The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 32
When I only read the novel, I didn’t realize it.
The information that writing provided to the reader was more limited than one might think. The combination of the printed characters only showed a part of that world. There were definitely stories, backgrounds, and various phenomena that the reader didn’t know about, all turning like gears.
Because you could only see through the view that the author provided, through language.
Erica, the villainess.
The same went for the information about her.
She was Vargan’s fiancée, petite, with a vicious way of speaking, and certain skills. Even information about her family was included, as if everything about Erica was encapsulated.
But naturally, that was only a part of her.
For example, one of Erica’s characteristics, being a villainess.
The reason why she took the position of the villainess wasn’t considered.
Why, you ask? Because that was the setting. It wasn’t like I was studying or anything. She was neither the protagonist nor the heroine. When reading a novel, wasn’t it common not to deeply think about why a character had a certain personality or role?
Then.
I entered this novel and realized.
I remembered the sensation of the moment I possessed Vargan.
From the first moment he remembered, to the phrases written in the book he was reading at that time. All the <experiences and emotions> were conveyed to me, and it was an unforgettable experience.
The feeling I had at that time was like a human being updated in an instant.
At this time, a particularly large amount of new information about Erica, Vargan’s fiancée and a kind of childhood friend, flowed in.
I learned things I didn’t know and realized how limited the information about her in the novel was.
The current her was different from her childhood. Of course, half of a person’s personality was innate, and the other half was influenced by external factors.
However, what felt strange to me, who still retained Vargan’s memories and knew her through the novel, was not that she had changed from the past.
—She was different from the future.
In just a few months, she seemed not just different in personality, but in her very nature.
To mention briefly, there was a religion that almost everyone in this world worshipped.
[Yggdrasil]
A word that meant both a God and the whole religion.
It was a religion that worshipped a massive tree that seemed like it could be seen from anywhere in the world. All other religions were heresies and must not be believed.
The church, which could be said to be the core of the heroes, were all institutions for worshipping the one and only god, Yggdrasil.
The overwhelming presence of the tree, its provision of high-quality mana stones, and its ability to enrich the surrounding land were reasons for its worship.
However, this was only true for most <people>, and there were a few exceptions. It didn’t apply to all living beings.
There was one large group that was at odds with Yggdrasil. The religion of Altifes.
That was the Goddess Cult.
Simply put.
One religion for humans.
One religion for monsters.
This was the antagonistic relationship they maintained.
Back to the main point.
The reason I suddenly talked about religion was that Erica was closely related to it.
Her family, the Portlet family, was known for its devout faith. Erica also studied theology while undergoing hero training from a young age.
Based on my experience of seeing her as a child.
There was no falsehood in her faith.
She also took pride in it.
… it was hard to understand.
The Erica described in the novel was a girl who <pretended> to believe in the one God, Yggdrasil.
She worshipped the God of monsters and helped their activities within the Academia.
It was hard to understand not simply because she worshipped the God of monsters instead of the human God.
In the past, I thought there was just one spy inside Yggdrasil or the Academia, and since she was a villainess, it made sense.
But now I knew her past. Her steps were not just a setting.
Was all the past she showed to Vargan a lie?
It was not entirely impossible, but it needed to be verified.
The last time I met Erica was a year ago.
In the newly imprinted memories, there were no traces of her worshipping heresy. I also obtained information about her using our engagement, but it was the same.
There were two possibilities.
Either she had hidden it thoroughly until now, or she changed during the subsequent developments.
Analyzing her words and actions from the novel and comparing them with what I learned from Vargan’s memories, I concluded.
I decided to bet on the latter, which seemed more likely.
Considering the special magic she possessed, her family, and her relationship with me, I needed to ensure certainty about her.
So it wouldn’t hinder my actions.
Thus, I pondered.
If she changed during the subsequent developments, what caused it?
With such thoughts always in the corner of my mind, by sheer coincidence, I discovered <him>.
At first, I didn’t know.
I thought he was just one of the supporting characters with no special talents or appearance. A character I newly learned about after possessing the novel. That was all.
Then, I suddenly recalled that there was someone who followed Erica, who worshipped heresy with her, and who received blessings.
I didn’t know his name. I didn’t know his appearance.
Because there was no information written about him.
But I could guess his personality from his way of speaking. I knew what abilities he was hiding.
In the early stages, there was a guy who stuck around Erica and spread the teachings of the Goddess Cult. A persistent and tenacious guy.
