Reincarnated as a failed hero?! Watch me Defy Fate!-Chapter 252: Even Heroes Need Rest

We trained nonstop until the sun began to dip beneath the horizon. It truly felt like hell.

Yunho and Mina kept a close watch on us, their eyes sharp and unyielding. It was like they could see through every strained muscle, every faltering breath. They didn’t miss a single mistake.

And if any of us dared to rest longer than allowed...

"CRAAACK!!"

Mina would snap her whip through the air with frightening precision. Just the sound alone was enough to jolt us back on our feet.

But what really broke our spirits was Runa—who, for some reason, looked absolutely thrilled every time Mina cracked that whip. The little cat even grabbed her own tiny version and started helping Mina keep us in line.

Apparently, she still had a sadistic streak.

Envi, on the other hand, sounded increasingly annoyed in my head as he watched Runa having the time of her life. He kept yelling at me mentally, begging to come out and "play" with the girls.

I yelled back at him in my thoughts, threatening to make him train in my place if he was that bored.

But the damn system just yawned and said he’d rather take a nap.

Lazy bastard.

I cursed him internally, but of course, he ignored me completely and went to sleep.

With no other choice, I pressed on and pushed my body to the limit.

Hours passed. The sky turned orange, then purple. And somehow—miraculously—we made it. We finished the insane workout they gave us.

Every one of us collapsed to the ground, muscles twitching, sweat soaking our clothes.

Theresia passed out completely. Cain was on the verge of vomiting. Freya couldn’t move her arms anymore.

Serena and I were the only ones still standing. Barely. My body was screaming, but deep down, I could tell—ever since I broke past my previous limits, my physical strength had grown immensely. I felt like I could keep going.

Maybe.

Yunho and Mina approached us, both smiling with approval.

"Well done, all of you," Mina said, letting out a small laugh. "Honestly, I didn’t expect you to finish it."

So they were testing us.

"This proves you all have the potential to reach Overlimit Forced Aura," Yunho said with a proud nod. "Be proud of yourselves."

We were stunned. But hearing that—being acknowledged by them—it made the pain worth it.

"How long... do we have to keep doing this physical training?" Freya asked, her voice weak.

Yunho scratched his chin, looking thoughtful. "Hmm, based on your current condition and potential... I’d say, about a month. That’s the fastest estimate." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

We all dropped to the ground again like dominoes.

"You’ve got to be kidding me..." Theresia muttered before passing out again.

"What the hell?! When do we get to the real training—?!" Cain started to protest, but ended up gagging.

Serena, Freya, and I just accepted our fate in silence.

Yunho laughed at our reactions. "Hang in there. If you want to grow strong fast, this is the only way."

"That’s right," Mina added. "And out of everyone here... Naoki’s physical performance is the best so far. The rest of you should take notes from him."

She paused, then looked directly at me. "Which also means... starting tomorrow, your training quota will increase."

"Ah... wait, wha—?"

Her eyes narrowed coldly. "Answer me."

She raised her whip again.

Runa mirrored her, holding her own whip and wagging her tail with excitement. My familiar was getting weirder by the day.

"Y-Yes, Mina-sama! I’ll do it!"

Mina smiled and gave a satisfied nod.

I accepted my fate.

Still... maybe I could switch control with Envi next time so he could feel the pain too. But knowing that lazy system, he’d probably just pretend to be asleep again.

Damn it. I really want to punch that system again in the face.

....

After that hellish training, we were finally allowed to rest.

Before heading to our own rooms, Serena gently reminded me not to push myself too hard. Then, with a soft smile, she encouraged me to keep going.

I nodded and patted her head. That small gesture made her smile even more.

"Go get some rest, Serena..." I said kindly.

She nodded, then picked up the still-unconscious Theresia and the barely-moving Freya and began carrying them to their rooms.

I offered to help Cain get back to his room too, but he brushed me off—too proud to accept help.

"I can walk," he muttered, forcing himself upright.

I let it go. He was probably going to collapse the second he made it inside and didn’t want me to witness it.

The sun had long dipped into the horizon, leaving behind the soft glow of twilight. But I wasn’t done yet. There was still one more thing I had to do tonight—analyze Lilith’s teleportation formula in the academy’s lab with Lyra, Char, and Orion.

When I arrived at the Braveheart Knight Academy and made my way toward the lab, I unexpectedly ran into Lyra along the path.

We both stopped in surprise.

"Naoki-sama," she said, eyes widening. "You look like your muscles are screaming..."

"They are," I chuckled.

