I'm Not the Heroine-Chapter 72

The monster, a beetle-like creature about half the size of a human, clattered its sharp mandibles and charged directly at Oplite.

Crash!

A sudden flash of light, accompanied by a deafening boom, filled the air, followed by a dense cloud of dust.

“What… what just happened? Oh?”

When the dust finally cleared, Oplite stood tall and unscathed.

“No way…”

Below it lay the lifeless corpse of the monster, impaled by a gleaming mithril spear.

“Wow, wooooah!!”

Cheers erupted from the gathered crowd. If they’d feared Oplite’s power could be turned against them, such an enthusiastic response would never have emerged.

[Look, no matter how much I hit it, it won’t retaliate. You can even try hitting it yourselves if you want.]

The realization that Oplite was a complete ally sparked such fervent reactions. It wasn’t surprising—these people had endured endless cycles of grueling battles, with barely any respite before the next shift. For them, Oplite represented hope and relief.

‘Hmm, I didn’t gather as much data as I’d hoped, but this isn’t bad.’

Louis had hoped to observe Oplite’s movements in greater detail, but the overwhelming disparity in power had led to the monster’s quick demise. Still, it wasn’t a complete loss—she confirmed Oplite’s viability as a key magical weapon against monsters.

“…Hmm?”

Amidst the cheers, Louis noticed the Hero’s Party approaching her, led by Lafiré.

“Louis!”

“…Yes?”

“You did it! Congratulations!”

“Uh, well, thanks.”

Though she tried to look away as she muttered her thanks, Lafiré’s praise didn’t stop there.

“As expected, you’re a genius!”

“…Urk.”

Serelin chimed in, “I’ve always known Louis was a genius.”

“…”

“Me too!” Aria added.

“Same here, sis!” Niabella exclaimed.

“…”

And then, Aswell sealed the deal: “Louis really is a genius mage.”

“…Please stop.”

Their shared expressions—a barely contained urge to laugh—were somehow worse than their words.

“Ahaha!”

“Pffft!”

Urgh.

She had been doing her best to ignore it, but their teasing brought back memories of the awkward moments after completing Oplite. With a cold, detached tone, she’d requested their assistance for its first field operation. And it had gone perfectly.

So why couldn’t they just leave it at that? Why did they have to embarrass her like this?

With a flushed face, she shot them a glare and said, “That’s it—no more equipment support for you.”

“Ah, no, Louis! We’re sorry!”

“Louis is really upset!”

“I am not upset!”

“I’ll apologize! It was all Lafiré’s idea—!”

“Aswell?! Why are you blaming me—!”

In the end, Oplite’s first operation concluded successfully. Over the next few days, additional tests confirmed that Oplite could handle defense duties without issue. By continuously supplying mana, the construct operated indefinitely, drastically reducing the number of guards needed for active duty. As a result, shifts became less frequent, and morale improved across the board.

‘Should I work on Oplite Mark II…? No, not now.’

While the success of Oplite tempted her to start a second model, she decided against it. After all, the goal wasn’t merely to defend the wall but to eradicate the root cause of the attacks.

With the defense stabilized, it was time for the Hero’s Party to step in.

“Everyone ready?”

“Yes!”

“Yup!”

“Let’s go!”

At the gates, the team performed final checks. Since the mission required monitoring three different areas of attack, it could take longer than expected. They opted against riding horses, given the unknown number of monsters; defending mounts in a tight situation would be a liability.

“Lux, behave and stay safe, okay?”

Louis gently stroked Nightlux’s mane, unwilling to see her beloved horse injured or worse.

Whinny.

As Nightlux neighed softly, she waved at the guards who’d come to see them off.

“Farewell, Goddess of Artillery! We’ll treat your metal friend with the utmost respect!”

“Wait, what?!”

Why was that ridiculous nickname being thrown around here?

Her confusion went unresolved as the Hero’s Party passed through the gates, forcing her to follow, suppressing her embarrassment.

New vistas unfolded before their eyes.

