The Villain Bought the Heroine

Chapter 34

“hahahaha! Just kidding, just kidding. Of course, he must be human. If our nobleman belonged to another species, I wouldn’t have noticed. My eyes are so sharp.”

Chuckling, Nias, shining brightly, points at his own eyes.

Though abstract, it’s not entirely inaccurate. His vision could be around 9.0 in human terms. Thanks to the ‘eye that sees essence,’ he can perceive mana distribution, environmental factors like infrared and ultraviolet rays, and even see through blessings and magic weaker than himself.

“I want them.”

They were good enough to tempt me.

Using Nias indirectly like this for now isn’t bad, but… of course, it would be more convenient to use them directly.

How can I make that happen?

“N-Nobleman! Just because you transplant eyes doesn’t mean you’ll get the same effect! Besides, as a spirit, I can’t be transplanted anyway!”

Nias’s face pales, and he quickly steps back.

He’s quite impudent. If someone saw him, they might think he’s a lunatic trying to gouge out my familiar’s eyeballs.

“I won’t pluck them out, so calm down. While the idea of possessing them did cross my mind for a moment, there are many eyes superior to yours.”

“Nobleman, I’m genuinely getting scared here. W-What, are you planning to pluck out my eyes or something? I don’t know where you’d get them, but as I said earlier, it’s meaningless since the performance doesn’t follow…!”

“I know. I have no intention of transplanting them.”

“Is that really… Oh? Wait up!”

Ignoring Nias, who is sending me suspicious looks, I continue walking.

That fellow lying there will naturally get up in about five minutes. I can leave him be.

Nias, in Erica’s form, hastily catches up beside me. When he tries to link arms, I push him away.

Does this guy have ulterior motives? Surely he’s not planning to follow me all the way to the dormitory looking like this?

“Nias. Release the humanoid form.”

“Eh? Can’t we just go like this? I’m quite pleased with my current appearance.”

He said he liked Alicia’s appearance when he came to my room before and would maintain it for a while, but now this.

In any case, whether appearance or inner self, he’s a fellow who changes more easily than a chameleon.

“Returning as you were will complicate matters, so undo it quickly.”

“Y-Yes, yes, understood~ I shall heed the nobleman’s command.”

Grumbling, Nias complies with my request.

If he had resisted a bit more, I would have had him slither to the dormitory in the form of a snail. What a shame.

-There, done?

Nias vanished. Completely disintegrated into thin air. Right now, it appears that there’s nobody around me.

-This means I can’t move and it’s frustrating… I can only turn my head.

“Stop making noise and be quiet. Hearing voices inside me is not pleasant.”

Spirits like Nias usually live within the medium with which they’ve made a contract.

To them, the body is temporary.

When animals or humans transform, they consume the mana around them to maintain their form, but it is not permanent. They do not possess the original physical elements.

Also, just like I made a contract with Nias, if one cannot obtain an intermediary through a contract, they cannot exist in this world.

The intermediary doesn’t have to be a living being.

A stone rolling around, gold in a mine, a legendary sword.

So, I could prolong my life through relics.

“Master, when can I be transformed again? I’m tired of not having a physical form now.”

“Transformation is useful. You won’t have to wait long for an opportunity.”

It wasn’t far off.

Just because one performed well once, they wouldn’t be discarded. They weren’t disposable.

“Really? You promise?! Yes! I have so many appearances I want to change into. Like… “

“I understand. Just be quiet.”

When I return to the dormitory, I should first send this noisy fellow back as a relic. I feel like I’m losing my mind.

***

Tap.

I was reading a magic book in the lab, and Alicia, who had been following me with her eyes while waiting for the pages to turn to minimize disturbing me, spoke up.

“Master, the class transfer is approaching, and you’re only focusing on research activities. Is that okay?”

Seems like the guy who’s supposed to be the leader is blaming me for not doing anything before the important day of the class transfer. I’ve already heard similar things from Professor Luisa enough times.

“N-no, that’s absolutely not true! It’s all for the master. I understand that it holds deep meaning. I was just curious about what it was!”

Oh, I said it out loud.

Well, I thought it before speaking. It was a thought that came to me as I spoke, though.

Sigh.

By the way, Alicia, the tea tastes quite good. Your skills are improving, Alicia. It’s good to have more strengths.

“T-thank you. I’m embarrassed that you like it so much…”

Alicia covered her face with her hand, trying to hide her joy as the heat of embarrassment rose.

Huh? That’s strange.

“…I didn’t mention it this time.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I must have thought you were thinking that way, please forget it…”

“……”

I didn’t teach her how to read minds, so how did this happen?

I’m not the type to show my thoughts on my face like Alicia, and in the past, I was a genius actor who could maintain a poker face without any hint of wavering.

“…When you look at me like that, I feel like crawling into a hole out of embarrassment.”

Nothing seems to have changed significantly.

