I Am Not the Heroine

Chapter 65




Aswel emerged from the room thanks to the servant who came to find him after some time.

“Aswel…? No way…”

Seeing Aswel return to the banquet hall with a dazed expression, the party members who had already returned asked with concern.

However, Aswel could only shake his head, unable to give a proper answer.

“I’m sorry. I will continue with the banquet.”

And finally, along with Kunder, he returned to Rapirie, making further operations impossible.

Rapirie, seeing the unpleasant atmosphere at the party, quickly led them out of the banquet hall.

“Aswel.”

“……Yeah.”

“Tell me clearly. What happened back there?”

Rejecting all the proposals from the nobles and officials trying to hold them back, Rapirie immediately pressed Aswel for an explanation once they returned to the room.

They needed to understand what was going on, so Aswel recounted the events from earlier.

“Rui…?”

To put it simply, she refused to return to the party.

“Why? You have to at least tell me the reason!”

“……”

Aswel wanted to inform them as well.

But he hadn’t heard anything from her or her mentor.

Thus, he felt frustrated and unable to move.

He couldn’t tell if her answer truly reflected her will.

So, even though he wanted to ask about that reason, he had no way to find her.

“…Still, it’s certain she’s within this territory. So let’s all find a way.”

Rapirie, not giving up hope, tried to lift the spirits of the party, but it had little effect.

For one person to leave like this, and the mood and energy of the party to weaken so much…

‘…Rui, you’ve had a greater influence on us than you realize.’

And thus, that day’s operation ended, and several days passed at Stormblast.

.

.

.

Over the past few days, the hero party had stayed in Stormblast.

During this time, the members did their best to search for her whereabouts, but they could not find anything.

It was obvious they were moving so openly that Kunder Stormblast could catch on, yet he did not hinder the movements of the hero party.

‘Does he really think we won’t find her?’

The hero, Aswel, was lost in thought alone in his room again today.

Since becoming a hero, he had never felt such a sense of powerlessness before.

His mind was a jumble of confusion, and his body felt utterly fatigued.

‘Is it because of the thought that I can’t bring back Rui?’

If he had known why she had refused to return to the party, perhaps it wouldn’t be this bad.

No matter how hard he struggled, if he couldn’t solve that issue…

“……If that’s the case, would I have given up?”

If that were true, then her silence about the problem meant it was something Aswel couldn’t resolve on his own.

So, was it ultimately an act to spare the hero party and himself?

“……”

[Hero Aswel. A request has come from the Count’s residence in the northeast. It would be wise to prepare to move soon.]

Last night, Kunder had called Aswel and spoken these words.

He wanted to protest, but he couldn’t.

There was no longer a justification for the hero party to stay in Stormblast.

Requests and problems that common people could not resolve were exceptionally scarce compared to other places.

So the party members had been solving them as slowly as possible, but even that was almost finished.

Once all the issues were resolved, the hero party would need to resume their journey.

There were still those suffering from magical creatures or the demon race somewhere within the Empire, and the primary purpose of this party was to rescue such suffering individuals.

However, Aswel wasn’t sure.

In his current state, if he set out on a journey, would he be able to wield the same strength as before in battles against the demon race?

That’s why he wanted to at least alleviate this curiosity.

At that moment.

“Hero.”

A red flame swirled in the room, and someone appeared before Aswel.

“……Who are you?”

“I have too many names and titles to refer to myself by. Which should I introduce myself with?”

“……”

“Your beloved Rui’s wish for a happy life, perhaps? Well, that’s not important.”

A woman with fiery hair asked.

“So, do you want to save Rui? Do you want to know the reason she refused?”

Then, she warned, her red eyes shining brightly.

“But, be prepared. It will be for what you’ve heard about the ties of this place.”

* * *

Hero.

Do you believe you have met your comrades by fate?

What is fate? A life predetermined for a single person since ancient times?

An event that inevitably occurs?

If that’s the case, then your meeting with your comrades is indeed fate.

Long before the first Stormblast and Inferblaino were born.

