The Main Heroines are Trying to Kill Me
chapter-364

"..."

Aria slowly raised her head from the notebook.

- Ms. Aria? Why are you crying? Ms. Aria...!

"Ugh..."

She could hear Kadia’s panicked voice from the communication crystal in her exhausted hand.

“I-It’s…”

After staring at the crystal with a blank expression, she eventually spoke slowly.

"...It's nothing, Kadia."

She answered in a tired and unexpectedly cracked voice, unlike her usual clear and bright voice,

- W-what's wrong?

Even her close friend, Kadia, could sense something was wrong.

But Aria wasn't in a state to respond to Kadia's kindness.

"I'll hang up..."

Due to that, she cut off the communication with just one word.

- Beep, beep...

Then, Aria stared at the notebook blankly until the communication alarm that had been ringing for a while stopped going off.

"Now... what do I do?"

She murmured to herself, her eyes filled with uncertainty, and her face painted with despair.

"What should I do with this notebook..."

As she looked at the notebook, memories of what she had just experienced began to flood back.

She didn’t know how or why, but the notebook revealed the truth to her.

Roswyn, the owner of this notebook, instructed her to reveal the content to the world.

"...No."

If she had been in her previous state, Aria would have handed the notebook to the Hero Party immediately.

But, whether unfortunate or fortunate, her mind was already starting to clear a little.

"No."

Because she just realized one thing.

"I have to hide it."

The moment this notebook came out into the world, it would be a catastrophe.

"I... I have to take responsibility and hide it."

The aftermath of the revelation during her Second Ordeal had been enormous.

Most of those deeply involved with Frey, upon realizing the truth, regretted everything bitterly.

However, everything didn’t always work out.

Many didn't believe the truth, and there were even those who became enemies.

Roswyn's 'Ending Credits' were an ability designed on the assumption that Frey would win and survive.

If it were to be activated without him or in the current state where he has become the Demon King, the world would undoubtedly fall into chaos.

So, this notebook should be revealed at least after everything is over.

Perhaps decades later, in an era of peace.

During the Second Ordeal, where the truth was revealed far too early, the Empire not only failed to reconcile but also split into divisions and fell into numerous conflicts.

It was exactly as Frey had feared and written in his will.

Of course, hope had disappeared long before Frey's death.

Now, if Frey were to become the Demon King, it was a different story altogether.

"I... I have to take responsibility..."

What Aria realized was based on that fact.

"I..."

She had to become the guardian of this notebook.

This notebook, which contained the truth that could end everything, was hers to hide and manage from now on.

The 'guardian' of the truth that could swallow up the Hero Party, the Empire, and the entire world in one go.

It was her burden to carry for realizing the regretful truth and a role she was suited for.

"..."

After firming her resolution, Aria held the notebook close to her chest.

“Sniffle...”

Tears, like starlight, shimmer in the corners of her eyes, flowing down ceaselessly.

“Sob... Hikss... Sob…”

There was no point in crying.

This situation itself was something Frey had already prepared for.

Furthermore, now that she had become a guardian, she couldn't afford to be weak.

“Hwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…”

Although Aria tried to hold back her tears somehow, there was no way to stop them from flowing.

She was still young, not as mature or experienced as the Aria during the Second Ordeal, and she had built up a one-sided debt to Frey.

Moreover, she had just realized the devotion, love, and self-sacrifice that her brother Frey had been showing her all this time.

“Sob… Hik…”

No matter how inevitable it was…

As the family head, she exiled her own brother after shouting harsh words and insults at him.

After everything she did to her older brother who she admired and loved, there was no way she could find peace in her heart

"I'm sorry... Brother..."

The only thing Aria could do for her brother, who had fallen to corruption to protect herself and everyone else, was to embrace his saga, which she would now protect, and shed tears of regret.

.

.

.

.

.

"Nonsense! Does that even make sense? Are you all believing this!?"

"What's nonsense about it? Ruby, Frey, even the Princess said it was real!!!"

A while later, in the ship's restaurant...

"There's a possibility that they’re under mind control! It's all part of Frey's scheme!"

