1 Commiseration — Prologue

「 Chapter 0 : Commiseration 」

…

—fwoosh…

Slowly but surely, the leaves were blown away by the gentle wind, fluttering about as it landed onto someone.

[...]

…The leaf rests upon the body of someone.

[...Pitiful.]

One word came out of the person who witnessed this horrific sight by himself, standing there with an expression that was indescribable.

The scene was daunting.

[A saintess..]

Straight brunette hair laid upon the dirty earth while the eyes of the setting sun grew dim by the lifelessness of this young lady.

[..Shouldn't have experienced such a tragedy.]

With an observant gaze, this person averted his glance at the bloody sword that pierced this saintess' heart.

Despite being dead, blood continued to drip at the end of the sword, dirtying the grass with a saintess' blood.

A drip and another, grass dyed in red, and a lifeless corpse leaning onto a tree, it gave a heavy feel to the atmosphere.

Finally, the person spoke with his name.

[I, Dis..]

His words ended just like that.

This person whose name is 'Dis', is reminded of the scene where the young lady was barely alive.

At that moment, Dis was up high into the blue sky when all of it happened. Watching from above like a spectator, a group of four was laughing while punching and inflicting wounds upon the young lady.

The word, 'Saintess' was what Dis heard from the people who toyed around with the young lady.

Yet, ironically, 'Hero' was what the 'Saintess' uttered toward the man in charge of the group.

From what Dis deciphered from the words coming out of those people, he discovered the sad truth behind this scene.

This saintess was betrayed by the people who went on a journey with her, betrayed by the priests and nuns who took care of her without love or care and were abandoned by the people around her.

The young lady screamed for answers as to why, unable to comprehend the situation happening to her.

And yet..

After hearing that her twin brother was going to be the next saint, and hearing that he would then receive the same treatment as her..

Even as she was being tortured to death, she begged and pleaded for her twin brother to be spared from a 'Saint Training Program'.

Could the pre-existing scars on her body be the reason why she begged so desperately in spite of her tormentful pain?

Dis frowned at that thought.

The saintess' tears and cries, resounding deafeningly inside the 'Forest of Abysm', was something unforeseen.

And to Dis, it was something that aroused his empathy.

[...]

At that time, Dis could only flap his wings as hard as possible to push away the group of people that were inhumane to their fellow humans.

The young lady who Dis empathized with, was already dead before he even landed onto the ground to check on her.

And that's why..

[..Grants this saintess a chance to be reborn.]

Dis continues where he left off.

[Awoken to vengeance or salvation, let this poor mortal transform into a new being.]

[For I, Dis will bear that responsibility.]

—swoosh..!

Nature responded with a flutter as leaves and such blew around the saintess and Dis, quietly announcing the new beginning for the young lady.

[I shall meet you again in the near future.]

Bidding his farewell, Dis flew upward as the silhouette of a Dragon was cast upon the young lady until he left.