The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 117

“Cough! Cough! Cough!”

Samuel boldly declared that she was dating the Hero right in front of herself.

At that moment, Eliza violently spat out the drink she was gulping down, struggling to cough, but her mind was too engulfed in confusion from this unexpected revelation to even care about such a scene.

“What… what did you say? Sam… Samuel? Samuel is dating the Hero? I… I never heard anything like that!”

It certainly seemed as if the two had briefly teamed up on a mission before, but that was merely an isolated incident during a task.

Since then, at least to her knowledge, she had never seen them together.

However, regardless of this fact, Eliza, already concerned about the Hero’s affairs, couldn’t help but feel a jolt of shock from Samuel’s mere statement.

“Sure… Sure, Samuel is pretty, but… to date the Hero without me knowing? How could that… that’s impossible…”

Desperately trying to deny this fact, Eliza found herself sinking further into a thickening chaos.

At that moment, contrasting Eliza’s state, Nyadan suddenly smiled at Samuel and asked, “Hmm… So you’re dating the Hero? That’s quite an interesting story. How did that happen?”

“Well, if I were to describe it… naturally? We’ve been on quite a few missions together, so I just felt like he’d be alright to date.”

“Oh…”

“And besides, soon it’s going to be Demon God Immanuel’s birthday, and right after that, it’ll be New Year’s. I’ll need a man to not spend this time alone like before.”

“Hmm… so you’re more of a carnivore than I thought…”

Watching Samuel casually speak about what could be quite an embarrassing topic made Nyadan feel her face heat up slightly.

She then subtly glanced at Eliza before cautiously asking, “So, um… how far have you two gone? Have you kissed? Or maybe even further?”

“Kiss. The next step is still pending.”

“Ki….”

Samuel spoke nonchalantly while downing her drink.

In that moment, Eliza felt her face flush while her heart began to race uncontrollably.

Imagining the Hero locking lips with Samuel was enough to bring a deep shock, making her face burn even more.

However, without caring about Eliza’s state, Samuel casually delivered a crushing follow-up.

“But I suspect that during this Immanuel thing, we might take it further. With the pressure to get married ramping up at home, it’s better to hurry.”

“Mar… marriage…?”

“…”

Samuel went on to stab a fatal dagger right into Eliza’s heart.

Unable to endure any longer, Eliza struggled to rise from her seat.

“Er… El…iza.”

“Hmm? Where are you going?”

“…I… I’m sorry… I suddenly feel a bit sick…”

With that, Eliza stumbled out of the room.

Meanwhile, as she watched her leave, Nyadan found herself grappling with complex feelings she hadn’t anticipated.

“What the… Is it possible that the Hero really advanced that far with Samuel? Sure, with looks like Samuel’s, even a human Hero wouldn’t stand a chance… But what does this mean for Eliza?”

Nyadan had noticed long ago that Eliza had feelings for the Hero.

However, for Nyadan, who had feelings for Eliza that surpassed mere friendship, this was practically a love obstacle, and that’s why she had intended to destabilize Eliza’s feelings by defeating the Hero during the Narcil Selection.

Although that ultimately failed, at this moment, Nyadan couldn’t help but feel awkward about the Hero and Eliza’s relationship taking an unexpected turn.

“Of course, it’s good for me that Samuel has taken the Hero, who would be my rival. But if that’s the case, Eliza will be left so pitiful.”

Having the man she had loved for so long swept away by another woman in silence, now even contemplating marriage, was a cruel twist.

While Eliza’s failure to confess actively played a part in this, Nyadan still felt overwhelming compassion for Eliza at that moment.

Honestly, upon hearing that the Hero was dating Samuel, Nyadan was initially elated about the obstacle being removed.

Yet, witnessing the pain of the woman she loved, her heart ached more for Eliza’s sorrow than for her own joy.

As she felt a wave of emotional turmoil, Nyadan realized what she needed to do at that moment.

