The Villain Purchased the Heroine

All enemies have been defeated.

It wasn't particularly difficult. The enemies were lower-tier entities, and let's not even talk about how exceptional Vargan's basic stats were.

In the nearly five months since, I had enough suitable test subjects to see if I could use my skills flawlessly and naturally.

The relic obtained from the secret dungeon this time is also quite useful. It's comparable to, if not better than, the brilliant relics stuffed in the mansion's warehouse. The glaring difference is that this relic wholly belongs to me.

"Shall I try to guess your train of thought?"

In the now silent battlefield, thick with the smell of blood, I spoke to Alicia, who was barely managing to stand. She seemed a bit deflated after such an intense experience moments ago.

"First and foremost, the overwhelming feeling you must have felt was relief. The sense of liberation from narrowly escaping death."

At any moment, the most primal desire for a human is survival. Most creatures will react strongly if you even slightly touch that instinct; however, Alicia is in a completely exposed state. She probably has thousands of thoughts racing through her mind, but the primary one is this.

I continued, counting off with my fingers.

"Next is a sense of awe towards me. Now that you have eyes, you must have clearly felt it. It's akin to a person who has only seen a brook their entire life finally witnessing the ocean for the first time."

After feeling secure in her own body, it's her emotions about the situation before her. Especially if one has knowledge about it, they cannot easily look away.

"Lastly, we get to questions and interpretations. Your judgments and feelings about today's events."

The last point is the most crucial. The previous feelings have either passed or remain only as echoes.

What follows is an analysis of why everything unfolded as it did. Alicia's personality is irrelevant; this is the instinctive flow of thought.

There may be various emotions mixed in, but if we look at the main threads, it goes like this. The reactions shown this time will determine the details of our future agenda.

"…Young Master, may I ask just one thing?"

Alicia opened her mouth. Her gaze was serious and sharp.

"I allow you to inquire."

Upon receiving permission, Alicia simply bowed her head in gratitude before looking up to meet my gaze again.

"Did you summon the monsters to this village, Young Master?"

She questioned, unsure if it was even possible, but it was her key concern.

"No."

I answered decisively. While it's true I trapped her in a loop, that was merely manipulating the timing; I didn't summon those filthy creatures. At this moment, I couldn't even pull off such a stunt, but there's no need to vocalize that.

Alicia, looking into my eyes with infinite clarity, confirmed my answer and nodded. It seems she validated the truthfulness of my words in her own way.

"Now that your curiosity is satisfied, tell me your response, Alicia."

"If your curiosity has been resolved, now share your answer, Alicia."

Alicia maintained her silence with her head bowed. The conversations we had shared drifted through her mind as she organized her thoughts, carefully weighing what words to say. Finally, she quietly lifted her head.

"…When I first encountered the monster, I was so filled with fear that thinking was impossible. I could do nothing but die helplessly, without any thought or resistance."

I know.

It was only expected, and it had to be that way.

Alicia recalled the memories from when she could assess her situation. In her space filled with fear, some questions began to bubble up, and those doubts transformed into certainty.

"It was only at the edge of the cycle of death that I realized. Faced with a situation reminiscent of past experiences, I could guess that this was an illusion created by the Young Master."

I'm the only one she's confessed her past to. And just days after that conversation, she found herself in a life-threatening situation.

If she is in a state where she can think, it is painfully clear that I am the one who plunged her into this crisis.

"But… even so, nothing has changed."

Indeed, this is the crucial point. Just because she knows this fact does not change anything. For her, every moment was reality and pain.

To put it simply:

Only when faced with death could one realize that it wasn't reality. Just moments ago was an illusion, a fake that she now has insight on. But this time? What proof do we have that this rebirth isn't also not reality?

It was only at the last possible moment that she could sense her condition or the mana around her, but up until then, she couldn't even dare to guess. This is partly because I made it hard to perceive my power, but also because it touches on human instinct.

So, one could ask:

At the end of the loop where one can grasp the situation, couldn't they calculate how many times they've died and check how many lives remain? After all, one can perceive the total amount of mana.

But consider this: the boundary between reality and illusion has collapsed. Is there anyone who can count how many dreams they've had in a single night? No, there isn't. When the senses are broken, it becomes impossible to accurately assess the past.

That's why Alicia minimizes talking about her memories of fear. It's not that she's avoiding those moments because they were too terrifying; rather, she can't articulate them properly because she doesn't fully understand them.

"In some lives, I wondered if perhaps the Young Master would come to save me. I thought, maybe at the very moment my life was about to end, he might show up. I held onto that weak hope."

But in the endless torment, such hopes are quickly crushed. Instead, feeling her mana and strength rapidly deplete, she ignited a fierce desire to survive, rather than cling to such fragile hopes.

Unlike the illusions she experienced before, she could confirm the total amount of mana, so what she noticed was the serious reality of her current state.

In the end, for her, there was no fake time. Everything was truthful and dense with significance.

"Yes, after much inner turmoil, you chose to fight against the monsters, wrapping yourself in aura and cutting them down. The background of that determination surely stems from a desire to 'save people.'"

She owes a debt of gratitude to Edel and Freesia. They had guided her, helping her to walk properly despite her blindness.

"What are you trying to say? Your expressions are so roundabout that it's hard to interpret. Summarize it briefly."

I caught on to Alicia's intentions. The words that need to come from her are already determined. Knowing that, I urge her on.

Her blue eyes deepened, reminiscent of the sea. The whirlwind swirling within her calmed during her speech. The voice that flowed from her throat was firm and resolute.

The blue eyes deepened, reminiscent of the sea. The winds that had been swirling within her had stopped while she spoke. Her voice, continuing from her throat, was firm and resolute.

"Please, allow me to stay by your side, Young Master."

