The Heroines All Want to Kill Me

"Whoo - whoo!!"

"...Okay, okay, I get it, all right?" Right now, an owl was biting my arm and dragging me somewhere. Even if it let go and flew away, I would still follow, but it kept biting, and my arm was starting to throb with pain.

"I'll follow. Just go first!"

"Whoo - whoo!!" So, I shook my arm vigorously and shouted irritably. The owl clenched its beak even harder and started flapping its wings. As expected, probably taking after its owner, it was smart enough to understand human language, and its personality was also exactly like its owner's, so persistent.

"...This guy."

"Whoo, whoo - whoo!" But if this went on, my arm might break. So, I started tickling the owl randomly in its feathers.

"Whoo... Whoo - whoo..." The owl wriggled its body, let go of my arm, and started glaring at me. Sure enough, its weakness had been ticklishness from childhood until now.

"...I'll go by myself, okay?" Thinking this, I glared at the owl. It gave me a distrustful look, glanced at me, and then landed on my shoulder. It seemed it wanted to keep an eye on me.

"...Want a cookie?"

"Whoo - whoo." I stretched my newly - freed arm, casually grabbed the snacks on the nearby table, and offered them to the owl. It turned its head away unhappily. But when I pushed the snacks to its beak, it looked resigned and started eating. It was so cute that I gently stroked the owl's head and fell into deep thought.

'...Should I also get an owl?' I've always been fond of animals. Although my favorite is the cat, I like other animals too. Because it's okay to be kind to animals. In the previous cycle, among the evil deeds I had to commit to force the hero's weapon to go out of control and the crimes I'm currently committing, 'animals' were never among the victims. Therefore, whenever I felt exhausted from doing evil, I would stroke little kittens or treat injured wild beasts to soothe my soul. Perhaps because of this, my desire for a pet was quite strong. After everything was over, I planned to get a black cat that resembled the doll Kania gave me very much...

"Whoo!!"

"...Ouch." I was standing there, lost in thought, when the owl impatiently pecked my finger. I glared at the owl for a while. Seeing it shaking its head and opening its beak, I quickly put my hands behind my back and quickened my pace.

"...Oh, Mr. Frey! Fancy meeting you here." However, as I passed through the central hall, someone suddenly grabbed my arm.

"Oops!"

"Ah!" And it was exactly the place the owl had pecked. I turned my head a bit irritably and found Isabelle looking at me with a brilliant smile.

"Though, what's with this owl?" Wearing an overly gorgeous dress, she tilted her head and reached out her hand towards the owl. The owl frowned and jumped to the other side of my shoulder. As expected, this guy was still so picky about people.

"...Sorry, I'm kind of busy right now." Anyway, if I delayed any longer, my arm might be torn to pieces by the owl. So, just as I was about to speed up, Isabelle blocked my way and said with a smile, "I never thought the silver - haired young master could be so romantic."

"What?"

"You said you've always admired me... Saying such romantic words with that face, what girl could resist?"

"What are you talking about..."

"It's like a white - knight descending from the sky to save a princess in crisis. So cool, Mr. Frey." I looked at Isabelle, who was intoxicated, with a helpless expression, turned around, and prepared to walk around her and leave. But...

"Did you see those girls blushing just now? Ah, of course, their faces are still red now. Look over there." Somehow blocking my way again, she pointed to the girls whispering in the distance.

"How about it? Got a bit of a feeling?"

"Enough. Move out of the way." The owl on my shoulder started staring at me, and a shiver ran down my spine. Just as I was about to leave, Isabelle suddenly smiled coldly and said, "But why the imperial princess, of all people?"

".....?"

"Why do you turn a blind eye to me but show interest in that imperial princess who has nothing but a bad personality and appearance?"

"...Sigh." Her unreasonable behavior finally pushed my patience to the limit, and I completely exploded.

"Well, as I said before, people's tastes can be quite unique. By the way, I said we'd dance together last time? If you don't mind, now..."

"Your personality and appearance can't even compare to the princess's, can they?"

"...What?" After I said this coldly, Isabelle looked shocked.

"No... Actually, there's no need to compare you with the princess at all. You have a terrible personality, an ordinary look, and even no sense of chastity. Do you think I'd want to associate with someone like you?"

"You, what are you talking about... My appearance is... Good enough to be chosen as a princess consort..."

"...Heh." Looking at her stammering in a fluster, I added another sentence.

"...Your looks can't even compare to my butler's." After I finished speaking and turned to leave, she suddenly screamed.

"I knew it...! You're having an affair with that bitch, aren't you...? How dare a person like you propose to the imperial princess? I'll make the family's intelligence network spread this throughout the empire so that everyone knows...!"

"...Please come with us."

"W - what?" However, the Royal Knights soon appeared and grabbed her arms. Isabelle looked around in a panic.

