Once the Curse of Reversed Likability Was Lifted, My Party Members Became Unbearably Heavy
The capital city lay still in the twilight.
One month had passed since the Demon King was slain—the people breathed a sigh of relief, and vitality had returned to the streets.
In one corner of that capital city. On the top floor of the research wing attached to the Royal Magic Academy.
In one of the laboratories there, Noel Alfenn sat surrounded by mountains of books, silently moving her quill pen across the page.
Her title now was “Court Mage.”
As a prodigy who attained that position at a young age, she was one of the few mages serving close to the king.
On her desk lay diagrams analyzing sealing magic and records concerning the Hero.
Her gaze drifted to a single report placed in the corner. Black sealing wax was stamped upon it.
—“Hero Ren, wanted for treason against the kingdom.”
Noel’s lips twisted slightly.
She chuckled at the sheer absurdity.
“Serves him right.”
Muttering, she lowered her gaze to the report.
Amagi Ren—the man she once journeyed with.
…And the traitor.
The lie that he betrayed humanity during the final battle against the Demon King.
A lie we three—me, Celia, and Rina—decided on and told.
Each of us, to vent the hatred we harbored toward Ren, to cast him out of this world, lied that he had betrayed us.
The king and the people didn’t doubt us for a moment; they hated him.
This was a secret just between the three of us.
Only Rina, as a knight, couldn’t accept herself lying. Without realizing it, she seems to have twisted her perception into believing Ren truly betrayed us. But that doesn’t matter.
If he just died alone somewhere out there, nothing else matters.
—Yet, every time I hear his name, a gritty sensation stirs deep within my heart.
That grit clings to my heart like a pebble.
Every time Ren’s name was spoken, my chest tightened, and breathing became difficult.
I thought it was anger toward him. I believed it was hatred. I told myself I couldn’t forgive him.
“Being swayed by emotion is for fools.”
“I am not one of them. I act rationally, guided by reason and knowledge. …Really?”
When the autumn wind rustled the curtains, his voice suddenly flashed through my mind.
“Noel, I’m so glad you’re safe.”
My heart leapt in that instant.
Deep within my chest, something gripped me painfully.
“…Stop it. That… can’t be…”
I gripped the desk without thinking. The edge of the paper tore, ink splattering.
Deep inside her head, something made a “creaking” sound. The edges of her vision flickered, and the world grew faintly white.
“…What…is this…?”
Ren’s name, Ren’s face, burned into her eyes.
And then—
The feelings she had suppressed for him burst forth like a dam had broken.
She couldn’t breathe. Her heart felt as if it were being crushed by a hand.
Her feelings for Ren surged like a flood.
The day she met Ren.
He who had smiled and spoken to her, the unsociable one, time and again. The warmth of the bread he had quietly offered her on the night she forgot to eat, absorbed in her investigation. His back, always protecting her on the battlefield.
And then—that day.
The sight of him, bleeding, having lost an arm, yet still smiling.
“Noel, it’s because of your magic that we made it this far.”
His voice saying those words.
I… I spat out, “It makes me sick.”
Noel clutched her head with both hands.
Cold fingertips pressed against her temples. Still, her thoughts wouldn’t stop.
“Stop… Don’t make me remember…”
My own voice echoed like it belonged to someone else.
I wanted to stop, but I couldn’t. My thoughts kept circling the same place like a broken gear.
I was the one who framed Ren. I was the one who made Ren a “traitor.”
My fingertips trembled. My mind couldn’t keep up.
“No… no…! I just… I just wanted to be with Ren… Ren, why… why did I… do that thing…”
Ren’s voice, seared into her mind, resurfaces.
‘Noel, I believe in you.’
“Stop… stop it… I don’t need those words…!”
She leans her back against the wall, hugging her knees.
Noel stared at the tattered paper lying on the floor.
“Hero Ren, wanted for treason.”
The characters looked horribly distorted and twisted.
“Heh heh… Right. That’s right. This is my fault, isn’t it?”
“I was the one who betrayed… I destroyed everything…”
Her voice trembled, her throat tightened. The back of her eyes burned hot. Reason tried to resist.
But it was pointless now.
Deep within her heart, something had completely collapsed.
Anger, pride, logic—all shattered into pieces,
leaving only one thing behind: “irreparable regret.”
“I don’t need the title of Court Magician, or the status, or the honor… If Ren isn’t here… If I can’t stand beside him…”
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
The words of apology were swallowed by the night’s silence.
Even so, it wasn’t enough. No matter how many words she repeated, she couldn’t bring back a single thing.
Curled up small on the cold floor, Noel hugged her trembling body, repeating his name in a hoarse whisper.
A self-mocking smile touched her lips. But the next moment, that smile twisted.
“…Then why didn’t you get angry with me?”
Her voice trembled. She smiled faintly as tears slid down her cheeks.
“Scold me, please… Get angry, be disgusted… Tell me ‘It’s all your fault’…!”
“Hey, Ren. If it were you, would you… show me your smile again?”
“Hey, Ren… If we could meet again, this time, I’d stay by your side—”
The rest of her words dissolved into sobs.