The Villain Bought the Heroine

Chapter 16

The village of Rubid, which was supposed to perish according to the original story, survived.

As the situation concluded, the villagers, especially the village chief, prostrated themselves on the ground, repeatedly bowing. They bowed so much that blood flowed from their foreheads, so I had to stop them, but they kept bowing.

He said to me, “You are our savior! Thank you so much for saving our village… for bestowing your grace upon us!”

I was dumbfounded.

He seemed to think I saved the village out of kindness or goodwill. I saved the village without any benefit? That’s nonsense.

I told him clearly. So that even the tears of gratitude in the old man’s eyes could hear me.

“Of course, I will accept your reward. I saved all of your lives, so a suitable price must be paid.”

I informed them of what the village needed to do in the future. Originally destined to perish and be expelled from the story, I am resurrecting these burnt-out remnants. Perhaps even the gods of this world will forgive such manipulation.

Oh, by the way, I am an atheist.

I made a direct contract with the village chief. I issued a one-sided curse, to put it simply. My specialty is curses, specifically illusions, and taming, so it was quite easy.

“It’s a curse that will immediately react if you disobey my orders. Filled with venom, it will seep into every corner of your body in an instant. The pain is so intense that you’d want to die right away, even if you cut out your tongue.”

He must move like a puppet in the future, hence the necessary leash. As long as he doesn’t rebel, it won’t be activated, and there’s also a benevolent effect that boosts energy in normal times.

While the contract structure with Alicia is similar to the village chief’s in terms of obedience, the details are naturally different.

This village will be useful for future reuse. I chose the village chief as the leader. In such a small rural area, age is often equivalent to rank. Since he also serves as the village chief, there is little resistance, and his competence has been confirmed, making him the right person for the job.

I also handed him a modification so that if needed, he could communicate with me. I made it easy for him to follow my instructions.

Oh, and there’s a reward for him too. It’s a mutually beneficial reward, where for him, it’s more important than wealth or people. It’s life itself.

He will receive continuous care from my expert doctor. Minimizing current health issues or pain, and forcing mana training to improve physical condition and health.

Well, even so, I can’t guarantee he’ll live another 20 years, but at least he should be able to move around fine for another 5 years. To be useful, he’ll have to endure that much.

Now, what about Alicia?

Having safely completed the loop, Alicia should already be unconscious and deep in sleep, but she’s holding on with a strong will.

Although the loop seems very efficient on the surface, in reality, it boasts trash-like efficiency, as there is no reason for Alicia to use it unless in a special situation. Furthermore, it has significant preparations to make, and with the side effect of not waking up for several days, its power is quite strong.

Yet she persists, to keep her promise with a little girl named Edel and because she cannot be obstructed by me.

She’s quite a handful in many ways. If she tries to escape, I’ll have to force her to sleep in the carriage.

“I will hold on until we reach the mansion… unconditionally!”

“Alicia, stop being stubborn. The time with your eyes closed is equal to the time with them open.”

“Princess, you look tired. It’s tough, isn’t it? Fighting monsters and needing rest because of a promise with me?”

“No, Edel…! Look…! I can stand here so well, right?”

“Gondyu… my mom is shaking…”

Alicia was taken aback by the innocent words of Prizia and moved her arms widely. Even in doing so, she stumbled.

Being stubborn in a strange way.

“Stop, stop that annoying behavior. It’s hard to even look at. One person is enough to do such a vile thing.”

“Young master, did you see me just now…? Why, why did you look at me?! I’m not asking for a show of respect for the teacher, just don’t ignore me!”

Paula’s loud voice fills the small house that is bursting at the seams. Furniture and tools are neatly arranged in the small house. It is noticeable that the parents of the little ones have organized things, but there are also some chaotic spots.

It seems like the kids are in disarray. That’s why kids are disgusting. They don’t even communicate properly, and the unnecessary waste is too much.

“The evil sorcerer confronted Chief Oraburn…! Chief Oraburn, scold them quickly. If you don’t scold them now, they’ll become even more unruly later!”

Edel held onto one of my arms with his small body and said. Pulling towards himself after completing a sentence is a tactic to strengthen his argument.

“Edel…! Why am I the bad sorcerer and the young master is Chief Oraburn? Clearly, that person looks more wicked. No, and originally he was the ‘bad sorcerer chief’. How did his title suddenly change?!”

Ever since I wiped out those eerie red creatures, these kids have been clinging to me in a creepy way. They tug at my clothes with their dirty, sparkling eyes, seeking attention. They stick like gum.

