FTA Ch 1

<Episode 1>

A quiet afternoon.

In the middle of an antique-styled room, a silver-haired man and a woman faced each other.

 

“Saintess, do you realize what you’ve done?”

 

The silver-haired man spoke, his voice sharp and cold.

“Gebrian Lanark.”

He was a celebrated noble who had long devoted himself to the empire and taken the lead in eradicating monstrous creatures. As the head of the prestigious Lanark Marquisate, he was known for his rationality and unyielding demeanor.

But now, his face burned with uncharacteristic fury.

Opposite him stood “Gloria”, who turned her gaze away from his penetrating eyes.

Her attention shifted to a tapestry hanging on one side of the office wall.

It vividly depicted the ‘Battle of Repetition’, humanity’s first victory against monstrous creatures.

 

‘Never before had I been so thoroughly drained of blood and spirit as I was then.’

 

Gloria mused to herself.

Her reverie was interrupted.

 

“…Are you seriously daydreaming in front of me right now?”

 

Gebrian’s voice was laced with irritation.

He seemed infuriated by her calm demeanor even in the face of his anger.

Realizing that silence would only provoke him further, Gloria decided to respond.

 

“Marquis.”

 

She met Gebrian’s gaze squarely, her voice steady and clear.

 

“I didn’t do anything.”

 

For a moment, Gebrian was left speechless, his mouth slightly agape.

But only for a moment.

He soon broke into a bitter laugh, his expression incredulous.

 

“…Nothing? You say you’ve done *nothing*?”

“Yes.”

 

Without hesitation, Gloria nodded.

Gebrian could no longer contain his frustration. He pushed back his chair and stood abruptly, his anger palpable.

 

“Nothing, you say, and yet rumors are spreading across the streets that you’ve been masquerading as the ‘Child of Prophecy’?!”

“And if I were to say those rumors are baseless? Would you believe me?”

 

Gloria’s calm and collected expression didn’t waver as she met his eyes.

 

“No, of course not. You never intended to believe me in the first place, did you, Marquis?”

 

Gloria’s voice, calm and unshaken as she spoke her thoughts aloud, was chillingly devoid of emotion.

Gebrian, momentarily taken aback, shook his head and shifted the conversation.

 

“Whether the rumors are true or not is not the point.”

“Then what is the point?”

“The issue is that your authority as the Saintess is being questioned in this situation.”

 

Gebrian let out a long, weary sigh and ran his hand through his hair.

 

“If you had conducted yourself properly, this situation wouldn’t have arisen.”

 

Gloria stifled the urge to laugh aloud. She knew well enough that laughing now would do her no good.

 

“The result of your improper behavior is that rumors have spread, accusing you of deceiving and mocking the entire empire.”

 

Deception…

Gloria bit down hard on the soft flesh inside her mouth.

She swore she had never, not even for a single moment, claimed to be the Child of Prophecy of her own accord.

It was others who had chosen to believe it, forcing sacrifice upon her and eventually coming to take that sacrifice for granted.

Even the man standing before her, furious as he was, had been no exception.

 

“And yet, you show no sign of remorse.”

 

The man, who had adopted her at the Emperor’s command when she was a child, was none other than her adoptive father, Gebrian.

 

“I can no longer tolerate your insolence. From this moment on, you will no longer be protected under the name of Lanark.”

“Are you saying…”

“I will excommunicate you.”

 

In the ten long years they had spent together, not once had this man, her father in name only, spoken to her with warmth.

Now, in the same cold voice as ever, Gebrian delivered his verdict.

 

“Don’t bother trying to justify yourself. I won’t listen.”

“…”

“Today, I will formally petition His Majesty. You’d best pack your belongings and prepare to leave the estate.”

“Fine.”

 

Without a trace of hesitation, Gloria nodded briskly.

 

“Alright. I’ll do just that.”

 

It was as if she had been waiting for this very moment.

Without sparing a second glance, she turned and strode out of the office, moving with such decisive energy that it left Gebrian stunned and speechless in her wake.

 

* * *

 

Though Gebrian had only told her to prepare her belongings, Gloria saw no reason to delay.

 

‘I’m not going to stick around and wait for more accusations.’

 

She wanted nothing more than to leave this wretched place as quickly as possible.

Grabbing the bag she had packed long ago, she left her bedroom.

The bag, as large as she was, was incredibly heavy, but it didn’t bother her.

She had trained her body rigorously since she was a child, sparring with the Marquisate knights in the training yard before she was even ten years old.

She had no trouble carrying a massive, iron mace with her wherever she went.

Her steps were light as she hurried down the corridor and descended the stairs.

The cold stares of the Marquisate’s staff followed her, but she paid them no mind.

