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 9 : Childhood Friend

Dear Sheria,

I hope this letter finds you well. As a wandering saint, you must be accustomed to new environments like the capital city by now.

Though you may not be aware, for someone like me, who used to live in modern Japan, every place I go feels incredibly fresh.

I hope you’re handling your duties as a saint after a long break without too much difficulty.

As for Alba himself…

“Now, spill everything, Alba.”

…He was not doing so well.

Will he be able to safely return to his new home?

“…..”

With this unexpected thought echoing in my mind, he was dragged by Ireina to a certain mansion in the city.

This mansion stood proudly on vast grounds in the corner of the capital, an opulent display of luxury. Just as one would expect from a duke’s residence, especially from a villainous character like Alba. Even calling it a villa would be an understatement considering its size.

Ireina, who had resolved the situation with the carriage’s mishap, accepted the gratitude from the young lady and brought Alba to one of the rooms in the mansion her family owns.

And then…

“Sorry, could you please untie these ropes that are wrapped all over my body before we begin?”

“No way.”

…Alba found himself tied up with ropes.

To be precise, he was trussed up like a bundle of firewood and thrown onto the floor.

“We have to do this to make sure you don’t escape.”

“Aren’t I being bullied here?”

Even as a captive, couldn’t they have treated him a bit more humanely? Alba mused on the harshness of the world, particularly toward her.

He wished that he could return to Japan soon.

“So, now that you’re here, you better start talking. How is it that someone who’s supposed to be dead ended up here?”

“It’s more like I was brought here against my will rather than coming here on my own…”

“Huh…?”

“Umm, it’s nothing.”

Ireina, who was sitting at a chair, was looking down on Alba, and shifted her gaze at him.

Even the elusive escape artist Alba was rendered incapable of fleeing when bound from head to toe.

Letting out a sigh that carried a hint of resignation, Alba slowly began to speak.

“I have a deep reason for all of this.”

“It would be a lot shallower if I didn’t kill you.”

‘Are all the heroines in this story really this intense?’

Alba began to doubt his own memories.

“Well, you see, if I had continued attending the academy, I would have been killed.”

Alba pondered his words carefully before speaking them to her.

How could he convince the beautiful girl in front of him without revealing the fact of his reincarnation? Ideally, he would say, “I’ve been reincarnated and I know the story of this world and its events!” But uttering such an absurd tale would likely lead to his being dismissed as ‘shallow’. And that could end his life.

Hence, the challenge was to speak the truth in a way that sounded plausible. Even though the academic year hadn’t begun, the flags of his impending doom had already manifested!

“Why?”

“Well, I’ve managed to accumulate quite a few grudges from various parties, haven’t I?”

“Yes, that’s true. And you have angered me as well.”

Now he was genuinely concerned if he would get killed right here.

“If I had remained in the duke’s household, entering the academy would have been inevitable. And at the academy, there’s no substantial protection. So, I left the duke’s house and I started living on my own.”

“That’s quite unusual. You never used to think like that. You used to do whatever you wanted without caring about appearances.”

“Everyone eventually has to face a reality they’d rather not see.”

In Alba’s case, his reincarnation forced him to confront the reality of others, but that was a truth he wouldn’t voice. It would be dismissed as nonsense and that would be the end of it.

“So, why did you end up faking your death? Wouldn’t it have been easier to just disappear without a trace?”

“Well, I wasn’t exactly liked by my family either. So, I thought if I faked my death, I could remove that stain from my name.”

“How can they be so cruel…”

Ireina clenched her fists in anger.

Alba, in his mouse-like state as he was tied up, involuntarily remembered something.

“Haa… Next question. Let me hear why you were with the Saintess this time.”

“I helped the Saintess by coincidence when her life was in danger, provided her a place to rest as she seemed tired of being targeted everytime she was traveling, and somehow I got on her good side, that’s all.”

“What about being an apprentice Holy Knight?”

“The doting Pope, kind of threatened me not to make her cry, and I was also told to attend the academy or be killed, he also had a fake name and position imposed on me, that’s all.”

