As Hwan navigated through the device, his expression became bewildered, "What on earth?" he muttered, making Rachel hold her breath.
"There is nothing here…" Hwan added as he presented the screen for both women to witness. The gallery was an empty chasm, devoid of any contents.
A sigh of relief fluttered within Rachel's chest, feeling an immense burden lifting, unfurling its tight grasp from her heart.
With a flicker of her gaze towards Amelia, she found an equal sense of bewildered relief reflected in her eyes. It seemed like Amelia also had no idea how all of it got deleted.
Was it possible, Rachel wondered with a seed of doubt sprouting within, that that villain had eradicated every piece of evidence? But why? Did he make copies?
However, before any solid conjecture could take root, a distant hum resonated through the atmosphere.
Heads turned as if drawn by invisible strings towards the source of the sound, eyes landing on a Sightstone Sphere lying innocently on the ground.
Within its confines, it projected an image— a shocking image of Rachel and Hellbringer, an Elite Hunter and a notorious Demon, their lips locked in an intimate embrace.
"Oh my god!!"
"What in the name of the angels…"
Gasps shredded through the hush, shock rippling through the assemblage like a stone disturbing still waters.
The image was a silent scream, a hunter and a demon entwined, an illicit and forbidden dance of love painted for all to see.
The image changed to show another where she was posing with him in a very raunchy way while looking at Hellbringer as if he were her world.
The images kept changing to show one after the other, making everyone unable to take their eyes off it. It was like seeing each image was sending waves of shock through them, shattering the image they had constructed of a certain someone in their minds.
And then the image changed again to show a video of Rachel deepthroating the demon's grotesque dick and even swallowing his cum.
"Ugh!"
"Eww!"
"How disgusting! Somebody shut it down!!"
For Rachel, it was as if the ground beneath had given way, her heart plummeting into an abyss of fear and disbelief.
Her eyes, wide and brimming with a cocktail of emotions, snapped towards the display, taking in the damning evidence.
A torrent of whispers swirled around them, each word a needle pricking at her already fragile composure.
"What is the meaning of this…Rachel?" Hwan's voice cut through the murmurs, sharp and demanding, unlike before, casting a shadow over Rachel's face with its intensity.
Rachel found her voice, a threadbare whisper brushing against the tense air, "I...I don't know how... This isn't what it looks like."
She had prepared herself for this when Hwan went through the mobile.
She spent so many weeks under that villain who kept mocking her and making her feel bad for what she did to Amelia. And Facing Amelia every day and seeing her risk her life again despite what happened only made it harder to endure the guilt.
So she had sworn to herself that she would never commit such an evil act again.
And to do that, she was willing to right her wrongs by facing her problems head-on so that not even he can have a hold on her anymore while redeeming herself to become worthy of holding onto her last name and being a Hunter.
She was determined not to live in fear for the rest of her life and not give demons like Asher a chance to corrupt her into doing evil things.
But when these projections of images suddenly sprang out, it took her by surprise.
She felt her heart pounding in her chest, a drum of anxiety and desperation echoing through her ribcage. The air was thick with accusation, eyes gleaming with suspicion and betrayal, pinning her down with their intensity.
"So the info we got was accurate, huh? You've been corrupted by Hellbringer longer than we thought?" Hwan's voice was stern, a rigid edge of disbelief and accusation weaving through his tone.
"She was planning to lead us into a trap!" A voice from the crowd called out, laden with accusation.
"I can't believe we looked up to her!" Another voice chimed in, dripping with disappointment and disgust.
Rachel's face twitched at the sharp words, feeling like slashes across her resolve.
Her chin trembled, but she quickly pulled herself together, raising her voice above the mounting whispers, "P-Please, let me explain!"
Hwan's gaze didn't waver, but he raised a hand, signaling for silence, "Alright. Let's hear what she has to say."
Drawing in a shaky breath, Rachel's voice trembled as she began, "What you saw isn't the whole truth. Hellbringer forced me to pretend to be his girlfriend and to pose for those photos. I had no choice; I had to protect my teammates. But despite doing it... he killed them anyway."
Every word weighed heavily in the tense atmosphere, and Rachel could only hope they'd see the desperate truth in her eyes and not the image painted by the damning photographs before them.
"Hmm, you might be speaking the truth," Hwan began, skepticism laced thickly in his tone, "But how can we be certain?"
"She's probably lying through her teeth," a voice from the crowd whispered audibly, sending ripples of agreement through the gathered hunters.
"I can't fathom how anyone could even feign affection for that monster without their skin crawling," another muttered.
"The very fact she's here, safe and sound after two whole months and escaping from an army of demons already tells us a lot," someone else chimed in.
Tears welled in Rachel's eyes as she heard the murmurs, her voice a fragile whisper amongst the sea of disbelief. "How can you all..."
