I Became the Narrow-Eyed Villain in a Dropped Novel

Chapter 119:

The moment I arrived in Sarme, I immediately felt that something was wrong.

There were no people in the village market, which had been bustling with merchants even after the warehouse fire.

While many merchants were trying to pack up their goods and leave, the majority had their base of operations around here, so they couldn't leave so easily.

I had even informed them of what was happening with Stetten, so not many would leave their homes and workplaces right away.

'It would have been better if they had all run away.'

As I entered the eerily empty street, it sank in even more that this was not a normal situation.

It wasn't just that there were no people.

How should I put it, a sense of death lingered.

A chilling feeling ran down my spine.

“Ugh… ugh.”

A groan came from inside a building that looked like a merchant company.

Relieved that at least not everyone was dead, I went inside the building.

“…Damn it.”

I was at a loss for words upon seeing the inside of the building.

Countless people were collapsed on the floor.

A person clutching a box, a person slumped over a table with bread in their mouth, a person with a hammer gripped tightly in their hand, their eyes rolled back.

It was clear they had collapsed in the middle of their daily routines just moments ago.

What roused me from my brief speechlessness at the horrific scene was the sound I had heard a moment ago.

“He… help me….”

“Take a deep breath. What happened here?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know….”

The worker, who had been struggling to speak, collapsed to the ground before I could ask more questions.

He was still breathing, but it was obvious he would die soon.

“A gruesome sight.”

With a creaking voice, a bizarre shadow entered the building.

“Kaseph.”

“It couldn’t be helped. It was either here or Ruhindorf. One of the two had to take the curse.”

Kaseph shrugged.

The letter had clearly stated that due to the unfavorable situation, they had to push all of the curse onto Sarme.

It probably wasn't something Kaseph did on purpose, but the thought that I also bore some responsibility weighed heavily on my mind.

“The curse was activated before we could properly prepare, so it was impossible to completely block its effects.”

“Didn’t you say the curse they prepared was quite weak? Judging by its power, it doesn't feel that way at all.”

“It would have been, had the experiment proceeded as planned. Of course, that so-called experiment was such a mess that even if things had gone their way, they would have failed to control its power.” ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel fire.net

“…What’s past is past. What should we do now?”

“If you’re asking me for a method, there are two.”

As Kaseph raised his hand, flames pattered to the floor.

Having already seen his abilities in Kranacht, I immediately understood what he meant.

“Are you thinking of burning it all down?”

“It’s the fastest and easiest way. If you don’t like it, the only other option is to do it by the book: find the place where the curse was cast, analyze the contract they used, and reverse it one by one.”

“How long will that take?”

“At a rough estimate, it would take two days. In the meantime, the curse, not yet fully settled, will spread to the surrounding areas.”

Neither option was a good ending. I had thought it might come to this, but facing it head-on, a sigh escaped me first.

“Your choice is… well, it’s already been decided, I suppose.”

Kaseph said confidently, as if he had read my mind.

Crimson flames were still flowing from his hand.

We didn’t know when Stetten’s knights would arrive.

Once the curse spread, it would take even more than the aforementioned two days to lift it.

In the end, there was only one answer I could give.

“Let’s burn it. It’s better than leaving a trail that could be followed….”

“There’s no need for that.”

At the firm female voice, I turned my head, and orange hair that seemed to burn in the sunlight came into view.

“Anat.”

“Watch your mouth, Count. She is not someone you can address so casually.”

Kaseph, not surprised at all, chided me instead.

The letter did mention that he should come alone if he intended to receive the Commander’s help, so it wasn't exactly a surprise….

“That aside, since when did you know?”

“After we took over the relay station. She contacted me first.”

“Can’t you stop calling me ‘she’ when I’m right in front of you?”

“…How dare I.”

Kaseph bowed his head respectfully.

Though it felt more eerie than respectful.

“I was quite surprised to see the letter. Are you thinking of returning soon?”

“No. But it’s obvious that if I leave it to you all, you’ll turn this whole area into a sea of fire.”

Anat’s joking voice was light, but her face as she looked at the fallen was not.

“What do you mean there’s no need for that? This blockhead said there was no other way.”

“I certainly said there were two ways I could do it.”

“……”

“The more serious it is, the more you should find something to laugh about and laugh heartily. Weren’t those your own words from time to time?”

What a roundabout way of saying he was messing with me.

However, I still had no idea what other method the Commander was talking about.

Wasn't curse-breaking Kaseph's area of expertise?

I thought Anat was here to help with the cleanup.

“Do you remember when we first met, Count.”

“Why the sudden trip down memory lane?”

“At that time, I arrogantly asked her to show me proof of her status as a Saintess.”

Kaseph, cleanly ignoring my sarcasm, continued with what he had to say.

“Accepting that arrogant proposal, she opened the eyes of this humble one.”

“Why do you have to say it in such a long-winded way when you could just say she showed you her curse-breaking skills right in front of you?”

“My apologies.”

As Anat pointed it out with a smirk, Kaseph immediately lowered his head.

Wasn't the difference in treatment a bit too much?

“Then let’s leave quickly to get this over with. We don’t know when Stetten’s things will arrive.”

“As I said, the easiest and fastest way is to burn everything the curse has touched until it turns to ash. Her method is benevolent, but it takes some time.”

“How long?”

“We can finish by morning. However, we have to stop anyone from approaching.”

There was no one coming anyway, so shouldn't we just start right away?

