The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 14
“Listen carefully, Alicia. You must never come out. Block your eyes, nose, and mouth with anything you can. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
When the older girl asked in a firm tone, the child reluctantly nodded. Tears streamed down from her large eyes, which seemed too big for her small frame.
Watching the child’s tears burst forth, the older girl gently stroked her hair. The trembling she felt conveyed the child’s inability to calm down. The girl sensed it. But the vibration was felt not only by the girl.
The child opened her mouth. Even though she knew she shouldn’t, she parted her lips that she was supposed to keep shut.
“Sister… will you come back?”
“……”
Hearing the question, the girl clenched her teeth and lowered her head. The more her lips trembled, the harder she pressed them together. She controlled her emotions with the slightest muscle adjustments.
“Yes, I’ll be back soon.”
The girl hugged the child. Normally, it would be right to move immediately without such a process. Ever since she decided to put the child in this narrow and dirty warehouse, she had already resolved to act.
But the girl couldn’t do it. She couldn’t just close the door immediately. The moment that might be her last with her precious family was too valuable to let go, so she hugged her sister tightly.
The child knew. Despite trying to hide it, the girl’s emotions were easily revealed. Her irregular heartbeat was transmitted entirely to the child.
It wasn’t “Sister, will you come back?” but “Sister, come back.” The child wanted to say that. She wanted to ask her to definitely come back and take her, or to stay right by her side. However, she couldn’t irresponsibly say such words.
Even though she was young, she wasn’t so clueless about the situation. Given the circumstances, she shouldn’t throw a tantrum. She had done well so far. She could do it. She mustn’t hinder her sister.
But the tears continued to flow endlessly. Perhaps blood couldn’t be deceived. The more she tried to hide it, the more strongly her emotions revealed themselves.
The girl pulled herself away from the child. She shut the warehouse door, pulling away from the desire to stay like this for hours. Until the moment the door closed, she could see the deeply contorted face of her precious sister disappearing into the dark space.
The girl had the same expression as the child.
The only difference was that she held back her tears and didn’t let them fall. That was the one only thing.
And then.
Creak⎯
The door shut completely.
***
⎯Snap
He snapped his fingers.
Then, something magical happened. The monsters that had been preparing to devour her and the man closed their mouths as if they were under a spell and turned away, pushing out other monsters. It seemed they had completely lost interest in them.
The feeling when he spread his mana was somewhat similar to when she used her mana in fights with the monsters, but there was a crucial difference.
Alicia landed on the ground and looked at Vargan. As always, he wore a relaxed expression. Even in the dire situation of the village being ravaged, he remained consistent.
“It’s not like magic, it is magic itself, Alicia.”
He spoke.
A slight smile played on his lips.
“Open your eyes wide and watch carefully. Remember everything that happens from now on and reflect on it over and over.”
He moved, as if to say that if she continued to be troubled by those unhelpful nightmares, he wouldn’t let it slide.
He drew the blue sword that had been hanging loosely at his side. She had never seen this sword before during their time together. Was it the artifact he said he would acquire?
“Seeing me wield a sword is a rare thing. You might never see it again in your lifetime.”
The blade emitted a sharp aura. Soon, the aura took shape and emitted a deep glow. That was aura, but its density was incomparable to what she used.
“For the next two years.”
He said.
“You have that time to recreate the scene that’s about to unfold.”
“Master… what do you mean by that….”
“Are you stuttering because you’re so shocked you’ve forgotten how to speak? Looking at your eyes and state, you’ve changed a lot in just a few hours.”
However, it wasn’t bad.
[Roooaaaarrr!]
As the monsters he had trampled underfoot were trying to get through, more furious ones rushed forward. Their muscles bulged as if they were about to burst.
“They look even uglier up close. If their blood gets on my clothes, I’ll need to discard them, not wash them.”
Vargan’s face twisted in distaste, yet his lips curved into a grin. He seemed excited, as if he were anticipating something.
Swoosh. Swoosh.
He swung the aura-enveloped sword a few times in the air before nodding and looking at Alicia. Then he spoke casually, as if it were no big deal.
“Surpass the me now, Alicia.”
Flash⎯!
In an instant, the world darkened, turning everything black. Though it soon returned to normal, it was strange as the day had not yet ended.
When she regained her senses, he was nowhere to be seen. She blinked several times but couldn’t find him. Where…?
[Screeeeech!]
From a considerable distance, the signs of pain spread like ink on a canvas. Amid the vortex of dark blood, she saw his figure.
With one strike, more than ten monsters were cut down. The dense mana swirled through the air, piercing through their bodies like lightning.
