The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 6
“Oh! I’m surprised that Miss Alicia made this dish! Look at its appearance; you’ve done a great job!”
“No, ma’am. I only assisted the chef.”
“Oh, come on, helping is already something. I can’t even peel an egg properly without crushing it to bits. Hoho.”
Paula’s chatter was loud from the morning.
In this high-class inn, they prepared meals for us on time if we just stayed still, but Alicia wanted to help with breakfast, and that was how it all started.
She was quite something.
If her progress in awakening the hero’s talent were slow, I might have stopped her, but she kept exceeding my expectations, so I couldn’t really criticize her.
I guessed I had to accept it as part of Alicia’s nature. It was hard to believe, but maybe helping others reduced her stress levels.
“Master, aren’t you hungry after training since morning? The eggs are fresh. Why don’t you at least try them…?”
She didn’t say, “Are you not eating because I made them?” but her tense face showed it all. At this point, she might as well just say it.
“I will eat, so stop pestering. I was just staring because I’m once again struck by how peculiar you are.”
“Uh… thank you for the compliment…?”
“It’s an insult, you fool.”
Smack⎯!
My finger hurt.
“Ow…”
“It seems you’re getting dumber by the day. Does magic have that kind of effect?”
“Isn’t it because you hit her so much that she’s getting toughened? So maybe you should stop… whoa, what’s all this? Mr. Bram, try some of this; it’s really tasty.”
Paula, avoiding my gaze, clung to Bram again.
One day, I would drain all the blood from her and throw her dirty mouth to the bugs.
“Are these dishes you made back in your hometown, Miss Alicia? They have a unique aroma.”
“Oh… yes. I made them because I saw some herbs from my hometown. Do they taste okay?”
“They’re delicious. You must have been famous back home, Miss Alicia. Beautiful and a good cook—men must have lined up for you.”
“No, not really…”
Alicia replied evasively with a shy smile. At least that was how it seemed to me.
But Paula wasn’t sharp enough to notice such nuances.
“Tell us about your hometown, Miss Alicia. Even your past is fine. We’ll be seeing each other for a long time, and we don’t know anything about each other.”
“Oh… my hometown…”
“Did I touch on something sensitive…?”
Even Paula noticed that Alicia’s reaction was different from usual at this point.
Alicia, looking troubled, fiddled with her fingers. Paula, sensing the growing awkwardness, spoke up again.
“Suddenly I remembered, I have a question for the Master. I didn’t notice in the mansion, but after spending a few days together, I realized something.”
Paula continued nonchalantly. I could ignore her, but I would be magnanimous this once.
“What is it?”
“Do you sleep, Master? I’ve never seen you with your eyes closed for a long time except when handling mana. I’ve often seen you reading magical books or training mana, though.”
“Oh, I’m curious too.”
“Miss Alicia thinks so too? If even someone who’s always with you says that, isn’t it serious?”
She wasn’t asking out of concern. It was pure curiosity.
But still, the question was too low-level. I was human, after all. Of course, I slept and rested. Without that, my body wouldn’t function.
As I thought that, Alicia cautiously added more. Unlike Paula, she was careful, and her tone was slightly different.
“… indeed, it’s worrying to see you always engrossed in something to the point where it seems like you lack sleep. Effort is a virtue, but I’m worried it might harm your health.”
“Am I overexerting myself?”
“Yes. You’re always so focused that you seem sleep-deprived…”
As I looked at her strangely, Alicia’s voice grew softer, as if reconsidering if she said something odd.
“What nonsense are you talking about? I’m not that foolish.”
“Uh…? But you’re the one who wakes up the earliest and sleeps the latest…”
“That’s because you all rest too much.”
“… I’ll take that as a cue to follow your example, Master. … but it also proves how hard you’re working, doesn’t it?”
What was she saying since earlier?
“If you don’t do at least that much, what’s the difference between being alive and being dead?”
A moment of silence ensued.
It became so quiet that you could hear the birds chirping outside the window.
It was Paula who broke the silence first.
“Wow… Master, are you serious about that statement? With that one sentence, you’ve practically killed not just us here but most people in the world.”
“How pathetic. If you expect to gain something without doing even that much, it’s not even worth calling it greed.”
“Uh…? Then what is it?”
I spoke to Paula, who seemed clueless.
“It’s delusion, delusion.”
An utterly unattainable, worthless, and hopeless delusion.
Like putting a 500-won coin into a vending machine and expecting a 1,000-won drink to come out, and then getting angry and kicking the machine when it didn’t.
Just because I was in a novel world and my position was quite advantageous, I must never let my guard down. Regardless of the progress, in the end, I would live as a resident of this world, and that meant this was my world.
To state it definitively, the affairs of the world did not always go as one wished. No matter how great one’s talent or good environment was, everything could turn to ash in an instant.
