When the Villain Joined the Knights to Avoid Doom Flags, but Somehow the Heroines Started Approaching Him - Chapter 24: The Bounty
Chapter 24: The Bounty
“Hahaha… The world must really love me. Chasing after me even when I ran away… this is starting to feel like stalker-level devotion, don’t you think? Hahaha…”
“Master, stop! Your eyes are turning into the lifeless gaze of a fish displayed at the market!”
“How much do you hate the idea of going to the academy…?”
Despite his best efforts to escape, Yulis had been promptly summoned back via a public announcement and swiftly captured.
Now, he found himself swaying in a carriage heading toward none other than the academy—the one place he desperately wanted to avoid.
There was no escape.
Surrounded by the walls of the carriage and four beautiful girls, Yulis had resigned himself to staring off into the distance, as though seeking solace from an imaginary Patrasche somewhere in the heavens.
“Is it that you don’t like studying?”
“My, how unexpectedly adorable. Our junior seems to have quite the cute side.”
Across from him sat the very princess dragging him into this nightmare, alongside Celia, who had no idea why Yulis looked like his soul had left his body.
It seemed his “supervising senior” had been assigned to join this mission as well.
“If my memory serves me correctly,” Yulis began muttering to himself, “a princess is supposed to be the most valuable person in the entire country, right? So why would they entrust something so precious to some random guy they found wandering around? Are they even sane? You know, sane?”
“A random guy, you say…?”
Finally, Princess Fia spoke up, addressing Yulis’s grumbling.
“From my perspective, you seemed like someone walking around with all the proper paperwork and permissions.”
“T-That’s not—”
“Right now, the only ones available with the skill to be entrusted with something valuable are all of you. And you proved that to me just a short while ago.”
“That damn senior…!”
Even after being beaten, Thor still managed to cause trouble.
Yulis’s opinion of him sank to an all-time low.
“So, Lady Fia… while I have no objections to the escort mission, why so suddenly?”
Ignoring Yulis, who was practically trembling with fury as he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, Lieselotte turned to question Fia.
“It seems that recently, a bounty has been placed on my head.”
“A bounty?”
“Yes. My father received information that someone issued a request through the Dark Guild, so he insisted I have additional protection.”
The “Dark Guild” referred to an organization that handled illicit jobs outside official channels.
Most of their work involved crimes such as assassination, theft, and kidnapping—things that left no trace in the public record.
Simply being associated with them was enough to warrant arrest, but the full extent of their operations was unclear.
Their ability to cover their tracks was so effective that even the kingdom was struggling to deal with them.
(…Was this in the game?)
The academy, the stage for this story, had already started.
If any issues arose for the heroines, they would usually appear as events to increase affection points.
Yet, even after hearing the situation, Yulis couldn’t connect it to anything familiar.
(Well, it’s not like I remember every scenario in perfect detail. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t want to go to the academy in the first place…)
Yulis let out a troubled groan, lost in thought.
Seeing this, Iris cheerfully poked his cheek, clearly enjoying herself. This mischievous girl, honestly.
“So, until the bounty problem is resolved, we’ll be serving as the Third Princess’s escorts. Other knights are already investigating, so our job is just to hold the fort until they figure things out.”
“Fufu, having a bounty placed on me at my age… It’s tough being so popular♪”
Fia’s refined yet oddly carefree smile only added to Yulis’s unease.
Leaning closer to Iris, he whispered quietly.
“(…Hey, Iris. Is everyone in this world born with nerves of steel? Smiling even when their life’s on the line?)”
“(That princess… I bet she’s not as innocent as she looks. There’s no way someone like her doesn’t secretly own a buff rabbit that gets joy from being smacked around.)”
What an unflattering and shameless conversation these two were having.
Even so, Lieselotte and Celia also found it odd that Fia remained so carefree despite her life being in danger.
That’s why the ever-reliable Lieselotte let out a heavy sigh and said, “Please try to take this situation a bit more seriously…”
To which Fia replied—
“Oh, I am perfectly aware of the danger. I just don’t let things go to waste.”
“Excuse me?”
“If something has already happened, it’s only logical to make the most of it. Otherwise, it’d be a waste, wouldn’t it?”
Lieselotte tilted her head in confusion at Fia’s words.
But before she could ask further, Fia suddenly stood up and, without hesitation, sat down right next to Yulis, effectively squeezing herself into the small space between him and Iris.
““Ha!?””
“Fufu, as I thought, this spot is much more comfortable.”
Yulis and Iris stared in shock at Fia’s unexpected intrusion.
However, Fia completely ignored their reactions and leaned closer to Yulis.
“When I saw you before, you seemed to have a bit more softness around your face and waist… but now you’ve slimmed down quite a bit.”
“W-What are you doing, young lady?!”
“Do you not like girls who act a bit improper? I’ve heard that men tend to enjoy this kind of physical closeness.”
Of course, it felt great—how could it not?
She was one of the official heroines of this story, after all. Just as beautiful as Lieselotte and Iris, in her own unique way.
Her looks were the perfect blend of elegance and cuteness, with a playful air about her, yet she carried an undeniable grace that set her apart from the other two.
And now, this stunning girl had leaned in so close, he could feel her presence—the faint sweet scent she carried, the soft touch, and the gentle warmth that wrapped around him. It was undeniably amazing… truly amazing.
But—
“Scary, scary, scary! What am I about to get blackmailed for?! Just so you know, runaway boys like me don’t exactly have much money on hand!”
“Grrr… Another sneaky fox trying to cozy up to Master…!”
“Lieselotte, are you sure you don’t want to join the chaos over here?”
“I-I-I-I-I-I… I don’t particularly…!”
The situation inside the carriage had descended into indescribable chaos.
“Fufu, this certainly turned into a lively ride to school, hasn’t it♪”
And the beautiful girl (heroine) at the center of it all simply laughed, clearly enjoying the mayhem she had caused.
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