The Main Heroines are Trying to Kill Me

Chapter 335: The Gaslighting of Love

A few hours after the carriage left the Imperial Palace…

"You know, Ruby."

"..."

Inside the rattling carriage, Frey clung to Ruby’s side and began to speak to her.

"Come to think of it, I don't really know much about you."

"What?"

"Come on. I know you're the Demon King, and I know you're a total piece of trash, too, but other than that, I don't know much."

Frey gazed at Ruby with widened eyes, causing Ruby to unwittingly flinch before she stuttered.

"W-What are you planning again this time?"

"...Know more? What exactly?”

In response to that, Frey shyly lowered his head.

"Um... Like your birth origin, how old you are, your real name, where your weaknesses are, who is behind you, and so on?"

However, the words that came out of his mouth were quite different from his shy expression.

"While I’m talking nicely, just obediently... No, that's not it. Let's have this kind of conversation step by step from now on."

"Lunatic."

Anyone could see that it meant, 'Be prepared for an interrogation disguised as a conversation between lovers.'

At least that was Ruby's interpretation.

"Why did you move away, Ruby?"

"Tsk."

Ruby quietly moved to the side with a fed-up expression on her face, but when Frey smiled broadly and reached out to her, she involuntarily closed her eyes.

"..."

And then, a moment of silence settled between the two.

"...Huh."

"Wh-what?"

"Huh? Why? I just wanted to express my affection, that's all."

For a moment, Frey raised the corners of his mouth. She opened her eyes incredulously as she felt his hand stroking her head.

- Rustle, rustle...

Did... I react like this just because this bastard lifts his hand?

Ruby was speechless at the hand that stroked her head, and scowled at that thought.

- Rustle, rustle...

... W-What is this?

However, her expression soon began to waver.

It feels... good?

Something was strange.

Why did she feel so good when he just stroked her head?

Could it be that he cast some kind of spell on her?

- Press... Press...♡

"Ha, uh."

Just as Ruby entertained such thoughts, Frey’s hand went towards the inside part of her hidden horn, causing her to let out a moan inadvertently.

"You seem to like it when I touch here too."

"...What."

Frey buried his head in her neck.

"Do you want to be my pet too?"

"...!"

Frey suddenly whispered with his head buried in her neck, causing her to widen her eyes.

N-no way.

- Thump...!

Darn it, no way!

Ruby, who had been desperately trying to divert her thoughts from the inexplicable sensation of her tingling chest, finally mumbled to herself as her heart raced, biting her lips until blood oozed out.

This is his trick. I must never fall–-

- Squish!!!

"...Keuheekk!?"

However, suddenly, Frey's hand gripped Ruby's neck.

"Keuhek? Kek...?"

"You know, right?"

Frey once again began to exert violence against her with a terrifying expression on his face, just like he had declared earlier.

"It's a bit weird if I only show affection to your stomach, don't you think? I'm not a pervert."

"...Kehuk."

"Oh, by the way, there's always been one thing I've been curious about."

Unable to resist Frey's relentless hand grip tightening around her throat, Ruby trembled involuntarily. In the fading consciousness, she heard Frey's whisper.

"Why aren’t you dead?"

"Keheek..."

“It’s crazy that your body doesn’t die even when your whole body goes into convulsions due to suffocation.”

At the same time, Frey's grip tightened even more.

"St-stop..."

"If I try to crush your head completely, something stops it. Even if I stab your heart, it won't pierce beyond a certain point. Even when I suffocate you, you just thrash around. Are you immortal?"

"Ugh..."

"Is the only way to truly kill you is by using the 'Hero’s Armament'?"

"..."

Frey continued to grip her neck until Ruby's body slumped, saliva dripping from her limp mouth. A big grin crept across his face, and he muttered.

"Let's do this for another 10 minutes. The satisfaction of being able to strip away even your right to breathe is so thrilling."

"...Geuh."

Contrary to his words, Frey continued strangling Ruby for over 30 minutes.

"I love you, Ruby."

- Thump...

Frey smiled meaningfully as he felt her heartbeat.

.

.

.

.

.

"Cough, cough!! Ugh..."

"That’s right, good girl. You're doing well."

As the hellish time came to an end, Ruby, lying on the carriage floor, began to vomit tremendous amounts of saliva.

"Just keep spitting it out. You're doing great."

"Bleeeh..."

"Don't clench your teeth. If a single drop spills, you'll get beaten like a dog again."

"..."

Frey, collecting her saliva in a flask, whispered with a cold voice while placing his foot on her head.

You son of a bitch. Do you even know who I am?

In such a humiliating situation, Ruby rolled her eyes and started fuming in her mind.

I am the Demon King. The one and only Demon King who will destroy this world...

Ruby suddenly stopped her thoughts and wore a pale expression.

The image of her younger sister, with her horns and a tail growing out, that she saw before getting on the carriage lingered in her mind.

Come to think of it, what exactly happened earlier?

She felt anxious for the first time in her life.

That bitch clearly has lost her power. There’s no way she would turn into a demon again.

As she mulled over past events, she suddenly lowered her head.

...Damn it.

