The Villain Bought the Heroine

Episode 7

“It’s still a bit lacking.”

She calms down the boiling mana in her body. The chilly wind, carrying the night air, brushes past her skin. Slowly, she lifts her head from her usual seated position, carefully regulating her breath. The exhaled breath turns into white smoke as it dissipates.

The moon and stars shine brightly.

A night sky view unseen from where I used to live. Stars filling the sky shine gently. In the original world, there must have been this many stars radiating their presence. It’s astonishing to think that the city lights concealed such bright light.

“Young master, are you still not sleeping?”

“I have something I want to test with my internal magic.”

While taking a short break, Alicia, who had just finished rigorous training, approached and spoke. The moisture not completely dried from her white hair added a sparkle.

“If not properly dried, it will freeze.”

“…Ah, yes. The moisture from just washing remains. I will dry it quickly.”

Alicia activated her mana to let warm air pass through her hair. She seemed to be carefully controlling the intensity, probably mindful not to show a clumsy appearance.

“Alright. It’s dried now.”

“When you graduate from Academia and become a knight, it would be ridiculous if the prospective knight catches a cold. Be cautious.”

“Yes, I will be careful. Oh, young master? How much longer do you plan to stay here?”

Probably about another hour.

There are still many things I want to confirm.

Saying so, Alicia asked me to wait for a moment and quickly disappeared, only to return. What she held was not a towel to dry her moisture but something else.

“It’s cold outside. How about wrapping yourself with this?”

Alicia, always showing a subtle smile. What she handed over was a blanket from the room. It seemed to be magically heated on the way here.

“I’m not worried that you’ll catch a cold, young master, but I thought it was something a proper servant should do.”

Alicia, who always seemed flustered and blushing, gave a proper reply for some reason. Perhaps she’s becoming quite accustomed to it now. Interesting.

“Anyway, why are you still lingering here? You can leave now.”

“I can’t sleep comfortably in a warm room knowing you’re out there on a cold winter night. If it’s not bothersome, may I stay by your side? I’ll keep quiet.”

“Oh, so what you mean is that you want to lie down on the bed right away and sleep comfortably, so stop this nonsense and go sleep now, is that it?”

“Oh, young master, you misunderstand!”

Both of their lips parted as their hands waved around in a fluster. It seemed she was getting a bit used to it, but there was still a long way to go.

She covered herself with the blanket Alicia brought. The warm heat spread directly to her shoulders and back.

“A punishment, Alicia. For advocating something useless to your master, you shall receive a penalty fitting of that.”

“Young master… I truly didn’t mean it like that…”

“Sit here.”

Tap, tap.

She lightly patted the empty seat next to her.

“Sit on the ground with me on this cold winter night. I will allow only the thin clothes to warm your body.”

“Yes…?”

Alicia hesitated to act immediately, finding my words surprising.

“Shall we talk for a moment?”

Even this trivial episode would be a necessary procedure for the upcoming development. That was my judgment.

***

“Um… Master? If you’re talking about…?”

“It’s nothing. It’s just a report on your recent condition. It’s necessary to confirm your growth for the progress of the task.”

“Yes… but aren’t you much more knowledgeable about magic than I am?”

“If it’s not oneself, there are things one doesn’t know.”

So far, Alicia had been unfamiliar with mana, unaware of her own condition. That’s why she never asked about the changes in her body, but now that she was beginning to sense it, the story was different.

“Was my words really that surprising to you? You’re making a dumbfounded face again.”

“It was a bit surprising… Oh, not like that. I was just taken aback by you suddenly asking for my opinion.”

Nonsense.

Isn’t that the case?

Alicia furrowed her brow, carefully analyzing her current state.

How was it during her practice just now? Did the flow of mana change more smoothly? Such a process was taking place within her. It’s quite revealing how obvious her thoughts are while contemplating. Unless her personality changes, she’s not someone who can lie for a lifetime.

“I don’t think there’s anything unusual. Visible progress, you would know well, and the feeling of something changing from within the body… Oh, and now that I think about it. I suddenly feel my physical strength has improved.”

“When you control magic properly, enhancement naturally occurs. Anything else?”

“Anything else? Um… “

Alicia falls into contemplation once again.

“It doesn’t have to be related to magic.”

“Oh, is that so? I thought it was only in that direction.”

That’s necessary too, but right now, there’s something much more important than that.

“If you feel down recently, or your body feels sluggish in the morning, even such trivial things are good.”

“Morning… Ah.”

Seeing her eyes widen, it seems like she’s recalling something.

“There’s something.”

“Oh… it’s… nothing. It’s really a trivial matter…”

Alicia’s clear eyes meet mine. Her pupils momentarily stray to an empty space, unable to gaze directly at me.

“One cannot overlook having something hidden from the master.”

She continued. If she doesn’t speak now, I’ll hypnotize her if necessary to get the truth out of her.

Alicia, considering my coercive attitude impossible to ignore, hesitantly opened her mouth.

“It’s… like a child’s worry, but I’ve been having frequent nightmares lately.”

“Oh, nightmares. What exactly are they about?”

“Memories from childhood… more precisely, fragments of the moment my village was burning.”

Alicia’s head gradually lowers. The sparkle in her eyes fades, and darkness begins to creep into that space.

“Keep talking.”

“Continue… talking?”

Alicia’s expression clearly shows her fear, which anyone can see. But I don’t need to worry about it.

“You showed a similar attitude at the breakfast table last time. Is there something you can’t even tell the master?”

“…That’s not it.”

