I'm the Friend of a Male Lead who went Crazy after the Female Lead Died

Killian Haunbert

He was Aeterna Empire’s first Holy Knight, and the continent’s guardian.

Eight years ago, he saved the world from the demon king.

So, to seat such a sacred individual at an old, and shabby wooden table would be akin to blasphemy. And right now, that act of sacrilege was happening in real-time.

“Is that really true?” he asked, resting his chin on the dirty table.

“Uh, yeah. It is true,” wearily replied the person who committed the sin of putting him there.

Raising an eyebrow, Killian questioned again,” Elshnain, are you really claiming that you don’t remember me?”

“Yes, I…I really don’t.”

The woman called Elshnain looked like she would burst into tears at any moment, while Killian, despite his lack of seriousness regarding the matter, appeared intimidating as he rolled his eyes and sweat trickled down his forehead.

“Ha,” Killian sighed, a corner of his mouth twisting up, causing Elshnain’s shoulders to shrink in fear, and whimper.

“Ah… you, you really don’t remember me, is that what you’re telling me? he repeated, chewing on the words.

And Elshnain shrunk even more, stuttering “U…uh, yes.”

“What about you kidnapping Arwen eight years ago?”

“I-I did such a bad thing?”

“No, you did something even worse than that; you cruelly abandoning someone who cared about you.”

Elshnain blinked innocently several times; her confused expression showed her genuine inability to remember anything. Yet tears hung in her round eyes, revealing how shocked she was by what she had done in the past.

“If……If that’s true……. I don’t know who that person is, but apologize to them for me,” the girl replied, sniffing.

“Oh, you don’t know who that someone is?”

Elshnain took a deep breath as she met Killian cold red eyes head on.

Shivering, she hunched over even more than before, her pale face looking like she might suddenly faint.

Still sniffling loudly, she thought,

He’s kidding! While I did kidnap the heroine, I never abandoned anyone.

Sniffle!

Killian, you bastard! No matter how crazy the female lead’s death made you, it’s not right to deceive people!

Thanks to her desperately keeping her eyes wide open since earlier, a single tear rolled down her cheek just at the right time.

And she slowly wiped it away with the back of hand, making sure Killian could see everything.

Ah, life! Elshnain thought again.

As she reached that point of reflection, Elshnain suddenly felt that her current situation was undeserved.

Contrary to what she had told Killian, she did remember him.

Not only did she remember him, but she also knew all about his past, present, and even future. This was because she had possessed a character from the novel ‘He went crazy after she died’ twenty years ago.

And there was a very tear-inducing story behind the lies she just told Killian.

***

To uncover that story, one must first go back to eight years ago.

At that time, the continent was in complete chaos due to the invasion of the Demon King who coveted the human realm.

Countless demons poured out of torn-open rifts, threatening to engulf the continent and everything in it.

‘Retreat, Retreat!’

‘Please, save me! I can’t die here like this! Please!’

Those screams echoed throughout the whole empire.

Then, thanks to the prophecy given to the legendary saint, the beings inhabiting the continent had formed an alliance between themselves and built massive fortresses to protect everyone.

Elves, Undead, Dwarves, and Humans united against the vile soldiers from the demon realm, successfully holding them off. However, with the emergence of high-ranking demons, the tides quickly turned.

‘Is the Holy Sword still nowhere to be found?’

As humans faced defeat, they began to seek divine salvation, and finally found it in The Holy Sword, said to have been crafted by the gods themselves.

With one swing, it could claim the lives of all demons present, while a second one could end the Demon King’s life.

But no one was able to draw that sword.

‘The gods have abandoned us! We are all going to die!’

‘Damnit, don’t say unlucky things.’

As the Holy Sword stood embedded in the center of their forsaken stronghold hall, emitting its own eerie glow, thus humans spat on the thing that refused to be taken out, and cursed its existence.

‘How could the gods abandon us like this.’

But amidst the despairing people, only one person remained calm and said, ‘Even if they did, isn’t spitting on the sword going a bit too far?’

This person was Elshnain, who had transmigrated inside the novel for twelve years already.

She knew who the rightful owner of the sword was, and what would happen next.

Though unable to draw it out right now, her friend Killian would soon awaken his immense powers and vanquish the demons effortlessly.

Therefore, the current situation didn’t frighten her at all.

However, her heart was racing for a completely different reason.

The moment she had long been waiting for was approaching.

‘Ah, I’m so nervous.’

For ages, she had honed her skills on dolls in preparation for this day. And now that it was finally happening, her hands were sweaty.

Elshnain gulped nervously.

.

.

‘The demonic army is coming!’ Someone screamed.

‘What about the elves guarding the main gate? Have they all been defeated?’ Someone else asked.

