He Became the Only Ally of the Abandoned Warrior

“It seems the guest has arrived.”

“I’ll be leaving now.”

“Aren’t you lacking enthusiasm these days? You used to make it so I couldn’t walk back when we were newlyweds.”

Ravin, surprisingly immune to such matters, blushed. The butler, equally embarrassed, coughed even louder.

“I’ll let you go for now. But be prepared tonight, my dear.”

Duke Dekarlun’s husband, Garin, nodded politely to the butler and Ravin as he exited the garden. The Duke watched him leave with adoring eyes, focusing on his strong and firm backside.

“You’re still so passionate.”

“You should find yourself a partner soon. Marriage is truly wonderful.”

If anyone who knew her from eight years ago—when she was a staunch advocate of staying single—had heard this, they would have been shocked. As Ravin sat in the chair offered by the Duke, he carefully observed her.

Long platinum blonde hair, a trait given to those with royal blood. A voluptuous yet toned body, though not as much as Lucy’s. The body was clad in a violet dress, a color only the Emperor could wear, signaling the Duke’s ambitions.

What was unsettling was that this Duke, a close supporter of the royal family, was known as a staunch ally of Lina Sien Carlon, alongside Reinhold.

Irene Dekarlun.

A general and duke of the Carlon Empire, a branch family of the Carlon royal lineage, and a veteran who had commanded the frontlines against the demon army for over ten years.

“Weren’t you opposed to marriage?”

“I met a man who made my heart race.”

A formidable general, known for her strength and leadership, had fought many battles against the demon army, achieving victories or, at the very least, avoiding critical mistakes. Yet, she fell for a mere soldier who quietly followed her.

Despite opposition from all sides, she succeeded in marrying the soldier who had been too burdened to accept her proposal, an anecdote almost as famous as the hero's song in the city of romance.

She even threatened to abandon her position as a general and her duties at the frontlines if he didn’t marry her, a spectacle that frightened even the then-Emperor, who pressured Garin into marriage. The powerful Dekarlun family had decided that marrying an insignificant soldier was better than aligning themselves with the royal family.

As a result, she became a woman who bore two sons and a daughter, actively encouraging others to marry. Known for her loyalty to the Emperor, who had allowed her marriage, she was also a devoted supporter of his successor, Lina Sien.

“So, Ravin the Thief, what news do you bring that will make my heart race?”

In truth, she was an ambitious woman, quietly seeking to usurp the throne. Ironically, this ambition was fueled by her observation of Lina Sien’s behavior after she became the Crown Princess.

And it wasn’t surprising that Ravin, who bore a grudge against Lina Sien, would conspire with the Duke. After all, thieves are often very busy people.

“I’ll start with the aftermath of the palace attack.”

On the day Tigrea took Lin away, Ravin fabricated evidence on the spot, making it seem as though the captain of the guards, who had been bribed by the demons, had caused the incident.

Placing the orb given to him by the illusionist on the corpses, the guards’ bodies turned black and then evaporated into smoke. The exaggerated imaginations of those who witnessed this led to the story being twisted: the captain and the demons were after the porter, a key figure in the Demon King’s resurrection, and the Hero, the shield knight, and the mage fought them off.

The shield knight was wounded, the mage escaped with the critical figure, and the Hero was left crying after failing to stop the demons.

That was the story the public knew.

“I heard Reinhold is going to the Zramun Archipelago for recovery?”

“Oh, the Crown Princess is going with him.”

“What?!”

Irene was shocked and sat up straight.

“Who’s going to handle state affairs?”

“Probably... you, Your Grace?”

For some reason, Reinhold’s wounds couldn’t be healed by the Saintess’s holy power. The black energy on the wounds was blocking the healing process. It wasn’t demonic energy, just some dark force.

Despite this, Reinhold, with his abnormal recovery abilities, regained consciousness quickly, though he couldn’t move his body. Unable to be healed by the Saintess, he decided to go to the Zramun Archipelago, a place filled with various mysterious energies, for recovery.

‘I guess I’ll get to see those fragile young ladies.’

The Crown Princess, seeing the anticipation in his eyes, reacted with her feminine intuition and insisted on going with him.

“If not His Highness, then who will handle state affairs?!”

“There’s Duke Dekarlun, isn’t there? I can’t become a widow without even having the wedding!”

When Ravin relayed the words the Crown Princess had said, the Duke was dumbfounded.

“If they haven’t even had the wedding, she wouldn’t be a widow if he died, right? They’re practically strangers.”

“She must really like him.”

“That woman is crazy.”

“Says the one who staged a suicide threat to get married.”

“If they hadn’t let me, I’d be dead now.”

“Anyway, it seems she has chosen you as her partner in love and romance.”

“Well, in a broad sense, I suppose that’s true….”

Somehow, being lumped together with her made her feel bad.

“Ah, just when the frontlines are stabilizing, and I’m starting to see more of my husband and kids.”

Feeling troubled, Irene waved her hand, signaling Ravin to leave. Bowing deeply, Ravin began to exit the garden when the Duke asked him a question.

“Tell me, thief. If everything you’ve told me is true, and the world is in this state, why do you think the Goddess remains silent?”

“Well, during the time of the second Hero, the traitors didn’t reveal themselves until they had grandchildren. Maybe it just takes time.”

Feeling that it wouldn’t be right to leave without asking something in return, Ravin posed a question to the Duke.

“But why do you want to become Emperor?”

Irene lay back down on the sunbed and lazily replied.

“Because if things continue as they are, the Goddess will get angry and turn everything upside down. My husband and children would have to die for someone else’s sins.”

