This World Needs a Hero

Chapter 328: Side Story (2)

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Side Story 2 - In the World You Were In

A late afternoon in early summer.

Euphemia slowly opened her eyes on the hospital bed.

A gentle breeze blew through the curtains, brushing against the room, and outside, children's laughter could be heard.

"I can't believe this! Do you have nine lives or something? Why do you keep coming back so badly injured every time!?"

"..."

"Sigh, I'll wrap you in bandages, so just lie still today!"

The sharp voice of the nurse echoed loudly from behind the curtains.

Euphemia frowned slightly.

'...What’s all the commotion about?'

What could be so exciting that they’d forget a princess was in the ward?

"..."

After a moment of contemplation, Euphemia closed her eyes again.

'...Never mind, I'm too tired.'

Though she would later attain the 'Ultimate Body' and become an iron-willed person who could stay awake for days, right now, she was nothing more than a frail girl who easily collapsed under the pressure of last-minute cramming for finals.

'I should’ve at least tried to nap.'

Of course, even if she had failed her exams, the professors would still have given her good grades.

But Euphemia didn't want to receive such special treatment.

'They’re all just rotten, busy trying to curry favor with the imperial family.'

The motto of Rosenstark Academy, that everyone is equal within its walls, had long since lost its meaning.

'If I were my father, I would have replaced them all.'

Rosenstark.

An educational institution dedicated to nurturing talents who would bear the future of humanity—its importance could not be overstated.

Even she, who had spent most of her life secluded in a distant palace, understood this.

But her father, the current emperor and one of the most infamous rulers in the empire's history, was only interested in indulging in pleasure and paying attention to flattering sycophants.

'...Damn it.'

What annoyed her even more was the fact that no matter which of her foolish siblings inherited the throne, the same outcome would follow.

Frustrated, Euphemia, now wide awake, gave up on sleeping and got out of bed, intending to take a walk around the ward to clear her head.

"..."

"..."

However, she stopped in her tracks when she noticed a boy on the bed across from hers.

Silver eyes and hair.

Bandages soaked with blood and pus.

A body covered in scars.

Ted Redymer.

The name popped into Euphemia's mind.

In the half-year since she had enrolled, even in a different department, she had heard the name countless times.

'They said he’s the most talented student in Rosenstark's history, right?'

...He was also notoriously famous for his inhuman appearance.

The princess quickly admitted it.

'At least half the rumors are true.'

They silently exchanged glances for about ten seconds.

But the seemingly endless staring contest abruptly ended when—

Cough!

The boy violently coughed up blood.

As the nurse on duty rushed over to check on him, Euphemia abandoned her idea of walking and sat on a bed across from him.

Precisely across from him, facing him directly.

"How did you end up in such a state?"

The question came naturally, as if they were already acquainted.

The answer was just as natural.

"I went into a practice dungeon."

Euphemia frowned slightly.

"Freshmen aren't allowed in dungeons, are they? It's something only upperclassmen do during their practice sessions."

"I sneaked in."

"...Why?"

"There's nothing like real combat to make you stronger faster."

"Why do you need to get stronger so quickly?"

After a brief silence, Ted responded with a question of his own.

"Let me ask you one thing."

"I don't like answering questions with questions."

"Why did you storm out of the ward with such a sour expression?"

...A sour expression?

Euphemia doubted her ears as she responded.

"Why are you curious?"

"I'm just wondering what kind of worries royals have."

A provocative spark flickered in his otherwise indifferent eyes.

"After all, it doesn't matter how much more brutal this world gets; it won’t affect people like you."

This was a statement that couldn’t be protected by Rosenstark’s school rules.

But instead of reprimanding him for his insolence, Euphemia let out a short laugh.

"...Do you deal with uncomfortable questions by laughing them off?"

"No?"

Tap.

The princess got down from her bed and stood in front of the boy, who was covered in wounds.

The subtle smell of disinfectant, the sunset outside the window.

Golden eyes met silver ones as they faced each other up close.

"I feel like getting to know you better."

"Fine, just don't hang me from the gallows."

"I won’t. I promise."

...Yes, that was their first meeting.

.

.

.

"Euphemia, looking back, we’ve had a lot of memories."

"...We used to be together all the time when we were young."

The friendship that began in the hospital ward quickly expanded into other areas.

The nearby village tavern, the classroom, the secret hideout where they plotted rebellions... and finally, the burning imperial palace.

Ted had placed the bloodstained crown on her head himself.

"And you apologized while doing it."

"Yeah."

"You said you were sorry for giving me the throne."

"I did."

"Why?"

"...You have this bad habit of asking questions you already know the answer to."

Ted spoke in a light, friendly tone, as if he had returned to their childhood days.

Euphemia nodded.

"I want to hear it from you."

"In this cursed era, a righteous emperor must be someone who can lift a scale as large as a hero’s."

"...A scale?"

"Someone who carefully observes the balance, and when one side is too heavy, they ruthlessly cast off the weights on the other side."

"Ted."

In the vision crystal, Ted gave a short laugh before continuing calmly.

"Thank you. Thanks to you, the weights on the other side of the scale felt a little lighter."

