The Unyielding Will
A firm will that refuses to be devoured by desire—this is the true mental pillar that matters. Whether one is a Hero like Eternal or the Cezar of Ravilis, Ira, that alone never changes. It is the most important thing of all.
But… have I truly gone mad?
Unlike my previous life, just moments ago a sexual urge had hammered away at my skull so relentlessly that I nearly shoved Anima—who had willingly embraced me at my demand—onto the floor and violated her. I realized it with horrifying clarity.
I have undoubtedly lost my mind.
I am easily consumed by rage. Easily consumed by lust. The man who had never been like this has become exactly that. It must be connected to the fact that I am no longer human, but a demon. Ravilis, Tenebris, and all demonkind possess personalities that are honest and simple when it comes to desire. That influence is surely significant.
“…Anima.”
“You called, Cezar?”
“From now on, if I make such a request, you don’t have to obey it. I won’t blame you for it.”
“I cannot possibly defy the Cezar’s command.”
“You may defy it. I won’t hate you over something so trivial.”
“The Cezar’s orders are absolute…”
“I told you—at least when it comes to you, they don’t have to be absolute.”
“…Are you all right, my lord?”
“No. It seems I’m not.”
“I shall bring you some tea. Would herbal tea suffice?”
“Please do.”
I decided to sit in the office chair and cool my head. I reflected on myself calmly—why I had acted that way. And then…
“Yes. This is all that bastard’s fault.”
The conclusion I reached was once again nothing but rage-driven emotion.
“Does that even make sense?! Miriam has gone missing?!”
“I’m terribly sorry. But at present, we have been unable to locate Hero Miriam at all.”
“Are you serious?! Then what the hell are the other S-Class Heroes doing?!”
The Hero Association on that flower-filled spring day was thrown into an uproar. The invasion of Osril. Countless people had died, been injured, or vanished. Right now, the most important thing to every resident of Osril was confirming Miriam’s safety.
To ask why Miriam of all people would be to underestimate just how enormous her presence had been in Osril. It was an incident that forced everyone to question the Association’s utter incompetence in failing to resolve the situation.
“Hey, old man, pipe down. Is this your personal complaint counter or something?”
“What?! Who the hell are you?!”
“Who am I? I’m an employee of this Association. What crime did these people commit that you’re throwing a tantrum here?!”
Of course, not everyone shared the same heart as the citizens of Osril. While it was certainly an anxiety-inducing event, to residents of other regions it was ultimately someone else’s problem.
Our region has several S-Class Heroes, so we’re fine. Miriam must have been too weak to stop it.
Such thoughts undoubtedly lurked beneath the surface.
“Miriam is gone! She’s missing! If you’re a Hero, shouldn’t you be furious about this?!”
“Furious? Please. If she had just quietly shown up to the new Association President’s inauguration ceremony like she was supposed to…”
“You rotten—!”
“What? Rotten?”
When the representative of the residents—a man—had his collar grabbed by a hulking Hero, countless people swarmed in to mediate. Thanks to them, the man’s feet safely touched the ground once more.
“Kek… You. I will never forget this. Miriam… Miriam will never forgive you!”
“Forgive? Ha. A bitch who couldn’t even stop a handful of Ravilis attackers. She’s completely delusional.”
“Take that back! Take it back right now!”
The residents who had lost their homes slept on blankets spread across the gymnasium floor. Many of them had lost family members or were groaning in pain. Nevertheless, the fact that they directed their resentment not at anyone else but solely at the absence of Hero Miriam proved just how precious she was to them—how much she had been their mental pillar.
“Do you even know who Miriam is? She was the one who first settled in a city overrun by gangsters, drove every last one of them out, and took care of each and every resident! She saved Osril when trash Heroes like you wouldn’t even glance at it! And yet, and yet you dare—!”
“This son of a bitch is really…”
“That’s enough. Do you even know where you are?”
“L-Lady Ileana?!”
“Quaig. Wasn’t a Hero’s duty to protect the weak?”
“I-I’m sorry!”
The one who saved the terrified Association clerks trembling in the chaotic situation was S-Class Hero Ileana, who appeared like a bolt of lightning.
“It’s Hero Ileana!”
“Lady Ileana, please save Lady Miriam! She’s missing!”
