I Am Not the Heroine

[ Rui. ]

“Yes, Master.”

[ From now on, don’t use that magic. ]

“Why not?”

[ It’s because of what you were trying to create after your initial magic manifestation. If you use that magic again… ‘that’ will grow increasingly larger. ]

“But what if the time really comes for me to use it?”

[ In that case… ]

“………Master.”

Calling out that existence once again.

The one who warmly welcomed me into her nest despite my having nothing but a home and food.

The one who taught me as a mage, despite my body being unable to receive even a trace of mana.

The one who stabilized me during the confusing days.

She was my master.

“………Where is this?”

An extremely murky space.

An infinite and chaotic space where it’s uncertain whether a horizon even exists or not.

Why am I here?

In an instant, I forgot.

“Merkadié.”

And Behiraja.

Only then did I remember.

I was eaten by Behiraja.

If so, is this place inside that bug’s body?

If that were true, I shouldn’t see this dark world, but the cramped walls of its innards.

“………I’ve entered the realm of magic.”

Merkadié’s unique magic.

Eternal Predator.

A predator that literally devours everything.

No matter how strong the existence, even greater structures and life forms than Behiraja, the moment they fall within the range of this magic, they’re helplessly consumed.

And that range refers to inside Behiraja’s mouth.

If I had sensed Behiraja coming, I might have been able to escape.

But due to some trick employed by either Behiraja or Merkadié, vibrations, sounds, and even presence were not detectable.

“Well, that makes sense. If there was none, the range would be too narrow.”

A deadly attack that can’t reach me isn’t very strong.

So they’ve devised a way for it to reach.

Did I underestimate it too much, even knowing it’s a strategy?

…No.

This type of combat wasn’t described in the original work.

I only had knowledge of their unique magic; I had no idea how to handle it.

This is, in essence, a lack of ‘knowledge.’

“……..Then how do I get out of here?”

I looked around, but only severely contaminated soil continued to stretch in every direction.

There was no clear exit in sight.

Hoping that walking somewhere would surely reveal a way out doesn’t exist in Merkadié’s magic.

So, does that mean I must wait to die here?

“I still have plenty of time.”

After all, this magic has a process called ‘digestion.’

Because of its overwhelming magic that devours even concepts, supplemental processes must inevitably follow.

So I just need to escape before the digestion is complete.

Then I return to square one.

‘How’ will I get out of here?

“Master Key.”

Desperately trying to activate magic, but it was consumed.

“The connection to the Ultimate Star-spear has been severed.”

I couldn’t summon Pend and the Space of Space didn’t appear.

I felt only a faint trace of star mana remaining in my body, but it was insufficient for any standard magic implementation.

Powerlessness washed over me.

“………I don’t know.”

Ultimately, my choice was to sit right there.

Carefully, I felt the touch of the contaminated soil, folding my legs, and gently sitting on the ground.

“…It’s the soil of corpses.”

To be precise, it’s the form of the beings that had been consumed until now.

Touching the ground, I seemed to sense mana and various energies.

Numerous demon race members, magical creatures, and humans from who knows when.

Merkadié and Behiraja must have consumed a tremendous number of lives.

One fortunate thing is that, by their nature, they weren’t trying to consume everything that exists in the world.

If they had, several concepts might have vanished from this world.

Merkadié hunted the strong, and thus, Behiraja could only devour those strong beings.

In other words, the ones present here were those who had made names for themselves either in this world or in the Demon realm in the past.

“Are they including me?”

In a way, it’s an honor.

The fact that someone like me, a count of the Demon realm, is admitted into the strong’s graveyard is quite significant.

But if that’s the case, it ultimately means that I’m the last guest.

Anyway, once she appears, the hero will surely kill her.

“………Hero.”

Recalling him, I inadvertently buried my face between my knees.

Suddenly, memories flooded back from the dusk of the Fortress.

[ Rie, are you okay? ]

The one who saved me by blocking the attack from Alered’s third vein that shot up from the ground.

