No to Being the Suffering Heroine!

“Ugh, cough, guh…!”

Was it because I delivered a good shot to Ashel’s solar plexus while she was unprepared? Ashel rolled on the floor, unable to regain her senses for a while, kwack-kwack-ing.

She looked like she was in so much pain that I felt a little sorry for her.

“Uh… um, it wasn’t intentional. My bad. But hey, at least it woke you up, right? That counts for something, doesn’t it?”

“Kahkh, ugh… what the hell, you shi—!”

After a while of cough-cough-ing, Ashel finally seemed to catch her breath and looked up at me.

Is this finally a chance to have a proper conversation?

Two days and one afternoon have passed since arriving in Pesengwigel.

It was earlier than I expected, but given how eventful those two days were, it felt like it had been half a month since we got here.

“You…!”

Ashel glared at me with bulging eyes and gritted her teeth.

That glare was terrifying. If looks could kill, she would have torn me apart ten times over. But it was just a look, after all.

Well, should I at least say hi?

“Feeling a bit more awake now?”

I looked down at Ashel with an awkward smile and greeted her, asking if she was finally awake.

“You little b—!”

Ashel didn’t seem pleased with my greeting.

Barely finishing my greeting, she suddenly tried to leap at me but—

“Ugh?!”

She tripped over the ropes binding her and face-planted again. If there hadn’t been a carpet, she would have definitely cracked her jaw.

“…?”

What’s going on? Was she this much of an idiot in the original story too?

The scene unfolding immediately after she opened her eyes was enough to leave Friede, who was watching from the side, utterly dumbfounded.

“You surprised me. You should be careful, you know? What if you get hurt like that?”

“…What?”

“Oh, you have regeneration, so maybe it’s fine?”

Ashel, glaring as if she wanted to bite through the ropes binding her, lifted her head to glare at me again.

“You, you filthy, heartless b*tch…!”

“Should I kill you?”

Friede glared at Ashel, her sword poised at Ashel’s neck in a menacing tone.

“Ugh…!”

The sharp glare was devoid of any humor. Ashel, who glanced at the bright blade, swallowed nervously.

I gestured to calm Friede down and then crouched down to face Ashel, grabbing her shoulder to sit her upright.

“Haha, you’re trying to chop off a neck now? Go ahead, do it, you filthy, despicable piece of trash!”

Ashel squirmed, screaming at the top of her lungs.

Chop a neck? What a sudden violent vibe.

“Do you think I’d beg for my life like this? Don’t make me laugh. I’ll die and become a ghost, but I’ll definitely…”

What a line, sounding like a general captured by the enemy. Am I somehow stuck in a historical novel like the Romance of the Three Kingdoms?

“For real, there’s no one who doesn’t have words for their lifesaver.”

I chuckled involuntarily, shaking my head in disbelief. To spout such dramatic lines while trapped like that? I felt more like an executioner than anything.

“Lifesaver? What kind of bullsh*t are you talking about…?”

“Oh, did you forget? Who am I holding right now? Look over there.”

I stood up, stretching my legs and turning halfway to point at the sofa where Friede was sitting.

Specifically, at the girl with pigtails flopped over on that sofa.

But wait, Friede’s still holding her big sword. I had signaled her to put it away, but maybe she didn’t get my hint?

Anyway…

“That’s your little sister, right? Of course, you’re beastfolk and she’s human, so you’re not blood sisters. But it’s impressive of you to take care of a kid that isn’t even related to you by blood.”

I smiled at Ashel while pointing at the sleeping girl.

“Ena…!”

Ashel murmured her sister’s name between gritted teeth.

“It must have been tough taking care of her in the slums… But you don’t need to worry anymore. We found her and are protecting her well. As you can see, all her wounds have been treated.”

It’s not that I wanted to brag—well, maybe I did want to brag a little. I mean, whatever the case, the results are what really matter.

“If we hadn’t rescued her, your sister would have died long ago, lying cold on the filthy ground. Just like all those other corpses.”

“…”

“Do you understand now? Who you’re cursing at right now.”

I lightly patted Ashel’s shoulder while laughing.

“We saved your sister.”

“You… saved us…? What the actual hell….”

“Even you, we saved you. Had it not been for me, you would’ve been captured by those fake beggars—right?”

Highlighting how any anger or resentment she felt toward me was all a misunderstanding, I emphasized that I was practically her lifesaver—no, I was her very savior.

“So, what do you think you should say now? I saved you guys. I’m not expecting an apology, but at least a thank you wouldn’t hurt, would it?”

I lifted Ashel slightly so she could see her sister directly, then leaned in close and softly continued with a smile.

“If you keep being this ungrateful, I might get a bit sad….”

