Chapter 02
The plan went surprisingly smoothly.
First, I became friends with the heroine. Unlike Philion, she was genuinely kind, so it wasn’t difficult at all.
“Master told me so much about you! He said you’re an incredible mage…”
“Erian. We shouldn’t tell lies.”
“B-But it’s trueee…”
Later, I handed Count Volks the research materials he’d wanted.
By that point, every other mage had already submitted theirs. If I alone refused, it would only make me look suspicious.
Maybe because of that, the Count summoned me to the family estate a few times afterward. But he never once realized I had an ulterior motive.
There was no need to lie to anyone else.
Fiona had long since given up on me and returned to the family in disappointment. The Volks mages in the Magic Tower avoided me, and the other mages also kept their distance, wary of both Volks and Dylaik.
The nicknames people called me were no different from the original story.
The Eternal Runner-Up.
The Family’s Disgrace.
Volks’ Failed Creation.
But that’ll all be over soon.
I had forged the perfect fake identity and secured an escape route. No one paid attention to me anymore.
Philion never came looking for me, either.
Erian doesn’t really show it… but she’s probably busy falling in love with the heroine, just like in the original novel.
Then, about three months after the heroine entered the Magic Towerā
A joint mission was assigned to the three of us.
The heroine.
Philion.
And me.
The timing matched the original story exactly.
Just like the novel, we were sent to investigate monsters appearing inside ancient ruins.
The day we arrived, I provoked Philion exactly as Raiel had in the original.
I challenged him to a contest over who could kill more monsters.
The result was exactly the same.
“I told you, Raiel. You’ll never beat me.”
But the part where the heroine and I fell into a trap…
That was entirely my doing.
The ancient mechanism hidden within the ruins was intricate enough that even Philion noticed it too late.
Thanks to that, I was finally left alone with the heroine.
Without Philion.
Just the two of us.
By now, Philion has probably run into the assassins Count Volks sent.
In the original story, I lured Philion to where the assassins were waiting, took the heroine hostage, and threatened him.
This entire mission had been one enormous trap Count Volks prepared to kill Philion.
And during that confrontation…
Philion killed me.
One clean slash.
After Philion returned aliveāhaving killed both the assassins and meāCount Volks concluded that reviving the Demon King was his only remaining option.
To twist that original ending…
I led the heroine into the dark cavern beneath the ruins.
After spending three months growing close to me, she followed without the slightest suspicion.
How long had we walked?
Suddenlyā
A strange sound echoed through the cave.
The heroine flinched as enormous monsters emerged one after another from the tunnels.
“L-Lady Raiel…! Th-Those are…!”
Every single one of them…
…was an illusion I had created.
“W-What in the world are those…?”
“Are they… demons?”
“W-Why are demons here?! Kyaaah!”
“Erian! Get back!”
The collapsing boulders.
The earthquake shaking the cavern.
The horrifying screams.
All of it…
My magic.
This was why I had separated Philion from us.
If he’d been here, he would’ve seen through my little performance immediately.
I shoved Erian away and shouted,
“Run!”
“We have to escape together!”
“I have to hold them off! We can’t let these demons reach the surface!”
“B-But…”
“And… this is my fault too.”
“…Your fault?”
“This place… was where Count Volks conducted experiments to summon the Demon King.”
“What?!”
“I followed his orders.”
“I lured Philion here… so he could be killed.”
Erian froze in utter shock.
“I’m sorry for telling you so late.”
“Lady Raiel…”
“Those monsters are probably remnants of the summoning ritual. If the Demon King is successfully summoned…”
“…far stronger demons will cross into this world.”
I forced a sorrowful smile.
“Please stop Count Volks.”
Silence.
“Everything he’s done…”
“…I’ve documented it in my laboratory at the Magic Tower.”
“Use it.”
At one point, I’d considered exposing all the evidence earlier.
But I’d given up.
Philion would never have believed me.
He’d always dismissed everything I said.
But…
He would believe Erian.
Smiling bitterly, I whispered,
“I’m counting on you, Erian.”
Without waiting for her answer, I charged toward the monsters.
BOOM!
The ceiling collapsed again.
A massive wall of stone separated us.
“Lady Raiel!!”
Everything…
Exactly according to plan.
Heh. My acting was incredible.
I continued casting spells to leave convincing traces of a fierce battle.
There was no need to create demon corpses.
Demons originated from another realm.
The moment they died, they dissolved into smoke.
Humans consumed by demons disappeared the same way.
Still… if there are no traces at all, people will get suspicious…
I tore apart the cloak I’d worn and scattered the scraps everywhere.
I also spread around the blood I’d been collecting over the past three months, along with several handfuls of my own hair.
That should do it.
