The Villain Bought the Heroine - The Villain Bought the Heroine chapter 90
Chapter 90
After scattering Chikchiki throughout Dorte-Mund, we continued our search for traces of Frikcanrisk.
However, despite narrowing the search radius and increasing the density, there was no sign of her tail anywhere.
As the day grew darker, we decided to return to our lodgings, leaving Halion Jo behind.
They continued patrolling the city.
For the past few days, this cycle has been repeating due to the shift system.
Pin and I were exempt, so at least we had no restrictions at night, but the warriors were constantly busy with almost no rest time.
That’s how Gaon, Yanik, and I arrived at the lodging together.
“I don’t have dinner plans, so I’ll head up and rest for a bit….”
Straight away, Han Gaon, who seemed about to collapse, gave a light greeting and quickly went up.
For the past few days, except when he was sleeping well, his mana had been constantly emitting to detect.
Even heroes get tired. He would probably collapse into bed as soon as he returned.
“Vargan. What are you going to do?”
“I’m not so tired that I can’t lift a spoon.”
“Oh, that’s good. I was bored eating alone, so let’s eat together then.”
The first floor of our lodging was both a bar and a restaurant, so it was possible to eat.
Despite the late hour, this bustling place seemed to exude an image of a ‘good place to eat and chat’.
There was an empty seat in the corner, so I sat there. Yanic, with his large build, gave a sense of fullness just by sitting there.
The time before the food was ordered and arrived.
A moment when the surrounding noise was unusually loud.
“You don’t drink alcohol.”
“You might think I could drink three or four bottles, but I don’t. Isn’t that strange?”
I don’t drink during missions anyway. Yanic laughed, showing his teeth, which sparked the conversation.
“You’ve worked really hard today. Even though you’re still an Academia student, your skills are outstanding enough to act as a hero.”
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“I should live up to the name of Shugenhardt.”
“Oh, that’s right. Shugenhardt. It’s different when you carry that name.”
Instead of alcohol, he gulped down cool water from a large beer glass. The 500cc in the thick neck disappeared in an instant.
He lowered his glass without any admiration for the coolness.
It seemed like he was about to bring up a topic. It seemed to be a story related to his past.
“I heard you rejected Crane’s mentoring proposal.”
“It was difficult to reject Lady Hellion and choose him.”
“hahahaha. You’re honest as always. Well, Crane may be recognized in the field of war horses, but he can’t compare to Hellion’s brilliance.”
It seemed a bit melancholic, but it wasn’t very noticeable.
Yanic was a man who had worked on the same team as Crane.
I knew this, so I arranged the current situation, allowing him to bite the bait without looking suspicious.
“Are you intimate with him?”
“Crane? Hmm… Even if I exaggerate, we were just teammates who exchanged words. But since we were both stationed in Durtmund for the longest time, we ended up knowing everything about each other.”
I knew this too. There didn’t seem to be any significant changes from before.
I needed to continue the conversation.
“In fact, I feel sorry for Crane. He visited Academia several times and sent over ten letters.”
“I knew roughly, but it seems it wasn’t an exaggeration. hahahaha. It must have meant that he really liked you.”
“Perhaps he felt a connection because of our use of war horses. War horses are fascinating creatures, aren’t they? I understand completely.”
So, I have a question.
With that, I prepared to delve into the matter.
“I heard that Crane only has one war horse. Is that true? If so, it’s somewhat hard for me to understand, you see.”
He shrugged lightly and casually replied.
Of course, there may be heroes who focus on raising only one war horse, but from the standpoint of utility and the field of war horses, it is not at all rational.
“Oh, war horses… Yes. Only one… But that… It’s not something to discuss before a meal, but it’s a bit eerie.”
I know because it’s written in the setting.
Yanik is a human who is obsessed with familiars in a different way from Vargan. The original Vargan couldn’t understand this aspect of him.
I asked, feigning ignorance consistently, “What do you mean?”
