Acting as a Slit-Eyed Villain Perfectly

Chapter 9: Ill-fated Relationship (1)

After meeting with the commander of 'Blind Eyes', Ordwin Valadir, I headed to my personal office within the building.

Creak─!

As I opened the door, the room's scenery greeted me.

Upon seeing it, I frowned.

'Madman.'

What entered my field of vision were dazzling artworks and crafts.

Things that filled Yulian's mansion were plentifully scattered here, too.

Pottery, frames, and accessories encrusted with jewels.

Indeed.

This madman had decorated his workplace just like his mansion.

A strong ego about self-expression.

It was starkly evident even here.

"This is worse than the mansion... Is he a madman?"

Why were there unused accessories here accompanied by mannequins?

Could it be that he impulsively bought them and, having no place in the mansion, moved them here?

I couldn't tolerate this.

I decided to clean up the office.

I brought a box and placed one frame and most of the accessories inside.

'This should suffice.'

Originally, the members affiliated with 'Blind Eyes' didn't have much time to wait, so there was no reason or need to offer each one a room.

Despite this, Yulian had an office set up in the building dedicated to 'Blind Eyes'.

I could roughly surmise how remarkable Yulian's position was.

Knock knock.

Just as I finished tidying up, a knock sounded.

Who could it be? Could someone from the Royal Family be visiting?

"Come in."

Upon my permit, the door slowly opened.

Lazlot, the intern of 'Blind Eyes', stood there.

"P-pardon me, Sir Yulian!"

Lazlot greeted me with a very tense demeanor.

I smiled, seeing he had come at the right time.

"You came at the right moment, Lazlot."

"Y-yes?"

"Could you load this onto the carriage I came with? It shouldn't be too heavy."

I pointed to a box.

It was filled with luxury items that had cluttered the office earlier.

"Th-this is..."

Seeing the box filled with crafts, Lazlot's eyes widened as he looked at me.

"U-understood, Sir Yulian."

"So, what brings you here?"

Upon my inquiry, Lazlot seemed to remember something, and he began rummaging through his coat.

Soon, he produced a letter bearing the Royal Seal.

"The Royal Secretary's office sent a letter to welcome you back!"

A letter from the Secretary's office?

As I reached out, Lazlot bowed and cautiously approached to hand me the letter.

'To Sir Yulian, a member of the Cryphart family and a fellow of Blind Eyes.'

The content of the letter was roughly this:
I heard your injury has healed considerably? So, shouldn't you start working now?

It was nothing more than putting such a thing politely into writing.

Well, I had anticipated something like this.

There was probably no one as loyal and skilled among those the 'Blind Eyes' could employ as Yulian.

'But they intend to put me to work right away.'

The mission detailed in the letter was the 'Restoration of the Resonance Stone'.

Specifically, the mission to escort a mage who would repair the Resonance Stone.

In the game 〈Let Us Destroy the Demon King Now〉, there existed creatures known as 'demons'.

After the death of the Demon God Barbatos, his lingering remains attached themselves to living beings or formed entities, known in this world as 'demons'.

They were worthy to be called the arch-enemies of mankind.

Although the strength of each entity differed dramatically, even the lowest-ranking demon could easily kill an ordinary person.

The Resonance Stone was what suppressed the activity and occurrence of such demons.

It mainly served to deter their approach by disrupting the residual thoughts of the Demon God with special wavelengths.

Because this process closely involved 'mana', a skilled mage of at least the 4th-rank, the 'Leo-rank', or higher was needed for its repair.

'The restoration of the Resonance Stone....'

As I reviewed the mission details once more, I began to weigh it internally.

Though there was a risk of encountering demons, it was an issue that had to be addressed sooner or later.

Moreover, it seemed suitable to try out the unique trait I had acquired.

▶ Trait, 「 Incomplete Moonlit Sword 」

Level: Unique

▷ Your aura gleams as if it holds the moonlight.

▷ Your sword, imbued with moonlight, deals additional damage to demons.

▷ The trait is still incomplete.

It was also a good opportunity to publicly announce that Yulian had resumed his duties with 'Blind Eyes'.

'I see no reason to decline this.'

I decided. I would accept this mission.

Moreover, other soldiers would be mobilized to escort the mage.

In the event that the demons prove too formidable to fight, I could leave it to them.

Yes, that was the plan.

"Understood. I will discuss the rest directly with the commander."

"Yes!"

Lazlot responded loudly and lifted the box.

"Th-then I'll move this to your carriage!"

With a nod from me, Lazlot, holding the box, exited the room.

"Uagh!"

During the process, his foot caught on the threshold, causing his body to stagger.

Fortunately, he didn't fall, but a grand sound resonated from the box he was holding.

It was the kind of sound something makes when it breaks.

"......."

"......."

A moment of silence filled the room.

Leaving the pale-faced Lazlot behind, I began inspecting the contents of the box.

"Ah, the frame is broken."

It seemed the mannequin holding the accessories collided with the frame when Lazlot staggered.

"I-I'm sorry, Sir Yulian...!"

"It's fine. After all, I was planning to dispose of them."

I didn't feel particularly regretful.

After all, they weren't things I had purchased.

Moreover, the items reflecting 'Yulian's' taste were so drastically different from mine that they might as well have been cumbersome junk.