If they’re going to be this annoying, I’d rather be the bad sorcerer chief again.

“Chief Oraburn is not a bad person…! He defeated scary monsters with the princess, protected the villagers. Don’t say such things!”

“Madia, don’t speak ill!”

“Even Prizia… If I had known this would happen, I should have wiped them out…”

Oraburn.

To me, that is… Although Borganh has two younger sisters, both of their personalities are not smooth. In that sense, maybe it’s better to have these kids as siblings.

No, at least they’re not being annoying. Rather than being annoying, they don’t even talk much in general.

While thinking that, Paula noticed something in Edel, who was expressing anger with his whole body.

“Uh…? Wait, Edel. Can you show me the back of your hand? I think I saw something I shouldn’t have?”

“No! This is a pattern Chief Oraburn made for us, I won’t show it to the bad sorcerer!”

“When you say ‘us’, does that include Prizia…?! Young master, what’s going on?!”

This is probably the most surprised expression I’ve seen on Paula’s face. She is staring in disbelief, mouth agape.

For the record, I did not curse them forcibly. Seeing them doing something to the village chief, they begged me to curse them, so I had to do it to keep them quiet.

Of course, my mother might faint if she found out.

“These kids got curious after seeing the village chief’s pattern. I stamped it on them one by one.”

“Stamped on them? That’s so light… This is a curse…! Cursing young children like this. Alicia, why are you suddenly avoiding eye contact? Did you… know?”

“…Yes.”

Paula covered her mouth with her hand, eyes widening further. She was shocked by the fact that Alicia knew this and kept silent.

“Teacher, but it’s not a bad curse. Young master didn’t do it without reason, and it doesn’t harm the kids. It’s actually a helpful curse…!”

“Ah… Alicia is defending the young master… Ah, wait. My head is throbbing. I’m overwhelmed by the unexpected series of events.”

This time, Paula wrapped her head with both hands and took a deep breath. Then she pointed out something strange in Alicia’s words.

“Alicia. Cover Paula’s mouth.”

“Understood. …I’m sorry, teacher.”

Alicia momentarily jumped out and covered Paula’s mouth with a handkerchief. Paula, even now, couldn’t believe Alicia’s actions and continued to resist.

They are quite noisy.

***

The time to leave has come.

I can finally leave this corner of the village.

Since I didn’t have many belongings to take, it didn’t take long to prepare. With the villagers helping each other, it was even faster.

Once our belongings were all moved by carriage, Edel and Freesia began to cry.

They really are quite emotional. I wonder how many there were for them to be this sad.

As I pondered that thought while watching the children, Alicia, who was approaching them, came into view. She hugged the children, trying to console them, although she herself had a solemn expression.

Who is consoling whom? Alicia seems to be a perfect match for those kids in terms of mental age.

“Edel, Freesia. Take care. We’ll meet again someday, so don’t cry like that.”

“Sob, really…? We can really meet again? We’ll remember the princess. The princess mustn’t forget about us…!”

“I’ll remember, Your Highness.”

“I won’t forget. As proof, look at this.”

After wiping her own tears, Alicia extended a pinkie finger as a gesture.

Edel nodded as she saw it and linked her finger with Alicia’s.

Freesia placed her tiny hand on her sister’s.

“We kept our promise last time. This time, it’ll just take a bit longer than before. We’ll definitely meet again.”

“Yes, I believe you. I’ll wait…!”

I wanted to say, “What’s the point of making such a promise if I don’t set aside time to meet?” But I held back. A verbal contract with no effect. I refrained from saying it, thinking it would just consume more time.

“Enough, Alicia. It’ll take a long time to return to the mansion. We need to hasten our steps.”

“Yes, I understand. …I’ll be going now. See you later. Edel, Freesia.”

“Okay, we understand. But, Your Highness, just a moment over here. Just a quick one….”

Edel guided Alicia’s ear towards her own. Then she whispered something, but the sound was so faint that only the last sentence was audible.

“…I found it, but I won’t tell anyone.”

Blushing upon hearing Edel’s whisper, Alicia quickly glanced at me to check if I had heard correctly. Then, she appealed strongly to Edel, whether it was because I hadn’t heard properly or for some other reason.

Seeing her react so strongly, even I become curious. Should I make them sleep forcibly before they get too excited in the carriage?

The children, finding it amusing, covered their mouths with their index fingers and giggled.

“I know, it’s a secret!”