Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: A Promising Hero is Strange from the Start (3)
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Kaku tried his best to smooth things over.
“The nearby mercenary band must have let it get away, or there has to be some other reason. The villagers... the villagers are innocent....”
“Then you’re saying it was the mercenary band’s doing? No matter how impressive the Sloth Mercenary Band is, they couldn’t have driven a beast from the hermit’s territory all the way here. Are you looking down on me? Or trying to deceive me?”
I deliberately pointed at Pippin. This was the perfect chance to drag the guy down into the pits.
“And on top of that, trying to sell me Veridis meat! Unless they deliberately bred or lured it here, how could this happen? Even butchering the Veridis right in front of us feels like a ruse.”
“A ruse? I definitely caught it with my own strength! There’s clearly my sword mark on its head....”
Pippin’s eyes went wide as he struggled in Kaku’s arms. Kaku crumpled him up like paper and hid him behind his back, bowing at the waist and vehemently denying my words.
“No way! We’re sorry, truly sorry. There must be some misunderstanding.”
“An apology won’t cut it. There are too many suspicious circumstances. Especially that black-haired boy. Pippin, was it?”
“This kid works at my butcher shop—a bit dim-witted swordsman. He’s too stupid to do something like deliberately lure in a beast.”
Pippin poked his head out from between Kaku’s arms, looking utterly wronged.
“Master, you’re calling me stupid....”
“Master? Hahaha! I told you, it’s boss! The dummy can’t even get titles right. He’s not worth a noble like you noticing.”
Kaku was going especially hard to protect Pippin. Did that mean Pippin really was innocent?
From what I could see, Pippin definitely wasn’t clever or scheming. In the game scenario, he was a tank who weathered all the world’s storms with nothing but his sturdiness and loyalty.
But whether Pippin was innocent, kind, or heroic wasn’t my concern.
There was only one thing that mattered. I planned to sink my teeth into Pippin’s ankle and hurl him off the cliff. Hero or thief, anyone falling off a cliff ends up as just a lump of meat.
“This isn’t something you can brush off that easily. That guy tried to sell me beast meat. I never permitted beast trading in this village. It’s outright illegal.”
I strode toward Pippin. He looked me straight in the eye, blinking without a hint of tension.
“Your skill in slaying the Veridis is impressive, but defying me in my own territory is unforgivable.”
The villagers, who had been keeping their mouths shut, began to murmur. I raised my hand slightly, and they fell silent again. Kaku’s face had drained to a pale blue. Seeing him glance at the village chief out of the corner of his eye, I could tell there was definitely something fishy going on.
Perfect.
“Kaku. Hand Pippin over to me.”
Kaku’s eyes suddenly gleamed.
“How do you know my name...?”
“What, did you think I wouldn’t recognize you? You’re really underestimating me.”
I stepped forward boldly and shamelessly.
“A sinner must receive proper punishment—”
[There are circumstances! Pippin didn’t do anything wrong!]
Suddenly! The wraith popped out from behind Pippin. It was that female spirit who’d been hovering around him. She passed right through Pippin and approached me. The wraith’s chilling mana dropped my body temperature sharply.
‘Aaaah. Aaaaah. A ghost, it’s a ghost....... That’s a ghost......’
I swallowed a scream inside. My authoritative duke mask was one step away from shattering. The wraith clung close to me in her terrifying form, repeatedly defending Pippin.
[Pippin’s not a bad kid! There’s a reason beasts keep showing up in the village! He’s just protecting the villagers! Selling the meat was just him being dumb! His head’s full of swords instead of brains!]
The wraith pretended to defend Pippin while subtly dissing him. But I could tell her words carried genuine worry for him.
I felt a twinge of guilt trying to frame an innocent, dim-witted boy as a criminal....
But since I’d chosen to play the villain in this world, it was something I had to endure.
“Hand Pippin over to me.”
Kaku gave an awkward smile and backed away with Pippin. Pippin cluelessly muttered, “Are you buying the meat?” I thought I heard a sigh from behind.
[Handsome necromancer! Please, listen to me. You can hear me! You can see me! If you ignore our grudge, our curse—]
The wraith swelled threateningly, exhaling cold air. I pretended not to notice and kept staring down Kaku.
Kaku showed no intention of backing down either.
I knew that.
Kaku was Pippin’s devoted protector and mentor. It was Kaku’s love and dedication that had honed the hero Pippin’s talents to a sharp edge. After leaving the mercenary band, he’d found the human warmth he missed in Pippin.
“How about resting for today, Your Grace? We can decide on the punishment tomorrow. It’s getting dark.”
The elderly village chief spoke in a trembling voice. Kaku flinched in surprise and glared at the chief more fiercely than he’d looked at me. It was a gaze that screamed backstory.
[Necromancer! Look at him! That chief is behind all the evil deeds!]