Unlike the Hero Quaig, who had fled in panic at Ileana’s arrival, there was no one who did not know the name of Hero Ileana. She was one of the mere thirty S-Class Heroes in the world—and among them, she ranked within the top ten.
“Ah, yes. I heard. But everyone, this is the Association. These people have no power. You mustn’t press them like this.”
“But Lady Miriam—!”
“Our Heroes are all doing their utmost. Please trust us and wait. We will definitely rescue Miriam.”
“If you say so…”
Words carry power. But the words of those who possess power carry even greater weight.
Unlike the B-Class Hero whose face no one knew, or the completely ordinary Association clerks, the words of an S-Class Hero finally allowed the residents to breathe a little easier. They waited for Ileana’s next statement.
“Everyone, I know it’s hard, but please wait just a little longer. I, Inferno, and the other S-Class Heroes are all devoting everything we have to rescuing Miriam and restoring Osril. Ravilis will soon be eradicated, and every life will return to where it belongs.”
“R-Really?”
“Yes, of course. I am Hero Ileana, after all.”
“Ah… Thank goodness. Thank goodness, Lady Miriam…”
Ileana offered the crowd her signature mischievous smile. Yet after hearing the man at the very front speak, she felt that smile beginning to crack.
“Please return home now. The Association has prepared supplies for all of you. The flowers may have bloomed, but it is still colder here than in Osril, so we’ve prepared soft mattresses and warm blankets.”
“Th-Thank you! Thank you, Lady Ileana!”
“No need to thank me. It’s only natural. Now, everyone, please disperse~.”
As the crowd followed Ileana’s words and left, a chilly wind blew through the once-bustling Association building.
“Thank you, Lady Ileana!”
“It’s nothing.”
The Association staff each expressed their gratitude to Ileana one by one. However, her expression had grown completely rigid—unlike before. Of course, since she wore the mask of a ‘Hero,’ she did not openly show anger. Yet her demeanor sent an electric chill of unease through everyone who saw her.
“I’ll be going now. Contact me if anything like this happens again.”
“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
Ileana moved to leave the scene, but the moment her extraordinary senses caught someone’s whisper, her steps came to an abrupt halt.
If only Lord Eternal were here, this would never have happened…
Lord Inferno doesn’t step forward for things like this the way Lord Eternal did…
Such words swirled in Ileana’s ears.
“You there.”
“Y-Yes?! M-Me?”
“Yes. You, and the one next to you. What did you just say?”
“W-We’re sorry!”
“Don’t apologize. Tell me what you said.”
“W-Well…”
The ones who had been whispering were two brand-new female clerks who had only recently joined the Association. What they knew about Eternal was no different from the average person’s knowledge. They were also among the few who still wondered whether Eternal might have been misunderstood.
“Remember this clearly. Eternal is no longer a Hero. He is not the kind of person who would save you or anyone else.”
“We’re sorry! We will never, ever say anything like that again!”
“Good. Don’t. Otherwise you might end up executed as collaborators with the villains. This is the Hero Association, after all.”
After spitting out those chilling words, Ileana left the building once more. Only a far colder wind than before swept through the Association halls.
“Fuck. Fuck. Motherfucking fuck!!!”
The moment she left the building, Ileana immediately slipped out of sight and flew to the rooftop of the tallest building nearby. It was a place no human foot normally touched—an rooftop never meant for people to climb. But for Ileana, who could fly through the air, it was nothing.
She sat down roughly, and her face twisted into an expression of pure malevolence that no one had ever seen. The most hideous curses in the world began pouring from her lips.
“What? Miriam? Eternal? You fucking—seriously, fuck!!! Why?! Why are you still tormenting me?! That bastard Eternal! You’re already dead, so why the hell are you still haunting me?!”
She spoke as if everything was his fault. If there was any mercy at all, it was that her lightning ability crackled and erased her words from the world.
After a long torrent of curses, what finally cut her off was a message from Inferno.
—Ileana. The information has arrived. Come to my office immediately.
“Information?”
—I’ll explain the details when you get here. It concerns Ravilis.
“Got it. I’ll be there soon.”
A vile smile—one that would have been impossible to imagine on the face she had worn only moments ago—curved her lips.
A short while later, the spot where Ileana had been contained only crackling lightning. There was no trace left that anyone had ever been there at all.