The Villain Purchased the Heroine

"Wow! It's amazing that the dish was made by Lady Alicia! Just look at the color, you really know how to cook!"

"No, Teacher. I was just assisting the chef."

"Oh come on, how can you say that? I can't even peel an egg properly. It always crumbles and makes a mess. Ho ho ho."

Paula has been noisy since morning.

In this luxury inn, if you just sit still, they serve you food on time, but with a desire to help out, Alicia stepped in, and that's how it all started.

She's quite the character.

If the progress of awakening the Hero's talent was slow, I might have stopped her, but strangely enough, she keeps showing more than I expected, making it hard to give her a hard time.

At this point, it must just be Alicia's nature. It's hard to believe, but perhaps helping others lowers her stress levels.

"Young Master, are you not hungry after training all morning? The eggs are fresh. You should at least taste them…"

I won't outright say, "Are you not eating what I made?" but all of Alicia's tension is written on her face. Honestly, wouldn't it be easier to just say it?

"Don't fuss over food. The reason I was just watching for a moment was that I suddenly felt you were quite the oddball."

"Y-Yes… Thank you for the compliment…?"

"That's an insult. You blockhead."

Thwack!

My finger hurts.

"Ugh…."

"Honestly, you seem to be getting dumber by the day. Is there such a magic effect?"

"Isn't it because you keep hitting me that I'm getting trained? Can you please stop hitting me… Wow, what is this? Bram, you should try this too. It's really delicious."

Paula, avoiding my gaze, clings to Bram again.

Someday, when I've sucked every drop of blood from that girl, I'll chop off her filthy mouth and feed it to the Scavenger Bugs.

"Are these dishes from Lady Alicia's hometown? They have a unique aroma."

"Ah… Yes. I tried to make them because I saw the herbs growing back in my hometown. Are they to your liking?"

"They're so delicious. You must have been famous in your hometown, Lady Alicia. With looks like yours and cooking skills, the men must have been lining up!"

"No, not really…."

Alicia awkwardly laughed, avoiding my gaze. At least that's how it seemed to me.

It was revealed.

However, Paula was not sharp enough to pick up on such an intuition.

"Please tell me about Miss Alicia's hometown. Even if it's a story from the past, it's fine. We're going to be seeing each other for a long time, and we know nothing about each other, right?"

"Ah… yes… my hometown, huh…"

"Did I touch upon something I shouldn't have…?"

At this point, even Paula could realize that Alicia's reaction was different from usual.

Alicia showed signs of embarrassment, fidgeting with her fingers. Paula thought that if this continued, the awkward atmosphere would linger, so she decided to speak again.

"I just thought of something. I have a question for you, Young Master. I didn't notice it while I was in the mansion, but after spending a few days together, I picked up on something."

Paula continued speaking nonchalantly. She could ignore it, but this time, let's take a forgiving noble's approach.

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you sleep at all, Young Master? I've never seen you with your eyes closed for a long time, except when you're handling mana. I've seen you reading books about magic or training your mana, but never resting."

"Oh, I'm curious too."

"Miss Alicia feels the same? No, if the person who's always with you thinks so, doesn't that indicate something serious?"

That's not the tone of someone genuinely worried. It's just pure curiosity.

By the way, the question is pretty basic. Am I not human? Of course, I sleep well and take breaks. If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to move.

While I was thinking this, Alicia added something. Unlike Paula, her tone was cautious and subtly different.

"…I do worry whether you are getting enough sleep, Young Master, since you always seem so engrossed in something. Diligence is a virtue, but I'm concerned it may become too much, and you'll wear yourself out."

"I'm overdoing it?"

"That's right. You seem deeply committed to something to the point of lacking sleep…"

As I looked at her strangely, Alicia's voice started to falter as she began to rethink whether she'd said something odd.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm not that much of a fool."

"Y-Yes…? B-but you are the one who gets up the earliest and sleeps the latest…"

"That's just because you all rest too much."

"I'll take after you in that regard as well… But isn't that all proof that you're living harder than anyone else?"

What on earth is she talking about?

"If you don't do even that much, what's the difference between that and being dead?"

Suddenly, silence fell.

It became so quiet that we could hear the chirping of birds outside.

Among the stiffened ones, the first to speak was Paula.

"Wow… Young Master, are you serious right now? With just that one statement, you've basically killed most people in this room and probably even in the world."

"Those pitiful souls. If they wish to gain something without doing even that much, it's not even worth calling greed."

"Y-Yes…? Then what is it?"

To Paula, who seemed confused, I replied.

"That's delusion, pure delusion."

Delusion.

A delusion with no value or hope, something that will never come to fruition.

It's as ridiculous as kicking a vending machine because you put in a 500-won coin and expected a 1,000-won drink to come out.

Just because I'm in a novel and my position seems quite advantageous, I must never let my guard down. No matter how it unfolds, I will eventually live as a resident of this world, which means this place is my reality.