Anyone could see it. The chief’s long white beard quivered, and his wide black pupils gleamed in his wide eyes. The slimy old geezer, unconcerned about his knee joints, crouched low and grabbed my hand.
In contrast, Kaku was righteous by game lore, and his sturdy, upright appearance backed it up.
Pippin was originally the male lead of [Flower of the Never-Sleeping Garden]. The man protecting a Pippin made to uphold justice couldn’t possibly be unjust himself.
It was obvious the chief was plotting something. The villagers around us shot sly, insidious glances at Pippin and Kaku while snickering. Even the wraith beside me was foaming at the mouth, insisting, ‘They’re innocent.’
But I mustn’t forget.
That I—that I was the villain.
“The chief has a point. Everyone must have been startled by the sudden beast attack. Spend today preparing the village. I’ll give you some time, so by tomorrow morning, I hope you’ll feel inclined to confess your wrongs honestly.”
The enemy of my enemy is my friend, as they say. I didn’t like the chief, but siding with him now seemed advantageous.
The chief thanked me profusely, pressing his wrinkled lips to the back of my hand before retreating. Soon, some people approached to offer me a place to rest.
As I started to follow them, Pippin suddenly spoke up in his usual innocent voice.
“Master! Want to stay at our place? If you’re not buying meat, how about tasting it? It’s a special chance. You don’t come by often.”
His disarmingly naive tone left me dumbfounded. I turned back to see Pippin grinning brightly, while Kaku clutched his forehead and the chief staggered, clicking his tongue.
[Ignore such a good kid, and you’ll face divine punishment. The goddess will be furious.]
The wraith pressed right up to my face, puffing icy breaths—huff huff.
“You still haven’t learned. Talking about beast meat in front of me.”
I left the village hall as is and headed to the shabby lodgings. I needed strategy time. I had to get a solid grip on Pippin’s lifeline.
Seeing that screw-loose face of his wouldn’t help me steel my resolve.
***
By the time I reached the lodgings, I was utterly exhausted. Using skills more than expected had strained my body, and the pressure of having to deal with Pippin right away now that I’d met him was considerable.
But above all, the wraith was what wore me out.
[Oh, poor Pippin! Oh, so pitiful! Oh, so pitiful!]
The wraith yammered on about how pitiful Pippin was, as if trying to brainwash me. If I went to drink water, a finger would pop out of the glass. During dinner, she shook the table, causing a commotion where Dandel and the other servants panicked and hid under it.
“A beast’s coming again! Your Grace! Your Grace! Where are you going!”
Even as I left whimpering Dandel under the table and headed to my room, the wraith’s obsession didn’t end. She didn’t need to hurry up the stairs like I did to avoid her. Only I grew weary rushing my steps.
Even as I sat at the desk pondering whether to throw Pippin in jail or call for his execution, the wraith kept at it.
[If you do this, not just Pippin but the whole village will suffer! They’ll all die!]
She shoved her blood-smeared face at me, rolling back her eyes.
[I’ll make you regret it. If the villagers all die, we’ll gather and throw a wraith party right in front of your eyes. We’ll harass you louder than now. We’ll curse you. For the crime of being a duke who neglected his territory, you’ll pay forever. We’ll come every moment without limit, cling to your carriage, harass you changing clothes, eating....]
Even when I turned off the light to sleep and lay in bed, the whispers continued.
[So unjust.... So unjust.... If the necromancer would hear my plea, I could leap into the earth’s comforting embrace in peace....]
“I can’t do that, really.”
I snapped my eyes open and finally raised the white flag.
“What do I gain by helping you?”
[Good thinking, necromancer! If you resolve my grudge, the benefits are plenty!]
Whoosh. The wraith lit up the room.
“You can do that too?”
My eyes stung, so I covered my face with my forearm. The wraith spoke in an even more excited voice.
[Save the villagers to earn their trust, and Kaku might gratefully introduce you to top mercenaries. I overheard that Dandelion squire earlier—you’re looking for escort knights! Taking Pippin wouldn’t be bad. He’s dumb but skilled. Eats a ton, but worth it! Food costs a bit, though.]
“Something else.”
[Eh?]
I bolted upright in bed. The wraith, who’d already died once, edged away from my bed as if scared of something.
“If there’s no real benefit, I’ll keep ignoring you from now on. I don’t need trust from this little village. I’m not kind enough to feel proud saving a few lives. Tell me a real benefit.”
I brought my face close to the wraith I’d avoided earlier out of unease. Feeling bold, I saw her hesitate.
She changed tactics, suddenly gazing wistfully into the distance with her head bowed.
[I... I’ll soon become a vengeful spirit....... Wandering, unconscious, leaving curses behind.]
“Congrats. Become one and get lost far away.”
[If I become a powerful vengeful spirit, you can use me as a familiar!]