The Illusion of Love
"And so, the Hero and the Saintess defeated the Demon King, received the blessings of the people, and lived happily ever after..."
"Let me introduce our new companions."
Such fairy-tale endings did not happen in reality.
Perhaps, in a way, that was only natural.
The Hero's party was never meant to consist of just the Hero and the Saintess.
They had a clear, singular objective: to subjugate the Demon King.
During the lessons taught by the bishops, I had been told that the Hero's party was, in truth, closer to an assassination squad.
Since a clash between armies would result in a devastating loss of life, a small, elite group would infiltrate enemy territory to eliminate the Demon King in secret.
Even for a small group, specific roles had to be filled, meaning there had to be at least four members.
In the Hero's case...
"Hello, everyone-yang! I'm Arang, a tiger-beastkin fighter from the Beast Kingdom-yang!"
One beastkin martial artist.
"Nice to..."
"...meet you."
Two twin elves who wielded spirit arts and magic.
"I might be short, but don't worry, okay? My shield can expand forever!"
One dwarf shielder who looked like a young girl but possessed the supernatural ability to expand metal.
"Well... nice to meet you."
And finally, an incredibly beautiful human woman who looked somewhat uncomfortable.
Even including Hero Leon and myself, the party consisted of six people... and except for the Hero, every single one of them was female.
Discontent began to simmer deep within me.
I had been told that the composition of the party was decided entirely by the Hero.
In other words, it was the Hero himself who had chosen to surround himself with these undeniably beautiful girls.
He said... he liked me. How could he form a party consisting entirely of women?
"Sir Hero! Spar with me-yang! A spar!"
"Hero, give me a piggyback ride..."
"Me too... Me too..."
"Ahem. Back when I was in the mines, I learned a traditional dwarf massage... If you have any stiff muscles, Hero..."
Sure enough.
The new party members openly displayed their affection for the Hero, touching him without hesitation.
They flirted shamelessly, trying their absolute best to seduce him.
While they annoyed me, what angered me the most was the Hero's reaction.
"Haha, you two really are twins. Ren and Nen are both so spoiled. Ah, don't worry, Arang. I'll spar with you just like I promised. Annie, could I ask for that massage after I wash up?"
Even though I was right there, he smiled at those clinging women with the very same warmth he had shown me. He mingled with them without a hint of hesitation or guilt.
"Hero... don't you think you're being a bit too close with the other party members?"
"Hmm?"
Unable to hold it in any longer, I finally confronted him.
"Sera, what do you mean by that?"
Seeing him ask with that bright, innocent smile, all the sorrow and resentment I had bottled up came rushing to the surface.
"You said you liked me! But seeing you act so close and friendly with the other members... it makes me feel so uncomfortable!"
Biting my lip, I shouted at him with tears welling in my eyes.
"Of course I like you, Sera."
"...!"
I knew it, he really does—!
"And I like the other party members, too."
"What?"
What did that even mean?
How could he say he liked me, yet like those other women just the same?
"B-but... you even kissed me...?"
"Well, yeah. Because I like you."
"How can you..."
He spoke with such casual indifference that a sudden wave of emotion choked me, leaving me unable to speak.
In that moment, a harsh realization struck me.
The Hero's version of "like" was entirely different from Abel's.
It wasn't love. It was merely a casual preference.
"Sera, you look tired. Go get some rest."
"Ugh...!"
Dismissed so coldly, I covered my mouth and fled the room.
"Ugh... hic... Ah...!"
It was a rejection I had never experienced before.
This unfamiliar sensation clung to my chest like a sticky, suffocating poison.
"Abel..."
For the first time in so long, Abel's face crossed my mind.
Yes, Abel. Only Abel would never look at another woman. Only Abel would think of me and me alone.
After that day, I kept my distance from the Hero for a while.
"Sir Hero! Try this-yang! Say ah!"
"Ah—mm! It tastes even better because you're feeding me, Arang!"
"Hehehe! Really-yang?!"
Yet, the Hero continued to spend his days in perfect peace and happiness.
As if my absence didn't matter to him at all.
And the other women were no different.
Are they really okay with other women throwing themselves at the man they like?
"Hero... let's go look at the grass..."
"Hero... let's go look at the flowers..."
"Sure, Ren, Nen. Let's hold hands and go outside."
Am I the one who's strange here...?
When I thought about it, the Hero was an extraordinary individual.
His looks, his background, his status—everything about him was bound to attract anyone.
Perhaps it was only natural for a man like him to have multiple women.
And indeed.
The Hero had said he "liked" everyone, but he had never said he loved them.
If he hadn't chosen who he loved yet... didn't that mean I still had a chance?
As my thoughts swirled in confusion—
"Move."
I looked up to see a pair of expressionless purple eyes staring right at me.
"Ah. I'm sorry."
I realized I had been standing in front of the door for far too long.
Creak—
The door opened, and I watched the back of her light-blue hair fade away.
With a wooden sword slung over her back, she was likely heading out to train, as she always did.
"Seria de Valstein..."
She was a strange person.
The only woman in this party who didn't try to get close to the Hero.
Even when she first introduced herself, she had flatly stated, "I have no desire to engage in small talk outside of our mission to defeat the Demon King."
I wondered why she acted that way. While I felt relieved that she had no interest in the Hero, I also felt a strange sense of wariness.
As time passed, I realized that Seria was actually the one I needed to watch out for the most.
First, there was her family background.
In our party, the only ones of noble birth were Hero Leon and Seria de Valstein.
Furthermore, while the Hero was the second son of the Marquisate of Donaud, she was the sole heir to a Duchy.
In terms of sheer status, she was far superior.
And what about her appearance?
I had been utterly stunned the first time I saw her.
