The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 87
Gathered in Helion’s room, we sat in a circle with him at the center, listening to the information compiled so far. Finn, who had been listening closely, raised his hand to ask a question.
“… so, it’s highly likely that Frikkanlisk is currently hiding in Dortmund in human form?”
“Yes, Student Finn, that’s correct. According to the information provided by the church’s Dortmund branch, Frikkanlisk has been descending from a village near what is presumed to be its residence, destroying six settlements along the way. No survivors have been confirmed so far.”
“And now it’s Dortmund’s turn?”
“That’s right. Although it’s quiet for now, considering the speed at which it’s been moving, it’s very likely it’s already in the city. We suspect that because the church has a branch in Dortmund, she might be biding her time, but if we don’t act quickly, the entire city could be destroyed.”
“… why would a divine beast do such a thing? They’ve lived so quietly for so long… what could be their purpose?”
Finn clenched his fists on his thighs, his expression a mix of frustration and sorrow.
The long-standing tradition or code of non-interference by divine beasts in worldly matters—Finn couldn’t understand why it was being broken now.
The Twelve Divine Beasts were known for their wisdom and prioritization of peace. Surely, they would have known that the church would intervene if they acted like this… why?
Helion, seeming to understand Finn’s confusion, responded.
“It could be that this is their true nature, or perhaps there is some specific reason. If we can’t fully understand it, that’s probably for the best.”
His gaze, too dry to simply be described as calm, pierced through Finn, who swallowed hard and listened quietly.
“But before they were divine beasts, they were monsters, and they have attacked people. That alone is reason enough for us to act. We’re seeking to understand their motives not to judge Frikkanlisk’s guilt, but as a means to find it.”
Finn fell silent, lost in thought.
His mind struggled to reconcile understanding with reality, but it still felt awkward.
Perhaps it was because he was still like a frog in a well, unaware of the wider world. But there was one point he wanted to clarify.
“It’s just a hypothesis, but… is it possible that the information provided by the church is incorrect?”
“……”
Finn’s question cast a moment of silence over the group, and he hastily tried to explain himself.
He wasn’t doubting the church, but considering the long history, wasn’t it possible that at least one record might be wrong?
Canella, the only female member of Helion’s team, spoke gently to Finn, as if comforting someone new to the field.
“… even the church is run by people so there can be small errors in the transmission of information… but overall, they’re minor. Besides, we have a lot to do with limited time and manpower. It would be ideal to understand every detail before acting, but that’s not always possible.”
The church had ordered the subjugation of Frikkanlisk, not negotiation or appeasement. Without solid evidence, this decision couldn’t be overturned, and even if there was such evidence, it wouldn’t be easy.
As Canella finished speaking, Helion added his thoughts.
“Our information gathering isn’t complete yet. We can’t find Frikkanlisk, which is hiding among the crowds, based solely on the church’s information. We need to investigate directly. As we continue, we’ll likely understand why it started destroying people and villages, and that will lead us to it.”
Finn nodded slightly.
“I see… I’m sorry for saying something strange… regardless of its reasons, it’s clear that what it’s done is unforgivable. Prioritizing that above all else seems to be the right approach.”
In truth, Finn probably didn’t hold any special feelings toward the divine beasts. He was simply curious.
Why would a being that had lived so quietly for so long suddenly behave in such an unusual way?
“Oh, look at this guy! I thought you’d just whine about being weak, but you took it like a man! I’m starting to like you, even though you’re still weak!”
Canthurman, a burly, middle-aged man with a thick beard and bulging muscles, grabbed Finn by the neck with his massive, muscled arm.
It seemed to be his way of showing camaraderie, but judging by the way Finn’s face turned blue, it was clear that Canthurman didn’t know his own strength.
Well, considering that Canthurman’s arm was about as thick as Finn’s head, it would be stranger if he was fine after being grabbed like that.
“Ugh, w-wait… wait a second… ack!”
“Hey, hey, that’s enough messing around. You’re going to kill him!”
“Canthurman, I think you’re using too much force…!”
Finn quickly tapped Canthurman’s thigh to signal his surrender, while Canella and the team’s youngest member, Gaon, tried to stop him.
