The Main Heroines are Trying to Kill Me C.355: Run Ruby, Run

"..."

As the lively morning in the Western Continent drew to a close and the sun rose to its zenith, a peculiarly quiet girl sat in a desolate motel room, her dead eyes staring blankly at thin air.

"Frey..."

Ruby sat huddled in the corner of the room, her head bowed and her face pale as she murmured to herself.

"How am I supposed to live now?"

She no longer has any desire to destroy the world. The Demon King who had once sought destruction out of boredom had long since disappeared.

Now, the only people left in the room were Frey, who lost his soul while trying to save her, and the pitiful girl who lost her life's purpose because she couldn’t recognize her most precious person.

"I don't want to live anymore. I want to die."

The girl muttered, her voice lifeless.

- Sizzle...

At the same time, her fingers began to glow purple.

"I didn't know a world without you would be this terrifying."

Tears were still flowing from Ruby's bloodshot eyes as she pointed her finger to her own temple with a lifeless look in her eyes.

“I wish I had died in your hand. It would have been better to die in your hand while you still lost your memories.”

With meaningless what-ifs on her lips, Ruby raised her finger as if firing a gun.

- Bang!

Then, the room shimmered purple as the demonic energy shot from her finger pierced her head.

It was supposed to be a fatal blow, drawing out all the remaining demonic energy in her exhausted body and unleashing it on her weakest spot.

"Guhhh..."

However, Ruby did not die.

She simply writhed on the floor, her eyes rolling back.

Her 36th suicide attempt still ended in failure.

"...This is my punishment."

Ruby, still in shock and convulsing on the floor, muttered with vacant eyes.

"A punishment, to rot and decay forever in a world without you."

To Ruby now, it was a punishment more dreadful than anything else.

"It's retribution for all of my actions."

Now that she thought about it, it would have also been an Ordeal more dreadful than anything else for Frey.

It would have been easier if they could go mad, but their mental strength wouldn’t allow them to.

"..."

Now, Ruby would wander this world, regretting today's events for the rest of her life.

Reliving the scenes of today's every waking moment.

With no respite either by death or insanity.

It was her karma for being nothing more than a stupid child.

"...Huh?"

As Ruby was lost in thought with a devastated look in her eyes, she suddenly tilted her head.

"What's that..."

The light was coming in from somewhere.

Strange.

She completely covered the windows to block the Demon God’s prying eyes.

So, where could this light be coming from?

"...Huh."

With an indifferent expression, Ruby looked up, but soon her mouth fell open.

Something unbelievable was happening right before her eyes.

Frey’s soulless body.

The Frey who she thought would never be able to see again.

- Swish, swish...

He was sitting up on the bed, and looking around the room.

And the ring that had been stuck on his left pinky finger was shining brightly.

"Ah, ahh..."

As Ruby, still squatting in the corner of the room, stared with a dumbfounded expression, she staggered to her feet and began to approach Frey.

"F-F-Frey?"

"..."

Her steps quickened, and an agitated voice erupted from her lips.

"Frey, Frey! Freyyyyyyy!!!"

Frey woke up before her own eyes.

Seeing the ring shining was undoubtedly a miracle.

He had finally come back to her.

"Huuaa... Huuaaaah..."

Ruby hugged Frey tightly as she began to shed tears filled with mixed emotions.

The tears she thought had long dried up were flowing freely from her eyes.

"N-Now, I'll never let them take you away again."

Thinking such, Ruby urgently unfolded the blanket beside the bed, covering herself and Frey.

"Frey, let's run away."

As they were covered in complete darkness, she started talking while holding his hand tightly under the blanket.

"We don't have to be the Hero or Demon King. Let's just throw everything away and live happily together. Okay?"

"..."

"Why, why are you like this, Frey? Do you not believe me?"

With no response from Frey, she anxiously continued.

"T-This is proof of my sincerity. After losing you once, I finally realized what the most precious thing for me is and what I should live for.”

"..."

"I'll abandon the title of the Demon King and forever be your woman. I'll live with you together, forever."

Having said that, Ruby pressed her cheek against Frey's.

It was something Frey had been doing to her often lately.

Like young lovers, sharing warmth with each other.

Worried that Frey might leave, Ruby clung tightly to him, desperately trying to hold on to him.

"And when you die... I'll die too."

When Frey showed no signs of resistance, Ruby smiled happily.

"When you die, pierce my heart with the Hero’s Armament. I don't need an immortal body. I want to die for you, the most important person to me."

It was the most heartfelt confession that she had ever made.

"I love you, Fre–"

"Excuse me..."

But Frey, who received that confession, asked with a foolish expression.

"...I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"Huh? Who am I? I'm Ruby, Frey."

"Ruby...?"

