Villainess X Villain: They are obsessed with each other!

"Damn it!"

Ian kicked the ground in frustration, but immediately regretted it. A sharp pain travelled up his leg, forcing him to grimace as he hurriedly withdrew his foot.

His current body was nowhere near the one he had possessed before being injured. Back then, even the strongest mortal weapons could barely leave a mark on him, and a casual kick from him could shatter mountains.

Now, however, his body was little more than the best body an ordinary human could possibly possess. It was strong, durable, and far healthier than that of most mortals, but compared to the body he once had, it was pathetic.

After standing there for a moment and soothing the pain, Ian released a long sigh.

The world was truly cruel.

He, Ian, the God Slayer, the pursuer of freedom, the man who had fought against countless gods and survived battles that could have destroyed entire worlds, was now being forced to find a job in some tiny mortal village.

"Why?!"

Ian looked toward the sky with an expression of indignation before silently cursing his fate.

He had never imagined that there would come a day when earning enough money to survive would become one of his greatest concerns.

In the past, whenever he needed something, he simply took it. If someone refused to give him what he wanted, he would force them to hand it over. If they were too powerful to intimidate, he would find another way to defeat them.

Money had never been something he needed to worry about, because there had always been more important things occupying his mind.

Now, however, he had a wife, a house, and absolutely no source of income.

Worse still, his wife was a goddess who had specifically forbidden him from using violence against the villagers.

Ian continued walking while grumbling internally, completely unaware that he had wandered into the courtyard of the village chief.

The village chief, who had been sitting beneath the shade of his house, stared at the young man wandering into his courtyard while muttering curses at the sky. After watching him for several seconds, the old man finally raised an eyebrow.

"Ah... young man, why do you look so indignant? Is there something I can help you with?"

Ian stopped.

His eyes slowly moved toward the speaker.

Young man?

For a brief moment, Ian genuinely considered teaching the old man a lesson for his choice of words.

Unfortunately, his current appearance made the man’s assumption perfectly reasonable. He looked to be in his early twenties, while the village chief was already around fifty, with several strands of gray visible among his hair.

Despite his age, however, the man’s posture remained straight and his eyes retained a certain sharpness that suggested he was not an ordinary farmer.

Ian suppressed his irritation.

He was forbidden from harming mortals, and Destiny would undoubtedly punish him if he did.

The goddess had already made it very clear that she intended to enforce their little arrangement, and Ian had no desire to experience whatever punishment she had in mind.

He had fought gods, monsters, and beings far more terrifying than Destiny’s threats, yet somehow, being punished by that woman had become one of the few things he genuinely wanted to avoid.

With a sigh, Ian walked toward the village chief.

"Hello. I’m the God Ki—"

He stopped himself before the words could leave his mouth.

"Ahem. I mean, my wife and I recently moved into the village. I was a little upset because I don’t have any work, so I was looking around for something I could do to earn some money."

He spoke in a half-hearted manner, clearly still dissatisfied with the situation.

The village chief stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Ian already knew a little about the old man. His name was Jack, and he was considered the wealthiest person in Rock Wood Village.

Unlike most villagers, Jack was also relatively well educated. In his younger years, he had worked as an assistant for a court official of the Sapphire Kingdom, which had allowed him to learn about matters far beyond farming and village life.

After leaving that position, he had returned to the village and used what he had earned to purchase several pieces of land, eventually becoming one of the most respected people in the settlement.

Ian couldn’t help but find the situation amusing.

What a day this had become.

The world’s strongest man had somehow ended up standing in front of a mortal village chief, asking him for work.

Jack thought for a moment before asking, "Do you know how to read and write?"

Ian shook his head.

He knew how to read, but writing was another matter entirely. He had received an education when he was young, but he had fled his home when he was around fifteen, and so many years had passed since then that most of what he had learned had disappeared from his memory.

Ian could no longer even remember the exact age at which he had left, and the faces of his parents had long since faded from his memories.

There was little reason to expect him to remember how to form complicated mortal characters after living for so many centuries.

Reading, however, had remained a habit.

During the countless years he had spent travelling through different worlds, Ian had occasionally read novels and other written works whenever he had the time.

He had read more books than most mortals could imagine, but knowing how to recognize words was very different from being capable of writing them himself.

"No," Ian replied simply.

Jack nodded and asked another question.

"Then can you farm?"

Ian thought about it for a moment before answering, "I can fight—"

He stopped.

"Farm. I meant farm."

Jack stared at him strangely.

Ian cleared his throat.

"I can farm, but I don’t know much about cultivating crops. I have a strong physique, so working the land shouldn’t be a problem, but I don’t know the actual process."

