I Became the Narrow-Eyed Villain in a Dropped Novel

“Who sent you?”

“I don’t know. Why do you think someone sent me?”

“You bastard…”

A man with a patchy beard growled.

Of course, to me, he was just an ordinary farmer, not particularly threatening.

“Did you forget what happened to your friends?”

“……”

I had already thrown two people attempting something like an interrogation with Mana Grasp.

They wouldn’t die, but they’d be bedridden for a few days.

“What do you want?”

“Didn’t I keep saying that from the start? Where are you sending all this Opio?”

I slightly turned my head to look at the Opio with plump fruits.

The sight of thousands of fruit-bearing Opio plants lined up was both spectacular and unsettling.

“Why should we tell you?”

“Let’s just say it’s the cheapest option for you right now.”

The man spat and left.

Left alone again, I surveyed the cave.

It was impressive how they’d expanded a natural cave with holes in the ceiling, setting up seedling trays to meet cultivation conditions while keeping it hidden.

However, the production volume was far too large for a small village to handle.

To process this amount, they’d need professional facilities, no question.

‘And the ones providing those facilities are likely Cesare’s real competitors.’

With this scale, it wouldn’t be strange if transactions happened far away through tunnels.

Of course, I wasn’t sitting here just to figure that out.

Destroying this place would roughly fulfill Cesare’s request, but… there was a reason I was dragging things out with this act.

‘When will Ede show up?’

Going forward, we’d be dealing with far more professional and vicious opponents than these petty farmers.

Being good at fighting isn’t enough.

To be my right hand, she needs a brain that works too.

The village must be on high alert since they captured me, and she, as my attendant, is probably looking for me, so the difficulty should be just right.

‘Whether she fights her way through, sneaks in with smarts, or finds another way, I’m kind of looking forward to it.’

In the original story, Ede, true to her nickname Avenger Ede, preferred solving things with force over brains.

She occasionally came up with brilliant strategies, but it felt like she didn’t bother thinking much since she’d just kill everyone anyway.

But now, with the Chartra Family intact and her personality far from the grim depiction in the novel, I was hoping she’d act differently…

Boom!

The cave suddenly shook, and bits of rock crumbled down.

‘Earthquake?’

No, it didn’t feel like an earthquake.

A few more booms echoed through the cave, and the villagers’ murmurs grew louder.

Bang!!!

This time, an explosion roared, and not just debris but a pile of rocks came crashing down.

As the rising dust swirled, a familiar face appeared.

“Oof, my knees hurt… Oh, Count, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, except for almost being crushed by rocks because of someone.”

“No way! I calculated the blast position perfectly!”

“What did you even use to blow it up?”

“Oh, there’s this spell called Internal Rupture that’s great for stuff like this. I made use of it.”

5th-tier Internal Rupture.

I’d seen it while planning which spells to pick in the Status Window.

Theoretically, it could destroy any fortress wall, but in practice, it was too slow and weak, so it was only used sparingly in places like mines.

And she used that to blow up the cave ceiling?

While accounting for my position?

“Why did you even learn a spell like that?”

“Well, if I couldn’t get hired by the military, guards, mercenaries, or escorts, I figured I’d try mining?”

A more pathetic reason than I expected.

Still, she arrived faster than I thought.

“It’s different from what I expected, but you pass.”

“Pass? Wait, was I not a full-time employee until now?”

“Pretty much.”

As I said that and tore open the door, I saw terrified villagers.

I smiled pleasantly.

“Didn’t I say it’d be cheapest to talk back then?”

* * *

Perhaps overwhelmed by the sheer force of blowing through the cave ceiling, the villagers became compliant in no time.

Even with pitchforks and sickles, they were just farmers, so it was only natural.

With a bit of intimidation and persuasion, they easily gave up their employer.

Contrary to my expectations, the miller’s family was thrown under the bus.

“We only did what this guy told us!”

“He said he wouldn’t buy our grain if we didn’t grow it, so we had no choice!”

Angry voices of condemnation echoed through the cave.

The miller, pale as a ghost, glared resentfully at the neighbors who betrayed him.

“My head hurts, so stop shouting.”

When I frowned and shook my head, the surroundings quickly fell silent.

The miller, seizing the chance, started spewing words.

“Sir, I only did this to feed my family. During the war—no, even after it ended, they came to this remote place to collect taxes, and we couldn’t survive.”

“……”

When I stayed silent, he took it as permission to continue, raising his voice.

“Then someone said we could escape poverty by processing and selling the red flowers by the river, so that’s how it happened. These people, so quick to pin it on me, also got through tough times because of this Opio!”

Ede looked down at the miller with pity.

The villagers, who had been raising their voices, lowered their heads, avoiding his gaze.

“And now they say it’s all my fault—”

“I told you to shut up because my head hurts.”

A cold voice slipped out of me.