"What are you guys doing? Let me go!"

"...This is an order from the First Prince. If you resist, we will use force." As she started struggling, the Knights held her arms tightly. When they mentioned the prince's name, her face instantly turned pale as if she realized something.

"W - wait! There must be some misunderstanding... Ah!" However, the Knights showed no mercy to Isabelle. In the end, she was dragged towards the Knights in a daze and suddenly started shouting.

"F - Frey! You did all this, right? I had a stomachache for days last time, and this time it's the same! You're behind all of this!" I listened casually to her unreasonable ranting and continued walking. Isabelle glared at me with murderous eyes and started shouting again.

"I'll curse you!! I'll curse you!! I'll definitely make you pay..."

"...Such a noisy woman." But soon, she was struck on the back of the neck with a hand - chop by the Knights, fainted, and was dragged away like a limp rag.

""....."" Those who caught a glimpse of her like this quickly averted their eyes and continued chatting among themselves.

'...At times like this, the pre - prepared image really comes in handy.' Although it had caused quite a commotion, people didn't take it too seriously because it involved me. Even though those nobles loved gossip and scandals, my love affairs with women or violent incidents involving noble youths were so common to them that they didn't care much. Because of this, unknowingly, I had eliminated quite a few villainous female characters.

"Whoo - whoo - whoo!" Just as I was thinking about this, the owl gently patted my face with its wing and then called out seriously.

"...Are you saying to go easy on her?"

"Whoo - whoo!!" I actually understood what it meant and asked. It widened its eyes and then nodded repeatedly.

"Mr. Frey? Please wait a moment." I couldn't help but laugh, fed the owl another cookie, and was about to leave when someone else called out to me.

"Ha... Seriously, who is it this time...!" I turned around impatiently and found the real power - holder of the empire standing in front of me.

"...Greetings to the other Sun of the Empire."

"Ah, glad to see you." I quickly adjusted my expression and bowed to the empress. She gave a sharp smile, accepted my greeting, and started gently waving her finger. Immediately, the attendants waiting behind stepped forward and handed me something.

"What's this?"

"Just a little token of my appreciation."

"...Doesn't seem so little, though." What she handed me was a blank check.

"Enjoying the children's stories?"

"Yes, quite enjoyable." I tried to hide my flustered expression and replied calmly. A smile appeared on the empress's face, and she began, "Although it was a bit chaotic at first, since we know we're on the same side, we should do our best to help, right?"

"...Thank you."

"Besides, if you need anything else, feel free to say. I'll do my best to provide convenience for you."

"Okay." I tried to answer briefly to end the conversation with her. However, the empress suddenly put away her smile and said seriously, "Also, next time if there's something similar, I hope you'll discuss it with me in advance."

"I'll keep that in mind." If it were someone else, they might have been trembling with fear in the face of the aura emanating from the empire's real power - holder. But I was the one who had perished with the Demon King, so I could remain calm and answer.

"...Then, I'll take my leave." The empress gave me a slightly dissatisfied look and then left with the attendants.

"I'm so tired of this." Already weary of these political intrigues and psychological battles, I couldn't help but sigh and shake my head. At this time, the owl started pecking my shoulder impatiently.

"Ouch! That hurts!"

"Whoo - whoo - whoo - whoo - whoo!!" In the end, I had to raise my hands in surrender to the owl. I even used starlight magic to hide my presence and then headed in the direction the owl pointed with its wing.

'...Could it be that I'll run into the emperor again this time?'

.....

"Is it here?"

"Whoo - whoo." Fortunately, I didn't encounter the emperor. Later, I heard that during the meeting, Serena barged in, and the emperor burst out laughing again. As a result, he exhausted all his enthusiasm for a year and fell into a state of collapse. Therefore, for the short - term, it was probably completely the empress's world.

'...This location is really Serena's style.' Anyway, neither the emperor, the noble ladies, nor the drinking buddies managed to catch me. I successfully arrived at the place the owl led me to, and what came into view was a beautiful lake shining under the moonlight.

"...But where's Serena?"

"Whoo - whoo?" However, Serena, who should have been here, was nowhere to be seen. I had to ask the owl on my shoulder. It also shrugged its wings and tilted its head to show it didn't know.

'Did she come to find me herself?' I frowned, worried that I might have missed her. Just then, a flash of light suddenly appeared in the grass in the distance. I immediately tensed up, bent down, and walked towards the grass cautiously. Although it might just be a false alarm... But when meeting Serena at this moment, out of caution for her family, I had to be fully prepared.

"...Meow."

"What? It's just a cat." A black cat appeared in front of me. Just as I let out a sigh of relief, I suddenly felt a movement behind me.

"Growl!" The gust of wind froze me in place for a moment. But when the owl on my shoulder showed a delighted expression and flapped its wings and flew backward, I immediately sensed the identity of the person behind me.

