The Main Heroines are Trying to Kill Me
Chapter 340: The Perfect Plan

"Heuuuu..."

"Now, feel the excitement!"

"Kyaaaack!"

"Hmm, as expected, it doesn't work. If they are not the Demon King, their heart can't endure it."

After beating the girl for a while, Frey shook his head, muttering disappointedly to himself.

"..."

"Oh, she fainted."

For being an executive in name only, the girl held up quite well, but she eventually crumbled helplessly under Frey’s simple test.

Frey was slightly unable to control his strength as he temporarily set the violence standards to Ruby’s level.

"Well, in the end, I was going to make her faint anyway."

Frey took a potion from his pocket and gave it to the girl.

Then, like magic, the girl's body began to recover.

"Y-You."

Ruby, who watched the scene with envy, hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"I-I also need a potion."

"Huh?”

"I can't go out in front of the reporters in this state. What will they think?”

After enduring all kinds of beatings and abuse for two days, Ruby's body was covered in many wounds and bruises.

If she went out like this, she would undoubtedly become a hot topic.

"From now on, I won’t remove all the bruises and scars on your body."

"What?"

However, as he looked at her, Frey made a firm declaration.

"I want to let the whole world know that I am abusing you."

"..."

"I want everyone in the world to know that you are under my domination, Ruby."

Ruby's expression began to sour.

No matter how you looked at it, it was a huge disgrace for her.

She, who had brought all the demons to their knees, the one who stood as the ruler of all that is evil in the world, must appear to the whole world bearing the marks of shame all over her body in front of the people.

On top of that, being bound by her nemesis.

No, this can't happen. No matter what, I have to...

"Shall we go then?"

"Eh, eaaaa...!?"

Ruby, trying to gather mana quickly, but she spat out curses when she suddenly floated in the air with her arm grabbed by Frey.

"Damn it! What the hell is this..."

"Let's go for an interview, Ruby!"

With that declaration, Frey landed at the pier while holding the collapsed girl and Ruby in his arms.

"I-it’s Frey!"

- Click, click!

Despite the quite threatening entrance, the reporters began to rush towards him.

It was because there were rumors that Frey hadn't laid a hand on reporters at the Imperial Palace before.

Even if it wasn't the case, they were someone who was willing to risk their lives to get a hot scoop.

"Mr. Frey! About your relationship with Ms. Ruby..."

"You engaged in a battle with the Church..."

"Who is the girl next to you..."

However, no matter how eager the reporters were for a scoop, seeing Ruby in her beaten state left them speechless.

"..."

A long silence ensued.

It was an awkward situation, and no one dared to speak up.

- Rumble…

Not only because of the awkwardness, but also the intimidating killing intent emanating from Frey made them hesitant to speak up.

Even the reporters who staked their lives for scoops were not bold enough to throw questions while directly facing the killing intent of one of the strongest in the world.

"Uh, excuse me...?"

However, there were always exceptions.

"I have a qu-question."

A rather petite female reporter raised her magical recording device towards Frey and Ruby, despite the overwhelming fear she felt.

"A-about your, um, relationship... Can you, uh, explain it... hiikk?"

She was shaking violently when she asked her question, but suddenly widened her eyes.

"Eh, eaaah...?"

Frey grabbed her shoulders and moved her right in front of him.

“E-excuse me…”

"You won’t get a good shot if you take it from there, right?”

"Hiiik..."

"You’re from the Sunrise Academy Broadcasting Club, right? How did you end up here?"

"P-please, spare me..."

She ended up doing an exclusive coverage quite unexpectedly.

.

.

.

.

.

"Aren't you going to interview us, Senior?"

"S-s-s-so, what's the relationship between you two, and why are you here…?"

The third-year student, who had been frozen for a while, hurriedly asked the same question again upon hearing Frey's slightly cold voice.

"..."

Then, Frey quietly looked at Ruby.

A-are you telling me to explain?

"...Sigh."

"Uh, ugh."

Ruby, who had a bewildered look in her eyes, closed her eyes tightly and opened her mouth when Frey sighed with a displeased expression.

"S-so, um..."

You goddamn bastard.

Clearly, he intended to embarrass her in front of the people.

But what could she do?

If she kept resisting, the pain she would endure later would be much worse.

"I, uh... Frey and I are, well, in a re-re-rela..."

Therefore, Ruby eventually started speaking with a scowl on her face.

"We are lovers–"

"What else? Of course, she’s my student, and I’m her teacher, right?"

"What?"

But Frey suddenly poured cold water on her.

A teacher and student relationship, he said?

That would indeed be more normal, but why bring it up now?

"..."

With her face flushed, Ruby looked around, and only after seeing the blank expressions of the reporters did she grit her teeth and exclaim inwardly.

