The Heroines All Want to Kill Me

"Meow..."

"...I dreamed of cats again today. That's nice."

Lately, for some reason, I've been constantly dreaming of cats, and they're lucid dreams at that. Of course, for someone like me who adores cats, there's nothing better than this. The only thing that can soothe my weary soul is this dream filled with cats.

"...No, I should talk to Kanria about my troubles later."

To be honest, I wanted to act as if I didn't know Kanria had seen through my thoughts and continue to be nice to her... But frankly, I'm so lonely. Although I feel a bit sorry for the cat doll, I can't keep pouring out my heart to a doll that only meows.

"Meow?"

Just as I was thinking this, the little cat in front of me tilted its head and started walking towards my feet.

"...Huh?"

Looking closely, it was one of my most precious treasures lately - a black cat doll, looking at me sleepily. Only then did I realize that the meowing sound just now came from my beloved cat doll. I greeted it joyfully and then tentatively asked, "Could it be... you understood what I was thinking?"

"Uh... Did you see through my mind?"

"...Sigh!"

At this moment, the cat doll showed a discontented expression, yawned, and then suddenly turned its head away. I scratched my head awkwardly and muttered in a low voice.

"Right, since it's a being in the dream, of course it knows what I'm thinking."

"...Meow."

"Sorry... Let me stroke your belly... Ah, is this what I like myself?"

As I apologized to the cat doll, I looked around and suddenly frowned.

"...This place, it feels kind of familiar."

As I surveyed the inexplicably familiar street and tried to recall something, I suddenly saw a child approaching in the distance. I widened my eyes and murmured,

"...Isn't that me when I was a kid?"

For some reason, the young me was holding someone's hand and walking towards where I was. Somehow, I felt that I should hide, so I quickly moved to the side of the wall, and the cat doll tiptoed along. Hiding behind the wall like this, I saw myself walking on the street suddenly stop, point somewhere, then let go of the person's hand and run in that direction.

"Damn it. Why is it exactly..."

At that moment, I instantly understood the current situation.

"...Who, who are you?"

"Why are you lying here? Are you not feeling well?"

It seems I'm having a dream about the day I first met Perosh.

"W, well... That is..."

Perosh, lying ragged on the street, looked up at the young me looking down at her with frightened eyes. Seeing this scene, I couldn't help but think of Perosh looking at me with contempt in the church today.

"...Ugh."

Afraid that the little Perosh in the dream would become like that, I quickly closed my eyes and covered my ears, but somehow the scene in front of me was still clearly visible and the sounds were clearly audible.

"Here, drink this."

"What is this...?"

"Medicine. Drink it, and your illness will be cured."

The young me clumsily handed a bottle of top - grade medicine to Perosh, and she asked warily.

"Who... are you?"

"I'm the eldest son of the Duke of Starlight, Frey Rahn Starlight."

"Why are you being so kind to me?"

"....."

Hearing her such a cold response, the young me rested my chin in my hand, showed a serious expression, and fell into deep thought. Seeing me like this, Perosh, who had been eyeing me suspiciously, as if she had expected it, showed a cold smile and said, "I knew it... You're going to make me drink this medicine and then kidnap me somewhere, right? I don't need this kind of medicine. Please take it back."

From that moment on, I started to tilt my head, full of doubt.

"...This is different from my memory?"

In my memory, Perosh should have shown a silly expression there, thanked me, and then gulped down the medicine. But why is the content of the dream different?

"...Why can't I be nice to you?"

"...Ah?"

As I was chewing on this question, the young me replied with a bright smile, and Perosh said in a fluster,

"What is this..."

"Because you're hurt, so I'm helping you. What's wrong with that?"

"..."

Perosh fell silent after hearing this. The young me took out two more bottles of medicine from my bosom, handed them to her, and then pointed to the church in the distance and said,

"Look, there's a church! If you go there, they'll take care of you!"

"...The church isn't trustworthy. Several of my friends disappeared after going to the church."

"...Ah."

However, when Perosh said that coldly, the young me was momentarily at a loss for words. I rolled my eyes and then carefully said,

"...Then, do you want to come to my house?"

"Just as I thought! You're also a child - trafficker!"

"What's a child - trafficker?"

"Don't you even know that! They're the bad people who kidnap children like us and then sell them!"

".....?"

After listening to Perosh rant angrily for a while, the young me suddenly heard someone calling me in the distance, so I started to say goodbye to Perosh.

"...Sorry, I have to go."

"W, wait! Where are you going, you child - stealing criminal!"

"If you have nowhere to go, be sure to go to that church over there! It's a safe place I often go to!"

"That's what I'm saying! That's your plan!"

"...Well, goodbye!"

The young me firmly said some words of blessing to her and then trotted towards someone. Perosh looked down at the medicine in her hand and then stammered, shouting at my departing back,

"I, if a passing mouse eats it and has any abnormal reactions... I, I'll immediately expose the evil deeds of the Starlight family to the public!"

She muttered angrily for a while and then said dejectedly to herself,

"...I'm almost out of food. It seems I really have to go to the church."

