A Heartless Declaration
Why is Abel here?
Is it because I didn't write to him?
His frozen black eyes pierce my chest like stakes.
The dark irises, which had always held a pure, gentle light, are slowly losing their color, fading into a dull, lifeless hue.
Unable to bear his gaze, I avert my eyes. My gaze wanders aimlessly before finally dropping to the floor.
What do I do? What am I supposed to do?
Should I say it's just because he's the Hero and I'm the Saintess? That we were just standing close to each other...? No, no. I was clinging too close to him. And right now, the Hero is even cupping one of my breasts.
How could I possibly explain this? And if he heard our conversation...
Ah... My mind goes completely blank. I feel dizzy, and a wave of nausea washes over me.
"Hmm? Someone you know?"
The Hero's voice snaps me out of my panic, and I turn my head toward him.
"Uh... Ah... Well, you see...!"
What should I say to the Hero? Abel isn't just some acquaintance from my village.
He is my one and only, the man with whom I whispered sweet promises of love, the one I promised to marry.
But if I tell him the truth, the Hero will surely abandon me.
He already has plenty of women around him. There is no way he would choose a woman who already belongs to someone else.
Driven by that terrifying thought...
"He's just... someone I knew from the village I lived in before I became the Saintess, Hero."
What did I just say...?
Even though I am not looking at Abel, the weight of my own words conjures his expression in my mind.
I feel as if looking in his direction would kill me, so I keep my eyes glued away.
"Hmm... Doesn't look like you're just acquaintances, though."
Stop. Please stop, Hero.
"This fellow seems to think otherwise."
The Hero looks at me with a playful smirk, his crimson eyes gleaming like a venomous serpent's.
"Selphy..."
Then, Abel's trembling voice reaches my ears.
I didn't want to look back. I was so terrified. But that trembling voice forces me to look at him.
"I've only ever loved you, from the very beginning until now. You..."
With shattered, hollow eyes, he forces a fragile smile onto his lips.
"...You love me too, right?"
It feels as if the entire world is collapsing with those few words.
"Abel..."
I want to run to him right now, tell him it's not true, tell him I love him, and throw my arms around him.
"Pfft."
But then, the Hero chuckles beside me.
"My, my... I'm not really fond of women who are already taken."
He removes his hand from my body and takes a step back.
It is a clear warning. If I take a single step toward Abel now, he will abandon me completely.
He looks down at me, his eyes demanding to know what I will choose.
Everything I have done flashes before my eyes—all the effort I put in, all the things I sacrificed to win the favor of the greatest man, the Hero.
"T-Taken?! That's absurd! We have absolutely no relationship!"
I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Abel...
"If you have no relationship, why is he crying with a face like his world is ending?"
"That's...!"
I can't stop now.
"Since we were kids...! He's just been chasing me around, claiming he likes me! I never had any interest in him, but... he kept doing it! Over and over again...!"
I can't lose the Hero.
"He's a strange person...! Please don't abandon me, Hero!"
Whether from guilt toward Abel or the sheer terror of being abandoned, tears stream down my face as I babble desperately.
"Bwahaha!"
The Hero bursts into delighted laughter.
"So! You're saying this guy is a lunatic who keeps stalking and obsessing over you, even though you, the Saintess, want nothing to do with him! Is that it?!"
He shouts it loud enough for everyone who has gathered around to hear, not just me.
"Yes... That's right."
My mind is a tangled, distorted mess, and I can only nod in agreement.
Thud...!
The faint sound of something dropping rings out louder than any noise in the square.
"Ah... Ah..."
Abel lets out a groan of absolute despair, a sound that will haunt me forever.
Step. Step.
"Don't take it too hard, buddy. That's just how things are, isn't it? The Saintess belongs to the Hero. She was made for me."
The Hero walks up to Abel and sneers.
I keep my eyes glued to the dirt, unable to look anywhere else.
"What do you mean by...!"
Abel's voice cracks with disbelief.
"Don't you dare talk about Selphy like that!"
Startled by the raw fury in Abel's voice, I raise my head to look at them.
A-Abel, what are you doing...?!
Abel has grabbed the Hero by the collar.
"To dare lay hands on the Hero..."
In the next instant, I see the Hero raise his hand.