‘It seems…damn it, it seems they’ve joined forces with the demons!’

‘What did you just say?’ an incredulous sound escaped from Killian’s mouth.

As a teenager, his voice still lacked maturity, revealing his unease easily.

And at that moment, the saint stepped forward,

‘I will hold them off here. In the meantime, find a way to get the sword out.’

‘What are you crazy?’ Killian said. ‘Arwen don’t say such nonsense!’

Arwen, the book’s heroine loved by the main protagonist Killian, was the saint entrusted with a divine mission.

They loved each other dearly, but never got the chance to express their feelings due to the constant raging war and threat of death.

Really, it was a tragic relationship.

Defying her comrades’ objections, Arwen sacrificed her life to create a massive barrier, protecting everyone present in this fortress.

‘Noooo, Arwen!’

‘The saint…the saint!’

The saint’s blood splattered onto the sword’s surface, dripping down. And as her body fell on the ground, the barrier expanded around her, causing the fortress to shake.

Killian walked towards the Holy Sword as if possessed, then his hand grasped its handle.

To everyone’s surprise, the sword that was deeply embedded in the earth seconds ago as if fused with it, easily came out.

‘The Holy Sword! Guardian Killian has drawn the Holy Sword! Oh, the gods haven’t forsaken us!’

Watching all this unfold, Elshnain tighten her fists with determination burning in her eyes, ‘Now’s the time.’

It was time for her to fulfill her true role.

Quickly transforming into her spiritual form, she soared in the sky.

‘I’m sorry Killian.’

As she glanced at Killian holding the sword with closed eyes, she gently bit her lower lip. She had the role to guide him on his journey, and resurrect the heroine, but she was also supposed to take her away from him for an amount of time.

I’m sorry Killian. I’m so sorry for the pain I’m about to cause you.

‘If I don’t do this, you’ll commit an irreversible sin.’

If Elshnain did not revive Arwen herself, Killian would turn against the continent he fought so hard to save in order to bring her back to life.

‘I have to follow the original storyline.’

Engrossed in the ritual that would make him the sword’s ultimate owner, Killian didn’t notice Elshnain’s movements as she swiftly summoned water.

Splash!

Unexpected water sounds echoed throughout the stronghold, making everyone panic.

‘Is that water?’

‘Everyone, take cover!’

The water stream burst out from thin air, and quickly coiled around the Saint, soaring high into the sky with her.

Elshnain threw herself inside the water; this stream was going to take her and Arwen far away.

‘Elshnain!!!’

But just as she reached the top of the water stream, Killian’s voice rang desperately from below.

‘Elshnain!’

Ignoring his screams, she tightly pursed her lips and headed towards the cabin she prepared in advance for this occasion.

She knew very well that because of this act, her friend would come to hate her. He would see it as her taking his love away from him.

Elshnain knew this.

But this was something she had prepared for, for twelve long years, and already resolved herself to do.

So, on this day, she kidnapped Arwen.

Or more precisely, Arwen’s lifeless body.

***

‘Today is the day.’

A slightly trembling voice escaped from Elshnain.

‘Finally, it is today.’

Seven years already passed in the blink of an eye since she kidnapped the heroine. During that time, Elshnain made every effort to resurrect her.

First, she convinced Yggdrasil to breathe life into her, then she fed Arwen the Life Water in order to nourish and reconstruct her damaged body. She even borrowed something called Dragon Heart from a red dragon, and made her body absorb it. Finally, she transferred her elemental powers to Arwen without missing a single drop.

‘And today, under the rising full moon, Arwen will wake up.’

She paced nervously inside the cabin deep inside the forest.

‘Uh…what if something goes wrong? No let’s not say such unlucky stuff.’

Elshnain shook her head, biting firmly on her lower lip.

‘What was my first line in the original story again?’

The book’s prologue started with Arwen awaking from her deadly sleep, and as a significant supporting character, her first meaningful line was, “Hello, Arwen.”

‘Alright, let’s do this.’ Elshnain said out loud, scooping up the peacefully lying Arwen from the bed, and making her way towards the mist-filled cliff below the cabin.

‘Hup.’

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she gently placed Arwen in a suitable spot.

 Now, they just had to wait for the full moon to rise completely.

Her heart raced.

Taking deep breaths, she waited for the female lead to open her eyes.

One hour passed.

Then two.

And finally, the full moon appeared high in the sky.

‘…..’

But nothing happened that night.

Then two more days passed by.

Then one week.

Then a month.

‘Huh…?’

Elshnain felt perplexed.

Even after a whole year slipped by, the heroine still didn’t open her eyes.

The unexpected turn of events Caused cold sweat trickled down her neck.

For some reason, it felt like something had gone wrong.