Why Should I?
Why Should I?
002
By now, they must have grasped the situation.
The news of the Demon King's advent was gradually spreading.
And they would start considering a pardon for the Hero who had been framed for treason.
Of course, that process would be extremely arduous.
If it followed official history, it would take a long time.
It takes that much time for them to realize just how sharp the blade pressed against their throats truly is.
Therefore, there was no need to worry about matters on the Kingdom's side for a while.
For now, Amelia herself had not fully comprehended everything that had been done to her either.
There was no way she, who had stayed still all this time, would suddenly embark on proactive revenge out of nowhere.
Since there was still plenty of time left before 'those guys' would approach.
"Um, it would be better if I prepared the meals."
"......"
Therefore, the most important topic right now was this.
"Never enter the kitchen again. This is a warning."
"......"
Amelia.
Sentenced to the second banishment of her life.
Reason: The former Hero can't cook.
Deron's unexpected visit and declaration.
With that, the Hero began an indefinitely promised cohabitation.
Amelia actually knew that Deron's 'Please take responsibility for me' was nothing more than an excuse.
Deron was capable.
The mere fact that he obtained the position of Royal Guard Knight in the Kingdom during his teens was proof enough.
As such, he was a talent who would be welcomed wherever he went.
His claim that he was entrusting himself because he had nowhere else to go was a mere facade no matter how one looked at it.
He must have come out of worry because she had ended up in such a miserable state.
That was why she was grateful.
A fact that she herself had not even been aware of.
Amelia had been desperately wishing for anyone to hold onto her.
"Bluntly speaking, none of this is your fault, Hero-nim. Tormenting yourself is something only fools do."
"......Yeah."
And Deron was fulfilling that role.
At times, she felt embarrassed that she was being comforted by the boy who used to be young in her memories.
"Hero-nim, please have breakfast!"
"Ah, you really didn't need to make anything......"
Furthermore, restoring the ruined house had also been entirely taken on by Deron.
It was hard to tell who was freeloading off whom at this point.
"......Woah. You should open a restaurant with this!"
"Haha, you flatter me."
Merely one week.
That short time spent with Deron was more valuable than the half-year after her banishment.
Consequently, Deron was a ray of light cast upon her life that had been rotting away since her banishment.
Deron had said he saw light in Amelia, but in her eyes, Deron was the light.
Therefore, the Hero revealed her dark inner feelings to her former party member and current cohabitant.
"Honestly, I thought about revenge."
"Is that so?"
"The 1st Prince-nim was my benefactor. Though his faction was weak, he was the legitimate heir, and he supported me with his authority."
The purge of the 1st Prince.
Everything had started from that.
"There was nothing I could do. While I was abroad, everything came to an end."
"I was with you back then too, so I know."
"That was probably intentional too, right? Deron, you weren't directly connected, but if strictly categorized, you were on our side."
"That's quite terrifying."
"......Right."
The current monarch, Adelheit II.
All rivals for the succession were swept away by the machinations devised by the former 3rd Princess.
In truth, the only proper political rival was the 1st Prince supported by Amelia, the Kingdom's hero, so at the point he was purged, everything was already over.
And Amelia was banished while framed with all sorts of false accusations.
Everyone who had worked for her fell into ruin.
The orphanages and schools she had sponsored were also turned upside down.
The foundation of the evil hands extending even to the innocent was blackmail.
"Still, they didn't kill them. It was a childish tactic warning me that if I bore a grudge, an even greater punishment was possible."
"It was similar. Though since I had no particular connections, it was far less severe for me."
"Yeah, that's why I tried to seek revenge."
She exposed her pitch-black, clinging emotions to Deron.
Its original source was entirely personal resentment and rage.
It was a side of her that she had never shown to anyone while living as the 'Hero'.
The monster that had squirmed and grown inside her heart.
As time passed, it grew in size.
Now, it had grown so large that she herself could no longer handle it.
"At least against those who cast me out......"
Clearly, back in her Hero days, she had no doubts about her own devotion and altruism.
Even if party members occasionally created a strange atmosphere—
'I'll yield.'
