The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 91
Terrarium was not much different from a general information exchange unless a specific phrase was mentioned.
For example, the woman who first greeted me didn’t verify my identity, and she was just an ordinary employee, not someone related to the Goddess Church.
However, with a specific phrase.
By saying, <The 22nd guest knocked on the door>, I could summon a trader related to the Goddess Church.
When asked about my business, I mentioned the name of the archbishop of my faction, which would lead to a full-fledged conversation.
But instead of the archbishop, I mentioned the name of a cardinal.
Very few among the followers of the Goddess Church, let alone humans, knew even one cardinal’s name.
Thus made the man in the top hat paused, even if just a little.
On the surface, it wasn’t noticeable at all. He was a human quite good at pretending—no, he was an Altife.
If I hadn’t noticed the subtle change in his tone, no one else would have had a clue.
“What is your relationship with Lord Beleth?”
I burst into laughter at his question, aiming to show a certain level of disdain for the current situation.
“Are you trying to get information for free at an exchange? You’re tarnishing the name of the Terrarium.”
“We do apologize, but given your answer, we must be cautious. I hope you understand.”
He smoothly deflected my words, maintaining a consistent attitude. He implied that the conversation couldn’t proceed unless I properly identified myself.
“If I say that I’m one of his aides, can we trade information?”
“Please, in one sentence.”
“What’s the reason?”
I continued to look him in the eyes as I spoke.
Laughter was still etched into my tone.
“Are you trying to determine the truth by using the power of the eye embedded in your forehead?”
“……”
He remained silent for a moment.
Smile.
Before smiling slyly.
“It seems we need to treat you to a special course.”
His demeanor changed.
Earlier, he had been the typical employee, passively responding to a demanding customer. Now, his snake-like nature was fully on display.
“22nd guest. Mr. Vargan Troa Schugenhartz. I won’t ask how you know that phrase, but your second answer truly surprised me.”
“I didn’t realize that a mere name held such value.”
“You’re lying… you’re a mysterious figure.”
“I hear that often.”
Given that I’d read countless novels and knew the hidden backgrounds and events of this world, he must find me quite intriguing.
A phrase to summon someone connected to the Goddess Church.
A word to continue the transaction.
Of course, I knew these things from reading the novel.
If there was any problem in getting here, it wasn’t about these things; it was finding the location of Terrarium, which wasn’t difficult once I bribed the beggars in the vicinity.
Although Helion noticed something suspicious during this process, it didn’t matter.
After all, he would eventually follow my lead.
“In that case, Mr. Vargan. Instead of asking about your relationship with Cardinal Beleth, may I ask you something else?”
He asked me a different question, skipping the relationship with Cardinal Beleth.
“Should I consider you a partner? Or an enemy?”
“A partner.”
It seemed like he was using the power of the eye hidden beneath his hat.
He could use it even if it was concealed, as long as the density or thickness of the barrier between his eye and the target was below a certain level.
After a brief pause.
“It’s true. Fascinating. Yes, truly fascinating.”
As his voice rose slightly, he suddenly stood up. He bowed his head respectfully, pressing one hand firmly against the opposite shoulder.
This was the etiquette a nobleman followed when showing respect to someone for the first time.
“I will reintroduce myself. I am Ultima, a bishop of the Goddess Church.”
“You were also one of the bishops involved when Zagan seized the nest.”
“I fled to save my life, shamefully. As the only surviving member of the Goddess Church present at the time, I must bear the weight of their lives.”
“Your silver tongue is quite lively, Altife.”
Caliculea, who had acted in the play, felt less out of place compared to other Altifes, but Ultreman was particularly skilled.
Though he was probably hiding it, he was quite skilled.
If I had a conversation with this guy without knowing anything, I wouldn’t have noticed a thing.
“I’ll gladly accept that compliment.”
Ultima raised his head and looked into my eyes.
His pupils were also like those of ordinary humans, not torn in a specific direction like Zagan or Ami.
“In fact, Mr. Vargan, I’ve been keeping a close watch on you for a few months.”
“Is it okay to just spill such information?”
“Consider it a small gesture of goodwill for future dealings.”
In other words, he was saying that you had to give something to get something.
He saw me as a valuable enough figure to negotiate with, and he was the first to open his bag to build that bridge.
“You were involved in both the unusual behavior of Borg Lampit Ocell from the Academia and the death of Bishop Caliculea. The common denominator was you, Mr. Vargan.”
He shrugged, asking me not to lie about the Goddess Church being unaware of this.
Ultima was right.
“Yes, as you said. I’m the one who cursed Borg to limit his actions, and I’m the one who killed Caliculea.”
“You wanted to make your presence known by using them. And your reason was to build a bridge to contact us.”
“If I had to compare, Borg would be a crow, and Caliculea would be a magpie. I walked across the bridge they made, which led to our meeting here.”
“Even the scent of Zagan is strong, so I assume you delivered the final blow during the final exam.”
“It ended up that way.”
They already knew that I had beheaded Zagan and had crossed swords with the Cardinal’s power to some extent. Yet they still approached me so brazenly.
