I Like Villains, so I Reincarnated as One
The man called Darkness may act silly, but his strength is genuine. Though Astesia has high stats, she lacks real combat experience, so I can’t bring her along. And to counter him, we need White’s power. If only the strength from the Hades battle could be used, even that guy would surely…
When I returned to the room, a shocking scene unfolded before me.
“Astesia, we need to…”
“Ohhh, it’s so fluffy and cute! I’m getting healed just petting it… As expected of a divine beast… Its healing ability is god-tier. It’s been years since I last touched an animal. Hehe, it’s too adorable.”
“Kyu kyu~♪”
There was Astesia, merrily petting White with a grin on her face, a stark contrast to her usual emotionless expression. Even White seemed to be enjoying the attention. Ah, I see… Animals aren’t followers of Hades, so they were also cursed…
Seriously though, I’ve never seen Astesia smile like this in the game!
“Um, do you want to eat something? What would a divine beast normally…”
“…”
As I stood frozen at this unexpected sight, Astesia looked up, probably intending to feed White, and our eyes met.
Her smile instantly disappeared, and she returned to her usual expressionless face.
“I’d appreciate it if you knocked before entering a lady’s room, even if you are my savior.”
“Ah… sorry. We’re going to patrol for a bit, so wait here. White, come here.”
“I understand. Please be careful.”
As White jumped onto my shoulder, Astesia momentarily showed a lonely expression. Wow, she really loves animals… Just knowing this makes coming to this world worthwhile. My waifu appreciation just went up.
“That… Your natural expression when you’re caring for animals suits you well.”
“What!! Aah… Uwaaah!!”
Leaving behind a blushing, flustered Astesia, I exited the room to meet up with Rosalia who was waiting outside.
She must have overheard our conversation, as she wore an amused smile.
“Father Clayes wasn’t ambushed while calling for backup, right? So the enemy must be watching this place.”
“That’s right. Let’s scout the area first. We don’t know where that man might be.”
“No need to search. I’m right here.”
Just as we stepped into the courtyard to head outside, a figure stood boldly at the main entrance. There was no mistaking it – it was Darkness, wearing his signature tattered black cloth.
Rosalia stepped protectively in front of me, raising her spear while Darkness began drawing his twin swords… but then he saw me and froze.
“Hold on, your misdeeds end here! Wait, isn’t that divine beast on your shoulder?! Aren’t you apostles of the evil cult?!”
“Huh? The evil ones are you! Aren’t you the one abducting orphans from here?!”
“Weiss-sama, this could be a trap to lower our guard. Stay alert.”
While Darkness appeared flustered, Rosalia and I maintained our defensive stance. He raised both hands to show he meant no harm, but given he could use magic, we couldn’t let our guard down.
“Wait, look at this emblem. My name is Darkness, sent from the capital city. I came to investigate information about this church selling orphans to the dark slave market. If you’re not apostles of the evil cult, we have no reason to fight, correct?”
“The royal family’s emblem…”
“Weiss-sama, what should we do? It could be forged…”
Though Darkness presented the royal emblem from his chest, Rosalia, likely remembering bitter experiences from her adventurer days, remained cautious and looked to me for judgment.
This was exactly when my abilities proved useful.
“It’s fine. Leave it to me. Could you show me that emblem more closely?”
“Sure, no problem. So you’re the one with appraisal skills. That’s how you knew my name. Not bad at all!”
As Darkness nodded approvingly, I inwardly commented that he introduced himself anyway, while pretending to examine the emblem, lightly touching his hand.
As usual, the status window appeared.
———————————————————————————————
Darkness = Achilles
[Stats]
Strength: 90
Magic: 85
Skill: 90
[Skills]
Wind Magic LV4
Fire Magic LV4
Swordsmanship LV4
Concealment LV3
Occupation: Sixth Apostle among Zeus’ Twelve Apostles
Loyalty to Self: 100
Unique Skills
Blessing of Twelve Apostles:
Great stat boost granted by Zeus’ blessing to twelve chosen warriors.
Heretic Slayer:
Immune to negative status effects from heretics. +10 Strength against heretics.
Negative Status Effects
Chuunibyou:
Speech and actions cause unnecessary distrust in others.
Dual Wielding:
Weaker than single sword due to using two swords just because it looks cool despite lack of aptitude.
Notes:
High-ranking sixth apostle of Zeus Church. Often conceals identity because “mysterious man” sounds cooler.
————————————————————————————-
HAAAAA!!!?? One of Zeus’ Twelve Apostles?! Come to think of it, the setting materials did mention one of the Twelve Apostles died during the incident when Astesia fell to darkness… Could it be this guy?
An unexpected result, but at least I knew he wasn’t an enemy.
“Rosalia… This person really isn’t a Hades follower. He’s an ally. His true identity is…”
“Young man, revealing a hero’s identity is against proper etiquette.”
Before I could explain about the Twelve Apostles, Darkness stopped me with an unnecessarily smug face. No wonder Rosalia looked suspicious… though she didn’t.
She lowered her weapon after hearing my words.
“I understand. If Loys says he’s an ally, then he must be.”
“Hmm, this girl truly trusts you. Or maybe it’s my aura as a strong warrior? Usually, people are suspicious of me, so this is the first time someone accepted me without doubt. Hahaha.”
No, it’s because of your suspicious words and actions… While I inwardly commented, I asked a question.
“If you’re not an enemy, why did you attack Father Clayes?”
“Hmm? I haven’t fought anyone besides you. I came here to investigate, avoiding combat as much as possible. Though you guys seemed troublesome, so I thought to eliminate you quickly to avoid hindering future operations…”
“??”
Darkness’s words made both Rosalia and I unintentionally make surprised sounds. But Father Clayes said he was attacked by someone… A really bad feeling came over me.
Ignoring our confusion, Darkness asked us a question.
“More importantly, have you noticed anyone around you acting strangely? Some heretical followers can change their appearance freely. They might be disguised as someone.”
His words made Astesia’s earlier comment resurface in my mind.
‘The children haven’t changed, but Father Clayes has become somewhat kinder recently…’
“Rosalia!! It’s Father Clayes! The enemy might be disguised as him. What is the priest doing now?!”
“He’s… watching over the children in my place.”
“Now that he’s aware of my presence, he might try to abduct the children one last time before fleeing. We need to hurry!!”
We rushed off immediately. And it wasn’t just the children in danger – Astesia was too. She had been showing such weakness to me, cornered… Her current state matched too closely with the situation when she supposedly fell to darkness. Something must have happened here.
I absolutely didn’t want to see her suffer again after finally regaining her smile.
