The Villain Bought the Heroine

Chapter 12

The genius of the century.

The strongest heroine.

The greatest ally.

These were all words for her, Alicia. There were many other nicknames, but these were the representative names used in the work. Even roughly, one could sense Alicia’s outstanding talent as a heroine.

Entering Academia as a commoner, she astonished everyone. Her talent was recognized by all. Students, professors, even the church had high expectations of her.

– Alicia will become the leader of this generation. She will protect everyone and become the hope of humanity.

In reality, as time passed, she began to soar higher than anyone else, spreading her wings. It was as if she would reach the sun with her splendid and enormous wings soaring high into the sky.

Higher, higher.

Very high.

However, everyone was unaware of one fact. That her wings, unfolded this time, were made of wax.

Unaware, she flew higher without fear, but her wings, ignorant of the danger, melted completely before reaching the sun.

Her first practical lesson.

The first encounter with the red monsters she spoke of. Like Liam, the protagonist, she was assigned as the successor mage at that time. Liam, the only one who knew her trauma, tried his best to prevent her from encountering the monsters.

However, there were limits. Although growing rapidly like Alicia, Liam’s skills were not exceptional enough to cover for everyone.

Eventually, the monsters reached Alicia’s side. Everyone, unaware of the truth, immersed themselves in her, expecting her to handle it. They all thought that as a genius, she had nothing to worry about. However.

The subsequent development was disastrous.

Ironically, Alicia, who was once a promising new generation genius and aspiring hero, faced the monsters.

– aaah!

She cowered, unable to do anything.

As a result, all her team members received the lowest scores except for the protagonist. No one had expected it. They never thought she would be afraid of the monsters. Everyone was surprised. And that surprise turned into mockery.

Since then, she acquired a label that stuck with her. A shadow of her past before the brilliant glory followed, a prelude to her becoming a protector for all.

Coward.

Troublemaker.

Light-loving peach.

More fitting for ridicule than titles, these were shameful words.

Fortunately, as the story progressed, her trauma gradually overcame, turning her into a guardian protecting everyone. But it took a year to get there.

One year.

Just one year.

It’s too long to be considered a preparation time. No matter how much of a genius you are, no one can wait that long.

So, I brought Alicia here and taught her magic and swordsmanship. I waited for the day when Rubyd Village was destroyed, having all the conditions in place.

I don’t know how many times she died during that time. I won’t intervene while she’s trapped inside. I’ll only act when she escapes. When all the livestock I’ve prepared in advance dies, I can break free from the loop of repetition.

Her trauma is severe, and recently, I’ve been awakening her through nightmares, which will undoubtedly have a stronger effect. Perhaps she’ll collapse without doing anything. It would be regrettable, but I’ll have to discard Alicia and choose another vessel. She’s not the only option.

Can Alicia maintain her sanity until all the livestock are dead? She has been given the strength to withstand them to some extent. I’ve done everything I can for her.

The rest is up to her.

***

There’s no time to understand the situation. The monsters began to move again, wearing unpleasant expressions.

Whether he had gone mad or was truly trapped in a nightmare, one thing was certain: if he didn’t move now, he would die in the same agony as before.

Kakakaka.

There, what did I say?

Don’t try to blame me for not doing anything back then. Just be honest with your feelings.

You couldn’t do anything back then. Why?

Because you were scared.

You’re just a coward who couldn’t do anything.

Why did you have so many excuses for hiding in the warehouse just to survive alone?

My cowardly younger brother.

In Alicia, I see her figure. She looks the same as she did that day, but her voice, usually affectionate, was now filled with anger and scorn.

The emotions contained were anger and mockery.

14-year-old Charlotte was mocking Alicia’s appearance.

The monster passes by Charlotte. Her figure shimmers and fades like a mirage. Alicia’s face and the monster come face to face.

“Ah, no…!”

Alicia, unable to face it head-on, tried to push the monster away, reaching out her hand, but only found herself stepping back. Run, I must run. I have to escape!

Her thin legs, which had shown no sign of life in the previous death…

Begin to move.

