Path of villains 1, p.4
Path Of Villains 1, page 4
I placed the Bewitching Eyes of Aluring Eye on the shelf.
"Ah, what a waste..."
During dinner, Gaizen kept saying the same thing while stuffing chicken into his helmet's mouth opening.
"What’s a waste? And why don’t you take off your helmet while eating? Why hide your face?"
"I’ve explained before, right? I’m shy... Anyway, Alf, it’s such a waste."
"So what?"
"It’s the hero’s title, of course. It’s the highest honor for an adventurer. If things go well, you could even become a noble. You could get land... And yet, you just turned it down. It was a great opportunity."
Well, being from an orphanage and becoming a noble is indeed an honor.
But...
"It was only if we defeated the Demon King. Until then, we’d be forced into dangerous quests like demon hunts. It’s a thankless job."
"Really? You’ve become so unambitious... You used to be incredibly greedy. Hey, Pearl and Shannon, don’t you have anything to say?"
"Pal will follow whatever decision Alf makes. That’s all."
"I don’t have much to add... Indeed, as Gaizen says, a hero helps the weak and brings light to the world. It requires a great deal of resolve. It’s understandable that Alf-san might hesitate to accept such a role."
Shannon, who had spoken coldly a few days ago, now showed concern for me. I shouldn’t let her develop feelings, but I can’t help feeling a bit pleased.
Gaizen accepted my decision with, "Well, it’s your choice, so I’ll support it."
He’s a good-natured companion, after all.
But I’m sorry, Gaizen... In the original story, Alfred’s interactions with royalty never led to good outcomes.
Rejecting the hero title was a form of self-defense.
A few days later.
I took Rogue to the adventurer’s guild in the capital to collect our reward.
Why bring Rogue, you ask?
It’s not unusual.
In the original story, Alfred frequently took Rogue along to carry luggage and use him for other purposes. It seemed Rogue was also made into a witness for some reason.
"—Alfred, aren’t we going to the brothel today?"
There you have it. Rogue is my alibi for visiting the brothel.
For some reason, Alfred didn’t engage in many relationships with the female members of his party until he obtained the Bewitching Eyes of Aluring Eye. The only notable exception was Larissa, the "sex friend."
So, he’s often depicted as having a lavish time at the brothel with his rewards.
Of course, that’s not my intention at all.
"I'm not going... I’m trying to change myself now. So please, Rogue, work on changing too."
I need to correct his skill-junkie tendencies.
That’s why I’m taking him out to build rapport.
Otherwise, even if I manage to avoid the expulsion event, another problem might arise.
"… I don’t quite understand, but I’ll try my best. I can’t rely on Shannon forever."
Rogue seems to have improved recently, flashing a brighter smile. He’s originally a kind-hearted and gentle guy.
Aside from quests, he’s relatively normal, though the phrase "I don’t quite understand" seems to linger.
As we walked, a woman's voice echoed from an alleyway:
"Stop it! What are you doing? Let me go!"
Chapter 8: The Cursed Opponent
During my time as a corporate slave before my reincarnation, I was so preoccupied with my own concerns that I was uninterested in helping others, but in this other world, I was somehow overcome by a strange sense of justice.
Before I knew it, I was running.
Rogue followed behind me, calling out, "Wait up!"
When I entered the back alley, I found a young woman being harassed by several men.
She was still a girl. Judging from her appearance, she was around 15 or 16 years old.
She had long golden hair tied in twin tails, large brown eyes that were slightly slant, and a small, cute face.
She was wearing a refined-looking red dress with ruffles.
...Hmm?
I wonder; I feel like I've seen this girl somewhere before.
"Let go! You guys are being rude!"
"Don't make such a fuss, sis. Come play with us."
"Okay, it'll be fun. We'll make you feel good."
"Hahaha! Let's just kidnap her like this! Right?"
The men looked like adventurers. They were all intimidating and muscular.
And they were saying some scary things to pick up girls.
"Hey! What are you guys doing? She's not going to like it!"
I approached the men, unashamed and proud.
This would never have happened in my previous life. But maybe because I'd already hunted powerful monsters and demons, I wasn't scared at all.
Perhaps the spirit of the original Alfred was in him.
He was a stupid piece of trash, but he was always full of confidence.
Even after his decline and downfall, he desperately tried to climb back up, and in an attempt to surpass the monster that was Rogue, he defected to the Demon King's army and even went so far as to turn to darkness to fight.
However, no matter how hard he struggled, he was no match for Rogue, who had the protagonist's bonus, and was defeated, losing everything.
In the end, he was executed and displayed in the castle while making a pathetic plea for his life.
Readers have written about him as a cathartic way to cleanse their hearts, saying things like "Serves you right, Alfred," "He's finally dead, lol," and "I feel so good, scum."
But somehow, I was envious of the way he lived.
Unlike me, who lives a life of misery as a corporate slave, I felt that he was giving it his all and enjoying life to the fullest, even if he was a scum...
"What do you mean, you brat?"
"It's got nothing to do with you; get over there!"
"I'll kill you, damn it!"