To be honest, before the hero appeared, I was trembling in fear.

The thought of death being so close made my mind freeze, and I just blankly watched the incoming sword.

Since I wasn’t reincarnated after dying on Earth, it was the first time I faced death.

Like all living beings that fear death, I too felt fear at the possibility of dying.

But then.

He saved me.

From death.

From Alered.

He rescued me, and with a worried expression, asked if I was okay.

At that moment, I felt like the sun was rising in the deep darkness of dawn.

Is this what it feels like to be redeemed?

But I had no time to dwell on those feelings.

We then launched a plan to bring down the Fortress, and afterward, activated the Ultimate Star-spear to prevent dozens of Fortresses from descending.

And when I woke up after losing consciousness, I found him sleeping while holding my hand.

“………”

Squish.

The ground feels somewhat soggy now.

The hand that was touching the soil began to sink a bit more inside, and the area where I was sitting also slightly caved in.

This land of corpses was gradually pulling me in.

Which means, digestion has begun.

“I imagined something horrifying from the word digestion…”

I envisioned countless substances melting away in a powerful acidic solution like stomach acid.

However, Behiraja’s digestion was slower and more peaceful than that.

As if this serene death is something anyone would long for.

“…The hero should be coming now.”

I asked Nightlux to bring the hero, but I never thought it would actually happen.

It makes more sense that the hero, having finished his request, would return to the city on his own.

Hero.

Hero.

Hero Aswel.

No matter how I think about it or plan, he always pops up in my mind at least once.

Although I had only seen his face properly a few days ago.

His face was gradually becoming more vivid in my mind.

“………Why?”

Thinking of his face makes me involuntarily shrink away and cover my face.

Clasping my hands tightly, my toes began to wiggle.

Why on earth?

“………Is it because he’s the hero?”

And because I’m a person trapped in this strange space, longing for the hero’s rescue?

If that’s the case, then it makes sense.

No one in this world wants to die.

Feeling at peace with this process of being devoured isn’t the emotion I seek.

To be honest, I wanted to live.

But there’s nothing I can do.

The ground continued to change into a liquid, as it grips my body even more.

I flailed about, as if trapped in a swamp.

My robe didn’t perceive this whole process as an attack.

Breath became rougher, and the desire to escape grew stronger.

In the end, I called out a name.

“Aswel.”

Hero.

Hero Aswel.

“Please save me.”

Please, save me.

.

.

.

Thud-!

“Rui!!”

At that moment, I heard a voice.

—-!!!

“Kugh!! Serelin, just a moment please!”

“Got it! But I can’t hold out for long! This monster’s recovery is beyond imagination!”

“I’ll finish as quickly as I can!”

“Be careful, Lady Serelin!”

“How dare you cut through Behir’s belly!!”

Caw!

“Kugh! Merkadié, I’ll take care of you!”

In the fading visibility, I saw the sky of this strange space splitting open.

Like shattered glass, the sky ripped into various strands, and there stood a figure.

That person had black hair.

It seemed rough yet soft, a texture that was inviting.

They wielded a sword radiating pure white light.

A sword imbued with a sun-like brilliance.

“Rui!!”

And that person was calling my name.

I reached out my hand as if longing for redemption, and soon my vision was buried in the dirt.

At that moment.

“I got you!”

I felt a rough hand’s texture from my own, and in an instant, my body began to rise.

The ground made of corpses, Behiraja’s will tried to pull me down with such force, but it was futile.

Soon, I became able to see the world once more.

I could breathe and smell again.

I could exhale harsh breaths and taste.

As I wriggled my hands, I was able to move.

Finally, when I was even able to move my feet and step on the ground.

I was able to see that person’s face properly.

“Rui. Are you okay?”

Just like he always did whenever something happened to me, he asked with a worried expression.

Looking at him, I called out his name for the first time, not as the hero.

“………Aswel.”

You really came to save me.

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