Reincarnated as a failed hero?! Watch me Defy Fate!

As the magical circle on my neck pulsed and glowed faintly, the air before me shimmered—then tore open into a swirling portal. Lilith stepped through, just as she always did.

But this time… something was different.

Her usual smug expression was gone. Her eyes looked distant, heavy with something unspoken.

"Envi, do you see this?" I asked him through my thoughts.

"Yeah…" Envi responded, his voice tinged with concern. "What's wrong with her? She doesn't look like herself."

"I don't know either. But I don't like it."

I stepped forward. "Lilith… are you okay?"

She didn't answer right away. Just gave a small, slow nod. But even that seemed forced.

From within my Grimoire of the Darkness, Runa's calm voice chimed in. "Naoki… she's not under any kind of external control. I sense no malicious intent. This is still her."

I studied Lilith more carefully. She looked… exhausted. Pale. Almost fragile.

"Sit," I said gently, pulling over a cushioned chair. "You look like you're about to collapse."

I directed her to sit on my bed like last week. She nodded and sat next to me.

I handed her a glass of water.

"Just drink a glass of water, it will calm you down..."

She stared at it, curious.

"Demons don't drink water to calm down," she said with a dry laugh. "There's no clean water in Doomspire."

"What do you drink then?"

"Blood," she replied casually. "Usually from beasts. It quenches thirst better than you'd expect."

A shiver ran down my spine. "That's… good to know," I said with an awkward smile.

"But," she continued, looking at the glass, "I do eat fruit sometimes. They still grow in the wild zones… not many, but enough to survive."

She lifted the glass and took a sip, hesitantly. Then paused.

"…It's refreshing," she said, almost surprised. "Soothing, even."

I smiled. "It's just water."

She looked at me for a long second, then lowered the glass.

"My head's been aching," she whispered. "For days now. It feels like I'm slipping. Like I'm slowly losing control of my own body."

That hit hard.

"Naoki…" Envi said, his voice tense. "That's not good."

I nodded slightly, then asked Lilith softly, "Have you been feeling that pain all this time?"

"Yes...But I'm okay." She said that pretending to be strong.

After a short silence, she glanced at me again. "What about your team's progress? On my teleportation magic formula?"

I straightened up. "We finished analyzing the full teleportation spell circle. All fifty layers."

Her eyes widened slightly. "Already?"

"Yep. Credit goes to all of the team..Magic King Salvador, Xerion, Arsene, Saintess, Char, Lyra, Orion… They really pulled through."

"I see…" she murmured, almost to herself. "They are indeed great people..I'm glad you guys were able to get it done quickly."

But something about her tone told me she was still hiding something.

I went on. "We're moving forward with developing a magical device to counteract your teleportation spell. We'll anchor it with a core—likely from a unique-class monster. Its purpose will be to disrupt spatial tunneling and break her teleportation signatures before they lock."

Lilith seemed relieved. "That… might actually work," she said, sitting a bit straighter. "But please… finish it soon. Within this month, if possible."

"Why? Did something happen?"

Her expression tensed again. "The Overlords haven't made a move yet. They're still regaining strength. But… something's wrong."

"What is it?"

"Overlord Rank 1… he's doing something near the Demon King's seal. I don't know what. My movements are being watched inside the castle. I can't get close."

I frowned. "Do you think the Demon King might awaken early?"

She hesitated. "He shouldn't. The seal should hold for at least another year. But lately… I'm not so sure. Something's changed. It's like the timeline is bending."

I leaned forward. "Then leave it to me."

She looked at me, puzzled.

in my mind i said to Envi "If the Demon King was about to awaken, I'd have received a main quest notification by now. I haven't. So we still have time."

Envi agree with my opinion.

"There's no need to be surprised haha...Lilith… you need to rest. Even demons can burn out if they carry the world on their back too long."

She blinked at me. "…Rest? How?"

"Just… for now, relax. Breathe. We've got two minutes left before your time's up, right? Then give yourself one minute. Just… exist. No stress, no weight."

She paused. "One minute...?"

"Yeah. Just one minute. You've earned that much."

Slowly she closed her eyes.

Then, slowly, she leaned against me—unconsciously resting her head on my shoulder.

I caught her, gently supporting her.

Her breathing steadied. Her body softened. She looked… peaceful.

Even beautiful.

I glanced at the clock. Thirty seconds left.

A quiet part of me wished I could do more to ease her burden. To share the weight of whatever she was carrying.

I summoned Runa silently. "Can you bring me the fruit and water jug from the table?" I whispered.

Runa appeared, nodded, and handed me a small tray with fruit and a pitcher.

