“I would like just the two of us to have a little chat. Would that be okay?”

At lunch break, while I was having my lunch in the maid’s anteroom, I was told by the elf Rufaga-sama who suddenly appeared, so I had to swallow what I had in my mouth.

Only Greed-sama and I were in the room. But we were not having a clandestine meeting. Greed-sama came here where I was eating alone and just enjoyed watching me.

As a (reluctant) Hero’s fiancée, I don’t feel secure appearing in front of a large number of people, so I always eat in the anteroom instead of the dining area. Normally, there are several princess’s maids aside from me but today, many maids took their days off ahead of schedule, so I happened to be alone.

“T-Talk . . . you say?”

“Rufaga.”

Greed-sama’s voice was laced with censure.

Rufaga-sama smiled, but he replied in a willy-nilly tone.

“This is necessary, Greed. You should know.”

“But....”

“She has the right to know.... No, she has to know.”

I am not sure what it is, but it seems to be a serious exchange.

I put the dishes back in the wagon and told them.... especially Greed-sama.

“Don’t worry about me. I am willing to talk.... Greed-sama, excuse me, could you please return this wagon to the kitchen?”

Asking the Hero to do the chores is unthinkable, but this is to make Greed-sama stay away from here.

Greed-sama was hesitant for a while, but eventually nodded and said with a sad expression.

“I understand.... I’ll come back later.”

After seeing Greed-sama go out, I turned to Rufaga-sama.

....At last it’s finally here.

I have been having tea with Rufaga-sama and the others a lot, but in fact I have not personally talked to him yet. Of course, we had small talks during tea time, but this is the first time I have talked with him one-on-one.

However, I noticed that he was sometimes observing the interaction between Greed-sama and me.

....So I often wondered if a time like this would come someday. Because this person is the one who most likely made the deal with the Prime Minister to change the reward for rescuing the princess into a marriage between Greed-sama and I. His watchfulness during tea time made my suspicion grew stronger.

Since he is an elf, Rufaga-sama is knowledgeable. He looks like a boy but he has lived longer than anyone else, and the elf called “Silver Guide” who accompanied the Hero’s journey since 400 years ago is actually Rufaga-sama.

Such person is going to talk to me.... Anyway, Greed-sama is decidedly involved, but I can’t help but feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Rufaga-sama, who sat across the table, smiled like a flower at me, who was tensed and stiff.

“Do you have any idea what I’m going to talk about?”

“....Are you going to talk about Greed-sama?”

I felt nothing but surprise. Rufaga-sama is not the kind of person who would go out of his way to come and talk to me.

“Yes, of course, but it is probably a little different from what you think. When it comes to your relationship with Greed, I do not think I could do anything more.”

“What?”

“If he wants to progress more than that, Greed himself should do his best.”

His words were anticlimax. Rufaga-sama then smiled at me.

“Renas, Milly, and Rufus tried to get along with you for Greed’s sake. However, I already have a rule that I will not intervene in various love affairs. So whether Greed will win your heart or break his heart, it’s his own problem.”

“Th-Then why....”

....Why did you negotiate with the Prime Minister to marry Greed-sama and me?

Before I could blurt it out, I hurriedly clamped my mouth shut. I’m just being suspicious about that, so I can’t say it clearly.

But he knew what I was trying to say. Rufaga-sama said this with a smile on his face.

“I took it into my hands behind the scenes because I wanted to give you the title ‘The Hero’s Wife’ or “The Hero’s Fiancée’ for your own safety. So that you can receive [The World’s Blessing] by associating with the Hero.” [T/N: Reference - Vol. 2 Chapter 19 - conversation of Rufaga and the Prime Minister]

“The world’s blessing?”

“It is a skill that only heroes have in this world. Ren Shirosaki called this ‘Protagonist’s Compensation’.”

Protagonist’s Compensation.... I have heard of it. Those words were mainly used in the field of literature; it is a benefit that only the main character can receive. Thanks to that, the story develops in a way that is convenient for the main character.

“This [World’s Blessing] also works for the people around the hero. For the hero’s comrades, the hero’s friends, and the hero’s lover or spouse. Do you understand what this means? If you build some kind of relationship with the hero, you will receive [The World’s Blessing]. That’s why I wanted you to be the ‘Hero’s Wife’ or the ‘Hero’s Fiancée’. However, you should have been able to receive the graces when you became the ‘Hero’s Beloved’. But as you have also said yourself, there were so many others that the goddess couldn’t recognize you.”

