The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 10
“Again, the concentration is weak.”
“Yes, I understand!”
“Again, the flow is unstable.”
“A-again… yes, I understand!”
“Again.”
“… yes!”
“Again.”
“……”
Alicia didn’t respond but panted heavily. Damn, this brat. I was taking my precious time to watch her channel her aura into her sword!
“Um… Master. I’m sorry, but… I can’t produce any more mana.”
“Nonsense. I’ve told you several times, your talent is not limited to this. If it were, I wouldn’t have bothered to bring you out of that backwater village.”
“Thank you for the compliment…”
“I’m not saying this to make you feel good. I’m just stating the facts.”
Alicia, who looked like she could collapse at any moment, was barely holding herself up, leaning on a huge iron sword. She was out of breath, her clothes soaked with sweat and sticking to her skin.
“… I’ll try again.”
“Go ahead.”
Alicia gathered her remaining strength and pushed herself off the ground, struggling to maintain her balance. Her desperate efforts left marks on the dirt floor.
Once again, she gathered all the mana in her body and directed it to the blade of her sword. A blue layer of mana formed around the sharp edge of the sword.
“Good, now make the concentration thicker and thinner at the same time.”
“Yes, yes! Thicker and… thinner…”
Alicia squinted her eyes, focusing intensely on her sword. Her concentrated effort began to show as the mana around the sword took on a more refined form.
“I did it, Master!”
Alicia exclaimed in joy. The concentration and thinness of the mana were quite impressive.
“Well done. Although you have been training to control your mana for months, it’s remarkable that you managed to learn how to use aura in just a few days. You truly are a genius, as I acknowledged.”
“Thank you, Master!”
Alicia, who had been exhausted just moments ago, now seemed revitalized. Her complexion also looked much better compared to when I first saw her. Perhaps it was because she had been eating nutritious food regularly.
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you, Teacher Bram. It’s all thanks to you and the Master.”
Bram, who congratulated her in a stoic manner, had a small smile on his usually emotionless face. It was a smile so small that one had to look closely to notice it.
After savoring her moment of triumph, Alicia looked at me cautiously.
“… Master, may I make one request?”
“Hmm? Sure, as long as it’s not too troublesome. Go ahead.”
Alicia making a request? That was unusual. Given her rapid progress, I supposed I could grant her a small reward.
“Well… you mentioned that the three of you would be going somewhere while I train here, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Then, since I finished my training earlier than planned, may I join you?”
So, what she was saying was.
She didn’t want to be left here and wanted to come along with us. Was that right?
“Ah, about that.”
I spoke to Alicia, who was biting her lip nervously.
***
Paula’s lips were pouting like a duck. Ever since she figured out what I was up to, she had been like this. It was ridiculous.
“Act your age.”
“What did you just say?”
“I said if you don’t put those lips back to normal, I’ll cut them off with Bram’s sword.”
It was the fifth day since we arrived in Rubid Village. Leaving Alicia in the village, Paula, Bram, and I were moving around this small, dirty village.
This was related to the three reasons why we came here. All three were very time-sensitive and couldn’t be delayed even for a day.
Fortunately, Alicia’s ability had been developing faster than expected, so there had been no delay in progressing to the next story.
“……”
Paula, who had retracted her lips, looked up at the sky. Something fluttering like petals fell to the ground.
“Snow… it’s snowing!”
Paula tilted her head all the way back, her previous gloominess noticeably lifted. The clouds blocked the sun, forming a thick layer and sprinkling white ash.
The snowflakes were large and numerous. By the time we achieved our objective and returned, it would probably be piled up to our ankles.
The snowflake that touched my hand melted instantly due to my body heat. Paula took a deep breath and seemed to have made some sort of resolution.
In her usual high-pitched voice, she asked.
“Master, is it true that there is a secret dungeon here?”
A secret dungeon.
A dungeon that was literally hidden.
“Yes, and it’s in a very accessible form.”
“An accessible form… does that mean the dungeon is weakened or that we have a way to conquer it? No wonder you’re challenging it with such a small group.”
It wasn’t really a challenge, Paula. We were just going to retrieve the relic from a nearly collapsed dungeon. Challenge was too grand a term for it.
“We’ll know for sure once we get there, but if it’s true, that’s amazing. How did you come by such information?”
“When you’re in a high place, everything becomes clear.”
Actually, this dungeon had nothing to do with Vargan. In fact, it was more correct to say that this place was unpleasant for Vargan.
Originally, in the story, the protagonist Liam would obtain and use the relic from this dungeon effectively. For me, who immersed myself in the role of Vargan while reading the novel, this relic held no good memories.
