Chapter 9. A Binary Choice of Death

 

I was forcibly dragged away by my hand. Although the hand guiding me was gentle and didn’t hurt, I found the moment deeply unpleasant.

 

I had simply been enjoying the fruit Jörmungandr had found for me. Suddenly, the so-called Hero, mistaking Jörmungandr for a Dragon, had attacked him and was now fleeing with me.

 

This did not sit well with me.

 

The Hero had judged Jörmungandr based on his own standards and misconceptions.

 

I tried to view everyone with an equal perspective. I believed that each passing life held the same value as mine and that everyone could be a friend.

 

It might be a clumsy notion for a princess, but I was sincere in this belief.

 

Thus, even if I felt fear towards Jörmungandr, I didn’t outright reject or push him away.

 

I held a thin belief that if he intended to harm me, he would have done so already. Despite this, I didn’t allow myself to think ill of him.

 

But… what about others?

 

Even in my own case, I had mistaken Jörmungandr for a Dragon and offered myself as a sacrifice.

 

And now, nothing had changed.

 

I still had no idea what kind of Dragon this creature was supposed to be.

 

It bothered me that everyone who saw Jörmungandr mistook him for a violent and ferocious Dragon.

 

Moreover, what unsettled me the most was…

 

‘…He seemed used to it.’

 

Even when he was mistaken for a Dragon and attacked, Jörmungandr showed no signs of agitation.

 

It saddened me to see that he found this situation entirely natural, as if it was something that could happen at any time.

 

Simply because of his appearance.

 

It was heartbreaking to think that his enormous size made him a monster in others’ eyes, subject to such prejudice.

 

So, I was worried. I wondered if Jörmungandr was hurt emotionally by the sudden attack.

 

But….

 

——Swish.

 

When Jörmungandr, now several times larger, blocked out the sun and looked this way, I saw what seemed to be a slightly crooked smile on his face.

 

Yes, he seemed fine.

 

For some reason, his playful eyes were apparent even to me.

 

“He, hee-uk…!”

 

I considered telling the Hero about this but decided against it out of spite.

 

Well, the Hero might have a good heart, but he was also wrong.

 

A little teasing wouldn’t hurt.

 

* * *

 

It was a disaster.

 

A living, breathing disaster.

 

Even just being stared at, the Hero felt as if his very existence might vanish.

 

An overwhelming strength.

 

Only then did the Hero understand his mistake.

 

This being was no mere Dragon.

 

It wasn’t something to be compared to a Dragon. It was an overwhelmingly superior being, like a living natural disaster made flesh.

 

His muscles screamed.

 

His stiffened muscles told him to abandon any thoughts of resistance.

 

Could he escape?

 

Honestly, he didn’t know.

 

No scenario came to mind where he could flee from such a transcendent being. His mind was a blank. This sensation was something he’d never experienced since becoming a Hero.

 

An infinitely insurmountable difference.

 

In his heart, he wanted to collapse.

 

But,

 

——Buzz.

 

The Stigmata shone white, slowly diluting the presence of that being. His trait was literally “Nobility.” Although it was difficult to pinpoint its exact power, his trait ensured that he wouldn’t crumble in any situation.

 

No matter how tough the situation.

 

Even when everyone else gave up and fell into despair.

 

The Hero, he would stand.

 

Thus, the “Hero of Nobility.”

 

A Stigmata granted to preserve the nobility of a Hero who fights and wins against any foe in fairy tales.

 

He gritted his teeth.

 

Asgard looked at the woman for a moment, then bit his lip.

 

If he stayed like this, she would be caught up in it.

 

He raised his sword.

 

Brighter and whiter than before, his Aura flared up around the blade.

 

The Hero kicked off the ground fiercely and charged at the creature.

 

Thud——!

 

With a force that seemed to shatter the ground, the Hero leapt and reached the creature’s head in an instant.

 

He swung his sword towards its eye with all his might.

 

He didn’t expect to hit it.

 

There was no way this being would be hit by such an obvious attack.

 

As expected.

 

——Swoosh.

