No to Being the Suffering Heroine!

“Don’t do it! Amina!”

Just when we thought we could finally catch a break after a fierce battle with bandits, one of our reliable adventurers was horrifically killed by the sudden appearance of an enemy.

“Another ambush?! Who the hell is that woman?!”

“There was no sign of her…!”

As the adventurers and employees snapped out of their daze, they urgently shouted and drew their weapons, rushing towards us.

Probably.

“Hilde! Be careful!”

I didn’t even have time to check on my allies’ movements.

“KYAAAH!”

The woman who decapitated Amina was lunging towards me like an arrow shot from a bow.

“This is bad!”

I instinctively twisted my waist and lifted my longsword diagonally.

KAAANG!

The deafening clang of metal echoed. The spearhead shot out like lightning, colliding with my black iron sword and sending sparks flying above me.

“Ugh…!”

The impact bent my body like a bow. The black iron blade trembled as if it needed to release its tension.

If I hadn’t instinctively reacted and swung my sword, I might have been pierced right through my helmet. She was shockingly fast.

“Did I block it?”

With her tattered cape and unadorned black surcoat, the red-haired attacker grinned as if she found the situation amusing.

With her wild, choppy red hair and sharp eyes, she had a predatory gaze, grinning like a hungry wolf with her fangs bared.

She was only wearing a gauntlet on her right arm but had her left entirely covered in metal armor.

From her shoulder to her fingertips, the plate armor made her left arm appear longer and thicker compared to the right.

Did it feel like someone else’s arm had been grafted on?

I could tell right away that she wasn’t just any bandit.

A woman who could kill Amina in one blow couldn’t possibly just be a simple robber.

Even if it was due to an unexpected ambush… without that flaw, the outcome wouldn’t have changed much, I thought.

Even disregarding Amina’s convulsing body like a squashed frog, my instincts were warning me.

Saying there’s a formidable opponent right in front of me.

So, focus.

Don’t miss even the enemy’s breath.

“…Damn it.”

Why do I keep meeting these jerks wherever I go? Did I seriously attract bad luck?

“You’re pretty good, huh?”

I didn’t have time to lament my misfortune.

Just as I was adjusting my stance, the spear-wielding woman came charging down hard with the spear she had just raised above her head—like an axe!

WHOOSH!

The sound of the spear cutting through the air was sharp.

It wasn’t as fast as before since it was just a simple downward strike instead of a full-on charge.

“Who the hell are you?!”

I dodged to the side, evading the spearhead, and charged at her shouting.

As I shouted, I swung my longsword diagonally.

The blade, carving an arc, tried to slice her upper body but was blocked by her left arm raised like a shield, producing a shrill metallic sound.

“Curious? Then try to find out with your strength.”

She grinned, thrusting her spear with her right hand towards me.

“Well, good luck with that.”

“Quit talking nonsense.”

I lifted my own left hand to deflect her spear.

“Don’t block it, dodge!”

At that moment, Amy’s urgent shout rang from behind me, causing me to reflexively leap backward to create some distance.

BOOM!

A moment too late, the explosion and flames erupted. The fierce blaze flared up like a candle before a gust of wind, then instantly snuffed out.

That was the result of the spearhead aimed at me.

“Looks like I’m lucky.”

The spear-wielding woman spun the spear that had missed its target, lamenting with a teasing smile.

…Was that some enchanted weapon? If I had blocked it with my left arm, it would have been a disaster.

Cold sweat trickled down my cheek.

A spear that could create fire explosions out of thin air. If it weren’t for Amy’s warning, my left arm would have been completely wrecked.

This opponent is proving to be unexpectedly troublesome… where in the world did this woman suddenly pop up from?

She didn’t seem like the kind of person who’d live as a common looter, so what reason did she have to ambush us like a bandit?

“Red hair and explosive spear…? Could she be…!”

Was Rug, the leader of this operation, finally realizing her identity, as he shouted in disbelief.

“Could it be, Belita Ladros?!”

Who on earth is that?

Belita Ladros. It was a name I had never heard before, not from the original story.

“Belita Ladros?!”

Jane, the patroller, exclaimed as she was taken aback.

“That, ‘Head Collector’ Belita?!”

…Head Collector? What a crazy nickname.

This was a reputation as deadly as a butcher among the lower-class; it suited her well, actually, given the things she did to Amina.

“Well, now you’ve found out. How embarrassing for you.”

The red-haired woman grinned at Rug and confirmed his guess, then kicked off the blood-soaked ground, charging towards me like an arrow once more.

“Grrr…!”

I quickly jumped aside, biting my lip.

Engaging in close combat against a spear that explodes on contact would put me at a severe disadvantage.

