I'm Not the Heroine

Chapter 56

[Louis.]

Yes, Master.

[From now on, never use that spell again.]

Why?

[Because of what you wanted to create after casting your first spell. If you use it again... "that" will only grow stronger.]

But if the time really comes when I have to use it...?

[In that case...]

"...Master."

Once again, I call out to that person.

The one who took me in, even when I had no home, no food. Who welcomed me warmly into her nest. She taught me magic, even when I had no mana to offer in return. She brought calm to my otherwise turbulent life.

She was my teacher.

"...Where am I?"

This space was deeply clouded, muddied, so much so that it was hard to tell if there even was a horizon—just a vast, endless, chaotic place.

Why am I here?

For a moment, I forgot.

"Mercadie."

And Behirastock.

Then I remembered. I had been eaten by Behirastock.

So is this place the inside of that giant insect?

If it were, I’d expect narrow, suffocating walls instead of this sprawling, murky world.

"I’ve... entered a spell."

Mercadie’s unique magic. *Eternal Predator.*

A spell that lives up to its name—the ultimate predator that devours all. No matter how powerful the entity, structure, or creature, once it enters this magic’s territory, it is inescapably consumed.

And that territory is the inside of Behirastock’s mouth.

If I had sensed Behirastock approaching, I might have escaped. But by some trick of Mercadie or Behirastock itself, I detected no tremors, no sounds, not even a presence.

"Right... without that, its range would be too limited."

An unstoppable instant-kill spell is useless if it can’t reach its target. So they had devised a way to ensure that it could.

Had I underestimated them, despite knowing they were a Duke?

...No.

This method of fighting wasn’t even mentioned in the original story. I had knowledge of their unique spells but knew nothing of how they wielded them.

It was a *lack of knowledge*.

"..."

So, how do I escape?

I looked around, but all I saw was a vast, polluted terrain stretching out in every direction. There was no obvious exit.

Do I just sit here and wait to die?

"I still have time."

This spell requires *digestion*. It’s a magic that devours concepts themselves, so it’s not instantaneous. There’s a step-by-step process to complete.

So as long as I escape before digestion is complete...

Which brings me back to square one.

*How* do I get out?

"Master Key."

Grasping at straws, I attempted to conjure my magic tool—but it didn’t appear.

"My link to Ultima’s Divine Spear has been severed."

The pen wouldn’t materialize, and my dimensional storage space didn’t respond. I could feel the faintest trace of star mana within me, but it was far too little to cast a standard spell.

A feeling of helplessness washed over me.

"...I don’t know."

All I could do was sit down. I crouched carefully, feeling the tainted earth under me as I folded my legs and gently settled onto the ground.

"So... this dirt is corpses."

That would make sense.

No one wants to die.

This calm feeling I was experiencing, even as I was pulled into this muddy process, wasn’t what I truly wanted.

If I were to be honest, I wanted to live.

But there was nothing I could do.

The earth continued turning into a liquid around me, closing in on my body. I reached out with one hand, like someone drowning in quicksand.

The robe I wore didn’t register this process as an attack.

My breathing grew ragged, and my desperation to escape intensified.

And finally, I called his name.

"Aswell."

The Hero.

The Hero Aswell.

"Please... save me."

Please, let me live.

.

.

.

*CRACK!*

"Louis!!"

In that moment, I heard his voice.

----!!!

"Urgh! Serlin, cover me!"

"Got it! But I can’t hold it off for long—this monster’s healing is incredible!"

"I’ll finish quickly!"

"Serlin! Be careful!"

"How dare you cut open Behi’s stomach!!"

*CLANG!*

"Ugh! Mercadie, you’re mine!"

As my vision began to fade, I saw the strange sky above me split apart. Like shattered glass, it broke open, and through the cracks, I saw a single figure.

He had dark hair.

Soft, almost shaggy hair, though it looked gentle.

In his hand, he held a radiant sword.

Its blade shone like the sun, bathed in a glorious white light.

"Louis!!"

And he was calling my name.

Like someone reaching out to be saved, I stretched out my hand—and my vision was consumed by the darkness of the soil.

And then.

"I’ve got you!"

Suddenly, I felt a rough hand grabbing mine, pulling me upward.

The corpse-laden earth, Behirastock’s will itself, tried to pull me down, but it was no use.

Soon, I could see the world again.

I could breathe and smell the air.

I let out a gasping breath and could feel the taste of life.

I could wriggle my fingers and toes.

And finally, I stood on solid ground.

And when I looked up, I could clearly see his face.

"Louis. Are you alright?"

As he always did, he looked at me with worry in his eyes.

And for the first time, instead of calling him “Hero,” I used his name.

"Aswell."

You really came to save me.