I Am Not the Heroine

---

This is the Dragon’s mansion.

It felt overwhelming in a different way than the imperial palace where I had met the Emperor.

It wasn’t merely massive, nor was it an atmosphere crushed by the Duke’s arrogance.

Perhaps I should say it had a sense of grace; even the artwork adorning the hallway was perfectly maintained, without a speck of dust.

It felt as if everything composing the mansion had been frozen.

A perfect silence.

That was the Stormblast Mansion.

“This is the place.”

The Hero party began their preparations in such a mansion, each assigned their room.

[There will be a banquet for you tonight. Please rest until then.]

A banquet held to welcome the Hero party by Stormblast.

At the same time, it was a time for Rapirie to carry out the mission of Yggdrasil, while the remaining party members hoped to retrieve her.

“…….”

Aswel gently stroked his precious gloves and quietly closed his eyes.

‘The opponent is a dragon.’

It wouldn’t be a life-or-death battle like when facing the Demon Race.

No matter how much she was taken away, he is a Duke of the Empire, after all.

Above all, there was no guarantee that they could win even if they fought to the death.

But.

‘If I can save Rui, nothing else matters.’

The Merckadi he fought against in Lakr had strength that rivaled Duke Stormblast.

Even though they had won thanks to her help back then, a bit of battle experience had remained in his body.

The talent, duty, and destiny of a Hero had made his body fully adapt to even such minimal experience.

‘By now, everyone should be getting ready.’

The plan was simple.

Taking advantage of the banquet at the mansion, specifically the gap when Rapirie brought up Yggdrasil’s agenda, the rest would enter the operation.

The core was to rescue her somewhere within the mansion.

He wasn’t thinking of escaping with her from the Duke’s mansion or making it a perfect non-issue.

The Hero party hadn’t considered the aftereffects or rumors of their commotion in the Duke’s mansion.

‘First, save Rui.’

To be honest, it was a clumsy plan.

If viewed as an operation against a dragon, it was even more pitiful.

However, everyone missed her that much.

They missed her enough that even parting after just seeing her face would be enough.

And Aswel’s feelings were the same as theirs.

But he had a greater desire.

‘I want to keep her by my side.’

Just meeting her once wouldn’t be sufficient to calm the fiery feelings of Niabella.

He wanted to spend a long time with her somehow and reveal this heart.

That’s why Aswel harbored a more solid determination within himself compared to the other party members.

“Hero, I’ve brought your outfit for the banquet.”

A little while later, a butler and maids brought several formal dresses for the banquet.

Under normal circumstances, he would have happily expressed his gratitude with a warm smile, but Aswel had no such ease in him right now.

He was too wrapped up in sadness and anger, thinking of her who would be left lonely somewhere in this place.

Time passed so fast that he didn’t even realize it, and soon it was evening, with Aswel’s outfit changed.

“Hero. I’ll guide you to the banquet hall.”

“……Yes.”

Following the butler’s lead, Aswel slowly left the room.

* * *

The banquet hall was held under a chandelier of white snowflakes.

The white tables and navy curtains, paired with muted-colored candles, created the atmosphere of Stormblast.

Nobles from nearby territories and important figures within the territory filled the table.

“Duke Stormblast is entering.”

At the butler’s words, everyone turned their gaze in one direction.

A taciturn man in a black fur coat raised a glass on the podium.

“Everyone, raise your cups.”

The Hero party and all the people in the banquet hall raised their glasses as well.

Niabella, who was unfamiliar with such occasions, hurriedly raised her glass with Serelin’s help.

“For the Hero party, working hard for the Empire and the world.”

Once the Duke’s words finished, everyone gently shook their glasses.

“Hero, thank you for coming to the Stormblast territory this time. Thanks to you, the citizens’ reactions in the territory have been very……”

“Lady Serelin, I heard there are new discussions about swordsmanship in the Imperial Knights……”

“Lady Ariya, my wife is about to give birth, could you perhaps grant her your blessings?”

Hero Aswel, Serelin, and Ariya engaged with those who approached them first.

For the remaining two, while there were those who glanced at them, no one came forward to speak directly.

Firstly, it was because Rapirie had the status of a princess of Yggdrasil and was thus difficult to approach.

In contrast, Niabella had no standing and was not famous, so even being a member of the Hero party didn’t afford her the chance to share common stories.

There were a few Mages present, but sadly Niabella had almost no knowledge of magic, so the conversation didn’t last long.

But in the end, that wasn’t what mattered.

They had a mission to carry out.

“Duke Kunder.”

“Is it Rapirie of Yggdrasil? What is it?”

Swish.

