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 9: For Some Reason, the Heroine Punches the Protagonist

“Yes, that’s right. Princess Alice, come…let’s take down this man—”

Lucius flashed a dazzling smile, showing off his perfect teeth as he spoke, his handsome face radiating charm.

At last, the final conversation had come to an end.

I trembled in despair, staring at Alice and Lucius.

The next moment…both of them disappeared from my sight.

So fast…where did they go…are they coming for me!?

Even though defending myself wouldn’t change the outcome, my body instinctively tensed, bracing for their attack.

Suddenly, a deafening roar pierced my ears.

I reflexively covered myself with my hands, crouching down on the spot.

What just…happened?

Cautiously, I scanned my surroundings.

Then…Alice was standing right next to me.

Wh-When did she…such speed…

In that instant, my entire body froze.

I wanted to move, but I couldn’t.

That’s how terrifying Alice looked—I’d never seen such a frightening expression before.

Death…that one word dominated my mind.

I squeezed my eyes shut, unconsciously.

I don’t know how much time passed after that.

Probably only a few seconds in reality.

But to me, it felt like several minutes.

“You…you dared…to take it from me…the sacred bond between me and my master…”

…Nothing happened.

Instead, I could only hear Alice’s words, seething with anger.

I nervously opened my eyes.

As expected, there stood Alice…and Lucius.

But…Lucius was…embedded into the shop wall.

At some point, the shop wall had been mercilessly shattered into rubble.

And Lucius’s face was red…smeared with blood.

Not only his face—his whole body was battered and torn.

The once-bright armor he wore was covered in dust, and his joints were bent in all the wrong directions.

His expression had completely changed, too.

The confident look he had moments ago was now replaced with one of shock and terror.

“Higghh!!…Ahh…my arm!! P-Princess Alice!!…Why are you doing this to me?!”

Lucius screamed.

As for Alice, she simply glared at him with eyes filled with murderous intent.

That gaze wasn’t directed at me, but at Lucius.

Does that mean…Alice did this?

But…the slave crest should have been dispelled…

Why…?

Ignoring my confusion, Alice stepped closer to the fallen Lucius.

Without a word, she bent down and stared into his eyes.

“…I’m relieved. It seems you’re still alive. I got carried away by my emotions, but…you’re tougher than I expected.”

Murmuring this, Alice nonchalantly grasped Lucius’s throat with one hand.

Then, with ease, she lifted his entire body, forcing him to stand.

“I-It hurts!! Please, stop!!”

Lucius’s shrill scream echoed around us, even reaching my eardrums, which had been slightly dulled by the earlier noise.

That voice…he must be in tremendous pain.

Still…Lucius’s voice sounded different than before.

Oddly…feminine, almost—

“…Return it. The bond between me and my master…”

“What are you talking about?! That’s…the slave crest…the thing that binds you!! Why…why are you doing this—”

At that moment, a loud noise echoed nearby.

I widened my eyes to see that the pile of rubble near Lucius had disappeared.

Only dust swirled around the area.

I could barely see it, but it looked like Alice had moved her fist ever so slightly.

No way…did Alice do that…with just her fist…?

I shuddered involuntarily.

If I took a punch like that—

“N-Nooo!! Let go!!”

Lucius screamed again, just as the Holy Sword lying nearby began to glow brilliantly.

Momentarily distracted by the light, Alice loosened her grip, allowing Lucius to slip free.

He dashed toward the fallen Holy Sword and pointed its tip at me, not Alice.

“Even though the slave crest was dispelled…why…Princess Alice…what did this man do to you…?”

Perhaps because he had the Holy Sword now, Lucius seemed to have regained a bit of composure.

But his face was still tense with fear.

His tone had lost its earlier affectation, revealing his true self.

At least, he wasn’t using that exaggerated, theatrical voice anymore.

His voice was higher…almost like a woman’s.

Was this his real voice all along?

With his calm shattered, Lucius now openly directed his hostility…no, his murderous intent, toward me.

It seemed like he could attack at any moment.

“For five years, you’ve been enslaved by this man, Princess Alice…how pitiful…surely, he’s driven you mad.

And the reaction of this Holy Sword…there’s no mistake, you’ve been consumed by darkness. To torment Princess Alice like this…it’s unforgivable!”

Whether it was righteous anger on my behalf or the influence of the Holy Sword, Lucius seemed to have regained some of his spirit.

—

Chapter 10: The Holy Sword, a Key Item, Was Burned by the Heroine. Is the World Going to Be Okay…?

If Lucius is following the story from the game, he’s still at a low level.