“We’re almost there. If we pass through this area… ah, I see the entrance.”
“Really? Where… oh? There’s a lake! Bram, do you see it? It’s a huge lake!”
“Yes, it’s a lake.”
“That’s a dull reaction. You could be more surprised, you know? … well, being stoic is part of Bram’s charm, though.”
“……”
A vast, clear lake that could be mistaken for the sea sparkled under the sunlight. The trees around it looked like toothpicks compared to the enormous lake.
We had arrived.
At the time when that creature inside was still barely hanging on to life.
When Liam found it, so much time had passed that the creature had already died, making it impossible for the relic to exert its full power. Even then, it was troublesome enough to deal with me. If it were still alive, I wondered how powerful it would be.
The image of the foolish protagonist came to mind.
Liam, it wasn’t you, the protagonist, but me, Vargan, who had arrived here first. How ironic.
Wasn’t it amusing?
Everything was deviating greatly from the narrative you knew. This was just one of those deviations.
The pet you planned to raise and use as a weapon would now serve someone else and turn against you.
What kind of face would you make then?
“I can’t wait to see.”
Just thinking about that idiot’s twisted expression made me smile.
***
“Oh my… thank you, young lady. Thanks to you, my work is much easier.”
The village chief straightened his spine, which had been bent for a long time, and grimaced. It had been a while since he had moved around so much, and his back pain was worse.
The old storeroom of the village chief’s house. This dusty place was filled with all sorts of miscellaneous items.
“But… is it okay for you to help us like this? Don’t you have work to do?”
“Don’t worry about it. My Master told me to do as I please while he is out.”
“Oh dear, then we’ve taken away your rest time. I’m sorry…”
“No, I wanted to help.”
Alicia’s bright smile eased the village chief’s concerns. He paused for a moment, seemingly touched, then grasped Alicia’s delicate hand with his wrinkled one.
“My grandson… he’s of marriageable age, you know… I’d be overjoyed if a girl like you became my daughter-in-law.”
“Uh…?”
“You’re so kind and beautiful. Where did such a young lady come from?”
“Um, excuse me…!”
“Could you arrange a meeting with your master?”
Alicia couldn’t pull her hand away and opened her mouth, taken aback by the sudden and awkward proposal.
“How about it…? Would that be alright?”
But in this situation, she needed to clearly express her will. Giving a vague answer would be even more disrespectful.
Alicia steadied her wandering gaze.
“Thank you for the offer, but I must decline. I’m sorry.”
“My grandson may be an ignorant country boy, but he’s diligent and excellent at farming. He has a good personality too… wouldn’t you reconsider?”
The chief’s tone became urgent, taken aback by her firm rejection.
“Oh, it’s not because of that…”
The chief seemed to sense her firm resolve and slowly released his grip. Alicia gently extricated herself from his hand.
“I have a lot of work to do in the future. I’m grateful for your kind offer, but I can’t accept it.”
The chief let out a sigh but didn’t press further. A faint smile appeared on his lips.
“Such a waste… the Master you serve is a lucky man. Ah, right. Since you’re here, I want to give you something. Follow me. It’s a rare chance to give you a gift.”
The chief, chuckling dejectedly, took a step back. He then led the way out of the storeroom. Alicia followed closely behind.
“One of our village’s specialties is fresh cheese made from newly milked cows. I want you to have some—”
—Crack!
The chief didn’t finish his sentence. Or rather, he couldn’t.
“… huh?”
Alicia’s faint voice slipped out as she struggled to comprehend the sudden change in circumstances. Her body froze, and her mind raced to interpret what had just happened.
A moment ago, the chief had stepped over the threshold of the storeroom to leave. … had stepped? What had stepped? What had disappeared?
A sickening sound and a shattered head.
The head that had been part of his body was now impaled on something like a giant thorn, stuck in the wooden wall of the storeroom.
Thud.
His body, now headless, lost its balance and fell. A dark liquid spurted out, drenching everything around it in its color.
Alicia’s breath became erratic. Although she hadn’t exhausted all her mana or physical strength, her body felt as if it was being crushed under a heavy weight.
In her mind, the memories bound by blood and darkness began to creep up and take over her.
She knew.
This was not the first time she faced such a situation.
Alicia knew.
She knew what it meant when blood spurted out like this.
[Krrk?]
Beyond the threshold, a red creature appeared as if it had been waiting. That amber-eyed thing was not unfamiliar either.
Was this a dream?
A memory she never wanted to relive. A cursed nightmare. The curse of that day.
Was this an extension of that torment? The continuation of that agony?
Nevertheless, she prayed desperately.
Please, let this be just a nightmare.