I’m Not the Heroine

Two days had passed since I’d been removed from the hero party.
“…”

It would be a lie to say I didn’t feel an empty void. I sat idly on my bed, staring out the window.
Whereas the mining town of Lacre had been filled with shades of gray, everything here was draped in white. The snow-covered town below sparkled, reflecting the early dawn.
The night’s lights faded as the sun took their place. People exhaled little clouds of breath as they left their homes, each heading to their own tasks.

Watching a city come to life was endlessly captivating. But that was all.
Here I sat, unable to do anything.
‘If only I could at least use magic…’

I would’ve buried myself in research, using it to forget the ache of missing the hero party. But it seemed my master had taken both the master key and my pen, as I couldn’t summon either.
‘Is this… really the end?’
To be honest, I didn’t want it to end like this. Initially, I’d joined the hero party to gain access to rare materials for my magic research.

But now… now, the party itself mattered more to me than any materials.
I wanted nothing more than to return to Lacre and reunite with everyone.
I wanted to see Aria’s gentle smile.
I wanted to witness Sereline’s steadfast courage.
I missed the way Lafiré would laugh, brimming with playful mischief.
And I longed to hear Nia asking me for praise and leaning on me.

And…
…I wanted to see Aswell.
I couldn’t quite understand why.

‘Do I really?’
Did I truly not know the reason?
When I encountered “that” while using *Infinity Atelier,* I felt all the information around Lacre pouring into my mind.
Among that torrent of information were emotions belonging to the hero party.

The feeling Aswell held while looking at me, unconscious and vulnerable.
It was faint, almost fleeting, yet overwhelmingly intense and warm.
When did it begin? I could feel my own hidden emotions resonating with his.
“…Aswell.”

This was bad.
The more I thought about him, the harder it became to control my mind. Without my permission, I began probing into the depths of my heart, unearthing emotions I had tried so hard to bury.
I couldn’t stop it.

I tried pressing my hands to my chest, but my racing heart and thoughts were like an unstoppable storm.
‘Aswell, I…’
Was he really just a hero to me?

At that moment, the door opened.
“Louis.”
“…Kunder.”

Kunder Stormblast.
The son of my master, and the dragon I’d once shared my days of magical training with.
Wearing his usual cold expression, Kunder spoke curtly.

“My mother has summoned you.”
* * *
With Kunder’s assistance, I arrived at the ice fortress located beyond the mansion, on the mountainside. This was the very place I’d struggled to reach after I first found myself in this world. It was just as breathtaking as ever.

“Come in, Louis.”
“Master.”
And there she was—El Stormblast, my master—seated on a chair, its icy frame glistening with white frost.

*Rumble…*
The lightning around Kunder crackled as he vanished, leaving the vast chamber with just my master and me.
But I was used to this kind of solitude with her. It didn’t feel awkward at all.

“If you want to sit on my lap like in the old days, feel free.”
“…I’m fine, Master.”
The thought tempted me briefly, but I resisted and instead waited for her to speak.

“Louis.”
“Yes?”
“You know you cannot return to the hero party from now on.”

“…”
I’d somewhat expected it, considering Kunder was the one who had brought me here. My master might not have known the full details of the original storyline, but she certainly understood that Mercadia’s descent shouldn’t have occurred yet.
And since I’d gone as far as using my magic to stop Mercadia, it made sense that even I might be reluctant to return.

But hearing it from my master directly still made my heart sink.
“Do you know why?”
“…Because I used my unique magic.”

It made sense that my master would think that using my unique magic was the issue, not necessarily Mercadia’s descent itself.
“No, there’s a more important reason. It’s because of Mercadia’s descent.”
“…What?”

Wait.
For a moment, I struggled to process her words. Did she mean that *I* was responsible for summoning Mercadia?
“I doubt you would have known this. If you had, you wouldn’t have joined the hero party in the first place.”

“Master, what do you mean…?”
“Louis, there is a principle in this world called the ‘fate of the hero and the demon king.’”
I could only listen in silence.

This wasn’t something mentioned in the original story.
* * *
The fate of the hero and the demon king.

“It all began with the first battle.”
The first hero and the first demon king.
Their battle predated even the birth of the ancient dragons.

