Crossed Hearts
"You used me, Young Master?"
"Yeah, I've been using you all this time."
As I spoke coldly once more, Kania's scowl deepened. I gazed at her with an icy expression and began my tale.
"The Starlight family is the hero's lineage. You know that much, right?"
"Yes, I am aware."
"And our family has one prophecy."
"A prophecy, you say?"
"Yeah. Exactly 1,000 years after the Demon King's death, his successor and the hero will reappear in the world."
Hearing that, Kania quietly spoke up.
"...And that hero is you, Young Master?"
"Right. But there's a curse on me."
"A curse?"
"If anyone finds out I'm doing good deeds, my power weakens. The more infamy I build, the stronger I get. It's the curse the previous Demon King cast in his death throes on his successor hero."
Kania nodded gravely at my words. Surprisingly, things seemed to be going smoothly, so I continued.
"That's why I've been blatantly doing evil since I was a kid. It's the only way to defeat the Demon King."
"I... see."
Kania ground her teeth and shot back a question. She seemed furious at my brazenness.
"Yeah. And I've done some pretty awful things to you too."
"........."
"I don't expect forgiveness. No single 'sorry' can wash away all the humiliation and pain you've endured."
"......Understood."
Ignoring Kania's contorted expression as best I could, I sighed and wrapped it up.
"Since you caught me doing a good deed just now, I'll be weakened for a while."
"...For a while?"
"Sure, there might be some permanent stat loss too. But don't worry. Even if my body weakens, after a short rest, I'll regain the power to defeat the Demon King."
"I see."
"Anyway, the penalty doesn't apply to someone who's already caught you once... So I'll stop the evil acts toward you now."
I spoke as flatly and emotionlessly as possible, and Kania stared back with an equally blank face.
"Thank you."
"Yeah."
Silence fell over the dormitory for a moment.
"...One question."
"What?"
"I saw you doing something to me at dawn."
"...Ah."
As I fell silent, Kania glared coldly and pressed.
"What was that?"
"...That was me using the hero's power to heal you."
"Heal me?"
"Yeah. Healing you counts as a good deed, so I had to do it on the sly. If it creeped you out, I apologize."
"...No, it's fine."
"From now on, I'll heal you once a night. Skipping even a day could cause serious issues."
"Understood."
After Kania's curt reply, we stared at each other expressionlessly for a while.
...This should do it.
With this explanation, Kania won't attack or kill me. Her pent-up resentment won't vanish, of course, but to keep her from drowning in guilt, this was the only way.
"Then, I'll take my leave, Young Master."
"Alright... Oh, right. I'm visiting the duke's mansion next week. Prepare in advance."
"Un...derstood..."
Kania's composure finally cracked at my shamelessness to the end, her voice thick with suppressed rage. Fair enough—even I'd sneer if my lifelong tormentor claimed it all had reasons and begged understanding.
But that was fine. The one hated being had to be me alone.
Villainy Points +10pt Acquired! (Crossed Hearts)
I glared briefly at the system window floating before me—stingily awarding points tied to Kania for getting caught in my villainy—then dismissed it. A sudden question crossed my mind.
...What day is it again?
Forcing my creaking body—drained of life force and lifespan—to sit up, I checked the calendar and muttered a sigh.
"Classes start again tomorrow."
It sucked. Instead of recovering during this rare imperial holiday week, I'd gotten debuffed. Tomorrow, I'd have to drag myself to class. In this state, I'd pass out before an hour was up.
Worse, I might need Kania's help just to navigate the halls.
But with so much ahead, I'd push through somehow.
—Screeech...
I pulled out the Domination Stone from the box hidden under my bed and murmured.
"...Time to help Irina soon."
The commoner dormitory raid was approaching.
......
"You're a bit late?"
"...My apologies."
"S-Sorry!"
"Perloché, that wasn't aimed at you."
"...Oh."
Leaving Frey's dormitory, Kania headed to a back-alley café where the princess and saintess awaited.
"So, why the delay? You didn't jump the gun, did you?"
"No. Just... personal matters."