The next moment, the world seemed to stand still.

"...What's going on?"

Facing such an abnormal phenomenon, both me and the black cat doll beside me were in a panic. As we were looking around, a dazzling light suddenly began to spill out beside us.

"...Ugh."

The glaring light made me frown, but strangely, I didn't feel the glare at all, so I started to tilt my head in confusion.

"Meow... Meow..."

".....?"

However, the cat doll suddenly started to tremble all over, hid behind me, and only stuck out its head, staring fixedly at the light.

"...What's wrong, little cat?"

"...Meow."

Looking at the cat doll that was inexplicably depressed, just as I was wondering, I suddenly felt a movement in front of me and instinctively reached for my waist... But perhaps because it was a dream, my beloved sword was gone.

"Calm down."

"...Y, you scared me!"

As he stepped back, holding the cat doll, a human figure began to emerge from the light.

"...Who are you?"

"I'm a thought - form residing in your sword. My power is almost exhausted, and I'll soon disappear. For now, just know this."

"...What?"

Before long, a person similar to the figure in the light walked out and started saying some puzzling things.

"Actually, I've wanted to interfere for a long time, but because I'm a thought - form and lack power, I haven't been able to succeed."

"...Lack of power?"

"Exactly. However, the things you experienced today weakened the defenses of your subconscious, and I finally managed to interfere with the memory I wanted you to see. What a relief."

".....?"

As I was looking at him in confusion, the man suddenly smiled and drew the knife at his waist.

"Wait, what are you doing..."

- Crack!

"...!"

Immediately after, the sky split open.

"W, who on earth are you...?"

Facing this overwhelming scene, I fell to the ground with a pale face and asked tremblingly. The man casually pointed to the sky and said, "Don't worry about that. Look over there. There's an important clue."

"...!?"

Looking in the direction he pointed, I saw the sun being split in half. I stared at this in astonishment. Suddenly, I noticed that the man in front of me was gradually fading, so I hurriedly asked, "So, what on earth is that?"

"Really..."

He scratched his head, left a sentence, and then dissipated into little starlight.

"...Just memorize it."

Immediately after, darkness fell over the whole world. Panicking, I grabbed the trembling cat doll behind me and started looking around. Soon, I noticed something strange.

"...Perosh?"

The young Perosh, standing frozen with the medicine in her hand, was looking at me somehow.

"...Frey."

"W, what is this... Wah..."

I walked towards her cautiously, but was so scared that I sat down on the ground with a thud.

"I... It hurts..."

"Ah, ah..."

Perosh was pierced all over with the Demon King's weapons, and bloody tears flowed from her eyes.

"...It hurts. It hurts so much that I'm going to die."

"No, no, no... Why do I have to see this again... I clearly didn't want to see it anymore... I even tried so hard not to remember... It didn't even appear in my dreams..."

"Frey..."

"Why, why on earth..."

As I was trembling all over because of the terrifying scene that I didn't want to see in my life, Perosh twisted her neck strangely and instantly approached me, whispering,

"...It's all because of you. Why are you pretending not to know?"

"W, wah..."

I was so scared by the terrifying scene that I couldn't move and was trembling all over. At this time, someone beside me started to pat my shoulder gently.

"Lord Frey..."

Immediately after, something that sounded like a princess's voice came close to my ear and whispered,

"...Did it satisfy you to cut open my belly?"

"W, wu..."

I lowered my head and didn't even dare to turn my head to look aside. Then two people behind me spoke at the same time.

"...Master, give up."

"...Give up, Frey. Don't fight to the end like me."

As I bit my lip, listening to the sound of Kanria stabbing a knife into her own neck and Serena's soft voice, a strange touch suddenly came from my legs. I bit my lip hard and looked down at my legs. Isolte and my father were grabbing my legs, with blood flowing from their eyes, and smiling coldly.

".....Ugh."

I closed my eyes, trying not to look at them, and started to struggle. However, even though it was pitch - black all around, even though I closed my eyes tightly, and even though I struggled desperately, those figures mocking me in strange postures became clearer and clearer.

"G, get away! Get away!!"

For some reason, I was gradually overcome by fear. Although this scene was creepy and something I definitely didn't want to see, I felt that there was something wrong with me being so scared. My mental power clearly...

"Ah, ah..."

Suddenly, my body began to be dragged by some kind of force. When I came to my senses and looked around, the beings in the dream had somehow appeared behind me and were trying to drag me into the pitch - black darkness. Somehow, I always felt that once I stepped in there, something irreversible would happen.

"...Ugh!"

"Meow——!"

Panicking, I clung to the ground, trying to resist their strength. At the same time, the black cat doll bit my leg and started dragging me, trying to prevent me from being swallowed by the darkness. However, was it because the number of the opponents was too overwhelming? Or was it that I subconsciously wanted to give up already? Although I clung to the ground until my hands were chafed, I was gradually dragged towards the darkness by the beings in the dream.

"Meow, meow——!!"

In a desperate situation, the panicked cat doll finally let go of my leg that it was biting and started running in a certain direction.

"...That's okay. At least you can survive."

