Chapter 8 - Main Quest "...Finally Awake."

'...Finally awake.'

Just as Frey was rising from the bed, Kania was capturing the sight perfectly in her memory. Of course, if he had even slightly opened his eyes, Frey—who was an expert at secretly infusing life force—would have noticed immediately. But right now, she wasn't opening her eyes.

So how was she observing Frey without even opening her eyes?

".............."

It was because she was currently possessing the black cat doll on the desk.

For some reason, during yesterday's training when her condition was exceptionally good, she had gathered and molded her black magic to create a familiar. Using it as a medium, Kania cast the basic black magic spell Hidden Gaze, and the moment she fell completely asleep, she possessed the familiar—the cat doll.

This was a black magic spell she had never shown in front of Frey before. So, Kania muttered to herself, believing there was almost no chance of getting caught.

'...Show me what you do at night, Frey.'

The moment she thought that, Frey began spinning his right hand in circles as he started walking, and Kania stared at him sharply before quickly reverting her expression.

Since she was fully fused with the cat doll ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠right now, she could move just like a real cat. But if she did, there was a risk of Frey noticing, so she maintained a rigid pose as much as possible while observing him.

"Alright, shall we get started today too?"

'...As I thought, he was doing something at night.'

Hearing Frey's mutter, Kania began smirking inwardly, thinking she might even uncover his weakness... but then—

-Swoosh...

'...Huh!?'

That smirk turned to horror the instant Frey stood before her sleeping body and reached out his hand.

'That filthy bastard...'

Seeing Frey reach toward her with a tender expression, Kania felt her blood boiling, but there was nothing she could do. The black magic Hidden Gaze prevented her from returning to her original body for a set duration once she possessed the familiar, no matter what she tried.

Of course, a more advanced black magic spell could solve that issue, but due to the Self-Destruction Curse, even in peak condition, Kania could only use basic black magic. Knowing the risks, she had no choice but to use the beginner spell.

And now, that decision was becoming the biggest blunder—and most horrific experience—of her life.

"...Mm."

Oblivious to Kania's thoughts, Frey calmly placed his hand on her body with a perfectly composed expression.

Watching the scene with contempt and disgust, Kania suddenly considered one possibility.

'Fuck, that fucking bastard... Don't tell me... He's been doing this all along...!'

Frey's movements were so natural and nonchalant that it suggested this wasn't his first time. The moment she judged it not just possible but highly likely, Kania's last thread of rationality snapped.

When she first regressed, her vision went red, and she tried to kill Frey by any means. But soon she realized simply killing him was far too ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠merciful for the man who had driven the world to ruin.

So Kania had resolved herself. Infiltrate as his servant, recover her magic by his side while biding her time, then once her black magic was sufficiently restored, inflict a black magic curse more terrifying than death. Or gather his weaknesses in secret, expose them to the world to destroy him, and take his life with her own hands at the final moment.

But witnessing Frey touch her sleeping body, Kania threw all plans aside and focused on one goal: the moment she returned to her body tomorrow morning, kill that filthy, ugly, repulsive man, even if it meant exhausting her black magic to death.

She'd evacuate her younger sister from the family far away and shoulder everything herself. Tomorrow, Frey Raon Starlight would die.

With that thought settled, Kania began etching every action he took into her eyes with a blazing glare. Any unfinished revenge would continue in hell, so she wouldn't forget her hatred for Frey even in death.

"Haa... Haaa..."

'...Hm?'

But something felt off.

'...What's he doing?'

She had expected something disgusting, but Frey was simply resting his hand on her stomach with his eyes closed.

"...Hng."

And even breaking into a cold sweat while groaning in pain.

Kania stared blankly at the bizarre sight for a moment before snapping back to her senses and thinking again.

'...He's doing something to me.'

Clearly, Frey was doing something with his hand on her stomach. So what exactly was it? Why was he making such a pained expression and sweating like that?

'...Whatever it is, it can't be anything aboveboard.'

Doing something deep in the night after confirming she was fast asleep couldn't be legitimate. He was surely plotting something nefarious with this action.

'Blood rituals, bloodstains, cursed artifacts... and now this suspicious behavior toward me... If I'm lucky, I can find evidence to destroy him.'

Regaining her cold composure, Kania began memorizing every one of his movements, convinced she might uncover something to ruin him.

"...Hoo."

After a long time passed and Frey staggered away from Kania, disappointed at finding no clues, she tried to organize her future plans before the spell wore off... but then—

"...You're really cute, aren't you?"

'.....?'

Suddenly, Frey turned his gaze to the cat doll on the desk—straight to her possessing it—and Kania began panicking intensely.

"...Oh, so soft."

'.........!'

And as Frey sat in the chair beside the desk, picked her up, and started petting her, Kania instinctively realized something had gone wrong.

But since she couldn't let him discover she was possessing the doll, all she could do was remain motionless and endure the petting.

After petting the cat doll she inhabited for a while, Frey suddenly stopped and stared at it intently.

'...I-Is he stopping now?'

At his actions, Kania began filling with hope that she might escape this hellish moment... but—

"...Yap."

Shattering her expectations, Frey flipped the doll over and began pressing firmly on its squishy belly.

"Nyaaah...!"

Since she was fully fused with the doll and sharing its sensations, Kania let out an involuntary squeak like deflating air at the unexpected belly press.

"".............""

