I Decided to Abandon the Traitors Who Planned to Use and Dispose of Me, the Hero, at the Last Moment. - Chapter 03: "This Wasn't Supposed to Happen"—The Lament of the Tragic Heroine

Chapter 03: “This Wasn’t Supposed to Happen”—The Lament of the Tragic Heroine

I, Marle, had always been good at magic since I was a child. After losing my parents to an epidemic, I lived with my childhood friend, Elliot, supporting each other. I imagined we would continue to live together and build a future. But when the war between the kingdom and the demons began, I received a divine revelation from the goddess, blessing me with magical powers.

I was called to fight against the Demon Lord, and during that time, the incredibly handsome and alluring prince passionately pursued me. I gave him my body, something I hadn’t even allowed Elliot, and I felt no regret whatsoever. In fact, being held by the experienced prince made me forget everything, melting away all my worries. Compared to him, Elliot seemed worthless!

Goodbye to the poor life of a commoner! In this world, there are those who have and those who don’t, the winners and the losers—and I had become a winner, without a doubt!

The prince promised me a noble title and a place as his mistress once we got rid of Elliot after the war. The foolish dream of living a modest life with a nobody husband in a remote village vanished from my mind. 

I didn’t need to aim for the title of queen—I was perfectly content being the prince’s mistress. Honestly, I was such a smart, capable woman.

As long as I could indulge in the luxuries bought with the taxes squeezed from the people, I didn’t care about anything else. After experiencing all this, there was no way I could return to that rural life. My happiness was with the prince, no doubt about it!

And so, at the end of our journey, just when we were supposed to defeat the Demon Lord and get rid of Elliot, securing my glamorous life as a noble, Elliot betrayed us in the most cowardly and despicable way by abandoning the fight. I can’t believe he would do something so unforgivable.

When I barely escaped from the Demon Lord’s castle and returned, what awaited me was a storm of insults from the royals and everyone blaming me, demanding that I take responsibility. Why?! I didn’t do anything wrong—I’m the victim here! Why do I have to be treated this way?!

The prince, who once whispered sweet words of love to me, was trembling in a corner of his room and didn’t dare show his face in public.

As expected, the Demon Lord’s army regained strength and began pushing deep into the kingdom’s territory. And Elliot, that idiot, just abandoned the kingdom and ran away. What is that fool even thinking? He’s the worst scum imaginable. I can’t believe his nerve!

Then, the king gave me an ultimatum: face execution or join the kingdom’s forces in a counterattack against the Demon Lord’s army. I figured I could always try to escape later, so I chose to go with the army. Hilde, who had lost both arms, was given prosthetic arms fused with swords and sent back to the front lines. Her eyes were empty, unfocused, and she didn’t seem to be in her right mind, but they decided to take her along anyway, figuring she could at least serve as a meat shield.

“Heheh… I’ll kill him, I’ll kill Elliot, the one who cut off my arms!”

Hilde, licking the blades of her prosthetic arms, seemed completely broken. Cecilia, however, kept trying to talk to her, hoping to pull her back to sanity. Occasionally, Cecilia’s words would manage to bring Hilde back to the point where she could hold a conversation. But I thought it was pointless—Hilde was just a disposable pawn who had lost both her arms, so there was no need to be kind to her. Still, I didn’t bother saying anything. It wasn’t worth the trouble of upsetting Cecilia, so I let her do as she pleased.

In the fierce battle at the front lines against the Demon Lord’s army, Hilde charged into the enemy ranks, wildly slashing and raging like a madwoman. I supported her from behind with offensive magic, while Cecilia kept healing her. We didn’t have the same firepower as when Elliot and Thorn were with us, but we were still more effective than the regular soldiers at cutting down the enemy.

“Bring Elliot here, now!! Cecilia, Marle, stay behind me! Damn it, Elliot won’t get to touch you, Cecilia, or you, Marle! I’ll protect you, protect, protect, protect youuuu! Safety first!!! Yoshiiii!!”

I thought she had lost it, but Hilde was still fighting with some sense of camaraderie, making sure that neither I nor Cecilia were targeted by enemy attacks. Even with prosthetic blades instead of arms, she was much stronger than the average soldier, likely due to her blessing and battle experience. Wait… could this actually work? Maybe we’re stronger than I thought?

But just as that thought crossed my mind, I heard a snapping sound—snap, snap—and suddenly, soldiers started collapsing, and the front lines began to fall apart. 

W-What!? What’s happening!?

“Ugh, this is so annoying! They just keep coming, one after another! There’s no end to this!!”

“Need a hand? Though I might split you in half.”

In response to Hilde’s scream, a voice calmly answered from within a mist of blood rising from the corpses of the fallen soldiers. A man in a tuxedo, looking more suited for a ballroom than a battlefield, emerged. Despite the chaos, this middle-aged man strolled towards us with an air of confidence, snapping his fingers to the right and left. Each time, soldiers were sliced apart, their bodies flying through the air. Sometimes, he even pointed behind his back, cutting through the ranks with an almost theatrical flair as he made his way toward us.

