༺ Where Did You Go? ༻
– Knock, knock.
“…Excuse me, Professor Isolet.”
Two girls stood outside Isolet’s house.
– Squeaaak…
“I-it seems to be unlocked.”
“…Yes, it seems like it.”
The two girls were Lulu, her dark circles prominent, and Aishi, who had a pale expression.
“Um… Princess Aishi, did you also receive Professor Isolet’s invitation?”
“Y-yes.”
Due to their different social statuses, they rarely exchanged words, despite being part of the same Hero’s Party. As such, they spoke with an awkward tone while conversing with each other.
“L-let’s go inside first.”
“…That sounds good.”
They promptly entered the house, eager to dispel the lingering awkwardness.
“Um… You came?”
Then, Isolet, who had been sprawled until then, smiled heartily and welcomed them.
“Go say hello to Frey over there.”
“…What?”
After uttering these words, Isolet collapsed onto the dining table once again. Lulu and Aishi directed their gazes towards the spot Isolet had pointed to and fell into a deep silence.
“……….”
“Hero… Please, I’m begging you…”
Roswyn, whose hair was disheveled, knelt and begged with her eyes fixed on a scabbard.
“Please accept these flowers… let the miracle happen… I’m begging you…”
Roswyn was completely unaware of the two girls behind her.
“You said that once everything was over, a miracle would happen if I came to you with the flowers. So please, Hero, please…”
She continued speaking in a desperate tone.
“Now I finally understand who I should have served… to whom our family owes its gratitude. It was you all along, the Hero of our generation who kept me alive…”
With a complex expression that seemed to hold numerous memories, Roswyn extended her trembling hand.
“I-I’ll write as many as… you sent me every day. I can write as many love letters as you want.”
As she said, Roswyn had received love letters from Frey everyday.
At first, she had read a few to boost her self-esteem, however, her interest waned quickly, causing her to discard later ones without even reading them.
However, to Frey, she always pretended to have accepted them while responding with a smile.
“I-I’ll do anything you want. I’ll fulfill all your wishes…”
Frey always granted Roswyn’s requests.
In contrast to Ruby, who began with modest requests and gradually escalated to unreasonable demands, Frey always granted whatever Roswyn desired.
The only thing he asked for in return was a dinner together.
“So please, come back…”
Lost in such thoughts, Roswyn fervently wished for the miracle mentioned in the diary to come true.
“I’ll carefully preserve the flowers that you give me, we’ll have dinner together, and I’ll dance with you at any and every ball. I’ll smile whenever I look at you, so please…”
Without knowing what the miracle in the diary was, she continued to plead.
By this point, Roswyn had lost her grip on reality. She was utterly broken.
“Just once… Let us at least have one conversation… I have something to say. Even if it’s to atone, please let me talk to you again. Please, at the very least, come back and punish me.”
While firmly clutching the scabbard and bowing her head, Roswyn wished for something that could never be fulfilled.
She longed for a miracle to happen, even if it was just for a moment. She wanted the man she had forsaken, yet still sought her help until the very end, to return to her side. She wanted him to judge her for helping the Demon King and ruining the true Hero.
“Please… just once…”
As Roswyn continued her ramblings, she noticed that the everlasting flower, which supposedly would never wither, was now drooping on the scabbard filled with the glistening soil.
“Ah…”
“Ah sob…”
It was only then that she realized her fervent pleas were not directed toward a resurrected Frey or even the body of the deceased Frey.
“Ah sob…”
She realized that what remained were merely glistening remnants left behind by Frey’s annihilation. Roswyn quietly touched the sparkling soil within the scabbard.
“………”
– Ssk
The sparkling dust clung to her hand.
“Hero…”
As she stared vacantly at the remains of the pitiful man who seeked salvation from her, Roswyn fell silent, unable to finish her sentence.
“I’m sorry…”
“……..”
And for a moment, silence filled the room.
