The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 12
A rare genius.
The strongest heroine.
The best supporter.
All these titles were for her, Alicia. She had countless other nicknames, but these were the main ones used even in the story, clearly indicating her exceptional talent as a hero.
When she, a commoner, entered Academia, she amazed everyone. Everyone recognized her talent. Not only the students, but also the professors and even the church had high expectations for her.
⎯Alicia will be the leader of this generation. She will protect everyone and become the hope of humanity.
In reality, as time passed, she began to soar higher than anyone else, as if spreading her magnificent and large wings to reach the sun.
Higher, higher.
Very high.
However, no one knew. They didn’t know that the wings she spread this time were made of wax.
As she flew, unaware of the dangers of the sky, her wings melted completely before reaching the sun.
The first field training.
The first time she encountered the red monsters she spoke of. She was paired with the protagonist, Liam, and took the rear as the team’s mage. Knowing her trauma, Liam tried his best to prevent her from encountering the monsters, running around tirelessly.
But there was a limit. Even though Liam was growing rapidly like Alicia, he wasn’t strong enough to protect everyone.
Eventually, the monsters reached Alicia’s position. Unaware of her past, everyone expected great things from her. There were no worries because she was a genius. Everyone thought so. But.
The outcome was disastrous.
Ironically, Alicia, the genius heralded as the promising new generation hero, in the face of the monsters.
⎯Kyaaah!
She crouched down, trembling, unable to do anything.
Because of this, her team received the lowest scores. Except for the protagonist, no one had expected this. Who would have thought she was afraid of monsters? Everyone was shocked. And that shock turned into mockery.
From then on, she gained new titles. A shadowy past before the glorious honor.
Coward.
Nuisance.
All show and no substance.
These were not titles but rather disgraceful insults.
Fortunately, as the story progressed, she gradually overcame her trauma and became a protector who defended everyone. But it took a year to reach that point.
A year.
A year was too long to be considered preparation time. No matter how much of a genius she was, waiting that long was not an option.
Therefore, I brought Alicia here and taught her magic and swordsmanship. I waited for this day when Rubid Village was destroyed, with all conditions set.
I didn’t know how many times she had died so far. I couldn’t intervene while she was trapped in there. I only knew about the moment she escaped. When all the livestock I prepared die, she could break free from the cycle of repetition.
Her trauma was severe, and I had been awakening it with nightmares recently, so it would work even more effectively. She might lose her mind and collapse without being able to do anything. If that happened, it would be unfortunate, but I would discard Alicia and choose another plan. She was not the only option.
Would Alicia be able to maintain her sanity until all the livestock die? She had been given the strength to withstand them to some extent. I had done all I could for her.
What remained was.
Up to her.
***
There was no time to understand the situation. The monster began to move again with a displeased expression.
Whether she had gone mad or was truly trapped in a nightmare, she didn’t know, but she felt certain that if she didn’t move now, she would die in agony like before.
Hehehe.
See, what did I tell you?
Don’t try to make excuses for not doing anything back then. Just be honest with your feelings.
You didn’t do anything back then. Why?
Because you were scared.
You’re just a coward who can’t do anything.
Why so many excuses for someone who hid in the warehouse to save herself?
Cowardly little sister.
Alicia saw her image. Although she appeared as she did on the last day they met, her voice was not as kind as always.
The emotions contained were anger and ridicule.
Fourteen-year-old Charlotte was mocking Alicia’s appearance.
The monster passed by Charlotte. Her image flickered and disappeared like a mirage. Alicia’s face and the monster’s face were close.
“Ah, aah…!”
Unable to face it properly, Alicia tried to push the monster away with her hands but only ended up retreating. Run, she had to run away. She had to escape!
In this way, her thin legs, which showed no sign of moving in the previous death, started to move.
As if granting her desperate wish, her legs finally obeyed her. They were shaking violently like quaking aspen, but Alicia could now run.
[Krrrr?]