In a time when the World Tree was but a sapling.

In that distant past, the fate of your party was already set.

By the ‘prophecy.’

Saint. Knight. Archer. Mage, Assassin.

The fates of your comrades who will stand against the Demon King were already inscribed in the prophecy stone, long faced with eons of time.

Why not the Pope, the Sword Saint, the High Priest, the High Witch, the Demon King?

That’s precisely because the composition of the hero party was already determined in the prophecy, and a ‘law’ appears if one defies it.

Causality.

The strength of the hero party significantly impacts the strength of the Demon King’s army.

As the hero party becomes stronger, the strength of the Demon King’s army does as well.

Because of the two shackles of ‘fate’ and ‘causality,’ the strongest in this world ultimately decided.

Absolutely, they wouldn’t interfere with the hero party.

Fate.

Your destined comrades total six. Including those you have yet to meet, a total of five.

Thus, the hero party of six was destined to confront the Demon King and his army.

Yes.

In that party, there exists no ‘Mage.’

Only Saint, Knight, Archer, Mage, and Assassin truly exist.

Did you think the incident at the fortress in Alpares and the Merckadi in Lakr constituted the standard fate the hero party should walk?

No.

Rui realized it. She felt overwhelmed with guilt, knowing that countless people had nearly died or been hurt because of those two events.

Ultimately, that’s why she refused to return to the party.

Now, hero.

You have learned the reason Rui rejected you.

What will you do?

* * *

As twilight bathed the mansion in a red hue before darkness enveloped it, Aswel stepped outside.

The stars rose into the sky, faintly illuminating the darkness that surrounded Aswel.

“Ha…”

A long yet brief moment with the woman.

After hearing all the truths amidst the flames that filled the room, Aswel’s mind was in a more chaotic state than before.

But Aswel’s eyes shone brighter than ever.

All his thoughts ultimately aimed for one thing.

[Rui is in the Ice Castle behind Stormblast Duke’s Mansion.]

Clang.

The holy sword was drawn, and determination filled Aswel’s eyes.

[But you won’t reach the Ice Castle. There are numerous magical barriers that cannot be easily breached.]

Kiiing…

The white light began to swirl around the holy sword as Aswel took a deep breath.

[I won’t tell you how to break through the barriers. If you cannot overcome that… you and the hero party will not be able to accept Rui.]

The words of the red-haired woman echoed in his mind.

Since this morning, Kunder has been absent.

When he asked the servant, he heard he left the mansion due to a schedule.

Then, there was no more time.

“……”

If he had comrades, things would be easier.

But Aswel decided to go on his own.

What he was about to do was an act of twisting fate and defying causality.

Kurrug…

Thunder crashed from behind the Ice Castle.

Perhaps the master of the Ice Castle, her mentor, might have detected Aswel’s holy sword.

But given the circumstances, he needed to confront them once more.

‘This time, I’ll definitely listen.’

Kwarung!!

Aswel left the mansion, climbing the mountain toward the Ice Castle.

Each time, lightning struck around the Ice Castle and the mountain, roaring.

It felt like a warning saying not to come any closer.

But Aswel did not back down.

Finally, Aswel made it close to the entrance of the Ice Castle.

As the woman had said, the Ice Castle was perfectly protected by numerous magical barriers.

Each magic complemented each other’s weaknesses, forming an ideal barrier.

Such robustness that even the Empire’s finest magicians might spend days trying and still fail to breach.

But it didn’t end there.

“You’ve come.”

“……Your Grace.”

Rumbling thunder rang as a man hidden in the shadows revealed himself.

Kunder Stormblast.

Aswel understood what the servant had said about the Duke’s ‘schedule.’

“Did you expect I would come?”

“I thought Lati would say something to you.”

Lati. She was undoubtedly the woman he was referring to.

“There’s no need to discuss things. The world is filled with more chaotic and difficult matters than this.”

Kwarung!

The lightning surrounding Kunder began to wreak havoc around them.

“Hero, clash your justice. With all your heart.”


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