She resolved conflicts with actions that could be dismissed as such.
A hero was not born; a hero was made.
Since she had been woven from the efforts and sacrifices of countless people, she believed it was right to sacrifice herself just as much.
But that single betrayal.
Those who brought her to her knees through blackmail and oppression, robbing her of all the achievements she had built up.
The darkness craving revenge against them grew endlessly.
"I'm sure I could do it before long. It sounds a bit obnoxious, but even without being the Hero, I'm plenty strong."
"......Well, I know that better than anyone."
"Puhu, maybe so."
Even though the Hero's Crest had been stripped away, Amelia was still strong.
She hadn't just been idling away during these past six months.
The darkness lodged in her heart had caused her to grow astonishingly fast.
If it were now, she could probably slaughter her former party member who received the Crest after her without much difficulty.
But inside that heart, the Hero Amelia still existed.
"But, is that really right?"
"......"
"The deceased Prince-nim, the people who believed in me, and the kids I took care of. How much connection is there between my revenge and them?"
Amelia let out a self-deprecating smile.
Deron saw the tears beneath her expression.
Hero Amelia was a flawless human being, but it was a burden too heavy to bear for a young woman of twenty-two.
"Above all, Deron, looking at you made me realize. I am still remembered as light by everyone."
"Always."
"......Yeah, I'll probably be remembered like that forever. In that case, wouldn't it be right to remain remembered like that?"
That was her conclusion.
Because Deron's light was gnawing away and swallowing her darkness.
"That must be right. Deron, maybe you came here to let me know this."
"......"
"Would anyone become happy if I take revenge? The only thing resolved would be the lump in my heart."
"......"
"Because I would have to sacrifice far too much for something small. I feel like you made me realize that."
Having spewed out all the filthy emotions inside her heart, Amelia let out a small, ragged breath.
It wasn't a particularly bad feeling.
However, feeling relieved over this was also a bit ridiculous.
Because the boy in front of her was a victim just like her.
Perhaps Deron was even more suited to being a Hero in terms of temperament.
Because she had never seen Deron waver until now.
In the past and present, Deron shone with a steadfast demeanor.
That might be why she failed to notice his pain.
"So, well, I guess I should just call it quits. Maybe time will heal this pain too......"
Amelia's smile deepened.
"Besides, it's obvious you'd stop me anyway, Deron. I should listen carefully to the person who cooks my meals."
"No, I wouldn't."
"Huh?"
At the out-of-nowhere response, Amelia replied with a dazed voice.
The end of this conversation that she had imagined was Deron's agreement.
An answer to accept their mournful current situation and carve out a new life from here on.
"Why would I stop you?"
"......Didn't you come here to do that?"
"I never said that, though? Honestly, having nowhere to go is indeed an excuse, but I just followed you because I like you, Hero-nim. And I still have a lot to learn from you."
"Uh......"
While Amelia rolled her eyes, unable to find an appropriate response.
Deron laid out an inner mind that was far blacker than Amelia's.
"Aren't they total fucking bastards? First of all, that old geezer strutting around calling himself a sage while acting all high and mighty. Who doesn't know he's a dumbass who knows nothing besides magic formulas?"
"Uh, u-uh."
"That dumbass Geralt or whatever, acting like a total dog-shit troll living up to his name causing all kinds of trouble, that so-called Saintess is a sinister perv bitch, and the only other magician in the party is always blubbering over every little thing."
"Eu...eee?"
"That psycho bitch wearing decorative armor just to strike a pose, and that pointy-eared thief bitch throwing temper tantrums all damn day. Sure, it's a party, but isn't it packed with all kinds of fucking assholes? Calling it a Hero Party is a joke—that's an animal farm."
"Th-that, Deron.....?"
At some point, Amelia lost the ability to form proper sentences.
However, Deron paid her no mind and seemed to pour out all the resentment piled deep within his heart.
"Anyway, those pieces of shit deserve to be hanged for their crimes. Going over and chopping off those motherfuckers' heads—that's divine punishment! Hero-nim, you can still use holy power, right?"
