The Heroes Who Executed Me Are Obsessed With Me

“The Hero is…”

The knight who murmured this suddenly froze, eyes wide in disbelief.

“The Hero?!”

“What is it?”

Another knight pushed past him to see what was going on—and likewise gasped in shock.

“H-How is the Hero…?!”

The Clay they saw wasn’t the corpse they’d all known.

He was standing—very much alive.

“And who’s that?!”

They spotted another figure. A woman.

She was none other than Beatrice, the Dragonoid and one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s army.

“B-Beatrice!”

Someone shouted her name in recognition, and the rest of the knights, now realizing who she was, recoiled in alarm.

“Beatrice?!”

“But she disappeared!”

“What’s one of the Demon King’s Four Generals doing here?!”

Amid the rising chaos, Lilien, the captain of the Royal Guard, climbed the dune and looked down at the scene below.

No way…!

Clay was really alive. That alone defied belief—but that he was with Beatrice, long presumed missing, made it even more impossible.

“Prepare for combat!”

Lilien shouted to the stunned knights.

“That’s Beatrice of the Four Heavenly Kings! Don’t act rashly—wait for my command!”

Beatrice stood motionless, her face expressionless. Then she leaned closer to Clay and whispered, “Wait here for a moment.”

She stepped forward.

Not toward the Primordial Flame—toward the knights.

“Beatrice?”

Clay stared at her, stunned. Beatrice now spread wings of fire across her back.

“Foolish little servants of Ezer,” she called out to Lilien and the knights, “You should’ve just walked away when you saw me.”

“Silence!”

Lilien, her expression twisted with tension, raised her voice.

“You dare speak the name of glorious Ezer, you traitorous dog of the Demon King?!”

“‘Dare’?”

Beatrice’s dragon eyes, brimming with magical energy, locked onto Lilien. The captain staggered under the pressure.

“Gah…?!”

“You speak my name without reverence. It is you who doesn’t know your place.”

“Y-You wretch!”

Cold sweat trickled down Lilien’s face.

As expected… she’s powerful.

Beatrice was the only one among the Four Heavenly Kings who was known to be able to stand toe-to-toe with either the Demon King or the Hero.

Only Ezer’s elite knights or Guardian Knights dispatched by the Holy Nation Alliance could hope to fight her.

But I too am a wielder of the sword.

Lilien’s skill was not lacking—not for someone chosen to protect Tia. Though she knew it was likely her loyalty, not her skill, that had earned her the position.

Still, Lilien had never taken her role lightly.

Shing!

She drew her sword from its scabbard.

“Beatrice! I will subdue you and take the Hero—no, the criminal Clay—back with me!”

“How ridiculous,” Beatrice replied flatly, unthreatened, “Clay is dead. You confirmed it yourselves, didn’t you?”

“That’s—”

“Were you here to recover his corpse, then?” She tilted her head, “Did your empress order a proper funeral after executing him?”

“You—!”

“Then I definitely can’t hand him over,” She glared coldly, “I picked up the body of Clay, the Hero.”

“What…?”

Had she revived him as some sort of undead?

Was that still his soul in that body?

Lilien didn’t know, but one thing was clear. Beatrice had committed an act that defied the natural order.

“I’ll judge you for what you’ve done!”

She pointed her blade at Beatrice.

『Go ahead.』

Beatrice’s voice—laced with Dragon Words—pressed down on Lilien’s shoulders.

『If you think you can survive it.』

“Captain!”

The knights, panicking under the pressure, cried out.

“There’s only twelve of us!”

“We’re completely unprepared! We’ll be wiped out!”

“Silence!”

Lilien snapped at them, fully aware of their fear.

“You want to tell Her Majesty we let Beatrice take Clay’s body and just walked away?!”

This wasn’t recklessness on Lilien’s part.

Her Majesty has lost her clarity of mind!

Tia’s state had become too unstable. Who knew how she would respond to this situation?

Lilien gripped her sword tighter.

“We secure Clay, no matter what. Raise your swords!”

The knights obeyed, albeit hesitantly.

Beatrice smiled as she watched them.

“So that’s your choice.”

Whoosh!

She shot into the air.

“Did you really think I’d stay on the ground and fight you like a fool?”

Her flaming wings blazed even hotter, forming a fearsome image in the knights’ eyes.

“I, Beatrice, have heard the call of a pitiful soul, and I won’t ignore it.”

The knights had no idea what she meant.

Which only made their fear worse.

Beatrice raised her arms into the sky, and brought them down.

BOOM!

An explosion erupted in midair, crashing down like a collapsed ceiling onto Lilien and her knights.

“They’re taking quite a while.”

In the royal palace of Ezer…

Tia, the Empress, sat alone at a garden table, staring vacantly ahead.

A royal advisor stood by her side and spoke cautiously.

“The captain of the Royal Guard is personally leading the mission. I’m sure she will return shortly.”

“Hmm…”

Tia didn’t look at him. She just let out a dry breath and kept staring into space.

“When will the Royal Knights return from the monster subjugation campaign?”

“The Holy Nation Alliance has yet to provide a timeline.”

Clang!

Tia slammed her hand on the table.

A teacup toppled, spilling tea across the surface.

Drip drip…

The tea dribbled over the edge. The advisor scrambled to clean up and called for nearby maids.

Even as the maids began tidying the mess, Tia's expression remained dark.

“Send a message to the Holy Nation Alliance. Demand that our knights return immediately.”

“Your Majesty, with all due respect—”

“Whose advisor are you?”

Tia’s cold eyes bore into him.

“You’re not working for the Holy Nation Alliance, are you?”

“A-Ahem.”

The advisor cleared his throat, clearly flustered, but still tried to speak for her sake.

“Your Majesty, the Alliance is focused on eliminating the remaining monsters. They’ve declared this a Holy War. If we insist on withdrawing the Royal Knights now, we risk angering them…”

“Is that so? Frightening indeed,” Tia’s voice was dry and empty, “That’s why I gave them everything they asked for. Every last thing.”

“Your Majesty…”

“Leave me.”

She dismissed the maids who had finished cleaning. Then she folded her arms on the table and buried her face in them.

She didn’t say another word.

Sigh… She’s losing it.

The advisor stroked his white beard and sighed heavily.

The Holy Nation Alliance has gone too far.

It hadn’t been long since Clay was executed at their demand.

And now they were even dragging royal knights from every nation into their so-called Holy War. Rumor had it they’d soon start demanding tribute as well. If that was true, Ezer would be left with nothing but losses.

We didn’t even resist…

Ezer’s own people, bound by faith, had come to rely far too heavily on the Alliance, and especially on Holy Krata, its leading power.

That blind faith had kept anyone from objecting to Clay’s execution.

Even if there was evidence…

The execution had been far too hasty. The Alliance had even sent delegates to oversee the proceedings, ensuring that Tia wouldn't take Clay’s side.

In truth, it was the Alliance who carried out the execution. Tia had merely watched.

She’s the real issue now.

There was no way Ezer could challenge the Alliance. Their influence stretched too far.

But at the very least, Tia needed to recover. After being cornered into abandoning Clay, she hadn’t been able to return to normal.

She probably hadn’t expected it to destroy her this much.

But you only realize what you’ve lost once it’s gone.

Tia was on the verge of breaking down entirely.

We may need to call on Yuru from the Blue Tower.

Maybe knowledge from the tower could stabilize her. That was what he thought—but he didn’t yet realize…

That Yuru and Tia were two people who should never meet again.

(End of Chapter)