The Villain Purchased the Heroine

"I came because I miss you, Young Master."

She said, holding onto the hem of my clothes as if she wouldn't let go.

Her eyes shimmered, on the verge of spilling tears at any moment.

I listened to her continued words without any reaction.

"I know it's wrong to feel this way… But I can't suppress it any longer."

⎯The day Young Master danced with Miss Erica. My heart felt like it was collapsing.

⎯The smile Young Master showed to her is something I can never have.

⎯But today, I want to be brave.

"Young Master, I sincerely hope you will accept me."

She lifted herself onto her toes.

Her cute little eyes, nose, and mouth were getting closer.

As she came right up to me.

She closed her eyes. Her scent teased my nose, and her hands pulled me in.

I was so close to her fair skin.

Snap—!

"Kyahhh!"

Her delicate scream tore through the air.

It seemed the pain was significant, as she sat on the floor, blowing a cold breeze from her mana onto her forehead.

"How could you, Young Master! I have genuine feelings for you!"

"Even after all these days, you're still impersonating Alicia, Naias?"

"You noticed, huh? Ugh! I tried to create a nice atmosphere! But it hurts so much! Did you stick steel in my finger or something?"

I looked down at the woman before me, or rather the spirit disguised as Alicia.

Naias, with a pouty face, had tears welling up in her eyes.

"If you treat a girl so roughly, you'll be punished! I can't believe Alicia endured this pain until now."

"Isn't that funny? Spirits don't have a gender. And I actually hit harder than usual with Alicia."

"That makes sense! No wonder I can't live like this getting hit every day. Ugh, really. The aftereffects are insane. Young Master, can you check if I have a bruise?"

Well, sometimes I do hit this hard.

Naias approached me in Alicia's guise, showing her forehead.

Even though she had the same appearance, she felt completely different in personality.

As I considered whether to give her another whack on the forehead, I decided to ask instead, as time was a-wasting.

"Why do such a silly thing? Today's not even a report day."

"Oh, that? Ahem. Well, let me just get straight to the point, so please get that hammer-finger away from me, Young Master!"

I was about to show her some spicy flavor again, but it seemed unfortunate.

"I came to tell you the great news that half of my power has returned! As you can see, I can now transform perfectly into the desired form!"

"I already knew that. What's the real intention?"

"I transformed into Alicia just to see the flustered look on your face… Ah, no! No! Aaaah—!!"

That's Naias's way of speaking. Usually, she has some hidden meaning behind her actions.

However, due to the restrictions set when we first contracted, she can't lie to me. She can express things in a roundabout way but can't dodge when it comes to saying it outright.

"My forehead is going to burst!"

Where has the dignity of the Spirit Duke gone, looking like this?

The sword granted to Alicia in Rubid Village, the spirit Naias residing inside. Although I'm familiar with the sword that Liam uses in the original story, the spirit Naias had only been mentioned in the novel and never actually appeared. Well, it makes sense since Naias was already dead by the time Liam found it.

"Ias. The sword itself is something Liam is familiar with since he used it in the original work, but the spirit Naias has only been mentioned in the novel and has never actually appeared. Well, it's only natural since it would have already died by the time Liam discovers it.

I had no idea she had such a personality.

'You don't need to keep that form anymore.'

'Seriously, you're such a boring person. I transformed into this beautiful lady, and you act all tense?'

'You'd be wonderful at staying calm as Alicia, huh?'

'Well, that's valid. But for now, I'm going to keep this look. I really like this appearance. It puts me in a great mood every time I look in the mirror!'

'...'

Anyway, so.

'Report. Since we're here, let's finish the report for the last three days now.'

'Sure, sounds good. Hmm… There wasn't anything special. Just the obsession—ugh… it's no joke. If it's not during his class time, he won't let go of me!'

'As I've said multiple times, stop with that subjective thinking and tell me about specific and objective actions.'

'Oh, I've prepared everything. I'm a learning spirit, you know.'

Naias pulled out a piece of parchment made of mana. Inside, it listed the places and actions of a certain individual, organized by time.

I quickly skimmed through it, but as I had mentioned earlier, nothing particularly stood out.

Just as I thought. It seems to be trying to stick to the pre-set timetable.

Naias chuckled, 'Right? Just as I thought? But it gives me the creeps.'

Naias continued while looking around my room.

She must have found a good place with a strong flow of mana, as she floated in mid-air, lingering in a specific area.

'But, contrary to what you think, it's surprisingly delicate. It's like she really cares. Sneaking around like this without her fiancée knowing is impressive.'

