Chapter 5
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 5
“Kept you waiting, didn’t I?”
Donau stopped directly in front of his sacrifice and crouched down. Her eyes, still very much alive, glared at him with piercing intensity. A bit defiant, he thought.
He pressed the knife to her throat. If he was going to do this, he wanted to prepare the offering to the devil’s taste. Surely, a demon would appreciate a bloodbath. A thin red line appeared where the blade touched, and beads of blood began to trickle down her skin. Donau felt a surge of excitement at the delicate, artistic task.
He was adjusting the blade’s angle when a thunderous crash sent a cloud of dust billowing through the house.
Did the door just get ripped off? Dammit, did someone report me to the guards? Hell. I can handle a little girl, but I don’t think I can take on a grown man.
He coughed through the dust as a figure emerged from the entryway. The first thing he saw was a snow-white dress that looked like a nightgown. Next, his gaze shifted to hair that was just as colorless—a stark, brilliant white.
“Evangeline Rohanson?”
For a moment, he felt a wave of relief. It wasn’t a burly guard, but a sickly-looking young lady he could likely overpower with one hand. But then, his eyes met hers. Crimson orbs. Donau gasped.
Awe her and worship her. Welcome the Angel of Light who has descended upon this earth.
Somewhere in the distance, he could hear the sound of trumpets.
* * *
Holy crap! What the hell is this?
I’d only given the door a light kick to test its sturdiness, but it shattered instantly. I stepped inside to find Donau holding a knife to a tied-up girl’s throat. This psycho!
No, wait—I only came here to catch the thief who ran off with my precious Overpowered Isekai Summoning Circle! How did he evolve from a common thief into a kidnapper? Stop leveling up on your own!
“Canna!”
Hena, who had followed me in, shrieked in horror at the sight of the bound girl. Canna? Since she knew the name, the girl must be an acquaintance. Maybe someone who worked at the mansion? Hena covered her mouth, her face pale, as tears streamed down her cheeks. Oh no, they must be close.
Suddenly, I found myself unable to forgive Donau. Hena was one of the only people I actually talked to in this world, and he had to go and kidnap her friend? I’m not letting you get away with this. I’ll show you the true cruelty of a RoFan villainess.
Just as I made that vow, he seemed to recognize me.
“Evangeline Rohanson?”
Donau called my name, his voice trembling. Was this heinous criminal—who had just committed theft and kidnapping—actually scared of me? It must be because he got caught in the act, right?
It’s not like Evangeline Rohanson is some ultimate villain whose name alone makes people wet their pants… right? Surely I’m not the world’s strongest hidden boss or something! I don’t need a setting like that!
Sigh. My head was spinning, but that wasn’t important right now. Saving a life came first.
“Did you call for me?”
I never realized being a villainess would be this useful. It was cringeworthy, but I suppressed the goosebumps and let the corners of my mouth curl into a smirk. The key was to make sure the eyes weren’t smiling. See? A villainous smile is easy.
The knife in Donau’s hand was an eyesore. The blade had already grazed the girl; a red line was etched into her neck. What was I supposed to do in a situation like this?
I remembered detectives in movies saying things like, “Put the knife down and let’s talk.” But what would we even talk about? What common ground did I have with this guy? Ah, there was one thing.
“That summoning circle you took… I trust you found it to your liking?”
I phrased it politely so as not to provoke him. Found it to my liking? He stole it! Come to think of it, why did this guy steal my magic circle and then kidnap someone instead of just using it? The more I thought about it, the more annoyed I got.
“So… you’re saying… you’re the owner of that summoning circle?”
“Of course. That’s why I came looking for you.”
Look at this guy playing innocent. He stole it right out of my room, and now he’s acting like he has no idea. What a thick-skinned bastard. Then again, I guess you have to be shameless to be a thief and a kidnapper.
I wanted to scream every profanity I knew at him, but I held back for the young hostage’s sake. The summoning circle was important, but a person’s life mattered more.
“Tell me what you want. If you return the girl, I’ll grant it.”
By “grant,” I meant I would listen. With my ears.
I planned to let it go in one ear and out the other, but for now, I had to pretend I’d actually make it happen. I’d agree to his demands, get the hostage back, and then slap the cuffs on him. Wait, do they have handcuffs in a RoFan world? If not, I’ll just bring down the hammer of justice myself.
“Make me… make me incredibly rich!”
Right. Why else would someone steal and take hostages? It was always about the money.
The problem was, I didn’t have any money on me. I’d just run out to catch a thief; why would I bring a purse? If that was his goal, he should’ve left a note telling me to prepare the ransom! This guy didn’t even know the basics of kidnapping.
“Rich? Fine. How does being the Count of Rohanson sound? I’ll make you the Count.”
I decided to just wing it. All I had right now was Evangeline’s body and status. Might as well use them. Evangeline Rohanson was an only daughter; if he married into the family, he’d eventually become the Count.
I pushed aside the nagging worry of whether this was a RoFan world where women could be heads of house, or a patriarchal one where a man had to take over the line.
