༺ A Lost Miracle ༻
“G-greetings… Lady Roswyn…”
“…..Hello.”
A few days after the decisive battle, Roswyn came back to the academy.
“Excuse me for intruding.”
“I-it’s okay.”
Roswyn was responsible for investigating the truth while also holding the title of the Main Representative of the Hero’s Party.
Of course, she wasn’t initially appointed to such a supposedly esteemed position.
However, when Isolet, Clana, Serena, and the core members of the party, Kania and Irina, chose to resign, she was burdened with this new responsibility.
So, as someone with the highest status among the remaining individuals, Roswyn was automatically assigned to investigate and verify the shocking revelation that was presented during the press conference.
Thus, Roswyn started off her investigation by looking into [Frey’s Diary] that she received from his sister, Aria.
Before Frey became the Hero, the diary was like any other. Its entries contained ordinary stories about daily life, making it painfully aware that, once upon a time, he was also just a child. However, after he became the Hero, it was filled with intense records written in Hangul. As such, she had come to Sunrise Academy to accurately translate the script and finally learn the truth behind these records that seemed like a lifetime ago.
“…Hmm.”
Roswyn closely analyzed the ‘Hangul’ written in the diary, using the notebook that Serena, who was currently living in seclusion, had provided to help decipher the characters.
“Excuse me…”
In the academy’s library, which was temporarily closed due to the final battle between the Demon King and the Hero’s Party, she met with a girl that was once her senior during her first year.
Roswyn had come to the academy today to meet the very girl that was recorded in the diary, who apparently studied in the library without missing a single day.
“…Could we have a chat?”
“Uh, sure…”
The girl, who wore glasses while reading a book, replied timidly in response to Roswyn’s question.
“Do you know the so-called ‘Hero of Money,’ who has been helping students all over the academy for the last few years?”
“Yes! He’s really kind!”
She answered Roswyn’s question immediately, as the girl began her story with a twinkle in her eyes.
“He supported us when we had nothing, bought us meals, and was really warm-hearted! In short, we could call him a benefactor!”
“I see…”
However, in contrast to the joyful contents, Roswyn’s expression gradually darkened.
“Then, have you ever had a meal with him on this specific date…?”
“Um… Yes! I had a meal with him on this day!”
Upon hearing the confirmation, Roswyn broke out into a cold sweat.
“He always treated me to delicious food… He also gave me pocket money, and sometimes even asked how my school life was going.”
“I-I see…”
“I intend to help him after graduation since he is someone I am forever grateful for.”
The girl smiled happily as she reminisced.
“My dream is to work for the charity foundation that he established once I graduate this year.”
“Oh…”
“I tried to repay his kindness, but he never accepts any form of compensation and we can’t even figure out his identity… So, I can only pay back his generosity through this method, right?”
Roswyn suddenly noticed the sparkling badge on the girl’s school uniform as she spoke.
“T-that is…”
“Hehe, you probably knew it already, but… I’m a huge fan of the Hero of Money.”
It was a glittering coin-shaped badge sold by the charity foundation.
“Although he isn’t as popular as the world-renowned hero, Ruby, the Hero of Money is the only true hero in my heart… Ah.”
While she fondly touched the badge with a smile, the girl’s expression suddenly turned gloomy with guilt.
“Oh, um… I mean… I didn’t mean it like that.”
The student immediately noticed Roswyn’s face contorting at her words. As such, she hastily threw a question to shift the atmosphere.
“Oh, right. Why are you asking about this?”
“Well, it’s just… I mean…”
“Do you perhaps know the identity of the ‘Hero of Money,’ Lady Roswyn?”
“Huh?”
“Um, well… I mean…”
Since the Hero’s Party gathered information thanks to Roswyn’s connections with the black market, the girl pondered how to ask about the identity of the ‘Hero of Money’ whose area of activity overlapped with Rosywn.
“A-Anyway… If you happen to know him, could you please pass this on to him?”
However, the girl gave up trying to pry for information and pulled something out of her pocket instead.
“…What’s this?”
“It’s just, well… a flower. A never-withering flower.”
When she said that, Roswyn quickly glanced at the somewhat old-looking yet still fresh flower.