"If it's really mind control, wouldn't he just make the Hero attack us? Why go through all this trouble?"

At the center of the chaos unfolding amidst the meeting, Aria stood with a blank expression.

"I-I don't believe it! It's absurd!"

"Just admit it! We’re screwed!!"

The scene before her reminded her of the Empire from her Second Ordeal.

Although it was a miniature version compared to the vast empire, all the elements causing conflict were there.

"Frey... the Hero of Money? Then what about me? Have I... really..."

"The voice... the eye..."

"Then... wouldn't we have noticed it earlier?"

"Hurry, check it. Quickly!! Look through all the documents from ten years ago!!!"

Children on the verge of realizing or accepting the truth and falling into despair.

From Alice, who sat down on the ground, caressing the place where the mark of Curse of Subordination which suddenly disappeared was, and Aishi, who covered her ears and muttered something in a panic.

To Arianne, who just murmured blankly, and Eurelia, who urgently gave orders to her attendants via communication magic.

Those who had connections with Frey or had directly received his favor.

And also the sub-heroines were among this group.

"I... I won't believe it. Does this make any sense? There's still insufficient evidence. To trust it as it is..."

"Even if evidence comes out, I won't believe it! How many times have we been deceived..."

"C-can we even handle this situation? I, I'm not sure."

There were also those who denied or didn't believe in reality. And there were those who maintained neutrality.

Surprisingly, in the Hero Party, these groups constituted the majority.

In fact, the number seemed to be on par with those who supported Frey until the sun completely went out during the Second Ordeal.

"Yes, the situation is still uncertain. So for now, everyone calm down..."

"W-what if! What if this is all true?! Professor Vener, what then!!"

And finally, there was the smallest minority.

"I-if this is all true...?"

"T-there's a possibility it's not true either, right? We also have to consider the possibility that it's real! What will you do then...!"

"T-that's..."

After expressing her opinion for a while as part of the second group, Vener, caught off guard by the outcry, started speaking in a hasty response.

"Just think rationally."

For the first time, Vener assumed that all of this was real.

Because of this assumption, her sense of justice and beliefs had been twisted, her mind was almost broken, and she began to speak with crazed eyes.

"In the end, Frey being our... e-enemy doesn't change."

"..."

"Even if everything is true... anyway."

At Vener’s remark, the crowd instantly became quiet.

"Why... why are you looking at me like that?"

As chilly gazes pierced her, she spoke with a trembling voice.

"If everything’s true... Lord Frey would be so pitiful, wouldn't he?"

"Y-yes, it's pitiful. B-but... it's unavoidable..."

"R-right!

As Vener stopped speaking, sweating coldly, a student next to her raised her voice.

"L-Lord Frey deceived us in the end too! We're not at fault!!"

At that statement, the audience fell silent once again.

"Is that... what do you mean by that?"

"I-I understand that it’s pitiful. I feel sorry enough too! But, so what!!"

Responding to the dark tone of a female student, she cautiously started talking.

"I-Isn’ it actually disrespectful to Lord Frey to be like this now? He must have prepared himself to be hated, right?"

"..."

"So, right now, shouldn't we think about how to deal with Lord Frey?"

"Yeah. Actually, couldn't he have enjoyed it?"

"W-what are you talking about! That's not what I meant!"

However, some students, hesitant at first, started making strange remarks after picking up on that student's words.

"Y-yeah. Isn't his wickedness still evil? We're ultimately victims too!!"

"This guy's talking nonsense...!"

"W-What the hell! Am I wrong!!"

"Who was the one who sacrificed his soul to regress! Who saved everyone during the Erosion Incident! Who was the one who stopped the enslavement of students and provided free education a year ago!”

"W-who asked him to... Geuhh!!"

Eventually, the argument that ensued from there escalated to the point of exchanging blows.

Because the thoughts and opinions of those who had not directly received Frey's favor and connection were varied, this happened.

"... Sniffle, uh..."

In the midst of the chaos, Aria began to tremble, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Uhhhh...."