“T-this is…”
It was only then that Lulu, her expression pale while observing the situation, noticed Frey’s diary that Roswyn had set aside.
“…A diary?”
.
.
.
.
.
– Ssk…
“…Ouch.”
Lulu accidentally cut her finger as she flipped through the diary, causing her to jump back in surprise.
“Ah, euhh…”
It had been a while since she had last suffered a self-inflicted wound.
The abuse she used to inflict upon herself had long stopped.
“Ummm…”
Aishi, who was in front of Lulu, shifted her gaze back and forth between Roswyn’s tattered notebook and the diary with hollow eyes.
[Come to think of it, Aishi’s ‘Frozen Heart’ was practically a blessing for me.
There’s nothing more effective in this world to kill unnecessary emotions than her curse. Without it, I probably wouldn’t have ben able to endure this until now.]
“Uh, um… Princess Aishi.”
“I’m sorry, but I need some time to collect my thoughts.”
After reading through the diary, Aishi abruptly rose from her seat and carefully picked up a bottle of alcohol from the table where Isolet was lying on.
“My benefactor, who saved my family and revitalized my kingdom… was repaid by me with a curse that froze his heart and erased his emotions… I can’t believe it.”
After Aishi poured strong liquor into a glass, she began her story with a gloomy expression.
“Lulu, did you know?”
“The ‘Frozen Heart’ curse doesn’t just freeze emotions but the heart itself.”
“Y-yes…”
“As a result, when the curse becomes severe, even taking a breath can cause considerable pain.”
After saying so, Aishi downed the entire glass in one go.
“…Was Frey… already numb, even to such agony?”
“……..”
“It’s inconceivable that there is someone who takes pleasure from receiving such a dreadful curse repeatedly— especially one capable of erasing emotions.”
A thousand different expressions danced across Aishi’s face as she poured more liquor into her glass.
“Was it intentional when he provoked me in the slave market? Was it his plan to transfer the curse onto himself?”
“Sometimes, I mentioned that my inner voice was tormenting me constantly.”
Lulu nodded quietly as Aishi continued.
“The arrogant voice I used to hear from within, the dreadful voice that plunged me into hell during my youth, and the voice that drove me to the brink of suicide…”
Aishi’s face bore the weight of remorse as she spoke.
“At some point, I began to suspect that Frey was the owner of that voice.”
“…Huh?”
“It was because every time Frey approached me, every time we talked, the voice would stop.”
“Oh…”
“I thought he couldn’t whisper into my mind when I could observe his presence.”
As Aishi reminisced, she recalled the contents of the diary.
[xx Year, xx Month, xx Day]
[Aishi seemed to be struggling a lot because of the voice lately. I think I’ll have to stick by her side for a while.]
“In truth, it was Frey’s power, the power of a Hero, that weakened the curse.”
Aishi stated as if reading a report, then drained her glass and set it back on the table with a thud.
“Whenever I met him, Frey would always suggest we drink together.”
“Drink…?”
“…Yes, not just any alcohol, but a very strong liquot.”
“It was no secret that Frey was quite the heavy drinker, so I really didn’t like seeing him alone as he drank in front of only and engaged in idle talk.”
As Aishi spoke, she recalled the diary entry once again.
[xx Year, xx Month, xx Day]
[Today, I talked to Aishi while drinking with her.
Honestly, I didn’t plan to chat with her, but seeing her shed tears, a rare sight to witness, I couldn’t help it.
In such a miraculous regression, I can’t bear the thought of her committing suicide like the previous cycles. I’m tired of always finding her cold and dead the day after we talk.]
The contents troubled her, making her fall into deep contemplation.
[That’s why I resolved to remain by her side for as long as possible, even if it’s not an easy endeavour.
After all, being in close proximity to her amplifies the ‘Frozen Heart’ curse multiple times.
No matter how numb I’ve become to pain, when the area around my heart turns into ice… every breath would feel like hell.]
“But… it turns out there’s another reason for that as well.”