"You kept me waiting."

"...Serena." I stared at her, sweating coldly. Serena suddenly emitted a gentle moonlight magic from all over her body, spreading it around.

"Meow!"Immediately afterwards, the cat behind me was so scared that its tail stood up straight, and it quickly scrambled up the tree. Serena looked at this scene, smiled slightly, and said, "...I chased away the thieving cat. Did I do a good job?"

"Yeah..." There was still a trace of black magic lingering where the cat disappeared. I roughly understood what had happened, so I tried hard to turn my head and avoid her gaze.

"Are you a child?"

"What?"

"Why are you acting so childish? Even if you show me such a scene, I can tell you're not sincere."

"..." Hearing Serena's next words, I couldn't help but think of the half - formed hypothesis I had just now.

"...Could it be that her memories have been erased?" There was no doubt that Serena was one of the 'heroines'. That is, due to some unknown punishment, she had inherited the memories of the previous round. So, if things were normal, she should be planning how to kill me now, or she might have already taken action. At least, she should be filled with hatred for me. Because even she, the one who had been trying so hard to reform me, had been filled with hatred for me at the last moment and had cursed me. However, instead of hating me, she was trying to reform me in every way, just like in the past.

"...Let's go first."

"Okay, let's go first." Even more, she was under the "Absolute Obedience Magic". At this moment, wasn't she walking with me by the lakeside without any doubts?

"...Serena, wait a minute. Look at me."

"Okay." In the end, unable to suppress the annoyance in my heart, I used the "Mind - Reading" skill while looking at her.

"...Ah." Immediately after, I truly experienced what it meant to have a "blank mind".

[Current Emotions of Serena Luna Moonlight: Love / Worry / Hatred / Anxiety]

It seemed that her memories had indeed been erased. And... "So, you really did love me sincerely once."

"...Frey? Is there something in the air?" I gritted my teeth, suppressing the emotions that were about to burst out. Suddenly, Serena widened her eyes and started reaching her hand towards the air.

"You seem to be seeing a square panel forming from here to here... Judging from the tremors of your pupils, it should be opaque and have words written on it..."

"...Ah, no." She tried to guess my system window with a curious expression. I quickly moved my eyes away from the system window and shook my head. She sighed and asked, "So, what kind of spell are you going to use this time?"

"...What?"

"You're going to do something bad again, aren't you?" Hearing this, I frowned. She looked at me with a worried expression and continued, "Only if you share the information can I help you hide it or operate secretly. Tell me quickly."

"...Forget it." I responded perfunctorily to her words and walked forward slowly. She closely followed me and started chattering.

"Frey, you're acting strange. Somehow, you look decades older than when we last met."

"Probably your illusion."

"No, it's not an illusion. The subtle muscle tremors, the changes in your eyebrows, and the inexplicably changed expressions and tone..."

"Stop those suspicions." Seeing that she was about to touch on the dangerous truth, I quickly gave an order. She nodded and quietly followed me and continued walking.

"...Look, the moonlight is so beautiful, isn't it?" She slowly stopped in the middle of the lake, pointed to the moon shining in the distance, and said softly.

"...I hate the moon."

"Don't lie. Didn't you say when you were a child that among the sun, the moon, and the stars, you liked the moon the most?" I said to Serena in a low voice, but she immediately refuted my words. Although my most cherished memories were from childhood, I felt extremely regretful at this moment.

"...And you said you hated the sun the most." Just as I was smiling bitterly, Serena suddenly widened her eyes and asked sharply, "But what's going on with this time's matter?"

"That..."

"In a gathering of so many nobles in the empire, you publicly proposed to the imperial princess and even made a covenant. This time's matter is really too much."

"..." She had a look of anger on her face at first. But seeing me speechless, her expression softened a little, and then she said, "...If the Moonlight Family didn't also hold a covenant, things would really have gotten out of hand."

"Serena."

"You said there's a year, right? A grace period?" Just as I was about to say something, she interrupted me, gave a bitter smile, and continued, "In this year, I'll do my best to change your mind."

"I'll..."

"Try and try again. Before the year is over, make you look at me again... Make your heart turn back to me." After saying that, Serena walked towards me before I could speak...

——Peck.

She kissed my lips.

"Although this might not mean much to an experienced you..." After a long time, she slowly let go of me and said with a faint smile, "...But this is my first kiss, so please remember it for a lifetime."

Looking at her, I gritted my teeth, closed my eyes, and gave an order that I had to say to her.

"Serena..."

"Hmm?"

"...Don't fall in love with me." I said this with a heart - wrenching pain. But I heard a completely unexpected answer from her.

"No."

"What?" I stared blankly at her serious answer and quickly ordered again.

"I said, don't fall in love with me!"

"How on earth did you do that?"

"Then don't worry about me."

