Absolute Villain Ark

Chapter 42

Absolute was summoned by the king immediately after the exercise. The reason for the king’s call was, of course, about the exercise.

The exercise was held in the territory of Eleeme, where there were encounters with a large number of higher-class monsters and a large number of monsters that were not supposed to be there. He asked me about the Ark faction, which had suffered damage but still had no fatalities. The Ark family’s lack of damage in such a desperate situation would have looked suspiciously obvious. ……Absolute had done too well.

Absolute reported on the case, hiding the negotiator part. Despite his headache about the church and the saint, the king took certain actions.

He used his power to capture the saint.

This was only one day after the exercise. The king was concerned for the saint’s safety, partly because he had evidence. The saint was originally a commoner, but she had known the king since she was a child, when she treated his daughter.

He was also suspicious of the church that had driven the gentle girl she had seen that time mad, but if she was left in the church, she might be killed to keep her mouth shut. He didn’t want to lose her, who had the precious “regeneration” skill.

The king separated the saint from the church in the name of protecting her.

There was naturally some opposition from the church, but the saint herself accepted it without question, and no damage was done.

The saint herself was worried that the person who had sent the monster to her within the church would try to silence her again.

The detention of the saint and Bishop Sirius, the main culprit, ostensibly put an end to the matter of the exercise. As for the saint, a gag order has been placed on her and she will be absent from the school for a while. However, it cannot be said that this is the end of the matter, as there is still Cardinal Nemuria left to be dealt with. ……

On the third day after the exercise, Absolute, who was preparing to attend the academy again the next day, visited the royal castle again.

“First of all, thank you for your prompt response regarding the saint, Your Majesty.”

“No, of course. The saint’s custody has been transferred to this royal castle. No one will be able to do anything wrong here.”

The royal castle has a confinement room designed to protect and restrain people of high rank and importance. The room is filled with all kinds of magical equipment, making it impossible to use magic inside or move around.

The saint was interrogated during the day, but …apparently, they are having a hard time with it. I’m going to have Villain do it from now on.”

“…… By my father? Are you planning to cripple her?”

(Seriously….. the saint is dead.)

When it comes to torture and getting information out of people, there is no one better than Villain. I was reminded of the splattered torture scenes that Villain showed me when I was a child and I had a faraway look in my eyes. Absolute sympathized with the saint for the tragedy that was about to befall her.

“Don’t talk nonsense…he can at least moderate. Don’t worry, I’ll have that little girl crying and begging for your forgiveness.”

“I don’t hold a grudge, so there’s no need for that. I’m sure this isn’t the reason why I’m here, right? If it were just this, there would be no need to summon me.”

The king nodded quietly and reached into his pocket to show me a document containing the national seal of the Suiroku Kingdom. The presence of the country’s seal on the document indicated that it was official.

“The king of Suiroku has requested our help. The king of the Kingdom of Suiroku died of illness three days ago.”

Absolute is blindsided. He knew this situation from the original story.

The king continued.

“The king’s death has left the capital in turmoil, and now the Black Fairy, a dark organization, is approaching the capital, absorbing all the nobles’ territories, as if it had been aiming to do so. Prince Sicilian has taken over and is responding to the situation, but their momentum is so great that the demoralized soldiers cannot stop them.”

(I knew this was the original event…but it’s strange. This event was supposed to happen a few months in the future. Did I cause the original story to be affected?)

This time, the event is for the hero to go to the kingdom of Suiroku and save the country from the dark organization. By accomplishing this, the hero will be recognized in the country and in other countries.

The name of the enemy is Black Fairy, a dark organization. It is composed of people from the slums of the Suiroku Kingdom, and at the center of the organization are seven executives. In the original story, however, there were only five.

“According to the document, the Black Fairy is led by the seven executives, and they are the ones who organize the remnants of Gileus and other organizations. And since Prince Sicilian is also ill, there is a contingency… So Princess Leone is asked to return home as soon as possible. Absolute Ark, I would like you to conceal your true identity and escort Princess Leone until we can send reinforcements on her return.”

“You want me to just escort her?”

Absolute was disappointed at the nature of the assignment, as he had expected to be told to go and settle the civil war in secret by himself.

“Yeah, I’m going to give him a little extra credit this time and let it be his first battle as a hero. We need to give him a chance to grow.”

Absolute is listening to the king and a cold sweat falls down his back. Sending the hero to the kingdom of Suiroku…… because he thought that this would be the same as the original story.

(Maria and Alicia are not there….. but the hero is still the hero of the story. Anything could happen, which would suck if this was a successful subjugation.)

Fearing that the modifying forces of the story will be at work, Absolute attempts to prevent the hero from making his first battle.

“Your highness…… certainly he has the skill of hero. But he lacks the resolve and the fighting sense to be one. He can’t win against the dark forces.”

“Of course, I know that.  The hero needs to become the future strength of our country. That is why I want him to come out of his shell here.”

