I'm Not the Heroine-Chapter 82

What she had been reading until now was a mapbook, showing several routes leading to the Eastern Empire.

It wasn’t she who had brought this book, but the cats around her. In addition to the mapbook, they had brought food, clothes, and other items she needed at that moment.

“Thank you all…!”

Until now, she hadn’t even thought about her attire, as she had been moving aimlessly.

But now that she was nearing the Imperial Capital, it was time to wear something more ‘Imperial.’

‘Especially, I need to hide these ears.’

There were almost no beastmen in this Empire. Except for Stormblast in the North, everyone here could be considered human.

Because of that, she especially had to hide her ears and tail.

[As you get closer to the Imperial Capital, beware of the 'Emperor.' He sees everything.]

“….”

The moment she recalled the past command, her face stiffened. Truthfully, she had no desire to carry out this request, the order to assassinate the Hero.

However, refusing a command was not an option.

That’s why, despite the desire to stay hidden, she had come to the Empire to carry out the mission, using her overwhelming stealth and agility to blend into the shadows and remain unnoticed by everyone.

“...Hero.”

She whispered the name of her target softly before disappearing from the spot.

Nyaa~ong.

As soon as she vanished, the cats scattered in every direction, as if waking from a trance. Soon, nothing remained where they had been.

***

The Clock Tower.

"......."

Right after that incident, Aswell and I returned to the inn. We didn’t say a word to each other on the way back.

I intended to remain silent, but it seemed Aswell had a different idea.

"Ugh."

"…If you don’t like it, let go."

Staring into the distance, he grabbed my left hand. I almost instinctively tried to pull my hand away, but Aswell’s strength kept me from doing so.

In the end, when we reached the inn and arrived at the double room, Aswell didn’t release my hand.

After that, things proceeded the same as the night before.

After washing up in our respective rooms, we both fell asleep in our beds.

The festival lasted only one day, and then we had to get back to our journey.

But the difference today was... Aswell held onto my hand until he fell asleep.

"....Huff."

When I finally heard Aswell’s breathing steady into sleep, I was able to let out a sigh.

Thump. Thump.

‘I’m crazy.’

I was crazy. Really crazy!

‘How did I... how did I kiss the male protagonist…!’

No.

In truth, the actions at the Clock Tower were all due to external circumstances.

There was absolutely no involvement of my personal feelings, or my desires...

"...."

Really, was it not?

As I repeated this thought, a sharp pain shot through my chest.

The source of that pain was my past life.

‘I was a man.’

I was a typical university student, an ordinary male who loved reading web novels.

But then, I had an accident and ended up in this world.

My gender had switched.

I had lived in this world for nearly six years.

I made countless connections, experienced many events, and awakened different emotions.

‘Who am I?’

A man? A woman?

My mind is male, but my body is female?

Can I really define myself by that?

I thought back to when I had woken up in a storage room not far from Stormblast.

At that time, I had been in confusion, and despite having a body with obvious female traits, I had still recognized myself as a 'man.'

I pretended to be a woman only when dealing with others, but when alone or thinking to myself, I often acted like my past self.

But time passed.

I learned magic from my master in the Stormblast territory.

I worked with Tania on various research and imperial affairs in the capital.

I served as a support member in the Hero’s Party.

Gradually, I forgot about ‘defining myself’ and just lived on as I was.

And then today, I kissed Aswell.

"...."

Thump. Thump.

Just thinking about what happened at the Clock Tower still made my heart race.

Yes, this was a reaction that no ordinary man, attracted to women, would have.

It was then that I realized.

Was I still thinking of myself as a man? That was the question.

‘...Perhaps it started when I didn’t feel those emotions toward the heroines.’

Or was it before that? Was it Tania? Or even before her, my master?

They were all women. Beautiful ones at that.

But I saw the heroines of the Hero’s Party, Tania, and my master as nothing more than friends and mentors.

But... Aswell was different.

‘At some point, I started watching Aswell.’

It wasn’t just because he was the protagonist of a novel, or because I was worried about him.

It was something more. Something was changing, from the unconscious level.

"....Aswell."

I slowly turned my body to look at Aswell, who was sleeping.

Thump. Thump.

My heart was pounding.

My cheeks flushed, and my vision became blurry.

Everything around me faded, and only he remained in my sight.

Could these feelings be from my past life?

"....No, it can’t be."

Maybe, from the moment I possessed this unknown being, I began to change.

I might have been ignoring that fact all along, but now I finally realized it.

—I’m not the heroine.

If that’s the case, then the resolution I had made before joining the Hero’s Party... might have been the last struggle of my past life’s emotions.

Now, I must accept it.

I’m no longer a man.

Rustle.

I brushed my hair behind my ear and slowly propped myself up.

The soft silk pajamas rustled, and the moonlight shone on Aswell.

He had a very handsome face.

I could understand now why the heroines and the young women of the villages and cities would fall for him.

Suddenly, I thought of the heroines, who were likely still training hard.

Thinking of them made a small sense of guilt rise in my chest.

‘I promised I wouldn’t do this.’

I had broken that promise.

But, I decided to set aside that guilt and apology for now.

Right now... I wanted to stay true to the new feelings I had discovered.

Kiss.

"Aswell. I love you."

I whispered my farewell and love to the man who was asleep and could not hear me.

The journey of the ‘possessor’ ends here.

And the journey of my new self, Louis, begins now.

I slowly lay down on the bed, pulling Aswell’s left arm around me, and drifted to sleep.

See you tomorrow, Aswell.

***

"Ahh... Your Majesty..."

A woman wept mournfully in the darkness.

"Please... pray for her, the one who has gone..."

A woman with white hair, her eyes covered by a rough-textured black mask. Two black horns protruded from her head.

"Mercadie, why did you leave so soon?"

Drip. Drip.

Tears flowed from behind the mask, falling to the ground. As they did, the darkness surrounding her began to recede, revealing a black forest.

A gray sun rose in the sky, and black trees grew densely on the white grass of the field.

Rustle.

"Lu. Is everything prepared?"

"Zerkanes-sama..."

A man wearing monocles appeared, turning a pocket watch in his hand. Dressed in a luxurious suit, he kneeled before the woman who had been praying.

"The current dispersion of the Hero’s Party has been confirmed. While complete isolation is unlikely, this is certainly an opportunity."

"I see..."

Click.

The pocket watch snapped shut, and the space itself began to stir.

"Mercadie’s death is being monitored by the king as well. So do not worry too much."

"Ahh... I’m relieved... that Mercadie hasn’t been abandoned..."

"But it’s true she left irresponsibly. I hope you don’t follow in her footsteps. For now, be content with drawing attention and passing time."

The man took a deep breath and, after surveying the surroundings, spoke again.

"Lastly, we can use everything that exists there. After all, everything will be settled in our world."

"I understand...!"

With those words, the man’s form vanished. Once he disappeared, the woman began to mourn again.

"Ahh... Mercadie..."

Boom...

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As a seductive voice rang out, the forest trembled. It seemed as though the forest itself had been ravaged by countless calamities, each one destroying it for its own reasons.

"I... Echo Dimos will make sure your death is not in vain."

The voice-shattering noble, Echo Dimos Lu.

With her final tear, the forest was completely obliterated.