Scratching his head, Frey glanced at her, he tilted his head and muttered.

"Who's Ruby?"

"...Ah."

The expression on Ruby's face, which had been watching his bewildered expression, slowly began to break as she heard those words.

.

.

.

.

.

"But where am I? Why am I here?"

...Come to think of it, all the memories engraved in Frey's soul had disappeared.

She thought that it wouldn't matter.

Because what had disappeared was strictly 'the memories lingering in the soul', so the memories in his mind should have remained intact.

But.

What if that wasn't the case?

"N-No way..."

What If the memories of the soul and the memories in the mind were actually related?

So, even though the ring worked a miracle and brought Frey back, what if he was just an empty shell without any memories?

Their precious connection and memories.

The dream-like moments they shared these past few days.

What If they became nothing to Frey?

"N-No way."

It would be a cruel joke.

“T-There’s no way…”

Surely, Frey was just messing around with her.

Surely, soon enough he would smile mischievously and whisper, 'Just kidding, Ruby.'

And then they would leave the Empire and live happily ever after...

"But..."

Struggling to calm her thoughts, Ruby lost her words as Frey quietly whispered with soulless eyes.

"...Who am I?"

Then, a chilling silence began to envelop them.

"T-This... This can't be..."

"..."

"No, no, no, no!!"

Ruby, who had been jumping with joy and hope just moments ago, started screaming in utter despair.

"I was wrong... Please, just erase my memories... This is too cruel..."

If she were an ordinary person, she would have already gone mad from the mental anguish.

The impact of her hope being shattered so mercilessly in an instant was too much for her.

"Please..."

“By the way, why are you doing this on top of me?”

However, before she could even comprehend her predicament, a new ordeal came to Ruby.

"Ugh."

"Please let go of me."

"W-Wait."

"L-Let go of me."

Frey, who had just received a completely new soul, was struggling under her.

"Ugh, ahh."

Seeing him struggling reminded Ruby of her own disgusting behavior months ago, causing her whole body to shake as she took a step back.

"...?"

Frey, who had been watching her with a guarded expression, tilted his head and raised his left hand.

"What's this?"

"T-That's... It's what restored you..."

-Whisk...

"Wait!!!"

As Frey attempted to remove the ring without a second thought, Ruby desperately grabbed his hand and screamed.

"I-I'm sorry! I was wrong! I'm sorry for screaming!!"

"...?"

"S-So please, don't take that off. Please..."

With an earnest expression, Ruby began to plead.

For some reason, she could somehow feel it.

The moment that 'ring' was removed, everything would end.

If she missed this small miracle, she couldn't even imagine what she would become.

"...I understand."

Perhaps, there might still be a chance.

As Ruby looked at Frey, who nodded with a soulless expression at her earnest plea, she clenched her fists tightly and murmured to herself.

Even if his memories are gone, then they can be recreated. If a painting is erased, it can be redrawn.

A glimmer of hope began to flicker in her expression again.

This time, let me dedicate to Frey what he has done for me so far.

"U-Um, hey, shall we have a meal first?"

Maybe, just maybe... I can recover his memories after he witnesses my dedication...

With that thought in mind, Ruby held Frey's hand and led him.

"...By any chance, were you and I enemies?"

"What?"

Frey asked expressionlessly, just like a doll. Ruby could feel her heart sink at that question and turned around to answer him.

"W-why would you think that?"

"Umm..."

Frey, tilting his head at her words, replied in a monotone voice.

"When I look at you, I feel a chill all over my body."

"Ah."

"And I feel resentment. I also feel like my body is getting dirty."

"..."

"Honestly, I want to run away right now."

Frey slightly stepped back, then furrowing his eyebrows, he whispered.

"Please don't touch me."

"I-I'm sorryyyyy..."

At the same time, the Demon King knelt on the ground.

"I-I'll do anything you ask. Anything you command..."

But then, she quickly prostrated herself on the ground, pleading as she observed Frey's expression.

"Please, please, could you have a meal with me just once?"

A few days ago, she was the imposing and dreaded Demon King, but now she was groveling at his feet, like a dog.

"...Hmm."

Frey's eyebrows twitched slightly.

.

.

.

.

.

A few hours later, on the streets of the Western Continent.

"There have been sightings of the Hero around here."

Vener, who was leading the Hero Party, scoured the streets with a tense expression.

"Honestly, the information is highly dubious, but at this point, even a small clue is important. So..."

"Haa, haa...!"

"...Hmm?"

While doing so, she started looking at a girl passing by her side with a puzzled expression.

"The soup, the soup is getting coldddd..."

"Where have I seen her before?"

"I must hurry, hurryyy!!"

Ruby, wearing a robe, was running to the grocery store with a pale expression.