During their time as a hero party, Ariel Volkanov’s nickname was ‘Princess’.
The other party members, excluding Ian, called Ariel ‘Our Princess’, and even people who typically showed no interest in the world’s affairs used the term.
Of course, they likely thought they were calling her ‘princess’ because of her exceptional appearance. However, there was a deeper reason behind this.
‘It’s a roundabout way of criticizing her. Her actions were so childish that they couldn’t say it outright, so they started referring to her as ‘Princess’ and the others followed suit.’
Illian had been the first to say, “Our Princess is trying hard, after all?” and it had spread among the party members.
In other words, the nickname ‘Princess’ was created as a roundabout way to criticize Ariel’s immature behavior.
‘Of course, it’s wrong for a grown adult to act that way… but if they hadn’t done it, the party would have fallen apart long ago. Ian knew that too, so he turned a blind eye.’
From the way she was raised to her tendency to monopolize attention and her reckless behavior, everything about Ariel seemed fundamentally flawed.
There was even a time she had charged into a clear provocation by demons and ended up isolated.
The image of her being unconscious and dragged by Ian’s hand is still etched in his mind.
‘Seeing her ask why Ian hadn’t followed her was so unbearable that he scolded her.’
Even Hexar, who was typically lenient and easygoing, found it hard to tolerate a comrade speaking like that about their help.
There was a time when Hexar had seized the opportunity to scold Ariel severely.
Of course, this only caused the already chaotic party to start falling apart even more.
Despite their high level of skill, they managed to reach Belphegor’s castle.
‘Of course, Ian suggested they disband the party temporarily, saying they weren’t ready.’
After that, it was safe to say that any connection with Ariel had been severed.
The party had disbanded in an instant. Ian hadn’t even been able to get a decent meal after all the hardships he had endured.
Naturally, he had also failed to mend relations with Ariel.
So, Ian found it puzzling.
‘Yes, I thought we’d never meet again because things ended badly.’
He believed there would be no further interactions with her.
Even if a new hero party were formed later, he thought there would be no place for him in it.
But it seemed Ariel’s thoughts were a bit different.
Hexar, who had been fidgeting anxiously, finally sat down.
‘Why is she coming to see me? Shouldn’t she be meeting Illian instead?’
Although it was true that finding Illian, who was wandering around, was difficult, it would be better to meet someone with whom she had a better relationship.
Why was it him? Just thinking about it was maddening. What followed was even more outrageous.
“I didn’t expect you to come to see me. Anyway, sit down. What’s this about?”
“…I want to know the truth.”
“What?”
“On the day our party disbanded… No, I want to know everything I didn’t know.”
“What on earth is that supposed to mean?”
It was hard to know what she was really asking, especially when she was being vague like this.
Even if she wanted to talk about the mistakes she had made in the party, it would take more than just a night to cover everything.
‘Many mistakes? Of course. How could that kind Glendia even consider running away during her watch… but it’s not something I can just say to her face. It’s maddening.’
At that moment, Hexar’s gaze shifted to the door.
‘Maybe I should tell Lucille? She’s heard everything I’ve said. She might be able to speak directly….’
There was no one better than a third party to directly tell Ariel about the problems of the party she wanted.
But that thought didn’t last long.
‘No. She doesn’t look good, and if I say it directly, she might be in big trouble.’
Even Hexar, who would crush demons with an axe on the battlefield, hesitated because Ariel’s condition was not good.
Yet, staying silent wasn’t an option.
‘In the end, do I have to do it?’
He downed a strong drink from the table and stared at Ariel.
“Ugh, I can’t tell what you’re curious about just from what you’ve said. So, stop being vague and tell me directly. I’ll give you an answer.”
“During our time as a party… did Ian sacrifice himself for me? Was the disbanding of the party, and all those times he stopped me, all for my sake?”
Ariel continued with a trembling voice, but the response she received was cold.
“Are you really asking this now? Did you genuinely not know what Ian went through?”
Ariel’s shoulders flinched at Hexar’s reaction.
***
To be honest, Ariel had been ignorant about Ian.
No, saying she was uninterested would be more accurate. She had lived apart from Ian and hadn’t cared about his suffering at all.
Ariel had, in fact, considered Ian to be a villain. She thought of him as a person who obstructed her chance to prove herself and rise up.
Of course, she hadn’t always disliked Ian from the start.
It wouldn’t make sense to dislike him from the beginning. There was a reason for her feelings.
‘I didn’t have enough time to build a relationship with Ian.’
To block the rampant demons, Killain was often away from the household, and Leticia would neglect Ian, focusing on Ariel instead.
Outside of mealtime, opportunities to see Ian were rare, and naturally, they didn’t get to talk.
‘At first, I wanted to get closer. After all, he was family.’
Even though she knew that staying close to him would mean getting scolded by Leticia, her curiosity couldn’t be easily deterred.
While her mother was asleep, Ariel would visit Ian’s room.
Navigating the darkened hallways with her cherished deer plushie, she moved cautiously, hoping to talk to Ian.
Despite her courage, Ian’s response was cold.
‘Don’t try to get close to me. Ian had said that.’
The expressionless face looking down at her was something she still couldn’t forget.
In hindsight, it might seem trivial, but it was a huge shock and pain for her as a child, and it became a wound she didn’t want to experience again.
‘I thought Ian hated me. If he was going to stay away even if I approached him anyway… I thought it would be better not to get close.’
After that day, Ariel erased Ian from her heart.