As if responding to her desperate plea, her legs finally began to obey. Trembling violently like a quivering cedar, Alicia could now run.

【Crunch?】

The monster also noticed her change. It had thought she was just a helpless prey, unable to move, but now she had legs to run. In that case, there was only one action the monster had to take.

“…!”

Swish! The monster’s tentacle lunged towards Alicia’s leg. Sharp and swift, like a bee’s sting. Alicia sensed the threat and narrowly avoided it.

She succeeded in evading the monster’s attack. Her legs were moving. Now all she had to do was go through that door to the outside…! But.

Thud. A sensation she couldn’t understand focused on her abdomen. More excruciating than any pain she had endured so far.

Despite clearly dodging the tentacle, why?

That question was immediately answered. As she looked up, the monster, if emotions it had, showed a clear smile. It wasn’t just one tentacle it had. Two. Two long ones were hanging from its back.

“Cough…!”

Blood spurted out through Alicia’s mouth. In the end, the monster had turned her blood upside down, but it did not lose the grin it wore.

Dreamily, the monster’s tentacle that had pierced through Alicia’s abdomen moved again. Perhaps to ensure the prey’s death, it swiftly pulled it out.

Blood gushed out as the blockage in the monster’s body was pierced, releasing a large amount of blood. Alicia’s vision began to darken again. Though her legs moved and she could speak, she couldn’t do anything.

“…….”

Alicia’s body collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness. Thus, she faced a death she couldn’t count.

Death does not stop; it continues.

Again and again.

Again and again.

***

Alicia’s head shattered like pottery as she ran. Brain matter and blood burst out, but Alicia was unaware of it.

***

Alicia screamed as her legs were severed. The excited monster leaped and pounced on Alicia. She tried to stab its eyes with the sword she held, but her arm couldn’t reach, and the monster tore into her face.

***

Gnawing meticulously, one of Alicia’s arms was being chewed on. Each time the monster’s mouth moved, Alicia seemed to lose consciousness, but she held onto the sword until the end.

She tried to apply what she had learned. Magic and swordsmanship. Though it was a short time, she had ingrained it into her body.

With pain, she clenched her fist. Though one arm was being eaten, if she could hold onto the other, she could surely kill the beast. She couldn’t continue to die like this. Each time she returned from death, it felt like her stamina, magic, mental strength, everything was being cut away in pieces.

It was a cycle, but if it continued like this, she would definitely die in the end. Alicia realized this and began to counterattack.

Magic is like muscle.

As if proving the results of her hard practice, she gathered mana within her hands. A bluish light tingled. Perhaps this could deliver a fatal blow to the monster!

Alicia swung her fist, filled with magic, towards the beast, screaming fiercely. Her fist collided with the tough skin of the monster.

Thud. The sensation transmitted through Alicia’s fist was heavy. It was a definite hit on the beast…!

【Crunch?】

The monster stared as if it had seen something strange. No growl escaped. Alicia was sick of it.

Crunch.

Alicia’s body was severed in half.

***

Alicia met death with sharp eyes.

Alicia met death with her throat cut.

Alicia met death with her breath choked.

……

……

Alicia is fleeing. Breathing heavily, she moves her legs frantically.

Monsters destroy the village everywhere. Where her gaze falls, there are no monsters. Everyone screams. Save me. Someone, please save me! But Alicia was not strong enough to protect even that. Unable to save anyone, let alone keep her own life.

Her magic-infused fist had no effect. The blade carrying the aura could inflict minor wounds on a creature, but killing one that entered the warehouse was beyond her. Like her mental state, the unstable aura was like a flickering candle.

Chuckle, chuckle, chuckle.

In the end, she’s running away.

Well, that’s how it should be.

After all, she’s our sister.

Still, she’s improved compared to before.

Back then, she couldn’t even run away!

Each time she hears a voice, it feels like her heart is being squeezed. Throat cut, arms severed. Despite experiencing such things, she never gets used to the pain.

Her legs tremble. It’s not only because of fear but also because her stamina has reached its limit from repeated deaths. Perhaps the next death could be the last. No, this one could be the last.