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Euphemia felt as though she had swallowed something hot and sharp.

"Ted."

"Yeah."

"...Are you really going to die?"

"Yeah."

"Are you really, really going to die?"

The image of the wounded boy on the hospital bed flashed before her eyes.

The friend who had run alongside her for over a decade, all for one goal, was now disappearing.

A wounded boy passed before her eyes as he lied on his sickbed.

A friend who had run alongside her for years toward a shared goal was now gone.

Euphemia was overwhelmed by fear and sense of loss more intense than she had ever felt before.

...A doppelgänger? A stand-in? What use is any of that?

Who could possibly replace Ted Redymer!

"No one will know you died."

"Euphemia."

"Everyone will cheer and rejoice! But you're dead! This isn't fair!"

The emperor clenched her fists so tightly they nearly shattered.

Ah, she began to despise that stand-in, someone she had never even had a proper conversation with.

"...I'll announce your death. Your death deserves to be known."

"Euphemia."

Ted smiled faintly.

"I know you won't do that. I trust you won't let everything go to waste."

"Ted! Why are you doing this to me!?"

"You know. This world still needs a hero."

[PR/N: Damn.]

The emperor, who had never considered another hero, finally collapsed before the video crystal.

Through her sobs, a gentle voice reached her ears.

"An emperor shouldn't cry."

"Shut up."

"Take care of him."

"..."

"We'll meet again, much later."

And at that moment, a strange voice overlapped Ted's.

"...Does this world still need a hero?"

Ah.

It finally came to her.

The 50th sector of the Demon Realm.

The light that bloomed in the darkest place.

That relieved expression and the body that scattered into pieces.

'...A dream?'

The emperor, who had reached forward, realized she was lying in bed.

The light she thought was dawn was just the bedroom lamp, and her pillow was embarrassingly damp.

Euphemia curled up like a shrimp.

Yes, it had been like this every day for nearly a year.

"Damn bastards."

No!

Such a mild curse didn't release her anger.

Euphemia shouted at the top of her lungs.

"You bastards!"

At that moment, a startled voice came from nearby.

"I-I apologize, Your Majesty."

The royal physician and Mother Ghost bowed deeply.

'...The royal physician?'

Why was the royal physician here when it was not a day for a check-up?

'Wait. What day is it today?'

Strangely, her memory before she fell asleep was hazy.

'I have so much to do...'

The emperor tried to rise from her bed but felt dizzy and collapsed back down.

Mother Ghost hurried to support her.

"Please take care of yourself, Your Majesty. You collapsed from overwork just yesterday."

"...I collapsed from overwork? Me?"

Indeed.

Even with a body enhanced by divine power, no one could go nearly ten days without sleep and remain standing.

After listening to Mother Ghost’s detailed explanation, Euphemia grasped the situation.

"Fine, I understand. Bring me headache medicine and my documents."

"...Your Majesty."

"Hurry. The royal physician may leave."

After sending away her worried servants, the emperor rose from her bed and approached the window.

'Is it morning already?'

Beyond the window, the capital's skyline was bathed in the gentle golden light of dawn.

A soft breeze carried the city's sounds into the room.

Buildings spread out like a vast ocean.

Between them, an unprecedented vitality flowed.

The emperor took a deep breath.

...It had been almost a year since magic disappeared from this world.

The continent was in a period of immense upheaval, and as a result, the imperial administration was suffering from unprecedented overwork.

There were dozens of urgent issues that needed to be handled immediately.

Territorial division with the other races.

Development and purification of the eastern regions.

Local lords fighting over the rapidly expanding economy and the interests involved.

Excavation of relics and ruins from the First Era.

The still unresolved rewards and recognitions.

Manpower was severely lacking, and every day brought unexpected problems.

But one thing was certain.

Humanity, once stalled, was now moving forward, step by step.

"..."

The emperor reached out her hand toward the capital outside the window.

The dawn light painted her hand in gold, and long shadows seeped into the room.

For a long time, Euphemia stood still, wrapped in light and shadow.

"...I miss them."

After a moment, she added softly.

"I want to show them."

She wanted to show the Heroes a world that no longer needed heroes.

To walk those peaceful streets together, cloaked and with a drink in hand.

To talk about how hard it was, how much they struggled.

To laugh together.

Euphemia slowly closed her eyes.

"...Your Majesty."

Mother Ghost approached cautiously and handed over the documents.

Euphemia returned to her role as the cold, calculating emperor and began reviewing the urgent matters.

One task stood out as the top priority.

"It's only two days away..."

The first anniversary of their victory.

An event where the heroes would gather and receive the crowd's praise was just around the corner.

As she reviewed the guest list, her gaze stopped on one name.

'Larze Gion...'

That grinning face flashed before her eyes.

"Look forward to a surprise, Your Majesty."

A surprise, huh.

"I just hope it's not something strange."

"...Your Majesty?"

"Nothing. You may go. Isn't it time for breakfast?"

The emperor smiled faintly and left the bedroom.

A world without them.

...Yes.

This world no longer needs a Hero.

And she would ensure it stays that way.

Two heroes were enough.

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