As she was still young, it was an unbearable situation for her.

"Uwaaaaaa!!!!"

- Boom!!!

Thanks to Aria, who eventually exploded and violently slammed the table, a powerful starlight shot out in all directions.

- Bzzzzz...

Fortunately, no one was injured.

Her mana, possessing the nature of 'protection,' was specialized in identifying her allies from her enemies.

"STOP ITTTTTTT..."

However, Aria's mental state had already collapsed.

She had just experienced something that had completely shattered her mental strength.

Even though it was a miniature version, she had experienced what would happen when the truth was revealed to the world without Frey.

"Stop..."

Still, her outburst and the subsequent desperate plea were enough to stop the fight and silence everyone.

"..."

Thus, silence reigned.

"Let's go back to the fundamental discussion."

In the midst of that silence, someone brought up the conversation, and everyone's attention focused in one direction.

"There is the simplest solution, is there not?"

It was the Youngest Paladin, Light.

"We just have to confront Frey, who became the Demon King."

As she calmly spoke, everyone's expressions stiffened.

"Kill him...?"

Instead of Aria and the sub-heroines who couldn't bring themselves to speak, a trembling student asked.

"If there's no other way, then that's what we'll have to do, but what if there's a better way?"

"What...?"

"We need to restore him to his original state."

As her words ended, silence began to spread through the room once again.

"If all of this is true, wasn't Lord Frey until a few days ago a good hero trying to save us all?"

Taking advantage of the silence, Light looked around at everyone and began her speech.

"Do you really think it's right to just feel sorry for such a person and mercilessly kill him? Seriously? Do you think you can live your whole life without guilt after doing such a thing as a member of the Hero Party?"

"..."

"If you can live like that, then you must be extremely selfish."

At her acerbic words, the radicals who had just raised their voices began to break out in cold sweat.

"If he's only recently corrupted, there might still be a way. So, for now..."

"Haha, haha."

"...?"

Light, who had been energetically expressing her opinion, suddenly stopped speaking at the sound of echoing laughter.

"Haha... Hahaha..."

As Aria stood up from her seat, she was pale yet there was a smile on her face.

"Yes, that's... that's a solution, isn't it?"

"Um, excuse me... Ms. Aria? There's still no solution. It's just an assumption..."

"There is a solution!!"

Excitedly ignoring the calls of the others, Aria, with a beaming smile, walked away.

"Ms. Aria? Where are you going?"

"M-my brother is not dead. He just got corrupted for a moment. There's still hope."

"Ms. Aria!?"

"W-We just have to find him and beg like crazy. If we beg a hundred or a thousand times, there's a chance."

Despite the calls from the others, Aria left the restaurant.

"There's still a chance..."

Her dazed smile seemed somewhat dangerous.

"...If it's true, then what should we do?"

The children who were whispering while watching the scene soon turned their heads quietly.

"W-What if this is all true...?"

Vener, who had been pondering since her earlier statement, was now gnawing at her nails with a confused expression.

"W-What about me? W-what should I do?"

"Ms. Vener, your hand is bleeding..."

"I-I'll go... to the restroom."

As Vener finally spoke and left the restaurant with a pale expression, the atmosphere became even heavier.

"Um... We’re in big trouble."

The heavy atmosphere was broken when a pigeon flew in through the window. A student took the outstretched newspaper and showed the headline to everyone with a sickly pallor.

[Demon King Frey: Declaration of War on the Empire]

[The Imperial Princess, the Duke of Moonlight, the Saintess, and other key figures, betray the Empire.]

Everyone's faces began to pale at the shocking headline adorning the front page of the Imperial newspaper.

[Second Princess, Limia, plans grand celebration party for the return of the Hero Party]

[Special benefits for first-year academy students. Enactment of special law for the selection of Hero Party]

[The Hero Ruby finally facing a full-scale battle? Rumors of qualifications being questioned, will it finally be refuted]

As they slowly read through all the contents, the eyes of the children began to waver one by one.

"This is..."

"W-what do we do now...?"

"..."

The burden of truth was not only on Aria alone.