“Hmm…”

Ireina surprisingly seemed satisfied, lost in thought while crossing her legs.

Seeing this, Alba quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Um, well… I’ve explained the situation, so am I allowed to go now? There’s a hungry beauty waiting for me at home…”

“No way, right?”

Ireina stood up from her chair and crouched in front of Alba.

A lovely face of a beautiful girl loomed before Alba’s eyes. Just as his heart involuntarily raced at the sight… he felt his temple being gripped.

“Ouch! It hurts! Senpai, it hurts! I can hear cracking sounds from my head!”

“Do you even understand how I felt back then when you disappeared?”

“W-wonderful maybe?”

“At least, you’re still my childhood friend. And you were my fiancée too, even though that relationship was dissolved when you ‘died’.”

Naturally, an aristocratic daughter couldn’t keep her engagement with a supposed deceased person. Alba’s death meant the engagement was annulled. And she was now constantly receiving marriage proposals by other noble families.

Alba understood this as well…

“It’s a relief! Being able to break off the engagement with this loser?!”

“You really can’t help it, can you? Hey, do you realize how much I was pressured to get engaged again once our engagement was dissolved because of you? Oh, just so you know, it’s still ongoing.”

Why wasn’t she happy? Alba wondered while feeling the pain running through his temple.

In the story, Ireina was one of the people who hated Alba. Despite being engaged, Alba played around with other girls and gained a reputation as a ‘worthless guy’ in high society, receiving not just indifference but harsh treatment.

Ideally, Ireina should have been pleased with the engagement being broken. Yet, the way she was speaking now didn’t sound happy.

“…I didn’t really dislike being engaged to you.”

“Huh…?”

“How many years do you think we’ve been together? Of course, I developed some affection and attachment with you. I can’t say I don’t resent you… When I heard you ‘died,’ I actually felt happy.”

But…

Ireina released her grip on Alba’s temple.

As his vision cleared, he saw the face of the pretty girl in front of him had somehow clouded.

“After a while, I couldn’t stop crying. You appeared in my dreams countless times, and I couldn’t let go of the memories we shared… Oh well, despite everything, I guess I didn’t really hate you.”

“…..”

“Phew… Well, it’s proof that even after three years, I can’t decide on anything. You might find it hard to believe.”

‘Hard to believe…’ Alba wanted to say something here but decided not to.

However, Ireina’s sad expression in front of him didn’t look like a lie to Alba.

‘Is she lying…?

Even though Alba thought he was hated by her.

In reality, Ireina had shown a pretty cold attitude toward him in the story.

Did the story change because he ‘died’? Or were there hidden circumstances from the start?

The confusion between his memory and reality left Alba’s mind struggling to understand.

“…I’ll tell you this, there are plenty of people who hate Alba just like you said.”

Ireina stood up and rubbed her teary eyes.

“Changing your hair color alone won’t help you hide, and either way, you’ll have a tough time in the academy.”

“…Yeah, I know.”

“You brought this upon yourself.”

For Alba, who was now seeing the events transpiring in front of him was confusing, but saying anything wouldn’t make a difference.

The current Alba was the villain character, and everything that would happen was now his responsibility.

Alba remained bound, with a tired expression on his face.

Then…

“If anything happens, you can tell me anytime.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll help you if it is within my capacity.”

Ireina said those words which were quite contradicting to how Alba knew her originally.

Why? Even if she didn’t hate him, there should be no obligation to help a complete stranger.

“Why…?”

“Well, partly because you said it honestly…”

“There’s that, but also…”

Ireina let out a small smile and said,

“That trash kid I knew helped someone without expecting anything in return… I think that’s something unexpectedly nice.”

Alba thought inwardly, Why did such a good person have to suffer because of him?

‘…Of course, I’ll be condemned.’

A feeling that couldn’t be put into words overwhelmed his heart.

Ultimately, on that day, Alba and Ireina parted ways without any further incidents.

☆☆☆☆☆☆

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TL : Zenon#4120