Ch.0Prologue

“BRING HIM BAAAAAAACK-!!!!!!!!”

In the end, the Hero couldn’t hold out any longer.

With eyes brimming with tears, she desperately looked around, searching for her Porter.

It had been a foolish choice.

She should never have sent him away, but her clumsy pride had brought about this disaster.

“Haa… Haa…”

The thought of being left all alone made her dizzy, her vision growing distant.

She felt like vomiting from the anxiety that any one of these people might stab her in the back at any moment.

“Lin… Lin…! Where are you, please…!”

Gasping for breath with hyperventilation, Lucy finally broke down into loud sobs.

“Liiiiin-! I was wrong… I was wrong… hic…!”

“Lucy, no matter what you say, the Porter isn’t here. Just give up already.”

“His name is Lin! He’s not just some Porter!”

The Saint tried to stop her, but the Hero violently pushed her away.

CLANG!

When she finally pointed the Holy Sword Hrungnir at them, Naidryan and Arsil’s faces hardened.

Of all times for the Hero to lose control, it had to be when even the Mage was absent.

And right in the middle of the royal court, with so many eyes watching.

“Yes, yes, but Lin isn’t he—”

“Don’t you dare speak his name with that filthy mouth!”

“What are you going to do about it, you narcissistic bitch!!”

Even the sharp-tongued Saint Arsil finally exploded.

She wanted nothing more than to slap the Hero across the face, but her opponent was the Hero.

She’d have better luck cutting off her own arm and throwing it at her.

‘I have no choice.’

Just as the High Elf Naidryan quietly nocked an arrow coated with paralyzing poison,

THUNK!

The dagger thrown by the Hero embedded itself in the wall right next to her face.

“Hero, what are you doing…!”

“You think I don’t know? Just like before, just like that day! You’re trying to stab me in the back again, aren’t you?”

Arsil swallowed hard.

What the Hero was saying now was something only known to them.

‘Damn it, we really should have kept the Porter around!’

She felt stupid for thinking it would be fine to approach the Hero just because she had seemed normal these past few days.

“Only Lin matters. He’s the only one who treats me like a person, the only one who cares about me.”

The Hero was sinking deeper into her own delusions.

As her muttering intensified, a dark aura began to emanate strongly from her.

As the aura began to darken their surroundings, a panicked Arsil shouted:

“Naidryan, shoot!”

“Aah, really-!”

The arrow that flew with a whooshing sound was weakly caught in the Hero’s hand and snapped.

Even the arrow itself was consumed by the dark energy, crumbling away.

“Look at this, what are you trying to take from me now? You already took my arms and legs last time, so what is it this time?”

“Hero, that’s not what we’re trying to—”

“Hmph, fine. I’ll do as you say.”

“Arsil!”

Naidryan tried to explain, but the sharp-tongued Saint couldn’t control her temper and ended up provoking the Hero.

“This time, I’ll take Lin from you.”

Silence.

Time seemed to stop.

The Hero stood frozen, staring at them without the slightest movement.

Her eyes had long lost their focus.

As everyone held their breath watching the situation unfold, Lucy slowly raised Hrungnir.

“Come to think of it… you… have never… apologized to me even once….”

The dark energy rose like flames.

Within it, only her red eyes glowed ominously.

“And now you want to… take Lin from me too…?”

“You sure talk a lot!”

The Saint put on her dragon-scale gloves.

As she wore them, holy power crackled like lightning, revealing its ferocity.

“Come on. One hit and you’ll sleep well. I’ll put you to sleep until we bring back your Porter.”

In response, a violent storm of darkness raged as the Hero screamed:

“I can’t sleep… without hearing Lin’s heartbeat-!!!!!!!”

The furious Saint and the head-shaking Elven Archer once again bared their fangs at the Hero they had already betrayed once before.

Meanwhile,

“So if I write the recipient’s characteristics, the letter will be delivered automatically?”

“Yes! Love, hate, information—we deliver anywhere! We’ll deliver it for you!”

“Then this one is for Hero Lucy.”

“What?! The Hero? If, if I may ask, might your name be…?”

When the mail carrier reacted intensely, the masked man hurriedly waved his hands.

“Ah, I’m just the Porter. It’s just a letter to let her know I’m doing my errands well.”

“I see! With the demons returning, I’ll deliver this quickly to the busy Hero’s party!”

“I appreciate it.”

Watching the back of the carrier rapidly disappearing with teleportation magic, Porter Lin leisurely stretched.

“Wow, that’s a top-tier ultimate skill, but an ordinary mail carrier uses it so casually.”

“I’ve been away for quite a while but there’s been no news. Has Lucy’s dependency improved?”

Several days had passed without any news from the island.

The old Lucy would have likely destroyed something or someone by now, but so far there had been no such reports.

“That’s a relief. She must be doing much better. Maybe she’s ready to graduate from needing me.”

Of course,

“You’re hiding him, aren’t you? He’s mine! He’s only for me! Lin… LLin…! Without you, I…”

“Argh! Use the paralyzing arrow to shut her up!”

“This is your fault for provoking her, Arsil!”

She wasn’t doing better at all.