Running Away From The Hero! (Remake)

Chapter 277

277

Side Story – Memories of a Princess (50)

<After being captured by the Peace Church, Ast was taken directly to the underground torture chamber upon confirmation of his guilt. It was revealed that he was a follower of an evil god and had infiltrated the Empire to summon the minions of this god. Consequently, Ast was condemned as a devotee of the evil god and was publicly executed by guillotine.>

“…and that’s the story. What do you think?”

“Whoever came up with this story is terrible at it. I don’t think anyone would buy it except for the author’s family and close friends.”

“If those friends and family include the princess of the Empire, wouldn’t that be quite a few copies?”

“Well… uh…”

Ast couldn’t argue and kept his mouth shut. Seeing this, I chuckled, and Ast frowned.

“Isn’t this too much? My life is on the line here.”

Ast sighed, looking around to confirm his surroundings.

“I won’t actually get taken away like this, right, Your Highness?”

“I would never let that happen.”

Ast was my personal aide and the one who had contributed the most in the war. I wouldn’t hand him over to the church, especially when we had ongoing operations.

“Then why did you act that way? I got more suspicious because of you and Sir Lea.”

Well, obviously,

“They can’t take a noble of the Empire, especially someone directly under me, without concrete evidence.”

Even if it’s the church, we are the Empire. One of the two great empires on the continent. With several churches within our territory, the church cannot act recklessly.

“Was that the reason?”

Ast seemed to understand my explanation and sighed.

“Yes, that’s why.”

I wouldn’t joke to the point of harming my allies, even if opportunities to tease Ast were rare.

“Right, Lea?”

“……”

“Lea?”

“……”

“Sir Lea?”

I called out to Lea to confirm, but she started avoiding my gaze.

Ast, noticing Lea’s strange behavior, also looked at her questioningly, but she avoided his gaze too.

As she completely turned her head away from both our gazes, a thought crossed my mind.

“Surely, you didn’t seriously mean it?”

As much as Lea might act thoughtlessly, she wouldn’t have gone that far. My belief in her was beginning to waver slightly.

“There’s no way, Your Highness.”

“Sir Lea’s behavior right now suggests otherwise.”

“But I only responded based on Sir Ast’s usual behavior! You should have behaved better!”

Watching Lea now getting mad at Ast, I fell silent.

Could it be? No way.

“Your Highness, it seems like we should avoid such pranks around Sir Lea from now on.”

“Yes, I’ll be careful in the future.”

Unexpected things can happen anytime, anywhere.

“But you do realize you brought this on yourself to some extent, right?”

“Uh… well…”

Ast’s eyes wavered and he avoided my gaze, turning his face away like Lea.

“Really…”

My sole personal knight and personal aide were both avoiding my gaze. Keeping such people close made me question my choices.

“Why did you bring that thing to the battlefield anyway?”

Those who know of it call it the World Tree Branch.

The great tree left behind by the goddess of compassion and dedication, who saved the world.

Planted to protect the Elven Forest, this tree holds symbolic significance across the continent.

But Ast calls it differently.

A so-called wooden bat.

Claimed to contain not only compassion and dedication but also love and affection.

Others, however, consider it a cursed weapon that inflicts unimaginable pain.

A saintess was hit by it—or more accurately, she hurt herself with it.

“If there’s no concrete evidence, even the church can’t take someone from the Empire. You understand what that means, right?”

“Yes, Your Highness. If there is evidence, even the Empire cannot stop the church from taking someone.”

Exactly.

If it were a weaker kingdom or a less influential noble, maybe. But they can’t take someone from one of the top five empires, especially someone crucial in the war, without evidence.

But there was evidence now.

Even if I knew the production process wasn’t as they claimed, the evidence was undeniable.

“If it weren’t for me, you’d already be taken.”

“I know, Your Highness.”

“And you have something else to say, right?”

“Thank you, Your Highness! Please save me!”

“Really…”

Ast’s demeanor had changed completely. The confidence was gone, replaced by a pathetic plea, making me slightly annoyed.

“You don’t act like this around me…”

“Your Highness?”

“The imperial saintess scares you more?”

“No, Your Highness is terrifying. Don’t you know how much I fear you?”

No, I don’t. Your usual behavior doesn’t reflect that at all.