Ten seconds left.

And then… I noticed it.

A single tear slipping down Lilith's cheek.

Without thinking, I reached out and gently wiped it away.

Whatever strength she had—she was using it all to hold something back. To keep standing, even while the world tried to crush her.

I lightly patted her cheek.

"Lilith," I whispered. "Time's almost up."

Her eyes fluttered open. She blinked, dazed, then stood up quickly.

"…Thank you," she said, brushing her hair back. "That was… odd. I feel better. My headache's lighter."

I smiled. "You dozed off for a minute. That was probably all your body needed."

Inside my mind, Envi let out a sigh. "Phew. So it's not some loss-of-control thing… she's just overthinking"

"Yeah," I agreed. "She's just tired. That's all."

And somehow… knowing that was a relief.

As the soft glow of her magic began to flicker to life, signaling her return to the Demon King's castle, Lilith stood still at the edge of the portal. The air shimmered faintly around her, but she didn't step through right away.

"I'll come again… next week," she said, her voice almost a whisper. It didn't have her usual confidence—more like she was reminding herself she'd be able to return.

"I'll be here," I said with a nod, "we'll be ready."

Just before she could turn away, I raised my hand toward Runa. "Runa, could you… bring the jug of water from the table? And the fruit as well."

Without a word, Runa emerged from my grimoire, moving with her usual quiet grace. She bowed slightly to Lilith before handing over the small wooden tray—carefully arranged with a sealed water jug and freshly cut pieces of fruit, glistening under the warm candlelight of my room.

Lilith blinked in confusion. "...What is this?"

I gave her a soft, reassuring smile. "Just something for you to take home. Maybe it'll help you relax a little. I don't know if it's much, but… I figured it might be comforting."

She stared down at the tray in her hands as if unsure what to do with it. Her purple eyes narrowed slightly, but it wasn't suspicion… it was hesitation.

"…Demons don't usually eat like this," she said, her tone distant. "We don't… bring each other gifts."

"I'm not a demon," I replied, half-smiling. "So let me do things my way."

She didn't reply at first. Just held the tray against her chest, arms slightly trembling as if unsure how to carry something given with kindness.

Then, finally, she nodded. Barely.

"I… see."

She took a step toward the portal, and I thought that would be it. But right before she crossed over the threshold, she turned her head slightly.

"I think…" she said slowly, almost awkwardly, "I might've… enjoyed being here."

There was something vulnerable in her tone. Something raw.

I laughed gently. "Then come back here whenever you can. The door's open for you, Lilith."

She looked at me for a long moment. Her eyes softened, then dropped toward the floor.

"You are truly an oddity that I have never encountered." she said.

"Huh?"

"…You're… strange,"

"Strange," she repeated, glancing up at me, almost embarrassed. "You speak to me as if I'm… someone normal."

I shrugged. "Maybe you are. Or maybe I just don't care that you're a demon."

That got her to smile. A real one this time—small, but undeniably real.

"Child of Fate," she murmured again. "You…"

"Just call me Naoki," I interrupted with a grin. "Seriously. That title makes me sound like some kind of ancient statue."

"…Na…oki," she said, fumbling slightly with the syllables. Her voice was soft, uncertain.

"You're… a strange human," she repeated, almost fondly. "But… I think I'm starting to understand why the threads of fate twist around you."

Envi whispered in my mind, "She smiled again. That's twice in one night, Naoki. You're practically a damn Casanova! Even a demon girl submits to you!"

"Shut up, damn it!" I scolded him silently.

Lilith stepped toward the portal again, but stopped once more.

"Thank you… for letting me rest. Even if just for a minute."

"Anytime," I said.

She took one last look at the room—at me—then nodded and stepped through the portal.

And then… she was gone.

The warmth she left behind lingered in the air like a fading ember.

I stood in the quiet room for a moment, staring at the space where her portal had been. The silence was heavy, but not uncomfortable. It was thoughtful.

"…She's still hiding something," I murmured.

"Yeah," Envi responded in my thoughts. "She is. But she's not hiding it to deceive you. She's protecting you. That kind of burden… she's been carrying it alone for a long time."

I closed my eyes.

"I want to share that burden," I said. "Even if it hurts. Even if I don't understand it yet. I just… I want to be there for her."

"That's a dangerous road, Naoki," Envi warned. "But I get it. You're not the type to turn away from someone who's suffering."

"Yeah.."

I looked down at my hands. Stronger than they were before. Wiser. Steadier.

Whatever secret Lilith carries…

Whatever pain she's locked behind that small smile…

I'll be ready to face it.

...

..

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