The Main Heroines are Trying to Kill Me

Chapter 432: The Start of the Final Showdown

“Wahhhhhhh!!”

“We won! We won!!!”

Thunderous cheers echoed from all around.

Well, the sky had brightened after being dark for months, so naturally, the reactions were intense.

“...Yeah, we really won.”

“Thank goodness... there was little damage.”

Even the heroines beside me felt the same.

After winning such a tough battle was, in a way, only natural.

In times like this, I should also smile and celebrate.

“...Sigh.”

But for some reason, I couldn’t find peace.

Maybe it was because there was still something weighing on my mind.

I just wanted to be alone right now.

But first, I needed to deal with the current situation.

- Step, step...

As I started to move, the eyes of the cheering people all turned to me.

This is awkward.

I had never been the center of attention before.

The deep-rooted awkwardness made me bow my head, and I avoided their gazes as I walked through the crowd.

“...Please take care of her condition.”

“Hmm?”

I had arrived at the place where the fox beastki... No, the mythical beast warrior from the Eastern Continent had gathered.

“As you can see, she’s just an innocent child who was manipulated by the real mastermind. The Imperial Princess and I will vouch for her.”

“Hmm...”

“Please, I’m asking you.”

The mythical foxes of the Eastern Continent were known for their medical expertise.

They would surely be able to quickly heal Aishi, who was in poor condition.

“Of course, I’ll pay you handsomely...”

“E-Excuse me...”

As I was about to hand Aishi over to the mythical foxes,

“Frey...”

She opened her eyes with great difficulty and looked at me with dimming eyes.

“I’m sorry...”

“...”

“Because of me... because I was weak...”

She clung to my clothes with a tearful expression, muttering with dark eyes.

“You did well.”

I spoke softly, conveying my sincerity.

“You did all you could.”

Because she resisted desperately, miraculously, there were no casualties.

That alone meant she had done her part.

“...Ah.”

As I gently brushed her eyelids, she flinched and then closed her eyes, falling asleep.

She must have been really exhausted.

I hoped she could recover fully with the help of the fox beasts.

“H-Human.”

“Hmm?”

As I started to walk away from the other mythical foxes who were staring at me blankly, I heard a familiar voice from behind.

“W-were you always... this kind?”

Miho, peeking out from behind the chieftain, asked cautiously.

“...Pfft.”

“What?”

Smiling softly, I gently patted her head and whispered.

“Could you lend me a few fox beads?”

“W-what!?”

Her face turned bright red as she responded.

“T-thief! Why would you...”

“I have a use for them.”

I felt sorry for Miho, who would lose some of her energy, but I needed to recover my life force as much as possible.

I would have asked someone else if I could, but only female mythical foxes could create fox beads.

And as far as I knew, giving one’s fox bead to someone else was a significant taboo and considered highly disrespectful.

“You! Do you even know what it means to give a fox bead to a male?”

“You’ve done it well enough so far, haven’t you?”

“...Ugh.”

So, there was no other choice.

Miho had already broken the rule once and seemed to have no aversion to it, so I had to ask her.

“Pervert! Thief! Scoundrel...”

But it seemed Miho was still unwilling.

Fox beads were very precious to them, so it was understandable.

“If you really don’t want to, there’s nothing I can do. It was just a request...”

“Then...?”

“I’ll have to politely ask someone else.”

Not wanting to give up on the healing power of the fox bead, I turned away from Miho and looked at the other foxes.

Fortunately, there were quite a few female foxes among the warriors who had joined the battle.

They seemed to be eyeing me hungrily, which was a bit unsettling, but if I pleaded sincerely, one of them might...

“I-I’ll do it.”

“Hmm?”

“I’ll give you mine, so don’t look at any other females!”

While I was contemplating who to ask first, Miho, with her face flushed bright red, spoke urgently.

Didn’t she just say no? Why the sudden change?

“Damn... Once I’ve given it, there’s no going back...”

“...?”

“Anyway... I’ll provide it, so go away.”

Watching her fidget and twist her legs, I smiled and patted her head.

“Huh?”

“Thank you.”

I didn’t know exactly why, but it seemed she was being considerate towards me.

Naturally, expressing gratitude was the right thing to do.

It has been a while since I could act without hesitation, so I might as well take advantage of it.

“Purr...”

As I patted her head, Miho closed her eyes and began to purr happily, wagging her tail.

