The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 9
“Gruu…”
A small girl from a distance stared intently at Alicia, her gaze piercing like a sharp beam. Despite the discomfort of peering around the stone wall, which must have caused pain in her legs and back, she remained resolute.
The girl, who lived near the village chief’s house where Alicia and her party were staying, had concluded that Alicia was a princess. Lately, she had been coming every morning, looking for an opportunity to confirm her belief.
Unable to withstand the intense gaze any longer, Alicia paused her chores and approached the girl cautiously, as if handling a small, wary animal.
“Why don’t you come inside and sit down for a bit…? No one will harm you.”
Suddenly, the girl grabbed Alicia’s hand and pulled her. Alicia’s face momentarily turned red from the effort. Though Alicia stumbled a bit, she gently but firmly stopped the girl’s actions.
“I’ve told you many times, I’m not a princess. And the person I serve is not an evil sorcerer.”
“Ugh…! We need to go, Princess! You’re being deceived right now.”
“… I’m really not. Edel, please, why don’t you come inside and let’s talk? I even have some delicious cake.”
“Cake…?”
The ears of the girl named Edel perked up at the mention of cake.
Her grip loosened as her eyes and mouth opened in surprise. She stared at Alicia with a vacant look.
“Yes, cake. It’s a delicious treat made of soft bread with sweet cream on top!”
“That’s something you eat all the time in the castle! I know it!”
Whether or not they ate cake every day in the castle, the girl finally seemed willing to listen. Though Alicia’s master had suggested ignoring the little girl as she wasn’t worth the trouble, Alicia found it difficult to ignore someone who came by every day.
It would be easier to clear up the misunderstanding and make her realize that there was no need to rescue her, and then she might stop coming.
‘Hmm…?’
Thinking along these lines, Alicia felt a strange sense of dissonance.
‘Come to think of it, it’s odd. Normally, he would have just made sure she couldn’t come near or imposed strict measures, rather than telling me to ignore her….’
“No!”
The girl’s sudden cry interrupted Alicia’s thoughts. Edel’s unexpected action left Alicia unable to continue her line of thought.
“No, no. Edel, get a grip! You need to save the Princess. The bad sorcerers will come soon.”
Edel slapped her cheeks with her small hands, trying to snap herself out of it. Alicia admired the girl’s determination not to succumb to temptation, though she wished Edel would relent for now.
Edel grabbed Alicia’s hand again. Alicia felt the girl’s high body temperature and slight sweatiness.
‘What should I do?’
While Alicia was contemplating this, a woman came running from the direction of Edel’s house. She seemed to have been working in the fields, as her clothes were dotted with dirt. Realizing her daughter’s mischief, she hurried over.
“Edel! You’re doing this again. Stop it, don’t make trouble!”
She lifted Edel in her arms to prevent her from looking at Alicia. Edel protested vehemently.
“Let me go, Mom! I need to save the Princess!!”
“I told you not to make a scene here. Why won’t you listen?”
“But the Princess….”
“The Princess is busy right now. She can’t do her work because of you!”
“Because of me…?”
Edel’s struggling ceased, and she went limp like a fish out of water. Slowly, she raised her head and looked at Alicia. The determination in her eyes had vanished.
“Princess, are you being scolded by the bad sorcerers because of me…? Am I causing you trouble by coming here?”
The girl looked as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
“Oh dear, why is she like this?”
Sensing the awkward situation, Edel’s mother tried to soothe her daughter and prevent her from crying, fearing they might cause more trouble. She knew that the people staying in their village were of very high status. Until then, she had thought their presence wouldn’t affect her life, only that she needed to be more careful outside.
But to her astonishment, her eldest daughter came home one day claiming to have had a shocking encounter.
When Edel proudly announced that she had been bothering those high-status guests every morning, her mother had nearly fainted from shock.
“I’m very sorry. I’m so sorry. My child is so thoughtless. I’m truly sorry.”
“No…! It’s okay, really.”
Alicia waved her hands, trying to reassure the woman who kept bowing and apologizing.
Edel, still looking gloomy, had not yet returned to her usual lively self. Alicia noticed that Edel’s gaze was no longer fixed on her. The girl hung limply in her mother’s arms.
Ah, she saw it now.
It wasn’t just about rescuing someone.
Alicia reached out to the small girl.
She gently stroked Edel’s hair, which was a beautiful color, like ripe grain. She smoothed it from top to bottom, as if combing.
Edel looked up, her eyes filled with tears but not yet spilling over.
“I’m not a princess, and I’m not being held captive by an evil sorcerer. But it’s true that I have a lot of work to do.”
