We Defeated The Demon King And Disbanded Without Any Conflict – Chapter 38

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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I returned to the academy.

Although we had unintentionally spent some time outside the border, we arrived safely without any injuries.

It had only been a short time, roughly two days, but for some reason, it felt like coming back home.

It was probably because Rain and Sola were here.

Now that I was back, I should have reported my return.

I also had something to ask Rain, so I headed for the headmaster’s office.

Just as I was about to take a step towards the office, I heard a rustling sound from the bushes next to me and someone peeked out.

“Hero!”

“Oh? The Hero is in the headmaster’s office…”

“Hero! Where have you been?”

Ah, it was Mirsen.

But we hadn’t been apart for that long?

I felt a slight sense of confusion at Mirsen’s demeanor.

She was radiating joy at our reunion, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, as if we were lovers who had been separated for years.

Wait, had she been hiding in the bushes?

It was a comical sight, seeing the Imperial Princess, a figure of high status, emerge from the undergrowth like a wild beast.

“Um… But why are you still at the academy, Your Highness?”

“…You’re so cold. I’ve been staying at a nearby inn, searching for you…”

“What? Why would you do that?”

“…You’re so mean…”

I had simply asked out of curiosity, but Mirsen’s voice cracked with emotion.

She had seemed happy when her adventurer rank increased, so why did it feel like she had become even more sensitive?

A wave of guilt washed over me.

It seemed like I had made her cry.

A young woman, smaller than me in both height and build, shedding tears…

But more importantly…

“If they find out, I’m screwed.”

Despite her affectionate demeanor, Mirsen was the Second Princess of the Empire.

She was even rumored to be so beautiful that the Emperor would bring her along on diplomatic missions as a form of, well, diplomacy.

I was well aware of the dangers posed by her beauty.

I had only briefly met her during our journey through the Demon Realm, but her beauty had been etched into my memory.

Unusually striking hair with a faint blue tint.

Slightly upturned eyes, giving her a sharp look, but also accentuating her mischievous image.

Skin so fair it seemed to glow even in the darkness.

A charming beauty mark near her eye.

I still remembered it all, even though her eyes were now covered.

It was so vivid that it would have been strange to forget.

I even remembered blurting out, “You’re beautiful,” in a daze.

Back then, her hair had been tied up for our adventure, but now it cascaded down her back, reaching her elbows, enhancing her elegance and charm.

“Haha, don’t cry. We found each other, didn’t we? We’re not that close, Your Highness and I, to be shedding tears over our reunion…”

I tried to lighten the mood as I gently brushed a leaf off her hair… and then I immediately shut my mouth.

My words had tumbled out before I could think.

It was only after I spoke that I realized I had just added fuel to the fire.

“Um… I didn’t mean we’re not close, but… we’re not close enough to cry over seeing each other again, right? It’s hard to explain…”

I tried my best to clear up the misunderstanding, but the more I spoke, the more apparent my lack of communication skills became.

I had no idea how to comfort a crying woman.

I didn’t even know what this princess liked or disliked.

Without any information about her, I couldn’t do anything.

This wasn’t my forte.

Click, click.

I heard Mirsen’s teeth chattering.

I hoped she would kill me painlessly.

“So… what is our relationship? Weren’t you longing for me, Hero? Did I not even exist in your heart?”

Longing?

We just went through a Labyrinth together.

It wasn’t like we had spent enough time together to develop any romantic feelings.

“Your Highness, your feelings are just a result of our first Labyrinth exploration together. Those feelings will fade quickly with more experience.”

“No. I’ve been on many adventures. I even got official permission and worked hard. But my feelings for you only grew stronger.”

She flatly rejected my opinion, her voice gradually returning to its normal tone.

“I realized that you’re the only one for me. But you keep trying to distance yourself…”

…Wait, why was her voice becoming lower and darker?

I felt a shiver run down my spine as I watched Mirsen.

She hadn’t moved a muscle, her eyes fixed on me as she muttered under her breath.

It was unnerving.

I decided to listen to her, hoping that she would come to her senses if I responded to her.

“Hero, why are you avoiding me? Because of my status? My personality? My conspicuous hair color?”

“Well, that…”

“Or could it be that some rebel… has been feeding you false information?”

“It’s not that…”

“Tell me immediately if your memories are altered. I’ll find that rebel and make him suffer a fate worse than death…”

“No, that’s not what…”

“No, perhaps imprisonment would be better…”

“Your Highness?”

Mirsen was ignoring my words, mumbling to herself.

Her last sentence, which she hadn’t finished, was in the Imperial language, not the common tongue.

My limited knowledge of the Imperial language was enough to understand the short, intense phrase.

The dark, low tone was more fitting for a demonic incantation.

Mirsen, who had been muttering those dangerous words, suddenly turned to me as if struck by a brilliant idea.

I sensed a dark aura emanating from her, and it was not a good feeling.

“Ha… Haha… Well, I should be going…”

“Hero.”

Creak.

The sound came from two places at once.

One was the sound of my foot scraping against the ground as I tried to move.

The other was the sound of Mirsen’s head turning.

How could a human neck make a sound like an unoiled mechanical doll?

I pushed that thought aside.

What had happened to turn the bright, cheerful princess into someone so dark and brooding?

According to Mirsen, it was probably my fault.

But all I did was go through a Labyrinth with her.

I really hadn’t done anything else.

“Hero, what would you do if someone you loved kept disappearing from your sight, traveling silently without a word…?”

Before I could answer, Mirsen started counting on her fingers.

