I’m In Trouble Because The Darkened Heroes Are Obsessed With Me

“You insolent brat!”The Marquis of Ferdian couldn’t believe it. The son he thought would never dare defy him now held a blade to his throat.“How dare you… to your own father—!”Furious, the Marquis paused when he noticed the gazes of passersby peeking from behind the Holy Knights.Leaving the Holy Knights at his gate any longer would only attract unwanted attention.A scene of a marquis standing off against his son—the Cardinal—at the entrance of his own estate was not something he wanted others to witness.Grinding his teeth, the Marquis gave an order to the Ferdian knights’ captain.“…Open the gate.”“Pardon?”“He may be the Cardinal, but he’s still my son. Would my own son truly disgrace his father? Open it.”“But, my lord—”“I said open it!”The knights hesitated at the unbelievable command, but seeing that the Marquis wouldn’t take no for an answer, they reluctantly opened the iron gates.Astaire, leading the Holy Knights, entered the estate.The Ferdian knights, though obeying their lord’s command, kept their hands firmly on their sword hilts, ready to clash with the Holy Knights at any moment.However, neither Astaire nor the Holy Knights seemed threatened, their expressions calm and unbothered.Astaire, locking eyes with the Marquis’s cold glare, gave an order to Lancelot.“Escort the Marquis of Ferdian to the temple.”“My lord!”The Ferdian knights urgently looked to the Marquis, silently pleading for a countercommand.But the Marquis remained silent, glaring only at Astaire.You think I’ll yield to you?He refused to bow to his son. His pride wouldn’t allow it.If Astaire wouldn’t back down, the Marquis would see this through to the end.Would his son really have the resolve to drag his own father through the mud? Or would that soft heart of his falter and cover up his father’s crimes in the end?Either way, it would cut Astaire deeply—a double-edged sword.Ignoring Lancelot, the Holy Knights, and the worried gazes of his own knights, the Marquis stepped forward.“I’ll go on my own.”“……”“Let’s go.”Astaire turned with his father.Just then, a man appeared through the parted ranks of the Holy Knights.“Father, what is this—?!”It was Rix Ferdian, Astaire’s older brother and the eldest son of the Ferdian family.Rix, approaching his father, stopped in shock when he saw Astaire. His eyes widened before his face twisted with rage as he grasped the situation.Storming forward, Rix grabbed Astaire by the collar.“You crazy bastard… You come home after all this time, and the first thing you do is drag Father to the temple?”Lancelot moved to intervene, but Astaire raised a hand to stop him.Someone like Rix was easy enough for Astaire to handle, but he allowed Rix to have his way for the moment.“You’ve always been like this—pretending to be the good one, the righteous one.”“……”“Maybe the others don’t see it, but I know how conniving you are.”“……”“You act all noble, but deep down, you’re just a cowardly hypocrite who can’t do anything.”Isn’t that right?The mocking words pierced Astaire’s ears.Suddenly, he recalled the warmth of the hand that had held his so tightly.
“I’ll hold on tight, so you won’t fall.”And the bright, reassuring smile that came with it.His grip tightened so hard that veins bulged from his fists. The indifferent look in his eyes turned icy as he stared at Rix.“If you’re done talking, move.”Astaire grabbed Rix’s wrist and pried it off with such force that Rix winced in pain.Since when did a healer have this kind of grip…?Without a second glance, Astaire walked past Rix and out of the estate with the Marquis.I won’t fall.Because I promised.