“Ugh…!”

Whoa, why did she suddenly change like this?

Ashel grimaced, clenching her teeth, her eyes trembling as if she were about to shed tears of blood.

What’s going on? Is it really that hard to say thank you…?

“…Fine, you win. You won. You filthy b*tch…!”

“Win…? What are you talking about—”

“Let Ena go. I don’t know what your intentions are, but all you need is me, right? I’ll comply, so just let her go!”

Ashel shouted fiercely.

A dramatic, wrathful tone. Like a hero’s dialogue being held hostage by an evil demon.

Wait, this doesn’t clear up any misunderstandings at all.

What’s the deal? What’s your problem? Why can’t you understand me when I’m being perfectly clear? Is half of you beastfolk incapable of understanding human language?

“No, what misunderstanding are you going on about? She’s not a hostage. It’s not a kidnapping; I just saved her. I healed her. Can you not understand that?”

I sighed deeply with frustration as I reiterated.

“Ha, bl*ody hell… you want me to believe that right now?”

“Why wouldn’t I believe you?”

“You knocked someone out and tied them up, and you even brandished a sword at them!”

“….”

Well… that is quite the fair point.

“I mean, the one who intruded into someone else’s mansion first is in the wrong. I was going to politely show you the way here, but you ran off without a word.”

“This isn’t your house. It’s that punk Pub’s mansion. Aren’t you the unwelcome guest here?”

……

“I received it as loot. So it’s mine.”

“Ha.”

Ashel smirked as if she found my shabby excuse amusing, raising one eyebrow with a mocking smile before closing her mouth.

Seriously, this is testing my patience. I feel like I’d like to rip her hair out.

…But no, not her hair. Her tail. That’s it. It’s her tail. Ripping out hair is too cruel. There’s no way I’d have such violent thoughts, right?

“Anyway… so the ropes are the problem now, right?”

Since I was at least able to have a conversation, it should be fine to untie her from the ropes. As soon as I finished my thought, I drew my sword and swung it.

– Fwoosh!

“You b*tch!”

Ashel jumped back in shock, rolling away. My swing missed, only carving through the empty air as it landed on the carpet.

“Why are you dodging?!”

“What are you, crazy?! Would you not dodge if you were me?!”

Hmm, well, that’s a fair point…

“Haah… I’ll just handle it, Hil—no, Krimhilde.”

Friede shook her head and stepped down from the sofa, approaching Ashel.

As she pulled out a finely sharpened hunting knife from behind her waist.

– Sliiip.

The vivid blade plunged into Ashel’s back.

◆◆

After satisfactorily untying the ropes and confirming Ena’s condition up close, Ashel finally withdrew her animosity and calmed down a bit.

But that didn’t mean she fully trusted us; she merely seemed willing to listen to the conversation.

“…So, you really saved us without any ulterior motives?”

“Yup! Finally, you’re starting to get it. How can someone only have baseless prejudices piled up in their head….”

“Tch, then what was that thing you said earlier?”

Ashel, cooling down a bit, clicked her tongue and asked lightly.

“What earlier thing?”

What am I even talking about?

“You know, the part where you said you’d take her from those fake beggars.”

From the alleyway…? Ah, that part.

“That I’d take her for myself?”

Ashel slightly nodded. She frowned slightly as if wondering why I needed to bring it up again.

“Yeah, that. What the hell did you mean by that? Was it just something you spat out?”

“Uh… no. I meant it, at least for now.”

“…You meant it?”

Ashel leaned back, creating a distance from me.

“What the…!”

Her strangely twisted smile, her slightly trembling gaze, her face paling in an instant.

“You, you…! Wha, what was that, a hyena beastfolk…? They say they even go after other women when they’re running after their prey…!”

What the hell is this lunatic talking about?

“H-Hilde?! What, what are you saying…?! Are you, you aren’t seriously… cheating on me?! That’s—no way!”

What the heck is Friede saying?

“Are both your mom and dad around…? Do you like both your dads…?”

Seriously, I can’t even.

“That’s not what I meant?!”

I shouted in exasperation, covering my forehead.

“I’m not even dating a woman; what the hell are you talking about?!”

“Dammit! So you’re definitely a filthy b*stard! You shi—!!”

Ashel trembled as if she was about to break apart.

“With a child like that?! What kind of madness…!”

“She’s not a child?! She’s of age to do whatever she wants!”

Ashel looked at me with a mix of disdain and fear.

Friede quickly retorted, probably offended by being called a child, but given her appearance, it lacked any persuasion.

“She’s of age to do whatever she wants…?”

The reinforcement of that remark seemed to hit Ashel hard, and she began looking at me like I was garbage.

…This is dizzying, for real.

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