I’m the Main Villain but the Heroines Are Obsessed With Me chapter 79

79 – 34. Ian’s Sacrifice

When she was active in the hero party, Ariel Volkano’s nickname was ‘Princess’.

The party members, except for Ian, called her ‘Our Princess’, and even those who were not interested in the world called her that.

Of course, they probably thought she was called a princess because of her outstanding appearance… but there were deep reasons for it here.

‘It’s just teasing. Their actions were too childish, so they couldn’t openly say anything, so they started calling Ariel a princess, and the others followed suit.’

In the beginning, Ilyan, who had set the tone with his opening statement, “Our princess is still working hard, isn’t she?” was the only one spreading it among the party members.

In essence, the anecdote of the birth of the nickname “Princess” was created to tease Ariel’s naive behavior.

“Of course, all grown-ups know that saying such things is wrong… But if she hadn’t done that, the party would have been ruined long ago. Ian knew that and allowed it.”

Whether it was due to an unconventional upbringing or a desire to dominate attention by exploiting the basics, she not only showed interest in the fundamentals but also engaged in impulsive actions.

There was even a time when she rushed into an obvious provocation by demons and ended up isolated.

The image of her unconscious, being dragged by Ian, is still vivid in the mind.

“After saying that and asking why she didn’t follow Ian, I couldn’t help but scold her.”

No matter how carefree and casual Hexasar was in her neglectful attitude, speaking of a comrade’s help in that way was unbearable, wasn’t it?

There was also a time when Hexasar seized the opportunity and scolded Ariel severely.

Of course, as a result, the cohesion of the already chaotic party began to gradually break apart.

As the capabilities of the party members were above average, they were able to reach Velfegor’s castle.

“Of course, after receiving Ian’s proposal that they were not prepared there, they decided to temporarily disband the party.”

Since then, it could be considered that the bond with Ariel had been severed.

A party that was disbanded in an instant. Ian, who had been struggling all along, couldn’t even provide a proper meal.

Certainly, the relationship with Ariel, who had made offensive remarks, was not restored either.

So, there was a question.

“Yes. Since it ended on a bad note, I thought there would be no business with her in the future.”

The thought that there would never be an encounter with her again.

Even if the Hero Party were to be reformed later, he thought there would be no place for her.

But Ariel’s thoughts seemed to be a bit different.

Sitting in the incomprehensible room, Heksar continued to shake his legs incessantly.

‘Why did she come to me? Shouldn’t she be meeting with Illian?’

It might be challenging to find someone trustworthy in this wandering world, but meeting someone on good terms would be preferable, wouldn’t it?

Why herself, of all people? Even this alone felt maddening. Yet, her subsequent words were even more bewildering.

“I didn’t expect you to come see me. Anyway, have a seat. What brings you here?”

“…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?”

When someone suddenly approaches and speaks vaguely like that, what on earth should one say?

I don’t know what she’s curious about, but at least, talking about the mistakes she made in the party so far could keep the night interesting enough.

‘Mistakes? Plenty of them. Glenidia, the good-hearted, might contemplate arson during her prayer… It’s something I can’t directly talk to her face-to-face, and it’s crazy.’

Suddenly, Heksar’s gaze shifted towards the door.

‘Should I ask Lucil instead? She heard my drunken rant. She might be able to speak straightforwardly…’

But that thought didn’t last long.

‘No. She doesn’t look happy, and saying it bluntly might cause a big problem.’

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Even Heksar, who chops demons with an axe on the battlefield, hesitated because Ariel’s condition was not good.

Yet, waiting silently wasn’t an option in this situation.

‘In the end, is it something I have to do?’

He poured a strong drink from the table and then gazed at Ariel.

“Huh, I don’t know what you’re curious about just by listening to your words. So, don’t beat around the bush, speak directly, and I’ll answer.”

“During the time of the party… Did Ian sacrifice himself for me? The dissolution of the party, and even blocking me at every attempt. Was it all for me?”

Ariel spoke with a trembling voice. But the response she received was nothing but a cold reaction.

“Are you asking because you don’t know that now? Did you really not know what Ian went through?”

Ariel’s shoulders trembled at Hecar’s reaction.

***

Honestly, she was ignorant about Ian.

Well, it’s more accurate to say she wasn’t interested. She pretended to live with Ian all this time, but she never cared about the pain he might have.

Ariel even thought of Ian as a villain. She thought of him as a human who would prevent the opportunity for proof from flying towards her.

Of course, she didn’t dislike Ian from the beginning.

Honestly, how could she dislike him from the start? Naturally, there was a reason.

‘I didn’t have time to become friends with Ian.’

To prevent the boiling demons, Killian often left the mansion, and Leticia, as if abandoning Ian in the room, took care of Ariel.

Except for mealtime, it was rare to see Ian, and naturally, they couldn’t have a conversation.

‘At first, I wanted to become close. Because we’re family.’

Even if scolded by Leticia for talking to him, it was difficult to stop curiosity with just that.

In the mother’s sleeping hours, Ariel used to visit Ian’s room.

Hugging a deer doll tightly, she carefully moved through the dark corridors. All to talk to Ian.

Despite overcoming fear and visiting him, the reaction from the returned Ian was harsh.

‘He told me not to get close. Ian said that.’

The face, looking down with an expression that seemed to have lost all emotion, is still unforgettable.

It might seem trivial now, but for her in her younger years, it was a shock and pain too great to bear, simultaneously becoming a lasting scar.

It was terrifying to feel rejected, and the experience was so painful that she didn’t want to go through it again.

‘I thought Ian disliked me. If he would keep his distance anyway… I decided it was better not to get closer.’

Since that day, Ariel erased Ian from her heart.

Not only did they not talk about it, but they also avoided making eye contact for a while.

How much time passed?