"Personal matters for you, Kania? Now I'm curious."
"...I have a question too."
"What?"
As Clana probed with intrigued eyes, Kania asked with baffled confusion.
"Why is our secret meetup in a cat café of all places?"
Clana, stroking a cat on her lap, replied.
"Meow..."
"So cute..."
Hiss!
"S-Sorry!"
Perloché, glued to Clana's side, had tried petting the lap cat, only to get hissed at and wilted dejectedly.
"You wouldn't know, but cafés are spy havens. Chatting secrets there is like handing them to imperial informants for free."
"...And cat cafés are different?"
"Obviously. People come to cat cafés for healing with cats, not talk. No informant would show."
"I see."
Kania eyed dubiously as Clana—cheeks flushed, piling every passing cat onto her lap—then cut to the chase.
"So, what's the plan going forward?"
"Simple. Ruin Frey. Then kill him."
"Right! We gotta kill him!"
"Should a saintess shout that so innocently?"
As Kania stared incredulously at fist-clenching Perloché, she tilted her head.
"But the Sun God gave her blessing too?"
"Wait—did you say blessing?"
Clana jolted. Perloché beamed.
"Yeah! I prayed to help rip Frey apart, and she blessed me! I did good, right?"
"Th-That blessing... Doesn't it require a year-long holy ritual prep?"
"Huh? I just prayed earnestly, and she gave it."
"....???"
Clana gaped, head tilted. Kania scowled, muttering.
"Why would the Sun God..."
"...Pardon? Did you say Sun God?"
"Ah, well..."
"You like the Sun God too, Kania? Great! Visit our church for a blessing anytime...!"
"I'd die if I got one."
"What!? Why!?"
"I'm a black mage."
"Gasp."
Perloché recalled and scooted back warily.
"You saw me use black magic at the auction—why now?"
"Oh, right?"
"And you played with my black mana orb like dough?"
"Yeah! That was fun!"
Perloché's eyes sparkled as she approached, hand out.
"C-Can I have some today?"
"No."
"...Huh?"
"Never again."
Kania's icy refusal deflated Perloché once more.
"We're not here to play."
Clana—now with seven cats lined on her lap, petting away—grew serious.
"Kania, gather evidence of Frey's corruption. As his servant, it'll be easy for you."
"Yes."
"Perloché, study this round."
"Yes! Un...derstood!?"
As Perloché gawked, Clana glared.
"Why the shock? Don't tell me you want the church elders stripping your power again this time."
"N-Nooo..."
"Then study and build knowledge. That's how you fight the old fogeys."
"B-But... I'm dumb..."
"I'll tutor you. We need the church to check the Starlights. I'll fix... make you smart and install you as church powerbroker."
"I-I'll do my best!"
Perloché steeled herself with a shout. Clana smiled satisfied—until a voice from behind.
"...What are you doing here?"
"Eek!?"
Clana yelped in shock. The lap cats fled to Perloché's, freezing her in panicked sweat as she cradled seven suddenly.
Both had skipped key events—Clana her fiancé screening for the auction, Perloché a major annual rite—drawing high scrutiny.
"...P-Professor Isolet?"
"No titles outside. Your Highness."
But it was Isolet, not imperial or church tails. Clana recovered with a smile.
"...What brings you here?"
"Hunting the illegal magitech artisan I nearly nabbed in the back alleys lately."
"Why a cat café...?"
"Searched everywhere else. Ended up here. No luck, though."
Isolet sighed. Clana nodded—then clapped, eyes sharp.
"Oh, right—you got dragged into that back-alley auction mess recently?"
"Yes, but...?"
"What took you there?"
"Ah, well... With Frey..."
"...What!?"
Clana's info probe lit up at Frey's name.
"Frey was there? Why?"
"Uh, well... Um..."
Isolet stammered awkwardly—until Kania cut in swiftly.
"Heard rumors you and Young Master are dating. Guess it's true."
"...Really!?"
"N-No!? Absolutely not! Lovers? Ridiculous!"
