Chapter 3: An Absolute Ally

The world began to regain its color, and time started moving once again with those words.

“Kill him quickly!”

Amid such chaos, the demons were shouting.

In some stories, humans and demons may join forces, but such a development seemed impossible in this world.

After all, how could one possibly forgive those who had taken Trus's loved ones and his life?

Unconsciously, I clenched my fists.

That day—the despair I had felt through the game screen had transformed into anger.

Now, let’s go and witness a happy ending that never existed!

“Hero Trus! You are not wrong!”

Gathering strength in my legs, I kicked off the cobblestone.

My strangely light body soared into the air, and I leapt onto the stage.

I deflected the blade aimed at Trus by his beloved betrayers.

The heroines all turned their gazes toward me simultaneously.

“Oh my, who dares disturb this sacred ritual?”

“Someone still believes in this coward?”

“Hey, hey, can I kill that person? Please, let me kill them!”

The heroines, now fallen into the abyss of demonic malice, sneered wickedly.

Even these people weren’t always bad.

At least up until the middle of the story, they were incredibly good girls.

“You were his comrades, his lovers, weren’t you? How could you do something so cruel?”

The answer was something I already knew from the game.

The heroines I once knew no longer existed.

What stood there were malicious shells, corrupted in both body and soul by the Demon King.

“Who cares about him? I just want to kill him quickly and make the Demon King happy.”

“Exactly. That pathetic creature isn’t worth leaving alive in this world.”

“Hey, let’s just kill him already!”

…Disgust welled up inside me.

Heroines? Cute girls?

You’re nothing but pigs who sold out your lover!

Suppressing the hatred boiling within me, I continued.

“What was the meaning of the bonds you built with him over all these years?”

“Ha! Those years with him are worth less than a single day with the Demon King.”

“Worthless and harmful. Just existing makes him a burden to others.”

“Wow, how clueless can you be? That girl’s so dumb!”

I see now.

To these heroines, their journey with Trus was utterly meaningless—less than nothing.

There was no room left for defense.

Even with this world becoming real, nothing had changed.

“Ugh…”

Behind me, I could hear Trus stifling a sob.

The childhood friend he trusted, the sisterly figure he admired, and the little sister he felt he had to protect.

All of them now deemed him unnecessary—worse, they called him a hindrance.

It must have been unbearable.

It must have been humiliating.

Someone had to save him.

I had to save him.

That’s why I came here.

“That’s not true!”

Drawing my weapon—a short blade—I destroyed the crucifix restraining Trus.

The execution device prepared by the demons shattered under the weapon’s power.

“Someone who has fought for others, living righteously, cannot possibly be wrong!”

As the crucifix broke apart, Trus collapsed to the ground.

He tried to stand but seemed too shaken to muster any strength.

We should escape while we can.

There’s no way I can defeat the Demon King on my own.

To defeat the Demon King, we need the hero’s power.

I shouted to Trus.

“Sir Trus, as painful as it is, now is the time to endure!”

“Wh-Who are you?”

“I am Felia. I’ve come to save you!”

Saving Trus had been an extraordinarily difficult task.

Enemies surrounded us on all sides.

Heroines, now powerful adversaries.

And the Demon King himself.

Escaping alive under these circumstances seemed utterly unrealistic.

But Trus was the hero.

Stronger, braver, and kinder than anyone else.

For him, breaking through enemy lines and escaping into an alley was child’s play.

“Now, be angry. Be angry for those whose lives were stolen by the Demon King’s vile trap.”

My words seemed to awaken something in Trus.

Fueled by his anger, he began to fight.

Although unarmed, he defeated demons, seized their weapons, and fought on with unrelenting fury.

At that moment, he was truly a hero.

---

Breathless, we sprinted through the alleyways, engaging in battle after battle with pursuing demons.

Using the divine power I was granted, I managed to hold them off, and we barely escaped.

But the heroines were overwhelmingly strong.

Having only had minor physical training in my previous life, I was severely lacking in combat experience.

While I could flee from the monstrous heroines, I couldn’t defeat them.

