Heroes and Machine Girls Looking at Profiles

3 – Crossing the Line

“Well done, hero.”

“You were indeed our hero today.”

“This is all thanks to the Goddess…”

The liberation of the village, previously occupied by the devil races, was accomplished that day.

The original occupants of the village, low-ranking servants such as ogres, trolls, and minotaurs, were easily defeated by the hero party I led.

Well, to be honest, I think I did most of the work myself.

A grand banquet unfolded at the heart of the liberated city, a celebration that enveloped the city in high spirits.

If they had the resources for such a feast, I wished they would instead use them to rebuild the city.

But, since it was their way of showing gratitude, I silently went along with the festivities without uttering a word.

“You really are a hero! That’s why I like you.”

Among the revelers was Magician Alesa, who pulled me into her bosom with a radiant smile.

Normally, I would have felt both embarrassment and happiness buried in her voluptuous figure,

but after confirming the accuracy of the profile skill and attempting to use it on her, like the others, her profile revealed a promise of betrothal to the Crown Prince of the Empire.

Just, now being in her arms only filled my heart with discomfort.

“I’ll go in first, it seems I may have overdone it.”

“Eh…uh, okay… take a good rest.”

Eventually, using tiredness as an excuse, I slipped out of the banquet and returned to my room alone, lying on the bed.

My heart was filled with discomfort and emptiness.

At first, I was filled with boiling rage, thinking I was betrayed by them.

However, upon reflection, I thought it was inevitable.

After all, they promised to marry me off to the Princess of the Kingdom, the church, and the Tower of Magick.

In other words, it was not their will to begin with.

They never loved me.

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They had been forced to marry ‘Hero Hans’ against their will due to orders from their parents and superiors.

Since there was nothing like betrayal from the start, it couldn’t be helped.

Even if it was forced, I had to convince myself.

Rather, I felt sympathy for them, who had to pretend to love someone they didn’t.

At the same time, I had the pain of hearing love whispers that my heart did not want.

I made up my mind.

Let’s tell everyone the truth.

Tell the truth, and propose that we no longer need this false relationship.

Defeat the Demon King, save the world, and part ways cleanly.

Originally, my dream is to build a family and live at ease.

Let’s ask for something that can grasp my little happiness, whether it’s money or territory.

In my own way, I’ll live quietly while searching for a new love.

I quietly resolved that it would be better for both of us.

Judging by the silence, the party seemed to be over.

By now, my comrades are probably back in their rooms.

Having made up my mind, I thought there was no point in delaying any further, and stood up from my seat.

Then I left the room, heading towards the place where the girls probably were.

“…Hero, you must be very tired.”

“Can’t help it. The ogres, trolls, even gargoyles were flying around, weren’t they? It must’ve been tough since it was a fight we couldn’t win without the hero.”

In the room they were staying in, Saint Ciella and Mage Alesa were having a conversation.

To them, Princess Anies spoke.

“But Hero, you were acting a little unusual today.”

At Anies’ words, Ciella and Alesa looked back at her.

“Princess, unusual you say…?”

“Yes, I sensed a bit of distance.”

“Ahh, I see what you mean. Even when he hugged before, it felt a bit stiffer than usual.”

Upon hearing Alesa’s response, Anies nodded her head.

“Yes, he usually shows a more innocent response…”

“Maybe… could it be that we are found out?”

“No way, he’s not that observant.”

Alesa mentions this while patting down the worried Saint Ciella on the shoulder.

Indeed, the hero wasn’t that quick-witted, he even tended to be a bit dull.

“… Well, we do need to bridge that distance again.”

Anies slumped in her chair and grimaced.

“A Hero is a Hero after all. If we can’t handle it in one go, we may even be counterattacked.”

Princess Anies’ face bore a rather icy expression, unlike her usual warm smile.

Watching this, Saint Ciella spoke tentatively.

“Um… listen … is it necessary to handle the Hero like this? Why not just honestly finish the affair and…”

“What if he refuses to join our party then?”

“That would be a problem. The honour of joining the Hero’s party isn’t something that can be easily achieved.”

Anies nodded at Alesa’s words and continued.

“So, we have to keep doing this until we defeat the demon king.”

“But … isn’t killing too risky?”

Saint Ciella voiced her concern.

It was not that Saint Ciella was worried about Hero Hans.

As a saint of the church, it was just unpleasant to kill a hero chosen by the goddess.

“And what if he wrongly gets angry and charges at us? Then we all three of us will die without a doubt.”

“I agree with Anies. You saw the Hero’s power, right? If he changes his mind, all three of us will be done for.”

“Er…hmm.”

Overwhelmed by Anies and Alesa’s arguments, Saint Ciella reluctantly agreed.

“Ah…I understand. I’ll follow both of your judgements.”

“Yes, so by all means don’t get caught, be careful in front of him until you stick a knife in his heart…I mean.”

Anais, with a cold expression.

Alesa spoke towards her.

“But, why do we have to fight here and there, instead of going straight to the Demon King’s Castle?”

“No no, you have to clean up the demons for the hero for the future. Only then, there would be no repercussions after dealing with him, right?”

“Ah…thorough, aren’t you.”

Alesa, the magician, let out a bitter laugh as if she was exhausted.

‘…sh*t.’

I didn’t want to hear this.

I heard something I didn’t want to hear, even more than what I saw with my profile skill.

These women, they’re after my life.

The moment I realized this, I felt all the affection I had for them as comrades, or any empathy I might have forced myself to feel for them while pretending to love them, disappear at once.

I could stand being deceived, even if it was a bit hard.

But a conspiracy to kill me? That’s crossing the line.

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“Th… That’s right! This time, I’ll surely pull you to our demon folk’s side!”

When looked at, it’s a face that I know more than the king who hadn’t had much face-time after calling me to this world.

Moreover, surprisingly, it’s a face that I’ve known from the beginning of this adventure.

The succubus belonging to the Demon Lord’s army, Luri Rinus.

She, a demon, specialized in transforming into a human, hiding the magic she held and discreetly scouting the human side.