“When the war is over… I might send you to a few places. The church’s place isn’t so bad, after all.”

“Where do you plan to send me?”

“Obviously, the Empire’s underground prison. A place of history and tradition that I’d personally show you.”

“I refuse!”

Ast practically jumped, which alleviated some of my frustration.

“Behave from now on.”

“Yes, I will! But could you please let me out of here first?”

Clang! Clang!

Ast rattled the thick iron bars before him.

With thick shackles on his wrists, the clanging noise was like ringing bells.

He was in a specially designed carriage meant for transporting extreme criminals, created by the Peace Church.

“Efforts will be made, but… it might be difficult…”

“Your Highness, please don’t joke…”

“It’s not a joke. There’s evidence…”

“Uh…”

Ast fell silent, realizing his mistake.

“You ran.”

The moment the saintess cried, telling them to arrest him, Ast had bolted faster than the holy knights could react.

When he was opening the door, the knights were just reaching out, but Ast was already out and attempting to flee.

“I didn’t expect church members to be right outside the door.”

Ast genuinely regretted his actions, but I found it absurd.

“Running was the wrong move, to begin with.”

He would have succeeded if not for the church members outside.

What if he had escaped?

The saintess would claim he was guilty, and we’d suffer consequences.

“Really… You should think about your allies more.”

“Your Highness, you shouldn’t be the one to say that.”

“You don’t want to come out?”

“Who wouldn’t know of the great Princess’s mercy, as boundless as the sea? I’ve always seen how much you care for each soldier!”

“Your Highness, why not send him away?”

“Shall we?”

“Your Highness!”

Ast’s rapid change of stance made Lea exasperated. I agreed with her to some extent; his behavior was that of a sycophant.

“I can’t just abandon him…”

Ast had become an important figure in the Empire, holding a significant position and being closely watched due to the evil shard in him.

“Really… do you know what the saintess is doing now?”

“I was brought here immediately, so I don’t know.”

“She’s demanding immediate execution, claiming anyone who makes such a cursed item must be an evil apostle.”

“She’s overreacting.”

“Peace Church’s saintess is a peculiar case. Unlike others, she became a saintess unexpectedly and was trained to be a holy knight.”

Holy knights are the guardians of the church, the power itself.

Commoners see the church with the strongest heroes as the strongest, but nations consider the one with the strongest holy knights the most powerful.

Holy knights are powerful, highly skilled, and their training far surpasses regular knights.

They train to near death, with priests ready to heal them immediately.

“A holy knight’s faith and extreme physical training make them formidable. This saintess was raised to be a holy knight from a young age.”

“So, she’s resistant to pain?”

“Right. You know the one-armed holy knight story?”

“Wasn’t that a fairy tale?”

“It’s based on a real holy knight from the Church of Struggle.”

The tale of a knight who lost an arm protecting children, treating his wound calmly while watching monsters eat his arm.

“Holy knights are resilient.”

And the Peace Church’s saintess could become a holy knight right now.

Though caught off guard, she disarmed Ast, who was praised for his pure sword skills by the sword sage despite his bad character.

“Such a person shed tears and collapsed from one hit.”

It wasn’t an act.

I underestimated Ast’s wooden bat, never having been hit by it myself.

“I suppose your creation is indeed a cursed weapon.”

Ast had controlled problematic soldiers perfectly with it, but I never imagined its true power.

Now I must acknowledge it. Ast’s creation is as evil and cruel as he is!

“I’m stalling the saintess, but I can’t hold her off forever.”

“Is it that serious?”

“More than you think.”

“Isn’t she from the Peace Church? Why is she so bloodthirsty?”

“She considers your weapon extremely dangerous.”

Ast hesitated, then sighed.

“I caused this. I’ll fix it.”

“How?”

“Bring the saintess here. I’ll prove my innocence.”

I agreed and brought the still-angry saintess to Ast.

“Prove your innocence.”

Surrounded by over ten holy knights and nearly a hundred priests, Ast faced the saintess.

The moment he tried to speak,

“He’s evil! Kill him!”

“The saintess is having another fit!”

“She’s drawing her sword! Restrain her!”

As the saintess was dragged away,

“Will I really die?”

Even the unflappable Ast seemed a bit deflated.