The monster noticed her change. What it thought was free prey, unable to move, now had legs capable of running. So, the monster had to act.
“…!”
Swoosh!
The monster’s tentacle shot towards Alicia’s legs. As sharp and quick as a bee’s sting. Alicia sensed it and narrowly avoided it.
She succeeded in dodging the monster’s attack. Her legs were moving. Now she just had to get out through that door…! But.
Thunk.
An inexplicable pain concentrated in her abdomen. It was more excruciating than any pain she had experienced so far.
Even though she had dodged the tentacle, why?
The question was quickly resolved. When she lifted her head, the monster showed a clear smile. It had more than one tentacle. Two. Two long ones were attached to its back.
“Gah…!”
Red blood spurted from Alicia’s mouth. The monster was covered in her blood, but it didn’t wipe off its smile.
Squirm.
The tentacle that pierced through Alicia’s belly moved again. Perhaps to ensure its prey’s death, it pulled out abruptly.
The blood that had been blocked by the monster’s body gushed out simultaneously. Alicia’s vision began to darken again. She had barely started to move her legs and speak, but she could do nothing.
“…….”
Alicia’s body collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness. And so, she met another unknown number of deaths.
Death continued without stopping.
Again, and again.
Again, and again.
***
Alicia’s head shattered like porcelain. Brain fluid and blood gushed out, but Alicia had no way of knowing.
***
Alicia screamed as her leg was cut off. The excited monster leapt high and pounced on Alicia. She tried to stab its eye with her sword, but her arm couldn’t reach, and the monster bit her face off.
***
Crunch.
Alicia’s arm was being chewed. Every time the monster’s mouth moved, Alicia seemed to lose consciousness, but she held onto the string with her sword until the end.
She tried to use what she had learned so far. Magic and swordsmanship. Even though it was a short time, she had engraved them into her body so she wouldn’t forget.
With a burst of pain, she clenched her fist. One arm was being eaten, but if she had the other one, she could surely kill it. She couldn’t just keep dying. Every time she came back from death, she felt chunks of her stamina, magic, and mental strength being cut off.
It kept repeating, but at this rate, she would definitely die in the end. Alicia realized this and launched a counterattack.
Magic was like muscle.
Proving the results of her hard practice, she gathered the mana within her hand. That blue light wrapped around her hand. With this, she might be able to land a blow on it!
Alicia screamed as if to unleash her fury and swung her mana-infused fist at the monster. Her fist collided with the hard surface of the monster.
Thunk.
The sensation was heavy in Alicia’s fist. She had definitely landed a hit…!
[Krrrk?]
The monster looked at her as if it had seen something strange. She couldn’t even leave a scratch. Alicia was appalled.
Crunch.
Alicia’s body was split in half.
***
Alicia died with her eyes gouged out.
Alicia died with her neck cut off.
Alicia died from suffocation.
…….
…….
Alicia was running. Panting heavily, she moved her legs frantically.
Monsters were destroying the village. There wasn’t a place in her sight without a monster. Everyone was screaming.
Save us. Someone, please save us!
But Alicia wasn’t strong enough to protect them. She couldn’t even maintain her own life, let alone save someone.
Her mana-infused fist had no effect. Her aura-imbued sword could barely leave a small scratch on the monster that had entered the warehouse. Her aura, unstable like her mental state, flickered like a wavering candle.
Hehehe.
In the end, you’re running away.
Well, that’s you.
That’s the spirit, little sister.
Still, you’ve made progress compared to before.
Back then, you couldn’t even run away!
Every time she heard that voice, it was like her heart was being clenched. Her neck got severed, her arm got severed. Even after experiencing that, the pain never became any easier to endure.
Her legs were staggering. Not just because she was terrified, but also because her stamina was depleted from dying repeatedly. Maybe the next death would be the last. No, this might be the last time.
She thought she wasn’t afraid of death. Because once you died, everything ended. Because you didn’t have to be bound by reality. She thought it wasn’t so bad.
But no.
Death was terrifying.
