I Like Villains, so I Reincarnated as One
In the end, to keep an eye on things as well as for security purposes, it was decided that Rosalia and I would sleep in the same room with the children. The priest had gone to report about the suspicious person, and Astesia, who had been shunned, continued to keep her distance by sleeping in her private quarters. It’s a harsh situation, but that’s how powerful the curse is. There’s nothing we can do about it.
“Rosalia… I’m going to check on Astesia.”
“I wish I could go too, but I can’t. I feel like I might say something rude and hurt her…”
Once Keith, who had been clinging to me, finally fell asleep, I turned to Rosalia. She looked at the children, then gently stroked Catalina’s hand, which was tightly gripping her clothes, and said apologetically,
“Don’t worry about it. This is just putting the right person in the right place. All I have to do is explain that Angela asked us to help her.”
“Thank you very much. But… this seems to be quite a powerful curse. Is there really a way to lift it?”
“Yeah… I can’t guarantee anything, but I have a few ideas. First, let’s take her to Hamilton territory and try some things out.”
“You’re impressive, Weiss-sama. You’re so knowledgeable.”
I couldn’t help but crack a bitter smile at Rosalia’s trusting expression. How could she not question anything? Surely, she must wonder why I know all this… But it seems our relationship has reached a point where trust is implicit even without asking those questions. And if that’s the case, I can’t betray that trust.
I renewed my vow: I absolutely will succeed.
There are roughly two possible ways to break Astesia’s curse. One is through the blessing of a divine beast. By forming a contract with a powerful divine beast, its power could purify the curse. Incidentally, in the game, there’s an event where one of the protagonist’s allies nearly got taken over by a high-ranking Hades cultist with parasitic abilities, but they managed to resist thanks to forming a contract with a divine beast.
Considering that I’ve been able to resist Astesia’s curse, this method seems plausible.
“Still… White is already contracted with me, and divine beasts aren’t exactly common, like Pokémon or something… In the game, the protagonists only managed to contract with them through a series of coincidences… Probably due to protagonist bias…”
Unfortunately, I’m supposed to die early as the villainous noble, so I can’t rely on any protagonist perks. And the other method… involves using water from the Spirit Spring.
“In the game, that’s less of an event item and more of a recovery consumable…”
In the game, there’s an item called “Spirit Water,” which can be obtained from the spring. Even though you can only carry one at a time, you can refill it when you revisit the spring. However, if you try to collect too many, a text box appears saying, “The water of the Spirit Spring is precious. Hoarding it wouldn’t be right.”
I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who thought, “Shut up, let me carry more!” Its effect cures any status ailment, including poison, paralysis, and curses that immobilize the character. It should work on Astesia’s curse too. And in addition to simply drinking it like in the game, maybe immersing her body entirely in it might make a difference.
Lost in these thoughts, I arrived in front of Astesia’s room. It felt like it used to be a storage room or something—damp, older than the rest of the building, and looking like the walls might collapse any moment. Just seeing this gives you an idea of how she’s been treated.
“Sorry to bother you, but I need to talk. Is that okay?”
“…Sure, I don’t mind. What do you want?”
After knocking, her reply came after a short pause, tinged with caution. That’s understandable, considering how unjustly she’s been persecuted…
Don’t worry, Astesia. I’ll definitely save you.
When I opened the door, I found a simple room with only a bed, desk, and bookshelf. Though the building itself was old, the room was neatly organized. On the bookshelf were various books related to religion, indicating her serious personality—but then I noticed a book titled *Fluffy Encyclopedia*.
Come to think of it, in the game, her expression softened slightly when she saw a divine beast. To be honest, I wanted to scream, roll around, and sniff everything because this was my waifu’s room—but now isn’t the time for that. Damn, such a pity.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t pry into my privacy… Why don’t you sit down instead of standing there? Are the children doing well?”
“Yeah, they’re sleeping together with Rosalia right now.”
“I see… I’m glad to hear that.”
At my words, she let out a sigh of relief. In the main storyline of the game, Astesia falls into despair after being betrayed by the people she tried so hard to save, leading her to fall to darkness. Afterward… as a member of the Hades cult, she becomes extremely ruthless towards non-cult members.
But if she still cares about the children… then there’s still hope to save her.
“Anyway, do you know a woman named Angela?”
“…Yes, I know her. It’s a nostalgic name. Here, drink this.”
As she spoke, she placed a glass of fruit juice in front of me, her face expressionless. But I noticed—I didn’t miss the brief flicker of excitement in her eyes. Angela must truly be someone important to Astesia.
I took a sip of the fruit juice she offered and continued.
“I’m here to help you, under Angela’s request. Being hated by everyone must be tough, right? I believe I know a way to help you.”
“A way to save me… Now that you mention it, you don’t seem to despise me. Why is that?”
Her previously emotionless eyes widened in surprise, and for a fleeting moment, I thought I saw her smile. Seeing that smile… a bad feeling washed over me.
I’ve seen that smile before in the game—when she faces off against the protagonists and when she mercilessly slaughters her enemies.
“That’s…”
Before I could explain myself, my head suddenly grew heavy. Oh no… my body is going numb…
“Let me answer that for you. It’s because… you’re part of the heretical cult, aren’t you?”
“No, I’m trying to…!”
“You think I don’t know the nature of the curse placed on me? ‘Everyone except members of the heretical cult will despise me,’ right? Did you plan to swoop in like a savior and brainwash me while I was vulnerable? Too bad. I used to be called a saint, you know. I figured out what kind of curse it was, though I couldn’t fully break it—only weaken it…”
She looked at me with a hint of frustration. This is bad… She thinks I’m part of the Hades cult. Ironically, the method she just described is exactly how the Hades cult recruited her in the game.
Damn, she’s making a very convincing argument.
“Did your group kidnap Martha too? Don’t worry, I’ll listen to what you have to say. I haven’t done torture before, but I can heal wounds easily, so don’t worry.”
With that, Astesia drew the sword from my waist. Oh nooooooo!!! First Aegis, and now this?! Damn, villains sure are violent!!!