She was driven solely by her love for her family. A simple yet powerful motivation.

Perhaps what Ravin had hoped to see in Arsil was similar to what he saw in Irene. Pushing aside his bitter feelings, Ravin left Duke Dekarlun’s villa.

After the palace attack incident, Lucy hadn’t left her room. She sat there, draped in the blanket that still carried Lin’s scent, trying to escape the nightmares and hallucinations that tormented her.

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The Hero didn’t eat anything, focusing solely on trying to recall her memories with Lin.

“You’re a mess.”

Having returned from visiting Duke Dekarlun, Ravin sighed as he saw Lucy silently crying. He wanted to snap her out of it by slapping her, but she looked so lifeless, like a puppet with its strings cut, that he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“Hey, this is all going according to Lin’s plan. What are you so worried about?”

“If I had been a better Hero, this situation wouldn’t have happened.”

“How? By capturing the shield knight and the mage? Separating from the mage was part of Lin’s plan.”

“If I hadn’t treated Lin so poorly from the start, if I hadn’t looked at other men, Lin wouldn’t have had to sacrifice himself like this.”

“Oh, come on!”

Finally, Ravin couldn’t hold back and yelled.

“Is it because he’s just a porter? Stop treating him like he’s just baggage!”

“Baggage…?”

“Yes, baggage! You’re not thinking for yourself, just following Lin’s lead without any initiative, and you can’t even do that properly!”

“You want me to think for myself and act voluntarily? That’s easy for you to say! I’m a criminal! How can a criminal do anything?”

“So, all you can do is cling to him, making things harder for Lin with your obsession?”

The thought that she was making things harder for Lin made Lucy swallow her tears.

“I really don’t know what to do. Should I pretend like nothing’s wrong and be friendly? That feels so fake.”

“Are you serious? What exactly have you done?”

Ravin grabbed Lucy by the collar, lifting her up. Even her helplessness irritated him.

“You’ve just been moping around, looking guilty and miserable, without even paying attention to what’s happening around you, just wanting to be close to Lin. What have you actually done for him? Killed a few guards? Fine, I’ll give you that. But what else? Did you make his bed? Did you set his table? Did you even feed him? All you’ve done is obsess over him, without doing anything a woman would do for the man she likes.”

“…What if Lin hates it? If someone like me tries to do those things?”

“Have you even tried?”

She hadn’t.

“Knowing that this can’t go on, yet doing nothing is deceitful. Be honest. Deep down, you believe that if you keep sticking close to him, Lin will feel sorry for you, soften up, and treat you well, right?”

“No, absolutely not!”

“Yes, you do. I can see it. I’ve seen plenty of passive people like you. When asked to do something, they claim they’re not qualified, not ready, and then back off.”

Lucy remained silent. She couldn’t lie to Ravin or herself any longer. She had thought that the best she could do was keep her head down until she was forgiven.

“If staying still would have solved things, why did Lin take action to save you? Wasn’t it that act of saving you that made you see Lin in a new light and fall in love with him?”

“I’m scared. I’m scared of hurting Lin again.”

“Idiot! Who gets hurt when someone makes their bed or takes care of them? Did I ask you to do something grand?”

Ravin pulled Lucy into a hug. The unexpected action made Lucy’s eyes widen.

“Just try. Don’t get trapped in your own thoughts. It won’t be easy, and there’s no guarantee it’ll work. But only by trying will you know if Lin likes it or not.”

Her trembling arms slowly wrapped around Ravin’s back, shaking as she hugged him.

“Can I really do that?”

“I don’t know. Lin will be the one to decide.”

“Will Lin like it?”

“Didn’t you see in Valterkrua? I teased you, and Lin immediately threw me out. Not everything will please him. You’ll learn. You’re just hoping Lin will understand your feelings, so why don’t you try understanding his?”

“I’ll try to understand Lin’s feelings.”

Ravin sighed and let go. The Hero was still crying, but she seemed more composed.

“I don’t know why I’m doing this.”

Ravin didn’t want Lucy to end up like Arsil, on a path of no return. He wasn’t entirely honest, either.

“…Thank you.”

“Shut up. Just don’t cause any trouble until Lin comes back.”

“Thank you so much.”

“Save those words for Lin. Nothing in this world should be taken for granted.”

Ravin’s words resonated deeply. He left through the window, sensing that he wouldn’t be back for a while. After he left, the nightmares and hallucinations returned, but this time Lucy was different.

She was waiting for Lin.

She would wait for Lin without causing any trouble.

“What should I do for him when he returns?”

She deliberately spoke to herself, pondering what she could do for him. The negative whispers in her ear tried to distract her, but she ignored them, continuing to think hard.

Yes.

“I’ll thank him. I’ll thank Lin, even for the smallest thing, sincerely.”

Nothing in this world should be taken for granted.

Lucy was gradually becoming more stable. But there was one who didn’t like this change in her.

[Hmm.]

It was the temporary holy sword, Abyss.

[Well, simply going crazy with obsessive behavior is amateurish, even among yanderes. It’s better to be twisted on the inside without showing it, but this feels like she’s becoming too normal.]

So maybe it was time to shake things up a bit.

[When the time is right, I’ll show her a glimpse of the truth of this world.]

What the Goddess has done.

Who Lin truly is to you.

Once you know that,

Luciena Estel, you’ll be more obsessed with Lin than even the demon warriors.

I guarantee it.

[Aah~!!!! How long do I have to wait! If it doesn’t taste good later, I’ll wipe out both demons and humans!]