In The Depths Of Shame, Love Exists

When he suppressed the rebels, they crumbled without putting up much of a fight, caught completely off guard. It was only natural, considering he had brought along the best mercenaries from the Vergo family.

It was somewhat disappointing that it ended so abruptly. Out of dissatisfaction, he made an example of a few of them, killing them to serve as proof of the suppression to the Emperor. He then let the rest go. After all, the stupid Emperor wouldn’t be able to tell who was who. He wanted the survivors to flourish and continue to annoy the Emperor.

Among those he released was Deborah Lofen. He still remembered the look she gave him, as if she wanted to kill him.

‘And yet, she tries to provoke me instead of the Emperor.’

Dane’s lips curled in anger.

‘Rebels, huh? If it’s them, they’d be perfectly capable of doing something like this. They’re nothing more than a bunch of people who have nothing left to lose.’

To replace the current Emperor and change the world, they say. How foolish. There’s no hope for this decaying nation. A foolish leader can only lead to ruin.

“So, where did that woman run off to?”

“T-That… she suddenly fainted after getting hit by something that flew at her, so I don’t know where she went… keugh!”

Dane grabbed the man by the throat. The man looked at Dane with a panicked expression.

“Gah! Keugh!”

“Easy… Don’t worry. I said I wouldn’t kill you if you told me everything. You’ve given me vital information, so I’ll spare your life.”

It was just a senseless outlet for his frustration.

The man was facing a life-or-death situation, terrified of Dane to the point of being unable to make eye contact. He started resisting fiercely with his fingernails when he realized he was on the brink of death. Dane let go of him just before he suffocated.

“Cough! Cough!”

The man coughed, trying to catch his breath. Dane, as if trying to regain his composure, sighed loudly and got on his horse.

“As long as I get my wife back, the rest can die.”

Dane and his snipers raced towards the direction where Liv had disappeared.

The vast expanse of land stretched before them as they arrived at the port. The people there were dumbfounded at the sight of the soldiers who had suddenly appeared.

“Have you seen a man and a woman riding horses?”

“Horses? I-I haven’t seen any. Is something wrong? Today is the day Miss Liv is getting married…”

Dane scanned the port with his horse.

“Keep searching this area!”

Dane ran along the docks. To escape Hale, which is surrounded by mountains, they either had to go through Lesbourne or escape by sea.

Since the path to Lesbourne was blocked, the only option they had was to escape by sea.

‘I have to find it, there has to be a boat somewhere!’

There was a rarely used port in Hale. In the past, it was used frequently, but since Lesbourne grew larger than Hale, it was no longer used.

Dane finally arrived there and spotted a boat.

“Liv!”

Dane shouted at the top of his lungs, urging his horse forward.

“Liv! Liv Ragnell! Are you there? Answer me!”

As if responding to his call, a small figure appeared on the deck of the ship.

Dane, as if hypnotized, jumped into the sea. Fear was nowhere to be found. All he could see was the figure in front of him. He didn’t feel the waves crashing against his face or the depth of the water.

“Liv! Is that you?”

She was too far away for him to see her face.

The soldiers behind him shouted at him, but he couldn’t hear them.

“Liv! If it’s you, answer me!”

He swam forward with all his might, but the ship continued to move further away. His voice cracked with anxiety.

“Damn it! What do you want? I’ll do anything you want, just tell me!”

Despite his desperate pleas, the ship didn’t stop. The figure on the deck was also gone.

Someone pulled Dane back from behind as he tried to chase after the ship.

“You can’t go any further!”

“Let me go!”

“If you go any further, you’ll drown!”

Three men held him back, managing to pull him out of the water.

“Why! Why?! Why did you pull me out! She was right there!”

Dane shouted at the men, completely exhausted. He grabbed a man who had fallen on the ground and yelled at him.

“What the hell is wrong with you? Are you trying to get on the ship?”

The man looked at him, surprised.

“The ship is already gone! Please come to your senses! We need to find another way out now!”

Dane gritted his teeth. The man was right. There was nothing to do now except watch the departing ship.

Dane, regaining his composure, spoke in a calm tone.

“I’m heading back to Lesbourne to see the Emperor. You stay here and look for any trace of them.”

“Yes, sir.”

The men had no intention of killing Liv. If they had, they would have had plenty of opportunities to do so. They had a different goal in mind.

‘As long as she doesn’t die, there are plenty of options.’