'If you only hear the last part, it sounds like I ordered you to stalk her.'

'Haha, isn't it kind of similar? Watching her every move is pretty much the same thing.'

As Naias was laughing in the air, a black collar-like tattoo appeared around her neck, and she soon dropped to the ground, as if gravity had suddenly increased.

Naias, unable to dematerialize due to the tattoo, grimaced and rubbed the area she fell on.

'It seems you sometimes forget that we made a contract, Naias.'

'I know. I know, but… I should have the freedom to speak too!'

'Feel free to talk. But if you do, be ready to take responsibility for your words at any time.'

Right now, Naias was in the state of my Familiar.

The contract between a familiar and a human is different from one made between humans—it's much more forceful. It's also one of the reasons I like having familiars.

'Oh, right, right. You know, Young Master, I have something to say.'

After finishing her thoughts, Naias tilted her head slightly and gave a mischievous smile. Even though she was smiling like before, the atmosphere felt a little different.

There was a hint of malice in her smile.

'That guy. The one from the Goddess Church, right?'

She continued.

'What he had on him wasn't magic. It was a 'blessing' bestowed by the Goddess Church. Well, if it were magic, you wouldn't need to ask me for help, would you?'

Naias gave a thumbs up while pressing her temple, pretending to contemplate deeply.

One of her eyes was half-open, staring at me.

'…But I'm curious. How did our Young Master figure out that he was with a human named Erica? It's not like you have excellent eyesight to see the blessings like me.'

'Oh, so your eyesight is indeed exceptional; you can distinguish between blessings and magic.'

The Goddess Church.

A religion of the red monsters, Artife.

They possess faith and act according to its will. Their reasons for attacking people may include entertainment or breeding, but the primary purpose is to follow the commandments of their religion.

In other words, the Goddess Church is the focal point that unites Artife and their spirit.

'Well, it's not just monsters who are followers of the Goddess Church.'

Although it is undoubtedly a religion of monsters, humans are not without their devotees. Believers secretly spread throughout the world, engaging in various activities.

A prime example of their activity is the tragedy that will occur at Academia a year later. The force of the Goddess Church hiding within will take advantage of the timing and vulnerability of the defense, making it possible."

It was made possible by the right timing and the ability to neutralize the defensive system.

The other atrocities are impressive too, but I'll only mention this much for now. To briefly describe them:

Absolute evil seeking to destroy this world.

Coincidentally, they are the enemies I must eradicate to live comfortably in this world.

The target lurking around Erica right now is also a follower of that religion, one of the human followers of the Goddess, blessed by her.

The blessings are powers granted when a race other than Altife chooses the Goddess Church.

Many are gravitating towards the monsters to obtain this alluring power, which manifests differently depending on individual traits.

"I know they are scattered about. But discovering them is a separate matter. That's why I'm scratching my head over it."

So, what Naias is asking now is how I could possibly catch a follower of the Goddess Church, completely hidden, without any solid evidence.

The people around me are full of questions.

They don't even think about my position where I can't reveal everything.

"I may not see them, but I can figure it out. If my hypothesis is correct, then this would be the time for them to make their move."

"What kind of nonsense is that?"

"It's the time when they pretend to be peaceful. Besides, as you said, if I could see that guy, I wouldn't even need to use you."

"Ugh. …Well, whatever! I've known from day one that you're unusual, Young Master. There's bound to be a reason. You really are a person with a lot of secrets."

Naias grins like a lively young boy, full of mischief.

He even adds that he's glad there's never a dull moment.

"Speaking of being human, it seems like humans have a tough life. That guy named Liam and that girl named Erica were trying to keep tabs on you, huh? But then you're keeping tabs on that guy. Why do they have to make things so complicated? They could just overpower him."

"If it were that simple, I would have done it already."

Naias seems to be lost in thought again, tilting his seated position on the floor.

I've never really told him anything properly, so even if he strains his brain, he won't find an answer.

"I think I'll stop thinking since it's giving me a headache. Besides, you said the results will come sooner than expected, right? I just have to enjoy that moment!"

Just as Naias said.

Things are flowing more smoothly than I initially thought. Now all that's left is to wait for the event to occur.

It won't be long.

That guy will definitely take the bait.

And when that happens…

I'll swiftly snag it without missing a beat.

*

"I understand… This evening, right?"

"Yeah, see you tonight."

What the Schugenhartz guy is up to, I have no idea.

The second daughter of the Portlet family.

Portlet Troa Erica couldn't shake off the questions filling her head recently.