Now it looks like I'm the one who likes him one-sidedly!!

“The clue to defeat the Demon King is on the Western Continent, and the headquarters of the Church is also on the Western Continent. That's why I came here.”

However, Frey just ignored her and talked to the reporter standing in front of him.

"The injuries on Ms. Ruby's body are also because of that. The training might seem excessive, but it’s something that shouldn’t be taken lightly.”

"But... scenes of your affectionate acts appear in photos–"

"They were edited, probably."

"B-but the Magic Tower has already verified that it's not edited–"

"It was an act necessary for the mission."

Frey, who continued to interrupt the reporter, suddenly checked the time and frowned.

"We're running late. We should be going now."

"W-wait a moment–"

"Oh, by the way, is that camera showing live footage?"

"P-pardon? W-well, it does... huh?"

Hearing this, Frey, with a gleam in his eyes, took her camera.

"Class 1-A, listen carefully."

Then, with a raised corner of his mouth, Frey began to whisper.

"Come to the Western Continent and get your Hero back from me. That’s your mid-term exams for your first semester."

"H-hey! It’s a broadcast accident–"

"If you can't replace her, this will be her fate from now on."

"Kyaaak!"

After saying that, Frey forcefully slapped Ruby's cheek.

"Ah, ugh...?"

- Thud...!

"Hiiik..."

Then, Frey mercilessly kicked Ruby's swollen belly, covered in various bruises.

"As you can see, the Hero is mine now."

"Gehek..."

"So, save her before it's too late."

"...Uh, uh..."

After broadcasting the scene of him gently stroking the Demon King, who had collapsed and was trembling, Frey left those words and cut off the footage.

"Well, we're busy, so we'll be going."

- Whoosh...!

And in the next moment, Frey soared into the sky, holding Ruby and the girl.

- Thud...!

After he landed far away on the plains, reporters who had been in a daze hastily began jotting down notes.

- Shocking News! Unrequited Love, Not A Mutual One.

- Dating Violence? The Hero Is In Crisis. Will She Be Okay Like This?

- Madness Or Wickedness. Is Frey A Lunatic Or An Evildoer?

- The Purer, The Easier To Be Tainted. An Analysis Of The Hero's Mental State.

On that afternoon, headlines that would shake the Empire were being created one after another.

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"Alright, keep following me. You're keeping up well!"

Several hours after the press conference, in the ruins of the desert region of the Western Continent.

"Ohoho, enslaving Frey and the Hero. At this rate, not only the first-rank executive, but I might also become a saintess, perhaps?"

"..."

"Huh? You guys are slowing down? Hurry up, are you not walking fast enough? We need to arrive at the Western Continent capital today!"

As Ruby and I walked through the ruins, we quietly watched the girl, whom I had politely hit earlier, leading the way while humming.

"...So, why did you hit that girl earlier? Because of you, I have to use my precious mana to alter her memories."

Ruby, who was already having trouble gathering mana due to the stellar mana embedded in her heart, grumbled.

"I had something I wanted to experiment with, but it didn't go well."

"If that was the case, why did you just let her use her ability?"

"That, too, was something I wanted to experiment with."

"Sigh."

Ruby frowned deeply as I replied with a big grin.

- Lick.

"Ugh."

When I licked the beads of sweat running down her cheek, Ruby recoiled and took a step to the side in shock.

- Thump, thump...

However, I could feel it.

Her throbbing heart.

"Alright, how about taking a break here today?"

"...?"

I suggested with a smile of satisfaction and stopped in my tracks. The two girls turned to me and tilted their heads.

"What do you mean, Slave? We're almost at the headquarters..."

"Night will soon come, and it's dangerous. So let's spend the night here and move tomorrow."

"Us? In danger? Why?"

She asked with a frown upon hearing my words.

"I can handle everything in here alone, and there are you two as well."

Indeed, with one member of the twelve executives of the Church, the Hero, and the Demon King, it was absurd to claim that it was dangerous to move at night.

"Stop talking and hurry up... Kyaaack!?"

"I said it's dangerous."

But if I said it was dangerous, then it was dangerous. We must stay here and rest.

"My heart... feels like it's going to explode!!"

When I activated the stellar mana, which I had implanted for experimentation on her heart, the girl grabbed her chest and began to roll around.

Even though I tried to induce the outburst as gently as possible, to react like that... Indeed, that was the kind of reaction that a regular person would have; it was different from the Demon King's reaction.

"See. I can't control it with precision."

"Hmm..."

Saying that, I pat the Demon King's shoulder, and she looked at me with a dubious gaze.

Look as much as you want.

It seemed like she had been using mind-reading skills since earlier, but it was of no use to me because I had already taken precautions thoroughly.

