I’m In Trouble Because The Darkened Heroes Are Obsessed With Me

Tracia, lost in thought as old memories resurfaced, snapped back to reality when she met Elsez’s striking orange-gold eyes, reminiscent of the gaze from her past.She then voiced the question that had been on her mind.“If what you say is true, and there are plenty of buyers for monster-grade materials, why did you come to me specifically?”Elsez, looking into Tracia’s clear green eyes, thought of Martin, whose eyes shared the same color.Even when his trade company was smaller, Martin had always helped the powerless and the weak.Surely, his granddaughter Tracia would be the same.“Before I explain my reasons, may I ask you something?”Tracia gestured for her to continue.“Has the former Viscount retired to the estate?”Her question was more of a wish than anything else.Tracia looked at Elsez curiously for not already knowing the answer, then replied.“My grandfather passed away six months ago from an illness.”Even though Elsez had anticipated this response, her heart sank the moment she heard it.Martin had always addressed the young and underestimated Ruel with the utmost respect, calling her “Lady Hero.” He was one of the few who had seen her for who she truly was.To Elsez, Martin had been more than a mentor—he was a true friend, despite the difference in their ages.Recalling his face, Elsez couldn’t help but share something unnecessary, a truth hidden within a lie.“Thirteen years ago, in the Arknay Forest, the one who saved him… was a close friend of mine.”Since she couldn’t reveal her identity as Ruel, she framed the story this way.Tracia’s eyes wavered at those words.“You were friends with her?”“Yes. My friend always held the former Viscount in high regard.”To Elsez, Martin wasn’t just someone she had saved to accomplish her goals in this world; he had inspired her to live like a true hero.She had loved being called “Lady Hero” by him.She took pride in saving him that day, knowing he had gone on to help so many people, making the world just a little bit warmer.And perhaps, even without the quest to save the world, she might have embraced the path of a hero simply because of him.“That’s why I want to work with the company that continues her legacy.”Tracia stared at Elsez, her expression tinged with something unspoken.After Martin’s passing, many people he had helped in life came to pay their respects.But Ruel was not among them.Tracia had been disappointed by that absence, but now, seeing a friend of Ruel’s here to honor him brought her a strange sense of closure.Finally, Tracia nodded.“Alright. I’ll accept the deal.”She called for the butler, who immediately began purchasing all the monster-grade materials Elsez had brought.Even after excluding the price of the tree monster’s core, which was meant for the guild members, Elsez still received a substantial sum of money.But she felt little joy in her earnings, her mind preoccupied with the news of Martin’s death.She asked Tracia hesitantly, “Did the former Viscount pass peacefully?”“Of course. He passed away in the peaceful world your friend saved, after seeing his granddaughter become an elite mage.”Tracia’s expression turned slightly smug as she spoke.“I see… That’s a relief,” Elsez said, her voice tinged with sadness.But the next moment, her eyes widened in shock.“A mage?!”Right before her was the key to a connection with the Mage Tower.“You didn’t know? I’m quite famous, you know.”Tracia, a little offended, gave Elsez an incredulous look.After all, Elsez hadn’t known about Martin’s death or Tracia’s rise as a mage—information any noble living in the capital should be aware of.But Elsez had her reasons.First, she’d been back in the real world for the past three years, cut off from this world’s developments.Second…“Three years ago, Tracia was just an ordinary person, wasn’t she?”Most mages discovered their talents early, showing signs such as possessing large reserves of mana or casting magic instinctively in moments of danger.Yet three years ago, at the age of twenty-one, Tracia had shown no signs of magical ability.And now, she was a mage?As Elsez pondered this anomaly, Tracia rang the bell on the table to summon the butler.“Explain to Lady Elsez who I am. She doesn’t seem to know.”“Yes, ma’am.”The butler left briefly, then returned with a stack of newspapers.Spreading them out on the table before Elsez, he cleared his throat and began.“The young lady—no, the Viscountess—is widely regarded as a promising next-generation elite mage.”As he spoke, the headlines in the newspapers confirmed his words.“Tracia Roby develops innovative magic tools, now available for sale…”Elsez finally understood why Tracia had become a mage so suddenly and why the Fren Trade Company had grown so much in three years.“A research-type mage.”There were two types of mages.There were two types of mages: combat-focused mages like Rashiel, known for their quick reflexes and offensive capabilities, and research-focused mages, who excelled at creating magic tools with creativity and meticulousness.The former typically showed their talents early in life, while the latter occasionally manifested their abilities later.Tracia appeared to be one of the latter cases.“So that’s why she always had an interest in strange things.”Elsez recalled how Tracia once uprooted poisonous plants from the forest in the name of “research” and planted them in the mansion’s garden, nearly destroying it.That incident was just one among many similar episodes over the years.“Thanks to the remarkable magic tools the Viscountess has developed, our trade company has grown significantly in a short time,” the butler continued his explanation.With every word of praise, Tracia’s posture became noticeably straighter.Research-focused mages often had extreme financial outcomes—either they squandered their wealth creating bizarre inventions or they struck gold by developing innovative tools.Fortunately, Tracia seemed to be the latter.“Wow, that’s amazing,” Elsez said, her tone polite but her mind blank. Feels like I’m listening to a headmaster’s long-winded speech…She repeated her reactions with a practiced smile, enduring the butler’s monologue for over ten minutes before he finally left the room.By then, Tracia’s shoulders appeared at least five centimeters higher than when the butler had entered.“You really are incredible, Viscountess. It’s strange I didn’t know about you sooner,” Elsez said, giving a light compliment to lift Tracia’s mood before steering the conversation toward her goal.“You mentioned being an elite mage. That means you visit the Mage Tower occasionally, right?”“Well, once or twice a month.”Good. That’s frequent enough to gather useful information about the tower, Elsez thought, her plan forming.Then she cautiously asked the question that had been nagging at her.“Do you ever meet the Tower Master?”“That insane basta—!”Tracia cut herself off mid-sentence, visibly flustered, and cleared her throat awkwardly.“Well… when I first became a mage two years ago, I worked under him for a while.”“You worked with him?”“He kept asking me to make all sorts of weird things. Anyway, I have no idea what he’s up to now, that lunatic.”Tracia shuddered, as though even recalling Rashiel’s name made her skin crawl.Something must’ve happened when they worked together two years ago.Elsez didn’t know what Rashiel had wanted Tracia to create, but the important takeaway was that Tracia didn’t currently know his whereabouts.She rubbed her forehead, recalling Astaire’s words from that morning.“This is a dark magic circle that manipulates time and space. Someone used this fragment as a medium for dark magic to open a dimensional rift. That’s why it’s tainted black.”The word “dark magic” immediately brought Rashiel to mind. Rumors had long suggested he was involved in researching forbidden magic.One of Elsez’s reasons for helping Astaire track down the group attempting to resurrect the demon was to confirm whether Rashiel was behind it.She needed to see for herself if he was involved.“Why are you asking about him?” Tracia’s voice interrupted her thoughts.“Oh, just curious. There are so many rumors about him,” Elsez replied nonchalantly, steering the topic away.“Sorry for taking up so much of your time. I look forward to working with you.”Since they weren’t particularly close yet, asking Tracia to gather information on the Mage Tower might only irritate her.It seemed wiser to wrap up the meeting for now.Elsez rose from her seat, waiting for Tracia to bid her farewell.But Tracia hesitated, looking as though she had something more to say.“Ruel… is she really dead?”Her green eyes, which had been lively moments ago, now carried a heavy weight.