Regina Rena – To the Unforgiven

Denial of Value

Translated by Wook
Edited by Wook

Half a year ago, South.

Southern Duke Bill Alles was looking at the blazing red rift with hatred and sadness.

We’re finally here. After reclaiming all the territories lost by the dead, they finally reached the front of the passage of hell.

Now, if we retrieve the altar down there, this long, long war will truly be over.

There is a high point one step ahead, but that step was too far and difficult.

From the rift, the dead were still rushing out.

Who will be able to overcome the dead and lift the sky?

The Southern Duke and the Southern Knights looked at the rift and the dead, embracing despair and hope together.

Then a blue flag rose in the distance.

‘Finally here.’

The knights and soldiers opened the way at the sight of the flag.

The Executioner, clad in black, walked out.

The black tanned leather armor, the mask that covered the face, and the hair that was short at the time of the first meeting is now long enough to reach the spine, so it was tied up.

The Southern Knights stepped forward in respect of The Executioner who appeared with a blue flag at the forefront.

Then The Executioner sent a hand signal to the knights. The knights responded with consent and dispersed to their respective positions.

True to the name of the Silent War, their battlefield was silent until the very end.

In the suffocating silence, the knights struck the shield with their swords and made a noise.

When Those Who Swallowed the First Cry heard the sound and went mad, The Executioner spread their whip.

And people saw it.

A sight that cannot be believed or understood without seeing it in person.

[T/N: I used the pronoun ‘they’ here to describe Rena a.k.a The Executioner because the people did not know that T.E. is a she]

***

The whip used by The Executioner fulfilled its role half a year ago and was cut off at the last minute.

So Rena lifted a new whip that was still less attached to her hand and stretched it long. Then, she called Eden among the struggling knights.

“Sir Eden.”

“Sir Rena, how…”

“Calm down. From now on, take care not to fall with the knights.”

“Pardon?”

Eden asked with a bewildered face, but Rena did not explain for a long time. Instead, she spread her whip wide towards the ceiling of the palace.

The whip filled the air like a loose thread. And time stopped.

Rena thought in her consciousness.

The number of the dead, the positions of the knights, the shape of this palace, the space to be secured, and the angle and direction of the force of the whip that floated into the air.

After finishing her calculation, Rena swung the two ends held in both hands to her heart’s content.

Then the whip fell like lightning, and smashed the dead.

.

.

.

At that time, the Marquis was observing the situation of the Doom Palace from a distance.

Something was strange.

As he commanded, the knights lured hundreds of dead and dragged them out into the rift, and the knights who acted as bait had already come out of the palace to re-gather.

But for some reason, the palace was still quiet.

The occasional roar and shouting hinted that something had happened, but not a single dead came out of the palace.

‘What happened?’

The Marquis, who was watching, eventually sent a knight to the palace. After a while, the knight who had seen the Doom Palace said with a pale face.

“The Southern Representative is killing all the dead with a whip.”

“What?”

It wasn’t the Marquis who asked nervously, it was Rubid.

The prince, who did not yet know what the Marquis had planned, immediately turned and headed to the Doom Palace. The Marquis accompanied him with a stiff face, and Angie followed them after noticing.

Eventually, those who arrived at the Doom Palace doubted their own eyes.

The dead, hanging from the fireballs, were being beaten with silver whip and falling like stars.

Among the scattered lights was Rena Ruber.

.

.

.

Half an hour before the dead came, Rena was quietly reading the omen.

‘Are you moving slowly?’

The Northern Knights were reporting something to the Marquis one after another.

It’s the fifth day of the South’s surveillance mission, and there are only two days left, so it was time to move slowly if he had something planned.

Rena was suspicious from the beginning. That her father dug a trap by making some of the Southern Knights his own.

So she had been keeping an eye on him. It’s a matter of course for her father to dig traps, but it’s a pretty important matter for some of the knights to have a different heart.

‘The most suspicious thing is, of course, Sir Eden…’

Rather, he was so suspicious that Rena became confused. But there was a good chance that he was just an innocent person who liked to step up, so Rena watched the situation silently.

In the meantime, people showing strange signs caught her eye.

When the Northern Knights withdrew, some Southern Knights also secretly left their positions. From a distance, it looked like they were pulling themselves out by making excuses, such as going to the bathroom, to their colleagues.

There were three of them, and they were looking towards the exit of the palace.

“Uni, remember those three well.”

“Why, my lady?”

“They’re not on our side.”

Rena whispered to Uni and turned to Eden Pieta.

He was looking at the Northern Knights leaving with a blank expression on his face.

“Sir Eden.”

When Rena called, he strode forward with a modest movement.

“Did you call?”

“Yes, sorry for the misunderstanding.”

“Pardon?”

“I don’t have much time, but I’ll tell you because it’s important. You said before that you want to be recognized by your family.”

Eden nodded with a puzzled face at the unexpected words.

As Rena said, Eden once said something like that.

