The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 85
Erica returned to the Portlet family home after a long time.
The person who welcomed her the most was her mother. As soon as she saw Erica, she checked her from head to toe and asked endlessly about her recent life.
Whether she was truly unharmed by the attack from Bishop Calliculea.
How much she had grown.
Whether anything was troubling her these days.
How her relationship with Vargan was, among other things.
Erica answered each question in detail, ensuring that her mother wouldn’t worry.
Although her mother’s sometimes overly attentive care could be a bit bothersome, Erica was more grateful than anything and didn’t want to make her worry.
After greeting her father, the head of the household, Erica finally managed to retreat to her room after finishing a few small tasks.
It was not just her imagination that she felt more overwhelmed returning home than when she was leaving Academia.
As she entered her room, the most noticeable thing was the large bed. Though the items provided at the Academia were luxurious and lacking nothing, they couldn’t evoke the nostalgia and sense of security that home did.
The furniture adorned with reddish-brown patterns and the softly glowing magic-infused lights within the room were familiar to her.
But what she found most comforting were the plush toys on the wide, pure-white bed that had protected her since childhood.
Because Erica now considered herself too old to play with or hug these toys, she had left them behind when she went to the Academia.
However, she often thought of them when looking at the bare bed in her dorm.
“……”
Erica quietly looked around.
She checked if the door was fully closed and if no sound could escape.
“… have you been well?”
Though she knew no one was there, her voice was cautious.
Then, she carefully climbed onto the bed and threw herself onto it.
The mattress bounced, releasing the familiar scent of the bedding. As she enjoyed the feel and scent, Erica looked up at the dolls.
She gazed at each one.
Some showing signs of wear despite being carefully kept. Though many had told her to throw them away, she had stubbornly kept them through the years.
“……”
Slightly further away from the others.
As if in its own space, there was a black cat plush toy.
The cat was dressed in clothes with a pocket on its belly, designed to hold small items.
As she looked at it, Erica’s eyes, which had softened with happiness, turned cold. The doll reminded her of her fiancé, stirring a faint sense of displeasure.
The doll had been a gift from Schugenhartz on her 11th birthday. It was commissioned from a renowned craftsman, costing more than a typical piece of jewelry.
… she hadn’t noticed as a child, but now the doll’s expression seemed somewhat annoying.
She wondered why she had been so happy to receive it back then.
After receiving it, she hadn’t slept for three days, anxious that it might disappear… it was hard to admit, but that was the truth.
“Schugenhartz…”
Erica narrowed her eyes as she mentioned her fiancé’s name.
Her tone wasn’t one of longing; it carried suspicion and doubt. Looking at the plush doll brought up recent concern she had about him.
Erica was filled with questions.
Part of it was due to his seemingly sudden change in personality, but there was another reason that was the main cause.
‘Everything fits together too perfectly.’
Erica had seen and heard it herself.
How Alicia, who had no connection to the heroes, was brought in from the countryside.
How Schugenhartz wore a ring that amplified magic during the final exam, as if he knew the cardinal’s power would manifest.
Even with careful consideration and preparation, how could everything align so perfectly, like pieces of a puzzle?
“What on earth are you up to?”
Erica picked up the black cat plush doll and asked it.
No answer came. The doll’s expression remained annoyingly smug.
Erica smacked the doll’s head.
Once wasn’t enough. She hit it three more times.
It was an ominous object she wanted to discard immediately, but she left it there, mindful of the household’s eyes.
After staring at the doll for a while, Erica reached into the pocket on the doll’s belly and pulled out a piece of paper.
The paper was tattered, pieced together from several torn fragments, and heavily crumpled.
Erica unfolded it and began to read the words on it. As her eyes moved over the text, her mood gradually darkened, like clothes soaking in a drizzle.
The paper inside the plush doll, which she couldn’t bring herself to throw away, was a letter she and Vargan had exchanged before her engagement.
He had ripped it to shreds.
She kept it not because she couldn’t bring herself to dispose of it, but for no other reason. Not even the smallest reason… none.
None at all.
She kept repeating this to herself.
***
“Vargan, what kind of object is so precious to you?”
“… Finn, don’t worry about it and focus on your training.”
Vargan, who had been staring intently at a blue mana stone, handed it to his familiar, Whitey, who was in the form of a handkerchief.
The glowing stone had been Erica’s last gift to him when they were children.
“Well… I would like to, but we’re almost there. You should start getting ready to disembark.”
Vargan and Finn were inside a carriage, nearing the rendezvous point with the Helion’s team.
Vargan gazed out the window.
Just as he said, he could see two figures outside, one of them waving a greeting.
“They arrived early.”
“That’s because your carriage is so luxurious, Mr. Vargan.”
“……”
Vargan looked at Finn steadily.
He wasn’t trying to find fault, but Finn misunderstood, scratching the back of his head and biting his dry lips in realization, then showed respect.
“Did I do something wrong? If so, I apologize.”
“Finn, you…”
“Yes?”
“You’ve become quite composed.”
Vargan’s words were unexpected. Finn, who had expected a reprimand, tilted his head as he recalled his recent behavior.
“Ah… I suppose… I have?”