 

The creature perfectly evaded his attack with movements that were almost impossible to perceive and charged at him.

 

An attack targeting the weakness of not being able to twist his body mid-air.

 

However, Heroes were beings who transcended their limits.

 

Twisting his body to the limit, he evaded the attack as if performing aerial acrobatics.

 

The giant head brushed past him in slow motion.

 

The Hero immediately tried to plunge his sword into its head——

 

——Clang!

 

It was a miscalculation.

 

The scales were far tougher than he imagined.

 

His sword, which had sliced through any beast like tofu, couldn’t penetrate even an inch of this massive wall.

 

Instead, his sword broke in half from the sheer hardness.

 

A desperate situation.

 

But…!

 

“This much, I’ve already anticipated…!!”

 

Crack!

 

Grabbing the broken sword blade with his hand, he drove it into the scales with all his Aura.

 

———Scrr!

 

It still didn’t pierce.

 

However, it did manage to irritate the creature’s nerves.

 

Its massive body convulsed.

 

With explosive force, the Hero was flung several kilometers and crashed into a massive mountain.

 

“Ugh…!”

 

The Hero’s body was extraordinarily resilient, so he wasn’t gravely injured.

 

Rather, he had to struggle to suppress the smile that threatened to creep up his face.

 

‘Finally… I’ve gained some distance!’

 

Asgard thought as he looked at the being staring down at him.

 

All of this had been his plan.

 

To put some distance between the woman and the creature.

 

The Hero risked his life to draw its attention.

 

As a result, the woman had some time to escape…

 

[Are you looking for her?]

 

“……!!”

 

The creature spoke.

 

What followed was something he hadn’t expected at all. The woman, who should have been fleeing safely, was now captured on the creature’s body.

 

[It’s a shame. You tried so hard to draw my attention.]

 

“…Let her go.”

 

[Hmm, what should I do?]

 

“……”

 

A relaxed voice as if he didn’t even matter.

 

The Hero bit his lip.

 

He forced his battered body to rise again.

 

If it was to save an innocent person, he would rise no matter how many times he fell.

 

As he stood up, reaffirming his resolve, the creature spoke again.

 

[Choose.]

 

“……?”

 

[Will you save this woman and die in her place, or will you abandon her and escape alone?]

 

“……”

 

The Hero looked down at the woman.

 

Black hair like the night sky and sparkling eyes like obsidian.

 

A high nose and white skin.

 

A woman who anyone would consider a beauty.

 

Her well-maintained hair and, although a bit dirty, an obviously luxurious dress indicated her nobility and wealth.

 

‘She must have grown up loved.’

 

He didn’t know why such a woman was brainwashed by the beast and in the cave.

 

He had only seen her face for the first time now.

 

He had never had a proper conversation with her, a complete stranger.

 

It wouldn’t be wrong to say she was essentially a stranger.

 

Even if something happened to her, it wasn’t his concern.

 

Especially if his own life was at stake.

 

No one would make the foolish choice of sacrificing their life for a stranger.

 

Even a crawling bug valued its life.

 

In that sense,

 

The Hero, Asgard,

 

“I will die in her place.”

 

was a rare fool.

 

A fool who would willingly sacrifice his life to save a stranger.

 

“Kill me.”

 

Saying so, the Hero laid down his sword and removed his armor.

 

At his noble and pure demeanor, Jörmungandr’s expression changed.

 

To be honest, he hadn’t expected such a choice. Every being valued its own life the most. In that sense, this Hero was very impressive.

 

A disposition to willingly sacrifice oneself for others.

 

Perhaps it was because of his pure eyes.

 

The slight displeasure Jörmungandr had felt for him melted away like snow.

 

Jörmungandr smiled and cast a spell on the Hero.

 

A spell to reveal that he had not brainwashed the woman and that all the Hero’s actions were based on a misunderstanding.

 

As Asgard blankly recalled the spell,

 

his face flushed and he hung his head low.

 

“I’m sorry……”

 

It had all been a baseless misunderstanding.

 

Recalling his shameful actions, Asgard couldn’t bear to lift his head.