SWNOVELXO Chapter 99
Droniel.
She lived hiding in a castle called Odrone, harboring a pure love for one man for over ten years.
However, that man has become a Hero and is now leaving the village.
With tears in her eyes, Droniel sent off the Hero, who made a promise by linking their pinkies.
“On the day I defeat the Demon Lord, I will definitely come back for you. So please wait for me, Droniel.”
“Okay…!”
Droniel made a promise with the Hero by linking their pinkies.
She vowed to hold her place until he returns.
And every time he ventured out, starting from the Normans, training boldly, her heart swelled with pride.
Would he get hurt or even die somewhere?
What if he met another woman?
She had heard there were many women targeting the Hero; could such a thing happen?
What if, in the end, she became just a beautiful memory for Lucius, like “that girl who once liked him”?
While she felt immense fear and worry, Droniel continued to wait in front of Lucius’s house, day after day.
Endlessly.
Endlessly.
And then—
“Yaaaaaah!”
The village caught fire.
It was an attack by monsters.
“This is the village where the Hero was born! Attack!”
Kieeeeeek!!
The monsters invaded the village.
Despite having some defenses and the villagers forming a self-defense group and training, they could not withstand the assault led by the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings.
“Get out of the way, woman!”
“I-I can’t! Lucius’s return point is right here!”
“Heh heh, is you the Hero’s ‘thing’? Heh heh. Come here.”
“Yaaaaah!!”
A monster grabbed Droniel’s wrist.
Weak and fragile, Droniel could only be swept around by the monster, who licked its tongue and pointed a sword at her.
“I’ll take you hostage to kill the Hero. If you come quietly, I’ll spare your life.”
“N-no!!”
“Shut it!”
Thud.
The monster tossed Droniel aside.
She fell on the dirt, scraping her back and bleeding from her hand, but the monsters didn’t bother treating her; they bound her with rope and took her away.
“Let’s go! We will use these villagers as hostages to lure the Hero! With every execution, we will reveal the truth of the Hero! That he’s a shameless one who doesn’t care for his hometown people! Hahaha!!”
The monsters headed toward the big city with their hostages.
The big city had already been captured by the newly formed Demon King’s army, and in the plaza, monsters wielding spears formed a circle, preventing anyone from daring to enter.
“This is….”
“The execution site.”
The monsters began pulling on Droniel’s ropes, lifting people one by one to the gallows.
As they tied people to the pillars, they used magic stones to project their images everywhere and amplified the sounds to reach outside the city.
“Are you listening, Hero! Your hometown people are here! Sadly, there are no family members! Hahaha!”
Even with blatant insults directed at the Hero, no one stepped forward.
“You are heading towards the Demon King’s Castle right now! It will take quite some time to return, and in the meantime, the Demon Lord will complete the spell to turn the continent into ruins!”
A deadly dilemma.
Will they turn back to save their hometown people?
Or will they take another step forward for the great cause?
“I-I guess we’re all doomed then…?”
“The Hero must defeat the Demon Lord for us to survive, right?”
“…If those people die, maybe we….”
The people gathered in the plaza, not from the Hero’s hometown, began weighing their gains in small voices.
Ultimately, humans tend to pick the path that benefits them most; even if the Hero’s hometown people were in impending danger, if it meant risking their own lives, it was the best strategy to refrain from acting.
“Hero! Where are you! If you don’t show up immediately, one by one, I will kill them!!”
The monster’s threats echoed loudly, yet no one appeared.
Could it be that this isn’t a real threat?
Maybe the monsters don’t genuinely intend to kill?
In the moment this complacent thought crossed her mind—
“I’ll count to ten! One!”
Scrape.
The monster swung its sword directly.
Red blood splattered everywhere, and one young man tied to the pillar lost his life.
“Entiar!!”
The local youth, Entiar, was dead.
People in the plaza screamed, those tied to the pillars trembled in fear of being next, and Droniel thrashed about in resistance.
“Heh heh, clamoring to die already. You must be Droniel, right? I heard from others that you’re special to the Hero?”
“…!!”
The monster’s sword slowly neared Droniel’s neck.
“This sword slices everything it touches. Look. Even your hair is being cut just by being close to it, isn’t it?”
Snip.
As the monster’s sword drew closer, Droniel’s hair fell to the ground.
The monster’s sword was not just cutting hair; it was cutting through the pillar, and with just a bit more distance, it seemed ready to sever Droniel’s neck.
“Kehehe, or should I cut something else?”
“W-what…?!”
“What if the Hero comes but sees you have been tainted? Will he treat you as he always did?!”
“S-stop…!!”
A sticky gaze.
The darkness of the world began to consume Droniel little by little.
