People have different personalities and values, so the reactions of the three heroines were similar in some ways but ultimately unique to each of them.

In Aria's case, her response was vehement denial.

“N-no, that's not true...!”

Her usual gentle nature and soft-spoken demeanor had vanished. Now, she was frantically trying to deny what I had said.

“There’s no way I like the hero...! Absolutely not!”

She didn’t know where to look, her gaze darting around, and her hands shook so much that the water bottle she was holding was trembling, yet she insisted it wasn’t true.

‘Is she really denying it?’

It was hard to take her words seriously when her entire body was signaling, “I like the hero.”

‘Still, I can’t force her to confess her feelings like I’m interrogating her.’

Even if pressing her wouldn’t cause her to leave the party in shame, it would still be better if things went smoothly since we’d be together for a long time.

‘I’ll use a leading question approach.’

“I see. Well then...”

“Yes, exactly. There’s no way I could...”

“In that case, I guess I don’t need to help you.”

“...What? Help? With what?”

“Oh, well... It seemed to me that Lapiere and Serlin have feelings for the hero.”

“...!!”

I don’t know why she pretended to be surprised. Maybe she was shocked that I knew.

“So I’ve been helping make things a little more comfortable for them, you know, making sure the hero notices them.”

“W-when did this happen?”

“When I fixed your breastplate, and before the fortress appeared. They seem to have made good progress.”

“Ah...”

Aria’s face fell into a worried expression.

The reason I told her this distressing news had a purpose.

‘If Aria doesn’t step up, there will be no one to mediate between the heroines.’

Aria’s relationships with Serlin and Lapiere weren’t an issue, but future heroines would inevitably clash with them. I needed her to play the mediator role, just like in the original story.

In the original, Aria was the peacekeeper who helped maintain harmony among the hero’s many heroines, earning her the nickname “the main heroine.”

If I told Serlin or Lapiere that I was helping others, they might accept it, but being a mediator would be a different challenge altogether.

So, it had to be Aria.

“Ugh...”

‘Ugh.’

Seeing Aria’s teary face made me feel guilty. But I had to endure this now so that, later on, the hero’s harem party full of world-class powerhouses wouldn’t fall apart.

“Then... help them... I’ll cheer for them from behind...”

Oh no.

Aria wasn’t declaring that she was leaving the party; she was declaring that she was giving up on being a heroine.

“W-wait, Aria! That’s not what I meant.”

“Yes...?”

“Just take a deep breath. Inhale... Exhale...”

“Louie, it sounds like you’re the one who needs to calm down...”

The reason I couldn’t calm down was because Aria was about to drop a bomb. If she gave up being a heroine and just cheered from the sidelines...

That would be an even bigger disaster than fifty fortresses appearing.

‘The whole reason the hero’s party was able to defeat the Demon King and his army is love!’

They overcame impossible odds because of the strength of their love! If, by the time that moment arrives, Aria no longer has feelings for the hero... Worst-case scenario, the party could be wiped out.

“Aria, come here.”

I led her away from the other three, who were busy planning, and quietly explained the current dynamics of the hero’s party.

“I did help Lapiere and Serlin, but it’s not as far along as you think.”

“I-I didn’t imagine anything indecent!”

“Oh, of course.”

“I didn’t! Really!”

Nobody said you did.

“They’re just starting to be more aware of each other. They haven’t even held hands. So you’re not falling behind or anything like that.”

It was the truth.

I had helped, but they’d only taken one step forward from the starting line.

“I see...”

“Yes, so don’t worry about it...”

“But what about you, Louie?”

“...Me?”

“Are you a few steps ahead?”

“...Me?”

Two moments flashed in my mind.

The first time I brought it up with Lapiere, and the second with Serlin.

“I don’t like the hero.”

And the answer was the same both times.

Thump.

‘Is this lingering exhaustion from my mana depletion...?’

It was lasting quite a while. Given the time since my last depletion, I guess it wasn’t too strange.

Anyway.

When I gave her my answer, Aria’s eyes went wide with surprise.