Therefore, it was necessary to make you the “Hero’s fiancee” and receive the “blessing” of the priest.?──Rufaga-sama said so without feeling guilty.

I was not even slightly shocked that Rufaga-sama acknowledged me as a mob.

I admit that I call myself a mob and that I’m mediocre, but when it comes from a upright person like Rufaga-sama, it can be quite painful!

“And currently, that purpose is being fulfilled. So I don’t have to meddle with Greed and you anymore. I want to tell you why we want you to receive the blessing of the world and what I am concerned about.”

When he said that, Rufaga-sama’s smile suddenly disappeared and was replaced with a serious expression.

“You are too unaware. You are not aware of the significance of being the ‘Hero’s Fiancée’. You do not know how your existence will affect the world. It is because Greed is being soft on you.”

“Huh?”

“The other day, you went out of the castle to go shopping. You shouldn’t have left the castle in the first place. You should have been inside a safe barrier. Yet, you went out. Greed also allowed it. Do you remember what happened as a result?”

“....Yes.”

I nodded while biting my lips. A powerful demon named Azul came to know that I was the “Hero’s Fiancée” and he remembered my face.

Rufaga-sama narrowed his eyes.

“Greed doesn’t want to scare you, but for some time you have been the target of the demons. Outside the castle’s barrier, the demons are actively working to get information about you. Even though Greed has thwarted them to some extent, there are still a lot of danger. That’s why you should not have gone out. At the very least, you should never be allowed to go out into the town without an escort. If any of us were with you, we would have evacuated promptly before the demons could notice you. Even if we use ourselves as a shield.”

“──What? Yourselves as a shield . . . you say . . .”

Those disturbing words echoed in my heart.

“We all know what it means if we lose you. So even if we sacrifice our lives, we will try to protect you. But you have to be aware of it so that it won’t happen.”

Rufaga-sama’s piercing silver pair of eyes was fixed on me.

“There is only one thing you have to do. Be sure to survive in any situation, even at the expense of someone else. Even if──you abandon your dear master, Princess Louise.”

“──What!?”

I felt an impact as if I had been hit in the head. To protect my life more than the princess──?

“I-I can’t possibly do that!”

I got up from my chair and exclaimed.

“To hell with abandoning the princess and prioritizing my own life!”

“We will be in trouble if you won’t do that. You are now far more important to this world than Princess Louise. If we were to be forced to prioritize the life between the princess and you, we will prioritize you without hesitation. Even Rufus will do that.”

“That....”

I was flabbergasted. Even Rufus-sama, the princess’s lover, must prioritize me . . .

My legs lost their strength and I sat down, breaking down. Then, raising my head, I weakly asked Rufaga-sama.

“Is that because I am.... ‘Greed-sama’s beloved’?”

“Yes, that’s right. If we lose you, the world itself will be in jeopardy.”

“The-The world....?”

“If we lose you, Greed will destroy the world.”

I gaped.

This is because the scale of the story suddenly increased and I heard those unbelievable words.

“That’s ridiculous....”

“I’m not kidding. Greed depends on you. Without you, the world would be meaningless to him.”

I looked at Rufaga-sama absurdly.

But Rufaga-sama stared back at me with a serious look. His expression meant what he really said.

“Immediately after defeating the Demon King, I asked Greed. ‘What would you do if she wished for the destruction of the world?’ And he immediately answered, ‘If she wants it, I will destroy the world.’ I know that it is extremely unlikely for the world to be destroyed, but Greed loves you so blindly. If he loses you──? I’m afraid. The Hero, not the Demon King, could destroy the world.”

My face twitched.

....Ah, love is intense....! It’s too intense, Greed-sama!

If I die, he will destroy the world? That’s too scary, you know!?

Rufaga-sama continued even as I trembled with fear.

“I don’t want anything to happen to you. Therefore, I want you to be aware that the fate of the world is in your control.”

The f-fate of the world! I felt dizzy and fell prostrate on the table.

──Aria Milford, 18 years old.

She calls herself “The Princess’s Lady-in-waiting A and The Hero’s Educator”. She is also known as “The Hero’s Fiancée”.

She seems to have been in control of the fate of the world before she knew it──

*?*?*

If I want it, or if I will be killed, Greed-sama will destroy the world.

Preposterous.... I’m Lady-in-waiting A, right? I’m a mob, right? I’m living a mediocre and happy life. I have no reason to to wish for the destruction of the world, okay?!