Borg, Caliculea, Zagan.
Involved with these three, I was also a direct descendant of the prestigious Schugenhartz family, a once-promising genius.
The Goddess Church must have been very curious about me. They must have been both wary and intrigued.
I approached them slowly so they wouldn’t be too surprised and react rashly. Gradually, this approach grew until we reached this point.
This moment, you could say, was the ripe red fruit of an apple tree that received proper care.
“Returning to the main topic, Mr. Vargan. You said you considered us partners. I confirmed that you weren’t lying.”
Naturally, they would be curious.
As a candidate hero.
Why would I want to form a connection with the enemy Altife?
“Please tell me why you came to see me today. It seems our relationship with you will continue for quite some time, so I’d like to ensure we get off on the right foot.”
Ultima smiled like a human, though he was an Altif. It was so natural that he seemed professionally trained.
“I don’t believe my connection with you will end as a one-time thing. So, let’s set aside the countless topics we could discuss for later and focus on the deal at hand.”
“What is it? If it’s something our Terrarium has, we can trade any rare item or information.”
I slowly began to speak.
This information was the most important and necessary thing in this episode.
“Is it true that one of the Twelve Sacred Beasts, Frikkanrisk’s offspring, is currently bound to the hero, Craine, who is under Dortmund’s command?”
***
After obtaining the desired information, I left Terrarium and headed straight to my lodging.
Terrarium was a trading port that existed in every major city. Since I’d established a connection, it should be useful in the future.
Just because it was associated with the Goddess Church didn’t mean it should be avoided entirely.
Other protagonists might find out about this and criticize me, but what did it matter? I was not the protagonist; I was the villain. In the end, only the results mattered.
As I was about to enter the lodging.
I noticed someone standing in front of the door.
He was leaning against it, silently watching me. He had been waiting.
How flattering.
“You’re quite late, Student Vargan.”
“I’m always busy, after all… but Lord Helion, who were you waiting for at this late hour? You must be tired after a long day, yet you’re not resting.”
“You’re still as good as ever at playing innocent.”
“Ah, could it be that you were waiting for me?”
I had suspected as much.
But I tried to show a fresh reaction.
Recently, I’d been trying to behave as quietly and modestly as possible around them. Sometimes, it was good to mix things up a bit.
“……”
Helion’s gaze slowly scanned me.
It was as if he was checking to see if anything had changed, but it felt different from how Alicia would check for injuries.
It felt like he was looking for something other than my well-being.
“Where have you been?”
“I just wanted to feel the night breeze, so I took a walk. The city is quite beautiful. Hmm… you seem quite curious, should I tell you about my route?”
“It seems like you went somewhere you don’t want to talk about.”
“You don’t need to worry; I didn’t go anywhere that would diminish a hero’s dignity.”
“Indeed. Student Vargan, you’re a student who knows how to take care of yourself and sees the future better than anyone else. I’m not worried.”
I was grateful that a hero of his stature would think so highly of me.
I smiled in response to his praise and tried to walk past him lightly.
“Student Vargan.”
Helion was persistent today.
Did he want to have a deep conversation?
“Lord Helion. Do you still have something to say?”
I turned around and met his gaze.
For a moment, I was overwhelmed by a chilling sensation. It was as if something sharper than a blade, sharper than the point of a needle, had pierced me.
It wasn’t a curse. Nor was it magic.
It was something like an aura that Helion exuded.
His expression was calm, like a lake illuminated by the moon, yet beneath it, there was something terrifying.
Could this be the spirit of the man who would one day be ranked as the second strongest hero? Seeing that supreme aura sent chills down my spine and made me smile at the same time.
Yes, this was the kind of person who could take down an archbishop-level Altife.
“I’m not here to interfere.”
He slowly began to speak. With each word, the heavy pressure that had been weighing down on me gradually lifted.
“Student Vargan, go ahead and do what you need to do. If you need help, I can assist you.”
He wasn’t trying to stop me. He just wanted to convey his thoughts.
“But if it doesn’t meet the result I’m aiming for….”
Helion valued results.
If he thought the losses outweigh the gains, he wouldn’t hesitate to cut it off.
There was no room for sympathy. He would sever it with a single stroke.
No matter what it was.
“Then I’ll stop you.”
He smiled.
It was an attempt to ease the tension.
It was probably the most reassuring smile Helion could muster, but it was still awkward.
“If you tell someone to relax with that expression, no one will believe you.”
“I’m working hard to practice my expressions, but it’s not easy. Maybe I should learn from you, Student Vargan.”
“Maybe someday, if we have the time….”
—Ah, found it.
In the middle of our conversation.
I received a signal from one of the 329.
It died almost immediately, but I pinpointed its location. She must have realized her position was discovered, so she would either hide again or try to escape the city.
I turned away from the lodging. To Helion, I said this.
“Lord Helion, about that offer to help. It seems I’ll need to take you up on it right now.”
“I suppose I should call the others as well.”
“No.”
Wouldn’t the quiet, charming night of Dortmund become too noisy if we did that?
“We’ll go alone.”