“No one knows how much time has passed or how many heroes and demon kings have risen since then. Even for me, this is the first time witnessing a hero.”
El Stormblast, a dragon nearing a thousand years of age, had never seen a hero before.
“There is a gap in records and knowledge. The only remaining connection to the last hero is the church’s ‘prophecy.’ We have no choice but to rely on it.”

And within that prophecy, there was a certain passage.
[As light grows stronger, so too does the darkness. As flames rise, so rises the smoke. Beside the infinite radiance, lies the infinite shadow. Beware of it.]
“The ‘light’ refers to the hero party, while the ‘darkness’ refers to the demon king’s forces. There have been various interpretations, but Louie, you’ve proven this passage correct.”

“…”
“The Blood Iron Duke Mercadia. She’s an entity that has only been glimpsed in rare sightings and documented reports from ages when no demon king existed. Such transcendent beings cannot easily cross worlds.”
Just as a large ship cannot dock at a small harbor, or a giant plane cannot land on a short runway, beings of transcendent ‘rank’ cannot interfere with each other’s worlds.

“Except, when fate applies.”
But when the hero party and demon king forces become entangled, it’s different.
“So, does that mean… what happened in Alpares and Lacre…”

“Was because you joined the party.”
Unlike the original storyline, my presence in the hero party had caused these events to escalate.
It wasn’t just one Dusk Fortress that appeared—dozens of them materialized.
Instead of just Rastok, Mercadia herself had descended, along with her creature, Beheiraza.

Because *I* had joined the hero party.
[As the darkness deepens, the light does not emerge, but as the light emerges, so too does the darkness.]
Another passage from the prophecy.

And this unjust principle applied solely to the hero party.
The demon king’s forces didn’t grow stronger when the hero party’s power increased, nor could the hero party simply be strengthened by adding a powerful individual. However, the moment a transcendent force joined the hero party, the demon king’s forces gained the “justification” to manifest equivalent threats in this world.
‘What kind of rule…’

As I listened, my vision blurred.
If that was true, innocent people could have been hurt or even killed because of me.
The hero party had to endure hardship because of me.
‘Because of me.’

“But we still don’t know if this principle applies to the hero and demon king directly. But Louis, do you understand now why I had Kunder bring you here?”
“Yes…”
“From now on, I will search with you for a way to reverse this ‘fate.’ We must protect your former companions from greater danger.”

With that, my master snapped her fingers.
“Kunder.”
“Yes, Mother.”

“Bring Louis’s belongings to this place.”
From that day on, I couldn’t leave the ice fortress.
It wasn’t imprisonment.

My master said I could leave if I wished, whether to the mansion or the Stormblast territory. But I chose of my own accord to stay confined in the fortress.
I spent most of my time researching magic with my master or interpreting the passages of the prophecy.
After about a week had passed…

“Louis. Eat.”
Kunder had brought me some food, but I didn’t feel like eating.
“…Master is waiting. I don’t have time to eat…”

I tried to walk past him, but Kunder grabbed my arm, stopping me.
“I’ve already told her. Besides, you need to be in good health to continue your studies. Now, eat.”
Why was he being so persistent?

For the first time, I felt anger rising within me toward Kunder. I hadn’t felt this way often since coming to this world, but now a boiling sensation surged inside me.
“Kunder, who do you think you are to…!”
“Louis!!!”

*Bang!*
At that moment, someone burst through the doors of the ice fortress, calling my name.
I turned and saw a familiar face.

“Lati…?”
A woman with striking red hair, tears streaming down her face, was rushing toward me.
“Oh, just look at you… you’re so thin… practically wasting away…”

“Mmph… hey…”
“Kunder!! Why didn’t you tell me Louis was here?!”
“Lati, I didn’t want to bother you.”

“Then start acting like a proper brother! You’re always asking me, ‘How can I be a better brother?’ but when it comes to Louis,
 you act like this?”
“…”

“Maybe I should just call off the engagement and live with Louis instead!”
“F-fine, I’m sorry.”
“Louis! Don’t worry now that I’m here! I’ll make sure to take care of you better than this good-for-nothing husband!”

“N-no, that’s… hey…”
As confusing as I felt emotionally and physically, her sudden arrival made it all a blur.
The woman who was now squeezing me like dough and laughing was Lati Stormblast.

She was Kunder’s wife, a member of the Inferno Blaze Dragon clan that ruled the volcanic region near the empire.
And during my time in Stormblast, she was the one who had shown me the most affection.