I Am Not the Heroine

“······That brat told me to take it, so I wanted to do the opposite.”

“······?”

“I warned the vampires, but they didn’t listen. They ignored the mage from the hero party being in danger.”

Merhadié, mumbling to herself, slowly got up.
In her hand was a small tooth from Behiraja and a pouch.

“But I ended up taking it anyway. Thinking back, it was a really good move.”
With a soft smile, Merhadié pulled out a potion from the pouch.

‘Potion?’
A potion, huh?
There’s definitely only one being who deals with potions in the demon realm…
Someone in the same rank as Merhadié.

“We have to stop her!”
We can’t let her take that potion!
In an instant, Aswel dashed out, but Merhadié was quicker and drank the potion first.

Swoosh!
While Aswel cut through the air with his head, Merhadié didn’t defend herself or counterattack at all.
In fact, seeing how she was sliced in one blow, it seemed like she even lowered her body’s defense on purpose.

Thunk.
Merhadié’s head rolled next to Behiraja’s corpse.
And I shouted at Aswel, who was standing in front of Merhadié’s dead body.

“Run away!!”

“!!!”

[I’m sorry, Behiraja. That must have hurt a lot.]
A whimpering sound echoed in the air.

Rumble…
The cut-up body of Merhadié and the corpse of Behiraja started to draw closer.
A blueish liquid, like blood, was spewing out from Merhadié’s body, beginning to engulf Behiraja, as low monster-like howls erupted, accompanied by flashes of light.

It looked like two beings were merging into one.
Countless limbs began sprouting from Behiraja’s entire body, and the two howls began to merge into one.

Demonification.
Merhadié was merging with Behiraja, transforming into a higher being.
If we let that happen…
The annihilation of the hero party.
The destruction of the mine city, Lakr.
A horrifying future would remain.

“No.”
Just as Merhadié’s face began to etch itself onto Behiraja’s, I flipped the master key back into emergency mode.

‘I’m sorry, Master.’
The Master might have already sensed it the moment Merhadié appeared.
How could I placate my Master’s anger?
Moreover, what I was about to do would likely snap my Master’s remaining patience.

“Aswel.”
“Yeah, Rui. Just tell me.”
Even in such a tumultuous situation, he spoke calmly, only looking at me.
I wanted to repay his trust.

“I’m going to use a spell.”
This wasn’t like when I launched the Ultimate Star-spear at the Fortress of Dusk.
Even if I used this spell, I couldn’t defeat Merhadié.

What I could do was to bolster the hero party through this spell.
And, though uncertain, to seal Merhadié’s movements.

“If Merhadié’s movement stops, please kill her together.”
That way, we might be able to stop it before a greater catastrophe occurs.
Despite saying that calmly, did it still show?
Suddenly, Aswel’s expression grew serious.

“Rui, are you trying to do something similar to what you did last time? There’s no need for that! Even without it…”
“No, not like that.”
My unique magic is different from the bombardment function of the Ultimate Star-spear.
While both might make one faint, the causes are different from a mana exhaustion fainting.
The Master had forbidden my unique magic because he was worried about the ‘growth’ of that cause.

But now, I had no choice but to use it.
“Everyone.”
“Yeah, Rui.”
“Just one thing to be careful about. If you see a pure white space while I’m casting the spell, don’t look at it.”
“······It’s not something bad, right? If that’s the case, don’t do it.”
“It’s not that.”
I lightly smiled at Rapirie’s question while holding the master key.
“Now everyone, get ready.”
I was ready, and the master key was ready.
From the violently rotating pillar, a blue light was flowing, concentrating massive star mana into one point.
Soon, my unique magic would be unleashed.
[Ahhhhh!!!]
Merhadié Karachioni.
She is now merging with her magical creature, Behiraja.
The demon of gluttony, Merhadié Behiraja, has evolved.
Magic, entwined with anger and hunger, began to pour down like a torrential rain beneath her gigantic form.
The earth and stone, tainted by magic, began to melt, and the air grew murky.
We can’t delay any longer.
Thrum.
The master key notified me.
It truly signaled that all preparations were complete.
Slowly, I raised the master key forward.
I closed my eyes and sealed my lips.
I focused on the master key, remaining conscious.
The noises disappeared, and only I and the master key began to sense.
The hero party, the blood-tinged Merhadié, and the mine city of Lakr.
Everything faded from my world.
A pure white space, a space where only I remained.
My mental preparation was ready.
I felt a mineral gaze somewhere.
The ‘existence’ that had been asleep within my unique magic was staring at me.
Turning my back on that gaze, I quietly began to chant the spell.
The magic I created at that time, to fulfill my desire for knowledge.
At the same time, the magic I crafted to achieve my greed for research.
Lastly, the magic that was born to turn my wish to shed all worries into reality.

