Chapter 160: - A Lost Miracle

༺ A Lost Miracle ༻

“G-greetings... Lady Roswyn...”

“.....Hello.”

A few days after the decisive battle, Roswyn came back to the academy.

“Excuse me for intruding.”

“I-it’s okay.”

Roswyn was responsible for investigating the truth while also holding the title of the Main Representative of the Hero’s Party.

Of course, she wasn’t initially appointed to such a supposedly esteemed position.

However, when Isolet, Clana, Serena, and the core members of the party, Kania and Irina, chose to resign, she was burdened with this new responsibility.

So, as someone with the highest status among the remaining individuals, Roswyn was automatically assigned to investigate and verify the shocking revelation that was presented during the press conference.

[Frey’s Diary] – Do Not Touch Or Read.

Thus, Roswyn started off her investigation by looking into [Frey’s Diary] that she received from his sister, Aria.

Before Frey became the Hero, the diary was like any other. Its entries contained ordinary stories about daily life, making it painfully aware that, once upon a time, he was also just a child. However, after he became the Hero, it was filled with intense records written in Hangul. As such, she had come to Sunrise Academy to accurately translate the script and finally learn the truth behind these records that seemed like a lifetime ago.

[xx Year xx Month xx Day] [Today, I gave a rose to Roswyn. Besides that, while wearing the robe of deception, I had a meal with a student for a prearranged meeting. Other students would tactfully spend their support funds on meals or entertainment. However, this timid girl had never done such activities and hobbies. Not even once in her life. So, I sometimes treated her to a luxurious restaurant like this. This was one of the few remaining sources of joy for me, who had become broken and withered of emotions from countless regressions. While doing good deeds may not be as fun as before, when I see people smile, I still can’t help but want to smile along.]

“...Hmm.”

Roswyn closely analyzed the ‘Hangul’ written in the diary, using the notebook that Serena, who was currently living in seclusion, had provided to help decipher the characters.

“Excuse me...”

In the academy’s library, which was temporarily closed due to the final battle between the Demon King and the Hero’s Party, she met with a girl that was once her senior during her first year.

Roswyn had come to the academy today to meet the very girl that was recorded in the diary, who apparently studied in the library without missing a single day.

“...Could we have a chat?”

“Uh, sure...”

The girl, who wore glasses while reading a book, replied timidly in response to Roswyn’s question.

“Do you know the so-called ‘Hero of Money,’ who has been helping students all over the academy for the last few years?”

“Yes! He’s really kind!”

She answered Roswyn’s question immediately, as the girl began her story with a twinkle in her eyes.

“He supported us when we had nothing, bought us meals, and was really warm-hearted! In short, we could call him a benefactor!”

“I see...”

However, in contrast to the joyful contents, Roswyn’s expression gradually darkened.

“Then, have you ever had a meal with him on this specific date...?”

“Um... Yes! I had a meal with him on this day!”

Upon hearing the confirmation, Roswyn broke out into a cold sweat.

“He always treated me to delicious food... He also gave me pocket money, and sometimes even asked how my school life was going.”

“I-I see...”

“I intend to help him after graduation since he is someone I am forever grateful for.”

The girl smiled happily as she reminisced.

“My dream is to work for the charity foundation that he established once I graduate this year.”

“Oh...”

“I tried to repay his kindness, but he never accepts any form of compensation and we can’t even figure out his identity... So, I can only pay back his generosity through this method, right?”

Roswyn suddenly noticed the sparkling badge on the girl’s school uniform as she spoke.

“T-that is...”

“Hehe, you probably knew it already, but... I’m a huge fan of the Hero of Money.”

It was a glittering coin-shaped badge sold by the charity foundation.

“Although he isn’t as popular as the world-renowned hero, Ruby, the Hero of Money is the only true hero in my heart... Ah.”

While she fondly touched the badge with a smile, the girl’s expression suddenly turned gloomy with guilt.

“Oh, um... I mean... I didn’t mean it like that.”

The student immediately noticed Roswyn’s face contorting at her words. As such, she hastily threw a question to shift the atmosphere.

“Oh, right. Why are you asking about this?”

“Well, it’s just... I mean...”

“Do you perhaps know the identity of the ‘Hero of Money,’ Lady Roswyn?”

“Huh?”

“Um, well... I mean...”

Since the Hero’s Party gathered information thanks to Roswyn’s connections with the black market, the girl pondered how to ask about the identity of the ‘Hero of Money’ whose area of activity overlapped with Rosywn.

“A-Anyway... If you happen to know him, could you please pass this on to him?”

However, the girl gave up trying to pry for information and pulled something out of her pocket instead.

