When a Corporate Slave Guy Reincarnated as a Mob Villain (Slave Trader), He Used His Knowledge of the Game to Raise the Heroines to Be the Strongest, Unintentionally Turning Them Into Yanderes, and Before He Knew It, He Was Completely Breaking the Story

Chapter 39: There Are Many Things in the World You’re Better Off Not Knowing

But…after a short while, the “One Who Returns to Nothing” suddenly turned away all of its countless eyes as if it had just seen something dreadful.

“…Detected the presence of two individuals with abnormal power…Transitioning to another dimension for self-preservation…”

The “One Who Returns to Nothing” slowly raised its face—no, perhaps it was a massive head-like shape—and then retreated into the abyss.

Simultaneously, the pitch-black darkness that had been consuming the ground began to shrink, and the earth gradually returned to its original state.

Did…we survive? Is the world saved now…?

Alice stared at me intently.

Her cheeks weren’t flushed.

Has she…stopped being angry now?

I couldn’t tell what was going on in those blue eyes of hers.

But…just being looked at by those eyes stirred something deep inside me.

There’s such a beautiful woman right in front of me…

“Master…um…”

Alice quietly moved closer, and our bodies pressed together even more.

Then, our lips—were about to—

“Ah! S-sorry! I didn’t mean to stay like this for so long—!”

Panicked, I got up from the position where I had been straddling Alice.

That was close…really close…What was I trying to do just now…?

Doing something inappropriate with Alice, who couldn’t resist because of the slave mark…that would be the lowest thing a human could do.

No matter how little experience I’ve had with women, I still have some basic pride.

But…now Alice probably despises me even more…

“Hehe…Ah…Master…At last…the time has come…Alice always knew. Master, you have been hiding, preparing for this day…The time of liberation has finally arrived…You will free the kingdoms of the continent from the Empire’s tyranny and rise as the true ruler…And I will be by your side, as your empress…Hehe…Ah…There’s so much to do. First, we will devour the Empire’s frontier regions, fortify our position, and incite internal strife—”

Alice, staring into the distant void with a strange smile, muttered something like a curse under her breath.

I…I’d better not talk to her right now.

“What…what on earth…The dark minions appeared…No, those bizarre creatures…one after another…”

When I turned around, I saw Natalia holding her head, staggering as she tried to stand.

It seemed that with the “One Who Returns to Nothing” gone, they had all regained their senses.

But…explaining what just happened seems like it’s going to be a real pain…

Besides, I don’t fully understand it myself.

I know it was Alice’s doing, but…

Alice treated the final boss, “One Who Returns to Nothing,” like it was just one of her underlings…Could it be…?

Now that I think about it, the game never really explained why the “One Who Returns to Nothing” appeared.

I’m pretty sure the story was that it showed up late in the game after its seal was broken…

But why did the “One Who Returns to Nothing” appear at this stage…?

Could it be that the seal is already broken?

If that’s the case, the dark minions should be swarming the Empire’s lands, causing absolute chaos…but I haven’t heard any rumors of such a thing.

Honestly, if that were to happen, there would be no time for me to relax, so I’d rather avoid it.

Besides…judging from what just happened, it seems like Alice can summon the “One Who Returns to Nothing” at will—

Thinking too deeply about this is only going to make my head hurt. I’ll just quietly forget about it.

There are things in this world you’re better off not knowing…

“There’s…nothing there…A dream…Are you telling me it was all an illusion…? But…something that vivid…H-hey! You…you saw it too, didn’t you? That thing!”

Natalia, visibly distressed, approached me.

“Uh…W-what are you talking about? I didn’t see anything…”

I decided to play dumb.

It was a pretty poor excuse, but fortunately, there was no evidence left behind.

“Th-that’s impossible…Hey…You all saw it too, didn’t you? That horrifying creature…?”

Natalia turned to confront the guards.

“N-no…actually, we lost consciousness almost immediately, so we didn’t really see anything…”

“Th-that can’t be…Are you saying I imagined it all…?”

