The Main Character is the Villain

EP 20 - Hero & Lucius vs EVIL(1)

“F*ck.”

Did I say I wanted to be a hero? I wanted to live as one, but it looks like I'm going to die like this. I cursed while sitting atop the corpse of an ogre. Smoke was rising from all directions, and the wails of the wounded being carried off filled the air.

“Are you all right, My Lord?”

Robin was running over from a distance, his surroundings littered with the remains of orcs and goblins that had been reduced to chunks. The scent of burning bodies was thick. The soldiers moved the wounded back and burned the bodies of the enemies. We had to burn them quickly, as they could turn into undead.

Wasn’t I supposed to be off hunting the Demon King? I had that dream once. If everything had gone according to plan, I would have smashed the head of the noble who was trying to release the Demon King's seal and be hailed as a hero. But ever since I received the news, monsters had begun converging on this land. There was no way to escape.

Looking back, there were a lot of monsters in the territory mid-game. But when I first arrived, not a single one was in sight. It seemed the monsters spawned as the Demon King’s resurrection began. Thinking too lightly was my downfall. I clicked my tongue and slammed the mace into the ground.

“My Lord, are you okay?”

Of course, if I really wanted to, I could have slipped away. But if I, the lord, abandoned my people and went to catch the Demon King, there would be no one to defend this place. A week’s round-trip may seem short during peaceful times, but it was far too long with monsters swarming.

It was enough time for the neighboring lord to seize command and claim ownership of the territory. I gave up on the title of 'hero' in favor of avoiding NTR.

Technically, I was already regarded as a hero—but only limited within the territory. Over the past month, I had fended off the monsters gathering around the territory, waiting for the hero to come. With no option to leave, I’d settled on being the buffer when they show up.

I killed monsters like that for a month. Maybe because it was the middle part of the story, the average level of the monsters was over 20. As a result of continuously killing these guys under my command and buffs, my level went up from 36 to 45, and Robin's from 20 to 30.

But despite the level increase, I was slowly getting tired of these monsters seemingly crawling out of nowhere. When was the last time I went back to the mansion? It must have been over a week by now.

Sieri was tending to the wounded soldiers with a haggard look on her face. Robin, for his part, was slumped on the ground and nodding off. We were all at our limit. We had been running around the territory, responding to every monster attack. I asked Robin.

“Robin. Why are there so many monsters?”

“Huh? Ah, are you okay, My Lord?”

Seeing that he was out of it too, I gave up on asking. I had never expected Robin to give me a proper answer anyway. I silently stared at the smoldering ground. When the soldiers looked at me intently, I silently handed them the ogre corpse I was sitting on.

In this world, ogres were monsters with the height of a basketball player and the physique of a gorilla. With an average level of 35 to 40, they were mid-level field bosses whose strength could crumple knights' armor like paper.

If not for me, this land would have been completely razed by them. I gazed down at the burning corpse of the ogre and spat on the ground. My mouth tasted bitter from inhaling ash. I then sat back down, feeling the warmth emanating from the burning ogre. These monsters, who seemed to lack any trace of pity or remorse, released a warmth as if trying to embrace the world.

Waiting for quite some time, everything was quiet. It seemed that after a week of hunting monsters along this border, we’d finally managed to clear them. Now, my task was simple. Return to the mansion as quickly as possible and replenish my energy.

“Village Chief.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

“We’re heading back for now. Strengthen the defenses around the fence.”

“Yes. Understood.”

After instructing the village chief to tighten security, I returned to the mansion with the knights and soldiers. Many of the villagers had died due to this monster attack. Three people had died and funerals were held, and four soldiers had died and five had become permanently disabled.

Most had fallen from surprise attacks before I could arrive. Lying back in the carriage, I reached out to Sieri, who was still watching over the wounded. She held a bandage in her hands, looking at the exhausted soldiers. I gently pulled her down beside me and whispered.

“You’ve done all you can. Rest.”

The healing magic of priests and nuns consumed stamina, so it was less effective when you're this tired. Given our exhausted state, it would probably be more effective to just say, “Pain, pain, go away~”

I wanted nothing more than to hurry back and get some rest. Sieri attempted to get up and tend to the patients, but when I held her tighter and forced her to lie down, she immediately stopped moving. Glancing over to check, I saw she’d already drifted off to sleep.

