Torture the hero, why has the Demon King's castle collapsed again?

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"Knowing won't help." Callest was already getting impatient, its tone slightly stern. "That's not something you insignificant humans can..."

"I will help you complete the contract today!"

“But then again.”

Callest lowered his head, glanced at Kalia lightly, and then said, "For the sake of Your Highness, I will generously tell you: the human king."

"What Your Majesty needs now is just... a miracle."

"A miracle?" Ota and Kalia's expressions changed to varying degrees.

“Yes, that’s right.” Carles nodded and explained, “A miracle that is absolutely impossible to achieve when it violates all the laws and is completely locked by cause and effect.”

"That is a miracle that can only be achieved by the power of another world that can appear only once every few days or thousands of years."

"The chance of such a miracle occurring is one in ten thousand. It requires breaking through a great deal of cognition to tear apart the barrier that seals the power and give the power of the gods a chance to descend into the ground."

"She, that great one, has been waiting for that moment since the beginning of time—"

“Ancient times…” Ota’s face turned visibly pale.

Although I didn't quite understand the meaning of Callest's words, according to his logic, wouldn't it mean that from ancient times to the present, not even a single miracle has ever been born in this world?

The miracles of the human realm are not enough to awaken the gods; what the goddess of life needs is far beyond the imagination of humans and even of her mortal king.

“A true miracle…” Kalia’s pupils widened slightly as she looked at Callest. Her first question, however, was no longer about the source of the voice, but rather about something far more important—the most crucial matter for her brother Ota and the people:

"King Callest, could you be more specific? What exactly needs to happen to constitute a true miracle?"

“Hmm.” This time, Callest pondered for a long time.

"Let me put it this way, Your Highness."

Its tone suggested a lack of expectation as it described, "If the strongest hero in human history, the dragon slayer Mino, could escape the Demon King's castle and the Demon King's control on his own, that would be a true miracle."

"Brother Mino, escaped the Demon King's castle?" Kalia stood there, stunned.

Astress and Callest's words echoed in her mind, she gradually realized one thing: could it be that it was absolutely impossible for her brother Mino to escape from the Demon King's castle?

“Don’t underestimate the demon’s territory, Your Highness.” Callest’s voice was extremely serious. “It’s a place that even the Queen finds difficult to pay attention to. I once sensed the power of the most powerful ‘Time Demon King’ from afar.”

"To be honest, that's something I don't think even the Dragon Slayer Mino could defeat. I even vaguely sensed a level close to that of Her Majesty the Queen... It's definitely not the power of a Demon King, but something much stronger."

"How could an ordinary human escape from the control of the 'Demon King of Time,' who is comparable to a god? At least, I can't think of any way to do so, unless he or the person who rescues him possesses sufficient power from another world."

Faced with the despairing reality, Ota and Kalia finally understood the difficulty of achieving that miracle, and their spirits gradually sank to the bottom.

That's a miracle that even the gods are waiting for; how could it be controlled by just one person?

"That's all I have to say, human king. It's no use for you to know what I've said."

Callestar flapped his wings and soared into the air, a powerful current swirling beneath his feet: "Now, it's time to fulfill your promise—"

"Let's call this contract that exposes the dark nature of the scum Mino the 'Mino Black Contract'. You grant us the seal of the human kingdom, and we will spread it throughout the continent. The time is today."

"I understand..." With her hands hanging limply at her sides, Ota was enveloped in deep despair.

Faced with the undeniable fact of humanity's extinction, he finally realized that honor, fame, war, and territory were no longer important.

What will soon spread throughout the kingdom is only endless famine and agonizing cries of agony—

……

Centered on the capital of Kur and the human kingdoms, the Mihe Contract has stirred up an unprecedented wave.

It was the hero Mino who revealed crucial information about the Round Tower, leading to the destruction of the magician's precious notes by the demons...

It was the hero Mino who betrayed the Holy Church and the Ice Maiden from the same village, exposing the fatal flaw of the Ice Heart to the demons...

It was the brave Mino who revealed the marriage contract between the Frost Dragon King and the Fire Dragon Queen, plunging the Frost Dragon King, Calest, into eternal pain and tragedy...

It was the hero Mino who revealed the weakness of the God of Weapons, causing Pope Brad to die on the spot...

One fabricated charge after another was forcibly added to Mino's name, and under the stern condemnation of the Dragon Clan and the Kingdom of Kur, it swept across the entire kingdom like a rolling tide:

In the contract, the hero Mino is no longer the light of heroes and the soul of humanity, but a shameful human who surrendered to the demons on the day he was captured, whose previous perseverance and light were just a fragile facade, who has no principles or bottom line, who only craves enjoyment and will give away any benefit at the drop of a hat...

Perhaps because that great king had been secluded in his study since that day, after the contract passed through the hands of ministers and nobles, Mino began to be thoroughly "stigmatized" from some point onward, with every black mark, big or small, firmly attached to him.

The sins of having a child with a member of the Demon Clan, and the perverted hobby of stealing panties, all fell on Mino without any logic or evidence.

The entire area erupted in chaos!

A single black and white contract turned a righteous hero into the most wicked person in the world.

Inside the dimly lit, crimson-hued residence, Thanaus swirled the red wine in his glass, letting out an unprecedentedly cheerful chuckle as he spoke to Dane, his voice light and pleasant:

"Look, this is the most ironic point. Turning black into white and being blind is human nature—isn't this just another form of marketing?"

Stroking the dark gray stone in his hand, whose color closely resembled that of the mage's round tower, Thanaus's crimson eyes gleamed with a blood-red light:

"Now, I can unleash that trump card..."

Chapter 316 A single spark can ignite a fire!

"It's incredible."

Dane still looked incredulous: "Has Prince Ota lost his mind? How could he release something like that?"