“I saved up the support funds he provided to buy it. I saved on meals and snacks too.”
“Ah…”
Roswyn let out a soft sigh as something similar was mentioned in the contents of the diary.
“I planned to give it to him after my graduation… but lately, I haven’t seen him around. Something must have happened, right?”
“…..Mm.”
“It’s really strange. He used to visit me every three days without fail… I hope nothing’s happened to him.”
After hearing those words, Roswyn, who was making a grim expression, had accepted the flower before she realized it.
– Swish…
“Ah, you took it. So, you do know who he is, right?”
Then, the girl spoke with a bright expression.
“Please make sure to give it to him. The thing he seemed to need the most was this flower.”
“…What?”
“Every time we met, he always talked about flowers. He asked what kinds of flowers women like. Whether women hate roses. And if I were to receive flowers from someone, which kind I would prefer.”
At that moment, Roswyn recalled a passage she had read in the diary.
The passage was written as a matter of fact, almost like it was a report to someone.
“When we first met, he talked casually, but gradually, he began asking more serious questions…”
“…And then?”
“As time went by, he became more and more desperate, almost to the point where you could tell just by looking at him. I’ve never seen him express emotions so intensely before.”
“When was that?”
“Um… well…”
The girl was briefly lost in thought as Roswyn’s hands trembled.
“I-it was the day before Mr. Frey was taken away.”
Then, she looked at Roswyn, feeling apologetic.
“I-I’m sorry. I’ve been so focused on studying that I lost track of time…”
“If-If it was at that time…”
However, without responding to the girl’s concern, Roswyn murmured with a pale face.
“It was the last day that Frey gave me a flower.”
Just like what the student had said, the day before Frey was taken away, he had indeed visited Rosywn.
“Roswyn, long time no see. Um, I have a favor to ask…”
“How many times do I have to tell you, Frey?”
Roswyn replied coldly, as she always did.
“Even if you give me all the money in the world, I will never accept the flower from you.”
“Um, I’m sorry. I couldn’t find the ‘never-withering flower’ that I promised last time, but… I still got a pretty rose for you…”
“If you keep doing this, I’ll call the Hero to chase you away.”
She had held a Ruby doll she had custom ordered herself while spitting such words.
“My days of bending myself backwards to flatter you are now over. I have no reason to accept those boring flowers anymore.”
“…Could you hear me ou….”
“So please, just leave. Please.”
Of course, Roswyn, who was deeply in love with Ruby, had slammed the door on him.
“What’s this? When did he leave it here?”
The flowers he had left behind ended up thrown into the trash.
‘…Why did he want to give me flowers so desperately? For what reason? How come…?’
As Roswyn got lost in her thoughts…
“Um… Also, if possible, could you please convey my message?”
“…Huh?”
Only when the girl, who had been quietly watching her, made a request did Roswyn snap back to reality.
With a serious expression, the girl began to speak to Roswyn.
“You showed me interest when I was just a homeless nobody who practically lived in the academy library. You helped me break away from Moonlig… I mean, that bad group, and also prevented my friends from being sold to wicked nobles…”
“Huh, what?”
“…You even saved my comrades from the slave market and helped innocent commoners. Above all, I thank you for establishing a charity foundation to help countless people struck in poverty.”
After saying this, the girl let out a sigh and explained.
“All those who have received his grace asked me to pass on their thanks. They say they will always be grateful even if he doesn’t accept gratitude or rewards.”
“Euh, euh.”
The girl smiled broadly.
“So, from now on, I won’t live as just any other commoner. I’ll be Alice, the secretary of the charity foundation.”
Roswyn unconsciously bit her lips because there was no way she could deliver the message she had heard.
“By the way, I’m worried. Why haven’t we seen him lately?”
As Alice spoke and picked up her book again, she suddenly frowned and spoke with a darker expression.
“I tried contacting the charity foundation, but they said he has been out of contact for several months. As a result, it’s becoming difficult to operate the foundation… I hope he hasn’t been hurt.”
“………”
“I think he probably engages in dangerous activities since he has to keep his identity a secret… So, I’m really worried these days.”
Saying that, Alice, who still believed Roswyn was a business partner with the Hero of Money’, asked with hope in her eyes.