The unusually nervous look on her face was so unfamiliar that it was almost disconcerting.

No way, did she really re-awaken? Now?

However, the situation left her with no other answer.

I've already dealt with all the candidates...!

In fact, until her awakening, she was nothing more than a 'Demon King Candidate.'

While Frey aimed to collect points to complete the Hero’s Armament through the Path of False Evil System, Ruby's ultimate goal was to awaken as the Demon King through the Path of Pretender System.

How could she just come out now and hinder me...

Of course, with her potential as the strongest Demon King in history, she had successfully eliminated all Demon King candidates except herself, even without awakening.

The reason she manipulated her younger sister, Lulu, and implanted 'voices' into Aishi, who didn’t even realize she was a candidate, was all for that purpose.

Thanks to that, she became powerful enough to wield the authority of a 'Demon King' even without awakening.

If her younger sister Lulu were to become a candidate again, the story would take a different turn.

Of course, she would definitely win in a direct confrontation. However, Ruby was someone who never ignored even the slimmest possibility, no matter how slim that possibility was.

"Ruby, what are you thinking?"

"..."

And now, there was a massive variable present.

Frey, who had gone crazy and fallen in love with her, was the immensely unpredictable variable.

I must find a way to deal with that bitch...

With bloodshot eyes, Ruby stood up, contemplating such thoughts.

"...Huh?"

Suddenly losing balance and stumbling, Ruby opened her eyes wide and quickly looked around.

"What is..."

The carriage they were riding on was floating in mid-air.

- Booommm!!!

"What the– ack!?"

Ruby was dazed by the sudden situation and soon started flailing with a panicked expression when a loud noise rang out, causing her body to float.

- Creeeeaaaak...

The carriage was completely overturned.

An accident even occurred on top of this.

Amidst the chaotic situation, Ruby, with a detached expression, looked around while being tossed in all directions. She then turned her gaze to Frey, who was in a similar state.

It would be nice if that jerk got caught up in the accident and suddenly died...

- Whoosh, squeezed...!

"...!?"

However, at that moment, Frey dove into her body.

- Squish…

"W-what the hell."

Frey closed his eyes while holding her tightly, and Ruby stared at him with a blank expression for a moment.

- Boom! Clang! Booomm!

Immediately after, the carriage, completely overturned, began to roll down the trail.

- Boooommm!!

The carriage, which had flipped several times and traveled a distance, finally came to a miserable end, settling down with a cloud of dust rising.

- Hisss...

Subsequently, a long silence began to flow.

"Uh, ugh..."

Ruby, disoriented by the dust rising from all around, slowly opened her eyes as the dust settled.

"Huh?"

Frey was on top of her.

No, to be precise, he was embracing her as if protecting a child in an accident.

Covered in injuries all over his body, he looked like a battered mess, about to collapse at any moment.

"Just now... you...?"

"Hng?"

"You protected me?"

In the unbelievable situation, Ruby blurted out without even realizing it, but she soon snorted and muttered because of that ridiculous thought.

Impossible. This bastard would never do that...

"Yeah, I protected you."

However, Frey's response was completely different from her thoughts.

"Stop spouting nonsense."

Ruby quickly retorted, feeling irritated.

“You beat me up so brutally, and you said you were protecting me? Even a passing dog will laugh.”

"That’s when I hit you. But now, this time, it wasn’t me who hit you, was it?"

"What?"

Frey continued to speak with a soft smile while still embracing her.

"Only I can hurt you."

"Please stop this fucking nonsense..."

- Thump...!

"...Ugh."

Ruby tried to push Frey away but suddenly stopped as she felt discomfort in her heart, causing her to shiver and narrow her eyes.

"Why do you keep shocking me?"

"Huh? What are you talking about? What shock?"

"D-do you think I don’t know about it? Y-you’ve been giving me a slight shock in my heart for a while now."

"What are you talking about? Stellar mana cannot be manipulated with such precision.”

To prove his point, Frey quietly snapped his fingers.

"Heiiiikk!!"

"Stellar mana is a force that will explode in an instant. Therefore, it should be utilized by triggering it in an instant or releasing high-output energy, like I just did.

"I-I see! I get it now!"

Ruby urgently shouted as writhed in agony from the excruciating pain in her heart.

"Anyway, it's impossible to manipulate mana with that characteristic with such precision.The only thing even my ancestor, the First Hero, couldn’t do was control his strength.”

"T-then... what's this I’m feeling?"

Ruby threw a questioning look with a confused expression.

"If you didn't intervene, why is my heart pounding like this?"

"Hehe..."

"...Heiiikk?"

Still embracing her, Frey looked down at her and gently smiled before biting her earlobe.

- Thump, thump, thump...!

At the same time, her heartbeat was getting faster and faster.

"Haa, hah... Haaa..."

Her cheeks slowly turned red, and her breathing began to roughen.

"Wh-What in the world is this..."

"Who knows?

When Ruby mumbled confusedly, Frey licked her ear once, showing smiling eyes.

"I wonder what it could be?"

"I-I don't know…”

- Thump, thump, thump...

