The Defeated Heroine I Married Cannot Forget The Protagonist

༺ 𓆩 Chapter 10 𓆪 ༻ 

「Translator — Creator」

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

'Sia Stella.'

She had demoted herself from Class-A to Class-C.

This alone wasn't enough to confirm whether she remembered the previous cycle.

Unlike Shirai, she never sought me out after the regression, and even now, I had no idea where she was.

Even after confirming the existence of the Regression Tome, she never once asked me about it — never showed the slightest sign of surprise. She was the kind of heroine who would probably spit out even the fourth dimension with disgust.

Honestly, I’d prefer it if she did remember.

It means I won’t have to intervene. I won’t have to worry about her falling into darkness, which means less work for me.

She’s the only heroine I hope hasn’t forgotten.

Judith is busy living her happily-ever-after with Yuren.

Whether she remembers or not, as long as she attends the banquet two years from now, the trauma from her ‘family affairs’ won’t be an issue.

Affinity, bonds — none of that matters. The hidden route has already been completed.

But the one truly complicating my thoughts was someone else.

'Muse Fairfield.'

One of the most serious problems.

She was the heroine I desperately hoped had forgotten her memories.

Think about it.

She was an ambitious woman who wanted to make the Empire her own.

Overnight, she had gained an opportunity to retry her revolution. What's worse, if she retained her memories, she would know the future's flow.

She was a woman who had experienced failure in the previous cycle. She must have replayed the causes of her failure, her shortcomings, and necessary improvements hundreds of times in her mind.

Failure could never bring the Empress to her knees.

It would only fuel her — stoke the flames of her hunger, her competitive drive; to her, that past failure was nothing more than a stepping stone — a prelude to an inevitable victory.

The downfall of the Solaris Imperial Family through one woman's revolution.

Most people would dismiss such a thing as impossible.

But the terrifying part is that even a one-percent chance of success is still a chance.

'When should I tell Shirai?'

That I still remember.

The social gathering was gradually coming to an end.

Most of the students have already left the banquet hall, and the space was far less crowded than before.

I stood near the entrance, leaning against the wall.

It was then that a breeze swept through, carrying strands of shimmering golden hair into my field of vision.

“…Ah. H-Hi…?”

Hmm?

A girl with black hair and a languid expression.

Her two hesitant, amber-colored eyes weren’t looking at me but at my shoes, as if greeting them instead.

I hate to say this myself, but she looks like a mini Judith.

Unlike Judith, whose allure leans toward sultry and seductive, this girl is small and adorable — her charm resting in her cuteness.

A quick glance at her nametag —

Black for first-years. Purple for second-years. Blue for third-years. White for fourth-years.

Hers was purple.

A second-year, just like Princess Niphia.

Her face was bright red. Her voice trembled.

She couldn’t even look me in the eyes.

Yeah, this was definitely that.

"If, if you don't mind..."

"Mate!"

A clear, dignified voice.

A motherly vibe that no one else could imitate.

It was so familiar that I knew who it was without turning around.

'Wasn't she supposed to be in the banquet hall?'

Shirai came running from the opposite direction of the banquet hall.

I wasn't the only one watching her.

Regardless of gender, everyone unconsciously turned their heads at least once to admire Shirai's beauty.

And soon their expressions turned to astonishment.

The fact that the noble Saintess Shirai was running towards someone first made their eyes widen in shock.

“Where did you go without saying anything?! Do you have any idea how worried I was?”

Shirai bent forward, placing her hands on her knees as she gasped for breath. Sweat trickled down her forehead — she must’ve run around searching for quite a while.

“…Have you been looking for me all this time?”

“I stopped sensing your scent all of a sudden, so I came outside. After that, I just kept following your trail.”

What are you, a dog, tracking people by scent?

Wiping the sweat from her brow with the sleeve of her white shirt, she turned to the girl beside me.

"Is this someone you know?"

"A second-year senior who just greeted me. We're not particularly close."

Mini-Judith, you should go now.

Since Shirai couldn't see, I waved my hand dismissively.

Not that it mattered what the girl said — I was going to reject whatever she was about to say anyway.

It would be better for her to listen to me than to get on Shirai's bad side.

Mini-Judith seemed to understand.

She nodded and quickly disappeared.