She used to think death wasn’t scary. Because everything ends when you die. She thought it wasn’t bad not being bound by reality.

But no.

Death is too frightening.

Since she was young, even now. That hasn’t changed.

Look over there, Alicia.

There are two little girls.

Even in the midst of her frantic escape, Charlotte’s voice is heard clearly. Alicia’s gaze turns towards the girls at the girl’s gesture.

“Edel… Freesia…!”

Alicia called the girls’ names. Not to attract the children’s attention. Very softly. Almost like a whisper. So faint that it’s hard to hear even if you’re nearby.

Is that big one their older sister?

She looks quite young.

Even younger than us.

A monster approaches the girls step by step. Its long tongue seems to crave the children’s tender flesh.

Edel stands in front of her younger sister, Freesia, holding a kitchen knife, facing the monster. Tears blur her vision, wiping her eyes continuously with one hand. Her trembling body and wide-open mouth are the same.

The kitchen knife trembles. She changes her grip from one hand to two, as if it was heavy.

Again, step by step.

The monster advances. Edel’s body jumps.

“Sa… Save… Princess…!”

Their eyes meet. Alicia stops, unable to ignore her and flee.

I want to save them. I want to defeat that monster right now and rescue them from terror. Despite such thoughts, my body refuses to move.

Stop, Alicia.

Who are you trying to save?

Shouldn’t you hurry along the way?

Otherwise, you’ll have to taste the pain of being pierced in the stomach again, won’t you?

Alicia couldn’t deny that voice. Fear of death, the body’s memory of pain. Everything prevents Alicia’s legs from moving. Yet she speaks.

“I need help….”

She opens her mouth with all her might. Trying to chew up the emotions that control her body, she finds resistance still strong. Her feet are frozen and won’t budge.

“No one’s here… except me….”

Her master and companions have left the village. Among the people here, there is no one with the strength to fight monsters. Only herself. Only she can confront them.

Grr. Legs that won’t move as if a nail is stuck in them. That’s the problem. Because of this, she can’t move. So, how, how should she proceed? How can she save Edel and Freesia?

I said stop.

It just makes the situation more ridiculous.

From the start, it was wrong for you to try to do something. You’re not me, are you? Maybe if you were lucky. You can’t possibly be the one to kill monsters.

“No… no….”

She can manipulate mana. She can use stable auras. Trained and accustomed to using them naturally.

Even if she can’t reach her sister’s level. Even if she has to put all her strength into killing one guy. If it’s not her, who will save those kids?

Thus, there was a moment when Alicia’s toes slowly began to move.

Squelch.

An unpleasant sound was heard.

Due to that brief hesitation, the fate of Edel, the girl who admired fairy tales, changed.

“Sis…ter?”

Edel’s sister, Freesia, was dumbfounded by the sight. The harsh reality she faced was too cruel to confront in her right mind.

She’s dead. Edel is dead. Freesia’s sister is dead. This might not be the first death. She must have experienced death multiple times in her own dead world. They promised. They promised to go out and have fun after the task was done. She called out to her at the end. Their eyes met. Yet she couldn’t move. The monster’s movements don’t stop. This time, it’s clearly aiming for Freesia. She will die. She will die miserably without any resistance.

“No….”

Strength fills the hand holding the sword. Even the leg that was just holding on gains a firm resolve after a long time.

“No…. No…. No….!”

Alicia repeated the same words while drawing her sword. She’s trying hard to express an unfamiliar emotion of anger on her face.

Oh, Alicia, what’s going on here?

I feel it.

Her magical power fills her body. Foolishly, she didn’t think to fill her body with the magic in the air. She practiced so hard. Yet, she foolishly succumbed to fear…!

The energy rises in the sky. A blue smoke rises through the sword, enveloping everything. It condenses and intensifies. A light so bright that it blinds the eyes. It was Alicia’s aura.

It’s scary. It’s frightening. I want to run away. But now, in this moment. The one emotion filling her completely is.

– I want to save them.

That was it.