Moreover, to Trus, they were his beloved.

He wasn’t strong enough to harm the ones he loved.

“It’s enough... I’ve had enough...”

Trus slowed to a stop beside me.

What was he doing!?

We might still escape if we’re lucky!

I quickly moved toward him.

“Why are you stopping? If we don’t run, your life will—”

“It’s fine...”

Trus spoke with a resigned, hollow expression.

“Thank you. I’m happy you saved me. But at this rate, we’ll both be caught. I’ll hold them off here. You should escape.”

He gripped a weapon taken from an enemy and turned toward the path we had come from.

...No.

That wouldn’t work.

I came here to save you!

“You spoke to those three who tried to kill me, didn’t you?”

“...”

“They’ve changed so much, but they were good girls once. I loved them... At first, I wanted to defeat the Demon King for the world. But before I knew it, my reason had shifted—to create a world where they could live in peace.”

...I know.

In the game, Trus realized this during his long journey.

But his resolve had been trampled.

In the worst possible way.

“That’s why it’s fine now. If I’m killed by them, I can accept that...”

I hadn’t saved him.

I might have saved his life, but I hadn’t saved his heart.

God had said:

When a soul cracks, it fractures completely.

Perhaps Trus’s soul had cracked, too.

Betrayed by the girls he loved and nearly killed by them.

How could he not be broken?

How could anyone recover from such wounds?

What could I do to truly save him?

Hey, God.

You made me to save Trus, right?

Suddenly, amid the scent of blood and steel, a sharp realization struck me.

“...So please, you must run. I’ll ensure your safety, no matter what—!”

I pulled Trus close and kissed him, standing on tiptoe to reach him.

Driven by the love potion’s uncontrollable emotions for Trus, I poured all my feelings into him, leaving nothing hidden.

An electric sensation ran down my spine.

God had told me my compatibility with Trus was perfect, both physically and spiritually.

Even just a kiss sent waves of emotion coursing through me.

It seemed Trus felt the same, his eyes betraying both confusion and a hint of pleasure.

More than I expected, I wasn’t disgusted by my attraction to him as a man.

“What are you doing!?”

When I pulled away, Trus immediately protested.

It was an understandable reaction.

Ignoring his words, I spoke.

“I love you.”

“...”

“I don’t want you to die. I want you to live.”

“...”

My words seemed to momentarily unsettle him.

A faint flicker of life returned to his eyes.

“Can I not be part of your wish? The one you’re fighting for?”

“...What?”

I touched his hand.

Despite his youthful appearance, his hands were muscular—those of someone who had wielded weapons for years.

I placed his hand against my chest.

“...Ahh.”

Ignoring the embarrassing sensitivity of my body, I continued.

“Stand up one more time. I’ll give you my body if it means you’ll keep going.”

“What are you saying—?”

“I’ll fight for you and you alone. If you plan to die here, I’ll follow you to the afterlife.”

“...But...”

I believe these were the words Trus needed to hear.

If the heroines' betrayal was akin to the world betraying him, he needed someone to stand by him against the world.

“Besides, we only just met today!”

“...Perhaps for you.”

“What... do you mean?”

I had always known Trus.

I knew this world, its ending, and the heroines’ betrayal.

“You’ve always been out of my reach. I could never touch you, only watch from afar.”

“...”

“But now, it’s different. I can touch you. I can feel your warmth. I can hear your heartbeat.”

Before, I could only see him through a screen.

Now, I could reach him.

I wanted him to be happy.

I had prayed to God for that.

“I understand.”

Whether my feelings reached him or not, Trus nodded solemnly.

“To be honest, I can’t think of you in that way yet.”

“...That’s fine.”

It was only natural.

Falling for a heroine who just appeared wouldn’t happen so easily.

“But I owe my life to you. If you want me to stand up, I’ll stand up again. Will you stay by my side?”

“Yes! I will follow you, even into the depths of death.”

As he resolved himself, the sound of enemies approaching grew louder.

It was only a matter of time before they found us.

“Then let’s go. Uh... Felia.”

“Yes, Sir Trus!”