How to Save a Time-Limited Heroine

Talking about the story from the past.

Three years ago, the capital was hell. No, not just the capital—wherever you went on this continent, it was a living hell, a nightmare.

Why wouldn’t it be? At that time, the climax of [Evil Lore] played by Deltain was unfolding on this land, the .

“As you all know, the threat of demons is insidious. And it is cruel.”

Demons infiltrate humans.

A demon disguised as a child killed its parents, a demon disguised as a lover murdered its spouse, a demon disguised as a knight assassinated its lord, and a demon disguised as a noble burned the territory’s people to death.

The Demon King, Demon of Chaos Hermanisis, made the emperor commit suicide during that period.

“I still remember the death of His Majesty the late Emperor. I do not wish for such a thing to be repeated.”

It was a horrifying death.

The late emperor was impaled from the anus to the crown of his head on the flagpole at the highest spire of the capital and left hanging for seven days and nights. The blood that dripped from his body stained the spire red, filling countless people with despair and terror.

Thus, the words Ishmark now uttered were shocking.

He was bringing up the events of that day, which everyone feared to even think about, let alone speak of.

And he was trying to use it to his advantage.

‘There will be backlash.’

Just as Deltain thought this, Marquis Grovin raised his hand.

Ishmark nodded.

“Yes, Marquis Grovin. Speak.”

“Your Majesty, may I dare ask your true intentions?”

The expression on Marquis Grovin’s face was calm, but his tone was remarkably aggressive.

Yet, it wasn’t just aggression.

He was a seasoned veteran of the political arena.

He reacted this way because he knew all too well that the words about to be spoken were aimed at him.

“As you have heard. As the Emperor of this empire, I want to be prepared for any possible threat.”

“Does that mean…”

“Starting tomorrow, we will strengthen the security of the capital. We will find out everything that happens in the capital to prevent any possible threat from demons.”

At that moment, a crack appeared in Marquis Grovin’s poker face.

Deltain let out a small scoff.

‘Ah, so that’s how you want to play it.’

In truth, Ishmark wasn’t worried about demons at all.

He had only one goal, to use the army to catch Marquis Grovin and the small faction of nobles who had organized a rebellion.

He intended to track the flow of funds secretly moving among the nobles and use that to corner Marquis Grovin.

‘I didn’t expect Ishmark to know about that.’

Deltain had also learned of the rebellion by chance.

Gerhart, the overly cautious butler, had accidentally uncovered it while tracing the origin of a gift sent by Marquis Grovin.

Since Gerhart wouldn’t have spread this information without permission, it was clear that the imperial family had discovered the rebellion on their own.

This was quite satisfying for Deltain.

‘The imperial family’s information network is useful. It will also help in acquiring resources.’

There were plenty of places that would provide information without him having to lift a finger.

Deltain finally felt a sense of fulfillment in having catered to the emperor’s whims.

At that moment.

“Your Majesty, if I may, I have one more question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Your Majesty just mentioned that there may be demons hiding in the capital. I apologize for my boldness, but I’m concerned that this might lead to suspicion of Count Hebron’s by external parties.”

The banquet hall buzzed with murmurs.

Marquis Grovin merely bowed his head and let the noise pass by.

Agnes whispered.

“It seems he’s trying to redirect the arrow onto you.”

“I don’t need you to tell me.”

Deltain’s brows furrowed.

‘Clever bastard.’

Marquis Grovin’s intentions were clear.

If Ishmark moved the army, the rebel forces would be in danger. The Marquis couldn’t oppose the order under the pretext of .

So, he intended to create that pretext by targeting Deltain.

‘He’s probably thinking I should repay the favor of the gift.’

Meanwhile, Ishmark turned his gaze to Deltain.

The same monarch’s smile remained on his face.

“Count, that was not my intention. I hope you understand.”

A situation of mutual exclusion was created.

At this point, Deltain had no choice but to pick a side.

He could either support the emperor and crush Marquis Grovin or support the Marquis and oppose Ishmark.

Deltain closed his eyes and observed the situation before slowly opening them again.

There was a cold gleam in his eyes.

‘This is…’

Arrogant. Both of them. Extremely so.

“… does my opinion even matter?”

Deltain rose from his seat. All eyes in the banquet hall turned to him.

But Deltain wasn’t the least bit perturbed.

The only thought on his mind was this.

‘I never agreed to play along with this.’

He was not a man who had the intention of fitting into this society of swine.

He was not a man who would suppress himself according to their rules.

The only reason they had been able to maintain this society so far was that Deltain did not waste his time on amusements that did not interest him.

“Saint Hall is intact. I have made it even stronger, learning from past .”

A faint thrill appeared on Marquis Grovin’s face.

But it didn’t take long for that expression to change.

“However… yes, the demons in hiding have started to move in a different manner than before.”

Marquis Grovin began to show signs of distress.

Ishmark also kept his mouth shut.

They both realized simultaneously.

Something was off with Deltain’s demeanor.

Deltain bowed his head slightly.

He was expressionless, and his tone lacked any emotion.

“I will find a way. I will seek out other physical means to protect the capital beyond Saint Hall.”

The declaration he made was like a bomb.

Clench.

Ishmark’s grip tightened. His eyes began to show a faint tremor.

‘… I made a mistake.’

Deltain spoke clearly.

He mentioned a means to protect the capital.