“One, keep them within sight, so they only look at me forever. Two, brainwash them so they never leave or speak without permission. Three, join their party and live together forever…”

Whichever option I chose, it seemed like a path to ruin.

Though some might find happiness in it.

“Haha, what a scary thought. Your jokes are getting better, Your Highness.”

I tried to appease her, but as usual, the world didn’t revolve around me, and my hopes were dashed.

Mirsen didn’t budge.

Her eyes remained fixed on me, as if saying, “That’s not the right answer.”

Until now, Mirsen’s favor had worked in my favor, allowing me to move freely without her interference.

If she had been serious, I would have been surrounded by Imperial agents the moment I blinked.

Think.

Think.

Think…

“…What are you thinking about? I hope you’re not trying to figure out how to escape from me. I’m saying this because I truly care about you, Hero. To be honest, ever since you protected me while fighting that giant monster, I’ve felt uneasy about you getting hurt. I want you to stay by my side. I’m afraid you’ll get hurt somewhere else. I’ve finally gained the courage to speak my mind, to act. If I don’t step forward, you’ll definitely continue to overwork yourself. You’re a kind person, Hero. Just imagining you getting hurt while showing kindness to others, not me, fills me with disgust. I want you to be with me, only for me. No, I’m not asking for unrequited love. I’ll live for you, stay by your side forever…”

“Sorry, I’m sorry. I’ll behave from now on, so please calm down. You’ll get dizzy from hyperventilating.”

“Behave? What do you mean by that? I know your tendency to avoid things. You’re just trying to get out of this situation, aren’t you?”

Ah, she saw through me.

I had tried to smooth things over with some clever talk and slip away.

“…Hero, do you perhaps… dislike me? Are you just answering me because you feel obligated… because I’m a princess…?”

“I don’t particularly dislike you. I see you more like a cute little sister, actually.”

“C-Cute… Sister…?”

“But your personality has become a bit… annoying.”

“A-Annoying…”

Her voice, which had risen a notch, suddenly dropped.

Still, this Mirsen was much better than the cold, distant one from before.

Honestly, that had been a little scary.

“I preferred your more… mischievous side back then.”

“…Then if I change… will you promise not to disappear from my sight?”

I laughed awkwardly and gave her a vague answer.

Thankfully, Mirsen didn’t press the issue.

She seemed to have made up her mind, saying something along the lines of, “Then I’ll try my best,” before moving away from me.

I had managed to get through that situation.

But lately, it felt like a lot of things were happening around me.

Was this bandage the problem?

I knew that I stood out.

In a bad way.

It was a bit better now, but I could still feel those unpleasant gazes directed at me, mostly from upperclassmen.

The first-year cadets seemed to have gotten used to it, but the upperclassmen I occasionally encountered often reacted with open disdain.

However, if I took off the bandages, it would only attract more attention.

Healing magic wasn’t a panacea.

Fresh wounds, even deep ones, could be completely healed without a trace.

But if the wound had already scarred and healed, there was nothing magic could do.

And of course, it couldn’t regrow lost limbs.

It could stop the bleeding and regenerate flesh, but it couldn’t restore a lost arm or leg with bones, muscles, nerves, skin, and everything else.

Why was I saying all this?

Because it was too late to erase the scars around my eyes.

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This time, instead of barging in, I politely knocked twice and waited for Rain’s response.

“…Come in.”

A tired voice answered.

Rain’s work was her own, so I didn’t pay much attention to it as I gently opened the door.

“…Ron!”

Rain, who had been sitting at her desk with her head in her hands, lifted her head and greeted me.

Her golden ponytail, tied up in a bun, bobbed slightly, reminding me of a puppy’s tail.

“Oh? You found me? Why are you so happy to see me? It’s a bit overwhelming.”

I instinctively took a step back as those words left my mouth, remembering her confession.

Rain approached me, took my hand, and led me into the headmaster’s office.

“I thought you had disappeared again… I was worried.”

“Um… You don’t have to give me special treatment. I’m just a cadet here.”

“Still, I can’t help but worry.”

Rain’s hand stretched out, her fingers intertwining with mine.

I felt a strange sense of being trapped, as if caught in a net, and I tried to pull away, but…

“…Don’t let go. Don’t run away.”

“Yes.”

What was this pressure?

I hadn’t done anything wrong, yet I was frozen in place, like a monster facing Rain’s iron sword.

Even though her face was mostly hidden from view.

Was she angry?

Or disappointed?

Perhaps she was reminded of the time when I disappeared after we disbanded.

After all, Rain was the one who valued our camaraderie the most.

“Sorry. I won’t do it again.”

I apologized, our hands still intertwined like lovers.

I hadn’t intended for it to sound like that, I swear.

Rain listened to my apology in silence, then tightened her grip.

I felt my bones creak.

What incredible strength…

“I believe you. I want to believe you.”

She murmured those words as she released my hand.

I was relieved, but “I believe you” and “I want to believe you” were contradictory statements, weren’t they?

If she had been chanting a spell, it would have failed, leaving behind a black blob.

As I waited for her next words, Rain took my hand and led me to a corner of the headmaster’s office, rummaging through something.

After a while, she placed something small and heavy on the back of my hand.

It stuck to my skin as if glued there.

“What is this?”

I asked, feeling the unfamiliar weight.

“It’s…”

Rain hesitated for a moment, then…

“A shackle.”

She uttered the dangerous word in a flat, emotionless voice.

All the while, her golden mana flowed calmly, undisturbed, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

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[These girls need to be put on a leash on god theyre scary]