I was about to say that when I noticed the atmosphere between the two.

“Someone is already on their way here.”

“Yes, doctors are coming.”

Hearing the word doctors, I realized who it was.

There was a group I had forgotten about while dealing with the Ravens.

“You mean the People’s Medical Center.”

“They are currently staying near Ruhindorf, but they will hear the news soon and come here.”

“…To clean up after the experiment, I see.”

If the Ravens came, I could just subdue them with force, but the People’s Medical Center was a bit different.

Their higher-ups might be in bed with the Ravens, but the majority of the members of the People's Medical Center were just doctors with a strong spirit of service.

Besides, if handled wrongly, there was a high risk of it escalating into a diplomatic issue.

Vestol might have turned a blind eye to the commotion in the Imperial Capital, but they wouldn't stand by and watch their own citizens get harmed in some backwater village.

“Sealing Sarme to prevent outsiders from entering is well within her and my abilities. The problem is that it would be too strange a sight.”

I nodded, recalling the method Anat used when she met me at the tavern in Schwaben.

She made it so that others couldn't approach or even see her.

In the tavern, the customers hadn't noticed that one seat was empty, but blocking entry to a village was on a different scale.

“So you’re saying someone needs to draw their attention.”

“Not just the People’s Medical Center, but the other Eight Councils… we have to stop Til from coming too. If she finds out I was here, she’ll raise hell about locking me up somewhere I can't leave.”

Anat said it with a smile, but considering how sentimental she got whenever the Commander was mentioned, it was probably true.

“Does that mean you have no intention of returning yet?”

“Yes, for now. However, the choice is yours. You are the acting commander of the Eight Council, after all.”

Shifting the responsibility like this, huh.

Well, it's not like I can't accept it.

“If you intend to work this Count Valheit, I trust you’ve also considered the compensation for it.”

“You irreverent fool….”

“Honestly, we could just burn everything and leave. I have no intention of stopping our Commander if she wishes to save these poor souls, but I have no intention of doing it for free.”

I wasn't asking for much.

I intended to find out for certain what she was doing and what her objective was.

From behind his mask, Kaseph’s eyes grew bloodshot as he made a strange noise, but Anat raised a hand to stop him.

“Of course. The creeping snake of the Empire wouldn't listen to someone else's request for free.”

“In that case, for information….”

“I will release the restriction I placed on you.”

…Huh?

What restriction.

As if I didn't understand, Anat stated it more clearly.

“For example… like your eye, which I sealed.”

***

“So you’re saying this is a problem we can solve just by taking them to the Count.”

“I’m saying this because that man told me not to.”

“And I keep asking you what the reason is, you dense bastard.”

Til was in a very bad mood.

She didn't like that only Hugo was at the rendezvous point with Valheit, and she didn't like Falsh, who was following her with a creepy vibe from behind.

All she wanted was to join Valheit right now and finish the job.

But Hugo was adamant.

“If it’s a superior’s order, you should at least pretend to listen.”

“I told you that bastard isn't my superior! You wanna fight?!”

She yelled, but Hugo just smiled faintly, as if this situation wasn't so bad.

Seeing her old colleague lost in nostalgia, thinking ‘it was like this back then too,’ made her blood boil.

Should she just knock him down?

“Now, now. I don’t know what’s going on, but fighting won’t solve anything.”

“…Who?”

“Oh my, how rude of me not to have introduced myself. My name is Falsh. A merchant. I happen to be helping Mr. Brauder.”

“Brauder?”

Hugo, quickly glancing at Til, realized it meant Valheit and played along appropriately.

“What a coincidence. I also happen to be cooperating with that person. My name is Hugo.”

“Oh, a pleasure to meet you. Well, I don't mean to interrupt your friendly conversation, but I wanted to ask what we should do with these things.”

Falsh kicked the collapsed Ivan with his foot.

Gagged, Ivan silently endured the kicks and averted his gaze.

Watching the similarly bound demon curse-weaver startle and struggle, Falsh chuckled.

“Well, I suppose it wouldn't be so bad to just watch them like this.”

“We have time to spare, so why don’t you interrogate them. It’s your specialty.”

“Hah, damn it….”

In the end, Til gave up and sat down in front of the prisoners.

If Valheit told her not to come, there must be a reason.

It had better not be for nothing later.

“Purpose of the experiment.”

“Huh?”

“Speak.”

Til twisted her expression and poked the demon's face with the handle of her axe.

The curse-weaver, who had been darting his eyes back and forth between Til and Ivan, decided to listen to the one holding the axe rather than the one tied up.

“W-well… I don’t know the exact details, but, no no no no! I know, of course I know!”

As Til spun her handaxe around and gripped the handle, the squeaking demon’s voice grew louder.

“The goal was to capture someone.”

“Why would someone like the Duke of Leitche resort to a curse just to capture someone? Couldn’t they solve the problem by just sending a whole bunch of guys like this?”

“We-well, there must be circumstances… they said we had to capture a very important person!”

“So who.”

“Well… what was the name? Ana, Ana… what was it?”

Thwack!

A handaxe embedded itself in the tree the curse-weaver was tied to.

The demon felt that Til’s blazing eyes were scarier than the axe stuck next to him.

“Anat?”

“Yes!! I think that was the name!!”

Til stood up from her seat.

Her face, which until a moment ago had been a mixture of annoyance and displeasure, was now twisted into a murderous grimace.