---

“Ah… So you came here by the order of the lord, Sir Isaac…”

“Yeah.”

I was walking ahead, holding the reins with Lina on the horse. Along with her were a cuckoo and a wild boar, who were apparently her friends.

Lina, who had finally calmed down, let her guard drop and listened to my story.

Just as Isaac, the role I took on in this era, resembled my appearance, Lina looked almost exactly like Wendy. To be precise, she was the spitting image of an adult Wendy. With leaves stuck all over her hair and clothes from playing in the forest, she looked like an elf living in the woods.

But whether she was just innocent or unaware of her own embarrassment, she was shamelessly showing off her bare legs. I didn’t know where to look. In the end, I took off my coat and wrapped it around her waist.

“H-Huh?! W-What are you doing?!”

“…You looked cold.”

“I-I’m fine!”

“I felt cold just looking at you.”

“I-I really am fine… though…”

Lina hesitated but eventually accepted my gesture. The way she rolled her eyes, unsure where to look, made her resemble Wendy even more.

While I was reminiscing about Wendy, she had no idea that I was Tristan. She didn’t know she was Wendy, nor did she realize that this was all part of a trial.

This made me worried. I was just a supporting character in this trial—the main role belonged to Wendy. In other words, it wasn’t me but Wendy who could clear this trial. But since she wasn’t even aware of being in a trial, it was a real headache.

I wanted to help her clear this trial, but I had no idea how to do it.

Moreover, this era felt off. It was supposed to be the time when the second Demon Lord appeared. The problem was, why did a second hero, who shouldn’t have existed, appear in this era?

According to imperial history, during the dark times when the second Demon Lord emerged, everyone waited for a hero to defeat him, but the second hero never appeared.

In the end, it was Alonso Izakhel, hailed as a hero, who defeated the Demon Lord. But with the appearance of Lina as the hero, Alonso’s chance to shine was effectively gone.

‘Could this be the abnormal situation Michaela was worried about?’

It was strange. The trial was supposed to reflect the past, but looking at the current situation, it seemed like the past had changed. If not, there might be some backstory I wasn’t aware of. But after hearing Michaela’s words, I felt uneasy. It was hard to tell if what was happening in the trial was normal or not.

Up until now, I could see how the future would unfold, but in this era, for some reason, the future was unclear. It felt like swimming through a muddy swamp where I couldn’t see even an inch ahead. The only future I knew was one thing.

The second Demon Lord would descend upon the world in just a few days.

It was way too fast. In this situation where I didn’t even know how the Demon Lord would appear, a hero had emerged. Although the past was flowing differently than I knew, the appearance of a hero was still a positive thing. However, no matter how special Lina’s abilities were, it didn’t seem like she could gain the strength to fight the Demon Lord in just a few days.

There wasn’t much I could do either. All I could do was write a letter to Lina’s father to let her family know she was safe. If the Demon Lord appeared… they wouldn’t even be able to ask about each other’s well-being before being scattered.

It was practically a desperate struggle. It might be useless, but after seeing the lives of the hero’s descendants through the trials, I wanted to help them in any way I could.

According to the setting, a hero is someone who rises through trials. Fittingly, Wendy’s ancestors all lived through various storms and hardships. Though not as unfortunate as Wendy, it was as if bad luck clung to their family.

Yet, none of them turned to thievery or thuggery. Truly, the bloodline of a hero.

“By the way, Lina…”

When I turned my head, Lina was carefully sniffing my coat.

“…Does my coat smell?”

“Eek?! N-No!!”

Startled, Lina pulled her nose away from the coat and waved her hands.

“I-I was just… curious! People in the city wear clothes like this…!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! In the countryside, we don’t have such nice clothes…”

Isaac is the butler of the Strix household. Compared to the coat I wore as Count Ruelberta, it was nothing special. But for Lina, who was from the countryside, it seemed fascinating.

“If you like it, you can have it.”

“Huh? No, no. It’s fine!”

“It’s a gift.”

“I’m fine…”

“Take it.”

“…Th-Thank you…”

After forcing it on her, Lina finally nodded. She seemed happy, so I guess she liked the coat.

*Cuckoo!*

Suddenly, the cuckoo started calling, and Lina’s face turned bright red.

“I-It’s not like that!”

“What’s wrong?”

“N-No… Roti… Oh, geez! It’s not like that… Miki! Don’t side with her, even if it’s someone we just met today…”

“Someone we just met…?”

“Eek… It’s nothing…”

Lina, sulking among the animals. I had no idea what conversation they were having, but…

Lina, who had been talking to the animals about something incomprehensible, suddenly spoke up as if she remembered something.

“B-By the way, marriage…? It’s so sudden…”

“Yeah. It must be sudden.”

The lord’s intentions were obvious. He planned to marry his son to Lina, the hero, before other nobles or the emperor found out. That way, he could form a bond with the legendary hero’s family, bringing eternal glory to the Strix household. And later, he’d pretend he didn’t know Lina was the hero.

It was a childish farce. The Demon Lord would appear in just a few days, and here they were playing these games… Still, I was here to deliver this news to her.

“But that’s Lord Strix’s will.”

“Me and the lord’s son? H-How could someone as lowly as me marry…? He’s a noble…”

I almost laughed out loud. In a situation where she should be complaining about an unfair marriage, she was calling herself lowly. Maybe low self-esteem was a trait of the hero’s family.

I shook my head.