Canthurman seemed surprised, as if he hadn’t heard them, his mouth forming a perfect <O> of amazement.
“Whoa, you’ve trained hard for someone who looks so weak. You’re in better shape than I thought.”
Just as Finn’s face turned from blue to a pale white, Canthurman finally released him, satisfied.
Finn gasped for air, coughing desperately.
As Canella approached to check on Finn’s condition, she narrowed her eyes sharply and glared at Canthurman, who was old enough to have seen two generations pass.
Canthurman, however, seemed completely oblivious, busy cleaning his ear with his finger.
Seeing this, Canella’s anger only grew, and it was up to Gaon, the youngest, to calm her down.
“Do you have any questions, Student Vargan?”
In the midst of the commotion, Helion turned to me, speaking as naturally as if he were a kind schoolteacher.
“Not at the moment.”
The information we’d gathered so far wasn’t enough to make any decisions. For now, I would just let things flow.
“That’s a shame. I was hoping to hear something.”
“I’m flattered, but I’m no fortune teller, so I’m afraid I can’t help much.”
I shrugged lightly as I answered.
At a glance, it looked as if everyone here was getting along as if they’d always been a team, especially if I included myself in that perception.
“……”
But even with such a broad perspective, not everyone was blending into the scene.
Kshanoll, the second strongest in Helion’s team, was quietly seething with anger.
From what I knew, he despised those without talent and detested noisy environments.
… oh? Was this about me? No, but I didn’t hate Finn, and I’d been looking out for him, so it was different.
In any case, Kshanoll had an almost fanatical loyalty to Helion, trusting and following him to an extreme degree. He was also entirely serious in everything he did, which was very different from me.
Unable to hold back, Kshanoll finally spoke up, revealing his true nature.
“Are you here to play?”
His words were directed at Finn, sharp as an arrow.
Finn, who had been rubbing his still-sore neck, flinched in surprise, showing signs of tension.
“I asked if you were here to play. Answer me.”
“N-no, I’m not. I—”
“— enough. What the hell are you even doing here?”
“Pardon…?”
The atmosphere instantly froze.
Helion remained silent, watching the scene unfold. His calm demeanor suggested that he was deliberately letting things play out on their own.
“You don’t have a single talent related to being a hero, do you?”
Kshanoll’s words were laced with venom, relentlessly stabbing at Finn.
“The church’s matter too. It’s not for someone like you to judge—that’s for those above you. If you lack talent, at least you should have the right attitude, but looking at you, you don’t even have that, do you?”
Despite what he said, from my perspective, even if Finn’s attitude had been exactly what Kshanoll wanted, I doubted he would have offered any kind words.
He truly didn’t regard anyone without talent as a person.
Finn visibly stiffened, but he managed to cover his guilt with a weak, awkward smile as he sincerely apologized.
Surprised by the sudden verbal assault, he fell back on a coping mechanism he had developed after a lifetime of being told he was useless.
But.
“Idiot.”
With that one-word insult, Kshanoll fell silent. Finn, unable to respond appropriately, stood frozen.
Time, which had paused momentarily, began to flow again.
Seeing and hearing everything, Canella, who had been shocked into silence, tried to unleash her anger on Kshanoll with wide, fierce eyes, but Helion cut her off.
“Tomorrow, a team from Dortmund’s church will be joining us. They’re local heroes. It’ll be easier to gather information with locals around.”
He continued the main topic without a second thought.
No one reprimanded or said anything unpleasant to Helion.
“Let’s wrap up the meeting for today. Everyone, go back to your rooms and get some rest. We’ll be busy starting tomorrow.”
Canella, who looked like she had a lot to say, was the first to leave the room when team leader Helion responded indifferently. Her footsteps were loud as she exited.
Gaon rubbed Finn’s shoulders, while Canthurman roughly slapped his back before they all returned to their rooms.
Shortly after, the main culprit, Kshanoll, followed with a cold glare.
I called out to Finn.
“How long are you going to stay like that?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. So… we’re heading to our rooms? Ha, haha.”
Only then did Finn, as if thawing out, awkwardly scratch the back of his head and smile. It was the most forced smile I had ever seen from him.