“Heh heh heh, how about this? I could show you a new world. Heh heh, you can join me—”
“Spit!”
There was only one thing Droniel could do.
She spat in the monster’s face, showing her resolve.
“If you want to do it, do it! But Lucius won’t come! He left the village to defeat the Demon Lord! Even if you were to defile me, by then, Lucius, the Hero, would have already defeated the Demon Lord!”
“You little…!!”
The monster raised its sword in fury.
“Fine! If dying is your wish, I’ll grant it! Die, defeated childhood friend!!”
“!!”
Droniel closed her eyes.
Knowing he wouldn’t come, still, she wished, for the last moment.
Just a bit.
That he would come for her.
Like a charming prince from a fairytale, she hoped he would save her.
No.
Lucius is a Hero.
The Hero has his path, and a childhood friend is only a hindrance.
“Droniel.”
Was it an illusion?
At the warm voice calling her from behind, tears streamed down Droniel’s face.
“I’m sorry I’m late.”
“W-what?! A portal?! W-when did this happen?! There was a barrier preventing outside interference!!”
“Barrier? What does that matter? I….”
Snip.
The ropes binding Droniel fell off completely.
She looked up, cradled in sturdy arms.
“I am a Hero.”
“I-I…!”
His face hadn’t changed.
But from below, his face looking down at her, the face glaring coldly at the monster was that of the Hero itself.
“Droniel. Could you wait just a moment?”
But the face looking down at her, those gentle eyes were just like before he left the hometown.
Ah.
So that’s how it is.
Lucius is the Hero, but still, he is Lucius.
“Okay…!”
“You! Thanks to your return, the Demon Lord—”
“The Demon Lord.”
Lucius twisted his lips.
“I can deal with you before I go.”
Scrape.
The Hero’s sword glimmered.
…
…
…
The Demon Lord fell.
Hero Lucius succeeded in plunging the Holy Sword into the heart of the Demon Lord even amidst the chaos of losing his comrades, and humanity regained peace.
Ah.
The Hero triumphed.
The newly formed Demon King’s army scattered, and the Demon Race no longer intruded on human territory.
“Droniel! Come eat!”
“Yes, Village Chief!!”
Droniel brushed off her hands while fixing the fallen fence.
The fence destroyed by the monster’s attack was slowly regaining its original form, and the village was returning to its former state.
There were still empty spots here and there, but the places of those who would return someday remained.
“I wonder when they’ll come back… After today, tomorrow is—”
“My birthday, right?”
“…….”
At the warm voice that came from behind, Droniel’s vision suddenly blurred.
“D-Droniel?”
“N-no, it’s just some dust in my eyes.”
Droniel wiped her eyes with her sleeve and turned her body.
“What are you wearing?”
“It’s not Hero Lucius.”
Lucius, dressed in a black suit that was fashionable in the capital, took something out from his pocket.
“Droniel. Thank you for waiting. I won’t make you wait any longer.”
Lucius knelt like a knight receiving a knighthood and presented a small box in his palm.
“Will you marry me?”
An un-Hero-like but typical confession from Lucius.
“…What? It’s more boring than I expected….”
Sandy.
The sky reddened with gold.
As if gathering all the light of the world, the surroundings became bright, and the light shone exclusively on Droniel.
“I have protected the world. The journey of Hero Lucius is over. Now, the person I must protect is you.”
“Lucius….”
“So, lady. If you would grant me your blessing.”
Clack.
The jewelry box opened.
Inside was the ‘Holy Sword’ that Lucius was said to have worn, now in the form of a ring.
“I will live as your knight, protecting you for a lifetime.”
It should have been.
But the truth is.
—Lucius, I—
—What are you doing? Let’s hurry, Lucius.
—Understood. Master. Sorry, Droniel. See you later.
Leaving without even a proper farewell.
—Master, at least a goodbye…
—What? You plan to have a dramatic reunion later? No, I don’t care about that. Let’s hurry to a big city, not this shabby little village. Lucius, I’m tired. Carry me.
So.
“If you just stay quiet, they’ll come for you.”
Droniel became Odrone.
The woman who wished to hold Lucius’s place in the village as his childhood friend realized that if she remained passive, things would be taken from her.
So.
She aimed to grow stronger to walk the journey with Lucius and became ‘Droniel Odrone,’ not just the Hero’s childhood friend.
“I see. I understand what story this is. But is that the end?”
“…It can’t possibly end there. That is the story of when the witch… died. If the witch is as I imagine her, she might be….”
Perhaps.
“…returning to her hometown now, proudly boasting to me alongside Lucius.”
“We’re getting married.”
“In the hometown, she’ll give me a wedding invitation as a birthday gift, saying she’ll marry a witch.”