Smart girl. She wouldn’t be a student here otherwise.

“…She left before I could even introduce myself.”

“It’s almost time for class.”

“That’s a shame. I wanted to at least know her name…”

She sighed, her expression filled with a disappointment that felt… strangely excessive.

'Why does that statement sound so suspicious?'

It was just the aegyo of a junior wanting to befriend their senior. Maybe I'm not in my right mind because things are too complicated lately.

"Oh right! We need to go to orientation! The orientation!"

The first mandatory class for new students at the Academy — swordsmanship students with swordsmanship students, magic students with magic students.

It was a joint class for Classes-A through C.

“Let’s go, to the Aether Hall.”

“…There’s a problem.”

Shirai shyly extended her right hand.

Her face was even redder than that senior from earlier.

"I used up all my mana looking for Mate..."

A moment of silence.

As if time itself had frozen.

Then, breaking the stillness, a warmth swept over us — something more than just the gentle spring breeze.

A heat, subtle but there.

The way she stood, the way she glowed — Shirai’s bashful expression looked like something straight out of a romance visual novel.

If this were the past.

Or if Shirai had been an extra rather than a heroine.

Would I have felt even the faintest flutter of excitement?

Like a single grain of sand adrift in the vast ocean — small, insignificant, yet something.

It feels presumptuous to define her emotions for her, but love has never been a complicated thing.

Wanting to see someone for even a second longer. Feeling your heart race just by looking at them. Wishing to stay by their side for even a moment more.

That’s love.

Wanting to embrace everything they love, to accept all of it. Even things you once had no interest in — you’d study them, learn them, just to share in their world.

"Is it not possible?"

She reminded me of my past self.

I knew how profound her sorrow was at losing her sight. That's why I had gone through all that suffering to create the panacea, and—

“…It’s fine if it’s too much trouble! Don’t worry about it!”

And I also knew.

That she still had mana left.

That she harbored feelings for me.

People’s emotions—so often compared to intricate mazes—were, in truth, nothing more than a straight path.

— Judith and Yuren are having an affair.

Right now, Shirai’s eyes were on me.

But the moment our relationship bore fruit, she would slip away, stolen by him.

There were no second chances left.

If Shirai hadn't been a heroine...

I shook my head.

'What ifs' were just self-consolation to ease the mind.

Such a reality didn't exist in this world.

"Eek."

Her baby bird-like squeal made me stop all thoughts and smile.

"What kind of squeal was that?"

Her face was already as red as a radish. It was so red that I could almost hear a kettle whistling from her head.

I could almost see the heat rising above her head.

"Only three minutes left. Let's hurry."

"...You're mean."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Despite only three minutes remaining until class, many people were still outside. This part wasn't any different from a normal high school.

Over a hundred eyes were directed at us, and rumors would spread quickly. They say the Saintess was holding hands with some strange guy.

Adding some MSG to the story, they'd say we were fooling around playing catch.

Shirai must have known this.

She had been through something similar when she was linked with Yuren.

"Please don't leave me behind?"

Yet Shirai refused to let go of my hand.

Rather, whenever my grip loosened, she would hold on even tighter.

“…I can’t move without my mate anymore.”

𓆩♱𓆪

Orientation. In Korean terms, the freshman welcome ceremony.

From Class-A to Class-C. All magic department freshmen gathered in one place; the orientation was held in Class-C's lecture hall in the Aether Hall because it was far more spacious than Class-A and B's rooms.

Most students were in Class-C anyway, with only a handful in Class-B and above.

The lecture halls in the Aether Hall had a wider fan-shaped area than the Delta Hall used by the Swordsmanship Department students.

Unlike swordsmanship — where lower-ranked students could do little more than swing a blade — magic required space. Even at the beginner level, spells had range.

Basic spells like Orbital Flame, Energy Bolt, and Cold Beam came to mind.

In the front left corner, at the very front desk, a mess of brown hair spilled across the table.

A yellow blanket draped over a pair of folded legs.

Head lowered, completely lost in sleep.

Elfin de Hertha

In the far-right corner, at the very back.

Sia Stella.

She seemed to be staring blankly into space, lost in thought.

And then there was Shirai, seated right next to me.

"When do you plan to let go of my hand?"

"If Mate just keeps quiet, no one will know, right?"