She avoided talking to him and, for a while, wouldn’t even make eye contact.
Time passed, and soon many people began to surround Ariel.
They started to take Ian’s place.
Celia was someone she could rely on and confide in, replacing Ian’s role.
Reina and Bianca brought happiness to her lonely life.
At that time.
‘The reason I was happy when I awakened as a hero was because of this. I thought the opportunity had finally come.’
She had a chance to get back at Ian, who had disregarded and distanced himself from her.
She thought that if she succeeded as a hero, she could make Ian regret having rejected her in childhood.
Of course, Ian was still a member of the party, but that didn’t matter much. As the leader, she believed she could clearly show her superiority.
So she worked hard, though she wasn’t perfect. She thought she had done well… but it seemed that others didn’t think so.
“If you were to list all the troubles you caused here, it would take two full days. But the way those problems were resolved can be summed up in one sentence. Do you know what it is?”
“…What is it?”
“Ian handled it all. That foolish guy, even though he was not at fault, went around apologizing to everyone who had been hurt because of you.”
“What? Ian… did that for me?”
As the Hero, Ariel was the worst.
Her desire to be acknowledged and her sky-high arrogance led to reckless behavior, and the resulting risks were all borne by the party members, with Ian shouldering everything.
“Do you remember that time? When we received intel about demons hiding in a cave near a village on the outskirts of the Empire, and you recklessly attacked the cave, causing miners who couldn’t escape to be swept away? Did you know someone almost died then?”
“I-I didn’t know. I truly…”
“Of course, you didn’t know. After causing that mess, you went to rest, saying you were tired. While you were lounging in the tent, your brother went around apologizing to the villagers. A noble… the eldest son of a count bowing his head to commoners.”
Typically, nobles never bow to commoners.
In fact, apologies from nobles were rare. How could those of noble blood deign to apologize to mere commoners?
Most commoners, even if they suffered from a noble’s misconduct, could only swallow their frustration.
But Ian was different.
“If people heard that a hero did such things, there would be a lot of backlash. So, he took all the blame on himself. But you never knew that.”
The anger of those who almost lost their families was far from trivial. The outraged individuals threw harsh words at Ian, and some even threw filth at him.
Hexar would never forget the expression on Ian’s face as he returned, blankly staring at the sky with a cigarette in his mouth, washing his head by the riverside.
Though he wanted to hit him at that moment, he couldn’t bring himself to do it, knowing what Ariel meant to Ian.
Instead…, he could say this one thing.
“Just know this. In our party, no, in this world, Ian is the only one who truly cares about you. Not even your parents. You should consider yourself lucky to have such a brother.”
“Brother… cares about me…”
It was the moment Ariel began to realize her own mistakes.
***
Afterward, Hexar continued to speak.
What were the mistakes she had made so far… Even why the party had to disband.
“The way to surpass the Demon King of Sloth’s domain was to sacrifice a life from among the party members. The Demon King had said that if one life was offered… he would not interfere further. And Ian volunteered to sacrifice himself.”
“Brother volunteered to sacrifice himself? So the reason for the party’s disbandment was…”
“It was difficult enough with Ian around, so what would happen if the main force was gone? It was obvious the party would fail.”
Ian had been prepared to sacrifice himself from the beginning.
He had willingly bowed his head to commoners for his sister’s honor and ultimately offered his life to the Demon King for the party’s success.
The reason the party disbanded was simple.
“That’s why the party had to disband. Ian thought that if he was absent, the battle with the Demon Kings and their minions would be doomed. He believed that the solution was to improve your skills, Ariel. Ian bought time by taking the blame for the party’s failures, even though he knew it would damage his reputation. He wanted you to be able to fulfill your role, even if he wasn’t confident about it.”
“Then why did he say that to me?”
“He wanted you to use the anger from feeling obstructed as motivation to grow stronger. He knew how much you craved success and recognition.”
“Ah…”
Underachievable. He knew that if Ian were to leave, the current party would have no chance of winning the battle ahead.
‘And so he took all the blame so that I wouldn’t be harmed?’
Not only did he take responsibility for the big and small mistakes she had made, he also made sure that people didn’t hear that the Hero was an underachiever.
The moment Ariel realized this, tears began to well up in her eyes.
She knew it was impolite to not make eye contact during a conversation, but Ariel couldn’t bring herself to lift her head.
“Ugh… ugh…”
The truth Ariel had longed for was so harsh and painful that she could barely face it.
‘Without even realizing it… I was trying to find new party members? How much Ian and the others suffered…’
Even if she wasn’t a fool, she had suspected something.
She knew that the current party members didn’t fully trust her.
It was almost impossible not to feel their subtle disdain if one was perceptive.
The reason she had gathered people like Celia was because she hoped to form a new party. She wanted to reach a level where she could converse with Elysion and continue as a hero.
She thought that with people who genuinely trusted and relied on her, failure wouldn’t be an option.
The despair from losing Reina and Bianca was linked to this belief.
She thought her plans were ruined.
But after learning the truth, she realized.
‘There was no need to find someone who truly believed in me.’
She didn’t need to create reliable allies or blame others for her failures.
‘It was right there.’
The person Ariel had truly been looking for was right next to her.
Ian Volkanov. As she recalled his existence, Ariel felt her previously cold heart start to warm.
Just recently, she had been tormented by the fear of being alone, but now it no longer mattered.
‘There was someone who thought of me even at the cost of his own sacrifice…’
The fact that the person she had longed for was so near was enough.