“...Why?”

“Because I just don’t like him.”

“I-I see... That’s a relief...”

Why did she seem so relieved?

“Well... To be honest, yes, I do like the hero...”

Even though she said it herself, she covered her face with her hands, almost like she was saying, “I can’t believe I said that!”

Maybe it was because she had been raised in the relatively closed environment of the church, but it seemed like she got embarrassed easily when it came to matters of love.

“But I was thinking of giving up...”

“Why?”

“Well... Louie, Serlin, and Lapiere are all so charming... I don’t think someone like me would even catch the hero’s eye...”

“...”

I let it slide that she included me in that group. But describing herself as “someone who wouldn’t even be noticed” was going too far.

Right in front of me was Aria’s large... presence, trembling slightly.

‘With that, how could the hero not notice her?’

That’s ridiculous.

Serlin and Lapiere might be large, but Aria was particularly overwhelming.

In magic terms, people referred to mana capacity as “circles,” while divine power was often described in terms of “vessels.”

Aria’s vessel was about as large as a generous grandma’s heart. If the church worshiped a male god instead of a goddess, they would have undoubtedly chosen her as a saint based solely on her... assets.

And with my past life memories intact, I knew that, from a man’s perspective, the bigger, the better. Too big could be inconvenient, but Aria’s case was nowhere near problematic.

“Aria.”

“Yes...?”

“I have one more question for you. Please answer me honestly.”

“O-okay.”

“Do you want to be with the hero?”

“Eek!!”

I didn’t understand why she was hesitating so much.

‘The church allows marriage, right?’

In fact, the church actively encouraged it, as the goddess they worshipped presided over love and marriage. The hero wasn’t just an ordinary person, either—the church would welcome their union with open arms.

‘Maybe it’s just her personality.’

In the original story, she was portrayed as shy and hesitant. If that’s the case, I could help her with that.

“Yes...”

After a long moment of hesitation, Aria finally gave a shy nod. So that whole “I’ll give up” declaration had just been a passing feeling.

“Then I’ll help you.”

Since the other two had already made some progress, we could aim for something more substantial this time.

Like hand-holding or something.

“...”

I suddenly remembered when I had clasped hands with the hero atop Tempest, to prove mana compatibility.

‘That doesn’t count, though.’

It had been for a practical purpose, so it didn’t count as romantic progress. Besides, I wasn’t a heroine, so it wasn’t even a valid comparison.

“Really...?”

“Yes. You’ve helped me a lot, so I’d like to return the favor.”

“Th-then I’ll do my best!”

She meant doing her best to win the hero over, no doubt. I admired her determination.

“Aria, do you want to reach your goal quickly, or would you rather take your time and make sure it’s solid?”

“What’s the difference?”

“Well, quite a bit.”

Depending on her choice, we could either aim to make progress before the witch heroine joins us or wait until afterward.

If we started before, Aria could build up her appeal quickly, but she might be overshadowed when the witch heroine arrived. If we waited, Serlin and Lapiere might pull ahead, but Aria would have a stronger chance of solidifying her place once the witch joined.

“I’d prefer to take my time.”

“Then let’s go with that. For now, just act like you normally would.”

Just like with Lapiere and Serlin, trying too hard could backfire. Aria’s key traits were her naturalness and purity, so she needed to keep things as genuine as possible.

“Thank you, Louie.”

“No problem.”

“If there’s ever anything I can do to help you, just let me know!”

She would have helped even without me doing this, but it was important that she expressed it on her own. I was satisfied with that.

“Louie, Aria!”

The hero called out to us.

“Yes, hero! Ah!”

“...Huh? What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing! What did you need?”

It seemed Aria was still flustered from our conversation, avoiding eye contact with the hero. I smiled to myself, watching her awkwardness, until I locked eyes with the hero.

His dark hair framed a pair of deep ocean-blue eyes.

Thump.

“...”

“What’s going on? Why is everyone avoiding eye contact? Did I do something wrong...?”

I just had something in my eye.

Yes, that’s the truth.