No!!!
That is the stance for summoning the Holy Sword. I raise both hands to cast a holy protection spell on Abel, but—
Flash!
Ah...!!! Before I can do anything, the tip of the Hero's sword pierces Abel.
"Cough...!"
Abel clutches his stomach and collapses to the ground. The scene unfolds in agonizing slow motion.
"Aaaah!! Abel!"
"Sel... phy...!"
I have to heal him...! If something happens to Abel, I...!!!
But as I try to move, a firm grip catches my arm.
"Now, now! Everyone, don't worry! See the tiny bit of blood on the tip of my sword? I just gave him a little poke in a non-vital spot to teach him a lesson."
The Hero calls out to the crowd, then mouths to me so only I can see: Right, Sera?
"Yes...?"
At his silent prompt, I look back at Abel.
He was stabbed below the navel.
Having treated many patients, I can estimate the severity of a wound just by looking at its location.
If it's the lower abdomen, as long as it isn't deep, it can heal naturally with just a little basic treatment.
"You said it yourself, Sera. He's a lunatic. We had to give him a proper wake-up call to make sure he stays away, right?"
If I take Abel's side here, the Hero will only torment him further.
The Hero is straightforward... No, he is cruel.
"Y-Yes! You're right! I was so sick of him anyway!"
No more. I can't take this anymore. I can't bear to watch Abel suffer.
"Agh...! Ugh... Argh...!"
Abel's groans of pain echo behind me.
It's okay, Abel. Once I drag the Hero away... if you get first aid from someone, you'll be fine...!
"Urgh...!"
"Oh! Is this magical ore? Look at this, Sera. Even though he's a crazy stalker, it seems he brought this all the way here for you since you're from the same village."
The Hero crouches beside the groaning Abel, holding up a leather pouch with a smirk.
"Let's just go... Just looking at someone like him makes me sick."
I quickly pull the Hero's arm, dragging him back toward the inn.
"S-Someone... please... help me...!"
I bite my lip at the sound of Abel's weak plea for help behind us.
If I let my guard down even for a second, I feel like I will burst into tears and run back to him.
Forgive me, Abel... Please don't abandon me, Abel... You always cared only for me, didn't you...?
Those desperate cries only echo hollowly inside my mind.
Boom—!
The massive stone wall at the entrance of the dungeon crumbles under the blast of a mana bomb.
"So this is the end of the kingdom's territory!"
Just as the excited Hero says, passing through this underground dungeon path will lead us to the Contaminated Lands, where the Demon King resides.
It is a desolate place with no human settlements, populated only by grotesquely mutated beasts, and cursed with an abnormal environment where no normal crops can grow.
That was why we had fully stocked up on food, equipment, and other final supplies at the border city.
"Soon..."
I clench my fists tightly, staring into the darkness of the passage.
Once I fulfill my duty of defeating the Demon King, I will be free.
Ever since parting with Abel like that, a heavy weight has pressed down on my heart. I feel like I will never know peace again unless I return to him, apologize, and earn his forgiveness.
Crack, crackle...
The campfire flickers, casting dancing shadows.
Since entering the Contaminated Lands, we have had to keep watch at night due to the constant threat of monster attacks.
Considering my combat capabilities as the Saintess, I was assigned the first watch.
Sitting alone in the dark silence of the night is a bit frightening, but I manage to endure it by recalling the memories of sneaking out to play with Abel under the stars.
What is Abel doing right now?
Does he feel betrayed? Does he hate me?
He must have gone back to the village, right?
Maybe he was so angry that he told the villagers what I did. If so... what do I do? Can I never return to Magia Bell?
Well, as the Saintess, I don't really need to go back to the village anyway.
No. Abel isn't the type of person to go around badmouthing me, even if I did something wrong.
He always... he always tried to protect me.
Step.
"Ah?!"
Startled by a sudden presence and the sound of footsteps entering the firelight, I look up quickly.
My mind instantly jumps to monsters, but the shape of the feet tells me it's a human.
"Making a non-combatant stand watch. How incredibly careless."
A beautiful woman with light-blue hair that glows faintly even in the dark stands before me.
"Lady Seria...?"
The person approaching is Seria de Valstein.
She usually sleeps a short distance away from the main camp.