“I don’t want that to happen! And Greed-sama will not destroy the world!”

Certainly, Greed-sama has the power to influence the world. He is also aware that he is at the center of the world and he is not interested in others.

But basically, he is a very kind person. He does not intentionally hurt anyone. Destroying the world means annihilating humans──I don’t think Greed-sama will do that. Even if it’s for my sake, to involve other people in the destruction....!

“If you are his comrade, Rufaga-sama, you are supposed to understand him better!”

You have spent a much longer time with Greed-sama than I do!

Even though I already half-shouted, Rufaga-sama only stared at me calmly.

“But Greed loses his composure when it comes to you.”

“Huh?”

“When you encountered Azul, we stopped Greed from trying to go to your side. But he broke the controller. What’s more, they got to know you and he eventually failed to catch him. Until now, Greed have never made such a mistake.”

“....But I was saved thanks to Greed-sama.”

It is true that Greed-sama’s arrival made me known as “The Hero’s Fiancée”, but had Greed-sama did not come, I would have been killed by Azul.

However, Rufaga-sama shook his head.

“It did not have to have to be Greed. What did you think the bracelet was for? It is not just an engagement bracelet, it is also to protect you when we are not there.”

....Is it the defense mode that Renas-sama mentioned? But as long as I don’t know what it is and when it will be activated, relying on it will be....

Besides, I felt happy and reassured when Greed-sama came to help me.

But Rufaga-sama added.

“The sacred magic of Renas is powerful. The magic on that bracelet will not be broken easily, even by more powerful demons. That should have been well understood by Greed. He added his own magic to the sacred magic of Renas for an impregnable protection. And yet, he still went out....”

Rufaga-sama looked down and took a small sigh.

“Greed is an ideal human being to be a hero. He is compassionate, but he is never carried away by his feelings. While possessing great power, he is able to control it with his emotional strength. Normally, if you have that kind of power, it wouldn’t be strange if he will feel crushed and have a mental breakdown.... Greed forgot it. It’s a worrying situation.”

Rufaga looked up and stared straight at me.

“When you appeared before Greed, I became concerned about three things. First is that you feel despair for this world and hope for its destruction. The other is, as I said earlier, Greed might run amok with his power in the event that he would lose you and loses his composure.”

“Therefore!”

“But──I don’t think these two things will happen.”

Hearing Rufaga-sama’s calmly added words, I closed my mouth.

“I've been observing Greed’s interactions with you for a while and made that conclusion. You are leading Greed in the right direction. I think that might stop his rampage.”

“Then──”

When he said that there was no problem, I held my tongue.

Rufaga-sama said that he had three concerns.

One is that I will wish for the destruction of the world. The other is that Greed-sama might go on a rampage after losing me.

And──the other thing was?

....I suddenly noticed. He came to me just to say that.

Rufaga-sama’s facial expression changed, and I think he knew what I was thinking. He nodded.

“Yes, you’re right. It is the third thing I’m most worried about. This is the most likely possibility. No, it’s definitely going to happen. Greed will exterminate the demons, knowing that it will lead to the disappearance of the world.”

“The disappearance, of the world....”

“If you will be killed by demons, Greed will eradicate the demons. Not only the higher echelons, but also the low-ranking demons, he will hunt every single one of them. Until the demons can no longer survive as species. Even if he knew that it will cause the world to vanish, he will do it.”

“Wa-Wait a minute.”

Confused, I interjected.

“Why does eradicating the demons lead to the disappearance of the world?”

The demons are the ones who upset the balance of the world. In that case, it would be better if there were no demons, right? At least, I don’t think it is a bad thing for humans or the world, since the future Demon King will never be born anymore.

Rufaga-sama did not answer that question, but instead asked.

“Have you read Ren Shirosaki’s ‘A System Called Hero’?”

“Huh....? Y-yes, I read it because it was one of my brother’s collections....”

With a small smile, Rufaga-sama answered.

“Ren wrote in that book, what is a demon?”

──The book “The System Called Hero” was left by Ren Shirosaki, who is said to have come from another world.

If that would be publicized, it will give those who believed that “the demons are born from the tears of the goddess’s grief and are the filth of the world” a shock. He refuted the myth and argued that the demons were a race, not the filth of the world.

It received a lot of criticism. After all, the invasion of the demons 400 years ago was unprecedentedly terrible. However, the book was gradually accepted by people because it was written by Ren Shirosaki, the “white sage” who defeated the Demon King with the Hero, and the temple tolerated the book.

