I'm Not the Heroine-Chapter 65

"Louis...?"

In short, Louis had refused to rejoin the party.

"Why? She should at least give us a reason!"

"..."

Aswell wanted to explain it to them.

But he hadn’t received any explanation from her or her master.

It left him feeling helpless, paralyzed by frustration.

He couldn’t tell if her answer was her own true will.

He wanted to understand her reasons, but there was no way to reach her.

"She’s definitely still somewhere in this territory. Let’s find a way to reach her."

Lafiré, unwilling to give up hope, tried to lift the spirits of the party, but it had little effect.

The absence of just one member had sapped their morale and strength.

‘...Louis, you affected us far more than you realize.’

Thus, that day’s plan ended, and a few days passed in Stormblast.

. . .

Over the next few days, the hero party remained in Stormblast.

They made every effort to locate Louis, but to no avail.

They moved around so openly that even Kunder Stormblast was bound to notice, yet he didn’t interfere with their movements.

‘Does he believe we’ll never find her?’

The hero, Aswell, sat quietly in his room, deep in thought once more.

Since becoming a hero, he had never felt this powerless.

His mind was in disarray, and his body felt drained as if he were utterly exhausted.

‘Is it because I can’t bring Louie back?’

If he had known why she refused to rejoin the party, he might not have felt this way.

If he couldn’t solve her issue, no matter how hard he tried…

"...Would I have given up?"

Did she keep the problem to herself because it was something Aswell couldn’t solve?

If so, was she trying to protect the party and Aswell himself by staying away?

"..."

[Hero Aswell. The Count of the Northeast has sent a request. You should prepare to leave soon.]

Kunder had summoned Aswell the previous night and told him this.

Aswell wanted to protest, but he couldn’t.

The hero party no longer had a valid reason to stay in Stormblast.

The number of requests or issues that others couldn’t handle here was minimal.

The party members had been taking their time handling those requests, but even those were nearly finished.

Once all issues were resolved, the hero party would have to continue their journey.

After all, somewhere in the empire, there were still people suffering from monsters or demons, and the party’s primary purpose was to help those in need.

But Aswell couldn’t be sure of anything anymore.

He doubted whether he could continue the journey, much less face the demons with the same strength as before.

At the very least, he wanted this question answered.

And then…

"Hero."

A sudden surge of red flames swirled in the room, and someone appeared before Aswell.

"...Who are you?"

"I have many names and titles; which one would you like?"

"..."

"A sister-in-law who wants Louie to live a happy life? Well, that’s beside the point."

The woman with blazing hair asked him,

"So, do you want to save Louis? Do you want to know why she refused?"

Then, her red eyes flared as she gave him a warning.

"But you must be prepared. For knowing this story means you’ll be deeply entangled in it."

* * *

Hero.

Do you believe that your encounters with your companions were fated?

What is fate? Is it a life path predestined from ancient times?

An inevitable occurrence?

If you consider it that way, then yes, your meeting with your companions was fated.

Long, long ago, even before the first Stormblast or Inferblayno were born.

Back when the World Tree was still a sapling.

In that distant past, the fate of your party was already decided.

It was written in prophecy.

A saint, a knight, an archer, a witch, an assassin.

The fate of your companions who would stand against the demon king was etched into a prophetic tablet, aged by countless eons.

Why not the Pope, the Sword God, the Archlord, the Great Witch, or the Shadow King?

Because the prophecy had already set the composition of the hero party, and breaking this would trigger a “law.”

Causality.

The strength of the hero party and that of the demon king’s forces are intricately connected.

As the hero party grows stronger, so too does the demon king’s army.

Bound by the two shackles of “fate” and “causality,” the world’s strongest have ultimately chosen.

They will never interfere with the hero party.

Fate.

Your fated companions number six. Counting the one you haven’t met yet, there are five in total.

These six members of the hero party are “destined” to face the demon king and his forces.

Yes.

In that destiny, there is no “magician.”

Only the saint, the knight, the archer, the witch, and the assassin.

The fortress incident in Alpares and Mercadia in Lacre—

Do you truly think those events were part of the hero party’s proper fate?

No.

Louis realized this. She was wracked with guilt, fearing that those two incidents had nearly caused many deaths and injuries.

In the end, she refused to rejoin the party.

Now, hero, you know why Louis refused.

What will you do?

* * *

As the Stormblast mansion, tinted red by the twilight, was swallowed by darkness, Aswell stepped outside.

A starry sky spread above, faintly illuminating the darkness surrounding him.

"Haa..."

The brief yet intense encounter with the woman.

His mind was in more turmoil than before after hearing the whole truth in the flames that had filled the room.

But his eyes were more determined than ever.

All his thoughts ultimately converged on one goal.

[Louie is behind the Stormblast mansion, in the Ice Fortress.]

Click.

The holy sword was drawn, and resolve gleamed in Aswell’s eyes.

[But you won’t reach the Ice Fortress. It’s guarded by countless magical barriers that can’t be easily breached.]

A soft white glow began to envelop the holy sword, and Aswell took a deep breath.

[I won’t tell you how to break through the barriers. If you can’t overcome this, it means you and the hero party aren’t prepared to accept Louie.]

The words of the woman with the red hair echoed in his mind.

Since morning, Duke Kunder had not been seen.

When Aswell asked a servant, he was told the duke had left due to other commitments.

Today was his only chance.

"..."

With his companions, the task would have been easier.

But Aswell chose to go alone.

What he was about to do defied fate and went against causality.

Boom...

In the distance, thunder rumbled behind the Ice Fortress.

Perhaps her master, the duke of Stormblast, had sensed Aswell’s holy sword.

But he had no choice now; he had to face them head-on once more.

‘This time, I’ll make sure to get answers.’

Boom!

Leaving the mansion, Aswell began climbing the mountain toward the Ice Fortress.

With every step, thunder crashed against the ice and mountain as if warning him to stay away.

But Aswell didn’t retreat.

Finally, he reached the vicinity of the Ice Fortress’s entrance.

As the woman had said, it was protected by countless magical barriers.

The barriers were woven into an ideal form, each spell covering the weaknesses of the others.

Even the empire’s most skilled magicians would struggle to dismantle such a formidable defense.

But there was more.

"You’ve come."

"...Duke."

With a crash of thunder, a shadowed figure stepped forward.

Kunder Stormblast.

Aswell now understood the meaning of the duke’s “commitment.”

"You expected me to come."

"Lati seemed likely to tell you."

Lati—no doubt referring to that woman.

"There’s no need to talk. There are far more difficult and confusing things in this world."

Boom!

Lightning surged around Kunder, tearing through the area.

"Hero, confront me with your justice. With all your heart."