 

‘It’s not like I’ll ever see them again after today.’

 

Gloria ignored the looks of disdain as if they were nothing.

To her, the stares of humans were insignificant, a mere trifle compared to the grotesque gazes of monsters.

She was just about to leave the Marquisate when—

 

“Gloria Lanark.”

 

A low voice suddenly called out, halting her in her tracks.

It was a voice she had grown all too familiar with, one that had plagued her endlessly.

Without bothering to mask her irritation, Gloria turned to look back.

In the grand and opulent hall, a man who had been leaning casually against a wall straightened up.

Then, without hesitation, he began walking toward her with firm, deliberate steps.

Familiar faces surrounded the man as he approached.

 

“Are you fleeing right now?”

 

The man sneered as if the very thought was absurd, but Gloria remained utterly unresponsive.

 

“Gloria, you’ve committed a sin. You should face the consequences. Running away like this is disgraceful, don’t you think?”

 

Another man clicked his tongue and shook his head in disapproval at those words.

But Gloria still showed no reaction.

Instead, she silently scanned the faces of the men encircling her.

The Crown Prince, the Duke’s heir, the Tower Master, the High Priest…

 

“Mosquitoes, all of them” she thought.

 

For the past decade, they had bled her dry without compensation.

Though born of noble lineage and status, without their titles, they would be no more than common riffraff.

 

“Why are you silent?”

“What kind of question is that? Clearly, she’s speechless because she has nothing to say.”

“Well, naturally. Even if she had ten mouths, she’d have no defense.”

 

Perhaps their time spent together on the battlefield had bonded them, as their accusations seemed to align seamlessly.

Surrounding Gloria, they hurled relentless insults at her without pause.

 

“How could you deceive everyone so completely for all those years?”

“Hah, unbelievable. Do you even understand the meaning of shame?”

 

The torrent of criticism, seemingly pent-up for far too long, poured out without end.

Standing in the middle of it all, Gloria let their words go in one ear and out the other.

To her, they were no different from the staff at the Marquisate—people she’d never have to see again after today.

 

“It’s only right that everything you’ve enjoyed until now be stripped from you.”

 

But their tirade showed no signs of stopping.

At this point, Gloria’s patience had reached its limit.

If she let this continue, they’d go on until dawn.

She’d put up with enough.

She’d already endured listening to things she didn’t need to hear, so it was time to put an end to this.

 

“First, relinquish the status you gained by pretending to be the Child of Prophecy—”

“I’m on my way back from being excommunicated.”

 

Technically speaking, she was about to be excommunicated, but Gloria stated it matter-of-factly, cutting him off without hesitation.

The Crown Prince, who had been about to continue, faltered and shut his mouth in embarrassment.

 

“And I don’t think I’ve particularly enjoyed any privileges so far. But if there’s something I unknowingly gained, do let me know. I’ll leave it all behind before I go.”

 

It wasn’t just the Crown Prince who was taken aback.

The faces of everyone surrounding Gloria were painted with bewilderment.

It was clear they hadn’t anticipated this kind of response from her at all.

They stood there, speechless and dumbfounded, as if they’d suddenly forgotten how to speak.

Their earlier fervor, which had driven their relentless barrage of accusations, now seemed utterly pointless.

 

“Oh, right. The engagement… there’s that.”

 

Suddenly recalling something, Gloria turned her gaze to the side.

There stood the Duke’s heir, who had silently observed the situation from the start.

Demonion, heir to the Duchy of Chromatina.

Two years ago, by royal decree, he had been betrothed to Gloria.

 

“Since I’ve been excommunicated from my family, that would annul my engagement with you, wouldn’t it?”

 

Their engagement had been a political arrangement, entirely unrelated to the wishes of either Gloria or Demonion.

Strictly speaking, they weren’t married yet, but had things proceeded as planned, a grand wedding would have taken place soon.

Perhaps it was a relief that the engagement was ending like this, in its own way.

 

“A commoner can’t marry the heir of a ducal house, after all,” Gloria added with a faint smile.

 

Demonion gave no response.

He simply raised an eyebrow sharply, as though annoyed by her remark.

 

“Well, he’ll deal with it however he wants.”

 

She had no intention of concerning herself with the affairs of the nobility anymore.

Shrugging lightly, Gloria moved on.

 

“Well, if there’s nothing else to discuss, I’ll be on my way. I’ve got a long journey ahead of me.”

 

She pushed past the men blocking her path and exited the hall.

Behind her, she could feel their intense, almost burning stares, but she kept her gaze fixed firmly ahead.

 

“Who would have thought this day would come?”

 

The thought of no longer having to deal with those insufferable men filled her with relief.

She felt lighter—completely unburdened.