The Heroine Died!? Did The Plot Armor Fail? (Hiatus)

1) Plot Armor Doesn't Exist In Real Life!!

"Nadia, wait up!" A boy shouted.

A girl similar to his age giggled and dashed into the forest. The wind brushing against her cheek made her feel faster. The blond-haired boy sighed as he chased after her. That energetic sister of his sure knew how to tire him out. Kids are too much... Wait, he IS one right now.

They ran until Nadia slowed down for Leo. Up ahead was the usual path they took when they played or snuck out. An old yet stable bridge reach the other side of the shallow river. A few trees over there had long scratch marks, but it wasn't noticable unless one observed closely. One of those trees had a dark spot, almost like a burn. It was leftover from yesterday when the boy did some fire magic.

"Move faster Leo, we don't have a lot of time!" She beckoned.

"Well maybe if you hadn't disturbed me for the last 20 minutes..." Leo rolled his eyes.

Damn protagonists! If it were any other day, he would be sleeping. But no, the future heroine just had to drag him out to find something. Leo didn't remember this being mentioned in the game. Then again, there weren't a lot of trivial details about past events.

If it wasn't for his girlfriend hogging the PS4 for this otome game, he couldn't imagine what disaster would befall. His current life was nice and stress-free but he missed the internet. This world isn't too bad since magic is used to make a person's life convenient. Unlike electric appliances, you don't have to pay for magic. The trade-off wasn't bad in those terms.

"...Leo, I'll swipe all your breakfast tomorrow if I leave you behind!"

"I'll drench you in your sleep if you do!" Leo threatened back.

Nadia ran, starting at a slower pace. In seconds, Leo could see her figure suddenly get smaller. His expression was shocked. She wasn't lying when she said that!

That cheater! Leo clicked his tongue and focused his senses in the air. He felt a trickling sensation in the air and guide it to his legs. Soon, mana wrapped around his legs and his speed doubled. At this point, Nadia was already out of sight. He cursed and casted another spell as he jumped. Instead of landing on the ground, he looked like he was suspended in air. However it wouldn't last long, so he jumped again and casted the same spell.

With two spells, he closed in the distance and in moments, he saw a familiar chestnut hair. He steadied his pace and soon passed Nadia. To rub it in, he slowed to her pace and mockingly waved. She pouted in defeat. Today's victory was his!

"Heh, two can play at that game sis!" He smirked and sped further.

It's not unusual for them to compete like this. After all, they were under a family of mages. Since they were the only children of House Reinfel, they got along better than most siblings. A little competitive? Sure, but it wasn't like they were out to kill each other. Or maybe it's thanks to being adopted that their rivalry is like this. He wasn't blood related in any way, but Leo was grateful to her family.

As Leo continued on, he almost passed the forest clearing. He canceled his spells and landed on the ground. He sat down and waited. Several minutes passed, making him worried. What the hell was she doing? It didn't take long to get here through magic and she wasn't the type to stroll. The moment he got up to find her, he felt a strange pulse pushing the mana. It was weak and clumsy, coming from afar.

His eyes widened and he ran towards the direction of the pulse. He used the same spells from earlier in a hurry. There weren't many mages in their town, and most children couldn't push out their magic that far other than him and Nadia. This event never happened in the game!

Another strange pulse pushed outwards. It didn't take him long to pinpoint the location. It was far off from the path they took, away from the river too. They never ventured beyond specific areas due to terrain. When Leo arrived, his worst fear came true. Nadia's flesh was torn off in huge chunks, the ground soaked in blood. She was still alive but that wouldn't last for long.

A deformed bear raised its claws and swiped down. Leo casted an incomplete spell in desperation. A pillar of ice shot from the ground. The moment it touched the bear's arm, ice began to encase that particular part. He recasted the spell, properly this time. Another pillar of ice popped up, it couldn't pierce through its skin but the spell trapped it.

Was that bear resistant to ice then? Leo didn't take the chance to find out and rushed over to Nadia. He carried her and ran off. The bear roared but that wasn't enough to make him stop. His speed spell was still active, and Leo went at the fastest pace possible. He cursed himself for not knowing any healing spells.

"You idiot, what were you doing?!" He scolded her.

If she heard him, she didn't say anything, more like she couldn't. He looked at her only to find her passed out. For a second, he thought she died but her unsteady breathing gave him hope. After what felt like an eternity, he reached the town.

"Priest, call the priest!!" He shouted.

Some people were shocked at the sight of Nadia in his arms, some froze in fear. A few people rushed to get a priest. People who were used to bloody sights immediately helped him. Someone laid a blanket and Leo put Nadia down. Everything went by fast. They tried to stop the bleeding, the priest went to heal her, and they moved her inside the church since it disturbed the townspeople.

Leo's parents heard the news and went over to Nadia. When they visited, she wasn't as bloody anymore. In a few hours, she breathed her last without waking up. She lost too much blood, but it would be stranger if she survived. Leo couldn't believe it. If he'd come earlier, would she still be alive? No, it was better if they never went outside in the first place.

Not only did he blame himself, but his mother did too. The irony was too much for him. An 8 year old future heroine dying before the main setting? Unheard of, but yet here it happened. He wouldn't even be surprised if he was supposed to die instead.

Life was much crueler than expected. The next day, his father declared he was banished from House Reinfel and forced him to pack up with a recommendation letter. There's no denying that it was to protect him from his mother, but it still hurt. He spent 5 years as their adopted son as an intended heir. Now, he was without a family again...

Leo let out a deep sigh and left his pocket watch behind. It can't be helped since it had House Reinfel's insignia.