Did he exploit a gap in Erica’s heart?
If my hypothesis was correct, he would be hanging around Erica at this time.
It was still the beginning of the semester. To gather information about her.
To use this to spread his religion.
And to satisfy his vile desires.
He must be watching her with dirty eyes without her noticing.
I decided to draw him out.
So, I set a bait.
I steadily continued the groundwork and assessed the extent of his abilities.
And it all became clear on the day Erika came to the lab.
—What?!
Naias, who had taken on Alicia’s appearance, gave me a pre-arranged signal. I changed my plans with Erika and began executing the plan in earnest. The overly exaggerated reaction was to draw the attention of the one observing us.
Naias could see him. The power he borrowed was powerless in front of Naias’ unique ability, <The Eye that Sees the Essence>.
As a result, he did not realize that Naias was following him. After all, even the elite Erika didn’t notice, so there was no way he, who I knew, would notice.
Still, I confirmed it just in case there was any possibility I was unaware of, but it was as expected.
Since that day, I could continuously observe him through Naias, and he moved exactly as expected, as if he were under specific constraints.
Now that I knew his true nature, there was no need to be cautious about reeling in the fishing line.
Move quickly.
Pull decisively.
He would definitely show up at the location.
“Master. Where are you going?”
As I was about to leave, Alicia, who was in the lab, spoke to me. It was not Naias disguised as her but Alicia herself.
Nearby were Emily and Finn, completely exhausted, and Serena, quietly reading a book.
“I have an appointment. The rest will proceed under your and Serena’s leadership. The class competition is a few days away, so you must not slack off in my absence.”
“I understand. Are you meeting Miss Erica?”
“Someone similar is coming.”
“Similar… hmm, understood. Then I will not see you this evening but tomorrow morning.”
Alicia, looking puzzled, bowed.
I left them behind and walked away.
Erica.
My fiancée.
I would now showcase a stage for her, without her being there.
The audience would be just one person.
By now, he must be anxiously waiting for class to end, trembling.
It was certain that he was a stalker, but this performance was necessary. I couldn’t rush it. He belonged to a large organization, even if he was just a small part of it.
‘Those who enjoy hiding in crowds…’
The cult that lurked in Academia, moving everything secretly. They wouldn’t want their true identity to be known.
Yet, he was acting so boldly. This suggested he had hidden his actions from those around him so far.
I was the only one who knew about his stalking. In a way, it was a good opportunity for me.
The fewer eyes watching, the better.
“The night is falling.”
I looked around.
The streets were getting darker.
Soon, lights would turn on to illuminate the darkness.
***
There was a man desperately wishing for class to end.
Of all days, Wednesday had to overlap with her different class schedule. If they were in the same class, he wouldn’t be this anxious.
Fortunately, the appointment time was 6:10 PM.
Erica’s class also ended at 6, so if he hurried, he wouldn’t be late.
He had thought about skipping class to stay near her. But that was too risky. Professors, unlike students, might notice his presence.
Moreover, he hadn’t yet secured justification for his actions. It was too risky to claim he was trying to evangelize the daughter of the Portlet family.
If his superiors found out about the current situation, they would surely stop him.
So, any unplanned actions, like skipping class, were restricted… he had already made one mistake due to getting emotional.
He had managed to proceed without being detected so far, and now wasn’t the time to get caught.
“… damn it.”
He wished Erika had refused.
She had seemed so firm in her refusals, but why did she suddenly accept that annoying guy’s proposal? Weren’t they supposed to be on bad terms?
It was still too early to confess his feelings; he was still preparing. But now he feared she might be taken away.
As soon as class ended, the man stopped his trembling legs and ran out.
He wasn’t going straight to the meeting place.
There was something he had to prepare first.
He couldn’t do it here. Too many eyes. If an unexpected event caused his presence to be revealed, it would be a problem.
He entered the nearest restroom.
Here, he could pray without suspicion.
After a short prayer, the preparation was complete.
Blessings were bestowed. He was now perfect.
He wouldn’t give her to anyone.
Not to her friends. Not to her fiancé. Not to her siblings. Not to her parents.
To no one.
He would never give her up.
Ever since he first saw her.
The ideal woman he had dreamed of and longed for.
She was born to meet him.
He came here to meet her.
It was destiny. It couldn’t be defied or altered.
She. She.
She must be <his> and only his.