power erupted from the tip of the staff, carving a massive hole into the side of the mountain she was pointing at.

“I should not swing it, then.” “No. Definitely not.” “Only use it when it is dangerous. And even then, gently,” Emma and Jaina advised in turn.

Suddenly, Vera looked up and spoke. “It is wonderful. You punished the bad people.”

So she knew. It made sense because Vera had personally seen the sick being used as bait for monsters in that underground space.

“I am sorry, Vera. I was not actually going to see if your mother had reached heaven. I am sorry for lying to you.” “It is okay. I know Mama made it to heaven.” “Yes, I am sure she did.”

Odette pulled Vera into a tight hug and patted her back. However, she was starting to worry about what to do with the girl. Having lost her own mother at a young age, Odette understood Vera’s feelings better than anyone.

She must be trembling with the fear that she is all alone in the world.

Yet the girl likely felt she could not even say she was scared. She probably feared that the moment she became a nuisance or a burden, she would be abandoned. There was also the feeling that she must not be a bother to others.

Vera needs time to find stability.

But Odette was in no position to provide a stable life because she was a fugitive. And now that she held the Saint’s Staff, she had to make a choice. Would she stop the rifts that were bound to appear and strike down evil, or would she simply take the staff and keep running?

Regardless of her choice, pursuers would follow her for blowing up Demuna.

I cannot keep running with young Vera.

She could not just stop the carriage and leave her at any random orphanage. That would be too cruel.

Unless it is a place with a prestigious educational institution attached.

Ah, that is right! Princess Trisha had built foster care facilities and schools for the children of knights who had died in the war. If she asked Trisha, Vera could live a stable life while receiving an education.

Come to think of it, I never kept my promise to meet Trisha again.

Odette cleared her throat and spoke. “First, we must go see Her Highness, Princess Trisha.”

At her words, Jacques jumped in surprise and waved his hands dismissively. “That is not a good idea. My Lord’s knights will likely be stationed at Her Highness’s estate. Furthermore, it borders the territory of Count Anderson.”

“But the Princess is the only person I can ask for help.” “Help, you say?”

Jacques’s gaze shifted to Vera. It seemed he also had been worried about the girl’s future. Odette nodded.

“We need help.”

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