The Stubborn Heart That Refuses to See
The imperial capital of Arcadia.
From the very moment Logan's help had let her set foot here for the first time, Irene's world had been shaken to its foundations.
It was a city of staggering scale and splendor, one that bore no comparison whatsoever to the small frontier village where she had been born and raised.
Towering spires, dazzling shops, fashionable people bustling through the streets with lively energy.
Everything stirred the longing and desire that had lain dormant in the deepest recesses of her heart.
This place... this is where I was always meant to be.
Logan would always tell her the same thing.
That she was beautiful and talented enough not to be outshone by a single city dweller.
That one day, she would shine brighter than any of them.
His tender words were always a comfort — but Irene wanted more than comfort.
She didn't simply want to hold her own. She wanted to stand above them all.
What if she had been born in a city like this from the very start?
What if her parents had been nobles of great name?
No — what if she had inherited the blood of exalted royalty instead?
She could have become something far more radiant than she was now.
Those empty fantasies chased one another through her mind, spiraling endlessly onward.
Perhaps that was exactly why.
Irene had known for a very long time what Logan felt for her — how deep those feelings ran.
How could she not, with his devoted gestures and the warm tenderness in his eyes whenever he looked at her?
And yet she had never given his heart a clear answer.
It was true, of course, that he had never confessed first. But beneath that convenient excuse lay something deeper.
Two commoners, marrying each other... could I really settle for that?
She possessed extraordinary magical talent, and Logan himself was growing into a remarkable adventurer.
If they kept pushing forward, they could climb higher. Much higher.
Maybe even to the nobility... no, maybe even further than that.
That vague, unspoken ambition had been quietly taking root in her heart.
But at the same time, whenever she imagined Logan growing close to another woman, an odd unease coiled through her chest.
She couldn't bear even to picture him casting that same devoted gaze at anyone but her.
...Right. There's no need to rush.
She wasn't even twenty yet.
Lovers, marriage — all of it was far too premature.
And so Irene decided to simply leave her relationship with Logan on hold.
Even so, she threw herself into adapting perfectly to life in the capital and at the Magic Tower.
She poured endless time and effort into her appearance, determined never to look like some rustic girl from a backwater village.
And the money she needed... came from Logan, as always, in generous supply.
It did feel a little guilty, leaning on him every single time.
But hadn't even the dean of the Magic Tower showered her talent with praise, calling her a genius the likes of which the world had never seen?
Yes. She was special. Someday she would succeed beyond all measure and repay everything Logan had given her, many times over. And he would surely be all the happier for it.
Thus, sustained by his help, she had grown — and the result stood before her now.
Today, Irene had the honor of standing on the dais at the Empire's capital parade grounds as a member of the Hero's Party.
If they slew the Demon King and saved the world, she would surely go down in history as a great mage.
When that day came, she could repay every debt she owed Logan — and maybe, just maybe, take the time to think once more, slowly and properly, about what she felt for him.
Lost in these tangled thoughts, Irene suddenly looked up — and there stood the Hero, Rian.
"Ah... ah..."
For a moment, Irene forgot to breathe.
Her heart began pounding so violently it felt as if it might burst.
The blond young man was climbing the steps toward the dais, unhurried.
Hair that gleamed like the sun itself, green eyes fresh as a deep forest, a face sculpted to impossible perfection and a striking, powerful frame. Handsome didn't even begin to cover it.
It was a beauty that seemed to transcend the limits of humanity — a beauty worthy of being called the most magnificent of the century, as if an epic hero had stepped down out of legend and into the flesh.
With every step he took, the very air around him seemed to turn sacred.
He outshone even the fairy-tale princes her mother had read to her as a child. No — comparison itself would have been an insult.
Carried away by an irrepressible flutter of excitement, Irene found herself clutching the sleeve of Logan, who stood beside her, and whispering without even realizing it.
"Ah... ah... Logan, what do I do...?"
She never noticed how Logan's expression changed in that instant. Every nerve in her body was fixed on the Hero, Rian.
And so — cruelly, so very cruelly — she let the next words slip out.
"I... I think I've fallen in love at first sight..."
"...I-is that so."
Logan's voice trembled, ever so slightly, but Irene didn't notice. Flushed and breathless, she turned to him instead.
"Yes!... Someone like me... is it really all right for me to admire the Hero?"
"......"
Logan said nothing for a long moment. Only then did something feel wrong to Irene, and with effort she tore her gaze from Rian and looked at Logan.