Before embarking on the surveillance mission, he became impatient when he heard they would be supported by the East.

He knew that they were being treated as scumbags, and he was well aware that this had demoralized his colleagues.

Meanwhile, some of the knights strongly argued as soon as Sir Rena left that they could never get help from the East. So Eden spoke to Rena on their behalf.

Rena sighed inwardly at Eden’s affirmation.

In fact, Rena had suspected that Sir Eden might be her father’s last resort because of such words.

Because the phrase “to be recognized” is exactly what her father used to say. It’s the language he used to dominate and shake young Rena, along with the words “well done, I’m proud, I’m disappointed, try harder, I’ll watch”.

“I did, but is there something wrong?”

Eden asked seriously. Rena smiled and nodded towards the knowledgeable man.

“It’s quite late, but I’ll tell you what I didn’t say then. Sir, don’t do that.”

“What are you talking about…”

“Don’t put too much importance on meeting someone’s expectations. Then you may end up living someone else’s life, not your own.”

At Rena’s calm words, Eden’s expression became subtle. But Rena continued without caring.

“If you need to struggle to get recognition, it’s better not to get it. If that determines the value of respect. Then you might have to struggle for the rest of your life.”

Then if you stop struggling, those who are measuring your value will be disappointed. They will turn back if you don’t live up to their expectations.

It’s really something that happens all too often. Pressure that feels more sincere because it starts in an intimate relationship. And the innocent days of believing that it is love.

“Please be loved just the way you are, Sir Eden.”

Rena looked at Sir Eden and whispered the words she wanted to say to herself as a child.

Eden blinked at the embarrassing words, whether it was a request or a blessing, and Rena, seeing that face, added with a smile.

“Longing for the recognition of others is only suitable for those who don’t have a future. But it is not so for Sir. You can live as much as you want, so look for them now. For those people who will cherish you in your own right.”

When Rena had finished speaking like that, Eden looked elsewhere, perhaps embarrassed. Then asked back.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but…”

“Well, then I’ll keep it short again. We are now in a trap.”

“Yes?”

Eden’s eyes widened at the sudden change of topic. But Rena, who said that, was still relaxed.

“It’s okay, don’t be surprised and listen to what I have to say.”

Rena said a few words of encouragement like that.

It was right after that the Northern Knights dragged the dead out of the rift.

.

.

.

A silver whip flashed across the air.

The whip, which seemed to be swung haphazardly at a glance, accurately struck and tore the dead with every bend.

The dead, who were flying with the fireballs, exploded and fell with a popping sound. The dead who fell like that were given the final blow by the Southern Knights who were waiting below.

The Marquis, who returned to the Doom Palace, looked at the scene as if possessed.

‘I didn’t know you could do this far…’

The Marquis thought that Rena couldn’t do anything this time.

No matter how strong she is, she cannot catch everything that flies. So he believed that she would let out some of the dead helplessly and be rebuked by the emperor.

However, the expectations of the Marquis were once again violated in the face of Rena’s hidden abilities.

But the Marquis wasn’t upset about it. Instead of being angry, his self-esteem rose.

‘This is my bloodline.’

My blood, my child, my daughter. My alter ego that started with me.

The Marquis felt as if he had finally solved the problem he had been carrying for his entire life.

He worked all his life to prove his excellence. But Rena finally did it. She confirmed to everyone the superiority of his bloodline.

Then, looking at the sight of the celestial body collapsing with ecstasy, he squeezed the note in his hand even more tightly.

― Please watch the way I fight until the end this time.

Rena told him to watch the way she fights.

Yes, she went against him for a while, but Rena Ruber is his daughter after all. She is still a lovely daughter who longs for his love and approval.

The Marquis rejoiced towards his daughter with a more proud feeling than ever.

And next to him, his son also had his eyes wide open, looking at the scattered flames.

Angie, who was standing next to Rubid like a habit, was drunk at the scene in front of him and muttered involuntarily.

“Amazing…”

It was pure sentiment without any intention.

However, as that voice entered Rubid’s ear, Angie’s single word triggered a lot of things.

Similarly, Rubid, who had been lost for a while, came to his senses at Angie’s words and grinded his teeth.

What is amazing about that woman? I can do that much.

‘Such tricks…!’

Rubid clenched his teeth and pulled out his rapier.

He couldn’t be pushed back by that woman, Rena Ruber. He had to prove his worth as a great Northern prince.

The color of Rubid’s, who covered his desperation with anger, eyes changed.

With his eyes glowing blue, he slashed with all his might to destroy Rena’s solo stage.

Whiiing! The sound of cutting through the air rang.

Rena and the Southern Knights, who were in the midst of a fight, turned their heads in amazement at the sudden huge force that flew in.

“Avoid it!”

Rena screamed urgently. But the sound was drowned out by the roar that followed and did not reach anyone.

What covered Rena’s voice was the sound of the slash that swept through the dead, slashing through the Doom Palace.