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Lina was speechless at the horrifying sight. Isaac was hanging, covered in blood.

“…What a gruesome sight.”

“How… could you do this…?”

Lina took out a handkerchief and wiped Isaac’s body. The white handkerchief, and even her hands, were instantly stained red with blood. But Lina didn’t mind and carefully cleaned his body.

As she did, the brutal wounds hidden beneath the blood were revealed. Wounds torn by whips. So deep that the bones were almost visible. It was a sight so horrifying that it made her want to look away.

“Don’t look. This isn’t something a child should see.”

“I-I’m not a child…! I’m an adult…!”

“By my standards, you’re a child.”

“…Then how old are you, Isaac?”

Isaac seemed to think for a moment before speaking.

“…Hmm. Anyway, I’m older than you. So, to me, you’re a child.”

“T-that’s not fair…!”

“If you’re upset, you should’ve been born earlier.”

“Ugh… Isaac, how can you joke in a situation like this…?”

“Sorry.”

“It’s not something you need to apologize for…”

“I’m sorry for putting you through this terrible ordeal.”

“Huh?”

At his sudden words, Lina looked up at Isaac. She saw his shadowed face.

“I regret that things turned out this way after I promised to help you escape.”

“N-no… You don’t need to apologize… If anything, I should be the one apologizing…”

“?”

“I heard that a hero is someone who saves people in trouble… But here you are, in trouble, and I, as the hero, can’t do anything… I can’t help you at all…”

Lina bit her lip. Ever since becoming the hero, she had been feeling nothing but helplessness. She felt a crushing sense of failure that someone who had been given the great mission of defeating the Demon Lord couldn’t even save one person right in front of her.

“So… I decided to marry Conwell. It’s the only way I can save my family, friends, and you, Isaac…”

“Lina…”

“I know… I’m not fit to be a hero… This is all I can do. I don’t know why the gods chose me as the hero, but I’m not worthy of it…”

“…I know. That’s why I told you to run away.”

“Maybe… maybe I’m being punished for trying to abandon the gods’ will and run away…”

Lina trembled. Perhaps this misfortune and trial had come to her because she tried to abandon her duty as the hero and run away. Maybe the gods were angry.

Maybe Isaac ended up like this because of her…

“It’s not your fault.”

“?!”

“It’s not your fault that I ended up like this.”

As if reading her thoughts, Isaac shook his head.

“I should’ve planned more thoroughly. It’s all my mistake.”

“But if I had accepted the gods’ will…”

“The gods’ will? Don’t worry about that. Instead, blame the gods for giving you trials you can’t handle, for giving you a cruel fate. Just because they’re gods doesn’t mean they can force anything on you. I… I believe that humans are beings who carve out their own destiny. Just because you were born with the bloodline of a hero and chosen as one doesn’t mean you have to live as a hero.”

“But if I don’t fight the Demon Lord, many people will die or get hurt… Like you, Isaac…”

Lina didn’t want the people around her to suffer because of her. She would rather suffer alone. If she could bear it all herself so that everyone else could be happy… she was willing to accept her fate.

Isaac slowly opened his mouth.

“…I know a girl who was born with an ‘unfortunate’ fate.”

“Huh?”

“No matter how much she washed dishes, she would end up with a mountain of broken plates. She would trip over her own feet and rarely had a day without bruises. She was a crybaby who made mistakes one after another, as if misfortune was stuck in her life…”

What was he talking about? Lina was about to ask, but Isaac’s face was deadly serious. He seemed to be recalling a distant memory, a faint smile on his face.

“She was frustrated over and over, but she never gave up. She kept trying to find her own happiness. Even when she kept falling into ‘misfortune,’ she got back up.”

It was strange. She didn’t know who the girl was, but she resonated with her story. Maybe it was because it was a story of resisting one’s given fate, just like her.

“So… Lina, it’s okay if you don’t accept the fate of being a hero.”

“Really…? But if there’s no hero… won’t the world be in danger…?”

“If the world was doomed without a hero, it would’ve been destroyed long ago. It’s a ridiculous story that the fate of the world depends on the actions of one person chosen by the gods. Even if you don’t step forward, someone brave will appear and defeat the Demon Lord. So… don’t worry and run away.”

Isaac looked at Lina with kind eyes. His gaze was as if he had known her for a long time.

“Run away from this cruel fate, Lina.”

“…Isaac, why are you being so kind to me? Why are you trying to help me even when you’re like this…? You said it was because you felt sorry for me, but…”

Lina wiped the blood off Isaac’s face with her handkerchief. Then, she voiced the question that had been lingering in her mind.

“Isaac… are you the guardian spirit who protected my ancestors…?”

“Guardian spirit…?”

“Yes…”

Lina explained to Isaac about the benefactor who would appear whenever her ancestors were in danger, saving them and then disappearing. She also told him how they had been worshiping and honoring that benefactor ever since.

Isaac, who had been silently listening, let out a small laugh.

“No matter what, there’s no way I could’ve lived this long.”

“R-right? I thought so…”

Feeling embarrassed, Lina fidgeted with her fingers. She knew it was impossible. But deep down, she wished Isaac was the guardian spirit. Just having someone who protected her by her side made her feel secure.

“Lina.”

“Yes?”

“No matter what happens to me, it doesn’t matter. So, you need to get away from Conwell as soon as possible. Take your family and friends and run far away.”

In essence, Isaac was telling her to leave him behind. He thought he would be a burden to her. But Lina shook her head.