****

“Welcome, my lady.”“Thank you for your hard work as always.”Arriving at the temple, Elsez greeted the now-familiar Holy Knights at the entrance with a cheerful smile before heading inside.Though it was morning, the temple was still quiet, with few visitors this early in the day.Elsez made her way past the sparse crowd, heading toward the library as usual.‘But… was it really okay to let Astaire go alone?’He had looked a bit unstable yesterday.Worried about Astaire, Elsez quickly shook off the thought.‘He’ll be fine. He’s strong, after all.’Lost in thought, she soon found herself near the library.Just as she was about to enter out of habit, Elsez paused mid-step.‘Wait, haven’t I already read most of the books in the library?’She hadn’t found the information she was looking for, though.Turning away from the library, Elsez walked over to a bench by the nearby pond and sat down.With time to spare before her next appointment and the weather pleasant, she decided to enjoy the breeze for a moment.‘Since I’ve finished with the temple’s library, should I head to the Mage Tower next, or dig deeper into the Demon God Resurrection Cult?’But she realized that merely investigating wouldn’t yield the information she needed.The temple would keep trying to uncover the cult’s motives and leadership, which would only make them more cautious and secretive.‘Maybe I’ll have to infiltrate them…’Just as Elsez was lost in thought, Reti peeked out from her inner pocket, glanced around, and then hopped out, pulling out a cookie packet from another pocket to sit beside her.“Human, why aren’t you going into the library?”“There’s nothing left for me there. I’ve read almost every book.”Hearing this, Reti’s eyes sparkled as he asked,
“Then you don’t have to come here anymore? And you don’t have to see that human either?”The “human” Reti referred to was Astaire.‘I think he’d be used to him by now, but I guess not…’It seemed their inherently opposing natures couldn’t be helped.“I still need to keep coming here for a while.”“W-Why? Didn’t you catch the bad guys already?”“No, this is just the beginning. We still don’t know who their leader is, or why they wanted to keep you alive.”“The leader… you mean that guy?”“That guy?”“The white one we met that day—you know, the day you wore that sparkly outfit.”Sparkly outfit? White guy?“Ah.”Puzzled by Reti’s vague description, Elsez suddenly recalled the night of the banquet at Count Lort’s mansion.She immediately remembered the man she had encountered that night.A man in a white mask… with eyes that resembled Rashiel’s.“…Right. I don’t know for sure if he’s the leader, but I need to find out who he is.”“Why don’t you know? I thought you did.”Munching on a cookie, Reti tilted his head in confusion.Elsez stared at him in surprise.“How would I know who he is?”“Isn’t he your friend?”“…What?”“The one we met when we first returned to this world.”The one we met first after returning to this world…Rashiel.Elsez’s eyes widened in shock.Reti, oblivious to her reaction, casually continued,
“He had the exact same energy as that guy.”Trying to steady her breathing, Elsez bit her lip.That night, when her fist collided with the masked man’s, she had felt it—the familiar sensation from countless training sessions with Rashiel back when she was Ruel.‘I… I suspected it.’She had simply been avoiding the possibility, hoping it wasn’t true.Desperately, Elsez asked Reti again,“Are you sure… Are you really sure it was him? Could you be mistaken?”“If it wasn’t him, no one else could have the exac—Ack!”Before Reti could finish, a hand suddenly appeared from behind the bench and grabbed him.“What’s this?”Startled, Elsez turned around to see Tezette standing there.‘When did he get here…?’Anyone else would have sensed his presence, but as assassin, Tezette was skilled at concealing his presence, leaving Elsez completely unaware.“I’ve never seen a talking doll before.”Reti froze in shock, and Elsez, caught off guard, hastily made up an excuse.“I-It’s a… a magical creature.”“Why carry a magical creature around?”Tezette stared at the rabbit doll in his hand with a blank expression.“Magical creatures should be killed.”He tightened his grip on Reti.Furious, Reti squirmed, shouting,
“You insolent human! Let go! Who do you think you’re threatening?”Though merely possessing the doll, Reti’s true power resided in Elsez, meaning destroying the doll wouldn’t kill him.‘But still…’Elsez, enhancing her speed with body reinforcement magic, struck Tezette’s hand, making him loosen his grip just long enough for her to snatch Reti away.‘I can’t just stand by and let Tezette kill Reti.’Holding Reti protectively in her arms, Elsez stepped back, glaring at Tezette warily.“Don’t you dare harm my friend.”Reti, stunned by the word “friend,” looked up at her in surprise.“…Friend? With a magical creature?”“He hasn’t hurt anyone or caused any harm.”“By the time he does, it’ll be too late.”“I won’t let that happen. Ever.”Tezette, staring silently at Elsez and the rabbit doll in her arms, gave no response. His expression remained as unreadable as ever.While the tense standoff continued, a familiar voice called out.“There you are, Duke.”Count Gale had arrived.Glancing briefly at Elsez, he dismissed her presence entirely and delivered his news to Tezette with a sly smile.“Last night, His Highness the Crown Prince identified the mastermind behind the incident.”Both Elsez and Tezette furrowed their brows at the mention of the mastermind.With a sinister grin, Count Gale continued,“He has declared the current Master of the Mage Tower, Rashiel Celeste, as the ringleader and issued a warrant for his arrest.”At the name from Count Gale’s lips, Elsez’s eyes began to tremble violently.