Jack stroked his chin again, considering the young man’s words.

"You have strength but no knowledge of farming..."

Ian remained silent as he waited for the old man’s answer.

At that moment, footsteps came from inside the house.

A young woman walked into the courtyard carrying a cup of tea.

Ian’s gaze shifted toward her.

She appeared to be around twenty years old, although Ian wasn’t particularly good at judging mortal ages.

Her appearance was refined rather than flashy, with lustrous black hair tied into a neat bun and a few loose strands falling naturally around her face.

Her pale skin seemed almost to glow beneath the sunlight, while her almond-shaped black eyes possessed a gentle quality that contrasted with the sharpness of her father’s gaze.

"Father, here is your—"

Her voice stopped.

The moment her eyes landed on Ian, she froze.

Her gaze slowly travelled over him from head to toe, and for a brief moment she simply stood there as though she had forgotten what she had been about to say.

Ian raised an eyebrow.

’Mesmerized, are you?’

He had seen that expression countless times throughout his life, although it was admittedly rare for someone to stare at him so openly.

After a few seconds, the young woman finally realized what she was doing and quickly looked away. A faint blush spread across her cheeks as she hurriedly walked toward her father and handed him the cup of tea.

Jack smiled faintly.

"This is my daughter, Lily."

He then turned toward his daughter.

"Lily, this is Ian. He and his wife are the new villagers I told you about."

Lily looked at Ian once more before lowering her head slightly.

"H-Hello."

Ian almost chuckled.

He had to admit that the situation was somewhat amusing. Still, he maintained a polite smile and returned her greeting.

"Hello. I’m Ian. My wife and I will be in your care."

The moment Lily heard the word "wife," her expression changed.

The disappointment was subtle, but Ian noticed it immediately.

His lips almost curved into a grin.

He had read enough novels over the years to recognize this sort of situation. The beautiful village girl met the handsome newcomer, became interested in him at first sight, and then discovered that the man was already married. It was practically a standard scene.

Ian found it rather entertaining.

Throughout his life, countless women had been offered to him, some of whom were undoubtedly more beautiful than Lily. He had never paid much attention to such things because there had always been more important matters occupying his mind.

Between fighting gods, pursuing freedom, hunting enemies, and trying to survive one catastrophe after another, he had never had the luxury of enjoying the small reactions of ordinary people.

Now that he was forced to live as a mortal, perhaps he could at least enjoy some of the simpler things.

Jack coughed lightly.

"Lily, go and bring Ian another cup of tea."

The girl nodded.

"Yes, Father."

She turned and walked back into the house, though not before stealing one final glance at Ian.

Once she disappeared inside, Jack turned his attention back toward Ian.

"So, you can’t write, but you have physical strength?"

Ian nodded.

"Then I may have something suitable for you."

Jack leaned back slightly and continued, "I have a piece of land that hasn’t been cultivated this year. It’s not too large, but it still requires quite a bit of work. You could take care of it."

Ian listened carefully.

"Of course, I won’t simply throw you into the field and expect you to figure everything out yourself. I can teach you how to prepare the soil, plant the crops, and take care of them. Once you become familiar with the process, most of the work will be up to you."

Ian glanced toward the fields surrounding the village.

It didn’t sound particularly difficult.

Even in his current weakened condition, his physical strength was far beyond that of an ordinary farmer. Preparing a field should be easy enough, and if this was all he needed to do to earn money, there was no reason to refuse.

Jack continued explaining the arrangement.

"As for payment, you won’t receive everything you earn immediately. After the crops are harvested, you can pay the rent for the land, and whatever remains will belong to you. That should give you enough money to support yourself and your wife."

Ian nodded slowly.

"And if that’s not enough, there’s another option. The forest around the village contains quite a few herbs. Some of them are useful for medicine, and I regularly purchase them from villagers who find them. If you know what you’re looking for, you can collect herbs and sell them to me."

Ian looked toward the forest in the distance.

He had spent his entire life surrounded by treasures that could make human kingdoms fight wars, so the idea of collecting ordinary herbs for a few coins was almost laughable.

Still, it was work and apparently, he needed work.

Jack looked at him.

"How about it?"

Ian remained silent for several seconds before sighing.

"Fine."

He looked toward the fields with a resigned expression.

"I’ll farm."

Jack smiled.

"Good. Then I’ll take you to the field and explain what you need to do."

Ian nodded and followed him. As he walked behind the village chief, however, his expression slowly became complicated.

The God Slayer, the Heavenly Demon, the pursuer of freedom. The man who had fought gods across countless worlds.

Now a farmer.

Ian looked toward the sky and silently cursed Destiny once again.

He had a feeling this goddess was enjoying herself far too much.