“Yeah, I’m the one and only Belita Ladros.”

With her spear aimed into the air, Belita skidded to a stop, turning to face me with a provoking smile.

“What’s wrong, did you get scared after hearing my name?”

“Who the hell are you?!”

Scared? Not a chance. I had never even heard that name before! I shouted, demanding a more detailed explanation.

“I’m a fugitive from Burgund! I killed over fifty adventurers and eight knights who were after me! I didn’t expect you to have crossed over to Hervor!”

Rug screamed in a voice choked with fear.

A criminal who killed eight knights. In other words, that made her someone with at least silver rank and possibly even higher.

“Not eight, it was ten. I left two heads behind, so I excluded them, I guess?”

Belita chuckled to herself and, like a flash, turned her body and launched the spear behind her.

KA-BOOM!

“KYAAA!”

With the explosive sound, Friede, who was about to swing her great sword, was flung backward, tumbling across the ground.

Thanks to her quick defensive positioning with her sword, she seemed unharmed, but her messy hair was now covered in dirt, making her look like a beggar.

“This little girl is pretty good… no, wait. She’s more than pretty good?”

Belita tilted her head as she watched Friede spring back up. The next moment, her smile twisted into a ghastly grin.

“It seems I hit the jackpot on this side, didn’t I? Right?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

My reply was followed by an immediate swing of my longsword. A thrust aimed for Belita’s side shot out like a spear.

“Heart, you know, the heart.”

The subsequent clanking of metal echoed as Belita bent backward, swinging her spear to deflect my black iron sword to the side.

The dark metal created blinding sparks from the friction.

“You have it, don’t you? Our lord wants that heart. So, I’d prefer you to hand it over peacefully.”

While talking to me, Belita was launching a flurry of thrusts with her spear.

I didn’t have a moment’s rest, swinging my longsword to deflect her spearhead.

After confirming three times, it seemed the explosion power of that spear was limited only to the spearhead.

If I didn’t take it head-on and pushed the spear itself off to the side, I might be able to dodge the flames just before they reached me, assuming…

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

I swung my longsword with increased strength, redirecting the spear’s trajectory while shouting.

Was it wrong to even try to understand a criminal’s words? I couldn’t wrap my head around what she was saying at all.

“What heart? Why are you looking for something like that here? If you need a heart, go find the Wizard of Oz!”

“Trying to deny it won’t change anything, you know?”

The attempt to sweep my feet was blocked by the bottom of Belita’s boot. She used the push from my leg to launch herself backward.

Just after, three arrows and ice shards swooshed past where she had been standing moments before.

“Tch.”

I clicked my tongue and chased after Belita, hitting the ground.

My allies were casting long-range ultimate moves, but it felt like I had turned into a traitor who saved the enemy.

THUD.

Belita landed softly on the ground, swinging her left arm to deflect another arrow while she glanced playfully at me and Friede rushing in.

“Stay away from Hilde!”

With flames simmering on the mid-section of my great sword that managed to block the blast, Friede charged in.

Belita quickly scanned me and Friede with her eyes, nodding slightly before speaking again.

“If you’re gonna disguise yourself, do it properly. Placing this level of skill on a small operation… this just admits this is the true answer doesn’t it?”

No, seriously. What the hell is she talking about?

“Have you ever had a conversation with someone else?”

She was really only spouting off her own things.

Her way of speaking was so irritating that it almost pushed my nervousness aside.

I decided to abandon the thought of having a conversation with this lunatic and just focused completely on the battle.

“There’s no way, I probably have more than you.”

Belita made a remark like a basement dweller claiming to have online friends and lifted her spear toward the air, wrapping it with flames and exploding it like fireworks.

As if signaling something.

“Oh no! We have new enemies coming! Twelve? No, twenty…? Everyone, be careful!”

It was indeed a signal.

In a panicked voice, Jane pointed towards the shrubs. Something was charging toward us through the tall grass at high speed.

“Ugh…! Protect the wagon! You too!”

Rug gritted his teeth and shouted. It was a command to both employees and adventurers alike, treating everyone like they had to protect their pay.

“How about that? Not too many, right?”

Belita caught Friede’s great sword with her spear, using the recoil to evade my longsword.

Glaring at the approaching group of attackers, she smirked mischievously.

“Must be nice to have lots of friends, especially with a spear-wielding woman around?”

I frowned and spat back my reply.

“Hih, Hilde…?”

Seemingly shocked that such a sarcastic comment would come from me, Friede, who was about to swing her great sword again, glanced at me with wide eyes.

“Not a friend, but a subordinate.”

Belita seemed completely unbothered by my mockery, smiling nonchalantly while revealing her grin.

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