Alicia’s voice diminishes to the point where it could fit into a mouse hole.

“It’s a dull tale from the past. Do you still want to hear it?”

“I’ll be the judge of that. Don’t make assumptions as you please.”

Her pupils dart around, avoiding me, before finally giving up and coming to a halt.

And then.

Her heavy lips barely part.

“…In truth, the person you met at our house that day when the Lord visited was not my biological parent. She was my second mother who took in the orphaned me.”

“I see.”

It’s the original story.

Even though I already knew the tale, there’s value in hearing it from her lips.

“Before meeting my second mother, I was a member of a family in a small rural village, consisting of my elder sister and parents. We weren’t wealthy, but I believe we had a very harmonious family.”

Alicia, thinking about her family, smiles briefly. The issue is that the smile doesn’t last long.

“The Lord didn’t mention it, did he? That I wasn’t the first to touch mana. …It’s true. I secretly strived to follow my talented sister in studying magic without my family’s knowledge. Although I knew nothing and believed I had no talent, I think I succeeded in meddling with it.”

A talented sister.

An untalented younger sibling.

Even if it was her own misconception. Due to this disparity, Alicia began to belittle her own worth from then on.

“Everyone in the village said my sister would become a hero and bring pride to the village. Yes, I thought the same. I admired my sister, who everyone had high hopes for. But… it seems I envied her. …That’s why the gods punished me.”

Alicia’s eyes shake, and the wrinkles in the clothes she clenches deepen. She reveals for the first time the hidden events she had tightly wrapped and concealed.

“…One day, red monsters attacked the village. Everything burned and vanished. My sister was the only one who could stand against them, and everyone wanted her protection.”

Feeling her breath quicken, Alicia forces herself to calm down and continues speaking. Once she starts expressing her emotions, the chain of connections doesn’t break.

“My sister was strong. She relentlessly fought against the pouring monsters. I, on the other hand, pitifully cried by her side. I did nothing but cling to her.”

And eventually, the story turns into a tragedy.

“However, no matter how much she was my sister, it was impossible for her to protect everyone. The villagers spilled blood one by one, and so did our parents. Feeling the situation worsen, my sister locked me in a nearby storage room and continued the fight. Her body gradually became covered in wounds.”

Initially minor wounds soon covered her entire body to the point where there was no unscathed spot left.

“In the end, she couldn’t hold on until the very end. That’s how it ended.”

“Yes… At that time, I peeked outside through a small crack in the storage room. …I saw it like that, just like that. My sister… her body, her heart…”

Being pierced.

Alicia gathers herself. She wants to quickly reach the end of this painful story.

“I don’t know what happened after I lost consciousness. I was the only one left alive in the village, and my sister’s body was nowhere to be found. It seems it was severely damaged beyond recognition.”

Alicia didn’t mention it, but afterward, she made graves for everyone in the village. Without proper food or sleep for days, she mourned for them all. Alicia, who accomplished this unbelievable feat, was only 10 years old at the time.

“The person who found me wandering away from the ruined village was the one the Lord met.”

The mother who sold her child for 100 gold.

The woman who raised Alicia as she pleased.

There’s a justification even for her.

Alicia says.

The scenes from her nightmares, witnessing her sister’s death in that dark storage room. Although the frequency of these nightmares decreased as she grew older, she recently experienced them again.

“Ah… I’ve burdened you with a heavy story, my Lord. You probably didn’t wish to hear such a thing, I apologize.”

“No. This is what I wanted to hear.”

To Alicia, it may seem somewhat cruel. But as someone familiar with the original story, it was a part I had to confirm.

I sense the flow of magic around me. Even without a clock, magic leaves traces of time.

“It seems like quite some time has passed.”

I rose from my seat, loosely covering Alicia with a blanket. The blanket draped over her shoulders, enveloping her.

“I shall retire for now. Your melancholic tales have dampened my spirits. The mana’s verification will have to wait for another time.”

“Indeed… your mood seems… off…”

“You too, cease your rumination and return to your room. The night is deep. Tomorrow will be busier than today, so proper rest is essential.”

“Oh, yes! Understood.”

With those words, she walked away. I heard the sound of Alicia folding the blanket. Glancing back slightly, she elegantly draped it over her arm.

“Good night, sir.”

Alicia bowed her head gracefully, like a wilting flower. If I don’t respond, she won’t lift her head. There’s no need to needlessly torment her.

“Very well.”

I replied curtly.

***

Moonlight filtering through the window is the only light illuminating the room. Leaning back in a luxurious chair, I face my shadow in the dimly lit room.

Alicia spoke to me about her past. There was a hint of coercion, but it was mostly her will.

What she said matched the story I knew. This wouldn’t bring any changes to Alicia’s schedule.

While contemplating Alicia, a specific word she mentioned came to mind.

Nightmare.

The daily repetition of her sister’s death.

I didn’t ask when she started having the dream again. It could complicate things if she caught on. I don’t engage in risky behavior without gain.

She still doesn’t know.

Perhaps she won’t until it truly begins.

“Things are progressing well… Well, as expected.”

It’s inevitable.

She’ll start having nightmares again soon.

“Because I set it in motion.”

The day she collapsed in the pit of beetles.

I cursed Alicia while running my fingers through her hair. I invoked the most dreadful memory to help her confront it.

Guilt?

I don’t entertain such notions.

I’ll use any trauma to facilitate her dramatic growth. Even if it leaves Alicia emotionally vulnerable.

I use everything at my disposal.

And extract benefits from it.

That’s how the antagonist survives.