Chapter 5 opens not in the cottage, but in the Royal Capital. The king has declared the hero dead. A massive statue is erected. The four girls stand on a podium, medals pinned to their chests. The crowd cheers.
It began when a traveling bard entered the city, strumming a melancholic tune. It wasn't a song of victory, but a ballad titled "The Lament of the Soul-Bound." It told the story of a Hero who gave everything to his companions, only to be discarded like broken armor once his "curse"—a power essential for defeating the Demon Lord—became an inconvenience to their public image. Chapter 5 opens not in the cottage, but in the Royal Capital