Silence filled the room for a moment.

"......Huh?"

As Frey tilted his head while holding the doll, Kania—lost in panic—desperately racked her brains. Just as his expression hardened...

"...Nya, nyaaong."

Kania made a small ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cat noise.

"Hah, what the..."

Frey stared at the cat doll for a moment before chuckling and muttering,

"...So it's a doll that makes sounds when you press the belly?"

Completely fooled by Kania's quick thinking, Frey looked at it with interest before repeatedly pressing the belly.

"Nyaaong... Nyaaaoong..."

"...I should buy one of these too."

"Eek... Nyaaong..."

Thanks to that, Kania—continuously belly-pressed—had no choice but to keep making sounds timed to the presses.

And so, deep into the dawn, Frey's dormitory echoed with groans and cat sounds filled with shame for a while.

.

.

.

-Trring! Trrring!

Morning arrived. I dragged my groggy body upright, turned off the ringing alarm clock, and stretched hugely.

"Fwaaaah..."

After sharing life force with Kania at dawn and trying to sleep, I got distracted by the cute cat doll on the desk and didn't sleep properly again today. Still, petting the soft, squeaky cat doll for healing seemed to relieve some stress.

"...Kania, breakfast."

"Ugh, uuuht..."

"......?"

Anyway, to muster energy for more villainy today, I ordered breakfast from Kania, but instead of a reply, I heard a choked sob from beside me.

Wondering what was wrong, I looked over to see Kania clutching her stomach, face flushed red, glaring at me.

"What's wrong?"

"...N-Nothing. My stomach just hurts a bit..."

"Tch, gross."

I said that, but starting to worry if I'd messed up while infusing life force yesterday, I was about to say I'd skip breakfast... but—

"Th-Then... I'll prepare breakfast..."

Kania, who had been staring at me, hurriedly finished speaking, spun around, and fled the room.

"...What was that?"

As I tilted my head in confusion, a system window appeared before my eyes.

"......?"

Tilting my head again, I figured Kania must have misunderstood her stomachache as some scheme of mine and dismissed the window. The points were a bit generous, but more is always better anyway.

"...Oh?"

As I thought that, the system notified me of a level up.

"...Skill Shop."

Seeing it, I decided to check the newly unlocked skills first and opened the Skill Shop.

Watching the newly unlocked skill window, I chose one without much hesitation.

"Obviously Silent Mutter."

Shouting system or info windows in front of people was more embarrassing than expected. Just last time during the meeting with Isolet, when she tilted her head at my mutterings, it was mortifying.

Even without that, constantly voicing those words could raise suspicions. So at this point, buying Silent Mutter was the logical choice.

'...Item Shop.'

After purchasing the Silent Mutter skill, I mentally tested it by opening the Item Shop.

"...There it is. Elixir of Potential."

According to the ancestor's strategy in the Prophecy Book, the Elixir of Potential is essential to quickly grow Kania's sister's healing abilities. Normally obtained through immense hardship, but I can get it simply by doing villainy.

'...Still, aside from the Elixir, nothing else is helpful? Because it's still the intermediate shop?'

The skills and items have useful effects for villainy, but nothing powerful or flashy.

Smacking my lips for a moment, I recalled the structure of the Villain's Path system and sighed.

"...Well, can't be helped."

This Villain's Path system differs vastly in structure and purpose from the one my ancestor had, which slowly empowered someone with nothing.

Unlike 1000 years ago, no matter how strong you get or what powerful items you have, you can't face the Demon King without the Hero's Armament.

Thus, the Villain's Path system is designed solely to beat this hopeless dark fantasy world's grim scenario while awakening the Hero's Armament faster than the standard route.

Of course, the heroines constantly eyeing chances to kill me are scary, but that's an anomaly not in the Prophecy Book, so the system probably isn't prepared for it either.

Therefore, I have to handle the heroines myself.

In conclusion, it's tear-jerkingly daunting, but... I must fend off the heroines on my own while doing villainy to level up the system quickly. Only then can I twist the bad-ending scenarios, awaken the Hero's Armament decades earlier, and grant this world a true happy ending.

As I organized my thoughts and tried to close the system, another notification popped up. Curious, I tapped it, and the following message appeared.

"........."

Staring at the system's ambiguous blessing-or-curse notification, I chuckled and muttered,

"Heh, you really nailed the essentials."

'Incompetence', 'ugliness', and 'cowardice' are the three key elements the system values. Villainy point rewards are calculated based on all three.

But right sometimes feels annoying.

"...Sigh."

Sighing as I swiped away the irritating notification, a differently styled one appeared before me.

"...The main quest is finally here."

Gazing at the long-awaited main quest, I checked the schedule marked on the calendar on the wall and quietly muttered,

"...I absolutely need to get that item from the back alleys."

There's an item I must obtain in the back alleys soon with Isolet. Without it, I can't stop the impending Commoner Dormitory Assault Incident.

So, no matter the hardship... even if I have to grovel on the ground, I'll get it.

'...Well, actually, Isolet will be the one groveling.'

.

.

.

At that very moment, as Frey muttered his plans in the dormitory—

"...To keep Frey in check comfortably from now on, I definitely need that item."

"This time, I'll secure that item no matter what..."

"To grow my forces faster than last time... I need that item, right..."

Kania, Perloché, and Clana were all thinking the exact same thing and muttering to themselves.