Unlocking the magic (door) with the master key.
“Infinity Atelier.”
My infinite workshop.
A magic that creates the area as ‘mine.’

As I gazed at the space beginning to be submerged in starlight, I made one wish.
“Let the hero party be able to defeat Merhadié.”

[— — —. — — —.]
As I heard something speak, I fell into a pure white world.
*
“Infinity Atelier.”
The moment I heard her voice, the world came to a halt.
No, upon closer inspection, that wasn’t right.
—-.
The galaxy of the night sky. It felt like being in the very center of it.
Thousands and tens of thousands of star clusters surged quickly around the space.
It genuinely felt like being in the ‘infinite’ realm, just as the name of her magic implied.
I once heard from the royal wizard that light was the fastest thing in the world.
Could this be what the landscape looks like when viewed at the speed of light? It was a dreamy scene.
But more than that scenery, she was more important.
“Rui······.”
And I turned my head to see her.
“Oh······.”
It looked similar to how Ariya uses divine magic.
Standing still with her eyes closed.
That sacred pose almost seemed like someone praying.
At that moment, I noticed a fragmented space appearing behind her.
Yes.
It should be called ‘pure white.’
[If you see a pure white space while the spell is active, please do not look at it.]
Her warning came to mind.
Was that what she meant?
‘But it doesn’t feel too strange.’
Just as I thought that, I felt something move within the pure white space.
To be precise, the pure white space itself was moving.
And within it, I saw an eye.
It wasn’t the eye of a typical living creature.
It was an eye, ‘crafted’ from steel and metal.
That singular eye gazed at the hero staring back at it and soon glimmered.
“······!!!”
At that moment.
[— — —.
“Uugh!!”
Aswel instantly realized why Rui had told him not to look and managed to turn his head away with all his might.
Suddenly, the pounding headache became clear.
‘What was that just now…?’
“Aswel? What’s wrong!”
“Nothing···I’m fine.”
Aswel coughed up breaths, barely managing to compose himself.
“Everyone, get ready!”
Pushing aside the memory of that encounter as quickly as possible, he drew the holy sword.
At the same time as Aswel’s voice, Merhadié’s still hand slowly moved, and at its tip, a white wave surged.
“This is!”
“Ugh···!”
Everyone showed the same reaction.
Even Serelin, who maintained her composure, showed signs of distress.
The first hero.
The sword saint.
The elven elder.
The pope.
The grand witch.
Each of them possessed power at the pinnacle of their respective fields.
It felt as if their power was now in their hands.
Is this the true power of her unique magic?
According to her words, if that’s the case, we could wipe out that demon noble in an instant.
‘So this is true power…’
At the same time, it felt incredibly distant.
Would one need to possess such power to face the Demon King? If so, how could one reach this level?
The hero party collectively gasped and sighed in awe.
Defeating Merhadié was exceedingly simple.
The very space seemed to be supporting the hero party.
In such an environment, eliminating a dazed Merhadié felt almost too easy.
After Merhadié completely disintegrated under the hero party’s attacks, her magic gradually vanished.
And when the scenery of the city reappeared, parts of the destroyed mine and city had returned to their original states.
“·········.”
The hero party could only stare at her fallen form in silence.