Several days had passed since the commotion at the training grounds.

At the royal palace of the Principality of Albion, a splendid evening gathering was being held tonight under the pretense of welcoming the hero who would slay the demon king.

The chandeliers above sparkled like shattered stardust, and the polished marble floor reflected the adorned figures of nobles. The elegant sounds of waltz music and the cheerful noise of people.

All of this was akin to a torment for Ayabe Yuuma.

“Yuuma-sama, how about that fruit water over there? It’s very sweet and delicious.”

“No, Hero-sama. Please have this wine instead. A century-old masterpiece worthy of praising your valor.”

“Hero, don’t drink too much. You never know when a monster might attack. Always remain vigilant.”

With his right arm, Saint Agnes pressed her matured chest against him like ripe fruit, while Lady Matilda of the female knight order gripped his left arm with iron-like strength, not letting go. From the front, maids enhanced by blessing buffs sent hot glances one after another, increasing their allure.

Crack…

Unpleasant sounds came from both of Yuuma’s shoulders at the same time.

(A joyful scream? No, this is physical agony! My arms! They’re tearing apart! )

From the side, it would look like a man’s dream come true—a harem scene.

But inside Yuuma’s heart, he was as turbulent as a boat adrift in a stormy sea.

(I want to go home… I want to return to my room and be alone right now…》

It was more suffocating than when he was back in his hometown of Kumamoto.

“Yuuma-sama is the only one uniquely bound to me by fate’s thread. Isn’t that right?”

Agnes whispered with a sweet breath, adding a sticky resonance.

“Hero, I will protect your back. No matter who comes, I won’t let them approach.”

Matilda declared in a low voice, intimidatingly pressing her presence around her.

“『『『Hero-sama!』』』”

The maids’ voices formed a beautiful trio that shook his eardrums.

(Please stop… I just want peace…)

His lament reached no one’s ears.

At that moment,

Yuuma once again experienced the sensation from that day.

A single gaze piercing through the noise of people. It was different from Agnes’s obsession or Matilda’s passion. It was quieter, yet contained something unfathomable, like appraising a prey.

Yuuma raised his face as if startled.

The source of the gaze was immediately found.

Before the balcony, slightly away from the noisy grand hall, stood a single noblewoman.

Her lustrous black hair seemed crafted from melting night, her skin white as porcelain bathed in moonlight. Her lips, red like blood, drew a quiet arc. The jet-black dress, leaving none of her body’s curves to the imagination, highlighted her seductive, bewitching allure.

Everyone around her noticed her existence, yet gazed at her from afar as if she were an artwork not to be touched. She alone stood there gracefully and isolated, as though she were in a different flow of time.

The noblewoman smiled gently when their eyes met.

Yuuma’s spine trembled at that smile.

Beautiful. But somehow inhuman. Like a perfectly crafted doll smiling.

In the next instant, that doll moved.

With one hand holding a wine glass, she smoothly parted through the crowd like ripples on water. No, it was more like the path she took naturally opened as if the Red Sea had parted before Moses.

Her destination was clearly Yuuma.

“Ah… Lady Liliana…”

Agnes muttered in a cautious voice.

Eventually, the noblewoman stopped right before Yuuma. A sweet yet chilling perfume gently tickled his nose.

“Good evening, Saint-sama. And you are the rumored Hero-sama, I presume?”

Her voice was light and beautiful, yet carried no warmth at all.

“Y-yes… I’m Ayabe Yuuma.”

Yuuma, overwhelmed by her overwhelming presence, stammered out his name.

“Oh, Yuuma-sama. I’ve heard much about you. I am Liliana, wife of Duke Ducas, the Chancellor.”

The noblewoman named Liliana showed a perfect etiquette by pinching the hem of her skirt.

“What is it that you need, Duchess?”

Agnes tightened her grip on Yuuma’s arm while trying to block her.

“You! Don’t get too familiar with the Hero!”

Matilda also placed her hand on the hilt of her sword and sent a hostile gaze toward Liliana.

“Oh dear, such a scary face. I only want to borrow the Hero-sama for a little while.”

Liliana smiled without remorse, her gaze passing through Agnes and directly piercing Yuuma.

“Hero-sama, wouldn’t you like to feel the night breeze? It’s a bit too warm here.”

That was an unmistakable invitation.

Driven by the desire to escape this suffocating situation as soon as possible, Yuuma opened his mouth before he could think.

“Y-yes! Please!”

“Yuuma-sama!?”

A scream-like voice echoed from Agnes.

But Liliana merely gave her a brief glance and smiled quietly.

“Saint-sama, please rest easy. I am not chosen by God like you.”

Her words carried an odd thorn. Agnes was left speechless.

“Come this way, Yuuma-sama.”

Liliana beckoned to Yuuma and turned around, walking toward the balcony.

Yuuma felt the resentful gazes from behind but had no choice but to follow Liliana like iron filings drawn to a magnet.

Once again, his 【Liquid Self】’s essence had found its most troublesome “vessel.”

“Yuuma-sama is… mine alone…”

The light vanished from Agnes’s eyes, and a faint aura of magic began to rise from her hands. However, the target of her anger was the well-built count who stood stunned beside her.

“【Blessing: Absolute Adoration to the Hero】!”

“Oh! What is this feeling!? Hero-sama! I would die for you too!”