It is a highly dangerous thing to do, but she claims it is fine.
The unique trait of Seria's mana road, the Ice Soul, is something incredibly special—almost on par with the Hero's Holy Sword.
They say that when she is unconscious, her defensive power multiplies, and a sort of ice spirit protects her. Indeed, I recall seeing a barrier of ice surrounding her whenever she slept.
"What brings you here?"
Since she is protected even in her sleep, she has no need for a watch.
We aren't close, and she is normally not one for idle chatter, so her approaching me is definitely unusual.
She steps closer.
"I couldn't sleep, so I wanted to chat. But why are you speaking so formally to me?"
For the sake of communication during battle, the party members had all agreed to speak informally to one another.
"...I'm more comfortable this way."
"Is that so? Then I'll just speak casually."
For some reason, I feel an instinctive aversion to her, which makes me want to keep my distance by maintaining formal speech.
"By the way, I just don't get it."
"Pardon?"
"Why everyone, including you, the Saintess, likes the Hero so much."
What is she suddenly talking about?
"Leon looks at women like they're objects. Just accessories to decorate himself with. Or maybe toys to satisfy his desires?"
As Seria speaks, tossing a dry branch into the fire, a few scenes flash through my mind.
The Hero, laughing and raging entirely based on his own whims.
He could be rather violent, but because of his handsome face and his status as the Hero, it only made him seem like a mischievous rogue, never a major flaw.
But lately, I've been noticing things...
Since we entered the demon territory, the Hero hasn't done a single thing.
Setting up camp, cooking, standing watch—he doesn't lift a finger for any of the chores.
Because he is the 'Hero'. He always says that the protagonist of the Hero's party is the Hero himself.
It is the same with how he treats the party members. He orders us around like maids and takes us to his bed whenever he pleases.
Once he satisfies his desires, treating it like a mere stress reliever, he doesn't give us a second glance.
That has been... a little disappointing.
"Don't speak ill of the Hero! If you're just going to badmouth him, I won't say another word."
To deny those creeping thoughts, I snap at Seria even more harshly.
"Sorry. Maybe I was too blunt."
Seria dismisses it lightly.
"But personally, rather than someone like Leon Donaud, I prefer... someone like..."
She looks up at the night sky as if picturing someone, then trails off.
"No, never mind."
She lets out a soft chuckle and stops talking.
It shouldn't matter to me who she likes, and I could easily ignore it since she didn't finish her sentence. Yet, strangely, it bothers me.
"What kind of man do you like, Lady Seria?"
"Me?"
She pauses for a moment.
"Someone who cherishes one woman above all else."
She answers with a gentle smile.
The moment she says those words, a face immediately springs to mind.
A boy with grey hair.
If I were with Abel right now, he would have taken care of everything, unlike the Hero.
Abel was incredibly talented at everything—camping, cooking, fishing, you name it.
Seria de Valstein shouldn't even know Abel... So why does this feel like a thorn caught in my throat?
"The other day, I saw someone collapsed in front of the inn."
Sure enough.
"Is he someone unrelated to you, Saintess?"
Seria... saw Abel?
"Yes. He has nothing to do with me."
I deny it immediately, not knowing what she might tell the Hero.
"Ah... I see. The people around there were saying he's a lunatic who stalks you. Is that true?"
Why... why does she keep asking as if to confirm it over and over?
"Yes... That's right."
I answer, watching her warily.
She closes her eyes and nods a few times, seemingly satisfied.
Then, slowly...
"In that case..."
She looks straight at me with her purple eyes.
"...It doesn't matter to you what happens to him, right, Saintess?"
She asks the question.
Despite her breathtaking beauty, she had always behaved in a somewhat blunt, tomboyish manner. Yet, at this very moment, as she asks this question, she exudes a feminine allure and charm that surpasses anyone else in the party.
I should just lie and say I don't care, but...
"..."
I can't bring myself to say a single word for a long time.
The moment I say yes, a crushing anxiety washes over me, as if I will lose everything if I do.
"*Yawn*... I'm getting sleepy. Thanks for chatting with me."
Seria de Valstein yawns, stands up, and disappears back into the darkness.
A dazed feeling lingers, as if I have been possessed by a fairy or a ghost.