The Price of Victory and the Lionheart Princess
"Little one, wanna come with me?"
The Evil God Succubus Lord Melkerset was dead! The succubus goddess who defied all reason, shaking the very laws of the world with her enchantment—a being even heroes could only seal away. Who could believe she'd fallen to the hands of a mere F-rank adventurer?
The adventurers, who could do nothing but watch in dazed madness, poured every ounce of their strength into saving him. He hadn't even fainted; he was wide awake. But his body was in such a pitiful state that anyone would have believed he was already a corpse.
Priests and holy knights waiting in the city swarmed in, dumping potions and treatments on him without restraint. The arm skewered by that spindly spear was completely ruined, beyond any hope of recovery. But the arm that had swung the Bopal Weapon was, by some stroke of fortune, fully healable. His burst eye was restored too, barely, thanks to someone who had a top-grade potion on hand.
Lost one arm, but took down an Evil God. Not a bad trade at all.
"...How should we write the report?"
The lead swordsman asked me in a trembling voice as I lay receiving treatment at the camp. He'd witnessed the brutal clash between the hero and the Evil God—the legendary struggle of heroes handed down through history. The hero of this age, who had succeeded where his forebears failed. Amid those burdensome gazes filled with envy and respect, I quietly shook my head.
"Don't put my name in it. Claim it for yourselves. Just one favor... protect the king's honor."
His wife, his children, his retainers—all of them. The Succubus Lord had charmed the king first, forcing him to slaughter them all. He'd probably done it with genuine joy, blissfully happy. The knightly orders who rushed to stop him couldn't bring themselves to wound their king and fell under the Succubus Lord's brainwashing instead. Letting the citizens flee? That must have been to lure more adventurers into becoming her minions.
...And hiding the succubus amid the fleeing crowd—
I wrapped tight bandages around my mangled left arm. The priest had apologized profusely, saying it'd never be usable again, but I consoled him: one arm for one Evil God was a bargain. To those adventurers wracked with guilt over their inaction, I told them they'd found the courage because I'd been watching their backs. I just repeated my plea to safeguard the king's honor.
The battle had drained me so completely I couldn't even walk. I turned down the adventurers' offers to carry me—too awkward—and used my now-shortened holy sword as a crutch, hobbling toward the inn.
But Riko-chan beat me there, her face beet-red from crying, glaring daggers at me.
"What's with that getup?! Your arm!"
"They say it's done for."
At least my eye was saved, though I'd be stuck with an eyepatch for a while. Riko-chan propped up my staggering form, sniffling like it was her own tragedy. She was thrilled that Circe-nim was finally free of the Succubus Lord's chains, but guilt soured her face at the sight of me.
She'd muttered, If I'd gone with you, would things have turned out better? But then confessed through tears that the divine pressure from the Succubus Lord in the city had paralyzed her with terror.
"...So, we heading back now?"
"I already sent a letter to Circe-nim. Told the witch sisters too. I'm not leaving till that arm's fixed. I'll play nurse right by your side until we restore Circe-nim's arm—or find some way to get it back!"
Her cheeks puffed out indignantly as she clung tight, declaring no crutches needed, then scooped me up in a princess carry like I weighed nothing. A few adventurers and townsfolk whistled and clapped at the sight, murmuring about what a sweet couple we made... but where were my human rights? Did Riko-chan even plan to ask for my consent?
"Lucky you're a guy too! Washing you in the bath won't be awkward, right?"
Riko-chan's encroaching closeness was honestly terrifying. We switched to an inn with a bath, and she insisted on scrubbing me down together. As she force-washed me, I asked if the kid the succubus had targeted was safe. Sleeping off the exhaustion in the inn bed, she said. The aftermath of the Evil God's divine presence had knocked out plenty of people; the kid had screamed in terror before passing out, according to Riko-chan.
...I was too wiped to even write a letter and crashed straight into bed. I turned down her offer to scribe it for me—witchish mischief would spell disaster for sure.
I'd told her I was writing to Circe-nim and the sisters, but the moment she saw me in bed, she dove in, hugging me tight and nuzzling close.
.... ...........