***

The Empire’s northern mountain range stretched wide and jagged, its rugged terrain marked by sheer cliffs and treacherous slopes. In contrast, the eastern mountains were much smaller and featured gentler, rolling hills.

“Oh… This is fascinating,” Louis murmured, her eyes taking in the dual landscapes.

Wintergard was uniquely positioned where these two mountain ranges met, offering a view of both terrains at once. To add to the visual spectacle, a massive canyon lay between the two ranges, completing the triad of stunning natural features.

In early spring, the northern range’s eternal snow stood alongside the blooming flowers of the eastern hills, and a small river would form in the canyon, creating a picturesque scene. However, the party had no time to appreciate such beauty.

“We’ll start with the northern range,” Lafiré said decisively.

Their goal was to address all three areas of attack, beginning with the most physically demanding—the northern mountains. From there, they planned to move through the canyon and then finish with the eastern hills.

‘If we resolve everything properly… there won’t be a need to leave Oplite stationed in Wintergard,’ Louis thought to herself. The guards would be more than capable of handling any remaining small-scale monster threats.

“But what’s causing this in the first place?” she asked aloud.

“Causing what? The attacks?” Serelin responded.

“Yeah. It’s not exactly common for different groups of monsters to take turns attacking like this.”

“It’s practically impossible,” Aswell added.

The Hero’s Party began discussing the situation, each offering their own theories, but no one reached a definitive conclusion. Louis, however, remained silent.

Not because she didn’t have any ideas—she did. As someone who knew the events of the original story, she had a clear understanding of what was going on. But blurting out that knowledge was out of the question.

“Huff… Huff…”

“Louis, are you okay?” Niabella asked, her voice laced with concern.

Louis couldn’t answer; her ragged breathing made speaking impossible. Her vision blurred, and she felt like she might pass out at any moment.

‘This is so much harder than I thought…!’

The climb was brutal, forcing her to crawl on all fours to keep moving. She glanced up at her companions, marveling at how they seemed to defy gravity as they ascended the steep slope.

“Louis, why are you hugging the ground like that? Isn’t it more exhausting to crawl?” Lafiré asked, tilting her head.

“The royal knights do winter training that includes crawling up mountains, but… you’re a mage,” Serelin added with a raised eyebrow.

Something felt off. From Louis’s perspective, her companions looked like they were standing at a diagonal angle, defying gravity itself.

What is happening here…?

“Should I carry her?” Lafiré asked, glancing at Louis’s trembling form.

“No, it’s fine. Louis is light enough,” Aswell replied, stepping toward her. Without waiting for a response, he crouched down and effortlessly hoisted her onto his back.

“Wha…?” Louis blinked, her mind spinning from exhaustion and the sudden change in perspective. She realized she was now being carried.

“Aswell…?”

“Sorry, Louis. We didn’t think this through. We’re almost at the first checkpoint, so hang in there a bit longer.”

It wasn’t the discomfort of being carried that made her flustered. No, it was something entirely different.

Thump.

Her heart raced as she quickly adjusted her sweat-soaked hair, worried he might look back at her. Despite her embarrassment, she muttered a spell under her breath, enhancing the entire party’s stamina and strength with support magic.

‘I should’ve done this from the start,’ she thought to herself bitterly. If she’d applied these enhancement spells earlier, she might not have struggled as much. Then again, she’d only made it a third of the way up the mountain even with those spells applied to herself.

With the enhancements now boosting everyone, the party moved at a much faster pace—even with Aswell carrying her.

As the incline finally began to level out, the air grew heavier, and the sounds of monsters echoed in the distance.

“We’re getting close. The frequency of monsters has increased,” Serelin observed, scanning the area.

“Yeah… I’m starting to see flying monsters, too,” Aria added, pointing toward the horizon.

Their predictions proved accurate. Soon, the incline flattened out completely, revealing a massive horde of monsters gathered in the distance.

At the back of the horde, a cavern loomed ominously. It was a dark, gaping hole that seemed to exude malice. The monsters were clearly gathering there, as if drawn to it by some unseen force.