“Yes, I feel like we can finally have a proper conversation.”
“Well, that’s good to hear.”
Thud⎯
As if on cue, the carriage stopped as their conversation ended. The attendant accompanying them rose first to open the door, and Vargan and Finn stepped out.
As they moved, Vargan spoke as if in passing.
“You’ll gain a lot from this mentoring period.”
Though Vargan might not have meant anything by it, Finn took his words to heart, treating them as advice.
“I must obtain it.”
—
At the meeting point, two people were waiting for us.
There was no sign of Helion. Apparently, he was wandering around the city with the other members, gathering information.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Gaon.”
The first to introduce himself was the youngest member of Helion’s team.
I shook the hand he extended. Despite our young age and the fact that we were still students, not heroes yet, he didn’t look down on us at all.
“I’m Canella. The only woman on Helion’s team.”
A woman with a necklace full of jewels spoke in a clear voice. She narrowed her eyes, pointing to the person in front of her with her finger.
“Uh… so, you’re Finn… right?”
“Ah, yes, yes. Nice to meet you. I’m Finn Troa Toiren.”
“Then this here is Vargan.”
I also introduced myself briefly, and after confirming the two of us, Canella nodded and began to lead the way.
As she walked, she explained each member of Helion’s team to us.
“You probably know Helion, so let’s skip him… there’s someone called <Kshanoll> and another man named <Canthurman>. Neither of them is bad people, but they’re a bit unique compared to us, so keep that in mind.”
Since I was already familiar with both of them, I just listened and compared Canella’s information with what I knew. There were no discrepancies. Their personalities matched what I had heard.
We would meet them soon enough anyway. It was more efficient to confirm things in person later.
“You probably already know this since you’re Academia students, but hero teams don’t consist of people of the same age, right? The ages range from twenties to fifties. Don’t be surprised if you see a muscular middle-aged man instead of a hero.”
Canella laughed softly, thinking of one of her team members.
In comics or novels, it was easy to imagine young heroes fighting against evil, but things were a bit different here.
The average age of heroes ranked in the top ten was over fifty, yet they were far from weak.
They were individuals who had trained their bodies to the extreme. Aging wouldn’t seriously hinder them for quite some time.
Pointing at Gaon, the only team member in his twenties besides herself, Canella said.
“He’s 23, the youngest. He’s not much older than you. Doesn’t he look young?”
“Canella… first impressions are important. If you make me seem easy-going, that image will stick. Besides, you’re in your late twenties too, so we’re not that different.”
“You little brat. Already trying to talk back to your senior, huh?”
After playfully bickering with Gaon for a moment, Canella shrugged. Her point was clear.
“In the end, age is just a number for heroes.”
For heroes, race, status, age, education—all of that was irrelevant.
Whether someone graduated from the Hero Academy or became a hero through a special route, there was no discrimination.
Of course, some people showed camaraderie because of their shared alma mater, but no factions were formed.
This was strictly prohibited, and there was a fundamental atmosphere against discrimination.
“If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I may not have much experience yet, but I can tell you the basics.”
Gaon seemed eager to answer questions.
If I were to describe his appearance, it would be similar to a senior or superior who was happy and tried to treat someone who came under him for the first time well.
This was a good thing.
Canella had been rambling on about things I already knew, so I hadn’t been able to confirm anything. Now that Gaon was offering such an opportunity, I was grateful.
Without hesitation, I asked.
“What is our mission?”
The Central Church, which could be considered the heart of all churches, had its base, and churches in each region were under its jurisdiction, with heroes at their disposal.
Helion’s team was dispatched from the Central Church, located in the middle of the continent.
A mission from the Central Church.
The church’s command, signaling the beginning of this incident.
Usually, it would be the subjugation of an archbishop-level Altife, but this time it was different.
No, it had to be different.
“I was going to tell you after we arrived. Well… it might be a bit different from what you’re expecting.”
Exchanging glances with Gaon, Canella scratched her cheek awkwardly. Their reactions weren’t reassuring.
“Have you heard of <Frikkanlisk>?”
“Frikkanlisk… do you mean the divine beast belonging to the dragon clan?”
Finn looked somewhat taken aback. It was an unexpected name.
That creature was not an Altife.
It was a being similar to the ancient dragons whose skeletons remained at Academia. Though a different subspecies, it was one of the names belonging to the dragons.
One of the apex predators at the top of the monster pyramid.
“Our mission this time is the subjugation of Frikkanlisk. I’m sorry, but at this timing, we’ve been tasked with such a dangerous mission. And it’s not even related to Altife, which makes it worse.”
Dragons, in general, were creatures far stronger than an archbishop.
In other words, it was not an ordinary mission.
Canella was more concerned about this than about the Altifes.
I smiled to ease her worry.
“It’s okay. Being a hero isn’t just about hunting Altifes.”
“If you say so…”
It was not related to Altife. The mission was not to hunt an archbishop or a high priest.
That was true. The mission given by the church in this episode was the subjugation of the dragon Frikkanlisk, unrelated to the archbishop Ami I was targeting.
“I’ve been prepared for such dangers ever since I decided to follow Helion.”
It was not related to Altife.
At least.
Not as a <mission>.