Chapter 11 – My Last Hope

My beautiful revenge plot was on life support.

We walked down a cracked dirt path that snaked through the forest. The air smelled of pine and my shattered dreams. In the distance, the humble wooden walls of Olvido were just barely visible.

It was my last bastion of hope.

Kenji walked with his hand resting on the hilt of his ridiculously shiny sword.

“I still don’t trust that mayor.”

Daisuke gave a single, curt nod of agreement.

Perfect. The seeds of discord were sprouting right on schedule. My carefully constructed narrative was taking root in their simple, heroic minds. Mayor Pedro, the Baron von Greed, was playing his part without even knowing it.

Reina’s brow furrowed.

“His smile didn’t reach his eyes.”

She was now clinging to my arm, a move she’d decided was her right after the goblin incident.

“And he kept staring at Ryuuji-kun. It made me uncomfortable.”

My heart did a little celebratory flip. Yes! Discomfort! Fear! See me as the weak link! See me as the liability he wants to dispose of!

Now it was my turn to play my part. I had to become the naive, trusting fool. The role would make my eventual “I told you so” moment all the sweeter when they left me for dead.

“I don’t know, guys. He seemed okay to me.”

Three pairs of eyes swiveled in my direction. Their expressions ranged from disbelief to outright shock.

Kenji sputtered.

“Okay? Ryuuji, the man looked like he’d sell his own grandmother for a copper coin.”

I layered on the saccharine goodness.

“You can’t judge someone by their appearance.”

Yes, yes, believe I’m a terrible judge of character. A pure-hearted idiot who sees the best in everyone, even a walking cliché of a corrupt official. This is critical for the next stage.

“He’s the mayor of a struggling town. Of course he’s going to be stressed.”

I made my voice soft, gently chiding.

“He’s putting his faith in us to solve a problem that’s threatening his people. That kind of pressure would make anyone look… tense.”

Kenji’s righteous frown softened. It was replaced by a look of dawning admiration that was physically sickening to witness.

“You’re right.”

His voice filled with a disgusting amount of sincerity.

“That’s our Ryuuji. Always seeing the good in people. I’m sorry, I let my cynicism get the better of me. We shouldn’t fail the trust you’ve placed in this man.”

My brain short-circuited. No, no, no, you golden-retriever-brained moron! That’s the opposite of what you’re supposed to think! You’re supposed to think I’m an idiot! You’re supposed to whisper behind my back about how my trusting nature is a liability!

Reina squeezed my arm tighter.

“He’s right, Kenji. Ryuuji-kun has a pure heart. He wouldn’t lead us astray.”

She didn’t even look at the mayor. She just looked at me.

“It doesn’t matter if the mayor is good or bad.”

Her voice was a low, sweet murmur, meant only for me.

“As long as he doesn’t do anything to you, Ryuuji-kun, I have no reason to turn his entire town to ash.”

I felt a phantom pain behind my eye. This was a catastrophe. My flawless plan was being dismantled by their unshakeable, profoundly irritating faith in my goodness.

Okay. New plan. A side quest.

My mind raced, already building a new, brilliant subplot.

When we get back, the ‘good’ Mayor Pedro will throw a feast to celebrate. It’s the perfect setting. I’ll ask him about local delicacies. He’ll be eager to please the ‘heroes’.

I could already picture it.

I’ll ask for a specific, rare mushroom. The “Giggle-Shroom,” perhaps. I’ll say I heard it has a funny, tangy taste. Pedro, in his saintly goodness, will procure it for me, no questions asked.

He wouldn’t know it’s also a powerful paralytic agent.

I’ll slip it into their food during the feast. They’ll be helpless. The mayor, having provided the poison, will be blamed. The perfect patsy. He’ll be exposed as the villain I know he is, their trust in him will shatter, and they’ll realize I was a fool to believe him. Then, in the chaos, I can slip away, finally free to start my real journey.

It was a work of art.

I had to keep them believing that I believed in Pedro.

“That smile everyone’s worried about?”

I tried to sound thoughtful.

“Maybe it’s not greed. Maybe it’s a medical condition. A rare facial paralysis that only affects the sincerity muscles. It’s tragic, really.”

Kenji’s eyes widened.

“A medical condition? I never thought of that. Wow. We were so quick to judge.”

Reina nodded slowly, her gaze still locked on my face.

“You are so compassionate, Ryuuji-kun. To see a potential tragedy where we only saw malice.”

It’s working. They’re buying my idiotic defense. They think I am the world’s biggest, most pure-hearted sucker.

I stumbled, catching my foot on an exposed tree root. It was a pathetic, clumsy misstep, but it was all I could do to keep from screaming.

Instantly, Reina was there. Her hands grabbed my arm to steady me. Her grip was surprisingly strong, almost tight.

“Ryuuji-kun! Are you hurt?”

Her face was inches from mine. Her wide, worried eyes scanned me for any sign of injury. It was way too much for a simple stumble.

I tried to pull my arm back gently.

“I’m fine, Reina-san, really. It was just a root.”

She whispered the word back.

“A root…”

She glanced down at the offending piece of wood. For a split second, her expression was one of cold, murderous fury. Her knuckles were white where she gripped my arm.

She murmured, so low I almost didn’t catch it.

“If anything in this world tried to harm you, Ryuuji-kun, I would burn it to ash.”

Then, just as quickly, the look was gone. She smiled, a radiant, sunny smile that didn’t quite reach the chilling intensity in her eyes. She released my arm.

She chirped, turning to face forward again.

“We just have to be more careful.”

I decided to file that under ‘Overzealous Heroine Trope’ and move on. My own master plan was far more important.

We continued our walk, the town gates growing larger. My magnificent defense of the mayor had been a resounding success. They didn’t trust him, not really, but they trusted me and my comically naive faith in him.

They had passed the final test. They had proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they were far too good and loyal for their own damn good.

This was it.

My betrayal was scheduled. My revenge arc was locked in. Everything was going exactly according to plan.

Pedro, you’re my last hope.