I'm Not the Heroine-Chapter 75

“I didn’t miss you.”

Before I could even react, she had pulled me into a hug. She rubbed her chin on my head and made an annoyingly cute voice.

“You’re terrible, Louis. You left without telling me, and you can’t even miss me?”

“Not at all. So why are you here?”

“Aww, such a cold attitude… I’m hurt.”

Suddenly, Tania began to shed tears. But I knew better. Those tears were magic.

I’ve been tricked too many times by this.

Back when I didn’t know her true identity as the Magic Tower Sovereign, I had fallen for this act more than once, feeling guilty for ignoring her. That’s when I began to treat Tania with a bit of caution.

“I’m not falling for it.”

“…Hmph. Louis, you’ve gotten colder.”

She wiped away her tears with a small magic circle and looked at me with her sharp, gleaming black eyes.

I involuntarily shuddered and stepped back slightly.

There was an overwhelming presence of mana emanating from her. But only I could feel it because she was carefully controlling it. No one else in the mansion could sense it.

“…Are you trying to fight me?”

“…Heh. Do you think I’d fight you? Why would I fight with Louis?”

In an instant, the gleam in her eyes faded, and the pressure of her mana disappeared as well.

It was still an incredible level of mana control.

“I just wanted to mess with you.”

“…I’m sure you did.”

“Aw, come on! Cheer up!”

She smiled brightly and patted my head. Then, she asked,

“So, are you curious why I’m here?”

“Of course. This place has nothing to do with you.”

“Louis, I came because of you.”

“…?”

“You understand causality, right?”

Snap!

With a snap of her fingers, an elemental mana gathered and took shape in the air. It was a stone inscribed with the prophecy I had once seen through my master.

“I’ve cut ties with El Stormblast. I know everything that’s happening now.”

“…So? Are you planning to take me away?”

I was prepared to take out the Master Key in case things went south.

Master doesn’t know, but Tania…

Even if I brought out the Master Key, I likely wouldn’t be able to escape or win. Unlike my master, Tania was a person who would force her will through, no matter what.

And that applied to anyone, even if she showed affection for them.

She was ruthless and cold, and that was probably why she could bear the title of Magic Tower Sovereign.

“…No, I’m not here to fight you.”

“…!!”

Before I could react, my hand was covered in dirt. I turned to see a small magic circle appear near Tania’s eyes.

“If you promise not to use the Master Key or a pen, I’ll let go.”

“I won’t use it. If you wanted to stop me, you would’ve used it already.”

“Hmph. Now you’re resisting? You’ve really grown, Louis.”

With a simple flick of her head, Tania dispelled the earth magic, and then, she fluffed up the blanket and said,

“Well, I was going to tell you right away, but it’s not urgent. Let’s just sleep together for now!”

“No.”

“Why not!”

“You’re a terrible sleeper.”

I remembered when I first met Tania, back when I had to rely on her for shelter. She took me into her home when I couldn’t find a place to stay, and I ended up sharing a bed with her. It had been a real struggle.

I preferred to sleep comfortably, but Tania kept trying to hug me, which made me uncomfortable.

After a few experiences where I ended up being treated like a pillow or a doll, I became hesitant to sleep with her.

“But where else would you sleep?”

“I’ll just use my study.”

Clink.

Tania summoned a door in the air and grabbed my hand, pulling me along.

“Aww, I don’t want to. Let’s sleep together.”

“Ugh…”

I couldn’t resist Tania’s strength, and before I knew it, I had collapsed onto her bed.

I was quickly pulled into her embrace, and I gave up, releasing any tension.

“Mm, perfect… This is just the right feeling… I’ll sleep so comfortably like this…”

Once again, I was being treated like a pillow.

Why is she here?

She suddenly appeared and suggested we sleep together. I gave up trying to figure out the situation and tried to fall asleep.

And the next morning…

“Alright, Louis. Take me to the Hero.”

Tania asked me, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

***

How could I refuse a request, no, a command from the Magic Tower?

She probably already knows where Aswell is.

After all, she’s likely a far superior mage than even I, and definitely more skilled than my master. How could she not know where Aswell is, when he’s within the same mansion?

That’s impossible.

It could be for her own curiosity, or maybe it’s just her way of being considerate.

To be honest, I don’t want to introduce Aswell to her.

It’s not because I worry that, as the Magic Tower, she could manipulate the Hero—

No.

It’s just... it’s just...

“...?”

“Hmm? Why are you looking at me like that?”

It’s because of Tania’s appearance, which is completely the opposite of mine.

Her body is perfectly proportioned, with a figure that’s both firm and well-defined. And she’s the embodiment of calm and cold beauty.

