"..."
Some time had passed from the day of the final battle between the Demon King Frey and the Hero Party.
- Step, Step...
A girl walked down the street with a vacant expression.
"Look over there... that’s..."
"Shh."
Even though she was covered in a robe, she unknowingly caught people's attention.
It was none other than Ruby.
"But, no matter how you look at it, it's that bitc-"
"Just pretend you don’t see her...!"
"Uh, okay."
She walked among the whispering passersby with her head bowed, she eventually stopped.
- Knock, knock...
Then, Ruby quietly knocked on the door of the eerily silent building.
"Yes, This is Sunrise Empire Orphanage..."
The place Ruby arrived at was none other than the orphanage where she had lived until the Hero Inauguration Ceremony.
"...M-Miss Ruby."
Once an orphanage that Frey had established with his own assets and loved, but now, with no one to manage it, it was directly managed by the Sunrise Empire.
"It's been a while... Miss Anna."
Meeting her former matron who still managed the place, Ruby nodded politely.
"Why are you here..."
"I have something to do..."
"..."
"Please."
Then, Ruby knelt down, and Anna began to ponder, chewing on her lips.
"...Come in."
She granted permission soon after.
"T-Thank you."
With a look of genuine relief, Ruby entered the orphanage.
"Thank you so much..."
"But, what brought you here?"
"That's..."
In response to Anna's slightly cold tone, Ruby lowered her head and answered.
"I... I want to... tell you the truth."
"...So the rumors were true."
Yes.
She was currently visiting every place touched by Frey to reveal the truth.
For the past few days, Ruby had been traveling throughout the Empire to inform many people of the truth.
Of course, thanks to this, the already widely spread rumors exploded, and Ruby's reputation plummeted even further.
Thanks to that, she was often being chased out before she could even tell the truth.
"Yes."
As Ruby nodded slowly to confirm the truth of the rumors, Anna sat down on the chair with a dark expression, gripping her head.
"So, establishing this orphanage, giving me a job after I was unfairly accused by the Head Maid and driven out, providing free education to those angelic children... it was all Lord Frey's doing."
"..."
"...Please go in first. I need to be alone now."
As one of the few extreme altruists among those in high positions in the Empire, she felt more guilt towards herself than blaming Ruby.
Seeing Anna like that, Ruby hesitated for a moment before eventually biting her lip and entering the orphanage.
"...?"
Inside, she saw the children of the orphanage, tilting their heads and some volunteers from Starlight Mansion.
"Hello, everyone..."
"Hi, Hikkkk...!"
"That girl...?"
When she took off her robe, the children and the volunteers flinched.
Ruby closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath.
This was the last stop.
She had already been to every place at least once. If she could spread the truth here, her final duty would be fulfilled.
"The story I have to tell today is..."
With that thought in mind, Ruby began to speak, enduring the gaze directed at her.
"...It's a story about a young boy."
And then, her story continued for quite some time.
.
.
.
.
.
"Thank you for listening to my story."
As Ruby finished her story, she bit her lip and quietly bowed her head.
"..."
And then, silence ensued.
"S-Sob...!"
"T-Then, we won't see him anymore? He won't come back?"
In the midst of that silence, some children burst into tears and questioned Ruby.
"W-We can’t do anything for him? He... he saved us."
"I almost died after living on the streets all my life... I dreamed of becoming a secretary for the Hero of Money when I grew up..."
"Ugh, waaah..."
"...I'm sorry."
All Ruby could say to those children was a sincere apology.
There was nothing those children could do for Frey, who had given them the hope they so desperately desired when they were dying on the streets.
They could only pay homage to Frey's memorials, which were scattered throughout the Empire.
Even that was something Ruby couldn't bring herself to say, as she knew that the Empire and other nations were trying to cover up the truth that she was the real Demon King.
As Ruby read the letters left by those who had left first, she sighed, looking up at the sky.
- Whoosh...
Then, she used her mana to set the letters on fire.
The four letters, filled with remorse and despair, turned to ash and scattered into the night sky.
"Now... it's my turn."
She watched the scattering ashes before resuming her walk.
- Step, step, step...
She silently walked until she reached the entrance of the Starlight Mansion.
"Aria, I'm here..."
Since that day, Aria had been living with Ruby in the mansion.
Ruby started talking to Aria.
"I'm a little late, aren't I...? I'm sorry. I'll prepare dinner now..."
Then, Ruby suddenly stopped talking.
"...Aria."
Soon, she hastily headed towards Aria's room.
"..."
During the walk to the room, Ruby remained silent.
A familiar yet unwelcome feeling emanated from Aria's room, a feeling Ruby had always faced but now wished to avoid.
- Creak...
With gritted teeth, Ruby opened the door, and her pupils dilated at the scene in front of her.
"...Ah."
The room was filled with the smell of blood.
And in the center of the room, Aria lay on the ground with the Hero’s Armament piercing through her.
"Ha, haha..."
There were no signs of forced entry, and the Hero’s Armament could only have been wielded by Aria.
"Ha..."
And lying beside her cold, lifeless body was a familiar white letter.
- Thud...
Staring at what would probably be known as the 'fifth letter’ to the public, Ruby quietly placed the groceries she was holding on the floor and moved forward.
- Swoosh...
With trembling hands, Ruby reached out and gently closed Aria's eyes.
- Drip...
"...I'm sorry."
Then, she slowly removed Aria's hand, which was clutching the Hero’s Armament, from her chest.
"I'm so sorry..."
If only she had come a little earlier.
If only she hadn't bought the salmon sandwiches.
"It's all because of me..."
Ruby, filled with endless regret, held Aria's hand while aiming the Hero’s Armament at her own heart.
"So, this is what I must do..."
As soon as those words left her mouth, a sharp pain pierced Ruby's heart.
"Cough, cough..."
Ruby coughed up blood from her mouth.
She felt the slow spread of death throughout her body and closed her eyes.
"...I'm going now, Frey."
The moment those words left her lips, darkness descended upon Ruby's world.
"..."
With the only residence of the mansion now lay death, eerie silence spread throughout the mansion.
- Shaaa...
Suddenly, Ruby's body began to glow.
- Bzzzzz!
The moment Ruby's body started to shimmer, it disappeared into thin air.
Right after that.
For the first time in quite a while, she felt the world spinning around her.
.
.
.
.
.
Now, where am I headed?
As darkness enveloped her vision, Ruby quietly pondered the inevitable realization of her demise.
Hell, or perhaps... purgatory.
With these thoughts in mind, she awaited the next moment, resigned to the consequences of her actions.
It doesn't really matter. Wherever it is, I can't pay for all of my sins...
Suddenly, a brilliant light engulfed her, causing Ruby to furrow her brow and shield her eyes in confusion.
"What's this...?"
In the midst of her perplexity, Ruby gradually realized that she was speaking.
She tentatively lowered her hand and an unbelievable sight unfolded before her.
"This place..."
A damp and dim basement.
Tears inexplicably streamed down her face.
And then...
“I love you forever, Ruby.”
Frey, bound to a chair, uttered these words before closing his eyes softly.
"Huh...?"
As Ruby's eyes darted around in confusion, she found herself thrust back into a moment from the past, witnessing Frey's final moments.
"What is this...?"
Retry: 1st attempt
In the darkening sky, much like that fateful day, a system window floated unseen to anyone, hovering in the empty expanse.