Isolet's shock prompted Kania's sly sidelong mutter.
"Entering auctions together screams lovers or spouses... If not lovers... Do you two have a kid?"
"......!!!"
Isolet froze, sweating bullets, fumbling excuses.
"N-No, it's not..."
"Does the kid look like Young Master? Or you? Personally, as Starlight butler, more like him..."
"H-Hnngh...!"
Kania escalated; Isolet's chronic ailment flared. Face crimson, she bolted from the shop.
".........."
Clana and Perloché blankly watched her go, then turned to Kania. She shrugged.
"Seems Professor Isolet has something special with Frey. She offered personal lessons anyway. I'll handle her from now on—extract Frey intel."
Clana and Perloché nodded reluctantly. Kania smiled, rising.
"Then I'm off."
"Already?"
"Yes. Ruin takes work."
"Fair enough. Goodbye."
"M-Me too, then...!"
"You're coming to the library with me."
"...Pardon? B-But..."
"Forgot already?"
Perloché despaired; Clana sternly prodded. Kania slipped out, face blank again.
......
...From now on, keep Professor Isolet from getting personal with those two. Same for Irina and my fiancée.
Outside, I watched Isolet fleeing afar, lost in thought.
This morning, Young Master lied to me. At first bewildering, but listening revealed why.
To ease my guilt, he'd spun a false tale.
A hero abandoning sacrifice routes or Demon King allegiance for the Villain's Path. Harsh fate: earn "points" via villainy to beat the Demon King. Lonely path, no confidants.
Pity and desire to help? Sure. Heart-shattering? No.
But I'd heard it. The shocking truth young Frey revealed in his subconscious world.
When I asked what he'd done out of love: after "kept giving life force to save you," that horrific reality.
"Frey's mother... died fighting your black mage parents. They coveted her dazzling Star Mana above all."
"Wh-What...?"
"Extract the brightest Star Mana, corrupt it... Inject into child-you for the world's strongest artificial black mage."
"What does that... mean...?"
"But it failed. The corrupted Star Mana birthed potent black magic... Yet imperfect star-dark fusion spawned the Self-Destruction Curse, devouring your life force."
"What are you saying!!"
"Sealed Prophecy Book unsealed later; Frey's father learned, stormed the lab. Your parents dead from curse backlash. He beheaded them with the family sword, then took you and your sibling into Starlight."
"...Impossible. The family head found me on the streets..."
"Frey read the full unsealed prophecy, chose magic to alter his and your memories—fearing he'd hate you, daughter of his mother's killers."
"Memory... manipulation...?"
"Honoring that, his father recopied the prophecy in his scrawl on new paper, altered only your part, and gave it to Frey."
".........."
"...That's why Frey loves you. To avoid hating you, he chose that."
Learning I'd slashed his lifespan via penalties too, I dry-heaved.
Vile "cursed" mana recipient black mage like me turned stomach-churningly repulsive. I'd sucked his life force via his mother's life-linked curse treatment—then tried killing him with it. Ignorant me was loathsome.
Young Master said one hated soul sufficed—himself. But I deserved his hate from the start.
So I resolved: aid him secretly from behind.
If he, nearing death, insisted solo after shoving my help aside, I'd honor it—support covertly.
Unworthy wretch like me had no right beside him anyway.
"When the time comes, I'll tell the truth and gladly earn your hate too, Young Master..."
Murmuring, I headed quietly to the dormitory.
"...On the day we decided to fade together after all ends."
Time to bolster power for the impending commoner dorm raid.
......
"...Lady Serena, what is that?"
"Oh, this?"
Meanwhile, somewhere in the western continent.
"...Some wriggly thing like an earthworm. Why carry it the whole trip?"
"Who knows?"
"And why detour to relics of hero Hanbyeol Raon Starlight from 1,000 years ago?"
"Wanna guess?"
"Hmm... I see you scrutinizing script like this at each site... But the rest..."
"Ah, it means 'hero'."
"...Pardon?"
"Nothing."
Frey's fiancée, Serena Luna Moonlight, unwittingly threatened his life.