She had skin so fair it was almost translucent, and long, wavy light-blue hair the likes of which I had never seen.
With her mysterious purple eyes, she looked exactly like a fairy straight out of a bard's song.
Once, when the Hero was drunk, I heard that the way Seria de Valstein joined the party was completely different from the others.
The other members had been selected from those who applied to a recruitment notice where the Hero had specifically requested female candidates.
Seria, on the other hand, had been practically forced into the party after the Hero made a powerful demand to the royal family.
Perhaps because of that, she had established a few strict rules.
First, no unwanted small talk outside of duty.
Second, she must sleep in a private room, or at least far away from the others.
If these conditions were not met, she would leave the party immediately.
These demands made things quite awkward for the rest of the party during our journey, but Seria acted as if she was ready to leave at any moment—or rather, as if she wanted to.
Even the Hero, who was usually so expressive of his likes and dislikes, behaved with the utmost politeness around her, constantly walking on eggshells.
That was why I felt so incredibly relieved that she had no interest in him.
If she were to show even a shred of affection, she would instantly bypass "like" and become his "one true love."
But I couldn't let my guard down.
The Hero was so wonderful... who knew when she might suddenly change her mind?
Yes. I have to try harder. I won't let the other women steal him away. I will win him over.
Creak... creak...
The very next morning, I climbed the stairs.
I wanted to wake the Hero before anyone else and greet him.
Creak—!
"Hero—!"
As the door to his room swung open, I prepared to greet him with a bright smile, but—
I froze.
Standing there was the white-haired beastkin, her ears twitching in surprise.
She stared at me, her mouth agape in shock. She was completely naked, clutching her clothes in her arms.
"I... I should go wash up-yang...!"
Blushing furiously, she tried to scurry past me in a panic. I reached out and—
Grab!
I grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks.
"W-what are you doing-yang!"
As a martial artist, she would normally never have been caught by a non-combatant like me.
"Let... let go of me-yang...!"
Perhaps because she was flustered, or because her hands were full of clothes, she couldn't even shake me off.
"Arang... why are you coming out of the Hero's room? And why are you completely naked?"
A voice so cold it didn't even sound like my own slipped past my lips.
But... a man and a woman in the same room... naked... that meant... that meant...
"I asked why you're coming out of the Hero's room looking like that!"
At my sharp cry, Arang flinched. Then, she looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"Well, because the Hero and I mated-yang..."
Mated...?
Arang, hailing from the Beast Kingdom, was terrible at the common tongue.
Did that word—mated—mean exactly what I thought it meant?
"Did the Saintess not do it like the Ice Lady-yang? I thought everyone except the Ice Lady mated with the Hero-yang."
"What...?"
Everyone except me and the Ice Lady... Seria... had done that with the Hero?
"Is... is that true?"
"Yes, yes! I saw them all lying naked next to the Hero-yang. They smelled like females in heat, too-yang."
"..."
I stood there, utterly dumbfounded, unable to find my voice.
The other women in the party, who had always seemed strangely close to the Hero.
Unlike Seria, who had no interest in him, and myself, who had only managed a kiss, they had already shared his bed!
It all made sense now... why I had felt so alienated...
I had thought that as the Saintess, I held the greatest advantage. In reality, they were all miles ahead of me.
I clenched my fists.
I couldn't let this continue.
At this rate, I would be left behind entirely and lose the Hero...
The man with the perfect looks and background—the greatest man I would ever meet in my life—was going to be stolen right from under my nose.
—BOOM!—
"We... we won!"
"Whoa! The Hero defeated the Twin-Headed Ogre!"
That night, after we defeated the Twin-Headed Ogre that ruled the region, the combat members of the party fell asleep early, exhausted from the battle.
I quietly slipped out of my room.
I walked down the hallway in silence.
I wore a translucent white slip that revealed the silhouette of my body, carrying a bottle of strong, high-quality liquor I had requested from the Church.
Step by step.
I reached the closed door of the Hero's room.
"..."
I froze before the door.
Magiavel... I thought of Abel, back in our village.
I had promised to give my first time to Abel once we were married...
I grit my teeth.
I felt terribly sorry to Abel, but...
If I didn't do this, I would lose the Hero.
Even if I lost my virginity...
As the Saintess, I possessed the power to restore the body.
If... if there really was no other way in the future, I could always use that.
*Knock. Knock. Knock.*
The door opened, and I stepped inside.
That night, I offered my "first time" to the Hero.
"It... it hurts...!"
Contrary to the romantic intimacy I had imagined, the Hero roughly took me to satisfy his own desires, completely ignoring my pain.
It was an act closer to torture than the pleasure I had heard of, but...
...I had secured him.
Looking at the Hero sleeping beside me, I felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.
"Sera. Sit next to me."
"Yes, Hero!"
The effect was immediate.
Just like before, the seat next to the Hero was always mine.
No matter how much the other women whined or clung to him, I was the one who quietly remained by his side.
Everything was going smoothly.
Though Seria was a thorn in my side, as long as she did nothing, I would ultimately be the one to win the Hero.
Everything was perfect, until...
"Ah... you're so rough in the morning, Hero..."
We stepped out of the inn to grab breakfast together.
Suddenly—
The Hero stopped in his tracks.
"Oh..."
A soft, breathless gasp sounded from nearby. I turned my head.
A young man was standing there.
He had grey hair and wide black eyes.
Though he still carried a trace of boyish youth, he had grown into a proper young man.
Clutching a leather pouch tightly to his chest as if it were his most precious treasure, he stared at this spot... no, he stared at me, frozen in place.
"A... Abel...?!"
I called out his name, feeling as if something massive had just collapsed inside my chest.