To put it bluntly, life doesn't flow just as one thinks. No matter how exceptional the talent or good the environment, everything can turn to ash in an instant.

Even a person born with genius talent is no different from a commoner if they never discover that talent. Likewise, someone born in a good environment finds it meaningless if they don't utilize it.

I'm well aware of this fact and, based on that mindset, I move to achieve my goals.

My goal is to live well in this fictional world. There's actually a hidden word in that sentence, which is "more than anyone else."

To eat and live better than anyone else. That's my destination. If we assume that's a 10,000-won drink, then of course I need to invest 10,000 won to get it. Just putting in 500 won and passively waiting is no different from not trying at all. I might as well buy another drink with that money.

Therefore, this is not overreaching. Overreaching would be like investing 12,000 won for a drink that costs 10,000 won. Especially when the vending machine doesn't give change.

I'm someone who values efficiency highly. Excessive effort is poison to me.

"I feel like I've come to realize that you, Young Master, are more unique than I initially thought… You didn't seem this special before."

That's because that was Vargan before I possessed him. Even if his way of thinking continues, there's bound to be a difference.

"Master, isn't it a good thing for a disciple to have grand goals?"

"Indeed… Hmm, you're right. When Young Master's fame spreads in the world, my position will rise too. Hohoho."

"Exactly, that's it. Now, let's stop the idle talk and finish breakfast quickly. We still have a long way to go to reach the destination village, so we need to hurry."

"Understood, Young Master."

*

Swaeck⎯!

Once the sound of the split air begins, it doesn't stop but continues. It flows as smoothly and naturally as water.

With the moon illuminating the sky and the stones on the ground as the stage.

From a distance, it might look like a dance, beautiful yet extremely sharp.

Clang, clang!

The lively sounds of metal clashing resonate consecutively. Both are showing off their finely honed skills. There's no intent to kill between them, but a fierce fight without an inch of concession continues.

Any misstep by either could lead to a major accident. This isn't a spar with blunt weapons but a life-or-death duel with sharp blades. Both are well aware of the danger.

Gweogeuk⎯!

Nonetheless, the eyes of the two, locked in battle, were fierce and sharp, as if they wanted to devour their opponent. They seemed utterly indifferent to the worry of getting cut by their weapons.

It looks like there's nothing.

Finally.

Meow⎯⎯!

Bram didn't miss the chance when his opponent's wrist went slack; he slashed Alicia's sword upward and sent it flying. Her sword reflected the moonlight, spinning in the air before falling to the ground.

Oh, what a marvel! Truly, Bram, my loyal retainer.

Clap, clap.

I stepped forward, applauding.

"Excellent job, Bram! Your swordsmanship is worthy of being called art."

"Thank you."

"And Alicia, you did well too. If you've achieved that level in just a few days, your future is promising."

"Thank you, Young Master. I'm still inexperienced, but I will show you satisfactory results soon."

Alicia and Bram knelt before me, bowing their heads in respect.

It was the second day since we left the cultural city of Rhodes, and the fourth night since Alicia began her sword training. As she mentioned, there's still much room for improvement. I can't boast of my swordsmanship, but I can tell that much.

However, her astonishing learning ability is undeniable. Her talent as a swordmage is beginning to blossom magnificently.

Yes, I've confirmed her general swordsmanship. The remaining part is…

"Alicia, how is your progress with the Aura?"

"Well… I'm sorry. I've managed to flow my mana into the sword, but I'm struggling to maintain it."

Alicia bowed her head even lower, looking mortified. It's fine, Alicia. If you had already mastered the Aura, I would have suspected you instead.

"The Aura is a completely different challenge from the magic you've done until now. There's no need for excessive worry."

"Thank you for your consideration…"

"No such thing."

Alicia tends to show sincere expressions when she offers flattery, which makes me uneasy. Why do you keep painting me as a good person? It's making my stomach churn.

"However… it would be ideal to have it nearly perfected by the time we reach Rubid Village. We need to step up the pace a bit."

"I will make it happen."

"Then, starting today, we must reduce sleep time."

By keeping my mana activated, eliminating impurities, and rejuvenating myself, I can dramatically reduce the necessary sleep time. Anything more would be indulgent.

"Yes, to a minimal amount of sleep…"

"4 hours."

"Excuse…?"

Since it's the beginning, I'm being generous with 4 hours. Before entering this story, I used to sleep about 4 to 5 hours a day. This is quite lenient.

"We will gradually reduce it, but for now, that should suffice."

"If you gradually reduce it, may I ask how much it will be…?"

"2 hours."

"Ah…."

Alicia released a multitude of mixed feelings in her exclamation. She nodded, but it seemed reluctant.

"I've already spent quite a bit of time. The break is over. Extract your mana, Alicia."

Alicia's training does not end, even with the arrival of night.