Once a week. It's the third week since she suggested a meal. As mentioned before, Schugenhartz postponed this third lunch promise to dinner.

'I have no idea what he's thinking this time.'

Schugenhartz and she do not get along well. Being engaged is just a shackle between them. It's all that guy's fault anyway.

He disliked her and pushed her away, which led to all sorts of unfortunate events, resulting in their current relationship.

As much as she hates him, he perhaps hates her even more and wouldn't want to get involved.

So why on earth…

'Why does he want to pull me into this charade?'

The memory of the moment they had to dance resurfaced after a long time.

From that point on, he had been preparing something.

The unpleasant whisper that Schugenhartz had uttered back then:

"Erica, listen quietly without making a fuss.

I'm going to make a proposal to you about ten times, maybe less. With the same content at the same time. Something you would absolutely loathe.

You can honestly reject the proposal. I don't expect you to accept it, but I need to say this for clarity.

Keep refusing my proposals. But if I suddenly present a different idea from the first…

Pretend to accept it.

Pretend to accept it. Why? Is it to show someone?

I have no inkling of why I should do that, but he's not someone who would unnecessarily pull off such a bothersome trick without a reason.

I really can't make heads or tails of this, but there's no way that guy is doing this annoying thing without a good reason.

And that glare we had in the ballroom and laboratory.

Those disgusting eyes that seemed to genuinely care about me.

I know it's a lie, but the look in Schugenharz's eyes reminded me of the past, something I thought I'd forgotten.

"…So annoying."

I absolutely despise being used by Schugenharz. I don't want to get entangled with that guy, and I'd rather not even see his face.

But the fact remains that we are engaged. What I need to do isn't difficult. There's no downside to it. In fact, it's a benefit for me.

In the end, Schugenharz even said he'd give me 10 Cattia if I went along with this.

As the top student, he currently possesses 20 Cattia. The 10 Cattia he's offering is the maximum he can provide in a month. Essentially, he's willing to hand over half of what he has.

Since there's no formal means to transfer it, it'll have to go through ranked battles. Would a guy with such pride deliberately leave losses in his record? It's hard to believe. And since there's no official contract, he could stab me in the back.

"..."

But.

Even if he's a malicious guy, he's not petty.

10 Cattia.

It might vary depending on the Class Battle, but it's not an insignificant amount, at least in the early stages.

To pay this with something trivial and a little lie.

'What is he planning?'

What I need to do is simple.

All I have to do is agree to the dinner appointment and then just not show up, a really simple task.

This might be related to his own benefits, but I doubt it'll bring me any harm.

If I end up getting played here, then any resistance I put up in front of him will become meaningless.

"Erica, you don't look so good. Has something happened?"

"Oh, Bantlo. No, it's nothing."

As I was walking down the hallway, a kind-looking guy suddenly approached. One of my few friends, Bantlo. It seems like he's done with his class at this time too.

From the way he's talking, it looks like my current expression seems a bit fierce.

"I'm worried… Erica, if you're not feeling well, how about heading back to the dormitory early?"

"I'm fine. I can't just skip class over something like this."

"If it's hard, just tell me. I can carry you."

"But you have your afternoon major class later."

"I can't during class, but if it's before that…"

"A few words are enough."

Even though my relationship with Schugenharz isn't good, I do my best to hide it publicly.

Since he knows about our situation, he'd have no reason to do something so noticeable.

His words are just for show. But yet, I can't help but feel touched by such warm words.

"Anyway, just let me know anytime. As an old friend, I can do at least that much."

What a kind friend.

Unlike others, he accepts my rough personality. He's been a good friend for quite a while since my relationship with Vargan went downhill, and yet, we've never fought even once. He's always adjusted to what I needed.

For someone like Bantlo to say that, it wouldn't be polite to reject him outright. After all, it's something that won't happen anyway.

"I'll take you up on that offer sometime."

...

Suddenly, the smiling Bantlo overlaps with that guy from the past.

From appearance to personality, there's absolutely no resemblance. Yet, for some reason, I feel it.

If that guy hadn't suddenly changed.

Or if I had been deep enough to accept that change.

Could our relationship have been different now?

Wouldn't I have to consider breaking the engagement?

'…No, that won't happen.'

Get a grip.

I clearly remember what he did.

The pain from the wounds he inflicted has yet to heal, so what? That guy has changed? That's a laughable thought.

He hasn't changed; he's always been like this.

Erica scoffed at the throbbing pain in her heart.

The blade of the past that Vargan had thrust into her heart still hadn't lost its edge.