Aishi’s words rang true.
[Therefore, whenever I engaged in extended conversations with her, I always brought a bottle of liquor with an alcohol content of 70% or higher.
It helped me forget the pain and warmed my heart at the same time. Alcohol is the best in that regard.
Of course, in my case, I have to cast a self-created spell that would make me drunk on alcohol.
Still, it’s far more effective than the painkillers that don’t work anymore.]
“Because of me, he had to drink alcohol to endure the pain of his freezing heart. Because of me, he had to suffer from unnecessarily greater pain, just to block the voice inside my head.”
She poured herself a third glass of the hard liquor. She then sighed and downed it in one gulp.
“If I had known he was drinking for that reason, I would have joined him, even if it had been just for the alcohol…”
“Well, it’s true that I’m pretty good at drinking.”
“…Ahh…”
“How about you, Miss Lulu?”
“I-I can’t drink at all.”
When Lulu hesitated and replied, Aishi sadly smiled and proceeded to pour herself more liquor.
“People tended to react that way when I asked them to drink with me. Come to think of it, Frey was the only one who ever suggested we drink together.”
“………”
“If he hadn’t borne such a fate… we might have been good drinking buddies.”
Ignoring the sudden flush in her cheeks, Aishi continued to express her grievances.
“Is there anyone else in the world as unfortunate as him? Honestly, I don’t think so.”
“Uh, uhh.”
“Even though I understand that deception was necessary… I still owed him and caused him unnecessary trouble, but now… I can’t even repay him.”
She raised the glass to her lips but then, she hesitated, and her expression trembled slightly.
“…To be honest, I didn’t need time to sort out my thoughts.”
“When I flipped through the diary, I was afraid of what I might find.”
“…Could there possibly be any secret more sinister than this?”
Upon hearing those words…
[xx Year xx Month xx Day]
[I’m going insane. The cycle was going so perfectly until Ruby started tormenting Aishi in an unprecedented manner.
Whenever they spoke, she chased her away while pretending to console her.
But inwardly, she whispered inexplicable words, as she used the curse she had planted in Aishi during her youth in an attempt to drive her insane.]
While desperately maintaining an unchanged expression, Lulu fixed her gaze on the diary and turned to the next page.
[Given the circumstances, I have no choice but to increase the frequency of my interventions with her.
Although my heart will be frozen and I’ll suffer from pain due to the side effects, it’s better than retrying.]
“Um… Miss Lulu, why do you look so serious?”
“Ah, uh…”
“D-don’t tell me…Is there really…?”
“Oh, it’s nothing…!”
When Aishi asked with a trembling voice, Lulu hastily flipped through the diary as she replied. However…
“…Huh?”
Soon, her attempt to maintain her composure failed as she gasped in shock.
[xx Year xx Month xx Day]
[What should I do? What should I do? What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?
Because of my excessively emotionless state, I made a mistake with Lulu. This can’t be happening…
Unless I can recruit Roswyn, Lulu is the only one I can rely on.
If I don’t embrace her, I won’t be able to sleep properly anymore.
I have to apologize. I have to.
I won’t be able to fix everything that happened in the past.
I haven’t even been able to erase all her scars yet.
After coming all the way here, if I continue down that route…]
“…Ah?”
As Lulu flipped through the pages filled with Frey’s usual gentle and casual handwriting, she unexpectedly encountered a page written in a more intense penmanship.
[xx Year xx Month xx Day]
[She was taken away from me. Lulu was taken away by Ruby. I have to retrieve her.]
“……..Ah.”
After that, she froze upon discovering the recurring words on several pages.
“……Uwah.”
“M-Miss Lulu… Why do you look like…”
As Aishi asked in concern, beside the trembling Lulu, who wore such a wretched expression…
“Yes… Kania… you’ll gather the other three…?”
“All right, please do your best…”
Isolet was calling someone.
“… Frey is waiting for all of you here.”
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