And in that instant, she knew she had made a terrible mistake.
Oh... what have I just done...
She had committed an enormous blunder.
She knew better than anyone how Logan felt about her — and she had told him, to his face, that she had fallen for another man.
Was he hurt? Would he be angry? A wave of dread washed over her.
But after only the briefest moment of stillness, Logan's face softened into his usual gentle smile, and he answered.
"Of... of course it is, Irene. Someone like you? What could you possibly be lacking? A man like the Hero would be lucky to love someone as beautiful and gifted as you."
"R-really...?"
Something about it felt faintly off — but his voice was as soft as ever, and his smile as warm.
Irene let out a silent breath of relief. Logan really was always on her side.
His unchanging kindness erased her anxiety in an instant, and she beamed at him.
"Thank you, Logan! What would I ever do without you!"
"Yeah..."
###
It felt as if his heart were shattering.
Every word Irene had spilled while gazing at the Hero, Rian.
The rapture on her face, the tremble in her voice, and above all that look in her eyes — one she had never once turned on him.
Each of them drove into Logan's chest like a sharpened blade, carving him apart.
An indescribable emotion wound itself around his entire body, crushing the breath from him.
It was a pain unlike anything he had ever known in his life. Not even across his previous existence had he ever felt anything like it.
If he didn't tear himself free of this whirlpool of feeling right now, he truly thought his heart might burst.
Logan fought desperately to shove the rioting thoughts out of his head.
Because if he didn't...
He might just destroy the radiant, happy face of the girl beside him who looked as though she owned the world.
He might wound her with nothing more than pointless jealousy.
...We were never lovers to begin with. I never... let myself want anything from her.
He told himself this, over and over.
It would be a lie to claim he wanted nothing. He had dreamed of a future at her side; he had poured everything he had into earning her love. Those were simple facts.
But he had resolved long ago, hadn't he?
When he had fallen into this strange world, she had been the only light he had. He would live for her.
Even if her heart never turned toward him — even then, he would give everything for her happiness.
Logan gritted his teeth. And he put on the mask. Acted perfectly, effortlessly composed.
As he always did — to reassure her, to give her the words she wanted to hear.
He smiled gently and gave her exactly the answer she longed for.
"Thank you, Logan! What would I ever do without you!"
"Yeah..."
There. That was enough.
She was smiling. She was happy.
That was enough. That was all that mattered.
Logan brainwashed himself, over and over, into believing it.
Meanwhile, up on the dais, as Sera introduced the Hero Rian, her eyes kept sliding sideways — and she made no move to miss Logan and Irene, either.
And here I thought I was overestimating things...
Watching the extravagant robes and costly jewelry Irene wore, Sera had already formed a fair picture of the kind of woman she was — what hungers drove her through life.
She had expected, to some degree, that Irene would fall for Rian's looks. But Logan's reaction had surpassed her expectations entirely.
Here was a man whose beloved had fallen for another — and instead of jealousy or rage, he was encouraging her. Supporting her.
That went beyond simple devotion. It bordered on the truly blind.
...If I'd known it would be like this, perhaps I should have changed the plan after all.
For a fleeting moment, Sera felt an odd pang of possessiveness toward Logan. How wonderful would it be, to have that deep and pure an affection all to herself?
No. The cost would never balance out.
She shook her head almost immediately. Turning the heart of a man who gave everything to a single person was all but impossible — even for the Church's own Saintess.
And besides...
The woman even now preparing to ascend the dais below would find it just as impossible.
Sera couldn't imagine why the woman was glaring at Logan like that, but the introductions of the Hero's Party were complete — which meant it was time for her turn.
"The Hero's Party alone cannot stand against the Demon King and all his legions! Now I present the wise commander who shall lead the brave subjugation forces gathered here from every corner of the realm — the Supreme Commander of our expedition!"
At Sera's introduction, every eye among the soldiers and citizens turned as one toward the dais.
The instant the murmuring and anticipation reached their peak, Sera cried out once more.
"The pride of the Empire, and its future — Her Highness the Imperial Princess... no, Her Highness the Crown Princess, Anastasia von Starngardt!!!"
###
Logan could not keep the shock from his face as the woman ascended the dais.
Ah... Anya?
With Sera's ringing introduction, a woman slowly climbed the steps from the VIP seating, attended by knights in silver armor.
Platinum-blonde hair blazing brilliantly in the sunlight, eyes that glittered like cut rubies.