“P-princess. W-well, this area is close to the forest, and the locals are quite savage. I’ve heard that they often burn and eat the mushrooms growing in the forest. Maybe…there were some poisonous ones mixed in…The smoke might have caused hallucinations…”

One of the guards came up with a rather convenient explanation.

—

Chapter 40: Even If It’s Not My Fault, I’ll Be Hated for Making the Princess Wet Herself

By the way, what the guard said was mostly true.

Though, the ones doing that sort of thing weren’t Mylene and the others, but me.

To save up money for my escape plan—FIRE—I often gather ingredients from the forest to save money.

With my appraisal skill, I can tell whether something is edible or not.

“…You’re saying that was just an illusion? That horrible thing…And that maid over there…I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before…”

Natalia said, turning to look at Alice, who stood silently a bit further away.

This is bad…Did she realize it was Alice’s doing? No, something about Natalia seems off. And Alice, too, is acting strange.

Normally, Alice would step in during situations like this, but for some reason, she’s turning her face away, trying not to be noticed by Natalia.

Either way, this is my chance.

“Um…Lady Natalia…If you’re not feeling well, maybe we could talk about this another time…You don’t look so great…”

I took the opportunity to suggest it to Natalia.

After all, she had been almost driven mad by the bizarre aura from the “One Who Returns All to Nothing” earlier.

Even if there was no physical damage, the mental toll had to be substantial.

I didn’t mention it, but there was still drool at the corner of Natalia’s mouth.

“N-no! I’m totally fine with this kind of—Eh…This feeling…”

Natalia suddenly shouted and looked down at her skirt.

Then her face turned bright red, and she stood with her legs pressed together.

“Could it be…I…wet myself…”

She muttered, quickly spinning around.

“I-I’ll leave it at this for today! Next time, you better be ready!”

With that, she took off in a dash…though her legs were clamped together as she ran.

The guards, looking dumbfounded, quickly followed after her.

…Looks like Natalia wet herself.

Well…considering she was right up close to the “One Who Returns All to Nothing,” it’s sad, but understandable.

It’s a wonder I didn’t wet myself too.

In any case, it saved me from a tight spot.

As Natalia and her group left, I let out a relieved sigh.

“Master…”

Before I knew it, Alice was standing right next to me.

As usual, I hadn’t sensed her presence at all.

“Wah!? A-Alice…What is it…?”

“…Now that the annoying people are gone…let’s continue our discussion about the proposal…No, I mean…about our future.”

“Uh…Future…You mean the liberation…”

“Yes…Marriage…I-I mean, yes, of course, the liberation of the people from the Empire comes first…”

Alice said, clearing her throat a little.

“As a leader, thinking about the people is important, but…I want to discuss more specific things…like our first night together…Or, well, I don’t mind doing that with you, Master, whenever you’re ready…But, as someone who will ascend to the throne, you have appearances to uphold…That’s why you’ve been avoiding my advances, right? I understand…but—”

She rattled on.

As for me…honestly, after everything that happened, I was exhausted.

Alice was talking more than usual, but none of it was sinking in.

My head was filled with other worries.

The restoration of my shop, my FIRE plan, Mylene and the others…and Lucius.

I had more or less forced him—no, her—into slavery, but thinking calmly about it now, it seemed like a bad idea.

Then there was the issue with the “One Who Returns All to Nothing,” but more importantly, all the disasters looming over the Empire and the kingdoms on the continent.

The Empire’s invasions, the return of the dark beings…Normally, Lucius would be the one to fight against them and restore peace.

But with Lucius now a slave…who would handle all that?

And Alice had turned Lucius’s holy sword, the Moonlight Sword, to ash…

That sword was supposed to be a key item in the fight against the dark beings.

Well…it’s pointless for a mere slave trader like me to worry about the fate of the world.

A hero might be criticized for being irresponsible, but I’m just a mob character.

It’s foolish to entertain the idea of saving the world.

I should focus on real things…like tomorrow.

My relationships with Alice and Mylene…and the other beast girls.

And even though I sent her away, I’ve caught the attention of Natalia, the kingdom’s princess.

Even though it wasn’t my fault, the fact that she wet herself because of me…She’s probably going to hold a grudge.

…There are so many things to think about, it’s giving me a headache.