Rachel's heart sank, her words seemingly falling on deaf ears, swallowed by a sea of suspicion and murmurs. Every whisper felt like a blade, slicing through her reputation and integrity with casual ease.
Some of these were juniors she knew, and yet they were looking at her like some kind of monster. All this time, they treated her with respect and reverence, and yet now, all she could see was disgust and hate.
Forgetting the worth of her last name, it was as if all these years of her actions, achievements, and relationships she had towards them didn't matter at all.
Amelia's face twisted into a bitter expression, her words cold and sharp, "Are you truly suggesting that Rachel, of all people, is lying? Have you forgotten the weight her words carry? Do you think a Sterling would be so low to do something like that?"
Amelia wrinkled her nose in disgust upon seeing how these bastards were so quick to judge someone to protect their own interests.
Shaking his head, Hwan's expression remained unmoved, unswayed by Aemlia's words, "What we've seen today clearly indicates Rachel's been compromised in some way. How can we trust the words of someone in that state, regardless of who they are? Even our own code dictates as much."
His words, steady and unyielding, echoed through the silent space, casting a shadow of doubt that seemed to grow with each passing second.
And beneath its weight, Rachel felt smaller, her voice drowned out, her truth seemingly insignificant and frail.
Her voice cracked but remained steady, mirroring the resolve in her shimmering blue eyes, "How can you all doubt me like this? Ignoring the fact that my father is the President, I proudly and honorably served our world and our people ever since I became a full-fledged Hunter. I put my life in line every time to protect us, and I guided so many juniors to do the same. How could you all, even for a second, think that I would disgrace myself by doing such things on purpose? Is that how little you all believe in me even when there is no solid evidence to disprove my words?"
*Clap…Clap…Clap*
The air hung tense, charged with anticipation, when an unexpected sound cut through — a series of slow, deliberate claps resounded, slicing through the tense atmosphere.
Startled, eyes flickered, finding the source: a tall man, draped in a brown cloak, his face half-hidden, advanced with applause resounding in the still air.
He ceased clapping, lifting his gaze, his lips curving as he spoke, "Quite the speech, Rachel," his voice was steady, a hint of mockery woven through the solemnity, "But let's not muddy righteousness with lies. It's a bit disheartening, hearing that and experiencing betrayal from my fiance or ex-fiance, I would say."
With a fluid motion, he drew back his hood, revealing pallid skin stretched taut over sharp features, green eyes dimmed yet carrying a subtle darkness within their depths. His hair was no longer neatly combed but disheveled and dry.
Rachel's heart skipped, eyes widening in recognition, voice barely above a whisper, "V-Victor? You are alive??"
Heated whispers rippled through the clearing, as eyes darted between Rachel, Amelia, and Victor.
His scoff cut through the atmosphere, cold and tinged with disdain, "Shock on your face says it all, doesn't it, Rachel? Do you feel cornered because I, whom you thought you'd used and discarded, am still breathing?"
Rachel, her eyes wide and hands trembling, adamantly shook her head, pointing an accusatory finger towards Victor, voice sharp yet shaky, "That's not true! You tried to kill me first to save your own skin! Amelia saw it all unfold!"
Amelia, with fire flashing in her eyes, nodded vehemently in agreement, "Indeed! I'm not sure how you managed to crawl back from the brink, but you need to stop spewing lies, Victor. Could it be... you are the 'reliable source' who spread these vile accusations about us?"
"That's enough!"
Before either Rachel or Victor could retort, a thunderous voice cut through their exchange.
Hwan's eyes were ablaze with anger, his gaze like daggers directed toward Rachel and Amelia, "How dare the two of you tarnish Sir Victor's reputation with your lies!"
Rachel was taken aback, a gasp escaping her lips as she witnessed the change in Hwan's demeanor.
The crowd mirrored his hostility, their eyes now fixated on Rachel with suspicion and disdain.
The shift was palpable, leaving Rachel internally questioning how they could believe Victor over her when he was also held captive by Hellbringer.
"Hwan, all of you...you're being deceived! You have to believe me, please…" Rachel implored, desperation edging her voice, her eyes darting between Hwan and Victor.
But as her gaze landed on Victor, she caught a subtle, triumphant smirk playing on his lips.
A wave of fury and disgust rolled through her, yet she was powerless against the tide turning against her.
Hwan's scoff echoed, resolute and dismissive, "That's enough, Rachel. Sir Victor suffered unimaginable tortures, humiliations, for an entire week because of your actions. And as if that wasn't enough, nasty rumors were crafted about deeds he never committed, purely out of spite. They then threw him out, thinking he died. But how could someone as great as him die so easily? He returned to us, bearing the truth of the events transpired, a truth apparently quite different from your made-up story for obvious reasons."
"What…" Rachel felt her nerves twisting upon hearing this ludicrous story.