Now, four hundred years later, Ren Shirosaki’s idea has permeated, and the demons are considered to be one race that enters the breeding season, centered on the Demon King once every two hundred years. As in the past, very few people blindly believed that “all bad things happened because of the demons”.

But Ren Shirosaki also said this in his book.

....The demons produced during the breeding season are the ones who upset the balance of the world. Their increased magical powers destabilize the world. Therefore, the goddess created the existence of a Hero to end the breeding season of the demons by defeating the Demon King. That’s how it works.

“What is written in that book is almost true. The demons are not born from the tears of the goddess’s mourning, as stated in the human’s myth. They are not even the filth of this world. Ren’s writing succeeded in spreading the truth about the demons and heroes to humans as he intended. But Ren hid some of the truth. He had no choice but to hide it.... So that the humans will not despair in this world.”

When I heard Rufaga-sama’s last words, anxiety began to spread in my heart.

Because I remembered it. The words Greed-sama said on that bright moonlit night I refused his proposal. [T/N: Reference - Vol 2 Chapters 17-19 ?<3]

“This world is warped and unreasonable, not a kind world at all.”

Greed-sama said that the world is distorted. And the elf Rufaga-sama also said that if we knew the truth, humans will despair in the world.

I trembled involuntarily. I have a bad feeling. I have such an unpleasant premonition that after hearing it, there is no turning back.

However, Rufaga-sama continued steadily despite my anxiety.

“If a Hero can defeat the Demon King and its executives, it is easy to destroy the demon beasts. Have you ever wondered why successive heroes didn’t eradicate the demons who are supposed to upset the balance of the world? Why did the demons survive as a breed──because successive heroes have deliberately prevented the demons from being destroyed. Killing them without eradicating them──because that is what the goddess has set for the survival of the world.”

“Kill without eradicating....?”

“The demons are necessary for this world. To be precise, their magical power. To that end, the goddess once summoned the demons from another world.”

Summoned from another world....?

Rufaga-sama frankly told me while staring straight at the flabbergasted me. ──It is the cruel truth.

“It is not just the demons. Humans are also a race that came from another world. In order to supply magical power to this world.”

*?*?*

....It was a story I had never imagined. The demons were summoned from another world by the goddess. And humans also came from another world....?

“It may be absurd for you who do not have magical power, but the magical power of humans and the magical power of demons are actually different. However, both are called ‘magical powers’ in this world. Why? Both are not the powers of the gods of this world──That is, Refelia and Atillard. The powers of other worlds are simply called ‘magical powers’. If it is the power that the Creator has given, it should be the same as the power that the Creator has. However, magical power is different from spiritual power. It shows that human beings came from another world.”

“B-But, the myth....”

But I closed my mouth. According to the myth, we humans were created just before the god of darkness Atillard fell asleep. However, it is clear from the story of the demons that the myth does not always tell the truth.

Seeing me like that, Rufaga-sama bobbed his head.

“Yes, myths do not tell the truth, because myths were created by humans as a convenient interpretation of the world.”

With a bitter smile, Rufaga-sama added.

“....But then, I don’t know how correct my knowledge is. I guess only the spirit kings and the goddess knew the whole truth.”

Then, Rufaga-sama, who turned his eyes down for a moment, turned his line of sight back to me.

“Let’s start from the beginning, for the sake of clarity.... It was when the two gods, Refelia and Atillard, created this world.”

“....Huh? C-Creation of the world....? You’re going to start from there!?”

I was bewildered. [T/N: Same reaccs, girl! BTW, we have not yet even reached 1/3 of the chapter. *winks*]

“Yes, from there. Humans say that they are the goddess of light and the god of darkness, but there are neither light nor darkness. In reality, they govern the creation and the destruction of the world, and in addition, maintain and manage the created world. That is their role.”

──The continuation of Rufaga-sama’s story was too grand and beyond the scope of my understanding.

It seems that the world is not one. In fact, there are countless of them, and although they are invisible to each other, they exist next to each other. Ren Shirosaki also happened to fall here from such an adjacent world.

And the two gods, Refelia and Atillard, maintain and manage this world in which we live, and it is said that they are the gods who controls the activity of destroying and creating a new world again.

Everything has a beginning and an end. The world is no exception, and it seems that the activities are constantly repeating. Some of the worlds they created──one of them is the world we live in.

“When they created this world, something went wrong. We didn’t know what it was or what caused it, but it was incomplete from the beginning. It is fragile and has always been in danger of collapse, because when the neighboring world was destroyed, its aftermath upset the world. This world is far more fragile than we think.”

