* * *
[All members of Luna guild are to return to the capital immediately.]
The message conveyed in the scroll disintegrated into dust in midair.
If my eyes weren’t deceiving me, the seal at the end of the message unmistakably belonged to the temple.
Layla, her face lit up with excitement, spoke eagerly.
“It’s certain. They’re preparing for a title ceremony.”
“A title ceremony?”
“Yes. It’s a highly prestigious event where you’re officially granted the title of a hero. Jerome, you must have experienced it before, haven’t you?”
Both Layla and I turned our gaze to Jerome.
As someone who had once been the empire’s hero, it was only natural to assume Jerome had gone through such a ceremony.
Under our expectant stares, Jerome chuckled awkwardly and shrugged nonchalantly.
“Yeah, I did. But I lost it.”
“You lost it?”
“Being a hero isn’t just a title. It grants authority over investigations, and in wartime, it serves as a strategic advisory role with the strongest voice. That’s why you have to prove your achievements every year.”
Setting down his teacup, Jerome added, “And if you can’t prove them, you lose the title, just like I did.” My hesitance must have shown on my face, as Layla spoke firmly.
“But in the empire, a hero’s status is absolute. Even political figures wouldn’t dare touch them. There’s even a superstition that a family will be cursed for three generations if they put a hero on trial.”
“……”
“Someday, that title will protect you, Jeanne.”
Jeanne, who had been treated like a burden since I found myself in this novel, now being hailed as the empire’s hero—it felt strangely sentimental.
Memories of everything that had happened so far flashed through my mind like a reel.
Clenching my fist tightly on my lap, I lowered my head and murmured with a mix of relief and disbelief.
“Well… I suppose the odds of me being executed have gone down just a little.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
Jerome moved to the window, pulling the curtain aside slightly. His lips curled into a sly smile.
“Looks like the rumors about the new hero are already spreading.”
He gestured for us to come closer.
Pulled along by Layla, I found myself at the window.
When the curtain was fully drawn back, I saw a massive crowd gathered outside the inn.
“Now everyone’s going to love you.”
“……”
“You’ve gained public sentiment—a weapon more powerful than any sword.”
I silently stared at Jerome, who didn’t seem particularly happy despite his words.
Public sentiment, stronger than a sword.
A fickle weapon that could one day cut me down.
Yet for now, it felt as if I’d gained an army at my back, filling me with a cautious sense of hope.
Perhaps, just maybe, I could survive in this novel with Jerome by my side.
If things continued like this, I might even be able to reach a happy ending—one far from the original story.
‘Alright. Let’s try again.’
Just as I was steeling my resolve, there was a knock at the door.
The moment I called out to come in, knights clad in the temple’s armor flooded into the room.
Their stern gazes bore into me, making me instinctively step back.
The commander at the front knelt on one knee, and the other knights followed suit, bowing their heads.
Watching the temple’s proud knights kneel was such a rare sight that I couldn’t help but gape.
The commander spoke in a gentle voice that reached my ears clearly.
“We’ve come to escort you to the capital, Lady Jeanne.”
As I left the inn under the knights’ protection, the southern citizens had filled the square to the brim.
Ships docked at the harbor blared their horns in unison, as if joining the celebration.
The deafening cheers and the blaring horns were overwhelming.
Unlike Jerome, who seemed accustomed to such attention, I felt utterly out of my depth.
Glancing back at me, Jerome grabbed my wrist and pulled me forward.
“Just keep walking straight. Ignore everything around you.”
People clamored from all sides, begging for a handshake, but Jerome pushed me forward, urging me to move faster.
Following his advice, I focused solely on walking straight ahead, ignoring the chaos.
That’s when someone suddenly burst through the crowd.
Jerome quickly shielded me with his arm.
“Ah….”
The figure that stumbled out was a young boy, barely tall enough to reach my thigh.
He fell forward with a groan but froze when his eyes met mine.
Trembling, he bowed deeply.
“M-My deepest respects to the empire’s h-hero.”
Despite his formal words, his voice trembled uncontrollably.
The boy’s face flushed red as he abruptly held out a flower to me.
Unfortunately, the flower’s stem was bent, likely from his fall.
Jerome, unimpressed, grabbed my shoulder, urging me to move on.
Ignoring him, I knelt down to meet the boy’s gaze.
I had initially planned to simply thank him and take the flower, but the boy, wide-eyed, reached out and tucked the flower behind my ear.
For a brief moment, I thought, ‘This kid has potential.’
To ease his embarrassment, I put on a playful grin.
“How does it look? Does it suit me?”
Joy flashed in the boy’s eyes as he stammered out a response.
“Y-Yes, you look beautiful. Your eyes are like jewels….”
“Thanks for the flower. I’ll treasure it.”