Could it be... no, it can’t be.

When compared to Aria, Serelin, and Lafiré, she’s smaller, but she’s almost on par with Niabella. So... if Tania were to catch the Hero’s eye...

A sharp pain shoots through me.

No, that’s not it.

I trust Aswell.

Ultimately, I walked towards the dining hall with Tania humming beside me.

“Oh, Louis. Didn’t you sleep in today…?”

“Louis, who’s this...?”

The party members, who were in the middle of their breakfast, stared at Tania and me with confused looks.

“Hello~ everyone.”

“Who… who is this?”

Aswell slowly rose from his seat and asked Tania. Perhaps he had been eating soup, as there was a bit of it at the corner of his mouth.

“If you could tell us who you are, I’d appreciate it…”

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“Aswell, wait a moment.”

I walked over to Aswell and wiped his mouth with my sleeve.

“Ah, t-thank you…”

“You’re welcome.”

...Ah.

That’s when I realized why Aswell was so flustered.

I quickly turned to look at Tania, and she was wearing an amused, knowing smile.

“Hmph… so that’s it.”

What does that mean?

Trying to shift the mood quickly, I introduced them to each other.

“Sis, this is Aswell. He’s the Hero.”

“Sis…?”

“Aswell, this is Tania... she’s, well, a mage.”

“Well, that’s a bit of an understatement, don’t you think?”

Just as Tania pretended to feel hurt, Aswell’s face became guarded.

“Louis.”

“Yes?”

“If she’s your sister... is she from the Stormblast faction?”

Ah, did he mistake her for someone who came to take me away, like Kunder?

Well, I had just introduced her as sis, so I could see how he’d think that.

I shook my head.

“No, not really.”

“Not really...?”

I didn’t know why Tania was here either, so I could only explain it like this. But if she had wanted to take me, she would have done it last night when we were alone.

Still, the fact that she waited for me and even slept beside me meant that wasn’t her purpose.

“Right, I didn’t come here for that. I mean, of course I wanted to see Louis, but my real purpose is with you guys.”

Tania said this while extending her hand toward Aswell.

“Tania Astrea. Magic Tower Sovereign of the Imperial family. Just remember that.”

“Imperial...?”

Serelin’s confused voice rang out.

The word seemed so unexpected that she was taken aback.

But soon after, Serelin’s face turned tense.

It made sense, because if someone was able to directly mention the Imperial family, it meant they held direct authority. Who could openly speak of the Imperial family in this land?

As a result, the expressions of the three who weren’t as familiar with the world—Lafiré, Nia, and Serelin—changed.

“…Aswell.”

Aswell took Tania’s hand.

In that moment, Tania’s eyes glittered.

Zzzzz!

“What?!”

“So this is what a Hero’s mana feels like. I can tell now.”

In an instant, two streams of mana clashed.

More specifically, Tania’s mana collided forcefully with Aswell’s.

Aswell stepped back, quickly regaining his stance, but Tania, losing interest as if bored, turned her head away.

“So slow.”

“…Huh?”

“If I were a demon, you’d already be dead. You wouldn’t even make it to the Demon Realm, let alone fight a Demon King.”

With a snap of her fingers, Tania opened a window in the dining hall. Outside, there was a massive barrier.

“Hero, and the Hero’s party. You’re too weak.”

Her sudden declaration left everyone stunned, but no one could refute it.

The reason was clear. Ever since Tania had entered, a tremendous amount of mana had been pouring from her.

“The source of the miasma in Wintergard. Why are you holding onto it for so long?”

Snap!

As Tania snapped her fingers, dozens of small magic circles appeared, then vanished. Simultaneously, her mana, which had been pouring out from her, tore through the mansion and vanished into the sky.

“Handling two sources of miasma would take about a week. But if either the Hero or the Saintess has surpassed their limits, it could be finished in two days.”

Rumble...

“El Stormblast. Why did she want to remove Louis from the Hero’s Party? The answer is simple. You’re all too weak compared to Louis.”

Rumble... Crash!!

A lightning strike descended from afar, in the direction of the eastern mountain range, where the last attack was expected.

Rumble!

Another strike followed, then another, and another.

Dozens, no, hundreds of lightning bolts struck the same spot relentlessly.

When I turned to look at the point where the lightning had begun, a massive magic circle appeared in the sky.

Everyone’s heads instinctively turned toward one person.

So this is how it was done in the original story...

It was a method that could be considered reckless.

The way to eradicate a miasma-infested pool was to pour an overwhelming amount of mana in the form of lightning.

“That’s why I’m here. To break you apart.”

The current Hero Party is far too weak.

The sentence from the Empire’s Magic Tower fell upon the entire Hero Party.