THTSN 24

Chapter  24

Right now, no matter how much we deny the articles, claim we’re busy, or say anything else, the people won’t believe our side of the story unless the Boss himself shows up.
Because it was none other than the Saint herself—one of the Empire’s most active heroes—who said it.

But if we invite reporters home for an interview, they’ll only use that as an excuse to provoke the Boss into showing himself. And that would be no different from exposing our weakness.

“I’m already pissed off, so I think I’ll give that Saint a little taste of payback.”
“L-Like how?”

Joshua looked at me with an eager, flushed face.

“Boss, listen. This curse isn’t a weakness that the Saint and Crown Prince can use against us—it’s actually a massive advantage we can use to threaten them!”
“And why’s that?”

“Boss… two years locked away has made you way too soft.”
“Watch your mouth.”

He pulled at my cheek in irritation, but luckily didn’t let go. I grabbed his big hand tightly with both of mine.

“Let’s be honest. As long as I don’t die, who’s the one who actually cares the most about other people’s lives?”
“Oh! The Crown Prince and the Saint!”

Joshua answered like an obedient student, and I nodded in satisfaction.

“They’re the ones responsible for the people’s safety. But imagine—people start dying without warning or reason? Even if outrage explodes, the two of them can’t explain it.”

The story is that the hero, the Boss, alone took on the demon’s curse—randomly chosen among the three of them. Of course, they’ll lie and say the Boss sacrificed himself to take it on.

And Joshua is supposedly the demon, tolerated by both the Saint and the Crown Prince.

“If we turn that story around, it’ll look like they knew everything and allowed it to happen. They won’t be able to dodge responsibility.”

That’s why they’ve kept the curse secret all this time—not because they were loyal friends, but because it served their own interests.

I really thought back then they were loyal enough to keep even that secret for me.

Grit.
My teeth clenched on their own.

“So? How are we gonna use that?”
“By heightening their anxiety. We’ll send a letter—they’ll come running here pale as ghosts.”
“…”
“Boss, don’t hesitate. Didn’t you say you’ve always wanted to tell that Saint to ‘get lost’? I’ll set the stage for you.”

So don’t you dare refuse!

The Boss looked at me seriously and finally said,
“If we’re doing this, we’ll do it right.”
“Of course!”

“Finally, Zerr’s gonna smack that Saint down!”

Joshua… not exactly what I meant.

But I didn’t bother correcting him as he jumped for joy.

Inside a luxurious, crimson-hued office—
The Saint sat on a black leather sofa, looking troubled.

“Another headline like this… I didn’t even mean it that way.”
“Yveline.”

At the cold voice, Yveline averted her gaze. Terrence sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead in frustration.

“Do you not realize how powerful your words are? You knew they’d twist your statement like this.”
Of course Yveline knew—but she had her reasons.

“I did it for you. The noble faction keeps nitpicking everything you do. It’s only been two years since you sealed Serael’s demon, but they’re already calling you a ‘hero of the past.’”

Terrence cut her off before she could finish.
“As always, that’s my problem to deal with. The nobles won’t be satisfied until the First Prince takes the throne.”

Resting her chin on her hand, Yveline smiled sweetly.
“You don’t have to hide your true feelings from me. Thanks to that article, your reputation’s shining brighter than ever.”

And it was true—the ones who benefited from this scandal were Terrence and Yveline.
Unlike Zervant, who’d shut himself away out of fear of the demon, the two continued to work tirelessly for the people.

There was no avoiding comparison between them and Zervant, who hadn’t shown himself for two years.

Each time Yveline “accidentally” let something slip, people were reminded of the Crown Prince and the Saint—the heroes who had sealed away evil that mere humans could not face.

Public adoration burned like religious fervor.
And when that happened, even the noble faction stayed quiet.

Terrence may have been a bastard born from a lowly maid, but he’d given his life to seal Serael’s demon—a true hero.
That earned him overwhelming public support and allowed him to become Crown Prince.

The nobles’ favored First Prince looked weaker by comparison, and any noble who dared insult a hero risked inciting riots.
So, as always, they would have to keep their heads down for a while.

Terrence shook his head.
“He’s our friend—he locked himself away to protect us. Don’t talk about him like that, Yveline.”

Seeing Terrence still hiding his real feelings, Yveline decided to back off. She hadn’t come here to fight.
“Fine, I’m sorry.”

Terrence was the most important person to her—she didn’t want to upset him.

Lowering her eyes in contrition, she looked so remorseful that Terrence stood and gently pulled her into his arms.

She melted into him as if she’d been waiting for that moment.

“Thanks for thinking of me, Yveline.”
“I always think of you.”
“Even so, you can’t do things like this anymore. Understand?”

He always said that—but he always forgave her too. So Yveline smiled and nodded obediently.

Terrence kissed her forehead. The rush of joy filled her chest, but the moment didn’t last long.

Knock knock.
“Your Highness, it’s time for the meeting.”
“Already?”

“Sorry, Yveline. I’ll visit the temple next time. Be safe.”

With a reluctant frown, Terrence kissed her cheek and left the office.
Left alone, Yveline smiled.

“I’m happy.”

Her quiet words turned into a satisfied laugh. Then suddenly—
“Oh, right. A letter came from Zerr.”

She had meant to read it with Terrence—but she’d forgotten.

Zervant’s letters always contained questions about how they were doing, though the two rarely replied—too busy to bother, always skimming and forgetting.

She unfolded the letter from her pocket. The more she read, the paler her face became—until it was almost blue. Her hands began to tremble.

“W-What is this…?”

Her eyes shook as she reached the final line.

[You seem to want me to come out—so I will.
Let’s meet tonight at the temple.]

“What the hell is he saying!?”

If he came out, countless people would die.

Even with the growing public anger, they couldn’t tell anyone the truth—that remnants of Serael’s demon still remained.

If Zervant decided to drag them down with him, both the Saint and the Crown Prince would lose everything.

The truth would twist—revealing that they hadn’t completely sealed the demon. They’d become half-heroes.

And with fear still lingering among the people, that anger would turn on them.

Worse, those random deaths could include both Yveline and Terrence.

“This isn’t self-sacrifice—it’s suicide for all of us, Zerr!”

Her scream echoed through the office as she stormed out of the palace, fury blazing in her eyes.
Her destination was clear: Duke Destine’s mansion.

Joshua clung to me nervously, staring at the front gate.
“Do you really think she’ll come?”
“She’ll come.”

No doubt about it.

I was sure of it, but Joshua still looked unconvinced.
“So, when she does… we’re just going to taunt her and that’s it?”
“Of course not. We’ll make sure she can’t publish trash like that ever again—not until the Boss can move around freely.”

We’ll make it so she can’t even mention the Boss’s name.

Because thanks to him, the Saint and the Crown Prince had regained their “hero” image.
Their fame was built on his sacrifice.

But I’m not going to let that continue.

Why is it that in every story, the original male and female leads always turn rotten the moment someone reincarnates or transmigrates into their world?

Maybe people find that kind of cruelty entertaining.
But when it’s happening to me—
…it’s not fun at all