Though Yanik seemed hesitant to speak clearly, as I showed a lot of curiosity, he eventually began to speak.
The effect of showing him a good side for a few days manifested here.
“Not exactly a secret, but just know about it. Among the Archbishops of the Goddess Church, there’s a fellow named ‘Glashalabolas,’ who resembles a chimera, a creature that seems to be a mix of various beings. It seems Crane was slightly influenced after seeing that guy.”
“Yes.”
Yanik lowered his voice.
It wasn’t a pleasant story.
“After that, Crane began to merge all his familiars into one.”
“Familiars, you say….”
Not a pleasant thing to hear, indeed.
For someone like me, who inherited Vargan’s affection for familiars even when staying quiet, it was even more so.
“As you may know, merging is not an easy task. Up to two creatures could be merged using conventional magic formulas, but beyond three, he faced difficulties.”
It was a natural occurrence.
Maintaining the individuality of a living being is not something easily achieved, let alone casually mixing them, and one must also be cautious about maintaining the newly born spirit in the merged state.
However, going beyond two to three creatures triples the difficulty.
“You need not hesitate to speak or not. Dealing with familiars is solely at the owner’s discretion and does not come under the judgment of the law.”
This world is different from the one I lived in.
Though treated akin to animals in the present world, familiars lack the kind laws that protect animals; they are merely objects to fulfill human emotions or exploit in various ways.
“…I see. I have a rough idea, so I’ll just say it.”
Yanik said in an uncomfortable tone.
“Crane began to create a ‘physical’ chimera.”
“Physically?”
“Of course, there was magic involved, but when you see the form… it’s like forcibly attaching severed limbs or skinning to put on a helmet… It can never be called a natural fusion.”
The story was heading towards its conclusion.
Yes, I was about to learn the information about Crane’s chimera that wasn’t in the original.
“Are they still conducting research on that chimera?”
“Since the team changed, there hasn’t been much contact, so I’m not sure, but it seems like it… He always seemed happy with his tail wagging a lot during the days he brought in new familiars for materials. Considering he was like that three weeks ago, it seems like he’s still doing it now.”
“I see….”
“Oh, finally, the food is here.”
Dishes served as the story was interrupted.
The savory smell of roasted meat and vegetables tantalized my nose, but I couldn’t fully appreciate the taste.
After that, Yanik threw me a few conversation topics, and I responded appropriately, but it was hard to say they were nutritious.
At the moment, I had deeper thoughts than the taste of the food or the trivial conversations.
…The meal, which felt both short and long, came to an end.
Before Yanik returned to his room, he turned around and said, “If you become a hero, be sure to apply to Durtmund. Talents like yours are always welcome.”
He seemed to quite like me. Despite being a bear of a man, his expression gave away quite a bit.
I smiled slyly and muttered words I didn’t mean.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
***
Most of the late-night streetlights in Durtmund were asleep.
Although there were occasional street lamps casting light here and there on the roads and streets, there were few lights emanating from the windows of buildings.
The street was quiet.
People, mice, and crows had all returned to their respective homes.
The silent night streets of Durtmund.
Tap-tap⎯.
Bargan was walking down that street.
His destination was set.
What he wanted to obtain was also clear.
The person he wanted to meet was designated.
As he walked, he continued the chain of unresolved thoughts.
He confirmed once again that Frickanrisk was in this city. She had a clear purpose, and presumably, it wasn’t to overthrow the city.
Then, what was it for?
Let’s summarize the story.
She said she had fallen in love with a human hero.
That hero, Aintern, was so famous around here that almost everyone knew his name.
According to the legend, he shared love with Frickanrisk but met his death shortly after due to her caprice, becoming the first victim to face death.
Hence, being passed around by people’s mouths with the nickname “Fool.”
Was the twelve-year-old Frickanrisk insane?
It could be. There was no mention in the original, and the church does not claim so.
However, as someone with additional information to be revealed in the future, I cannot simply accept it.