The more she looked at him, the more her heart pounded. So, Ruby tried to quietly turn her gaze away.

- Click!!

"Wh-What?"

She was startled and pushed Frey away as she tried to stand up when she suddenly heard the sound of a magical recording device being activated,

- Step-step-step

Then, someone quickly ran into the darkness.

"It’s a paparazzi."

"D-darn it."

Staring blankly at the direction where the paparazzi were running, she urgently raised her finger.

- Crackle...!

Though she desperately traced her finger in the air, for some reason, nothing happened.

"W-why isn't the attack working..."

"That paparazzi is good, I guess. You can't attack good people, can you?"

"What nonsense is that..."

"By the way, Ruby."

Ruby panicked at the thought of that photo being spread.

As she was about to hurriedly follow the paparazzi, Frey grabbed her arm firmly.

"Oh, your heart is pounding again?"

"..."

Then, Frey started making a chilling expression.

- Booomm!!!

"Keheuk!?"

Soon, Ruby, with her arm grabbed, floated in the air and crashed to the ground, gasping for breath.

- Thud....!

"Kyahuk! S-stop! Stop it!"

Frey mercilessly struck her exposed belly.

"I love you too, Ruby."

"Stop, stop talking nonsense... Keheuk!"

Due to that, her mind once again became blurry.

Why in the world... is my heart pounding?

- Grip…

"Geeeeeuhh..."

However, Frey was unfazed by her suffering and started to strangle her again.

- Drip...

Thanks to that, feeling bubbles bursting in her head, blood started to trickle from her nose.

"I love you, I love you, I love you."

- Thump...!

...Damn it.

As Ruby's heart continued to pound uncontrollably, she eventually lost consciousness.

- Srrk...

Just as Ruby's eyes started to dim, Frey, who had been choking her, quietly shifted his gaze towards the carriage and snapped his fingers.

- Shaaa…

Then, for some reason, the stellar mana that had been wrapped around the wheels and underneath the carriage slowly began to unravel and scatter into the ground.

- Hizzz…

Then, traces of artificial impact applied under the wheels and carriage were revealed.

Contrary to Frey's claim that 'precise manipulation' was impossible with stellar mana, this directly contradicted his words.

"...Hmm."

Frey's mouth curled up once again.

.

.

.

.

.

"Gasp, gasp..."

"..."

Several hours later, in a remote forest of the empire.

"W-when are we going to arrive?"

"We're almost there, so stop exaggerating."

"Every time I breathe, it feels like my heart is being ripped apart."

"Stop exaggerating."

After walking without a carriage for a while, Frey said gently to Ruby, who was frowning in displeasure.

"By the way, where in the world are we going? You're not planning to bury me alive here, right? Let me tell you, this won't do..."

"It's one of the headquarters of the Church."

"Headquarters of the Church?"

In response to Ruby's question, Frey looked ahead and answered.

“This place belongs to the most meticulous executive among the 12 Church executives. Unfortunately, he is also on the same level as me. I need you to handle him for me.”

"... What ability does he have?"

"Super regeneration ability. It's an ability powerful enough to survive even when a pulverizer shreds him."

“Isn’t that a natural ability to have?”

Frey explained kindly, but his eyebrows twitched slightly upon hearing Ruby’s words.

"What’s so great about that... Keheuk!!"

"I see. My girlfriend is truly the best. I'll express my affection as a reward."

Right after that, Frey's fist lodged in her abdomen.

"Th-this bastard..."

- Thump, thump...

"...?"

Despite the tears welling in her eyes and her cursing, she soon wore a confused expression as her heart began to race once again.

"W-why did... I just got hit, why..."

"It seems like you want another one."

"T-That’s not... Keheuk!"

Then, as another punch landed on her lower abdomen, Frey tightly covered her mouth

"Ebeb..."

"Shh."

Ruby’s voice was muffled because of Frey’s hand.

"Someone is up ahead. Be careful not to get caught. They excel at running, so we might need to sneak in."

"Eubeb, eub..."

"I'm not good at prolonged battles. You handle the executive... Hm?"

Frey continued to move forward while covering her mouth.

"..."

Soon, he stopped talking, and his expression turned blank.

"....Ugh."

And it was the same for Ruby, whose mouth was blocked by Frey.

- Crackkk!!!

"Keuaaaccckk!!"

Right in front of them, a desperate scream echoed along with the sound of a body breaking apart.

"Do you know…? Your Excellency!!"

At the same time, a quite familiar voice reached their ears.

"Infinite recovery, also means infinite suffering!!"

"W-wait a moment!! We can talk about thiiiiis!!"

"I know very well because I have been in a similar situation!!!"

Ferloche repeatedly destroyed and rapidly restored a bishop, one of the twelve executives, using her divine power.

"What's the code to enter the executives’ meeting room?!"

"I'll tell you!! I said I'll tell youuuuuuu!!"

"Wow, you're someone of high integrity! Alright, I'll be sincerely extracting the information from now on!!"

"Save meeeeeee!!"

"Hmm."

"Ubeb."

Frey and Ruby looked at each other and simultaneously began to slowly step /genesisforsaken