After creating a scene so horrific that anyone who saw it would imagine only the worst…
I quietly made my way back to the surface.
I’d treated these ruins like my own home over the past three months for this operation.
I knew every path by heart.
Finding Philion and the heroine didn’t take long.
They were too far away to see clearly without opera glasses…
But I could hear them perfectly.
“Master… Lady Raiel… the demons…”
“…She protected me…”
The heroine had collapsed onto the ground.
She was sobbing uncontrollably.
I almost felt guilty for deceiving her.
“It’s all my fault…”
“If… if I’d just been stronger…”
“Maybe I could’ve saved her…”
And Philion…
He’s making the exact same face as always.
No.
More accurately…
It was the expressionless face he’d worn years ago.
Lately…
Whenever he saw me…
He’d always smiled for no reason.
Well…
Whatever.
Your reaction’s so flat it’s honestly kind of disappointing.
Then again…
To him, I was nothing more than Count Volks’ daughter.
Not even a thorn in his side.
Just another stone lying beside the road.
Just like in the original story.
Still…
It didn’t matter.
I’M FINALLY FREE!!!
I tap-danced my way out of the ruins.
Just as planned, I left the Empire.
To make sure I would never run into anyone from my past…
I crossed over to the Eastern Continent.
Five Years Later
When I finally returned to the Empire after so long…
Hardly anything had changed.
“Thank you for traveling with us! We wish you a pleasant journey!”
Listening to the crew’s cheerful farewells, I slowly stepped off the ship.
It’s been a while since I heard the Western Continent’s common language.
The reason I’d returned after five years…
As always…
Money.
When I first arrived in the East, I became a mercenary.
There weren’t many mages there, so work was plentiful.
Using the money and connections I’d built up, I eventually opened a magic potion shop.
Business was booming.
At least…
Until a year and a half ago.
A sudden earthquake reduced the entire building to rubble.
Every potion.
Every ingredient.
Destroyed.
To make matters worse, even the safe had been smashed open, and all my savings disappeared with it.
Unable to fulfill my supply contracts, I was forced to pay enormous penalties.
In the end…
I had no choice but to become a mercenary again.
Which led me to this assignment.
“Mr. Rex Emil?”
I rubbed my temples at the unpleasant memories when an unfamiliar voice called out.
A tall young man approached, removing his cap before giving me a polite bow.
“My name is Brandon from Asel Labor Agency. You requested luggage transport to your inn, correct?”
“Ah, yes! That’s right. Nice to meet you. I’m Rex Emil.”
After shaking my hand, Brandon smiled.
“Your Western is excellent.”
“My parents were originally from the Western Continent, so they taught me. But I’ve lived in the East my whole life, so this is actually my first visit here.”
“Then I have an important responsibility.”
“I’ll make sure to guide you safely.”
“Thank you.”
After telling yet another lie that now came as naturally as breathing…
I followed Brandon through the city.
Looking around…
I didn’t feel particularly nostalgic.
There was a faint sense of familiarity…
But honestly…
Most of my memories here weren’t exactly pleasant.
Besides…
Everything looked exactly the same as before I leftā
I stopped walking.
No.
One thing…
Was different.
Pointing toward an enormous bronze statue standing in the central plaza, I asked,
“What’s that?”
The statue depicted a long-haired woman in robes holding a staff.
The classic image of a mage.
“It looks like she’s fighting some monster that came out of the sea.”
“Ah, that statue.”
“I studied a fair amount of history, but I have no idea who she is.”
“That’s understandable.”
“It was only erected three years ago.”
“History books exported to the Eastern Continent probably don’t mention her yet.”
“I see.”
“Whew… Those were truly chaotic times.”
“When I heard the Demon King was almost summoned, I nearly fainted.”
I nodded absentmindedly.
Then…
Froze.
“Hard to believe, isn’t it?”
“But it’s absolutely true.”
“The Magic Tower officially announced everything.”
“…”
“What’s even more shocking…”
“…is that the one who attempted the summoning was none other than Count Volks.”
“The very same hero who stopped the Second Great Monster Stampede.”
I hadn’t expected to hear this the moment I returned to the Empire.
“…What happened to the Count?”
“The Magic Tower arrested him before the Demon King could be summoned.”
“Thank goodness, don’t you think?”
Ah…
So everything ended well.
I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Looks like the story concluded just like the original.
“And that’s why they built that statue.”
…
Wait.
Was there a statue in the original?
“Without that mage, none of it would’ve been possible.”
“That mage’s name is…”
Fortunately, Brandon seemed eager to explain.
Following his words, I made my own guess.
The mage responsible for saving everything.
Surely it had to be…
“Erian…”
“Lady Raiel Volks!!“
My jaw dropped.