In truth, compliments about my appearance weren’t entirely welcome.
Jeanne’s beauty had been the cause of more than a few misfortunes in the past, leaving me wary.
But I didn’t want to sour the boy’s gesture, so I simply smiled softly.
As the boy tentatively reached toward my face again, Jerome swiftly scooped him up with one arm and flicked his nose gently.
“You can’t just touch someone because they’re pretty. Even I handle them with care.”
The boy nodded earnestly at Jerome’s words.
I glared at him and jabbed his side with my elbow.
He really didn’t hold back with his comments, even to kids.
Soon, the boy’s parents pushed through the crowd, bowing repeatedly in apology.
“I’m so sorry. He’s still young and doesn’t know better….”
The boy, now cradled in his parents’ arms, seemed despondent.
Jerome, who had been glaring at the parents moments ago, suddenly flashed a dazzling smile.
Waving goodbye, the boy disappeared into the crowd.
Once inside the carriage, Jerome leaned back with a sinister smirk.
“A kid that bold, offering flowers before introductions… He’s no ordinary brat.”
“……”
“Those types grow up and come asking to marry you one day.”
“That’s not going to happen, so don’t even think about doing anything to him.”
Jerome responded with a cheeky grin, and I turned away, uneasy.
The crowd’s eyes were filled with expectation.
Not long ago, they’d cursed me as a disaster, and now they hailed me as a hero.
I was beginning to understand why Jerome disliked the masses so much.
Expressionless, I drew the curtain shut.
“Jerome, we’re not going to die.”
“……”
“Someday, we’ll return here alive—to enjoy this place as a retreat.”
Up until now, I’d been looking for a way to exit this novel alone.
But now, I was determined to find a way for both Jerome and me to survive.
Looking down at me, Jerome’s gaze momentarily showed surprise.
After a long pause, he smiled faintly and replied.
“Yeah. And Chloe, too.”
The pocket watch around my neck ticked as the hands moved forward.
I wanted to change the future.
A future where Jerome and I survived to see a happy ending.
✽ ✽ ✽
“Lady Lilith, forgive my impertinence, but Lord Luke has declined your request for an audience.”
The head maid of the Burney household bowed her head respectfully.
Lilith, who had been gazing at her with a cold glare, suddenly curved her lips into a sly smile.
“He must be busy. Very well, I understand.”
It was already the third rejection. Lilith knew.
Whatever the reason, Luke was trying to slip away from her plans.
Holding a parasol, Lilith strolled through the shade, muttering to herself.
“Foolish human. In the end, it must be that your resolve has wavered.”
Biting her lower lip in frustration, Lilith’s expression darkened.
A demon of jealousy and lust, Lilith had always sown discord by preying on human envy.
She had been certain that Luke was ensnared in her trap.
Yet for weeks, Luke had been skillfully avoiding him, hesitating to carry out the plan to eliminate Jeanne.
A sudden flutter drew her attention.
An owl perched on a nearby branch.
“The heretical corruption of the second sacred beast has failed, just like the first,” it reported.
“……”
“What are your orders?”
The owl, a loyal servant of Lilith, gleamed with crimson eyes as it spoke.
Lilith hesitated briefly before adjusting her parasol and continuing to walk.
“Orders? Since I failed to persuade Jerome, I’ll have to force open the Gate between worlds.”
Who would have thought Jerome, the one who sealed Mephisto within himself, would fall in love with someone?
And all because of that Sacre woman, Jeanne.
Lilith’s schemes had been completely derailed.
Deep in thought, Lilith murmured, “The World Trees, one in each dimension, serve as gateways between worlds. If we cut down the World Tree…”
“The Gate will open,” the owl finished.
“Yes, it’s a last resort, but I have no choice. If I fail to open the Gate, it would be an insult to my siblings who died in vain.”
For a fleeting moment, sadness crossed Lilith’s eyes.
She knew that opening the Gate would mean her own death as well, but if it meant avenging her siblings, so be it.
The owl, observing the situation, spoke again.
“There are rumors of a colossal World Tree in the East. However, the fairies guarding it are infamous for their ferocity. Cutting it down won’t be easy.”
“Ferocious or not, they’re still just fairies. Good. This might be the final battle.”
Lilith folded her parasol and climbed into the carriage.
Her form began to shift into something unearthly as the carriage rolled into the bustling marketplace.
It came to a brief halt, caught in the flow of the crowd.
Lilith, peeking through the curtain, fixated on a figure outside.
Karen, jostled by passersby, was crouching to pick up a dropped assignment.
Her face bore a hint of melancholy.
Watching her, Lilith’s lips curled into a twisted smile as she murmured,
“The final battle to crush that Sacre woman begins now.”
* * *
Okkkk
Jinnie be careful
Thanks for translation
Why