I Like Villains so I Reincarnated as One
Keith pulled out a knife from his chest and was about to slash at Astesia… like hell I’d let that happen!!
“Die, witch!! If only you hadn’t existed, Martha and Catalina wouldn’t have had to die!!”
“Huh?”
“Shadow arms, obey me!!”
My shadowy hand grabs Keith’s arm as he pulls out a knife from his bosom with eyes full of hatred from behind, stopping his movement.
Phew, that was close! It was almost going to turn into a huge disaster.
“Loyssssss!! Why?! The priest said it was all her fault that those two disappeared!! It’s all because of her!! So I…”
“That can’t be… I…”
Astesia’s expression twists in sadness at Keith’s scream while being restrained by shadows. That shitty priest… no, Emile Rio!! Keith is just a kid. He doesn’t have the capacity for logical thinking yet. Most likely, he simply believed the priest who told him that Astesia, whom he already harbored aversion towards due to her curse, was the culprit.
“A… a…”
“It’s okay, Astesia… You’re not to blame. And I swear I’ll never let you feel this way again.”
After knocking Keith unconscious with a shadow punch to the neck, I quickly embrace Astesia who’s filled with despair, trying to prevent her from having any strange thoughts.
I couldn’t have done something like this in my past life due to nervousness, but now I’m Weiss, my favorite ikemen character. I don’t feel any embarrassment!! Moreover… I didn’t want her to be sad anymore.
“Thank you… As expected, you truly are my savior…”
“Eh? Savior…? Rosalia!! Stop!! That person is the enemy!!”
While confused by Astesia hugging me back while shedding tears against my chest, I stop Rosalia from trying to untie the ropes around Catalina. Most likely, Emile Rio must be hiding somewhere watching Astesia’s despair unfold.
But the real Emile Rio isn’t that powerful. She shouldn’t possess concealment skills that Rosalia or Darkness couldn’t detect. She immediately acted upon hearing my words.
“Ice, restrain them!!”
With the incantation, the wall where Catalina was bound begins to freeze over, but… the magic activates simultaneously as Catalina’s eyes snap open. She breaks free from her restraints and leaps up into the air.
And in mid-air, her form gradually begins to change…
“What the… what is that…”
“Tch!! What a shame… I almost got to see the face of despair from the woman once called a saint… I absolutely love hearing beautiful women cry out in anguish! Now then, who exactly are you people? How did you know about my divine protection?”
It’s no wonder Astesia lets out a scream-like voice. By the time he landed on the ground, his appearance had changed from a young girl to a young man. Average height with a completely unremarkable face – so featureless that one might forget meeting him immediately after. This eerie man lets out a big sigh.
“Well, whatever… You’re probably people from the capital. Your movements were faster than expected… but you’ll die here anyway. Do try to give me some good screams before you go.”
The distorted smile that Emileiro wears while looking at us is ominous on his otherwise featureless face, sending chills down our spines.
“You… You intended to pin everything on Astesia, didn’t you? You planted those ideas in Keith’s head for that purpose, right? Why would you do such a thing!?”
“Hehehe, why indeed? If you really want to know, lick my boots and maybe I’ll consider telling you. You see, I absolutely hate handsome bastards like you.”
Emile Rio smirks unpleasantly at my words, feigning ignorance. It’s not hard to imagine what would have happened if this guy, disguised as a priest, accused Astesia while Martha, us, and Darkness who suspected him were all dead.
Moreover, Astesia had been attacked by Keith whom she was trying to save, leaving her confused and mentally weakened. Would she have had any strength left to refute his claims… And this must be what happened in the game. The evidence being that the man in front of us neither confirms nor denies anything.
“Lord Weiss…”
“I understand!! Astesia, Keith won’t wake up for a while. Take him and escape.”
“Understood. Please, don’t die.”
Contrary to my expectation of resistance, Astesia runs straight toward the exit. At the same moment, the sound of clashing metal echoes through the room.
Rosalia had parried Emile Rio’s thrown knife with her spear.
“Ho ho, you’re better than I expected. Sneak attacks are usually my specialty though.”
“Lord Weiss is truly charming indeed. To open the heart of such a stubborn-looking girl.”
“Rosalia, as expected of my maid, you’re reliable.”
Ignoring Emile Rio’s words, she smiles at me. Rosalia is amazing!!! But despite the situation, Emile Rio maintains his evil, confident smile.
“Haaa, disgusting!! That’s why I hate handsome men and beautiful women. Of course, you two were probably fooling around together, right? How lewd, playing around in the church, huh Priest?”
Emile Rio continues to taunt us. I remember Emile Rio has an inferiority complex about his face. Though his words are vulgar, I can’t help but feel a bit pleased being called handsome… wait, this isn’t the time for that. Rosalia… is expressionless.
Ah, she’s angry.
“Don’t speak about Lord Loys and me in such a vulgar manner. This guy… can I kill him?”
“No, wait a moment. Can I ask you something? You’re the one who skinned the priest’s face, right? Why did you do something like that? Was it necessary for your transformation?”
“Haaaaa!!? The blessing of Hades-sama isn’t so pathetic! It was just for fun!! That priest, even though he was threatened, started saying he didn’t want to sell children anymore after joining our group! How insolent!! Plus, everyone kept calling him kind-faced and admired him! It pissed me off so I skinned him! It was pathetic! In the end, he was crying out ‘Oh God’ in despair. If he had just kept faith in Hades-sama, he wouldn’t have ended up like that!!”
Emile Rio spoke boastfully as if showing off his achievement. Ah, good… this guy is just pure evil… not the kind of evil I like. Just trash.
“I see… that’s good… I don’t think I can support you…”
“Support…? What’s that supposed to mean? Well, whatever. I’ll skin you after seeing your faces filled with despair. I’ll take you seriously!! Yes… if I skin the man’s face, that woman over there should make a nice expression…”
“I absolutely won’t let that happen!! E… eh?”
“I see… so that’s how it is…”
It’s no wonder Rosalia lets out a voice of astonishment. Within my knowledge, Emile Rio transformed into Reinhard, supposedly the strongest human.
—————-
And thus begins the battle with the Twelve Apostles. They turned out to be worse than I expected…