“The Count of Rohanson? Yes… I like that. It might be nice to take that damn Count’s place for myself.”
Negotiation successful. I guess the terms were good enough. I mean, it was a Countship. Money and power came as a buy-one-get-one-free deal; who would refuse?
“Shall we make the trade, then?”
Now, hand over Hena’s friend!
I waited for him to release the hostage, but suddenly Donau began to laugh, a high, excited sound. He waved the knife around as he turned back toward the girl. Wait, what—what are you doing?!
“Stop. What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m just… finishing the deal.”
Ah. So he was going to cut the ropes himself? Phew. What a relief. I watched with a sigh, but Donau’s movements were erratic and unsettling. Was he really untying her? He wasn’t going to double-cross me, was he?
This wouldn’t do. It’d be better if I untied her myself. I needed to get her away from him first.
“I’ll do it. Give me the knife.”
Donau furrowed his brow but seemed to listen. I thought the exchange was finally happening, but then he started walking toward me with the knife still clutched in his hand.
Did—did I offend him? Was it because I spoke informally? Or because I gave him an order? Hey, is it a crime to try my best to act like Evangeline Rohanson?!
I didn’t know what was happening, but it seemed I had provoked him instead of calming him down.
I’m screwed. No, wait, stay calm. Use this as an opportunity. The important thing is that Donau is focused on me instead of the girl.
“Hena. You save the child,” I whispered, trying my hand at ventriloquism.
I spoke as quietly as possible so Donau wouldn’t hear, but Hena must have had sharp ears, because she gave a small, firm nod.
I’ll draw the aggro. Villainesses are natural-born aggro-magnets anyway. Just trust me.
“You know, that bit about making you a Count? I was lying.”
“What?”
“You actually believed that? How stupid.”
Perfect. Nothing makes people angrier than having something given and then snatched away. I laughed mockingly, putting my all into being as annoying as possible. My stomach actually started to hurt from laughing so hard. The sudden pain made me stop abruptly.
Was it weird to go dead serious all of a sudden? Well, since things were already weird, I decided to just double down.
“Why should I grant your wish?”
“Isn’t that… isn’t that why you were summoned?”
No! How was I supposed to know Hena’s friend Canna was being held here? I just came to catch a thief!
“I only came because of my summoning circle.”
Donau hung his head as if he had nothing left to say. I thought he was silenced by my comeback, but when I listened closely, he was incessantly muttering something.
“…This shouldn’t, this shouldn’t be happening. Something went wrong. I did everything the same. I did exactly what I was told, so what am I missing? Evangeline Rohanson. I did everything you told me to. Why won’t it work for me? I can do it too. I could have been that damn Count. Please, don’t look at me like that. Do you… do you think I’m pathetic too? Don’t look at me, you de—devil…”
It sounded like the ramblings of a madman. Then again, a sane person wouldn’t kidnap their colleague’s sister.
After muttering for a long time, Donau snapped his head up. His eyes were completely glazed over.
“The preparations were perfect, so why…?”
Donau stared into empty space like someone possessed, then whipped his head around. Hena was desperately trying to undo the knots on Canna’s hands and feet.
“It won’t come undone! What do I do? Why won’t it open?!”
Hena’s face was a mess of tears. Her hands were shaking like leaves in autumn; there was no way she could untie a complex knot like that.
“No, no! My sacrifice!”
Donau screamed. Hearing him, Hena pulled Canna into a tight, protective embrace.
He lunged forward, arms outstretched. In his frantic state, he didn’t even look where he was stepping. His foot caught a candle, sending it rolling across the floor.
The kids are going to get hurt! Panic flared in my chest. Just then, Donau turned his back to me completely. You should never show your back to an enemy. I didn’t miss the chance and struck the back of his head.
Gasp! I aimed wrong! I should have gone for the neck! But the back of his head was so round and looked so hittable. Still, it worked. Even though I hit him with my bare hand, Donau staggered and collapsed onto the floor. I rushed past him to Hena.
“Move, Hena.”
Looking at her trembling hands, I figured I’d be faster. Hena, who had squeezed her eyes shut, opened them cautiously and moved aside.
As I suspected, Hena had only struggled because she was panicking; the ropes came apart easily once I started working on them.
“It’s okay now.”
Case closed. My heart was pounding from the most spectacular event I’d experienced since transmigrating into this world.
“Canna!”
Hena, who had been standing aside, pulled the girl into her arms.
“Sister…”
“Are you okay? How did you get caught! I told you not to stay out so late! You only just recovered!”
“I’m sorry, Sister… I didn’t know someone like that would grab me. I was waiting for you…”
“I’m sorry too, Canna. I’m just glad you’re safe. I’m so glad we weren’t too late.”
They weren’t friends; they were sisters. Seeing them together made my nose tingle. I wanted to join the hug, but I’d been acting like a powerful villainess up until a second ago—joining this touching scene would be a total character break, wouldn’t it? I averted my gaze, looking off into the distance to hide my welling tears.
Even if I couldn’t cry with them, I still wanted to help.
“Your name is Canna, right? What should we do with Donau?”