In that case, could I survive even one hit with my current stats?

However, in the game, the slave trader was defeated with a single strike…

At this rate, my life feels like it’s hanging by a thread.

I squinted in fear at the bright glow of the holy sword Lucius had pointed at me.

Then, Alice stepped between me and Lucius.

“Someone like you could never understand the sacred bond between my master and me. Nor could you comprehend my master’s greatness. Now…return the crest you stole from my master. Or else…”

“You’ve been brainwashed by this vile man. But no matter what, with the Moonlight Sword…no, with this holy sword, I will…I mean, I will cleanse you of the darkness that controls you, Princess Alice!”

Lucius pointed the holy sword at Alice.

Alice looked at the sword’s light with a slight expression of distaste.

I see now…

The Moonlight Sword is one of the highest-ranking weapons with a light attribute in the game. Light attributes are especially effective against dark attributes.

Since most enemies have dark attributes, the Moonlight Sword is powerful enough to be used even against the final boss.

For low-level playthroughs, the Moonlight Sword is an essential piece of equipment.

And Alice had just used the strongest dark magic earlier.

Considering that, for some reason, it seems Alice has a significant dark alignment now.

That means the Moonlight Sword is a dangerous weapon for Alice in her current state.

Even with the difference in level, if Lucius uses it right, he could potentially harm her.

And more importantly, Lucius is the protagonist.

That means he likely has some kind of protagonist’s advantage…a fate that favors him.

In fact, there have been many miraculous comebacks in the game’s storyline.

But the biggest mystery is why Alice harbors so much hostility toward Lucius.

The slave crest binds someone’s actions, but it doesn’t control their mind.

More importantly, I can no longer sense my connection with Alice…or the slave crest.

In other words, Lucius has definitely removed Alice’s slave crest.

Alice’s current behavior is strange and abnormal.

There’s no way this bizarre state will last for long.

Should I use this rare opportunity to make my escape…?

Suddenly, Alice disappeared.

Not just me, but Lucius couldn’t sense her presence either. He looked flustered, just like I was.

“Wh-Where are you? Come out!”

“I’m right here. I was slightly wary of your mysterious power and sword, but…to think you couldn’t even track this level of movement…”

Alice was suddenly standing right behind Lucius.

And then, she pressed close to him, whispering something into his ear.

“With that kind of power, you dare to defy me…and even more, defy my great master? How foolish and arrogant. And…the sin of insulting my noble master…will not go unpunished.”

“Ah!”

Lucius screamed and swung the holy sword again.

But Alice didn’t dodge. Instead, she took the full force of the blade—

“Alice!!”

I shouted without thinking.

But Alice stopped the sword with her bare hand…no, with just one finger.

Lucius’ face was pale; he seemed to be pressing with all his strength, but the holy sword didn’t budge.

It was as if the sword was frozen in place, held firmly by Alice’s fingertip.

“I see…it’s a rare and powerful magic sword, but…with a wielder this inexperienced…”

Alice slightly moved the finger she had raised.

In that instant, there was a sharp cracking sound.

Then, a small crack appeared in the holy sword. A moment later, it snapped in half.

I watched the scene in utter disbelief.

It must have been an even bigger shock for Lucius than it was for me.

“No…this can’t be real…how could…my Moonlight Sword…”

He muttered in disbelief as the broken holy sword dropped to the ground with a clatter.

Then, Lucius collapsed to his knees.

His eyes, unfocused, stared blankly into space.

“…It seems you’ve completely lost your will to fight…But…it’s not over yet.”

Alice grabbed Lucius by the throat with one hand and lifted him effortlessly.

“…Ugh…st-stop…let me go…”

“This is your final warning. Return the crest. If you don’t, I won’t let you die easily. I’ll give you pain and suffering so great you’ll be grateful for death. For someone like you…this level of fire should be just right…”

Alice opened her other hand, and from her delicate, smooth fingertips, a small flame appeared.

That’s…the lowest-level fire magic…but the color…

Then Alice blew gently on the tiny flame near her mouth.

The small flame flickered like it was caught in a breeze, then drifted toward the broken holy sword near Lucius.

The moment it touched the sword, the tiny spark transformed into a blazing inferno that consumed the sword in an instant.

Even though the sword had split in half, it still emitted a divine light as it was swallowed by the flames.

Despite the intensity of the fire, nothing else around it was burning.

More than that, the fire wasn’t red…it was black.

This is…the flame of darkness…

A forbidden spell said to inflict pain so intense it burns the soul.

Alice has fully mastered dark magic.

But why…why has Alice learned dark magic…?