A hint of girlish softness still lingered in her face, but a grace so noble that none would dare treat her lightly wrapped around her like a mantle.
Five years ago, she had been a frail girl fighting off pestilence.
He had heard nothing of her since they parted, and she had always lingered in the back of his mind — but here she was again, healthy and radiating regal authority.
He had vaguely suspected she was no ordinary woman, but this... the Crown Princess?
He had heard the name Anastasia mentioned a few times since her elevation, but never in his wildest imaginings had he thought it could be his Anya.
At the sight of her — beautiful, and unmistakably strong — the whole assembly at the parade grounds bowed their heads in instinctive awe.
And so Logan, despite his bewilderment at Irene's sudden infatuation and this wholly unexpected appearance by Anastasia, bowed his head along with the rest and paid his respects.
Standing upon the dais, Anastasia strove to keep her composure — but her heart roiled with fury and heartache.
Today's ceremony marked the launch of the Demon King subjugation, a momentous departure rite. To lift the army's morale and give the Empire's people hope, she could not afford to show even a hair's breadth of disorder.
But the moment she laid eyes on Logan, her emotions slipped her grasp entirely. Five years apart, and he had grown into an even finer man.
A full-fledged Gold-Rank Adventurer now, standing here as a member of the Hero's Party. Pride swelled in her chest, warm and fierce.
Yet at the same moment she saw the woman at his side — Irene — and saw the unchanging tenderness in the eyes Logan turned upon her, an unbearable fury surged up from her very core.
How... how can he do this!
She had watched everything from below the dais.
Irene losing herself in love at first sight of Rian — and then Logan, without a trace of wounded pride, speaking to her with gentle warmth anyway.
Logan, you fool! Do you truly not see how that woman is trampling your heart underfoot?
Anastasia screamed the words inside her own skull.
Five years ago, listening to the story of Logan's devoted love, she had thought Irene a woman blessed beyond all deserving.
And yet the woman herself took Logan's heart utterly for granted and let it be stolen by another man in an instant. Right there beside him, no less!
If only I had known... that day, I should have dragged Logan back to the Imperial Palace by force if I had to!
Regret crashed over her like a tidal wave. Renate, standing beside her, caught the unnatural edge in her mistress's bearing and murmured quietly.
"Your Highness the Crown Princess... please, compose yourself. Now is not..."
"Y-yes, I know, Renate. Ahem..."
Only then did Anastasia realize how openly her emotions had been showing, and she hastily gathered her expression back under control.
But the ache she felt for Logan and the fury she felt toward Irene would not settle so easily.
Worse still, there was Logan himself — bowing his head in formal courtesy without once meeting her eyes, even after recognizing her. That stung more than she cared to admit.
...Surely Logan hasn't forgotten me?
Forcing down the tangle of her feelings, Anastasia stepped toward the center of the dais and began the speech she had prepared.
As Crown Princess of the Empire, as Supreme Commander of the subjugation army, she had a duty to perform.
She strode to the dais's center and raised her voice to the gathered throng.
"Let the Demon King's legions be as mighty as they may! With the strength of our Empire and its allies, we shall shatter them utterly!"
"Together with the Hero's Party, this subjugation army will fight with everything it has! People of the expedition — do not lose heart, and follow me!"
"People of the Empire, rest at ease, and wait with faith for our victory!!!"
"WAAAAAAAH!!!"
Her speech was answered by a roaring wave of fervor from the soldiers and citizens alike.
It seemed the departure ceremony would conclude without a hitch.
But even amid the jubilation, Irene's heart was filling with something sour.
...Who is that woman?
She had been lost in Rian when a prickling gaze made her turn her head — and her eyes met those of the Crown Princess Anastasia, mid-speech atop the dais.
Even at a glance, the woman was achingly noble, achingly beautiful.
But her gaze was strangely cold, and it seemed to wear its hostility toward Irene quite openly.
What did I ever do to her, that she looks at me like that? Being the Crown Princess makes her superior, does it?
The unprovoked hostility left a foul taste in Irene's mouth.
And something else bothered her even more...
...Why does she keep glancing at Logan?
The moment Irene noticed the Crown Princess's gaze repeatedly drifting toward Logan, an unease she couldn't name began to smolder in her chest — along with the first sparks of jealousy.
And so the journey to subjugate the Demon King raised its curtain — tangled from its very first steps in knotted emotions and conflicts still hidden from sight.