She was must have been really tired as she was even snoring softly. I also got into a comfortable position next to her and fell asleep without even realizing it.

“Get down…now…!”

“I’m…

“Now…how...know…?”

There was a commotion. It felt like I’d just closed my eyes, but it became so noisy. I frowned and got up. Sieri, who had been lying beside me, was already gone.

“What…”

The sight I saw as soon as I got up was truly a spectacle. A blonde elf was grabbing Robin by the collar and shaking him violently. Robin had a big bruise on his face, as if he had been hit, and the elf's eyes were incredibly fierce.

Without hesitation, I grabbed the mace beside me and swung it straight at the elf’s head. Just as I struck, the elf turned and reached out, but was instantly knocked backward with a sharp clang.

I was slightly surprised that her head hadn’t split open. Even though I was exhausted, I’d swung to kill. Since she’d managed to fly back intact, she must have been protected by some kind of defensive magic.

The elf rolled across the dirt, struggling to regain her balance. Only then did I have the chance to study her features closely. Blonde hair, green eyes. Large breasts and equally voluptuous hips and thighs. A short skirt that showed off those curves and a low-cut dress.

I knew who this elf was.

Someone was running toward us from a distance. He had jet-black Japanese host-style hair and a long sword on his back. He was wearing light armor on his upper body, and his pants were made of tough, polished leather.

He was wearing white greaves over his pants, and at a glance, they looked high-quality.

And I knew who this man was too.

The elf was Princess Erina of the Elf Kingdom, and the man was the hero. The very hero who would defeat the Demon King of this game and bring peace to the world.

A notorious womanizer capable of forming a harem of up to 15 people.

“Erina!”

“You insolent bastard! Do you know who we are, attacking us like this? You must be in league with the Demon King…!”

“Erina, calm down! It’s the lord of this territory!”

I tilted my head at the Hero’s words. The Elven Princess Erina didn’t recognize me, but this guy did? The Hero respectfully knelt and offered a formal greeting.

“Apologies for our rudeness, My Lord. We’re currently on a journey to defeat the Demon King. I am the lowly Hero, A.A., and this is the elf, Erina.”

“... What was your name again?”

“A.A.”

“A.A.? Like the battery, AA?”

“I’m not sure what a battery is, but yes, my name is A.A.”

What kind of person names their kid “A.A.” anyway? While I was momentarily stunned by the Hero’s bizarre name, Erina continued to speak to me in a condescending tone.

“You! If you know who I am, kneel before me immediately. How dare a lowly half-elf not greet a princess?”

She was as unpleasant as ever. In the original game, the elf Erina was notorious for her attitude. Despite meeting her early in the story, you could only unlock her romance route near the end. If her favorability was below a certain level, forming a harem with her was impossible.

On top of that, her romance event could only be unlocked by 'rescuing her from monsters at the entrance of the elf forest' early in the game, so she wasn’t even an accessible character for me right now. Well, except the Hero.

“So, what brings you here?”

I decided to ignore Erina entirely. Even if she wasn't just a princess but the queen of the elf kingdom, she wouldn’t be able to harm me. And it's not like flattering her would make her spread her legs for me.

“You dare ignore me? You insolent half-elf!”

It wasn’t that elves in this world hated half-elves. It was just Erina. Raised among pure-blooded high elves, she believed half-elves were dirty. That's why there was an event where Erina would make rude remarks when meeting Lucius.

Of course, Lucius would just tolerate it.

I glanced at Erina and opened her status window.

Name: Ahildern Erina

Level: 30

Job: Princess of Ahildern

Strength: 68

Agility: 120

Intelligence: 70

Luck: 57

Traits

Elf’s Adaptability

Increases movement speed in forests, swamps, mountains, and plains.

Receives penalties in the ocean.

Overbearing Attitude

Inflicts a [Fear] status on opponents of a lower level.

Wind Archer

When shooting arrows, additionally shoot a small magic arrow by borrowing the power of the sylph.

The arrow damage scales with Agility.

If there was one unfortunate thing for Erina, it was that I wasn’t that 'Lucius.'

“Quite an unpleasant thing to say.”

I said, tilting my mace. Then I thought to myself. Perfect timing.

[Previous Chapter]