As if hiding it under the chair would make it invisible with so many people around. The room might be large, but we were packed tight on both sides.

We weren't in some corner but right in the center.

Yet if I forcefully pulled away, she might do something even more dramatic.

"Look, it's the top student."

"Why are you talking like you've spotted a legendary Poké*on?"

"Didn't see her at the social gathering either. She's still got her head down."

While most students were sending envious glances at the sleeping Elfin,

'This is maddening.'

My eyes had been fixed on just one woman since entering the lecture hall.

Sitting two rows ahead of me, engaged in intimate conversation with the girls beside her, showing me the back of her crimson hair.

Though I could only see the back of her head now, anyone who met her eyes would understand.

They would see a scene of the night sky in those amethyst eyes.

Shirai hadn't noticed yet, probably because she didn't use her sensing ability when I was nearby...

The grace flowing from her body, the cape draped over her shoulders instead of the standard mai, and the overwhelming presence felt even from behind.

The owner of Frey Trading Company.

It was undoubtedly Muse Fairfield.

Clunk—

The room was already overflowing with students. Break time was over, and no one would be crazy enough to be late to the first class.

Which meant…

The person stepping in was the professor.

“Ugh. My whole body aches.”

A deep, weathered voice.

Simply surviving was proof of strength.

The man standing at the front of the room was living evidence of that.

Middle-aged Professor Cheren Dragunov.

His sturdy physique looked as if it had been forged through beatings with steel bars. Despite being over fifty, his presence hadn’t dulled in the slightest.

If anything, he radiated strength.

His stylish wave-backed hair with swept-up bangs, neat mustache, and beard were all white; tall as a damn tower, broad-shouldered, yet his face was gaunt — like a man who hadn’t eaten in days.

Professor Cheren Dragunov snapped his book shut and swept his gaze across the students.

“Well, would you look at this?”

His footsteps led him to the front left corner of the lecture hall.

Where Elfin de Hertha was seated.

He tapped the desk where her head lay sprawled, rapping on it with the edge of his book.

“Oi. Let me see your face.”

Slowly, Elfin stirred from her sleep, raising her head as she quickly smoothed down her disheveled hair.

"Ah..."

“Ah—my ass, you little shit. And what’s with this goddamn hair?”

She probably had her bangs swept to one side, covering her right eye.

Yeah, with a hairstyle like that, it was no wonder Cheren had something to say.

His sharp eyes flicked down to the nameplate pinned to her chest, scanning the engraving.

“Hah. Figures. You’re the top student, aren’t you?”

His voice turned gruff, irritated.

“And you think it’s fine to be snoring through your very first class?”

"I'm, I'm sorry..."

“Two. There are only two students in Class-A this year. That’s it. Which means you have to do even better than the rest.”

Cheren's nagging continued.

In front of all first-year Magic Department students, numbering in the hundreds.

"You need to do well so the first-years don't lose their spirit, right? Although this old man shouldn't meddle, I'm worried. Just worried. Is this how a top student should behave, sleeping so brazenly in the front row?"

"I'm sorr—"

"*SNOOOOORE*"

I let out an absolutely thunderous snore.

"W-why suddenly? Mate never snores while sleeping!"

Ignoring Shirai, who was interfering with my brilliant strategy.

"*SNOOOOORE*"

Still not coming? Even now?

"Look at that fellow."

I heard footsteps climbing the stairs.

Professor Cheren was coming.

Hook, line, and sinker.

I let out an even louder snore.

"*SNORE* SNOOOOORE"

"Wake up, you damned brat."

He reached me in a few long strides and twisted my damn ear—hard.

For a second, I nearly dropped the act from the sheer force of academic PTSD.

"*YAAAAWN!*"

Mission: Protect Elfin’s Mental Health.

Who was the bait?

Yours truly.

Who was the class clown sacrificing himself for the greater good?

Also me.

“What a nice nap.”

"What kind of lunatic..."

Cheren went back down the stairs, muttering without further warning.

Many students stared at me like I was insane.

From the bewildered Shirai to Sia Stella and Muse Fairfield.

Ah, and of course.

"........."

Elfin de Hertha, looking at me in pure surprise.

‘Huh.’

Guess I just made things more complicated for myself.

END of CHAPTER

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