I'm Not the Heroine-Chapter 86

“Ugh…”

“I really was okay. So please don’t turn your head away anymore.”

When he spoke so seriously, I couldn’t refuse.

In the end, I just ended up pounding my chest in frustration.

“So, you said you didn’t want me to kill you.”

After the situation calmed down, Miara asked me a question.

Honestly, it’s the two people other than me who don’t fully understand the situation.

Aswell suddenly faced an assassin in the middle of the night, and I had asked him to spare the person who had tried to kill him.

On the other hand, Miara, who had come prepared for death, had someone telling her to save her. It must be confusing for her.

‘I need to approach this carefully.’

Unlike with Nia, Aswell’s hostility toward Miara is unimaginable.

Just his keeping his guard up to protect me is already an indication of that.

I need to break through this warrior’s hostility and make sure she fully joins our party.

How should I approach this?

Actually, I had already thought about it to some extent.

“What’s your name?”

“Miara.”

“You’re from the ‘Star of the Highlands,’ right?”

“…”

Miara immediately fell silent.

The ‘Star of the Highlands’ I mentioned refers to a special group within the beastmen.

A belief in pushing humans aside to make the beastmen great.

That’s the one sentence that could explain them.

‘The beastmen themselves have had conflicts with humans for a long time.’

Long ago, the beastmen committed massacres in human kingdoms, and conversely, humans enslaved the beastmen.

Because of that, the rift between the two races became very deep.

While many things have been resolved now, there are still those who cling to the past glory and wounds.

The Star of the Highlands was a group that consisted of these extremists.

“Star of the Highlands?”

“The star and tree patterns on her clothes prove she belongs to them. The reason they targeted you, the hero… is probably because it’s both the most difficult and the simplest way for them to achieve their goal.”

The hero, the symbol of humans, would die.

Not just the Empire, but many human nations would be shocked.

The leaders of the Star of the Highlands knew that.

“…Is that true?”

“….”

Miara stayed silent.

I grabbed Aswell, who was about to approach her, and said,

“There’s a constraint in place. If things go wrong, she could die because of it.”

It’s like how assassins in movies bite cyanide capsules when their identities are revealed.

The difference here is that this constraint is being carried out without Miara’s will.

That’s why Miara had been quiet ever since the Star of the Highlands was mentioned.

“…”

But from the way her eyes were shaking, I could tell she was deeply agitated.

‘It’s not just that. There might be other constraints that I don’t know about.’

Even in the original story, and now, Miara seemed oddly comfortable.

In a different interpretation, it almost looked like she had already given up her life.

“Ugh…!”

“?!”

It started.

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The backlash from failing her mission hit Miara.

“If we leave her like this, she’ll die. We need to save her, even just to hear what she has to say.”

I ran to Miara, whose face was turning pale, and summoned the master key and a pen.

I also summoned Oplite and ordered it to stand by with various magic tools.

“Aswell, could you help a bit?”

“I’ll help with anything.”

“Ugh… Don’t come too close. My heart is racing. Anyway, just pour mana into the places I’m going to tell you.”

Aswell’s Solar Mana has an intensely hot nature.

Whatever the constraint is, even if it can’t destroy it, it might be able to cause confusion.

“Master Key. Check Miara’s mana.”

Whoooom.

“There’s no pain, but it’s still better to keep your eyes closed.”

“…”

At my words, Miara slowly closed her eyes.

Before her eyelids shut completely, her eyes revealed a trace of regret over life.

***

"Make us even greater."

The "us" they were talking about did not include Miara.

"Make the Star of the Highlands even more brilliant."

Deep underground beneath the highlands. That was Miara's dwelling.

"Make the beastmen noble."

Miara was a beastman. Only half, but still.

"So, I will place a constraint on you, Miara Rimfelt."

The last bloodline of the fallen family.

The Rimfelt family.

One of the so-called "noble families."

Among the many races that made up the beastmen, the Rimfelt family was a prestigious one from the Myoin tribe.

Thanks to their faster-than-other-beastmen footsteps and vision magic, they had expanded their influence even during dark times in the past.

When the beastmen were captured as slaves by humans, the Rimfelts led a war for their liberation. Conversely, when the beastmen were massacring humans, they secretly helped save human lives, trying to ease the deep rift between the two races.

But their downfall came, not from humans, but from extremists like the Star of the Highlands.

"The sin of helping humans."

The beastmen’s liberation war was long gone from their minds.

For various reasons, the Rimfelt family ultimately fell.

And it was at the hands of the very same beastmen, who caused them all to perish.

"The Rimfelt family's wealth will fuel the power of the Star of the Highlands."

"Let’s share their vision magic with the soldiers."

"Other families that have allied with us will spread the rumors. Especially the Naos family of the Myoin tribe, who will inherit the Rimfelts..."

"What about the ones with horns?"

At that point, Miara had lost everything.

She had tried to follow her family, but even her life was claimed by the Star of the Highlands.

"We may not know of the secrets she carries."

"Even without that, she’s exceptionally skilled. Why not make use of her?"

"We’ll place a constraint on her."

A doll of assassination, whose life and existence had been stolen.

Miara defined herself this way.

From then on, it was an endless cycle of assassination and missions.

What had started as mechanical tasks gradually turned into actions driven by her own judgment.

Every time she killed someone and reported success to the Star of the Highlands, the pain was unbearable.

Ironically, it was because of this pain that she threw herself into her tasks more fervently, wanting to end it all quickly.

She was trapped in hell, unable to escape.

Then one day, she received another mission.

"Kill the hero."

"The Emperor’s movements are suspicious."

"We’re sensing strange signs even from the families and royals that oppose us."

Kill the person who could become the hero of mankind, and perhaps even the hero of the world.

In that moment, Miara realized she was nearing the end.

No matter how the mission turned out, she was going to die.

So Miara moved even faster.

She approached the hero and swung her dagger.

To kill him.

To die by his hands.

But she failed.

And, most unexpectedly, someone came to rescue her.

"There’s no pain, but it’s better to keep your eyes closed."

Was the constraint placed by the Star of the Highlands truly being undone?

She wanted to laugh in disbelief, but instead, she slowly closed her eyes.

What would she see when she opened them again?

Would she even be able to open them?

...

"..."

"Phew... It's done. All the constraints directly related to Miara's life have been removed."

With that, she was able to open her eyes without any issue.

And it was this moment that made Miara believe in the word "salvation."

***

In this world, there are various races, each with its own unique characteristics.

For example, elves have a strong affinity for forests and communicate with their god, the World Tree.

Dragons, on the other hand, are ancient beings who have lived for eons, and their mana sensitivity is immense.

Similarly, the beastmen possess extraordinary physical abilities, and their magic and techniques, handed down through generations, include various forms of vision magic.

The constraint is one such technique.

Most of these techniques are easiest to undo either by the person who cast them or by someone of the same race.

For others, it’s necessary to learn their culture, language, and techniques in addition to their magic.

"Phew… It’s done."

Miara slowly opened her eyes before closing them again.

It seems that the fatigue from breaking the constraint caused her to fall asleep.

"Good job, Louis."

"If it weren’t for the knowledge I learned from my master and the Master Key, it would’ve been difficult."

And also the knowledge from the original story.

The magic system used by the Empire and the dragons was very different, so it was quite a challenge to break the constraint.

"I see."

"…Of course, Aswell’s help was also crucial."

"Thank you."

In any case, the means to force Miara’s attack are now practically gone.

There are a few minor constraints left, but they can likely be resolved with Tania’s or the Emperor’s assistance.

The only thing left now is one.

"…"

It’s for Aswell to accept Miara.