I Thought I’d Reformed the Villainous Heroine. But Their True Nature Remained Unchanged, and They Were Still Being Doted On—I Just Don’t Have Enough Lives. - Chapter 19

Ordinary Life Is Tough (Second Time)

[Great Sinner Gant Zie Eisenburg!! Hey!! This is the third time I’m calling you!!]

A huge eyeball appeared on the wall and glared right at me.

I’d been doing my absolute best to act like a background character, but I had no choice but to answer.

“I can hear you! I was ignoring you on purpose! Got it?!”

[Guh! What kind of attitude is that for a mere human!! You deceived Lord Zasgate of Regret and seduced the Dark Princess! That great sin will be paid for, I swear!!]

“It’s their own fault for getting tricked!! Besides, that idiot was trying to trick me too!! You pieces of shit!!”

I was already screaming in full rage mode. I figured I had the right to snap.

Myris was cheering “Young master, you’re so cool!” but seriously, please stop.

[You dare mock Lord Zasgate?! Damn you! Right now—]

“Could you please keep your hands off my brother?”

Ilza spoke in a gentle voice, but overwhelming killing intent poured out with it.

The pressure was so evil it felt like the whole world might break. Even though it wasn’t aimed at me, I thought my whole body was going to get ripped apart.

But the thick, heavy pressure only made the giant eyeball demon happy.

[Kuhaha! As expected of the Dark Princess! How can you release such pressure from a human vessel? I’m always ready to welcome you!]

“I’ve told you many times, I’m not interested. Excessive solicitation just makes people dislike you, you know?”

Ilza must have realized the killing intent was only pleasing the other side, because she spoke in a bored tone.

It looked like this invitation had come up several times already.

…Even though she kept refusing.

[Isn’t it painful to stay wrapped in human skin like that?]

“Today’s solicitation is quite enthusiastic, isn’t it?”

[Oh yes, I’ve been watching the whole time! The way the princess looks so cramped pretending to be human! It was too pitiful to watch!]

Tch!! The conversation was exactly the kind that would shake a princess who had fallen to the light!

But that kid was still pure evil!

She was being plenty wicked even while wearing human skin!

“Ripples, please gouge out the eyeball.”

Ilza casually chanted the dangerous spell words.

Several ripples spread across the water’s surface. The center of the ripples sharpened into a point and shot out like spears. All the water spears stabbed into the wall, but the thing wasn’t there anymore.

A huge eyeball appeared in a different spot. Was this enemy without a physical body?

[How pitiful, Dark Princess.]

“There is nothing more unpleasant than being understood without permission. I decide who I am.”

[Why him?]

The huge eyeball turned its gaze toward me.

The look in its eye was full of disgust and complete contempt. I get it, though.

[That guy is completely ordinary. He’s human through and through. From what I see… he doesn’t even have the talent of a mage.]

“It’s fine if only I understand how wonderful my brother is. …Oh, Myris is allowed too, I suppose.”

Myris answered with a big smile, “Thanks a bunch!”

While I was the only one feeling cramped, the demon sent me a scornful look.

[The great sinner doesn’t know what’s really inside the princess.]

“He stays by my side even after knowing.”

[Those feelings are an illusion. A momentary confusion. …Have you told him about the princess’s magical nature?]

“That the Eisenburg family bloodline carries the nature of [Control] is—”

[So you were trying to deceive him there! How adorable!! Princess!]

Ilza closed her mouth as if she had forgotten to keep up the act.

[Why haven’t you told him! The princess’s nature is [Domination and Servitude]! Kuhahahahaha!]

The huge eyeball’s triumphant laughter echoed.

Myris’s eyes widened in shock.

Of course she was surprised. Normally it’s impossible for someone to have two magical natures. Each person only has one.

If it was possible, then it meant—

[Humans are beings that split off from us demons long ago. It seems you haven’t told him about the atavism.]

“…It’s an old story. Something from way back.”

Ilza spoke like she didn’t care, but the demon’s eyes were smiling with satisfaction.

That’s right.

In the game [Yggdrasil Defense Decisive Battle], humans were originally demonic beings.

In the ancient era when darkness was deep, mud dolls born from darkness gained wisdom during mana purification and turned into humans.

People were born from darkness and became beings of light.

There are holy scriptures that argue people were born from light, but if we go by the game, they were originally demons, no doubt about it.

Magic is simply using functions that humans originally possessed.

Understanding magic is nothing more than the desire to explore one’s roots, or the instinct to return to the ancient demons.