“You’re too good for that guy.”

“Huh…?”

“Conwell is an idiot. He can’t even tie his own shoelaces without someone helping him. Compared to him, you’re beautiful and noble.”

I spoke disrespectfully about my master without a care. It’s not like I had any loyalty to him.

“B-Beautiful…?”

“Yeah.”

“Me…?”

“Yeah. I don’t want to compare, but compared to that ugly guy, you’re like an angel reborn as a human… or maybe even a goddess.”

“Ahhh…”

“Or maybe a goddess.”

“P-Please… You don’t have to say anymore…”

Lina covered her face in embarrassment and bowed her head. I guess I said too much unnecessary stuff.

As I closed my mouth, Lina started talking to her friends again.

Then she suddenly asked me.

“Um… Sir Isaac, did you come here to take me away…?”

“Yeah. But I want to give you a choice.”

“A choice…?”

“One is to follow me to Lord Strix’s castle and marry that idiot. The other is…”

I stopped walking and looked up at Lina.

“Run away now.”

“Huh?”

“Abandon the name Lina and run away. Leave behind the burden of being a hero and run far away… Never show yourself in this country again. If you do, you might live a happier life than the first option.”

Lina’s eyes widened.

“But I’m… the chosen hero. I can’t run away…?”

“Yeah. But you’re also just a girl who knows nothing. You can’t save the world alone. You can’t bear everything alone. So it’s okay to run away. Forget about fate and take your family far away.”

Even as I said it, I wasn’t sure if it was possible. But I didn’t want to push Lina, Wendy, into a harsh fate.

“If you want to run away, tell me. I’ll help you escape.”

Lina, who probably never expected such an offer, couldn’t hide her confusion.

“Why… Why are you being so kind to me…?”

“…I just feel sorry for you.”

“Sorry for me…?”

“Yeah. No matter how much you’re chosen by God to be a hero, it’s too much for a young girl like you.”

“I-I’m not that young…?”

“…Your body and mind don’t have to be the same age. To me, you’re still a young girl.”

“Huh?! No, really?”

“Choose. We don’t have time.”

“W-Well…”

Lina was at a loss for words. The animals beside her were making some noise, but Lina couldn’t respond.

She just stared at me. Maybe she needed more confidence to believe my words. I was about to add a few more words to encourage her, but Lina spoke first.

“Um… I know this is a strange question, but… have we met somewhere before…?”

I flinched but didn’t show it.

“…No. This is our first meeting.”

“Really…? You seem familiar…”

“You must be mistaken.”

I fiddled with the reins and answered nonchalantly. Then Lina suddenly chuckled.

“Haha…”

“Why are you laughing?”

“Sir Isaac… you’re a kind person.”

“Me…?”

“Vincent said you’re a trustworthy person…”

For a moment, I wondered what she was talking about, but Vincent was the name of the black horse I was riding.

*Neigh.*

Vincent shook his head when our eyes met. He was my personal horse. People avoided black horses because they were considered ominous, but I rode him freely. I didn’t know what he said to Lina, but it seemed to have helped her decision.

“Um… I’ll go.”

Lina nodded as if she had made up her mind.

“I’ll run away… as you said.”

“…Good choice.”

“But… what about you, Sir Isaac? If my family and I run away… won’t you be in trouble?”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll escape to a safe place after you run away.”

“R-Really…”

“?”

“U-Um… Sir Isaac, could you… come with us?”

“With me?”

“Yes… If you’re going to run away too, wouldn’t it be better to go together…? Besides, you’re alone… You must be lonely…”

“I don’t feel loneliness.”

“But…”

Lina fidgeted with her fingers and glanced at me. Wait, now that I think about it…

“Are you the one who’s lonely?”

“I do get lonely easily…! But… this is the first time…!”

“?”

“The first time I’ve felt this way about someone other than my family… I want to know more about you… I’m so curious…”

Lina’s face turned bright red as she mumbled something incomprehensible.

“S-So… could you stay by my side…? Please? I won’t be a burden…”

With such a desperate expression, it was hard to refuse. Of course, from my perspective, I’d be grateful if she ran away.

In the end, I agreed to Lina’s request.

“…Alright. If it’s okay with you, I’ll stay by your side.”

“Really? You promise?”

“Yeah. I promise.”

Seeing Lina’s brightened face, I thought it didn’t matter anymore.

***

By the time we left the forest, the sun was setting.

“Then we’ll leave at dawn tomorrow. Can you be ready by then?”

“Yes, yes… It should be fine.”

I was mentally planning the escape.

Fortunately, there weren’t many people to take. Just Lina and her father, Maron. Her brothers were in another town, so we’d pick them up and go as far away as possible. Somewhere the Demon Lord’s reach wouldn’t extend. That way, no one would know the hero had appeared, and the Demon Lord would be defeated by Alonso Izakhel as history recorded.

That’s what I thought.

*Clang.*

“…?”

Maron’s house was in chaos. For some reason, soldiers in armor were milling about.

What’s going on? The atmosphere felt off…

When we reached Maron’s house, I realized my plan had hit a major snag.

“Sir Isaac…”

Maron, with a bruised face as if he’d been beaten. And next to him stood a man who looked like a grotesque lump of flesh.

“Conwell, young master…”

“Hey. I can tell just by looking. That pretty girl must be the hero. Nice to meet you.”

Conwell, the lord’s son, waved at Lina with a nasty smile.

 

---