Every snap sent kingdom soldiers falling like fish being filleted—no, more like they were being sliced cleanly from head to crotch, splitting in two. Literally, they were being cut in half.

“Forgive my late introduction. I am Marvellous, one of the Demon Lord’s Ten Generals. I possess a truly ‘marvelous’ technique. Do remember me during the brief moments before you die.”

“No… this can’t be! One of the Demon Lord’s Ten Generals is here!?”

The words Demon Lord’s Ten Generals sent a cold sweat down my back. They were the Demon Lord’s most powerful forces, and the overwhelming strength being displayed before us was proof of that. 

We had managed to defeat a few of them during our journey with Elliot, but there were others stationed on different fronts whom we never encountered. This man was one of those.

“Hahaha, you’re in luck. Today is a special occasion. Another one of us is here as well. —Red Shadow, if you may please.”

Hearing those words made my blood run cold. 

Two of the Demon Lord’s Ten Generals were here… without Elliot!? We had fought Red Shadow before—a red-masked assassin who hides his presence and strikes from the shadows! There’s no way we can win against him. This is impossible. We need to run, or we’ll be killed. No, they must have sent such overwhelming power to ensure we’re eliminated.

“Shut up, shut up, shut uuuup! Elliot! Elliot! I’ll kill you, kill you, kill you, kill, kill, kill, kill you, allllll!!!”

Hilde, clearly losing her mind in the heat of battle, was flailing her prosthetic arms wildly. …She’s beyond saving now. We have to abandon her.

“―Cecilia! Healing magic, now!!”

I called out to Cecilia in a hurry, but she hesitated, understanding my true intention. She didn’t want to leave Hilde behind, but I ignored her reluctance, grabbed her hand, and unleashed a powerful flame spell at full strength. …I couldn’t afford to hold back.

Immediately after, I used jump magic and teleportation magic in quick succession, leaping into the air. While soaring upwards, I cast a teleportation spell to transport us back to the royal castle, all the while firing more attack spells. Cecilia, trying to reach for the abandoned Hilde, realized it was too late. With a sorrowful expression, she instead cast healing magic on us.

I thought to myself, Forget about her—heal me already, idiot! But I had to bite my tongue for now.

The ridiculous act of burning ourselves while flying away wasn’t just a desperate move—it was a calculated one. Red Shadow, one of the Demon Lord’s Ten Generals, was the most elite assassin there. To prevent his assassination attempts, I had to bombard us with attacks, ensuring he couldn’t get close, and escape beyond the battle zone in one go. It was the only way to survive that situation.

And it seemed my decision was correct.

As we flew farther and farther away, I saw Hilde in the distance, still rampaging and unaware of our departure. Marvellous pointed a finger at her, and with a snap, she was split in two like the other soldiers, killed instantly. Her death was so swift and anticlimactic that, despite everything, tears welled up in my eyes.

That was one of the Demon Lord’s Ten Generals. I never realized what kind of monsters they were when Elliot was around. They’re merciless creatures who show no sympathy for unfortunate girls like us… absolutely unforgivable!

Sure, the male soldiers can die as much as they want—they’re easily replaceable. But my life and Cecilia’s are worth more than thousands of soldiers, so our survival must be the top priority! The soldiers’ role is to buy us time until we escape!

“—Huh!?”

As I gritted my teeth in frustration, lost in thought, I suddenly heard that sound. 

Before I knew it, Cecilia’s head was severed, and her body, abandoned in midair, began to fall. With a vacant expression, Cecilia died instantly.

Apparently, while I was holding onto her hand, Red Shadow had already approached and decapitated her. To sever her head without ever revealing himself—he truly lives up to his reputation as the greatest assassin, feared even by Elliot.

By some stroke of luck, or perhaps foresight, I had secretly cast a defensive spell on myself, so I was spared. Red Shadow must have left me for last, which is why I survived.

I felt bad for Cecilia, but I was grateful that, before losing her head, she managed to cast healing magic, saving me from my injuries. Thanks to that, I should just barely make it back to the castle.

I let go of Cecilia’s lifeless hand, and her body plummeted to the ground. Without a second glance, I saw it hit the earth and explode into a gruesome mess.

“I’m sorry. Thank you, Cecilia. You saved me, and I won’t forget that.”

Betrayed by my childhood friend, the hero, and now having lost two of my companions, how could this be happening to me? It’s just too tragic—I must be the tragic heroine of this world. Why do I have to suffer like this? Everything, all of it, is the fault of that useless, pathetic childhood friend, Elliot! I hope he gets what’s coming to him soon.

“Aaargh! Damn it! Damn it all!!!”

With tears of anger and sadness streaming down my face, I ran away, retreating to safety.