This meant Deltain intended to install a weapon in the capital that could be used at his whim.

It was a move to seize control of both Ishmark and Marquis Grovin simultaneously.

‘A loss.’

The cost of creating a pretext to track Marquis Grovin’s funds was the surveillance of an Arch Mage.

The installation of a weapon that could overturn the capital at Deltain’s whim.

It was impossible to take back what had already been said.

Deltain Hebron was the first demon hunter. He was the hero who had slain the Demon King.

Once demons were used as justification, there was no other excuse that could bind him.

A painful mistake, but at least the solace was that this mistake wasn’t his alone.

Ishmark looked at Marquis Grovin.

The whites of his eyes were bloodshot.

He had reached a point where he could achieve nothing he had intended.

Ishmark started to think.

He began to redraw a blueprint to compensate for the loss he had just incurred.

‘I’ll have to call the Count back soon.’

First, he needed to apologize for what happened today. If he could prevent the relationship from deteriorating and placate Deltain, the concerns about the weapon installation could be postponed.

Then, he would be able to tighten his grip on Marquis Grovin.

But that was not all. Externally, the relationship between Deltain and himself appeared friendly, so the weapon Deltain installed could be seen as imperial force.

Of course, using such advantages for other matters might earn Deltain’s resentment, so that should be avoided.

Ishmark finished calculating and raised the corners of his mouth.

Born an actor and a storyteller.

He showed Deltain a face filled with delight.

“Ah! Would you do that for me?”

“It’s something I must do for the empire.”

Deltain’s expression remained as frosty as ever.

But Ishmark maintained his composure.

‘It’s still okay.’

That was just a sign of discomfort. In his language, it would be akin to a warning not to be arrogant.

This could be salvaged.

“Then I’ll look forward to it.”

“I’ll do my best to meet your expectations.”

Deltain said that and took his seat.

Now, only Marquis Grovin remained.

But he was only seething with intense anger at the unfolding situation.

Ishmark smiled at that.

‘Let’s end it here for now.’

Pressing further would be foolish. He had already sufficiently provoked Marquis Grovin’s impatience, so it was time to ease the tension.

“I apologize for discussing such grim matters at my banquet. However, I felt that if not for such a moment, there would be no opportunity to speak about it.”

With that, Ishmark rose from his seat and raised his glass.

“We are the heart and veins of the empire. If we do not maintain vigilance, who will care for the empire’s future?”

The liquid in the glass was a dark red wine.

“I brought it up hoping you’d understand. That concludes my dull speech, so I hope everyone will enjoy the rest of the banquet.”

At the end of his words, the nobles in the banquet hall raised their glasses.

No matter how dull they might be, they were still nobles.

They could gauge from the atmosphere alone which way the situation was leaning—toward the imperial family or the aristocratic faction.

Deltain had called it a society of pigs.

They began to work their minds busily to seize more from the flow of events.

It wouldn’t be a long deliberation.

Ishmark spoke.

“Glory to the Empire.”

The nobles raised their glasses and responded with an appropriately toned shout.

“Homage to the imperial family.”

The tide was turning toward the imperial family.

*

Ishmark drank only one glass of wine before leaving the banquet.

After his departure, Marquis Grovin also left, leaving behind those who were keen to pick up the scraps.

Deltain crossed his legs and observed this scene before speaking to Agnes.

“It’s about time to leave.”

He had wanted to leave earlier, but remained because she had no intention of moving.

Deltain spoke with a slightly irritated tone, still unsettled from earlier, and Agnes responded.

“As expected.”

“What?”

“I think that expression suits you best—glaring.”

Was she trying to provoke him?

As Deltain glared at her, such thoughts crossed his mind, and Agnes chuckled softly.

“Cute.”

“That’s not a word that suits me. Cute implies immaturity.”

“That’s why I said it. You remind me of a kid trying to act manly by standing on tiptoes.”

“That’s a new kind of provocation.”

“It’s a compliment.”

Agnes tapped the table lightly with her finger.

“Today was good. I got to see that you can make that kind of expression.”

“What do you mean?”

“You can make such cold expressions too. I never got to see that since you always act so passionate around me.”

Deltain let out a short laugh.

How delusional did one have to be to think like that?

Even though it wasn’t the first time he heard such things, Deltain was still in awe of her attitude.

“You really are mentally ill, aren’t you?”

“That hurts.”

At that moment.

The tune of the orchestra changed.

It was a very slow jazz piece.

“Ah.”

Agnes stopped what she was about to say and looked up.

Then she spoke to Deltain.

“Finally, it’s our turn.”

“What?”

“Deltain, dance with me.”

Deltain furrowed his brow, and only belatedly realized her intention. His face twisted into a strange expression.

“… you were holding out until music you could dance to played?”

“Yeah. It would be a shame to come to a banquet and not dance. And this slow jazz is easier than walking.”

The jazz dance was nothing more than swaying gently to the rhythm while leaning on each other.

Deltain knew that too.

“… you’re really stubborn.”

“If you say you won’t dance, I’ll sit down here and start rolling on the floor.”

“That sounds more entertaining to me.”

“I’ll scream out all the things you whispered to me.”

Deltain flinched.

Agnes giggled and stood up.

Then, with smooth movements, she approached Deltain and took his hand.

“Come on, let’s go.”

Her smile as she said that had a hint of mischief.