“As an official envoy of the Yggdrasil royal family, I want to negotiate regarding the treatment of the branches of the World Tree.”

Unlike her usual lively demeanor, Rapirie spoke calmly.

For a moment, even the party members were taken aback by her entirely different atmosphere.

“I see. Do you wish to discuss it now?”

Duke Kunder Stormblast nodded and accepted her request.

“I want to do it now.”

“Come this way. Is the Hero party participating as well?”

“……No, I’ll be the only one taking part.”

Despite her overt attempt to separate herself from the Hero party, Kunder quietly nodded.

“Everyone, enjoy the banquet.”

With those words, Kunder led Rapirie out of the banquet hall, accompanied by attendants.

At that moment, Niabella stepped out first.

“I, I was this way…!”

The mansion was vast.

It was too large to explore alone in a short time.

Thus, the party members had predetermined their respective areas to search, and Niabella headed towards the third floor.

“Lady Niabella, do you need any help?”

“Yes?! Ah, no! I just… I was a bit full, so I was taking a walk!”

“Understood. Please call me anytime you need assistance.”

Niabella had been spotted by several attendants, yet for some reason, they did not hinder her suspicious movements.

It was surprisingly easy, but wrapped in tension, Niabella didn’t notice it.

The next moment, Serelin exited the banquet hall.

Racing through the mansion several times faster than Niabella, she memorized areas she could not access with her own strength and moved on to her next target.

“I’ll be out for a moment.”

“I’ll be waiting! Hero!”

Next to exit was Aswel.

The people in the banquet hall were drawn to Ariya.

Aswel, moving to an area that Niabella and Serelin were not headed towards, stood in the middle of the hallway with his eyes closed.

‘……Niabella, Rapirie, Serelin, Kunder.’

The presence of those he could call strong was felt throughout the mansion.

Everyone was moving according to the plan. Rapirie was leading the negotiation with Kunder, ensuring that he couldn’t easily leave his position.

‘Rui. Rui.’

He continued to concentrate and seek out other presences.

It was a familiar energy.

The energy he had grown most accustomed to over the past half year.

A warmth and sweetness radiating from his hands and feet.

He had to find such energy in this vast mansion.

As a few minutes—short yet interminable—passed, his attention shifted to a corner of the mansion.

On the top floor of the Duke’s mansion, in that corner.

“There!”

There, she was.

Bang!

In an instant, Aswel sprang up, arriving at the floor and gazing at the room.

A plain door, not much different from the others.

But to Aswel, it was extraordinarily special.

Because she was inside.

Perhaps wanting to savor that specialness, the closer he got to the door, the slower Aswel’s steps became.

Very slowly, by the time he reached the door, he was hardly faster than a turtle.

“……..”

Just a door.

He felt her presence from inside the door.

Creeeak…

The door slowly opened, revealing the interior.

Pure white moonlight streamed in through the open window.

At the same time, the energy that had been blocked by the door approached Aswel.

She was there.

“Rui.”

“Aswel.”

Standing in a neat black dress, she welcomed him with a face more beautiful than ever.

“……..”

“……..”

Neither spoke a word.

Aswel had no idea what to say first and couldn’t open his mouth casually.

I wanted to see you, are you okay, how’s your health, and so on…

So many words clamored to come out, making it hard to breathe.

But how about her?

Did she share the same feelings as Aswel?

With eyes as calm as his, she stood gazing at him with a face nearly expressionless.

After a short yet long time, Aswel finally managed to leave just one phrase in his mouth.

“Rui. Will you come back to my party?”

Isn’t this the most important thing?

“……..”

Her hesitation didn’t last long.

“I’m sorry.”

And the words that came forth were a refusal.

From that moment on, Aswel could no longer see her expression. She had tilted her head down, and being taller, Aswel found it hard to read her expression.

“I can’t join the party anymore.”

“……..Huh?”

“Today, I wanted to share my last goodbye, which I couldn’t say in Lakr. So, I prepared, but… Aswel came first.”

Her calm words pierced Aswel’s heart like a stalactite in Stormblast.

“I’m sorry for everything, including Aswel and everyone.”

With those words, she turned away.

Then she walked towards the window, turning to look at Aswel again, bowing her head.

“Thank you for all the good memories, Hero.”

Flap!

“Hero.”

“……..You are.”

Then a sky-blue woman appeared and embraced her.

“Don’t be heartbroken. This is ultimately for you and Rui.”

With those words, the curtains fluttered in the strong wind, and two white wings spread from the woman’s back.

Moments later, when the woman’s wings flapped strongly, she and Rui disappeared from the room.

“……..Rui.”

The Hero, Aswel, could only stay stunned in the room, chasing after her traces with nothing to say or do.