"I don't know that method." Facing her continuous resistance, I couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. At this time, Serena half - opened her eyes and started asking me questions.

"What do you mean by saying these words in a commanding tone? Am I brainwashed? And what does it mean to tell me not to love you? Could it be that there's a reason I shouldn't be loved..."

"Forget all the words I said in a commanding tone just now." Sensing the flickering of the system window in front of me, I hastily gave the order. Serena nodded and then stared at me blankly.

"...If you know the 'weakness' of the 'Absolute Obedience Magic', tell me everything. I only have a general idea." Seeing her like this, I raised the question that had been on my mind. Serena nodded again and began to speak in detail.

"The weakness of the Absolute Obedience Magic lies in the fact that it can't issue commands that might harm the caster. This is because the Demon King who designed this magic a thousand years ago, to avoid endangering his own safety, specifically set such a restriction... As for the relevant magic formulas..."

"...That's enough." Understanding the reason for this phenomenon, I heaved a long sigh and then gave her an order. "From now on, don't make any hasty judgments about everything about me."

"...Understood." In this way, Serena would no longer be threatened by the system's punishment. Because the system punishment would only be triggered when she was "certain".

However, I had caused a huge mess today. I was afraid that soon, she would threaten my life in "another way". Of course, this was not her intention but the will of the "family" she belonged to. The "Absolute Obedience Magic" imposed on her, if my guess was correct, all of this was done by Serena... Then, apart from the system itself, the will of this magic was also likely to be taken into account. Therefore, in the future, on the one hand, I had to find a way to save my life from Serena... On the other hand, I also had to figure out how to rescue her from the Moonlight Family that oppressed her and the system curse that had cursed those who cared about me.

「...I'll give you the love letter next time. I was so angry just now that I accidentally crumpled it up.」Just as I was deep in thought, Serena said with an embarrassed expression, and then waved goodbye. "Well, see you later." After saying this, Serena turned around with a relaxed smile and walked towards the carriage waiting for her in the distance. I watched her for a while and then turned to walk towards the carriage waiting for me on the other side. However...

"Ah, right." Serena's voice came from behind. I stopped in my tracks and quietly looked back.

"I love you." Under the hazy moonlight, Serena smiled brightly and said the words she often said to me. Looking at her, I couldn't help but chuckle and turned to take another step. However...

"...Perhaps?" Hearing the voice from behind, I suddenly stopped, took out a letter that I had been carrying in my arms.

- I'll come to see you soon. P.S. I love you. (Perhaps?) [Serena Luna Moonlight]

By the hazy moonlight that shone on both her and me, I read the contents of the letter again. Then, with an incredulous expression, I murmured, "...Could it be that everything is within your calculations?" Thinking it over carefully, my fiancée was truly a genius among geniuses.

.....

- Serena. Do you know what you've done?

"I'm sorry, but..." A long day had passed, and it was dawn.

- How dare you use the covenant between the royal family and the Moonlight Family without consultation, and all for Frey...

"But this was the only way..." Serena, with a pained expression on her face, was talking to someone through a communication crystal while sitting in the carriage.

- The Solare Royal Family is the sun that illuminates the dawn of the empire, the Moonlight Duke's Family is the moon that illuminates the night of the empire, and the Starlight Duke's Family is the stars that protect those who don't receive the light.

"Yes, I understand."

- This balance has been maintained for a thousand years. However, the evil direct descendant of the Starlight Family who emerged a thousand years later is trying to break this balance. Hearing this, Serena broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly said, "B - but... I made a new agreement with him today, Lord Head of the Family. So please give me a year, just one year..."

- Today, Frey abandoned you and proposed to the Third Imperial Princess. From that moment on, your chance is already over.

"...Ugh." However, when the cold voice of the head of the family came from the crystal ball, Serena tightly closed her eyes. Facing her like this, the head of the family gave the cruelest order.

- Kill Frey Laan Starlight in the shortest possible time.

"...What!?"

- This is a resolution unanimously passed by all the high - level members of the Moonlight Family, who secretly guard the night of the empire.

"But I...!" Serena exclaimed in a panic. But at that moment, magic circles began to appear all over her body. Her eyes were filled with fear, and her body trembled involuntarily.

"Ah - ah - ah - ah - ah!!!" The magic circles suddenly lit up, and Serena let out a shrill scream. The cold voice of the head of the family came from the crystal ball again.

- Don't forget, you're still burdened with the curse of 'Family Subordination'.

As the words fell, the light of the crystal ball went out. Serena trembled for a while and then murmured in a low voice.

"Even so... I can't give up on him..." She tried to sound calm, propping up her gradually blurring consciousness, but before she fell, she added with great difficulty.

"...Perhaps." After saying these words, Serena finally lost consciousness and fell to the ground. The Moonlight Family's carriage carried her and slowly drove towards the Solare Academy.