“No… Isaac. I won’t abandon you…”

“Lina…”

“I’ll run away from my fate, just like you said… But, you’re coming with me. You’re running away with me.”

“You…”

“Don’t worry…”

Lina forced a smile, trying to reassure Isaac.

“I won’t just sit back and let fate control me…”

*

The next evening, Lina accepted Conwell’s dinner invitation.

“Welcome, Lina.”

Conwell, sitting arrogantly, waved his hand at Lina. Lina bowed her head in greeting and sat at the table.

“Clothes make the man, and that dress really suits you. How is it? Do you like my gift?”

“…Yes. Thank you.”

Lina was wearing the black dress Conwell had gifted her. The dress, which exposed her slender shoulders, made her look delicate and evoked a protective instinct in anyone who saw her.

“I heard you still don’t eat much.”

“…I just don’t have much of an appetite.”

“Tsk. That won’t do. You’re already too thin. Finish all the food today. Then I’ll let you see your friends.”

“Really…?”

“Of course. I swear on the name of the Marquis.”

Conwell smirked at Lina. Lina found his smile chilling but didn’t show it. Yes. For the safety of her family and friends, she could endure this much.

“Now, bring out the meal.”

With Conwell’s clap, the course meal began. Dishes Lina, being from the countryside, had never seen or heard of were brought out one after another. She had no idea how to eat them, but Lina diligently used her knife and fork to eat. Thinking of meeting her friends, she managed to get through it.

“Is the food to your liking?”

“Yes…”

“Let me know if you want more. You probably haven’t had anything like this in the countryside.”

Honestly, she couldn’t even tell what it tasted like. The dishes were made of luxurious and high-quality ingredients, but they didn’t evoke any emotion in Lina. She just silently continued eating, responding to Conwell’s monologue.

After some time…

“Now, only dessert is left. How was the meal?”

“…It was delicious.”

Her stomach felt uneasy. Lina usually ate little, and forcing herself to eat had made her feel sick. But if this meant she could see her friends…

A servant approached and placed dessert in front of Lina.

“…Huh?”

On the dessert plate wasn’t a sweet treat… but a dirty note covered in mud and feathers. It was hard to make out, but it was definitely…

“I kept my promise, Lina.”

“…Huh?”

Conwell wiped his mouth with a napkin, seemingly satisfied with the meal. Then, he smirked and asked Lina.

“How was it? Did you enjoy ‘your friends’?”

“…?!!!”

Only after hearing Conwell’s sarcasm did Lina realize. The dishes she had just eaten… they were…

Lina couldn’t hold back and vomited. She emptied everything in her stomach. She vomited over and over. If she could, she wanted to vomit out this horrifying nightmare.

But no matter how much she vomited, she couldn’t wake up. Tears streamed down her face.

“Aah… Ro, Roti… Miki…”

Please…

Tell me it’s a lie.

“Why… why would you do this…? Why…?”

“Why? To set an example.”

Conwell picked up the note on Lina’s plate.

“You, you’ve been doing some sneaky things behind my back, haven’t you? You told your new friend to ask your father for help, didn’t you? To request help from the Emperor.”

Only then did Lina realize. That note was what she had asked Roti to deliver. Her attempt to seek help from the outside had been discovered.

“Good thing Serhan noticed it in time, right?”

“Yes.”

The magician, Serhan, who had been silent throughout the meal, chimed in. And what he said next was shocking.

“And as per the young master’s orders, I set fire to the Teas Forest.”

“You… set fire to the forest? The forest??”

“Yep. Can’t have you doing unnecessary things, can we?”

“You’re too cruel…! You didn’t have to go that far…!”

“Haha. Too cruel? It’s all your fault. If you had just obediently become mine, none of this would’ve happened.”

“Aah…”

Outside the window, the Teas Forest was burning. Next to it, her hometown, Teas Village, where her father lived, was also ablaze. Overwhelmed by despair, Lina collapsed to the floor, sobbing.

“Why…”

Lina was in despair. All she wanted was to live a normal life. She just wanted to live quietly…

“Everything… is gone…”

Her father, her friends… everything was gone. In her despair, Lina thought. Why…? Why did they have to die…?

And then she realized.

‘That’s right…’

It was because she had become the hero. Everything had gone wrong because she was chosen as the hero. They all died because she was chosen as the hero.

Thump.

Her heartbeat was loud. Lina’s heart was shaking. Like an earthquake, her heart was violently shaking. And slowly, it was breaking.

“Aah…”

Tears streamed from her eyes. What came from Lina’s broken heart was ashen, as if everything had burned away.

“Huh? What’s wrong with you?”

“Wait… young master… something’s not right.”

Serhan, the magician, was the first to notice something unusual. What he saw in Lina was an abnormal amount of magical power leaking from her body. No, what was more unusual than the amount was its color.

The rainbow-colored magical power, the proof of the hero, was turning pitch black. Something was corrupting her power.

“What, what’s going on…?”

The change soon became visible to Conwell as well. Lina’s hair was turning white.

“Aah…”

Thump.

Lina’s vision was being engulfed by darkness. All she could hear was a voice devoid of emotion in her ears.

[The God of Hell senses the despair in your heart.]

-No…

A voice of lamentation came from somewhere.

Thump.

-That can’t happen. Lina…

It was a voice that genuinely cared for her… but now… she couldn’t hear it.

[The hero is corrupted.]

Thump.

[The God of Hell acknowledges you as the new ‘Demon Lord.’]

 

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