Chapter 2: A Heart in Pieces

I rushed back inside with the injured Vega.

“Squeak!! Squeek squeek!!”

Thwack thwack

As I gently laid her on the bed, the green slimes, as if declaring an intruder unacceptable, extended their squishy tentacles and attacked her.

“Hey! She’s injured! Leave her alone!”

Their attacks were harmless, barely enough to scratch styrofoam, but I worried they might aggravate her wounds. I scooped the slimes into a basket behind me.

“Squee…”

They stared at me with accusing eyes, as if asking why I was siding with the intruder.

“I’ll take you to the Star Soufflé trees in the morning. Just be patient, okay?”

Only after promising access to my precious, hard-earned Star Soufflé trees did they finally relent. While the satisfied slimes squirmed in the basket, I carefully examined Vega Spica.

I assure you, this was purely for medicinal purposes. Really.

Vega’s condition was severe. Her arms and legs were covered in blood, a stark contrast to her pale skin. Her legs seemed mostly dirt and minor scrapes, but her arms…

Crackle… sizzle…

Her jet-black magic was leaking from the torn skin, worsening the wounds.

“I need to clean the blood.”

I quickly soaked a cloth and began wiping the dirt from her legs, careful not to wake her.

Swipe, swipe. Rustle.

The soft sounds echoed in the dimly lit room. As I cleaned her injured leg, I glimpsed her smooth, white thigh…

Slap!

‘Get a grip, Jaehan! She’s a patient! Focus!’

Slapping myself helped.

I reverted from “degenerate” back to a decent human being. I finished cleaning her legs and moved on to her arms, revealing the extent of the damage. They weren’t simply cut or torn; they looked like they’d exploded outward from some forceful impact.

“She broke through the magically reinforced prison…”

That’s what they said in the village. It made sense that her arms were in this state after breaking through those barriers with her bare hands.

Clatter, clatter.

I wish I had extensive medical knowledge like some other novel protagonists…

‘…This is the best I can do.’

I carefully applied medicine and bandaged her arms.

“I need to take her to a hospital when the sun rises… but she’s a wanted criminal. What do I do…?”

The tension eased after I finished tending to her wounds. I collapsed and fell asleep.

Chirp, chirp, chirp.

“Mmm…?”

Warm sunlight and birdsong wake me. I open my eyes to my familiar little cabin, the mischievous but adorable green slimes… and Vega Spica, sitting quietly on the bed.

…Wait.

Something’s wrong. Something that shouldn’t be there.

“W-what?! You’re awake!!”

“…”

I scramble back in surprise. Vega watches me silently, her captivating ruby-red eyes now open, fixed on me. Seeing her awake for the first time, a whirlwind of thoughts rushed through me. Beautiful. Should I surrender? Should I show my belly in submission?

But then she spoke, and I understood.

“…I don’t want to live.”

Vega continued to stare, her ruby eyes devoid of any will to live. Her spirit was shattered.

“…You think I can just give up after knowing that?!?”

“Squeak?”

“Did I scare you? Sorry. Here, have some more Star Soufflé.”

“Squeak!!”

“Seriously, you’re eating everything… sigh…”

It’s been four days since I… found Vega. Hearing those words, “I don’t want to live,” from the first defeated heroine I’d rooted for in Heroine Wars… what kind of idiot would just let her go?

Of course, comforting someone physically and emotionally broken like Vega wouldn’t be easy. For four days, she refused to eat, speaking only those words of despair. It wasn’t that she was wary of me; it was pure resignation.

Honestly, even weakened, Vega, the head of the Spica family, possessed magic comparable to the Saint. Why would she be wary of a simple farmer like me? That’s absurd.

‘Besides, she doesn’t seem to care what I do…’

My goal is simple: heal Vega, comfort her, and help her find happiness with someone good. The problem is the first step: healing her…

“She’s wanted; I can’t take her to a hospital. What do I do…?”

“Squeak?”

As if sensing my distress, the slimes, after thoroughly enjoying their soufflé, nuzzle against my leg.

“At least you guys are cute and well-behaved. I’ve got nothing…”

“Squeak!!”

“Are you comforting me? Thanks.”

Suddenly, the slimes, as if struck by inspiration, dash off.

“What? Comforting time over? Where are you going?”

“Squeak squeeee!”

Where are these precious little things running off to?

‘They might get eaten… I need to follow them.’

They lead me to a small stream that supplies water to my farm.

“Why are we here? Guys? Where are you?”

“Squeak!”

“Don’t go too far! Let’s go back.”

“Squeek! Squeak!”

They resist vehemently as I try to put them back in the basket.

“What now? I gave you Star Soufflé! What more do you want?!”

“Squeak! Squeak squeak!!”

“What? You want me to look over there? What is it?”

Their tentacles point to a familiar plant.

“Parfait Flower? It grows here too?”

It’s the best herb for magically induced injuries, but if processed incorrectly, it loses its potency…

Suddenly, a scene from Heroine Wars flashes through my mind.

[Hero, let me show you the easiest way to use this Parfait Flower. Pay attention.]

“That’s right! In the next episode…”

My mind clears.

“You guys are the best!”

“Squeak!”

“Why? I gave you everything.”

“Yes, Vega. You did give me everything. But it was all so… ugly and disgusting.”

“Your Highness… Urs. Everything you heard is a lie. I did it all for you…”

“Don’t you dare speak my name, ‘Villainess’ Vega Spica.”

“…You said I was beautiful. I thought you were the only one who understood my magic, my monstrous appearance.”

“Your magic was beautiful, yes. Your night-dark magic was beautiful. But…”

“…”

“That’s all. You are nothing but a filthy, disgusting ‘Villainess’.”

The pain in my bound arms and legs wasn’t what tormented me in that prison. It was the recurring nightmare of his cruel words, the man I thought understood me.

Sorrow, anger, pain… and the hatred born from it all forces my eyes open. I will kill him. Even if it costs me my life.

“Aaargh!!”

I scream, unleashing my power, shattering the prison barriers.

Crack!! Crash!! Boom!!

My rampaging magic tears at my arms and legs. The sound of breaking bones is drowned out by the collapsing barriers. The pain is excruciating, but it doesn’t matter. As long as I can have my revenge… I thought it didn’t matter.

“Aaaah! Monster! A monster!”

“The Villainess escaped! Run!”

“Filthy! Kill her!”

With every terrified face, my hatred fades, replaced by a wave of sorrow.

“Aaah…”

No one looks at me. No one understands me.

How long have I been running? How far have I come?

“W… what?! You’re awake!! What do I do?”

Why did this man save me? Isn’t he afraid of a monster like me? He gave me delicious food, cuddly slimes, and tended to my wounds with compassionate eyes. Now, he approaches with something in his hand.

“Will this really work? Please…”

He gently applies a homemade ointment to my arm. The sparking, rampaging magic begins to settle, flowing normally again.

‘…This is…’

“Yes! The magic flow is stabilizing…!”

‘…So, he’s only looking at my magic too.’

Not at the filthy, disgusting “Villainess” Vega Spica, but at the beautiful, jet-black magic…

“Thank goodness.”

‘…?’

“You don’t have to be in pain anymore.”

His eyes… the way he looks at me… Somehow, from the very beginning, he hasn’t seen my magic, but me. Vega Spica.

“…What’s your name?”