She gave me a look of concern. "At least rest for a few minutes before we start. Come on."

She led me to the academy’s garden, where we sat down side by side on one of the benches. The sky above was awash with stars beginning to peek through the fading dusk.

"It’s been a while since we just sat like this... watching the evening sky," Lyra said softly.

"Yeah... Back then, it used to be me, you, Marius, Freya, Amelia, Luna, Julius, Thermina... sometimes Leopold, even Kael..." I murmured. "We spent so many evenings like this."

We both fell into a quiet nostalgia. The calm before the storm of memories.

Lyra smiled faintly. Then, without saying much, she placed a gentle hand over mine and whispered a spell.

"[Heal]."

A soothing warmth washed over me.

"Thanks, Lyra..." I said quietly.

"It’s the least I can do," she replied. "But I didn’t fully heal you—just enough to relax your muscles. I didn’t want to interfere with your physical growth."

I gave a slow nod. "That makes sense..."

Then I looked at her and said softly, "You always worry about me. You’ve always been there."

She shook her head and smiled gently. "That’s because I want to be, Naoki-sama."

Her voice was tender. Her healing magic was comforting. It was all so... calming.

I felt my eyelids grow heavy.

Before I realized it, I’d drifted off.

Lyra caught me just as I started to slump forward, and my head came to rest gently against hers.

We stayed like that—leaning against each other, surrounded by peace.

"Just rest a little... Naoki-sama," she whispered.

...

...

When I slowly opened my eyes, I felt completely refreshed.

But what surprised me more was that Lyra had fallen asleep too—her head resting softly on my shoulder.

I froze, unsure what to do. She looked so peaceful. I didn’t have the heart to wake her.

And that’s when I heard a voice.

"My, my. How adorable you two are like that."

I turned instantly.

"Saintess-sama?!" I nearly jumped.

She giggled behind a hand. "Relax. I won’t tell Serena. Or Amelia."

"W-Wait, it’s not what it looks like—!"

"Haha, I believe you," she said with a knowing smile. "You know what? Lyra’s had a long day. She spent the whole morning in the royal library researching teleportation magic—trying to find ways to help with your analysis. And this afternoon, she was training her support spells with me."

She looked at Lyra fondly.

"She’s a strong girl. Pure-hearted. Stubborn, in a good way. When she cares about someone, she gives everything she’s got."

I looked down at Lyra, sleeping so gently beside me.

"...That’s true," I said quietly. "She’s always helping me. Always there."

I paused, realizing something that had been staring me in the face this whole time.

The Saintess’ words echoed in my head: ’...when she cares about someone...’

She meant me.

My cheeks turned red.

I always knew Lyra had feelings for me. I just thought... maybe they’d fade over time.

But maybe it wasn’t so simple.

I think Lyra truly loves me. And honestly... I feel so many things when I’m with her. It’s a mix of warmth, comfort, and guilt.

But one thing I know for sure—If I hadn’t met Serena first... I think I would’ve fallen for Lyra. Deeply.

She’s truly an amazing girl.

I leaned in slightly and whispered to her, "Thank you for everything, Lyra..."

...

A little while later, I gently nudged her awake.

She blinked in confusion before realizing where she was—and who she was leaning on. Her face instantly turned crimson.

"I-I’m so sorry!" she stammered. Then her eyes widened even more. "Saintess-sama?! Y-You saw—?!"

The Saintess just smiled. "Don’t worry. I’ll keep it our little secret."

I laughed awkwardly. "It’s fine, really. We were all exhausted."

Lyra nodded, flustered but smiling.

Eventually, we made our way to the laboratory, where Char and Orion were already waiting.

The moment we stepped in, Char immediately smirked.

"Lyra, why’s your face all red? Don’t tell me you and Naoki were—"

"Focus on the research, Char," I interrupted, shooting her a warning glare.

Char clicked her tongue playfully. "Killjoy."

Orion just gave a stiff laugh, clearly trying not to get involved.

We spent the next couple of hours analyzing the next five layers of Lilith’s teleportation formula. It was meticulous work—but we were making real progress.

By the time the clock struck 10 p.m., we called it a night and headed back to our rooms.

As I lay in bed, I found myself thinking ahead.

Tomorrow night... I’d meet Lilith again.

Here, in the quiet of my room—she would appear with her teleportation magic.

Tomorrow, we would complete the final analysis and combine all our findings.

If we were right, we could create a new magic that would counter Lilith’s teleportation entirely.

I really hoped it would work.

If it did... maybe she’d smile again.

Even just a little.

...

..

.