The Villain Bought the Heroine

Episode 9

“Ugh…”

The gaze of a small girl staring at Alicia from afar doesn’t stop, shooting beams of light. Leaning against the stone wall like that must be hard on her legs and back, but she doesn’t lose her momentum.

The girl near the village chief’s house where her group was staying had already confirmed Alicia as a princess and had been coming every morning lately, trying to catch a glimpse of her.

Unable to bear that gaze any longer, Alicia momentarily stopped her chores and approached the girl, speaking cautiously as if handling a small animal to prevent her from running away.

“Why don’t you come inside and sit for a while…? No one will harm you.”

Sure. The girl grabbed Alicia’s hand firmly and pulled her along. Her face, momentarily filled with strength, blushed. Alicia’s body hesitated for a moment under her guidance, but she countered by exerting force to halt her actions.

“And I’ve said it many times, I’m not a princess. The one I serve isn’t some evil sorcerer either.”

“N-no…! You must go, Your Highness! You’re being deceived right now.”

“…I really am not. Edel, stop and come inside for a chat. There’s delicious cake waiting.”

“Cake…?”

At the mention of cake, the girl’s ears perked up.

Edel, as the girl was called, widened her eyes and mouth, releasing the grip on Alicia’s hand. With a vacant gaze, she faced Alicia.

“Yes, cake. A tasty treat with soft bread and sweet cream!”

“That’s the kind of food we have at the castle every day! I know!”

While it’s uncertain if they have cake every day at the castle, she barely showed signs of listening. Alicia’s master had advised her to ignore such nuisances like this little girl, but ignoring the young girl who visited every day wasn’t easy.

Perhaps if she could clear up the misunderstanding and make her realize she didn’t need rescuing, the girl wouldn’t come back.

“Hmm…?”

As Alicia pondered this, she felt a strange sense of unease.

“Come on!”

In an instant, the girl’s cry was heard. Alicia’s thoughts couldn’t keep up with Edel’s unexpected actions.

“No, no. Edel, snap out of it! We need to save the princess. Bad sorcerers will come soon.”

Edel smacked her own cheek with her small hand, delivering a sharp rebuke to herself. Despite her young age, her resistance to temptation felt admirable, but Alicia wished she would let this one slide.

Edel grabbed Alicia’s hand again. Alicia could feel the child’s high body temperature and slight sweat.

‘What should I do about this?’

As she pondered, a woman came running in a panic from the direction of the girl’s house. She seemed to have been working in the fields, as her clothes were covered in dirt, but she had noticed her daughter’s antics and was rushing from afar to intervene.

She lifted Edel with both hands, preventing her from looking at Alicia. Edel strongly resisted this.

“Let me go, Mom! We need to save the princess!!”

“I told you not to cause a commotion when I’m here. Why won’t you listen!”

“But the princess…”

“The princess is busy right now. She can’t even do what she needs to because of you!”

“Because of me…?”

Edel, who was flustered, stopped in her tracks, deflating like a fish out of water. She slowly raised her head to look at Alicia. The determined gaze in the girl’s eyes had disappeared.

“Princess, am I going to get scolded by bad sorcerers because of me…? Will I be tormented because I came and bothered you?”

Her eyes, like water droplets, seemed on the verge of bursting.

“Oh, why is she like this.”

Realizing the situation, the girl’s mother tried to comfort her daughter’s trembling back, preventing her tears from flowing. She had to do it.

While she didn’t know the details, she was aware that the people from the family that had come to the village were of a very high status. Until then, it seemed unrelated to her… she should be cautious of outsiders causing trouble. That’s what she thought.

But, as fate would have it.

Her eldest daughter, who had just come back from playing with her younger sibling, was about to reveal something shocking.

When Edel proudly mentioned that she had been going there every morning to bother them, she was not exaggerating. She was truly on the verge of fainting from surprise.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. Our child is so thoughtless, I truly apologize.”

“No…! I’m fine.”

Alicia extended her hand, signaling to the woman who was bowing in apology that there was no need for such apologies.

Edel, whether aware of the situation or not, remained despondent, lacking energy.

Alicia noticed that Edel’s gaze was no longer directed at her. It was then that she realized the sight of the girl, nestled in the woman’s arms like a breathless flower.

Ah, so that’s it.

Rescuing wasn’t the only purpose.

Alicia’s hand reached out to the young girl.

She gently stroked Edel’s head, adorned with a rich color like ripe wheat. From top to bottom, as if combing softly.

At that moment, Edel lifted her head. Tears welled up in her eyes, but they did not fall yet, held back.

“I’m neither a princess nor held captive by an evil sorcerer. But it’s true that there’s much to be done.”

Edel blinked.

Each time Alicia’s hand approached, Edel closed her eyes.

“When I finish what I must do, I will come to visit Edel’s home. Would you wait for me until then?”

Alicia’s hand, which had stopped stroking, had only the little finger extended. Edel understood to some extent what this meant.