"I'll somehow repay for what's broken!"

"There's no need for that."

"N-no, really, I'll absolutely, absolutely repay!"

Lazlot, utterly determined to repay, uttered such resolve.

His face bore evident signs of tension.

Seeing him like that sparked a sense of sympathy.

We'd be seeing each other often, and if it's always like this, it would be a bit of a nuisance for me too. So, it was best to put him at ease.

Smiling, I spoke.

"Hehe. It's alright, Lazlot. That's a mistake anyone as an intern could make."

"Y-yes...?"

Lazlot's gaze wandered everywhere, looking lost.

"S-Sir Yulian...."

"Yes."

"Is this going to get me expelled from 'Blind Eyes'?"

Why all of a sudden?

***

"Take care."

Having addressed the guards at Gate of Respect, the second gate of the Imperial Palace, Aileen exited.

Her voice was the same as usual, but exhaustion was vividly written all over her face.

Once again, Aileen was utterly worn out from drafting her thesis today.

Despite being an acknowledged professor teaching 'Metalmancy' at Bayer Academy, she had to consistently submit theses to prove herself as a mage affiliated with the Magic Tower.

Without doing so, she couldn't gain recognition for her degree or her 'rank' as a mage.

Indeed, it was a system some might derisively call a 'shitty system'.

"Aileen, heading home?"

Aileen turned her head at the voice calling out to her.

"Diana?"

Upon seeing Diana, a fellow alumna of Bayer Academy and a mage belonging to the Imperial Magic Tower, Aileen's face brightened slightly.

"Are you heading home too?"

"Yeah. Ah! It's been a while since we headed back together, wanna stop by the new cafe in the market?"

"No, I'm okay."

"Don't be like that! We used to go together often during our school days!"

Diana protested with a pout.

Seeing her familiar playful protest brought an unconscious smile to Aileen's lips.

"No, I really have something to do today. By the way, Diana, you haven't changed a bit."

"Consistency is key, isn't it? Right... huh?"

Suddenly, Diana stopped mid-sentence, and Aileen tilted her head in confusion.

As Aileen looked over, trying to understand what was going on, Diana pointed towards a carriage with her index finger.

"Isn't that Yulian's carriage?"

"Huh?"

"Look, the carriage standing over there. It has the Cryphart family emblem with only half of it drawn."

Indeed, it was.

Diana was pointing to a carriage parked squarely there, with the Cryphart family's emblem of 'Sword and Rose' only half drawn on it.

It was a symbol used solely by the branch family 'Frason' of the Cryphart lineage. A symbol of contempt and oppression.

"Seems like he's back! I did hear he played an instructor role in the admission test."

"Seems that way."

Aileen, who had maintained a subtle smile until just moments ago, replied nonchalantly.

At that moment, Diana's expression lit with mischief.

"Wow. It hasn't been that long since we graduated from Bayer Academy, but a lot has happened, huh?"

"Yeah."

Feigning disinterest, Aileen briskly turned her gaze away.

She was about to decline the coffee invitation once more when—

"Back then, our Aileen was quite naive."

"Me?"

"Yeah. Remember the absurd rumor that if you confessed under the royal cherry blossom tree behind Bayer Academy, you'd definitely succeed, and you confessed to Yulian—"

"Diana! Diana! Want to go to the cafe now!?"

Aileen exclaimed urgently, waving her arms around.

Diana grinned in amusement.

"Huh? What's gotten into you? You didn't seem that eager earlier. Why the sudden change of heart, our dear Aileen?"

"Well, I... I just started reminiscing about old times."

"Is that so? Perfect! Then shall we go quickly?"

Seeing Diana's cheerful face, Aileen sighed inwardly.

It truly felt like she was caught in a trap.

"Right, those were fond memories! Memories of having playfully toiled a 5th-rank mage like this indeed!"

"Well, it's more like a shameful history for me..."

"Why does it matter? Back then, Yulian did seem quite impressive after all."

True to her words.

Yulian, whom Aileen had known at Bayer Academy, was a model senior who took the lead in denouncing the inequality suffered by branch families.

A man possessing noble character, even more aristocratic than actual aristocrats.

Yet since returning from the Northern Front and joining 'Blind Eyes', that side of him was nowhere to be found.

All that remained was a heartless royal hound.

"But won't it be fine?"

"What will?"

"With Yulian back, you'll likely run into each other often in the Imperial Palace, right?"

Indeed.

As Diana pointed out, there was bound to be a meeting at some point. Of course, for Aileen, who still harbored lingering emotions, it was a rather unwelcome prospect.

Personally witnessing a drastically changed him was like facing a mirror reflecting unchanged realities.

The harsh reality faced by a branch family.

"Well, what can I do? I'll just greet him and move on."

"That's true."

"Besides, I won't be going to the Imperial Palace anytime soon."

"Huh? Why not?"

In response to Diana's question, Aileen took out a document she had received from the Magic Tower from the envelope and showed it to her.

In bold letters on the paper, it read 'Restoration of the Resonance Stone'.

"I'm going on a business trip to the Julin Special District soon. They said the Resonance Stone there has reached the end of its lifespan and needs maintenance."

Clacky's Corner:
Won't see other for a while. Yeah, right.