“Rumble, rumble...”

I even scratched her chin, and she accepted it without resistance.

She was like a completely tamed pet fox.

“Ahem, ahem.”

“Oh, sorry.”

Lost in the bliss of petting a cute animal, I was brought back to reality by the chief’s cough.

“Are you a fox too?”

“Excuse me?”

“...Never mind. By the way, are you sure you should be standing around here? Aren’t you very busy?”

Right, this wasn’t the time for this.

I needed to stay focused.

“Yes, well, please take good care of her.”

“...”

“Goodbye.”

With a brief farewell to the slightly wary chief and the still-blushing Miho, I turned around and was met with intense stares.

“...”

It was the heroines.

“...?”

Today, I seemed to be getting a lot of questioning looks.

“Miho, don’t become an easy woman.”

“F-Father! It’s not like that...!”

I wonder what the chief said to Miho?

.

.

.

.

.

A few hours later.

I returned home with the heroines, feeling utterly exhausted.

The modest yet cozy cabin where I’d been living with the heroines for the past few months.

I planned to stay here by the seaside until the ancient magic of the Starlight mansion was resolved.

“Frey? Are you sure you don’t want to join everyone?”

“You could be properly honored today...”

As they said, until we arrived here, many people had approached or tried to talk to me.

Academy students, the second princess who appeared out of nowhere, people I didn’t even know...

But I didn’t have the energy to talk to any of them right now.

I was physically exhausted and mentally unsettled.

Right now, I just wanted to sleep at home.

I did give Aria a heads-up about my location.

She looked very anxious; I’ll have to have a meal with her and talk things over tomorrow.

“Zzzzzz... Zzzzz...”

Like how Glare, who had endured a hard day, was snoring deeply beside me.

She seemed to be in a very deep sleep.

But what was it she wanted to talk about with such bright eyes earlier?

“Yes, I fully agree with you, Frey.”

“Master... Do you want a lap pillow?”

As I voiced my thoughts while watching Glare, Ruby smiled and nodded, and beside her, Lulu timidly asked.

“I’ll handle the affairs of the Empire. So you just...”

“The dragons will help with the recovery.”

“You can rest easy; there are no more remnants of the Church.”

The other heroines generally agreed.

“Frey... let’s talk.”

“Young master.”

Except for Kania and Serena, who quietly approached and whispered to me from either side.

“I know this isn’t the end... according to the prophecy...”

“Earlier, a strange system window appeared before me. Its contents are unsettling...”

Judging by their demeanor, it seemed they had noticed my worries...

How should I respond?

“...Let’s talk later.”

In that fleeting moment, after considering countless possibilities, I decided to postpone it.

I still hadn’t decided how to face the final showdown.

“I just want to rest now...”

And right now, we just narrowly overcame the biggest crisis, the ‘Academy Siege.’

I wanted to get some sleep and think with a clear mind.

“Alright, then...”

“Shall I prepare a bath for you?”

Understanding my need to rest, Serena and Kania nodded and got up. @@novelbin@@

“I’ll return to the royal palace then.”

“I’ll have a chat with the dragons.”

“I’m still finishing my soul merge, so I’ll stay in my room for a while.”

The heroines also began to get up one by one.

Everyone but Isolet, who had stayed behind for recovery efforts, started leaving my room.

“Frey, I’ll make your favorite rye bread and potato soup. Serena has taught me the recipe.”

“...Serena?”

And lastly, Ruby left the room after saying that.

Although I liked how close they had become recently...

Serena teaching Ruby how to cook?

I better get Kania involved quickly, or there might be trouble.

“...Nevermind.”

So, instead of calling out to Kania urgently, I sighed and lay down.

“I’ll just sleep.”

Ruby was good at cooking, so she’d probably handle it somehow.

“Mmm...”

“...You can’t sleep here.”

As I was dozing off, Glare, who was hugging me and licking her lips, clung to me. I tried to find a room where I could lay her down.

“Master.”

“Ah, you scared me.”

A voice next to me almost made me drop Glare.

“I have something to tell you.”

“Lulu?”

I thought everyone had left the room.

What could she want to say, staying behind with such a serious expression?

“I think...”

Hearing her words, I could only look at her with a blank expression.

“...I think I’ve become the Demon King.”

“...”

Absurdly, that was how the final showdown began.