The Strongest Villain, Who Had Secluded Himself Deep in the Mountains To Avoid the Destruction Flag, Is Forced Onto the Main Stage by the Heroine He Helped - Chapter 24 : Heartwarming Time Together~!

After Mina had returned back to her home.

Finishing the meal that Alba had neatly eaten up, he tidied up the place and soon took a bath. Right now he was lounging on the sofa alone.

At that moment, Sheria, who had just finished her bath, leaned her face in front of Alba.

“Are you tired, Alba?”

Seeing the alluring face in front of him Alba couldn’t help but think that Sheria had all the characteristics to be called as the main heroine. Her beautifully distressed yet cute face, slightly reddened cheeks, and a glimpse of her slightly exposed b***s were much more appealing to a man’s heart compared to the women he had seen before he was reincarnated. However, over the years of living together, one could get used to such charms. 

Alba shook his head and prompted Sheria to sit in front of him, holding a comb in his hand.

“Well, it’s been a while since I’ve cooked for so many people. Plus, I was pretty tired from that practice field trip.”

“Hehe~ Yeah, that’s right.”

Sheria sat quietly in front of him and leaned her head on Alba’s shoulder. With practiced ease, Alba scooped up her silky platinum blonde hair with his hand and began to comb.

“So, how was Mina? She’s a good girl, right?”

“Yes, she’s a really nice person! I was so happy to be able to talk to her like this! We talked about the cloth shop and lots of things. I learned a lot today…!”

“That’s good to hear. I was worried that I might introduce you to some weird person who would cause trouble.”

“Trouble? That won’t happen.”

“It can happen anytime and anywhere.”

In Alba’s mind, an image of the unfamiliar face of the Archbishop passed by. If he did anything wrong, then Sheria’s father figure might seriously come to take his head. Alba’s gaze became distant as he thought about it.

At that moment…

“…Thank you, Alba.”

“Huh? For what?”

“For helping us today… Well, for everything you have done till now.”

Those words were really sudden and caught him completely off-guard.

Alba tilted his head in confusion at the sudden expression of gratitude.

“What’s all this sudden gratitude for?”

“Well, I thought I should express my gratitude because you have done a lot for me…”

With a hint of shyness, Sheria continued her words.

“If you hadn’t introduced me to Mina, I wouldn’t have met her. And today, you went out of your way to help various people, including me. Also… you came to the academy for my sake.”

For Sheria, who had longed for a good friend, the presence of Mina was something to be happy about. Both Ireina and Mina were good people, and Sheria had come to realize that. Although she had initially been cautious, thinking that she was also ‘A fox woman’ who was aiming to steal Alba from him, those suspicions had disappeared over time.

During the field trip, Alba had gone to dangerous places to defeat demonic beasts for them. Even if he had the power, it was a place where he could risk his life. Yet, he had clenched his fists to ensure that no one, including himself, would be harmed.

Moreover, Sheria’s need for gratitude was largely her own fault. Even knowing that Alba was the son of a former duke, she had still prioritized her own emotions over everything.

…There was no way not to be grateful.

While she had her own objectives, she wanted to make sure she would properly express it.

“Um, thank you… Alba.”

With a slight bow of her head as she was being combed, Sheria thanked him. Suddenly, the pleasant sensation of the hands that were combing her hair came to a halt. 

‘What’s going on? Why did he stop?’ Just as she was wondering…

“Don’t say something so sentimental.”

Above Sheria’s head, a warm and gentle presence appeared.

“If you say stuff like that, it feels like you’re trying to keep your distance. What’s this, is it time for a farewell performance, are you planning to leave me alone?”

“No, it’s not like that! I just…”

“Well, don’t say that now. I might have said it before, but I intend to take responsibility for helping you back then.”

Alba gave a small smile as he started to stroke Sheria’s head gently.

Truthfully, he didn’t want to get involved with her, who was one of the capture targets. He didn’t know when or where a death flag might be raised, and he had been thrust onto the stage at any moment, which wouldn’t be unusual.

Still, he didn’t want to tell the girl he had saved, “You can go ahead and live however you want.”

Even if he already had a place to return to, he wanted to be with her if that’s what she wished for.

‘Of course, it’s probably because it’s Sheria who stayed with me like this…’

Because it was Sheria… it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that they had battled magical beasts during today’s field trip-cum training.

Even though he knew the girl in front of him would make it through the event safely, he couldn’t bear the thought of her facing danger.

That’s how deeply Alba had already gotten deeply involved with Sheria, the heroine he was pursuing.

Well, there was probably also the reason that he might get killed by the foolish Pope.

“It’s a bit late to say that, isn’t it?… Sheria, if something were to happen to me, you’d rush to my side without hesitation, right?”

“Of course! No matter what happens, I’ll come running to Al-kun’s side!”

“It’s the same for me. Ultimately, my world isn’t that big, and I can’t really think beyond the girl right in front of me. If something were to happen to Mina or Ireina, I might face the dangers for them too. But within that, the time I’ve spent with Sheria is a bit different.”

Sheria slowly turned towards him and saw the gentle and warm smile Alba was directing towards her.

“That’s why it’s only natural for me to think about you. If I keep being grateful for something so ordinary, I’ll get tired, you know?”

Alba voiced what was ordinary to him.

However, it was an ordinary story within Alba’s perspective.

Sheria blushed little by little as she heard the words that weren’t ordinary to her.

Eventually, whether she couldn’t hold back or not, she clung tightly to Alba’s chest.

“What’s this? A big sale of clinginess?”

“…Just a little, please. I’ll repay you by letting you use my lap as a pillow later.”

“If you put it that way, I can’t refuse.”

Alba continued to pat Sheria’s head, while she clutched him even harder, with an affectionate smile on her beautiful face.

A peaceful scene from their everyday life. The fact that this was the stage, the fact that the girl before him might be a heroine he could conquer but could also kill him, became somewhat hard to believe.

It was oddly comfortable, and Alba found himself looking up at the ceiling.

‘However…’

Suddenly, he remembered while looking up.

‘Is Mina really okay…?’

When he saw her off, her expressions seemed a little… painful?

Alba kept wondering what could be the reasons for her sadness.

☆☆☆☆☆☆

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TL : Zenon#4120