Even a person born with genius talent was no different from an ordinary person if that talent wasn’t discovered. A person born in a good environment was meaningless if they couldn’t utilize it.
I knew this fact, and based on this mindset, I moved to achieve my goals.
My goal was to live well in this novel world. There was actually a hidden word in that sentence. That word was…
More than anyone else.
To live well and eat well better than anyone else. That was my ultimate goal. So, assuming that a drink costed 10,000 won, naturally, you needed to invest 10,000 won to get it. Just putting in 500 won and staring at it without doing anything was no different from not making an effort. You might as well use that money to buy another drink.
Therefore, this wasn’t about overdoing it. Overdoing it would be like investing 12,000 won in a 10,000-won drink. Especially in a vending machine that didn’t even give back change.
I was a person who valued efficiency greatly. Excessive effort was like poison to me.
“It seems… I’ve come to realize that you are an even more unique person than I thought… originally, you weren’t this peculiar.”
Well, that was because it was the original Vargan before I possessed him. Naturally, there would be differences even if his thoughts continued.
“Teacher, isn’t it good for a disciple to have grand goals?”
“That’s right… hmm. Indeed, that’s true. When the Master’s reputation is known to the world, my own standing will also be elevated. Hohoho.”
“Yes, that’s the way it is. Now, let’s stop the chit-chat and quickly finish breakfast. We still have a long way to go before we reach the destination village, so we need to hurry.”
“Understood, Master.”
***
Swoosh⎯!
The sound of splitting air continued without stopping. Smooth and natural, like water flowing.
Using the moonlit sky as a light, and the stones laid on the ground as a stage.
From a distance, it might look like a dance, but it was very sharp.
Clang, clang!
The cheerful sound of metal clashing followed one after another. They were showcasing their polished skills. Although there was no killing intent between them, a fierce exchange with no concessions unfolded.
A situation where even a single mistake by either of them could lead to a serious accident. It was a real sword duel with glinting blades, not practice swords. Both were well aware of the dangers.
Clang!
Even so, the eyes of the two crossing swords were fierce and sharp, as if they would devour each other. They seemed to have no concern about being cut by the weapon.
Finally.
Clang⎯⎯!
Bram did not miss the moment when his opponent’s wrist weakened, and he struck Alicia’s sword upward, sending it flying. Her sword spun several times in the air, reflecting the moonlight, before falling to the ground.
Oh, impressive. As expected of Bram, my loyal retainer.
Clap, clap.
I clapped my hands as I stepped forward.
“Excellent, Bram. Your swordsmanship is truly an art.”
“Thank you.”
“Alicia, you did well too. If you achieved that much in just a few days, I have high expectations for the future.”
“Thank you, Master. Though I am still inexperienced, I will show you satisfactory results in no time.”
Alicia and Bram knelt on one knee in front of me, bowing their heads in respect.
It was the second day since we left the cultural city of Rhodes, and the fourth night since Alicia started learning the sword. As she said, there were still many inexperienced parts. Although I couldn’t claim to be an expert in swordsmanship, I could tell that much.
However, she undoubtedly showed a remarkable rate of learning. Her talent as a magic swordsman was beginning to take shape.
Well, I had confirmed the basic swordsmanship. Now for the rest.
“Alicia, how is your progress with the aura?”
“Well… I’m sorry. I’ve managed to flow magic into the sword and envelop it, but I’m struggling to maintain it.”
Alicia, who had her head deeply bowed in shame, lowered it even closer to the ground. It was okay, Alicia. If you had mastered the aura already, I would have doubted you instead.
“Aura is of a completely different difficulty level compared to the magic you’ve practiced so far. There’s no need to worry.”
“Thank you for your kind words…”
“It’s not kindness.”
Alicia tended to show a sincere expression when saying flattering words, which made it uncomfortable. Why did she keep painting me as a nice person? It was nauseating.
“However… it would be ideal if you could almost perfect it by the time we reach our destination, the village of Lubid. We need to push harder.”
“I will achieve it without fail.”
“Then, starting today, you’ll have to reduce your sleep time.”
By keeping the magic in your body constantly active, purging impurities and revitalizing yourself, the required sleep time would drastically decrease. Anything more would be a luxury.
“Yes, the minimum sleep time…”
“Four hours.”
“Yes…?”
For the first time, I was being generous with four hours. Before entering this novel, I also slept four to five hours a day. This was quite lenient.
“We’ll gradually reduce it further, but for now, that should suffice.”
“May I ask how much you intend to reduce it to eventually…?”
“Two hours.”
“Oh…”
Alicia let out a sigh filled with various mixed emotions. She nodded, but it seemed like she was doing it reluctantly.
“We’ve already spent quite a bit of time. Rest time is over. Start drawing out your mana, Alicia.”
Alicia’s training did not end even when night fell.