 *** 

Dane returned to Lesbourne and changed out of his wet clothes into his uniform, when someone urgently burst through the door.

“Master! Look at this!”

Dane accepted the paper that was handed to him.

Liv Ragnell of Hale, in possession of a forbidden book.

‘Forbidden books?’

“What is this?”

“It was written by the bookstore owner in Lesbourne. Our people intercepted it before he could give it to the management. What should we do?”

“…Where is the bookstore owner now?”

“He’s been tied up for now and is being watched in a secluded location.”

When the Emperor suppressed the rebellion, he took measures to stifle any further uprising by designating certain books as forbidden.

Books that criticized the monarchy or hinted at a new world were deemed forbidden. Anyone caught reading them would face execution, and informers would be rewarded.

Liv was a gentle and delicate person who was easily frightened. It was impossible for her to have possessed a forbidden book. The rebels must have framed her.

He could immediately go back to the capital, but it was too dangerous. If he made a wrong move, Liv could be branded as a rebel and become a wanted criminal.

‘Damn bastards. Are they trying to keep me from leaving?’

After careful consideration, Dane said:

“Bring the bookstore owner to the back alley.”

 *** 

“

Mmph! Mmmph!

”

A man with a black cloth over his head was brought to a dark room and forced to sit down. It was the owner of the bookstore in Lesbourne.

The man’s mouth was freed from the gag. He trembled as he spoke:

“Why, why are you doing this?! I’ve done nothing wrong! I’m just an ordinary citizen!”

Although the gag was removed, the cloth over his face remained, so he couldn’t see. The man trembled violently, as if his chair was about to break. Dane stood before him.

“Who told you to do this?”

“W-What do you mean?”

“Liv Ragnell was found with a forbidden book. Who told you to spread this lie?”

“Liv Ragnell… Liv Ragnell…”

The man suddenly spoke quickly, as if he had remembered something.

“That’s the truth!”

Dane’s face contorted in anger.

“Two months ago, that woman came to my shop and asked for a copy of <Towards the Wasteland>! It’s a forbidden book, so I told her we didn’t have it. However, she insisted and even placed an order for it!”

‘Return to the wasteland and start over!’

That was a popular phrase among the rebels. It was clear that the book Liv was looking for was forbidden.

“It’s true! I have a slip of paper with her order written on it! I’ll bring it to you right now! Please spare my life! I’m not lying, I wasn’t ordered to do this by anyone! I’m doing this for the Empire, for the Empire!”

Dane stood up and kicked the chair. The man fell to the floor.

“Shut your mouth.

”

There was no way. Why would she ever seek out a forbidden book? Something was definitely wrong.“It’s really true! T-That day, Lady Ragnell was wearing a light green dress with a hat that completely covered her face! It… it was raining too! I remember it clearly! I only found out later that the book was forbidden. Please believe me! I didn’t know at all!”At the bookstore owner’s words, Dane recalled the first day he had taken Liv into his carriage. That day, she had worn a soft light green dress and a hat that covered half of her face. It had rained that day too.Dane remained silent for a while, and the bookseller added hastily,

“There’s a note written by Ms. Ragnell herself in the bookstore. I can show it to you right away if you go there!”

“…No, that’s not necessary.”

Hearing Dane’s calm voice, the bookstore owner finally felt relief, believing that Dain was convinced.“Then, then… are you going to let me go now?”

The sound of footsteps faded away.

The receding footsteps returned, accompanied by the sound of something heavy thudding.

Dane knelt down and sat in front of the bookstore owner, grabbing his chin and forcing it open.

“W-What…!”With a panicked gasp, the bookstore owner began to thrash.

A cold, hard object was pushed into his mouth. The chillingly cold sensation caused the bookstore owner to scream and writhe violently.

His mouth, filled with the lump, heaved with nausea.

“Mmmph! Mmm!”“It’s best not to tell such ridiculous lies.”

The bookstore owner struggled to pull his head back, but the monstrous hand gripping his chin refused to let go. The lump in his mouth clamped down on one of his bottom teeth.

Realizing what Dane was about to do, the bookstore owner screamed in terror.

“Aaaagh!”His scream intensified, and his struggles grew even more frantic.

 Hello, everyone~! Eica, here. If you find any mistakes, please do not hesitate to inform me. And, I'm sorry in advance for any mistranslations that might occur.