As the ship sailed on, the entire Hero Party would soon face hell.

.

.

.

.

.

"..."

Meanwhile, in Ruby's room.

"...She’s coming."

Suddenly waking up from sleep, Ruby, who had been curled up with her face buried in her knees, muttered in a fearful voice.

"Aria..."

Frey's blood relative. The child she had used as a means to attack Frey until just recently.

"If I could turn back time, I'd want to..."

Now that her mind was clear, Ruby couldn't understand why she had behaved so disgustingly.

"...Will she kill me?"

Ruby, with soulless eyes, murmured in a melancholic voice.

"If it's her, maybe she won't kill me."

Aria was certainly consumed by anger towards her.

Perhaps Aria was heading to Ruby's room right now to condemn her.

But without the Hero’s Armament, she couldn't die.

For now, she would endure until Aria calmed down, and when they could communicate, maybe she would tell her how to kill her.

No, was that really the right thing to do?

Wouldn't it be a more fitting punishment for her to remain forever in a world without Frey by her side and live with endless regret?

- Creakk...

As she pondered such dilemmas, the door opened, and slowly rising from the bed, Ruby knelt on the floor.

"..."

As expected, Aria stood at the door. Naturally, her expression was chillingly cold.

- Rustle...

Confirming Aria's presence, Ruby crawled silently to her, kneeling in front of her without a word.

- Thud...

Approaching Aria's feet, Ruby quietly placed her head on top of them.

Unbeknownst to her, the subservient attitude when she was beaten up by Frey was already ingrained within her. And now, she was doing it inadvertently towards his sister, Frey’s own flesh and blood

"...Uuh."

Afterward, Ruby closed her eyes tightly, silently waiting for the pain that would inevitably come.

Her stomach belonged solely to Frey. But perhaps it would be better to be hit on the face or legs instead? Such thoughts crossed her mind as she waited.

"Ruby."

"...?"

"Ruby?"

"Y-yes?"

However, after a while, what came was not the expected violence, but Aria's affectionate voice.

"Why are you like this? Get up."

"Uh, um?"

Taking Ruby's hands, Aria smiled gently and helped her up.

"Why are you like this?"

"Um, well..."

Ruby, whose mind was overwhelmed by the unexpected situation, checked Aria's expression once again and remained silent.

"...Are we still friends?"

With a sickly pallor, Aria wore a broken smile.

It was a terrifying expression that didn't suit her young age.

"Uh, well..."

"We're still friends, right? Right, Ruby?"

In response to Aria's continued questioning with an eerie expression, Ruby nodded her head involuntarily.

"Hehe, I knew it..."

"Huh..."

"Ruby, you're still my best friend!"

With that, Aria hugged Ruby tightly and began to nuzzle her cheeks affectionately.

"What on earth..."

"So, here's the thing, I have a favor to ask my friend."

As Aria continued with her requests while hugging Ruby tightly, Ruby, who was sweating profusely, began to wear a blank expression.

"Please save my brother."

"Huh...?"

"My brother hasn't been corrupted for long. If we save him now, we might be able to turn him back!"

Slapping her hands together, Aria spoke with excitement, then she grabbed onto Ruby's sleeve with sparkling eyes.

"You'll help us, right? Without you, we can't even approach him, let alone confront him."

"..."

"So... just until we save my brother, please... be the Hero... Please..."

Aria was on the brink of breaking down.

"Um, uh..."

"Got it?"

And her demeanor instilled a chilling terror in Ruby.

"N-no, that's not..."

"Hehe, thanks!"

Looking at Aria clinging to her like a little sister, Ruby closed her eyes tightly and whispered to herself.

Frey... has already been reset...

His personality and soul had been reset long ago.

"...Uuh."

"Hehehe."

What would happen if she found out the truth?

As Ruby gazed at Aria, who was looking at her with futile hope, her expression began to crumble.

This is too... terrible...

"I-I'll make you salmon sandwiches! Ruby! Let's eat salmon sandwiches together!"

I want to undo everything...

Even in such a situation, Ruby unconsciously muttered those words.