“I don’t care how you ended up making drugs. I only want to know how you processed this much Opio. Running the mill all day wouldn’t be enough to handle the harvest—it’d take months.”

A small village mill couldn’t handle this volume.

It’s impossible without professional equipment.

After a brief pause, the miller spoke in a low voice.

“A guy from Vestol asked me to test some equipment that could process it all at once.”

“Did they ask you to write down how it worked after using it?”

“Yes, but how did you…”

“Where is it?”

Why do my hunches always hit the mark?

Grumbling inwardly, I followed the miller to the deepest part of the cave.

At the end of the crates filled with red powder stood a powder grinder that looked out of place in this world, like something you’d see in a modern neighborhood mill.

While Ede gaped, I went behind the machine.

The crude device had no instructions for operation.

Not even buttons or levers had labels, but there was a flamboyantly scrawled logo.

[Professor Zain’s Great Invention]

A guy who doesn’t include a single user-friendly feature but makes sure to leave his signature no matter what.

That’s how the original story described Professor Zain.

‘I had a hunch when he said it came from a Vestol guy.’

An ordinary Vestol merchant wouldn’t come to a place this remote, so the only one who’d act generous to a struggling miller was obvious.

“Ede.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Call the others and burn everything here. Including this monstrosity.”

“But without this, our village…”

“Are you going to say you’ll starve? The war’s over, and the capital’s leadership has changed.

You think that excuse will fly?”

I grabbed a handful of red powder from a crate and shoved it in front of the miller.

“Here, if you’re so proud of your product, eat it yourself. Who knows, maybe I won’t burn it then.”

The miller turned his head away.

I offered it to the other villagers surrounding us, but no one touched the powder.

“Well… looks like they don’t have much love for their own product. Ede, seems like we can burn it.”

Soon, black smoke billowed out through the holes in the cave’s ceiling.

Watching the scene, Ede nodded as if she’d made up her mind.

“I think I’ve found my calling.”

“Arsonist?”

“No, being your bodyguard! You’re way better than I heard, and the work’s less shady than I thought.”

She’s clearly misunderstanding something.

If I let this slide, she’ll probably throw a fit later when she’s disappointed, so I decided to set her straight.

“You’re mistaken. This job was just about ruining someone else’s business to help another guy’s.”

“Oh. I figured as much. No way Count Valheit would do this out of pity for the capital’s slums.”

That alone was a completely different reaction from what I expected, but what she said next was even more shocking.

“I thought you might tell us to wipe this village off the map, but such a lenient judgment! You’re kinder than I thought.”

“…If I’d told you to do that, would you have?”

“Hmm… I’d probably try to convince you otherwise. But if you insisted, I’d have to follow my employer’s orders, right? That won’t happen, though, will it?”

Her sparkling eyes left me momentarily unsure how to respond.

If I agreed, it might come back to haunt me later.

“Something that extreme probably won’t happen.”

At my words, Ede nodded enthusiastically.

‘Now that I think about it, what’s our relationship status?’

[Relationships]

▶Ede Lasern (-5 / Improving!)

(+) A better employer than expected!

This is practically a steal.

Her skills are solid, and she’s not some justice-obsessed fool who’d ignore my orders, so she passes for now.

But if she ever crosses a line…

No, I’ll deal with that when the time comes.

* * *

“It is an honor to host His Majesty the Emperor, the Vestol Foreign Minister, and the esteemed guests from Charnirasho, with whom the Empire shares a long friendship.”

Valheit delivered a polished greeting, but there was no applause or laughter.

In the silence, only the hired staff serving food moved busily.

“It is an honor to share this table with such distinguished guests.”

The Vestol Foreign Minister stiffly offered a perfunctory greeting, but aside from the Emperor’s faint smile, no one reacted.

And no wonder—humans and Demons seated across from each other were too busy glaring daggers at one another.

No harsh words were exchanged, but the atmosphere felt like it could erupt into chaos at the slightest spark.

“I hope you’ll see today not as a negotiation but a light opportunity to get acquainted. Please, enjoy the meal.”

Thanks to Blaiher stepping in to urge everyone to eat, the banquet barely got underway.

“If I may be so bold as to speak?”

A raspy, phlegmy voice echoed through the quiet dining hall.

It wasn’t loud, but it carried an overwhelming presence, as if shouting.

“Of course, Professor Zain.”

“Why must a distinguished scholar like myself sit with these furry beasts?”

The politically neutral expression Blaiher had maintained until now twisted in shock.

Not just the Emperor, but everyone stared at the white-haired old man in disbelief.

“Did you not hear me?”

Professor Zain stood up, enunciating each word clearly.

“Why? Must. I. Sit. With. Them. Did you hear me this time?”

“What the hell, you bastard?”

Avantnik slammed the table, causing it to collapse.

As everyone stood stunned, the professor shook his head as if this was only natural.

‘Damn it.’

Valheit cursed inwardly.