Finn and I were assigned to the same room.
As we walked down the hallway, we didn’t exchange a word. Even after returning to the room, it was the same. I didn’t say anything to him.
It might seem harsh to Finn, but he needed to understand.
This was reality, and this was the fate he would face.
If he crumbled under external pressures, no amount of struggle from within would mean anything. Whether inside the novel or out, those without talent were ignored.
Thus, he had to struggle even more.
Until he became someone they couldn’t ignore.
***
A woman with long black hair was being supported by two men as they walked down a narrow alley.
The surroundings were dark.
There was no one around except for them, and the distant sound of drunken singing was the only noise that could be heard.
The two men were friends, but the woman was someone they had just met for the first time.
The two men had been drinking and having a good time as usual at a tavern when the woman, already somewhat drunk, came over from a distant table.
The three naturally started drinking together, and after a while, the woman suggested they leave.
She said she didn’t want to go inside and preferred the quiet and gloomy outside.
The two men, still excited, quickly sobered up and brought the woman outside, walking through the alley.
In the darkness, the men’s eyes gleamed like those of beasts.
Those eyes weren’t preparing for a fight. They were signaling the release of pent-up desires for the woman.
The men exchanged glances as they reached a deep, secluded part of the alley where it seemed there was nowhere else to go. One of the men nodded, signaling that this spot would do.
The man, swallowing his saliva, scanned the woman’s body with a lecherous gaze. His rough hand reached out, its purpose clear.
Meanwhile, his friend watched, breathing heavily.
“Ughh⎯⎯⎯?!”
Instead of the scene he expected, the man saw his friend’s upper body collapse lifelessly with a thud. His pupils, dilated to the extreme, turned toward the woman’s face.
“This is unfortunate.”
The black-haired woman was filled with fierce anger.
Her eyes, like those of a demon, were ablaze with madness. It was excessive for someone she had met for the first time today.
“Guh…!”
The man’s throat tightened.
No sound could escape.
It wasn’t fear; it was something the woman had done to him.
His body was paralyzed as if held by a giant’s hand. All he could do was tremble violently.
“Do you know why your friend died?”
The man didn’t know.
He couldn’t understand why his friend, or even himself, had to suffer like this. If pursuing a woman out of desire was wrong, then so be it, but to die so suddenly?
“He insulted my husband.”
She dragged the man to the wall and lifted him by his neck. His body flopped like a fish out of water.
Despite her explanation, the man still couldn’t comprehend it. How could he have insulted the husband of a woman he had just met today? He didn’t even know she was married…!
“Think hard. Use that dumb head of yours.”
As his breath was cut off, the oxygen supply to his brain decreased, gradually dwindling until it was nearly completely cut off.
He couldn’t continue his thoughts. The only thing he could perceive was the woman’s mad, angry expression.
“You still don’t get it, do you? I told you earlier. <Aintern>.”
The word forced its way into the man’s clouded mind. Aintern… she had indeed mentioned something like that.
While cursing that person, they mocked him as a fool to kill time instead of eating the snacks on the table.
But… why was that foolish hero who had died here… he had been rumored to have sealed his fate by becoming obsessed with a monster, and… ah.
“I’m the monster that man fell for, you bastard.”
The black color of the woman’s hair drained away. Her face transformed, becoming even more fiercely defined.
She was as cold as winter.
Instead of warm breath, frost escaped her lips.
The temperature was close to that of death.
⎯Thud.
The man’s body collapsed to the ground, lifeless. He laid beside his friend, looking as if they were close even in death.
The winter dragon, Frikkanlisk, who was in her polymorph form, didn’t chew or swallow the bodies.
Instead, she turned them into ice, shattered them into tiny fragments, and scattered the remains into the world.
She disliked swallowing them, but she hated leaving evidence behind.
After cleaning up, she set off again.
Time was running out; she needed to find him quickly.
Her emotions fluctuated rapidly.
The same woman who had just killed two people in a fit of anger now appeared anxious, her eyes filled with worry.
She looked as if she might cry at any moment.
“Where… where are you?”
Frikkanlisk wandered through the darkness.
Tonight, too, she roamed the dim alleys of Dortmund.