Have I developed an observational eye keen enough to see through high-level acting all of a sudden?

Or perhaps I’ve been observing myself too much and picked up on my subtle habits.

I need to be more careful from now on.

Anyway, back to the point.

“Alicia, how do you see the current state of our research club?”

“Excuse me? Um… I think it’s good, like a harmonious family. It’s a place for training where we harmonize and hone our skills…”

“I knew you would say that.”

A sentimental guy.

“Currently, there are five members in the student council, including myself. The number of research participants I propose is higher than this. However, we are not promoting separately.”

“Yes, that’s correct. The Duke prohibited the promotion of the student council.”

“Yes, why do you think he did that?”

Alicia, who was pondering seriously, hesitated to answer cautiously.

It seemed like she was thinking of something, but if she were to speak out, she felt she would receive some criticism.

“I won’t scold you, so speak.”

“Um… Isn’t it to maintain the nobility’s dignity?”

In other words, it means that I am stubbornly reluctant to bow and submit to others, as if my neck were stiff as a tree.

Well, it’s not a wrong answer, but it’s not entirely correct either.

“The most important thing in selling a product is, of course, the quality of the product. You must know that.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“So, what is the next most important thing?”

“…Is it the merchant’s attitude?”

Oh, she has reached quite the right answer.

“But then, it still doesn’t make sense. For a merchant to sell a product, they must make an effort to give a good impression to the customers and promote the product widely, shouldn’t they?”

It’s not unreasonable to have doubts. Most merchants sell products that way.

It’s a kind of norm.

“We have no reason to promote separately. From the moment the research group was named the student council, it has received attention. The visibility can be considered sufficient already.”

“I apologize for daring to say this, but… It’s not exactly famous for good reasons, is it…?”

She is right.

The name itself leaves an impression on others.

In other words, the name “student council” represents a research group that claims to be a student council, or a group that rejects the current system. It is neither more nor less than that.

“However, that’s just prejudice based on the name. Haven’t we only emphasized individual development activities under the name of the student council?”

We did not engage in any disruptive actions or activities imitating a student council.

Yet, there is a flood of negative reviews about the student council.

“We have consistently shown results and written reports. I know this better than anyone, as I observe everyone’s state.”

The negative views surrounding the current student council are actually ‘interest’ disguised as negativity.

In reality, there is some negative emotion present. However, it is not deeply rooted.

Unless you are a member or affiliated with the student council, it is just a research group with a peculiar name. One could say they are riding the wave of that negative perception because others see it unfavorably.

“So, what if we were to change that impression all at once?”

“…!”

Alicia took a deep breath for a moment.

But her eyes, which had widened like a rabbit’s, soon returned to reality.

“Are you referring to the class competition?”

Yes.

The event and place where everyone’s attention would be focused.

Is there a more suitable place than this?

“Why not promote? If there are many people, wouldn’t the interest be less scattered? For example, the conveyance of who those members are, and how much they have grown is more pronounced.”

Purely powerful powerlessness.

Strategies that read and dominate the board.

Unexpected variables.

It would be troublesome if there are many who fit into this category. Rarity is an important thing.

“……”

Alicia, lost in thought for a moment, speaks.

“If we simplify a certified report with the professor’s seal through means like a newsletter and display it, it would be even more effective.”

“I think I understand.”

I smiled broadly.

Utilizing the stage before the class.

Displaying overwhelmingly impressive results that can only be recognized in front of everyone and thrilling them. Or moving them with a touching story that brings tears to their eyes.

The more splendid, the better. But it’s okay to be modest. Slowly rising heavy emotions also have great power.

What is needed.

Just one thrill.

When that thrilling sensation spreads throughout your body riding up your spine.

If the flag of the Theological Student Council flutters.

‘Negation’ turns into ‘affirmation.’

—Hooray.

The tea tastes good as always.

It’s amazing how the taste changes depending on how it is brewed throughout the same day.

As I offer the empty teacup, Alicia reflexively moves.

Even though it’s a movement repeated hundreds of times already, her hand trembles slightly as she pours the tea.

As the story concludes, she seems tense, perhaps feeling the importance of her role.

“I will work even harder to not be a hindrance to you, my lord.”

“I’m not worried about you. The worrisome individuals are being trained by Serena over there.”

Alicia gazes out the window.

In the spacious area where the grass sways, a red-haired woman lies exhausted. And a man with short hair struggles to move his arms and legs.

The red-haired woman speaks a few words to the man who continues the same movement without stopping, then rises again and brandishes a sword.

As if unable to defeat the man, she clings tightly to it.

On the other hand, the man seems completely unconcerned with the woman, not even giving her a brief glance.

Just repeating the same action.

Over and over.

Even if the woman tries a different movement.

The man is like he’s caught in a loop.

Just one movement.

The same rhythm.

A consistent swordplay.

⎯Crash!

The sound of it echoes.