The men's expressions changed as I said this, and one of them attacked me.
But it was too late. There was no need to use skills.
He dodged it easily and, at the same time, grabbed the man's wrist, tripped him, and threw him with all his momentum.
The man spun around and was slammed to the ground without any chance of recovery.
His eyes were rolled back, but he still seemed to be alive.
"You!"
One of his comrades drew his sword without hesitation.
"Stop it; the moment I have a weapon in hand, I won't be able to go easy on you either (and I'm not doing that now). You'll die."
The men's expressions changed upon hearing my words, and one of them came charging at me.
But it was too late. There was no need to use a skill.
I easily dodged it and, at the same time, grabbed the wrist of the man who had thrown me off balance, hooked my foot, and threw him with all my might.
The man spun around and was thrown to the ground without any chance of recovery.
His eyes were rolled back, but he seemed to be alive.
"You!"
One of my comrades drew his sword without hesitation.
"Stop it. The moment I had a weapon in hand, I wouldn't be able to go easy on you either (or I'm not even now). You'll die."
I intimidated not only the man pointing his sword at me but the others as well.
The men were overwhelmed, gritting their teeth and refusing to move, saying, "Guh..."
"Alfred, you're fast...but isn't this a battle? It's finally time to strengthen you with my 《Ability Loan Grant》, yay!!!"
Rogue, who arrived late, saw the scene and turned into a skill junkie.
But his words made the men raise their voices, "What did you say?!"
"Ah, Alfred? Are you the leader of the [heroes' holy sword]?!"
"Isn't he a first-class adventurer who killed a senior member of the Demon King's army in an instant?"
"No way! That's bad! No wonder he's so strong! There's no way we can win!"
They seem extremely shaken after learning my name.
Maybe I should have told them my name from the beginning... No, they won't believe me unless I show them a painful lesson like this.
"If you don't want to fight, I'll let you go. Take this guy and get lost! Don't do anything bad again!"
"I get it!"
"Sorry, sorry!"
"Ahhh, I'm so sorry!"
The men apologized profusely, carried their unconscious comrade, and disappeared.
"Phew, what a pain... Thanks to Rogue, we didn't have to fight in vain. Thanks."
"Alfred, that's too much!"
"Huh?"
"Why aren't you fighting!? I was going to give you a buff, but...!"
Rogue was raging, his eyes bloodshot.
"N-no... I don't think a weakling like that needs a buff anyway, yeah."
I was so dumbfounded I couldn't say anything.
Damn Tanaka Daichi... you made a terrible junkie into the main character.
I mean, it's been made into an anime... seriously?
"Um, um!"
The girl I saved called out to me.
The moment I saw her face up close, an electric current ran through my body.
Just so you know, it wasn't love at first sight or anything.
I know her...just like in the comics!
--Tifa von Rumirio.
The first princess of the Rumirio Kingdom—in other words, the princess of this country.
And quite the rebellious princess, too. She's about 15 years old now.
I remember now!
Before Rogue was banished, Tifa had escaped the castle alone and been harassed by thugs like she is now.
By chance, Alfred, who was on his way back from the brothel, and Rogue, who was carrying his luggage, happened to be at the scene.
While Alfred ignored them, saying "Leave her alone," Rogue waved his sense of justice and said, "I can't leave her alone!" and instead of using force, he got down on the ground and begged the men, "Please let her go!"
In the end, the men beat Tifa mercilessly, but Rogue managed to calm the situation by apologizing profusely.
The thugs left, half amused.
Alfred yelled, "You're an idiot trying so hard to protect a filthy little girl, how pathetic!" but Rogue still gently looked after her and asked, "Are you okay?" as he left the scene.
After Rogue is banished and awakened, Tifa appears before him as a princess and thanks him, saying, "Thank you for all that time," and then falls in love with the protagonist and supports him as his strongest patron.
Meanwhile, a decadent Alfred meets Tifa again at an event and is confronted by her, who says, "You called me a dirty little girl then, didn't you? Get ready!"
As a result, Alfred falls further into despair and hits rock bottom, in a spectacular turn of events that serves him right.
That's why I refused the title of hero and tried not to get involved with royalty.
Having read the original and knowing the outcome, I have a traumatic aversion to them.
"Thank you for saving me when I was in danger!"
Tifa bows politely and shows him that.
Damn, I don't want to get involved... my instincts are telling me that.
My intuition is telling me that something bad will happen to me.
"No, I was only doing the obvious thing. It's not good for a weak girl to walk alone in a place like this. So--"
I grabbed Rogue's arm as if to run away and got away from her.
Tifa's cheeks were red for some reason, and she just stared blankly at me.
So, she had her eye on Rogue after all... Damn, I didn't break the flag!
"--Lord Alfred! I remember your name!"
"Eeek! What's going on?! I didn't do anything! I didn't do anything rude, did I, Rogue?"
"No, Alfred made a serious mistake—he didn't let me use the Enhanced!"
Shut up, skill junkie!
You're so lucky! You're just going to get flattered anyway because of the hero bonus!