“…Do you happen to know anything?”
“I… I need to go now. I…”
“Huh? Oh, sure. See you again… Oh, wait.”
Roswyn could no longer bear to hear another word, as she hurriedly got up from her seat. However, Alice made her turn back as she left her last words with an earnest expression.
“…Please tell him to succeed in his confession!”
.
.
.
.
.
– Tap, tap
While leaving the library, Roswyn walked somewhere with a complex expression.
– Squeeakk…
After a while, she arrived at her destination.
It was her old room in the noble dormitory, which had become deserted as most residents sought refuge in foreign countries or safe houses due to the chaos preceding the final battle.
“…..Uuuh.”
Although she came here to cool her head after what she had just experienced, it didn’t take long before Roswyn began to regret entering her room.
The reason was because of the objects that filled her room. Everything was related to Ruby. There were posters of Ruby, photos of her and Ruby together, memos filled with praises for Ruby, handcrafted Ruby-shaped dolls, and even the flowers Ruby had once given her.
– Creak…!
As she reached out with trembling hands to remove the largest poster, Roswyn remembered the powerful protective magic she had cast on these memorabilia. Therefore, she clenched her teeth in frustration.
“This is…”
With her hand injured from the effects of the protection magic, Roswyn slowly moved away as she let go.
– He is the most terrible person in the world.
– He keeps trying to give me flowers. I’m so sick of him.
– He is the enemy of the Hero.
.
.
.
.
.
“…..”
Roswyn was struck speechless as she looked at the notes cursing Frey on her desk.
– Flutter…!
After staring into space for a while, Roswyn opened the diary again and resumed her investigation.
[Today, I gave Roswyn a sunrise flower.]
[Today, I gave Roswyn moonlight and starlight flowers.]
[Today, I gave Roswyn a puppy love flower.]
[Today, I gave Roswyn a canary flower.]
[Today………]
“W-why did you record things like these?”
As she continued to read, Roswyn’s trembling gaze fell upon the phrase that always appeared at the beginning of each entry.
“What actually…”
She looked at Frey’s picture, stabbed with a knife, next to the memos about him.
“………”
Staring at the photo for a while, she finally spoke.
“E-even if you were a Hero… I couldn’t have done anything anyway if you didn’t tell me. What’s the point… it couldn’t be helped…”
In the end, she failed to maintain her composure.
“I-if I had known, I would have helped. It was always the Sunset Household’s ‘Fate’ to assist the Hero of the next generation. So, if I had known you were the Hero, of course I would have helped.”
She started to pour out her thoughts.
“From the beginning… Because of your abilities, we could never have found out about the good deeds you did for us. That’s why you deceived us. So, we… we are not guilty. It’s you who chose to deceive us from the start.”
Roswyn deliberately avoided Ruby’s cheerful gaze, which filled her entire room.
“B-becoming the Hero’s aid was my lifelong dream… my lifelong wish…”
Roswyn focused her gaze on Frey’s picture with a hollow expression.
“…So, the Hero who kept me alive all this time was you, not Ruby?”
Of course, there was no response from Frey in the photo.
“…Huh?”
While looking at Frey, Roswyn felt a flood of complex emotions as she lowered her head.
“That…”
She then noticed the rose that had been thrown into the trash until now.
“The last one you gave…”
With a sunken gaze, she looked at the now withered rose.
“You gave this to me before you left.”
She murmured while carefully reaching out for the rose.
“…I should have accepted it back then.”
As she mumbled to herself, the moment her hand touched the rose…
– Fizzle…!
“…..!!!”
Suddenly, a light emanated from her hand.
“W-what is this?”
Due to her surprise, she stumbled backward and fell. In front of her, a transparent window began to materialize.
“…Huh?”
[This system has been passed down to the Sunset Household through a covenant made a thousand years ago…]
“…….???”
Confused, she could only stare at the flood of windows appearing in front of her.
As more translucent windows continued to fill her vision, red-colored windows emerged, causing her to be taken aback.
“………Ah.”
She scrutinized the last window that appeared.
“…Aah.”
With a pale and horrified expression, she could only let out a faint whimper.
With that final message, the small miracle vanished, lost forever in time.
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