It was like that when she was a child, and it still was now. That hadn’t changed.
Look over there, Alicia.
There are two little kids.
Even while busy running away, Charlotte’s voice was crystal clear. Following the girl’s gesture, Alicia’s gaze turned in that direction.
“Edel… Freesia…!”
Alicia called the girls’ names. Not to attract their attention. Very softly. Almost like talking to herself. So faint that it would be hard to hear even if they were nearby.
Is that older one the big sister?
They look so young.
Even younger than we were.
A monster strode towards the girls. The monster flicked its long tongue as if it desired the tender flesh of the children.
Edel was standing in front of her younger sister, Freesia, holding a kitchen knife and facing the monster. She kept wiping her eyes with one hand, as if she couldn’t see through her tears. Her young body was trembling, and so was her gaping mouth.
The kitchen knife was shaking. It must have been too heavy for one hand, so she switched to holding it with both hands.
Again, a step forward.
The monster approached. Edel’s body flinched greatly.
“S-save us… Princess…!”
Their small eyes met Alicia’s. Alicia couldn’t just ignore them and ran away; she stopped.
She wanted to save them. She wanted to defeat that monster and pull them out of their fear right now. But contrary to those thoughts, her body wouldn’t move.
Stop it, Alicia.
What can you do?
Wouldn’t it be better for you to run away?
If you don’t, you’ll have to taste the pain of having your stomach pierced again, won’t you?
Alicia couldn’t deny that voice. The fear of death, the body’s memory of pain. Everything prevented Alicia from moving her legs. Even so, she tried to speak.
“I have to help….”
She forced her mouth open. Clenching her teeth, she tried to chew down the emotions that dominated her body. The resistance was still strong. Her feet were frozen, unable to move.
“There’s no one else… just me….”
Her Master and their companions had left the village. Among the people here, there was no one with the strength to fight the monsters. Only herself. Only she could face them.
Ugh.
Her legs wouldn’t move as if they were nailed to the ground. That was the problem. She couldn’t move because of it. So, how, how should she do it? What should she do to save Edel and Freesia?
I told you to stop.
You’re only making a bigger fool of yourself.
It was wrong from the start for you to try to do anything. You’re not me, are you? You might get lucky with one, but there’s no way you can kill the monsters.
“No… no….”
She could wield mana. She could use a stable aura. She had trained and mastered it so she could use it naturally.
Even if she couldn’t match her sister. Even if she had to use all her strength to kill one of them. If not her, who else would save those children?
In those few seconds, Alicia’s feet finally began to move slightly.
Crunch.
An unpleasant sound was heard.
Due to that brief hesitation, the fate of Edel, a girl who yearned for fairy tales, was changed.
“Sis…?”
Edel’s younger sister, Freesia, was stunned by the sight. The reality they faced was too harsh to confront with a clear mind.
She was dead. Edel was dead. Freesia’s sister was dead. This might not have been the first time. She must have experienced death many times in the worlds where she had died. They had promised. They had promised to go out and play after this was over. She called out to her at the end. Their eyes met. But she couldn’t move. The monster’s movements didn’t stop. This time, it was clear it was aiming for Freesia. She would die. She would die horribly without any resistance.
“No….”
Her grip on the sword tightened. Her legs, which had barely been holding her up, now had a firm resolve for the first time in a long while.
“No… no… no…!”
Alicia drew her sword, repeating the same words. Her face was struggling to express the unfamiliar emotion of anger.
Oh, what’s this, Alicia?
This is quite surprising.
She could feel it.
Her body was filled with magic power. Foolishly, she hadn’t thought to fill her body with the magic from the atmosphere. She had practiced so much. But fear had made her foolish…!
The energy surged into the blade. Blue smoke climbed the sword and enveloped it. It condensed and intensified. A bright light, blindingly bright. It was Alicia’s aura.
She was scared. She was terrified. She wanted to run away. But right now, in this moment, the one emotion that filled her completely was.
—She wanted to save them.
That was it.