I don't want this anymore!
So, I quickly left trembling.
Meanwhile,
"Lord Alfred, you are such a beautiful man... I think I may have fallen in love with you."
Unbeknownst to me, another move was underway.
Chapter 9: The Detested Captain (NTR Heroine’s Perspective)
I am Shannon Flem, a priest who serves as the healer for the party known as the Sword of the Hero.
I joined this party about five years ago, prompted by an invitation from my childhood friend, Rogue.
It seems Rogue hit it off with Alfred, whom he met by chance, and they formed an adventurer party. At that time, I was just an apprentice priest, and Rogue requested that I join them.
Apparently, Alfred was also from the same orphanage and was alone in the world.
Since then, our party has grown in number, and we have evolved into a group of clan-level status, with me rising to a position of prominence within it. Our momentum hasn’t waned, and we are now recognized as one of the top platinum-class parties in the Rumirio Kingdom.
However, to be honest, I disliked Alfred.
After becoming the leader, he soon started to belittle Rogue, treating him as if he were a slave.
No matter how much I pleaded or preached, Alfred ignored me and did as he pleased. Many women were likely hurt by his lecherous behavior. Yet, curiously, he never seemed to make advances on the women in the party, which was perhaps his only redeeming quality.
Larisa is an exception, though. She’s known for easily forming relationships with men she fancies.
Despite this, my dislike for Alfred was profound.
I was aware that many in the party speculated that Rogue and I, being childhood friends, might have a special relationship. In reality, we are more like siblings, and there is nothing more to it.
Nevertheless, I didn’t deny the rumors and intentionally allowed them to spread. This was both to protect myself and to shield Rogue. Indeed, Rogue’s supposed romantic link to me served as a deterrent against bullying from others.
It might also have been a strategy against Alfred. Occasionally, he would look at me with a lecherous gaze, which I found incredibly unpleasant.
I really disliked him... I even suggested to Rogue several times that we leave the party together. But for some reason, Rogue always refused, saying, “I love this party and sincerely wish for everyone’s happiness.”
While I admired and took pride in my childhood friend’s idealism, I also felt a slight discomfort from the look in his eyes—he never blinked, and his gaze seemed devoid of light.
Perhaps it was just my imagination, but...
In any case, I still find it puzzling why Rogue holds Alfred in such high regard. I believe their first meeting involved Rogue being rescued by Alfred from some thugs, which might explain Rogue’s sense of debt. But I absolutely hate Alfred.
—Or at least, I used to think so.
But recently, Alfred has changed significantly—no, he’s changed drastically.
He now behaves as though he’s a completely different person, treating Rogue with fairness and even showing concern for him. The greed he once exhibited is gone; he now appears to be focused on the development of the Sword of the Hero and the welfare of our members.
It seems his decision to refuse the title of Hero was influenced by our recent struggles against monsters in ancient ruins. If Alfred had become a Hero, the Rumirio Kingdom would have assigned us even harsher quests, leading to potential casualties among our less capable members.
This was indeed a wise decision and a hallmark of a great leader.
I still can’t quite believe that the former embodiment of greed has become someone I respect.
But it’s true—Alfred has changed.
He now treats Pearl, who was once treated poorly, with the kindness of a younger sister, and he’s even become popular among the townsfolk.
One day...
“—Alfred, are you around?”
A woman from the bakery inquired.
“If it’s Alfred you’re looking for, he’s not here,” I replied, assuming it was another complaint.
“This is a thank-you gift for what happened recently. Please give it to him. You all can eat some too,” she said, handing over a large amount of bread.
It turns out Alfred had intervened during a commotion with some troublemakers at the bakery. He helped with cleanup and even awkwardly repaired some damaged furniture.
And Alfred’s deeds didn’t stop there. He’s been praised for various acts, such as playing with orphans, distributing sweets, helping the elderly across the street, and retrieving balloons stuck in trees.
He’s become a hidden hero in the town.
I can hardly believe it.
But now, I don’t hate Alfred as much as I used to.
In fact, I... well, I’m not sure what I’m thinking.
This feeling in my chest... it’s tightening. Am I... developing feelings for Alfred?
It’s unbelievable... I used to hate him so much.
Why does my heart ache so much at the thought of him? Why does my face flush just think about him?
I... I can’t believe it.
Chapter 10: The True Nature of the Unaware Protagonist
Several months had passed since then.
Efforts to amend Alfred's past misconduct continued unabated. As you might know, the reason behind this is to shatter the impending doom flags.
For my own self-preservation, it’s beneficial to win over those outside the party as well. This is a tactic I honed during my previous life as a corporate worker.
First, as part of tidying up, I made a sincere effort to apologize to the ordinary people Alfred had wronged in the past.
The worst of it was his relationships with women.
While some, like Larisa, who was a casual fling, were dismissive with a "whatever" attitude, there were others who had been genuinely hurt. For these, I performed deep bows and offered compensation to seek their forgiveness.
I also made it a point to help anyone in need whenever possible. As a result, walking through the town now, I’m greeted with smiles and friendly conversations.