“I’m sorry, but I have to get up. Something came up. I’ll take care of the bill, so don’t worry about it.”

“Thank you for that, but let’s meet again later.”

With that, Nyadan left, abandoning Samuel to her thoughts.

As her friends departed, Samuel felt a peculiar mix of feelings as she slowly contemplated her drink.

“Is something off? Am I really bothering them by dating Hector? Honestly, I thought Eliza wouldn’t care since she’s into that previous Hero Ellen, but it doesn’t seem like that’s the case.”

Feeling regret for unintentionally burdening her friends due to her new relationship, Samuel placed her empty glass down with a ●△● expression.

“… But now, there’s no one left to handle all this food. Now that things turned out this way, I should probably call her.”

As she thought this, Samuel glanced at the ring on her finger.

She then gently infused her magic into it.

And as a result….

*

“Where in the world did she go?”

Despite hurrying out after her, Nyadan couldn’t see Eliza at all.

With growing worry and concern for her friend, she began frantically searching for her whereabouts.

Although the Eliza Nyadan knew was a stronger person than she had anticipated.

With a spirit and body stronger than most men, left her feeling even more radiant.

However, no matter how strong she was, Eliza was still human and could be wounded emotionally. Nyadan knew that this situation was more than enough to inflict terrible pain on her.

“Nothing bad can happen… If something truly goes wrong because of this, then I…”

Feeling an intense sense of urgency, Nyadan continued her frantic search for Eliza.

Then…

“Ah!”

Within the next moment, she spotted Eliza standing alone by the riverbank, a bit distant from the city.

“Eliza!”

“…Nyadan?”

Eliza looked at her with a voice filled with a deep sense of defeat.

Nyadan instinctively stopped in front of her and began to examine her features.

Eliza, gazing back with a blank yet hollow expression was staring at her.

Her eyes were swollen as if she had just cried, and tears were still flowing down her cheeks, never wiped away.

“…Ar…are you okay, Eliza?”

“Ah… I…I’m sorry… It’s just… I was taken aback…”

Desperately attempting to brush off her emotions, Eliza struggled to act as if nothing was wrong.

Seeing her like this, Nyadan suddenly felt a stirring deep within her heart.

Something she herself found embarrassing, yet overwhelmingly strong.

Pushing her hesitation aside, Nyadan stepped forward instinctively.

“…Ny… Nyadan?”

And then…

“!”

“…”

Embracing Eliza tightly, Nyadan was overtaken by an incredibly warm feeling, causing her to turn red and remain speechless.

All she wished for was to alleviate Eliza’s pain, even just a little bit.

And then…

“Sniff… Sniff… Ugh…”

Eliza began to cry again, engulfed in Nyadan’s warmth.

The mask of patience she had been holding onto shattered, and she cried bitterly in the embrace of her friend.

Despairing over the fact that her love had ended so abruptly, yet at the same time feeling gratitude towards her friend for providing her a place to lean on.

*

“Sniff… Sniff…”

“Feeling… a bit better?”

“Um… yes. Thank you…”

Though still laced with sadness, Eliza’s voice came with a hint of steadiness.

Seeing her like this, Nyadan felt relieved that Eliza was at least incrementally better and cautiously inquired.

“So, um… what will you do now?”

“I guess I’ll have to… congratulate her. After all, I can’t just steal my friend’s boyfriend who she’s thinking about marrying.”

“…That makes sense…”

Eliza spoke with a tone heavy with deep resignation and emptiness.

Seeing her like that, Nyadan felt a flicker of joy sprouting within her heart despite the anxiety she felt moments ago, leading her to stand up.

“Then, shall we head back? I’ve already settled the bill, but Samuel is probably still waiting.”

“…Yeah.”

Still in a gloomy mood, but now slightly more composed, the two began to head back to the tavern.

However…

“!?”

“….Huh?”

“…What?”

“Did you come back? I thought you wouldn’t return; I feel a bit sorry about this.”