“...What’s this?”

“It’s just, well... a flower. A never-withering flower.”

When she said that, Roswyn quickly glanced at the somewhat old-looking yet still fresh flower.

“I saved up the support funds he provided to buy it. I saved on meals and snacks too.”

“Ah...”

Roswyn let out a soft sigh as something similar was mentioned in the contents of the diary.

“I planned to give it to him after my graduation... but lately, I haven’t seen him around. Something must have happened, right?”

“.....Mm.”

“It’s really strange. He used to visit me every three days without fail... I hope nothing’s happened to him.”

After hearing those words, Roswyn, who was making a grim expression, had accepted the flower before she realized it.

– Swish...

“Ah, you took it. So, you do know who he is, right?”

Then, the girl spoke with a bright expression.

“Please make sure to give it to him. The thing he seemed to need the most was this flower.”

“...What?”

The reason was because of the objects that filled her room. Everything was related to Ruby. There were posters of Ruby, photos of her and Ruby together, memos filled with praises for Ruby, handcrafted Ruby-shaped dolls, and even the flowers Ruby had once given her.

– Creak...!

As she reached out with trembling hands to remove the largest poster, Roswyn remembered the powerful protective magic she had cast on these memorabilia. Therefore, she clenched her teeth in frustration.

“This is...”

With her hand injured from the effects of the protection magic, Roswyn slowly moved away as she let go.

[Frey Raon Starlight] – I must kill him.

– He is the most terrible person in the world.

– He keeps trying to give me flowers. I’m so sick of him.

– He is the enemy of the Hero.

.

.

.

.

.

“.....”

Roswyn was struck speechless as she looked at the notes cursing Frey on her desk.

– Flutter...!

After staring into space for a while, Roswyn opened the diary again and resumed her investigation.

[Today, I gave Roswyn a sunrise flower.]

[Today, I gave Roswyn moonlight and starlight flowers.]

[Today, I gave Roswyn a puppy love flower.]

[Today, I gave Roswyn a canary flower.]

[Today.........]

“W-why did you record things like these?”

As she continued to read, Roswyn’s trembling gaze fell upon the phrase that always appeared at the beginning of each entry.

“What actually...”

She looked at Frey’s picture, stabbed with a knife, next to the memos about him.

“.........”

Staring at the photo for a while, she finally spoke.

“E-even if you were a Hero... I couldn’t have done anything anyway if you didn’t tell me. What’s the point... it couldn’t be helped...”

In the end, she failed to maintain her composure.

“I-if I had known, I would have helped. It was always the Sunset Household’s ‘Fate’ to assist the Hero of the next generation. So, if I had known you were the Hero, of course I would have helped.”

She started to pour out her thoughts.

“From the beginning... Because of your abilities, we could never have found out about the good deeds you did for us. That’s why you deceived us. So, we... we are not guilty. It’s you who chose to deceive us from the start.”

Roswyn deliberately avoided Ruby’s cheerful gaze, which filled her entire room.

“B-becoming the Hero’s aid was my lifelong dream... my lifelong wish...”

Roswyn focused her gaze on Frey’s picture with a hollow expression.

“...So, the Hero who kept me alive all this time was you, not Ruby?”

Of course, there was no response from Frey in the photo.

“...Huh?”

While looking at Frey, Roswyn felt a flood of complex emotions as she lowered her head.

“That...”

She then noticed the rose that had been thrown into the trash until now.

“The last one you gave...”

With a sunken gaze, she looked at the now withered rose.

“You gave this to me before you left.”

She murmured while carefully reaching out for the rose.

“...I should have accepted it back then.”

As she mumbled to herself, the moment her hand touched the rose...

– Fizzle...!

“.....!!!”

Suddenly, a light emanated from her hand.

“W-what is this?”

Due to her surprise, she stumbled backward and fell. In front of her, a transparent window began to materialize.

[Achievement Unlocked: Even While Hated By The World]

“...Huh?”

System Unlocked [ Helper System ] [A small miracle for you, who cherished the Hero even while everyone hated him.]

[This system has been passed down to the Sunset Household through a covenant made a thousand years ago...]

“.......???”

Confused, she could only stare at the flood of windows appearing in front of her.

[...System End] [The Helper System is permanently terminated]

As more translucent windows continued to fill her vision, red-colored windows emerged, causing her to be taken aback.

“.........Ah.”

She scrutinized the last window that appeared.

[Reason: Death of the Hero, Frey Raon Starlight]

“...Aah.”

With a pale and horrified expression, she could only let out a faint whimper.

[To you, who have supported the Hero in every regard, we express our regrets.]

With that final message, the small miracle vanished, lost forever in time.