"Eung, right......"
"What do you think that means? Doesn't it mean That Being is giving you permission too? Even if you go wild with an executioner's blade dance, He'll turn a blind eye just this once."
"I-is that so?"
Deron nodded his head.
If this were blasphemy, a lightning bolt would fall on his head.
Look, isn't the sky still clear?
"If it feels like complete fucking bullshit, let me tell you, let's just go cause a riot. It'll be easier if I lend a hand too. Why even bother agonizing over whether it's justice or not? Nothing is funnier than a victim giving a shit about the perpetrator."
"......Nng! Okay!"
Her light was exuding pure darkness right before her eyes.
And Amelia was in a state of becoming completely dependent on that light.
Madness was slowly filling the dim eyes of the former Hero.
The Libert Kingdom's proclamation, framing the Hero—the pride of the kingdom—with all kinds of crimes.
However, it was not fully accepted.
"That can't be...... This makes no sense!"
"There must have been some kind of plot."
This was true even for its own citizens.
Such talk was frequent even among villagers who had no way of knowing the political dynamics of the royal family.
And those of status who could know the truth realized it quickly, while those above them either participated in the scheme or were removed alongside the Hero.
Naturally, there was no way foreign countries were unaware of this situation.
The hero of the Libert Kingdom was a talent that was desperately coveted.
Although from the Princess's standpoint she had no choice but to oust the Hero who couldn't be won over—
"We must win her over before somewhere else snatches her up!"
"Dammit, if she flows into Miran, we're in trouble! If we can't recruit her, we have to interfere with Miran at least!"
"Does it make sense to lose a talent who walked into our country on her own feet? What are you all doing standing around!"
Even a Hero stripped of her Crest was the top priority candidate for recruitment.
Though incomplete, the moment the disaster of the Demon King's advent was realized, that fight became even fiercer.
......Of course, that battle was sluggish even beneath the surface.
First of all, finding Amelia's whereabouts was a hurdle in itself.
Her last confirmed trace was entering the Miran Kingdom.
However, no records could be found after that.
In truth, the reason Deron was able to visit Amelia was that he already knew her location.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to find her.
Because if a powerhouse of Amelia's caliber resolved to erase her traces, finding her was practically impossible.
"Mm, is it here?"
However, one girl who achieved that impossibility arrived at Amelia's hideout.
Snow-white hair as pure as snow and blood-red eyes.
Sharp, protruding fangs.
A girl who, no matter how you looked at her, seemed far from an ordinary human.
She knocked on the door of the hideout with a face full of confidence.
Ttok-ttok-ttok-
Along with the continuous knocks, the sound of someone walking out from inside could be heard.
The girl even flashed a fresh smile for the Hero she was about to greet.
With this, the moment her and her clan's ambition would be realized would be brought forward even more......
Kkiik—!
"Eh, what the. You're here already? You were supposed to come a bit later?"
"......?"
But soon, the person who opened the door and came out was not the Hero.
A neat-looking boy with platinum blonde hair.
He babbled incomprehensible nonsense.
What did he mean by coming a bit later?
However, the contents that followed were even more absurd than his previous words.
"Anyway, it's a recruitment proposal, right? Come back later, Rotty. Doesn't the Demon Army not even have its shit together yet?"
"Wh-what are you talking about? How do you know my nickname—"
"Come back in about half a year. They say you shouldn't join a shithole startup from the start. Right now, we have a lot of things to do in various ways. Anyway, it's troublesome."
"No, no! Wait a minuuute—!"
Fuuuung—!
Great Duke of the Demon Realm.
The True Ancestor Charlotte was pushed back by the palm thrust unleashed by the boy and flew far away.
Degul-degul-degul.
After rolling over several times and tumbling away, she rolled for a long while before slamming her head into a tree and coming to a stop.
And then, dazed, she stared up at the sky.
"......What is life, anyway?"
The noble Great Duke of the Demon Realm, Charlotte.
Nicknamed 'Rotty', she slowly reflected upon her 981-year-long life.
"Heuk."
For some reason, tears welled up.