[Hero-nim.... thank you.]
Magic Goddess Hecate's voice. I turned to find her form, but she wasn't there. Only her gratitude lingered.
She was free now from the Devil's Contract. She could cancel the immortality magic anytime if she wished, or refine it to bring new hope to the witches.
Her soft whisper faded into complete silence, leaving the space utterly still.
[....You really won.]
Fate Goddess Moira Providence Atropos praised me, her tone full of admiration. The Succubus Lord was among the most wickedly powerful Evil Gods, top of the list. Her enchantment was a mental domination that put everything under her sway—even Overlords found it a nightmare depending on the circumstances. No one would dare challenge her lightly.
The goddess cautioned that it had been reckless, but insisted things would have been far worse without me. She produced her scales. They were tipped ever so slightly—but still heavily imbalanced overall. The issues that had summoned me remained unresolved.
Be it the Evil Gods, the mastermind targeting me, or even the Maou. There was much left to settle. From here on, I'd advance carefully, step by step.
[Hero-nim, when you're weary, lost in who you are or your path... remember this always.]
The seen and unseen—all chosen by your will. And it begins with your resolve.
Everyone in this world is linked by strange fates. Suddenly, anything may be lost.... Just fight without straying from the right path. No matter the pain, sorrow, or loneliness—with the light of a strong heart, forge your destiny.]
You are the hero chosen by the Goddess of Fate. You can do it. You will surely reach the end.
[I will always be watching over you.] Rely on me when it's hard...
With the goddess's quiet encouragement, I awoke from sleep.
...She'd get mad if I forgot her name again. I whacked Riko-chan on the head with my metal mimic to wake her—she was nuzzling into my soft skin, hugging tight. She whined in pain and sat up, rubbing her eyes. Beside her rose a disheveled-haired girl, still no introductions made.
After tending to the shy girl, we headed to a nearby restaurant. An adventurer who'd been looking for me handed over two reports: one for submission, one with the investigation details. True to my request, my name was absent from the submission version.
Riko-chan fumed in outrage—"How could they?!"—but it was better if the hero stayed unknown. I was still too weak, and the win was pure luck anyway. Still, the adventurers had recorded a "mysterious wielder of a shining sword" who slew the Evil God and vanished. Were they too conscientious to claim the full glory?
Honoring my plea, the submission report conveniently omitted key details from the investigation. My guess was spot-on: the king had slain his own wife and children. I shut the report without reading further and asked Riko-chan to burn it, erasing any risk of leaks.
...The girl before me was surely the sole surviving blood of the royal family. Upper Feridae, as Riko-chan said, and the one the succubus had targeted. Succubi could convert females into kin, and upper races amplified that power. They'd sent the succubus after her escape. The record marking the slain succubus as the 1st princess was incinerated too—now the secret would stay buried in shadows, safe as long as we kept it.
A girl who'd lost her entire family in an instant. I asked the one staring at her food without appetite,
"...What're you gonna do now?"
"Uh, um... go find relatives..."
She had none. Tears welled in her eyes, her voice quivered. I gently stroked her hair.
"...Your father asked me to look after you."
A white lie out of kindness. But her face crumpled like she might cry. Her lips trembled as if she wanted to speak, but she just bowed her head.
The world wasn't safe for a young upper-race girl wandering alone. Her quick acceptance of her fate was heartbreaking.
"...Please."
Mustering her courage through sniffles, the girl—barely 9 years old—whispered in my ear: Leona Violet Reinhardt.
She might have seen it—her father gleefully cutting down her family. I couldn't imagine that pain. It was just... something I couldn't turn away from, especially with nowhere to go and orphanages too risky, as Riko-chan said.
"Donating 3 PP for refugees wasn't enough for you?"
"Gotta save money—rice and cola it is."
I stirred my rice into the cola with a wry grin. Leona blanched at her kids' meal; Riko-chan wilted over her salad.
"...Even a millennium of love goes bland on the tongue..."
"...That bad?"
Couldn't tell myself.
──Time to link up with the Trust Union. A lot had happened in this short span, but plenty awaited. First things first: figure out what to do about this busted arm.