At that moment, a new fanatic was born, but Yuuma didn’t notice it.

When he stepped onto the balcony, a chilly night breeze brushed against his flushed cheeks.

The noise of the grand hall receded like a lie, and finally, he could catch his breath.

“…Phew.”

An involuntary sigh of relief escaped him.

“You seem tired, Hero-sama,”

A quiet voice was heard from beside him.

Startled, he looked to the side and saw Liliana leaning on the railing, gazing at the night view. Her profile, illuminated by moonlight, was as beautiful as a sculpture.

“A, no, that’s not… “

“It’s okay if you don’t hide it. Saint-sama’s affection can be sweeter than honey and heavier than chains.”

Liliana said, as if she saw through everything.

“…”

Yuuma had nothing to reply with. It was spot on. He didn’t feel like she was forcing something upon him, like Agnes and the others.

“It is a beautiful night, isn’t it?”

Eventually, Liliana murmured.

“Yes, it is.”

“I just hope this peace in Albion continues forever…”

Her voice carried a hint of sorrow. Yuuma felt as if he saw a fleeting shadow across her face.

(Ah, what a beautiful sorrow…! This person is the tragic heroine who worries about the country’s future! )

It was a bad habit of Yuuma’s. He would read grand stories from women’s minor expressions and pour his heart into their “vessels.”

“My husband, Duke Ducas, is already seventy years old.”

Liliana continued casually as if it were small talk.

“…The most important duty for the Ducas family is to continue the bloodline. To ensure the family name endures forever.”

She paused there and looked up at the night sky. Her eyes seemed to carry a deep, profound resignation.

“…But with my husband’s age, it’s no longer possible to hope for an heir.”

Those words echoed heavily in the quiet night air.

Yuuma’s chest hurt.

(How could such a beautiful person suffer alone from the pressure to have an heir…! Only I can wipe away those tears. I have to save her…! )

Yuuma’s 【Liquid Self】 perfectly captured the “sorrow” vessel she presented. He was driven by an irrational sense of duty, feeling he had to rescue this beautiful noblewoman before him.

“Um…”

Yuuma found himself opening his mouth without thinking.

“If there is anything I can do… please tell me. I will help.”

Why did he say that? Even he didn’t know. It was just that he couldn’t leave the woman’s sorrowful expression unattended.

As if waiting for those words,

Liliana slowly turned her face toward Yuuma.

Her eyes reflected the moonlight, glowing bewitchingly. The fragile shadow from before was nowhere to be seen; instead, there was a cold, burning light of a predator who was certain her prey had fallen into the trap.

Yuuma didn’t notice the change in her eye color.

“Oh… you are kind, Hero-sama.”

Liliana’s lips slowly bloomed.

“I am moved. To care for someone like me…”

She took one step closer to Yuuma. The sweet fragrance became even more intense.

“You truly are a ‘Hero’, aren’t you?”

Her breath brushed against him. Yuuma’s heart gave a loud thump.

She is a married woman. This is too far. Alarms rang loudly in his head.

But his body didn’t move. He was frozen, pierced by her gaze.

“If… if it’s okay, Yuuma-sama…”

Liliana’s voice sounded like the sweet whisper of a demon.

“Only someone as kind as you might be able to warm my cold heart…”

He had to refuse. He had to run away now.

Even though he thought that, no words came out.

As if seeing through his inner turmoil, Liliana gently took Yuuma’s right hand.

Her fingers were surprisingly cold, like the hands of a lifeless doll.

That cold finger pressed a small metallic sensation into Yuuma’s palm.

“…What is this?”

Looking down, there was a key glowing dimly in the moonlight.

“It is the key to my room.”

Liliana whispered near Yuuma’s ear.

“In the east wing of the Ducas mansion, top floor… the room where the moon is most beautiful.”

She folded his fingers one by one and made him tightly grip the key.

“I await you, ‘Hero’-sama.”

After saying that, Liliana let go of Yuuma’s hand with a lingering farewell and gracefully flipped her body around.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she returned to the noisy grand hall with elegant steps. Yuuma didn’t miss the satisfied smile on her face.

Yuuma was once again alone on the balcony.

The night wind felt unusually warm.

He looked at his palm. There remained Liliana’s cold touch and the heavy presence of the key.

(No good, no good at all, Ayabe Yuuma…!)

He desperately told himself in his mind.

(She is a married woman! The wife of the Chancellor! If it gets exposed this time, I’ll die for sure! It’s not just Akane’s kitchen knife! Guillotine! Burning! Monster food! This world’s death penalty has too many variations! )

Flashbacks of every gruesome execution method filled his mind.

(But… she is suffering… if I don’t help her, she will cry alone… I have to warm her cold heart…! )

Convenient fantasies bloomed on their own.

(Right. This isn’t infidelity. It’s helping people. I can’t ignore someone in need. I am a hero after all.)

Yes, it is helping people.

Rescuing the distressed noblewoman is a sacred mission.

(I can’t refuse because not because I’m easily swayed. It’s because I’m kind! )

His greatest internal conflict was closed in three seconds with perfect self-justification.

Yuuma tightly gripped the key to the mansion.

There was not even a trace of previous fear or confusion on his face.

What remained was only the expression of a man burning with a new “mission,” proudly yet fatally mistaken.

In this way, the hero opened the door to his own destruction.

Unaware that beyond it lay a sweet hell.