──A failed creation of the world. Is it like that in a tangible way? However, it seems that Refelia and Atillard did not immediately destroy this world and recreate a new one.

Whenever they create a world, they create an existence that will serve as their alter ego to take control of the world on their behalf and manage it well. In this world, it is the spirit kings. It seems that life was sprouting at the time when the world is created together with them. Maybe the two gods cannot bring themselves to destroy this world.

....And it is presumed that they did not have the spare energy to recreate it.

It seems that an enormous power is needed to create a world. And even after creating it, it seems that enormous power is needed to maintain it. And even after creating it, they must continue to devote a certain amount of power to the world. In the case of this world, the powers of the spirit kings and the powers of the two gods of creation must always be full. Certainly, it seems that there is no room to recreate a new world immediately after creating the world.

In the end, the two gods of creation came to decide to keep this world imperfect.

However, when the neighboring worlds were destroyed, the wall which separated the worlds from this world was damaged in the aftermath, causing natural disasters and efflux of power. Whenever it was in danger of collapse, Refelia and Atillard made small-scale re-creations and maintained the world.

“However, they reached the limit. Due to repeated re-creations, the power of Atillard began to be exhausted.”

I was then surprised at what he said. Because I an idea struck me. Yes, that part of the myth.

“Lastly after the creating humans, the god of darkness Atillard ran out of power and fell asleep.”

Maybe this gave birth to that myth ...?

“Atillard seems to have been excellent in creation. Of the two gods, he was mainly responsible for the re-creation and repair of the world. As a result, he ran out of power to sustain the world. The last thing that was repaired by the power of Atillard was the damage to the walls of this world due to the aftermath of the destruction of a parallel world. But that was the catalyst for changing this world.”

Rufaga-sama said in a meaningful tone, making me startled.

“Yes, that’s right. When the wall was damaged, a large amount of things from another world flowed into this world. Among them──were human beings.”

It seems that there were quite a few people, not just one or two. However, for this world, what has flowed into it from another world is foreign. Moreover, they were human beings, life forms that has an ability to think. They didn’t know how they would affect this immature and fragile world.

“Refelia, Atillard, and the Spirit Kings wanted to eliminate the humans. When the power of Atillard was running out, the world will inevitably collapse if something happens to it again. But then they realized that as humans settled in this world and increased in number, a phenomenon began to occur. The third power, which is neither the power of the Creators Refelia and Atillard nor the power of the Spirit Kings, has begun to fill the world.... You already understood, right? That was the ‘magical powers’ of humans.”

According to Rufaga-sama, humans have more or less magical powers. The magical power of each person is small, but it seems that humans had increased in number and were scattered all over the continent.

Thanks to that, it was said that the world was filled with magical power. It seems that it was supplementing Atillard’s creation power.

──Refelia, Atillard, and the Spirit Kings thought about it. Let this power flow in the world to make up for the power that Atillard lost.

Because magical power has brought another effect to this world.

“It was almost unaffected by the influence of the other worlds. Perhaps the magical power of humans has reinforced the walls of the world, or rather the magical power itself acted like an outer shell. The aftermath of the disappearance of another world no longer extended to this world, and the world became stable. Seeing that happen, Atillard fell into a deep slumber. To prepare for the creation of the next world. He will wake up when this world will come to an end.”

After saying that, Rufaga-sama smiled wryly.

“Because humans have magical power, they were exempted from elimination. And their numbers increased steadily. The supply of magical power was stable, and everything seemed to go well. But not for long. The number of humans began to decrease drastically──due to the war.”

“War?”

“Yes. The increasing numbers of people became a group, built cities, and established nations, but eventually there were conflicts of interests between nations, which eventually led to war.”

Without a second thought, I interjected.

“It is true that there were wars. But is that possible that it caused the number of humans to decrease drastically?”

There are many countries on this large continent. Perhaps to prepare for the invasion of the demons, no country is openly fighting now, but in the past there have been several major wars. Even our country, Schwarze, used to engage in wars.

But I don’t think that every time there was a war, the number of people will dwindle, enough to affect the world.

But Rufaga-sama shook his head.

“A war involving only a few countries will have little effect. However, the war at that time involved many countries. It almost divided the continent into two. The flames of war blew up here and there.”

──The battle which divided the continent into two. When I heard that phrase, an ancient battle flashed in my head.

“Is th-that the Great War of Malm?”