"Oh no, it seems like you're pushing yourself too hard today. I think it's better to rest here for the night."

"I-if we walk just a bit more... Egh..."

"Let’s take a break."

Then, I struck her nape, and the girl's eyelids trembled before slowly closing.

As much as I wanted to abandon her and leave, I needed her to infiltrate the Church's headquarters.

I received coordinates from Ferloche, but the scope was too broad, and I could only infer that it was in a desert area.

Since I had no intention of going in with a full-on, destructive Ferloche-style infiltration, it was more advantageous to pretend as this girl’s slave.

Nevertheless, I was not Ferloche who would make such a mistake.

What could possibly happen?

"Heave-ho."

As I pondered for a moment, I unpacked the luggage and sat on the sandy ground. Ruby had been hesitant for a while before quietly settling into her place.

- Ssk, ssk...

"Ugh."

I snugly stuck by her side after approaching her closely. Ruby then turned her gaze away with a horrified expression on her face.

- Thump, thump...!

However, her heartbeat was still beating loudly.

- Blaze...!

“Ruby, aren’t you a little excited about this?”

"Shut up."

"It feels like there are only the two of us on this journey, doesn't it?"

"I said shut up."

The atmosphere was really romantic. A man and a woman, sitting by the fire in the chilly desert, which was gradually getting darker.

At least, that was what I thought.

Well, if I thought so, Ruby probably thought the same, right?

"You know, Ruby."

After sticking by her side in silent for a while, I quietly spoke to her.

"I love you."

Ruby kept her gaze fixed to the side and avoided my eyes.

"I've loved you for a very long time."

"...Hmm."

Holding onto her, I gently whispered in her ear, and Ruby began to wince.

"I’ve loved you since the first time I saw you."

"...?"

I whispered in a more sincere tone, and Ruby looked at me with wide eyes.

"When I was young... we met, didn't we?"

"W-What are you talking about?"

Tension filled the moment.

This was a crucial turning point in whether my plan would succeed or fail.

In the end, would it really work?

Were the precautions against her mind-reading skill really perfect?

"I thought you remembered it too."

As I spoke while tilting my head, Ruby, who had been scrutinizing me, turned pale.

"L-lie. You’re lying. That can't be true."

"Why don’t you confirm it with your mind-reading skills?"

"Th-The time for using it has already passed."

"Really? But this is real. It’s not like you don’t remember, right? Or are you testing me?"

"..."

Ruby stared at me then spoke with a twisted smile.

"You're the one who’s testing me."

Her eyes gleamed with a ruby-red hue.

"If we ever met, there's no way I wouldn't remember..."

"Potato soup and rye bread."

"..."

"That's your favorite food, isn't it?"

But even that lasted only for a moment; her gaze started wavering as soon as she heard my words.

"You–"

What stood before me at this moment was the Demon King.

"How did you..."

Born as the absolute evil with no room for sympathy.

My mortal enemy, who would forever be on the opposite side of me.

And if I succeeded, eventually, she would also perish with me.

"How do you know that?"

But even for such a being, there were ‘past’ and ‘settings’.

"HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT!!!"

I obtained information about her past, hobbies, and habits through our encounters in previous cycles, as well as her background from the prophecy.

Of course, there was nothing that could be used to turn the table around, but combining that information should be enough to create a smoke screen to save the world.

Therefore, I was going to attempt something insane that I could only do with my changed perspective.

"We met once when we were young."

From now until the remaining 4 days leading to the eradication of the Church, I will go all out to seduce her, the Demon King.

"It was a fateful encounter."

My nemesis and the final boss, who was not considered as a heroine in any route other than the 'Corruption' route…

I will make her fall in love with me.

"You don't remember, do you?"

There was nothing to lose for me.

Even if I failed, I could still deal some damage to the Demon King and relieve some stress.

It wouldn't be a complete waste.

"I've never once forgotten."

And if I succeeded…

"Now... what are you saying..."

"Ruby."

If she started to love me and care about me.

"Why, why are you doing this?"

In the Fourth Ordeal, I would invite her.

"From back then until now, it’s always you."

Even if she managed to survive from that, what came next would be hell.

"I love you."

You who always played with other people's love…

You who never received genuine love from anyone…

Or genuinely loved anyone.

System Notification[Warning: Mental Strength deterioration MAX, temporary pause of the curse is about to be lifted!!]

Could someone like you withstood the gift I was about to give you?

"You, you..."

Obviously, you wouldn’t be able to.

You may survive the demonification, but you won't survive the only emotion that can crush even that resilient mental strength of yours.

Perhaps it would be the most fitting punishment for you.

"I love you forever, Ruby."

I wish for you to drown in regret forever, Ruby.

***

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