Reincarnated as the Villain Who Experiments on Orphanage Kids – Why Are the Test Subject Girls Begging Me for "Night Experiments"? - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Too Strong for My Own Good

My experiments had both successes and failures.

The failure was the one where I tried to absorb a monster’s core to boost my power. It was my attempt to recreate the medicine Sai was going to give me.

“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!”

No matter how many times I used Fioraia as the test subject, it never worked.

I guess it’s just impossible without an Ancient Dragon’s core. No matter what substitute materials I tried, I couldn’t make it happen.

But there was one thing I did succeed in creating as a side product.

—It was a medicine that temporarily suppresses magic power.

Even one drop inside your body cuts your magic power down to less than half of normal.

A knight who uses the Holy Sword could probably still fight.

But for people like us who fight mainly with magic power, it’s a fatal weakening.

The effect was huge.

That’s why the full-power me right now is like a completely different person from before.

“Hey hey hey, I didn’t hear anything about that…”

The guy is still gripping his Evil Sword replica, staring at me with a confused look.

“What’s wrong? Is that all Rebellion’s got?”

I walk toward him slowly.

He swings his sword on instinct.

But he’s too slow.

I twist my body lightly to dodge it, then throw one punch.

“Guhaaa…”

In that instant, the guy’s body flies back several meters.

He tumbles across the stone pavement and finally stops when he slams into a wall.

“Guh!”

But he’s not weak enough to be taken out by that.

He spits blood but still stands up.

“You’re kidding me. Just how crazy is that medicine?”

“Medicine? Aren’t you misunderstanding something? What I drank just now was only an antidote.”

The antidote I developed together with the magic-control medicine.

“I’ve been weakening myself all this time. By drinking the medicine that suppresses magic power.”

So Sai wouldn’t say my experiments weren’t needed anymore. So he wouldn’t notice my real strength.

I was keeping my body easy to experiment on. Basically like a magic-power diet.

“In other words, right now I’m just getting back to my original power.”

When I smile sweetly, the color drains from the guy’s face.

“But that can’t be—”

“Don’t worry. I’m not planning to beat you right away. There’s something I personally want to experiment on.”

I step closer one by one, then look him straight in the eyes and say quietly.

“If you don’t mind…”

“Would you… become my test subject?”

※

[Side: Sai]

Man, there really aren’t any customers today.

It’s so dead that the boss has been glued to me the whole time, teaching me how to drain the noodles.

Honestly, the training was as tough as baseball club back in middle school, but thanks to that my ramen soul got stronger.

I’m sure I’ve made amazing progress just today.

My arms are already wrecked, and my voice is getting hoarse from shouting too much, but it’s a satisfying kind of tired.

It’s sad there are no customers, but once in a while this kind of thing is okay too, I think.

“Put your spirit into it! Shout until your voice gives out!”

“Yes sir! I’ll go all out like my life depends on it!”

“Alright! Go die once! Only by dying in the noodle-draining process can you call yourself a true ramen shop worker!”

“If I die here, I’ll be reborn as a ramen shop owner!”

“Now that’s what I call resolve! Yeah, that’s the spirit!”

“Yes sir! Yes sir!! Yes sir!!! Yes sir!!!!!”

“Let’s gooooooooraaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!”

“Yes sirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!”

Oh, customers showed up. Three of them.

They look totally put off when they see our faces.

Yeah, I get it. Our voices are way too loud for a ramen shop.

But hey, ramen needs volume, y’know?

“…………………………”

Wait, these guys look familiar.

Specifically, I’ve seen those faces a few times in the original story.

At first glance they look like regular thugs, but there’s an orange badge shining on their chests.

—They’re Rebellion guys.

Why are they here? While thinking that, I reflexively call out.

“Welcome!”

Maybe they came to eat ramen?

If so, I gotta serve them, but this atmosphere is something else.

They’re slowly looking around the shop with fierce eyes, like they’re searching for someone.

Huh, me? Nah, probably not.

In the original story I had some connection with Rebellion, but this time I’ve never even met them.

I should be completely unrelated.

After observing the shop for a bit, one of the guys speaks up.

“I’m sure it was around here…”

“Not here, huh. And why the hell is this shop still open normally?”

“Maybe they didn’t notice the noise outside ’cause their voices are too loud?”

“These guys are crazy. Total ramen freaks.”

I don’t really get it, but it’s clear they didn’t come to eat ramen.

Which means they’re not customers.

“Hey, you.”

“Yes! One ramen coming right up?”

I answered on reflex when he called me, and the guys went silent.

Just in case, I step out from behind the counter and get closer to them.

“We don’t want any ramen. More importantly, have you seen the princess around here?”

“Huh?”

