Chapter 1

"The judgment is as follows. The defendant Kiska is hereby exiled to the depths of the dungeon for the crime of raping and murdering the villager Namiya."

The moment those words were heard, a surge of anger rushed to my head.

"It's a miscarriage of justice!"

Before I knew it, I was shouting at the judge.

"I was framed by the villagers! I didn't do anything!"

"Defendant, please refrain from speaking out of turn."

The judge said this coldly.

"Hey, come over here quickly."

The guards forcibly dragged me, who was struggling, over.

Even so, I continued to assert my innocence, but no one was willing to listen.

"Hey, get in there and behave yourself."

And I was thrown into the cell.

Tomorrow, I would be sent to the depths of the S-class dungeon, the "Katurof Dungeon," in this village.

No one who has been sent to the depths of the dungeon has ever returned alive.

So, I will likely become a corpse devoured by the monsters in that dungeon.

"Damn it! This is a joke!"

I shouted and pounded the wall.

The hollow sound echoed, but it had no meaning at all.

◆

Katurof Village.

That's the village where I was born and raised.

The village's specialty is the S-class dungeon, the "Katurof Dungeon."

Therefore, the village was bustling with adventurers trying to conquer this dungeon.

In that village, I was persecuted from a young age.

The reason is probably because my hair is a dull silver color.

In this country, there has long been a history of persecuting people with silver hair, known as Alkis.

According to legend, the Alkis betrayed humans and lent their power to the demon race in ancient times.

My mother, who was born in Katurof Village, has brown hair.

Despite this, my silver hair is probably due to my father.

My father was already gone when I was born.

Whether he died or fled, I don't know. My mother never spoke about my father.

Because of this, I have been persecuted as an Alkis, and my mother has been persecuted for having a relationship with an Alkis.

I was pelted with stones by children, and my farmland was vandalized by someone.

As a result, I was always poor and couldn't eat proper meals.

Still, my mother did her best to raise me.

"I'm sorry, Kiska. I couldn't raise you properly."

That was my mother's catchphrase.

She died last year from illness.

We couldn't afford the medicine to treat her illness.

"Hey, silver hair. I heard your annual tribute is short again."

"Sorry."

Darga, the son of the village chief, was the one who taunted me.

Behind Darga were several men.

These guys always acted in a group and taunted me.

"Hey, an apology won't cut it."

The reason my tribute was short was because these guys vandalized my fields.

However, I knew it was pointless to point that out.

"Sorry."

So, I just kept apologizing.

"Hey, let's beat him up now."

"Hey, sure, sure."

Then they started to beat me up relentlessly.

"Hey, die!"

They punched my face several times, saying that.

I shouldn't resist. The more I resist, the more they will try to hurt me.

If I don't resist, the injuries will be less severe.

I knew this from years of experience, so I just kept getting hit.

"Alright, I'll let you off for today."

By the time Darga said this, my face was swollen and red.

◆

"You've been beaten by Darga and his gang again, haven't you?"

This was said by my childhood friend, Namiya.

Namiya is the daughter of a local merchant and the only one in the village who supports me.

"Here, let me treat your wounds. Stay still."

She said this and applied ointment to my injuries.

"Man, why does everyone bully Kiska?"

"It can't be helped. It's because my hair is silver."

"Hmm, I think your hair is beautiful, though."

To me, this silver hair is a hateful existence, but Namiya always says this.

"Hey, Kiska. I have something important to tell you."

She said this deliberately.

"Huh? What is it?"

"I'm going to marry Darga."

The moment she said this, I was so shocked that I felt dizzy.

In this village, marriage partners are usually decided by parents.

Since the village chief and Namiya's parents had a strong connection, it made sense that Darga and Namiya would marry.

"...I see, congratulations."

I tried to say something congratulatory, but my expression was probably distorted.

"Hey, is that okay with you, Kiska?"

"Um...?"

"Are you planning to live in this village forever?"

"Well, I have to..."

Since I have land in this village, I can't leave.

"I don't want to! Everyone in this village bullies Kiska. If you stay here, you'll eventually break down."

"But what can I do about it?"

"Let's run away from this village together!"

Namiya looked me in the eye and said this.

"My family has money. With that money, we can live for a few years. During that time, we can find a place where no one knows us and live together."

I had thought about leaving the village before.

But to travel, I needed money, which I didn't have.

However, if Namiya helps, it might be possible.

"Is that okay for you, Namiya...?"

I understand why I should leave the village. But Namiya doesn't need to come with me.

"It's fine. I don't want to marry that guy."

"I see..."

I confirmed that Namiya was determined.

"I like you, Namiya."

"Me too, I like you."

We confirmed our feelings for each other.

I've always liked Namiya, but I knew there was no way we could be together, so I kept my feelings hidden.

"When should we go?"

"As soon as possible."

"Alright. Let's escape from this village tonight."

"Okay."

Then, Namiya and I kissed.

Our first kiss was somewhat awkward.

After that, we discussed our plan and parted ways.

I was supposed to pick her up from her house in the middle of the night.

I prepared at home and waited for night to fall.

◆

When night came, I headed to Namiya's house, relying on the moonlight.

We were supposed to meet outside her house.

"Stop it!"

I heard a scream.

It was Namiya's voice.

"Are you okay!?"

I shouted and entered Namiya's house with my shoes on.

Then, I opened the door to the room where the voice was coming from.

"Hey, silver hair. Why are you here?"

The scene before me was the most grotesque I could imagine.

In the room were Darga and his gang, all half-naked.

And they were about to forcibly take off Namiya's clothes.

"What are you doing...?"

"What do you think? Can't you see?"

Darga said this with a grotesque smile.

Indeed, I understood what was happening without being told.

However, it was forbidden in this village for unmarried men and women to have relations.

"Hey, why is silver hair here? Did someone tell him?"

Darga asked the men around him.

But they all shook their heads.

In the midst of this, I was trying to figure out what to do.

I had to save Namiya from this situation.

"Back off."

"Huh?"

"Back off from Namiya now!"

I shouted.

Then, I attacked Darga and his gang.

However, I was one against many, and I was easily beaten up.

But Darga wasn't satisfied with just beating me up.

He was suspicious about why I was there.

So, he started to torture me to get the reason.

Specifically, he started to peel off my fingernails one by one.

I couldn't say we were planning to run away, so I endured while screaming in pain.

"I'll talk! I'll talk, so stop it!"

Namiya broke first.

"Namiya, stop..."

My warning didn't reach her, and she told them everything.

As a result, Darga became furious.

He was particularly upset that Namiya and I were planning to run away.

Then, Darga started to assault Namiya.

I tried to stop him, but I couldn't do anything against multiple people, and I passed out from the shock of being hit.

When I woke up, I was in a cell.

The charge was that I had raped and murdered Namiya.

Apparently, Namiya was found dead in the morning.

Darga must have strangled her to death.

And he made me take the blame for it all.

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