“Um…”

That way.

Alicia had made one more promise.

***

“Huff… huff… Master… by now, could you at least explain why I’m doing this? I’m pouring out my magic like this… I should at least know the reason!”

Paula leaned on her large staff, supporting her weight. Her protruding tongue and the repeated contraction and relaxation of her body indicated her exhaustion.

Despite Paula’s usual behavior, she was not just overlooked, as she was also a talented individual holding a professorship at Academia.

With a considerable amount of mana, seeing her in such agony for using magic was quite unusual.

However.

“Be quiet.”

I knew Paula’s dissatisfaction, but revealing the meaning to her now could jeopardize the plan.

Therefore, my conclusion was that I couldn’t disclose it.

Seemingly displeased with my answer, Paula straightened up from leaning on her staff and sharply raised her eyebrows.

“If you’re going to keep it a secret like this, I won’t help you anymore! Even though I’m a governess, this is tyranny!”

“30 gold.”

“Don’t beat around the bush! What are you telling an angry person like me?”

Can’t you understand?

If not, shall I explain a bit more?

“It’s the money the teacher receives from Shugenhardt every month.”

“That’s… true…”

The flames of Paula’s explosive anger dwindled. An undeniable reality confronted her.

“You’re not expecting a detailed explanation, are you?”

“Ugh…”

Paula ground her teeth, trying to resist, but soon deflated like a balloon losing air.

She knew too. Even without a lengthy explanation, the amount Paula was receiving was substantial.

Being a professor at Academia meant the same. Considering that the monthly salary for adjunct professors was 10 gold, the weight of the amount she was receiving now would be felt.

Furthermore, in Paula’s case, due to causing various issues at Academia, her salary had been considerably reduced. Perhaps her income was even less than during her adjunct days.

“If you talk like that, it’s only right that I should… *sigh*… you’re right. I was wrong. What right do I have to receive 30 gold each month? Just shut up and do it.”

Paula, who had maintained a moment of silence, showed that it wasn’t easy for her to open her mouth for some reason.

“…Then, I’ll just ask for this one thing.”

The expression that had a mix of a large amount of anger and a small amount of mischief a while ago had disappeared, replaced by concern.

“Are you planning to kill Alicia?”

Paula continued to speak. I listened to her voice bounce off my ear once and directed the magical power contained in the vial towards the target substance embedded in the ground.

Drip. Liquid flowed from the transparent vial. With a little magical power, I helped the blue liquid penetrate deeply.

“That… is the mana of Alicia’s sheep obtained from the beetle pit last time.”

The liquid had a very high concentration. It boasted a density so thick that it couldn’t be compared to the mana floating in the air.

Since the extraordinary magic power of Alicia had been fully extracted, compressing it still yielded a considerable amount. It’s not even a complete body yet.

“I don’t know what the young master is thinking, but I know that there will be a significant counteraction to Alicia’s sheep… Moreover, the more intense the experience of being used as a material, the closer one gets to death.”

Although what I’m currently doing differs somewhat from Paula’s field, she is an expert in magical alchemy. Even though the materials she checked weren’t the entirety of this alchemical process, she would have grasped the rough context.

So, she’s been bothering me since earlier.

From the beginning, Paula wanted to stop my actions. Getting angry because it’s tough is just the right kind of shield. She dislikes when the atmosphere gets heavy, so she probably wanted to resolve it lightly as always.

“Weren’t you supposed to cherish Alicia’s sheep? She could have been enough in the future without resorting to this method…!”

“Does the teacher know the future?”

“Yes?”

Paula seemed unable to understand my words as if she were about to retort why I was saying such things now.

“I asked if the teacher knows the future.”

“Young master, I am seriously asking you right now!”

“Paula.”

I call out her name.

Paula is staring at me with a face full of things she wants to say.

“If you don’t, it will be the same as a failed result.”

It’s not a saying or a teaching to give wisdom. She probably can’t understand what I’m saying right now. But there’s no need to worry. It’s a normal thought process, and there’s nothing strange about it.

“….”

Although Paula didn’t understand the reason, she seemed to realize that my intention was firm as she let out a long sigh. Then, she bit her lip, her eyes moist with melancholy.

Finally, she says.

“If a problem arises with Alicia’s sheep, wouldn’t it be impossible to reach that ‘result’?”

Paula’s powerless question doesn’t seek my answer. She knows that I will proceed as I wish anyway, and she probably doesn’t intend to oppose it.

However, the reason she asked such a question is like a final conscience. The relationship with Alicia made Paula speak her mind.

Quite a tormented expression, Paula. Has your affection grown this much in the meantime?

That’s why emotions are terrifying. Their irrationality always tries to devour and control reason. When emotions take over, even though humans become no different from animals, they seek pleasure.

But I will never succumb to such a thing.

If I can’t use Alicia, I won’t reach my goal? Ridiculous.

“In that case, I’ll just use a different method.”