“The princess. Y’know, the one with pink hair…”

“Nah, we haven’t had any customers at all today.”

While I say that, I start getting more on guard.

The word “princess” is already suspicious, plus Rebellion guys are dangerous to begin with. I need to ban these guys quick or the boss will get mad.

Our rule is anyone is welcome, but we kick out troublemakers right away.

“By the way, about the ramen?”

“Ramen? We don’t need that crap.”

“Then you’re banned. Don’t ever come back.”

I tell the three of them immediately.

Their eyes widen. Then they quickly smirk.

“Haha… he said we’re banned.”

“You won’t be able to eat ramen anymore, dude.”

“Keh keh— we don’t need that shit anyway.”

“Yeah, right. Gahaha…”

After their fake laughs,

“Well, banned or not, this shop ends today anyway.”

“‘Cause you guys are gonna die.”

The guys draw their swords and surround me.

“Sorry about this, kid. Our organization has a rule to wipe out all witnesses.”

One of them swings his sword at me as he says that.

It’s a fast move, but I’m not the type to flinch at something like that.

“I already said you’re banned, didn’t I?”

I just step sideways one step.

Right after, the sword cuts through empty air.

He probably didn’t expect to miss, ’cause his eyebrow twitches.

“…Huh?”

“Customers are gods and all, but…”

I grab the confused guy’s arm, pull out the usual ball from my apron pocket, and store his sword away with space magic.

“What the hell is—”

Then I grab the now-empty-handed guy’s head and,

“Troublemakers aren’t even human!”

“Guhaaa!?”

I slam him hard onto the ground.

“……………………Huh?”

The other two look confused as they watch the guy face-plant.

They can’t hide their shock at actions that don’t fit a ramen shop at all.

Their mouths are hanging open, frozen in place.

“Don’t dirty our ramen.”

I slowly walk toward the two of them.

My arms are already bulging from draining too many noodles, but the badges they’re wearing don’t have a star mark.

That means they’re not executives of Rebellion, just low-ranking grunts.

I’m not weak enough to lose to guys like them. I may not look it, but I already graduated from the academy.

“Do you even understand how rude it is to walk into a ramen shop, not order anything, and pull out your swords? You don’t get it, do you? You don’t even realize your crime, huh?”

“Hii—”

I approach them while giving off the same pressure as the boss.

The guys slowly back away, but I have zero intention of letting them escape.

“Plus your buddy is bleeding and collapsed in the ramen shop, right? You can’t bleed in a restaurant. That’s totally crossing the line!”

“You’re the one who made him bleed!”

“He’s down ’cause you knocked him—”

“Don’t blame other people!”

I drive my fist into the gut of the guy in front.

In that instant, he flies back to the wall with a heavy thud.

“Gaha—!?”

“Don’t mess with me!”

Seeing the opening, the other one slashes at me, but I catch the sword with my ball.

In that moment, the sword vanishes without a trace thanks to space magic.

“What the hell is that! That’s not right!”

“Huh? A ramen shop should be able to do at least this much, obviously.”

“Cut the crap! There’s no ramen shop that can use some weird magic like that!”

The guy yells angrily and punches at me.

I catch his fist head-on, then slam him to the ground like a backdrop throw.

“Guhaaa!?”

The guy foams at the mouth and passes out from slamming his head hard.

“Alright, cleanup’s done.”

The three of them are still breathing.

But they won’t be moving easily.

I lightly pat my apron to shake off the dust, then glance past the noren curtain to check outside before throwing them out of the shop.

“Huh?”

I couldn’t help letting out a sound.

The town was way more wrecked than I imagined.

Smoke was rising in the distance, explosions could be heard from all over, and parts of buildings had collapsed.

I even saw monsters running down the alley.

“No way…”

There was a Rebellion attack event in the original story too.

So I knew the town would get noisy, but I didn’t expect damage this bad.

In the original, the story focused around the academy, so there was almost no mention of damage to the town.

The main characters were safe, so I guess I optimistically thought everything would be fine.

—This is bad.

I’m worried about the orphanage kids.

We do have one staff member who also works as security, but with this level of damage, anything could happen.

If I leave it like this, the shop might get damaged too.

That means both the orphanage and the ramen are in danger.

“Boss!”

I drag the guys outside the shop and tie them up tight with rope.

Then I turn to the boss, who’s still standing imposingly behind the counter.

“Going on break!”

“Yeah.”

Short answer.

But for master and apprentice, that’s enough.

“Alright then.”

I slip through the noren curtain.

The outside air smelled like smoke.

It was strong enough to affect the ramen. And in the distance, I could hear monster roars.

I check that I still have two balls in my pants pocket, then take a step toward the orphanage.

Guess I’ll go clean up Rebellion real quick.