“It’s the Frost Dragon King’s pressure.” Thanaus coughed. “Compared to a hero who looks like he’s dead, the friendship of the dragon race is obviously more important. That’s court politics.”

"Is...that so?" Dane hesitated, feeling that there was some deviation and error behind it.

But none of that mattered. Thanaus tossed the stone in his hand to Dane: "Go, it's time to execute the next phase of the plan."

Dane took the grayish-black stone. If he remembered correctly, it seemed to be something Thanaus had secretly taken from the ruins of the mage's tower on the night of the battle to defend the capital. He gently stroked the magical runes on it, and an image, like a projection crystal, appeared in his eyes. Dane's eyes trembled slightly.

"This...this is?!"

……

The contract jointly issued by the kingdom and the dragon caused an unprecedented sensation within the country.

If before it was just conspiracy theories and rumors, now it's tantamount to the official authorities confirming the authenticity of the information circulating within the kingdom.

For a time, even the most steadfast believers in the power of the American spurred began to waver.

Could it be... that the strongest hero in human history has really surrendered to the demons and is living a life of paradise?

Official notarization is tantamount to a flood of public opinion, no longer needing to worry about restrictions on speech. More people have joined the discussion, including many of the kingdom's scholars and many who have personally experienced the events—they are astonished to discover that the previous exaggerated slanders contained a reasonable chain of logic pointing to the possibility of the Hero of Light's betrayal!

The information is true!

Countless people were shaken, followed by a powerful sense of sadness and anger, as if they had been deceived!

The condemnation and abuse directed at Mino swept across the kingdom like a flood, but could only be vented in empty spaces. However, soon, under an invisible guidance, the people of the entire kingdom found a new outlet for their venting:

That traitor's sister, the newly appointed Hero of Sin, is still occupying the Hero's position!

Such is the nature of human prejudice.

If she were the successor to a valiant and heroic warrior, the people would praise her: "A family with two heroes, inheriting the great glory of her brother, she is Mino's sister!"

—But if the successor is a wicked and weak traitor, the people will be full of doubt and rejection: Why can Shana become the hero? There must be some unfair means behind it. After all, she is Mino's sister!

There is a shady story!

The public's anger even extended to the kingdom's guiding star, the chief mage of the Round Tower, Lak, who suspected him of manipulating the Hero Awakening Ceremony to make Shana, who had no chance, become the hero!

During that awakening ceremony for heroes, quite a few people lost everything in the gambling among the common people.

"Everyone, calm down! Calm down!"

"The Mihe Contract does not involve anything related to Hero Shana. Please remain rational and stop fabricating or believing rumors about Hero Shana! Please trust the Goddess's choice!"

Standing on the high platform in front of the palace gates, Tus was sweating profusely, helpless in the face of the aggressive crowd.

If Erwin were to lead the Paladin Order to drive them away, they would only make things worse in the face of these emotionally charged citizens!

Tus could only try his best to reassure everyone: "The Kingdom will heed the advice and investigate the conduct of Heroine Shana, but before there is concrete evidence... please do not be instigated. It is true that Heroine Shana is a guilty title, but she was not the culprit in either the Dragon Hidden Mountains or the day Pope Brad fell, nor did she have any evil intentions."

A passionate voice rang out from the crowd.

"What if Hero Shana did indeed commit a crime as the culprit? Shouldn't she be stripped of her hero status immediately? We can't let the traitor Mino's sister occupy the position of human hero!"

Tus took it as a rather radical question and instinctively gave an official response: "If that's the case, the kingdom will certainly not stand idly by."

"Then how do you explain this?!"

A grayish-white stone appeared in the crowd. Tus's expression changed slightly. If his eyesight was not mistaken, it seemed to be a Shadow Stone with the same function as the Shadow Magic. Judging from the texture of the stone, it seemed to originate from... the Round Tower?

A strong sense of unease welled up in his heart. Tus stared wide-eyed, his face pale, as the projection inside the shadow stone suddenly appeared.

In the somewhat distorted light and shadow, the image of the hero Shana, standing on the altar of the blessing ceremony, appeared. Her body trembled slightly, then she raised her head, her eyes flashing with a strange red light. The next moment, terrifying power erupted from her body! The light and shadow flickered instantly, and the projection fell into darkness.

“This, this is…” Tus’s hands began to tremble.

An unprecedented uproar suddenly erupted from the crowd.

"The one who destroyed the Mage's Tower wasn't those demons, but the Hero of Sin, Shana!!!"

"—It was she who committed that extremely inhumane crime!!!"

"She's in cahoots with Mino!!!"

It's hopeless...it's beyond saving...

The surging crowd filled Tus's field of vision, completely surrounding the palace. Tus watched the scene before him with trepidation, vaguely sensing that he was surrounded by some kind of conspiracy.

This was an organized, premeditated, and meticulously planned... terrorist anti-Mino operation!

The sparks are now being ignited rapidly and densely throughout the kingdom, spreading like wildfire to every inch of the land with an irreversible trend!

"We must tell Prince Ota immediately!"

Tus stumbled into the prince's study, knelt down, and in the dim and deathly silent room, began to report in great detail to the statue-like figure seated on the throne.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, you must pull yourself together! Both famine and public opinion will plunge the kingdom into an abyss, bringing an irreparable tragedy!" Tus looked up at Prince Ota and pleaded.

Ever since he learned from the Frost Dragon King that humanity had no hope of fighting the famine, Prince Ota has become like a walking corpse, extremely depressed, locking himself in his study, refusing to discuss politics or step out of his room.

Tus looked at the wise king before him with hope, hoping to see the spark of anger and fighting spirit rekindled by the incident with the black man.

However, he was quickly startled when he met a gaze that was so numb and indifferent...

"It doesn't matter, Tus."