Recognizing the situation, distant monsters let out hideous cries and rushed even more fiercely.
She knew this situation well. She had experienced it herself. It was fine for now. But alone, it wasn’t possible. Soon he would be surrounded by monsters, leading to an unwinnable war of attrition.
“I have to… help him….”
The monsters around her were already corpses, no longer retaining their shapes. She realized belatedly that he had defeated them.
Alicia placed the tip of her sword on the ground and stood up. Although she staggered, her legs firmly pushed her up.
At that moment, a familiar voice called out, and a woman grabbed her shoulder and hugged her. The large hat she usually wore was gone, and her hair tickled Alicia’s face.
“You’ve worked hard, Miss Alicia…!”
Paula faced Alicia, examining her condition to check for any injuries or if she was mentally sound.
“Oh dear, there’s not a single part of you that’s unharmed! I opposed this for a reason! Miss Alicia, are you mentally okay? Do you recognize me? Or do you not know who I am?!”
“Te-Teacher Paula… I’m fine, but more importantly, Master…!”
“Who’s worrying about whom here?! There’s no need to worry about that cold-hearted man. Despite being a wreck yourself, you’re worried about others! Really, being too kind is a problem! Wait… are you really okay?!”
Paula blocked Alicia from moving forward with all her strength. Alicia’s determination was stronger than Paula anticipated, so she had to use magic to restrain her.
“Please don’t stop me! If you won’t help, then I must go…!”
“I said you don’t need to worry! Oh my, when did you become so strong? Just a few months ago, you were so fragile. Miss Alicia! Calm down and look at the situation. Does he look like he needs help?”
“Wha…?”
Alicia lifted her head to find Vargan. She knew he was holding his ground, but at some point, he would reach his limit. So, she needed to help him… she thought.
“See, now you understand?”
Alicia stopped pushing against Paula and stood still, mesmerized by the sight before her. Paula thought, so this was what a person looked like when they saw something unbelievable.
“Miss Alicia, listen. I’m a professor at Academia. Imagine how many geniuses I’ve seen.”
Paula continued to speak, hoping Alicia was listening as she stared ahead.
“Among them, there are three geniuses I’ve acknowledged. One is the president of Academia. He’s the pinnacle. Currently, there’s no one who can surpass him in magic. Though I don’t like that he placed me on probation.”
Paula grimaced slightly before pointing at Alicia.
“Another is you, Miss Alicia. The most recent genius I’ve recognized. Sustaining activated mana for six hours… if this becomes known, it might be recorded in textbooks. You’ve achieved remarkable success in such a short time. And the last one is…”
From the most prestigious family in the Troa Empire.
The third son of the Schugenhartz family.
“Master Vargan. He’s a gem, without a doubt. Before meeting you, Miss Alicia, he was the person with the most potential I’d seen. He had immense support from his family, despite being a bit lazy. But recently, he’s changed incredibly. He’s going to grow even more. His current skills are already on par with those of new heroes.”
Alicia listened to Paula while her eyes followed Vargan. She couldn’t look away. If one knew even a little about magic and swordsmanship, how could they look away from this and focus on anything else?
The monsters, maddened, swarmed in all their numbers. Unlike her time, it wasn’t just a portion. As if possessed, all the hordes rushed with glaring eyes. It wasn’t just a momentary concentration.
It was relentless and continuous.
This scene was like ants throwing themselves into an antlion’s pit.
In this sort of hell, he moved gracefully without breaking a sweat. His movements were like that of an elegant swan, contrasting starkly with the horrendous state of the monsters.
Monsters charging in from all directions were cut down, burned, turned to ash, or pierced through. It seemed like a natural disaster in human form was passing through them.
He said he would grow even stronger than he was now. Was that possible? Really? He was already so strong it was hard to believe…
Watching his battlefield, she felt her whole body shivered with awe.
If it were her from the time before she knew magic, she might have been filled with only fear. Humans felt fear of the unknown and tried to avoid it.
However, the current she was learning magic. Because of this, she could feel just how otherworldly this moment truly was.
Tsk.
What is this?
This is a cheat! A total cheat!
A grumbling voice was heard. Her sister Charlotte was watching the miracle caused by one person with a frustrated expression.
Alicia, you’re lucky.
You survived. I thought the young master was just full of himself, but who knew he was that powerful. Impressive.
I missed the chance this time.
But that doesn’t mean I’ll leave. I’ll stay by your side. I’ll be with you forever, until the moment your life ends. You know that well, don’t you?
You can’t forget me.
Charlotte’s sharp voice faded out. With that, her apparition disappeared.
Alicia kept her position, watching Vargan swept away the monsters. The expression she wore was one she had never shown before.