Edel blinked her eyes.
Each time Alicia’s hand approached, Edel closed her eyes.
“When I finish my work, I’ll come to your house to visit. Will you wait for me until then?”
Alicia stopped stroking her hair and extended her pinky finger. Edel knew what this gesture meant.
“Mm…”
And so, Alicia made another promise.
***
“Huff… huff… Master… at this point, shouldn’t you tell me why we’re doing this? I’m pouring so much of my mana into this… I deserve to know the reason at least!”
Paula was leaning heavily on her large staff, her body showing signs of extreme exhaustion. Her tongue lolled out and her body heaved, indicating her fatigue.
Despite her usual frivolous behavior, Paula was a highly talented individual, holding a professorship at Academia.
Her mana reserves were considerable, yet here she was, looking close to collapse from overexertion.
But.
“Be quiet.”
It wasn’t that I didn’t understand Paula’s frustration, but explaining the current situation to her could jeopardize the plan.
Thus, I couldn’t tell her.
Paula didn’t like my answer. She straightened up, her eyebrows sharply furrowed.
“If you keep keeping secrets like this, I won’t help you anymore! Even if I’m your tutor, this is tyranny, pure tyranny!”
“30 gold.”
“Don’t change the subject! I’m furious right now and you’re talking about money!”
Did she not understand?
Perhaps I should explain a bit more.
“That’s the amount of money you receive monthly from the Schugenhartz family.”
“That’s true, but…”
Paula’s anger seemed to subside as the reality of her situation sank in.
“Are you expecting a detailed explanation?”
“… ugh.”
Paula gritted her teeth, trying to resist, but eventually, she deflated like a balloon.
She understood. The amount she received was substantial.
This was true even for an Academia professor. Considering that a junior professor’s salary was 10 gold a month, the weight of her current earnings was significant.
Moreover, Paula had caused numerous problems at Academia, leading to a significant reduction in her salary. Her current income might even be less than what she earned as a junior professor.
“When you put it that way, I guess I have no choice… ugh… you’re right. I’m in no position to complain when I’m receiving 30 gold a month. I should just do my job.”
Paula, who had been silent for a moment, reluctantly admitted her situation.
“… then, let me ask you one thing.”
The mix of anger and mischief in her expression disappeared, replaced by worry.
“Do you plan to kill Miss Alicia?”
Paula continued to speak. I listened with half an ear as I poured the magical liquid from the bottle onto the planted object.
The blue liquid flowed out. I used a bit of mana to help it penetrate deeply.
“That’s… Miss Alicia’s mana from the last fight with the bugs.”
The liquid was highly concentrated. Its density far exceeded that of ambient mana.
I had extracted the genius Alicia’s mana down to the last drop, so even in its compressed form, the amount was significant. And she wasn’t even fully matured yet.
“Master, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but the backlash from this will be severe… and the more intense the experience, the closer it gets to death.”
While Paula’s specialty differed from this, she was an expert in magical formulas. She had grasped the general idea, if not all the specifics, of this operation.
Hence her persistence in trying to stop me.
Paula wanted to prevent my actions from the start. Her earlier outburst was just a convenient pretext. She disliked heavy atmospheres and preferred to resolve matters lightly, as she usually did.
“Don’t you care about Miss Alicia? She has such a bright future ahead of her…!”
“Do you know the future?”
“Yes?”
Paula looked puzzled. She seemed ready to argue why such a question was relevant.
“I asked if you know the future.”
“Master, I’m serious right now!”
“Paula.”
I called her name.
Paula stared at me with a face full of unspoken words.
“If we don’t do this, it’s the same as failing.”
It wasn’t a piece of wisdom or advice. She wouldn’t understand what I was saying. But that was normal. There was no reason for her to understand.
“….”
Paula didn’t know the details, but she seemed to realize that my decision was final. She sighed deeply and bit her lip, looking dejected.
Finally, she spoke again.
“If something happens to Miss Alicia, you won’t even reach that <result> you’re aiming for.”
Her weak question didn’t require an answer. She knew I would proceed regardless of her opposition.
Still, she asked out of a lingering sense of responsibility. Her bond with Alicia had compelled her to speak.
You had grown quite attached, Paula. Had you developed such a strong bond already?
Emotions were indeed frightening. They sought to consume reason, controlling us. Succumbing to emotions made us no different from animals, driven by the pursuit of pleasure.
But I would never succumb to such things.
Worried about not reaching my goal without Alicia? Ridiculous.
“If that happens, I’ll just find another way.”