What she was saying was a request to me, yet her tone and demeanor were neat and without embellishment.

"Please continue to teach me as you have, and awaken this foolish self of mine."

She spoke from a realization of her true desires within the repetition of the loop. A fierce hatred towards her own powerless self from that day when she could do nothing.

"Help me become a Hero."

'If you grant that, I will devote all the glory and wealth I obtain to you, Young Master.' With that sentence, Alicia closed her mouth.

She presented her future value. Acknowledging her potential, she used it as leverage for negotiation.

Of course, this could not be a fair exchange. Her being subordinate to me implied that I was holding onto her future as well. There was no need to fuss over it. So, what exactly was Alicia trying to say? It was simply.

An expression of will.

Alicia knows that I will accept her proposal. In fact, I used the term "approved," and since I achieved my goal, it wouldn't make sense to dismiss her now.

In other words, Alicia is expressing her will to me. What I wanted to gain from this was a state of overcoming trauma and a strong mind.

Alicia informed me that she fulfilled her conditions, and additionally, her desire to become a Hero was no longer influenced by my will but had become her own longing.

"Alright. That's a very satisfactory answer, Alicia. You are right. I will not dismiss you, and I shall support you as I have until now."

That's how it should be.

Yes, this is how it should be to get closer to my goal.

She has successfully overcome her trauma through this experience. Look at those eyes. Those unwavering eyes! The disgrace of being called a cowardly Alicia at Academia will be no more. While the traces might not vanish completely, she will at least not hesitate to slice through her enemies.

That's all that matters.

That's what I aimed to achieve this time!

"Going through this experience, many things have changed. It couldn't have been easy to get here. …Alright, to celebrate this, I will give you a gift."

I took out something that had been cumbersome every time I moved and tossed it to her. It was something I prepared to give her once I confirmed her resolve.

Clink. The light toss landed in Alicia's arms, producing that distinct metallic sound. Her head followed the sword as she moved, and then her eyes widened in realization.

"Young Master… Is this… for me…?"

She never fails to deliver a fantastic reaction. She didn't even need to put her whole body into her surprise.

"Indeed, I have no use for it. You are the one suited to wield that sword, Alicia."

Even without auras, the clear blue light radiated brilliantly from the full body of the sword. When Alicia was dying in the village, I had gone into Naias's secret dungeon with Paula and Bram to fetch that sword, the only relic in that dungeon.

A first-class relic, Naias.

The sword that contains the spirit of the water spirit Naias, who was once a Duke in the past.

Originally, when the protagonist Liam discovered it, the spirit would have died and been downgraded to second-class, but now, the one within it has regained the strength it had lost.

If it fully regains its power, it will surely demonstrate the strength of the top grade, first-class relic.

"So, you mean to say that you personally ventured into the dungeon for me?"

Tsk tsk. It's just like her to think that. I wonder if she'd also ask if my reason for living is also for her.

"Why don't you just ask?"

"Fundamentally, you're a gloomy one, and strangely, you can be overly positive at times. Naturally, you're doing this because it benefits me in the end."

Hearing my words, Alicia's stiff gaze wavered, as if struggling to hold back something. She took a shallow breath, regained her composure, and expressed her view.

She insisted that even though she's ignorant, she recognizes this as an unusual item and cannot accept it. She claimed she had developed an irreverent mindset and could no longer be a burden to me. What a clueless brat.

"Ah!"

I playfully smacked Alicia for the first time in ages. Even if her mind is refreshed, that appearance hasn't changed at all.

"You could just quietly accept it instead of rambling on. This is a sort of deposit for us to formally enter into a contract, so stop blabbering."

"A contract… isn't there already a master-servant contract in place?"

"That flimsy piece of paper is nothing but wrapping. We'll establish something more direct and substantial. This is a type of curse, but it's a magical contract with guaranteed effectiveness."

Alicia straightened her posture. She gazed at me upright and unwavering.

"You will formally contract with me and establish a new relationship. Even if it's referred to as new, it won't feel significantly different from before, but there's one thing that's certain."

"What…?"

"Control."

From now on, Alicia's talent will start to race like a crazy horse with its shackles removed. In that case, we need to set up a special mechanism that cannot be defied to control it.

"I'm a cautious person, you see. This is to ensure your blade doesn't point at me. Of course, refusal is not an option."

She already uttered words that cannot be taken back. Given her position and the nature of what she said…

"I will contract with you."

She answered without a moment's hesitation, firmly showing that there was no need for further explanation.

"…Did you say that knowing it's a curse?"

Even though she could die immediately if she betrayed me? Even knowing she can't escape this ultimate inequality?

"I understand. But if that's what you wish, I will accept it willingly. Isn't that the first promise you and I made?"

That's true.

However…

Alicia was more sincere than ever. With a resolute expression, she had finished her preparations. I felt her will, but I never expected her to remain unchanged even after hearing the word curse.

"What an absurd girl."

When she mentioned the moment in the wagon, the memory of that scene resurfaced. It was definitely because of her that I had felt flustered back then. Not many times, but every moment I felt bewildered in this world was related to Alicia.

"Indeed, saying someone is crazy does imply something about their head."

Alicia knelt on one knee, showing her utmost respect. She demonstrated the maximum courtesy at the moment of contracting. She firmly declared that she was ready and could step forward at any time.

Gone was the image of the frightened Alicia from the wagon. That vulnerability had melted away and disappeared.

Thud.

I stepped forward.

I lifted Alicia's chin, which was lowered. The blue jewels of her eyes, more akin to the moon than the sun, sparkled.

Her beauty was astonishing, just like the day we first met. She looked nothing like the ordinary farmer's daughter she was supposed to be.

As I gazed into her most beautifully shining eyes, I said it. There was no reason to delay since I already knew enough.

"I accept you."

My servant, Alicia.