Seeing that scene, I finally sighed and let go of my clenched fists. At that moment, the beings in the dream showed a strange smile and started pushing me towards the darkness.

If I fall into that darkness, what will happen? Will nothing happen unexpectedly, and I'll wake up to the morning? Or will I eventually fall? I don't know. Now I just want to give up everything for a while and have a good rest...

——Crash!!!

「...Huh?」

Just as I was quietly watching my body slowly sink into the darkness, a dazzling light suddenly flashed in the distance, illuminating the entire space. At first, I thought that mysterious being had come back, but looking closely, the situation seemed different. When that mysterious being appeared just now, a dazzling light burst out all around, while now it was the bright particles that illuminated the surroundings.

""...Gulp."

The particles that illuminated the surroundings suddenly burst all at once and started radiating light beams. The beings in the dream that were hit by the light beams instantly turned into black powder and disappeared without a trace.

- Rustle...

Subsequently, those light particles that could even melt the darkness trying to erode me gradually seeped into my body, gently integrating into it and melting the fear in my heart.

"...Meow."

As I was looking at this in a daze, I suddenly heard the cry of a cat doll in front. So I casually looked forward and saw a cat doll biting someone's ankle and dragging them towards me.

"C, cat... You can't just bite someone's ankle..."

I hurriedly wanted to stop the cat doll, but suddenly stopped talking and started staring at the person in front of me.

"...Isn't this the person who was holding the young me's hand and leading me away just now?"

For some reason, I stared intently at that familiar face, and her hand that was originally stretched forward suddenly clenched.

——Whoosh...

Immediately after, the particles pervade in the surroundings disappeared without a trace in an instant.

".....!"

At that moment, I immediately understood who she was in front of me.

"If the Rising Sun Imperial Family is the sun that illuminates the dawn of the empire, and the Moonlight Duke's family is the bright moon that illuminates the night of the empire..."

Before I knew it, I hurriedly ran towards her. She was starting to tell with a nostalgic smile, "...Then the Starlight Duke's family is the stars that protect those who haven't been bathed in the light."

"Ah, ah..."

Before I knew it, her body began to dissipate into countless starlight particles. Before disappearing, she left me with the last words.

"...So, you, who want to protect everyone, are a noble - enough child, Frey."

"Mother...?"

Immediately after, I was lying on the bed in the dormitory, stretching my hand into the air, murmuring that word that I hadn't used since childhood.

"...."

I sat there in a daze for a while, carefully placed the black cat doll in my arms aside, and secretly glanced at the side.

"..."

After confirming that Kanria was still sound asleep, I got up quietly, afraid of waking her up, and walked towards the desk.

- Creak...

After sitting down on the chair by the desk, I quietly poured the remaining wine into the glass.

"...This is really fucked up."

Then, I started drinking alone until dawn. Of course, my mood didn't get any better at all.

.....

"...M, master. Are you okay?"

As soon as it dawned, Kanria got up in a hurry and quickly walked towards Frey by the desk.

"...You're awake? Kanria?"

"Master, are you feeling okay?"

"...Why do you ask?"

Frey tilted his head and asked. Kanria rolled her eyes and replied in a low voice, "Ah, that... Because I heard a scream in the morning."

"...Oh, that."

Frey forced a smile and replied, "...It was just a nightmare."

"..."

Hearing this, Kanria's expression froze, and she stepped back silently, saying, "Then... I'll go prepare breakfast."

"...Okay."

Just as Kanria was about to leave, biting her lip, Frey called her in a low voice, "...Kanria."

His voice seemed to be trembling. Kanria showed a worried look, looked at him, and asked, "...What's wrong?"

At this time, Frey carefully asked, tightly clutching a yellowed piece of paper in his hand.

"...Suppose you've always believed in the prophecy written on that piece of paper, regarded it as your destiny, and dedicated your whole life to it."

"...Yes."

"But... What if, and I mean what if, that prophecy is wrong?"

Hearing this, Kanria showed a pitying smile and replied, "Don't worry. In my opinion, that prophecy is completely correct..."

"...It's been wrong twice."

"What...?"

But when Frey raised the paper in his hand tremblingly and said this, Kanria's expression froze, and she asked, "What do you mean...?"

"Even if the memory punishments of the heroines are understandable... But what's going on with Perosh's past...? The prophecy book clearly states that Perosh's setting is..."

"...Master?"

"There must be something wrong... It's terribly wrong..."

Frey crumpled the prophecy book into a ball, threw it into the bag, and muttered weakly.

"If I can't even believe the prophecy book... What on earth should I believe...? The system? No... The system is the culprit that made me like this... Then what should I believe..."

"...Lord Frey."

"Now even my memory is untrustworthy... What should I believe..."

Unable to bear to watch anymore, Kanria approached Frey, carefully hugged him, and whispered softly.

"Master, you can believe in me."

"..."

"...Because I'm your confidant."

Just like that, they embraced each other for a long, long time. The morning light streaming in through the window mercilessly illuminated them, as if highlighting this moment of connection and solace in the midst of their shared turmoil.