Just by looking at the flow, it seems like a different story, or rather, it seems to be claimed as such.
At this moment, Bishop Ami is expanding his influence in the nearby villages.
However, Ami’s actions are completely unknown, and instead, Frickanrisk’s bad reputation is increasing.
If the novel had mentioned exactly which villages Ami had invaded, we could have compared it, but since it didn’t, we couldn’t.
The church, or more precisely, the Durtmund branch of the church, cannot shake off the feeling that Ami is being ‘hidden.’
What kind of connection is there?
While consolidating all the information related to Durtmund, I compared the appearance description of Crane’s steed, who was Bargan’s former mentor.
⎯It was a chimera. It had the face of a lion, the legs of a horse, and the wings of a wyvern. Its tail moved freely like a snake, its skin was as tough as armor, and its two blue horns sparkled like winter.
The description of resembling or containing winter was not a common expression in the novel except for Frickanrisk, but it was written that the steed had two horns like that.
Resembling winter.
Containing winter.
Can we say there is no connection with Frickanrisk?
Crane, who was possessed by the steed. Frickanrisk, who had lived for about 500 years establishing a foothold in the northern part of the Troa Empire. The new steed brought by Crane.
There is only speculation and no confirmation.
Therefore, I am on my way to find out.
To make everything certain.
Tap, tap.
In front of the old house, Bargan knocked on the door. The building, once a pub, had been renovated, bearing the traces of time in every corner.
A voice came from inside.
“Who is it?”
“A trader.”
“What’s your purpose?”
“Both.”
– Profit.
After answering, the door opened.
He was greeted by a very ordinary-looking young woman. She was, in fact, just an ordinary citizen with no special powers or secrets.
“Follow me.”
What unfolded in front of the door was not a hallway or a room but stairs leading down to the underground. The woman, holding a torch, guided Bargan.
She did not check Bargan’s identity. It was not her job.
As they descended into the underground, the depth and size began to feel real. It was as if rooms were connected everywhere like an anthill, with each room accommodating one person.
The entrances to the rooms were all closed, and special magic was used to prevent sound from leaking out.
If one were to use curse magic to eavesdrop, they might hear, but soon the protective system would be activated, and people would flock in.
As he pondered this, the woman guiding him said,
“This is the room.”
She simply nodded her head and stepped back.
No matter who entered, she would maintain the same consistent demeanor.
Bargan opened the handle and entered.
The moment he turned the handle, he felt it.
Bargan’s biometric information was being imprinted here.
It was indeed a safety measure for contingencies.
“Welcome.”
The room was dark, with red curtains covering various areas.
It seemed solely a place for conversation. In front of Bargan, a middle-aged woman with a pleasant demeanor sat across a table.
Bargan sat on the guest chair and faced her.
“What trade do you seek to make here?”
“It’s not you.”
Bargan interjected the middle-aged woman and acted calmly. There was no point in conversing with the person in front of him now.
“If you could be precise, we at ‘Terrarium’ can provide a more certain service.”
The middle-aged woman, not flustered by the authoritative and rude attitude, continued speaking.
However, her eyes narrowed slightly, as if trying to remember or figure out the guest.
“You must have understood this as ‘The 22nd guest knocked on the door.’”
It was a primary code for welcoming special individuals.
“Please wait a moment.”
The middle-aged woman rose and disappeared behind the curtain. The door Bargan entered was not the only one; there was a back door.
And not long after that.
“You have waited a long time.”
A man wearing a long top hat fit for an old English gentleman entered. He looked at Bargan and smiled, saying,
“The 22nd guest. What brings you to me?”
This was an underground trading post rumored to be hidden one by one in the big city.
Terrarium.
All information in the world was bought and sold here, with prices varying drastically based on accuracy and importance.
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There was one secret here.
“I have come to follow the glory of ‘Belered.’”
“I see…”
The deep connection between the Goddess Church and the Terrarium was the point.