The more magical talent someone has, the closer they are to being a demonic existence.

But because humans have gone through many generations, they can no longer fully return to being demons. Only the magical nature, like genetic information, remains, and no matter how far back you trace the roots, people are still people.

Of course there are exceptions. Ilza is one.

Having two magical natures is like having two hearts.

Throughout history, people like Ilza who carry two natures appear very rarely, but when they do, they atavize into demons and spread calamity and chaos across the world. It seems that advancing the understanding of dual magical natures makes this more likely.

In short, she’s unstable. Ilza is.

[Kukuku! You look surprised… huh???]

“Brother… oh?”

Both Ilza and the eyeball demon were looking at me in surprise.

Probably because I had let the huge revelation slide with a completely calm face.

“Yeah… I didn’t know that.”

I already knew, so I wasn’t particularly shocked. Honestly, I had passed that stage a long time ago, so hearing it now didn’t do much.

“…You really haven’t changed at all, brother.”

I could feel Ilza’s hot, possessive gaze pressing down on me.

Ahh! I swear my little sister’s obsession just shot up like crazy!!

[Hmph, the princess still wants to remain a child of humans, it seems.]

“Excuse me, but I have always been a child of humans. That’s what I decided.”

[…Your unique spell code has already awakened, hasn’t it? Why don’t you chant it? Don’t think you can keep resisting a mage’s… a dark instinct forever.]

Eh??? She’s already awakened her unique spell code???

I-I hadn’t heard about that. That part actually surprised me more???

[Well, whatever. I only came to test things.]

“Who do you think you are to talk about testing? The one being tested is you.”

[Not about the princess. …I’m just going to teach the great sinner how fragile he is and that he doesn’t deserve to stand by her side.]

The huge eyeball rolled with a twist and stared straight at me.

I could feel the insane pressure in its gaze saying, “This is about you, got it?”

? Yeah… Huh? Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!!

I’m being targeted super hard right nowwwww!!

“Gouge out the eyeball, devour it, and leave not a single piece.”

The moment Ilza chanted the spell code, the remaining monster corpses all stood up at once and tried to swarm the huge eyeball.

But the eyeball vanished in an instant again, leaving only its voice behind.

[Kuhaha! Humans are so fragile, Princess! Now, let the game of hide-and-seek begin!]

“I like hide-and-seek. The fun expressions people make when I expose what they’re hiding… I really like them.”

The pressure from the higher being was flying around everywhere. Myris looked like she was having fun somehow, but I was nothing but anxious.

N-no, it’s okay. As long as Ilza and Myris are here, we’ll manage somehow.

That’s what I thought, taking it too lightly.

—After that, a little time passed.

We didn’t make much progress clearing the great labyrinth.

It was because monsters kept attacking one after another, there were tons of traps, and I was playing the role of the decoy villain slowing down the pace.

In a large open chamber, I slashed down a flying fish.

“Taaaaah!”

Right after I took it down, my knees gave out and I dropped to the floor.

If the teacher were here, she’d scold me. If I could, I’d keep my guard up too, but I didn’t have the energy for that.

“Haaah…… haaah…………!”

“Young master, you okay?”

“Haaah…………”

I somehow answered through my ragged breathing.

Oxygen oxygen oxygen! Ugh, my legs and arms are heavy as hell with lactic acid buildup!

A kid’s body is tough! And I can only use magic power in short bursts anyway!

No good, I have to stand up right now. Ah, a swarm of monsters is coming…

I thought I was going to get killed, but that worry turned out to be unnecessary.

“—Curl up like glass marbles.”

Ilza quietly chanted the spell code.

That was all. Just that. Dozens of monsters were compressed into black lumps. Roll, roll, roll—lots of glass-marble-like things tumbled across the water’s surface.

There was no sign that Ilza’s magic power was running out.

Coming to this high-difficulty dungeon seemed to have improved her domination magic even further.

“…You’re quite good at hide-and-seek.”

Ilza was staring off into the distance, searching for the hidden demon.

I wondered if I was still reflected in those eyes. I already knew, but I was being shown the overwhelming difference in talent, the hopeless gap in actual strength.

“Haa… haaah……”

While catching my breath, I thought.

Maybe because the demon had me in its sights, this was going to keep happening forever.

It didn’t feel like it wanted to kill me. Its goal was probably to break my spirit. But if I left Ilza’s side, who knows what would happen…

Haaah… Living an ordinary life is really tough.