Before she knew it, many people started approaching Ariel. They began to replace Ian’s position.

Celia could be relied upon instead of Ian and could share her inner thoughts.

Reyna and Bianca showed happiness to her loneliness.

It was around that time.

‘The reason I liked Ian when I awakened as a hero was also because of that. I thought the opportunity had finally come.’

The opportunity to make Ian, who ignored and kept his distance, regret his actions.

She believed that if she succeeded as a hero, she could make Ian, who rejected her in her younger years, regret it.

Of course, Ian was among the party members, but it didn’t matter. As the clear leader, all she needed to do was show her superiority.

So she worked hard, though she was lacking. She thought she did well, but… it didn’t seem that way to others.

“If I have to talk about all the accidents you caused, we’ll be standing here for two full days. But how those issues were resolved can be summed up in one sentence. Do you know what that is?”

“….What is it?”

“Ian did it all. That foolish guy, even though it wasn’t his fault, went around bowing and apologizing to those who were harmed because of you.”

“What? Ian, on behalf of me…”

As a hero, Ariel was the worst character.

The desire for recognition and the arrogance piercing the sky led to impulsive actions, and the risks arising from them burdened the party members. Among them, Ian had to bear it all.

“Do you remember that time? When we received intelligence that demons had hidden in a cave near the village on the outskirts of the empire, and we went to search. Miners who couldn’t evacuate in time were swept away because you recklessly launched an ambush on the cave without warning. Do you know that someone almost died at that moment?”

“I-I didn’t know. I really…”

“Yeah, you probably didn’t know. After doing that, you went to rest because you were tired. While you were snoring in the tent. Your brother apologized to the people of that village. A noble… and not just any noble, but the son of a viscount, bowed his head to commoners.”

Typically, nobles don’t bow their heads to commoners.

No, it’s rare for them to apologize at all. How could those with noble blue blood apologize to commoners?

Because of this, most commoners had no choice but to swallow their resentment, even if they suffered losses due to the nobles’ disturbances.

However, Ian was different.

“Worried that the backlash would be severe if the hero did such a thing, he went around turning it all into his own fault. But you didn’t know that until the end.”

The anger of those who almost lost their families was never light. The enraged ones spat harsh words at Ian, and occasionally, someone even threw mud at him.

Hexar could never forget Ian’s expression, returning numbly and washing his hair by the riverbank… that expression as he stared into the void with vacant eyes while puffing on a cigarette.

Thinking about it now, he wanted to punch him right away. But he couldn’t do that knowing what Arielle meant to Ian.

Instead… there was one thing he could say.

“Just remember this. In our party, no, in this world, there’s only Ian who genuinely cares about you. Your parents are no exception. You should consider yourself lucky to have such a brother.”

“Brother… cares about me…”

It was the moment when Arielle realized her mistake.

***

Even after that, Hexar continued his words.

I’ve been wondering all this time what mistakes I made… and even why the party had to be disbanded.

“The way to surpass the territory of the Lazy Demon King was to take someone’s life among the party members. If he only gave up one life… he said he wouldn’t interfere afterwards. Of course, Ian said he would sacrifice himself.”

“Ian said he would sacrifice himself? Then the reason the party disbanded….”

“Even with Ian, it was difficult. What do you think would happen if that bastard, who was the mainstay, disappeared? It was obvious it would be a disaster.”

Ian had intended to sacrifice himself from the beginning to the end.

He willingly bowed his head to the commoners for the sake of his younger brother’s honor. And in the end, he gave up his life to the Demon King for the success of the party.

The reason the party had to be disbanded was simple.

“The reason it was disbanded was also because of that. I thought it was obvious that if you were left out of the current party, the battle with the other Demon Kings behind would be a foregone conclusion. I thought the solution was to improve your skills, Ariel, and I bought time by framing Ian for ruining the party. Even if you weren’t there, I wanted you to be able to fulfill your role properly.”

“Then why did you say those things to me?”

“I wanted to use the anger of being blocked as a driving force for you to grow. I know how much you desire success and recognition.”

“Ah….”

It was below par. Ian knew that if he was left out, there would be no chance of winning in the future battles with the current party.

‘Did he shoulder all the blame to prevent harm from coming to me?’

Taking responsibility for all the big and small mistakes he had made so far. It also prevented the fact that the hero was below par from reaching people’s ears.

The moment she realized that… tears began to flow from Ariel’s eyes.

She knew it was impolite not to meet the other person’s gaze during a conversation.

But Ariel couldn’t bring herself to lift her head.

“Sob… sob.”

The truth she had longed for so desperately was too cruel and painful.

She simply couldn’t face this reality.

‘Without even knowing… Was I trying to create new party members? How much my colleagues, including Ian, have suffered…’

Unless you’re a fool, you could somewhat guess.

The current party members don’t believe in themselves.

Honestly, unless you’re completely oblivious, it’s hard not to notice the subtle mocking.

The reason I gathered people like Celia was also because of that. If I could reach a point where I could converse with Elysion, I planned to create a new party and resume activities as the Hero’s party.

Unlike before, I thought that if I were with people who genuinely believed in and relied on me, there would be no failure.

The reason for my despair after losing Reina and Bianca was also because I thought my plans had fallen apart.

But after knowing the truth, I realized.

‘I didn’t need to create someone who sincerely believed in me.’

There was no need to create a reliable companion. There was no need to search for the cause of failure in others.

‘They were nearby.’

The person Arielle was looking for had been right next to her.

Ian Volkanov. The moment she recalled his existence, Arielle felt her cold heart ease.

Until recently, she was afraid of being alone, even to the point of tearing her hair out. But now, it didn’t matter.

‘There was someone who thought of me, even sacrificing themselves…’

The fact that the presence she had longed for was nearby, that alone was enough.