(I understand that opinion …… but I don’t want that. If it proceeds as it did in the original story, I, Absolute Ark, will be humiliated for the second time. I have to win….. for myself and for Absolute.)

“I disagree. You don’t mean you’re going to let the hero go out in the form of a request and try to wipe out the debt with the reward?”

“I would never do such a thing.  If it takes a long time, I will make him pay by his own hand.”

“If you let the hero go, I refuse the mission.”

“I understand your feelings about the hero, but we still need a strong hero in the land of Rainana. Please understand.”

From that point on, the two sides were unable to come to terms with each other, and the discussion was interrupted by Villain interceding.

The conversation was suspended, and they decided to take some time to talk again. Absolute was so fired up that he visited the gardens in the royal castle to cool down his heat. The garden was filled with various kinds of flowers, but all of them were arranged in a regular pattern.

Stepping into the garden, Absolute tried to forget all the feelings of anger and hatred he had just experienced, and savored the scenery with his eyes and nose.

But it was short-lived.

Suddenly, he feels a presence behind him and turns around.

“Do you like flowers?”

A girl wearing a white dress and a veil over her face approached Absolute. The girl smiled and waited for Absolute’s answer.

He wasn’t obliged to answer the question, but the flowers may have put him in a better mood, and the words came out of Absolute’s mouth.

“I don’t like it…but I don’t dislike it either. I am beginning to think that it’s not so bad to look at flowers like this once in a while.”

“Ahaha, you are just like me. I also come to the garden once in a while to smell the flowers. I am blind.”

The girl rolled up her veil and opened her closed eyes to reveal her cloudy white pupils.

(A blind girl? Could it be…?)

Absolute had an idea who this person was.

“I see… you must be Princess Haniel.”

The girl smiled and nodded in affirmation.

“Yes, nice to meet you, Absolute Ark. I am Haniel Rainana. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, my handsome future husband.”

Absolute felt uncomfortable with Princess Haniel’s response. As a result of being hated and feared for 15 years, Absolute is sensitive to negative emotions directed at him. Everyone has a few negative feelings when they see Absolute in front of them, but Princess Haniel didn’t feel any of them.

“You… aren’t you afraid of me?”

“I have heard about your skills and reputation, but even taking that into account, I don’t feel any negative feelings toward you.”

(I thought it was unusual that she wasn’t afraid of me when we first met, but perhaps her blindness shuts out information from her vision, so his skill “Absolute Evil” doesn’t work?)

Absolute listened to Haniel’s story and concluded.

“By the way, I haven’t introduced myself yet, how did you know I was Absolute Ark?”

Although he is asking, Absolute, who knows the original story, knows the answer. The answer is due to Princess Haniel’s skills.

Princess Haniel has two skills.

The first is appraising. While being blind, she uses appraisal to identify people.

The second is the skill of prophecy, which is a type of skill that cannot be used at will, but is triggered by itself. It is a difficult skill to handle, but in the original story, it was sometimes used to support the hero.

“I can’t see, but I can at least distinguish between people, though I don’t tell other people. The reason I came here today is because my skill told me that I would meet someone who might be my destined partner.”

“The skill of the prophecy? If you’re just going to meet him, then you’ve achieved your goal. I’ll leave you to it.”

Absolute turns his back on Haniel and leaves the garden. Then Haniel grabbed the hem of Absolute’s dress with her fingers and stopped him.

“Wait. You and my father are having a dispute over the matter of the kingdom of Suiroku, right? I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but let me give you some advice. I advise you to go to the Kingdom of Suiroku.”

Absolute stopped at the sound of Haniel’s voice and frowned at her advice.

(This guy says it, so it might have more merit that way, but Haniel mixes lies a lot. She’ll use her skills to lead others to benefit the royal family, the country, and herself… in a way, it’s like royalty, though.)

“If you don’t go to the Kingdom of Suiroku, you’ll be dead within a few years.”

Absolute’s eyes widened for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. He had known for some time that he was going to die in the future, and he had been working to reverse it. He was rather surprised that Haniel had come to him, to tell him this.

“You’re not very surprised, are you not afraid?”

“Nonsense, I decide my future for myself. I’ll never die no matter who I’m dealing with…. end of story, then.”

Absolute tried to walk away, but Haniel picked at his clothes and wouldn’t let go.

“Wait…. Husband.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Well then, Absolute-san, let me just advice you. There is something I would like you to see today. Can you come with me?”

With that, Haniel walked to the back of the garden. He wasn’t keen on the idea, but curiosity got the better of him, and Absolute followed suit.

After a short walk, they arrived at an open area a short distance away from the garden. There were two little girls with faces that looked exactly like each other enjoying a cup of tea.

“Ah! Haniel-san!”

The two girls noticed Haniel and leaving their tea alone, jumped into her arms, hugging her as they flanked her on either side.

“This two girls are the ones you rescued from Gileus before “Fiamma and Fianna”. Fiamma and Fianna, this is Absolute Ark. He’s the one who saved you from the bad guys.”

The girls called Fiamma and Fianna shift their gaze to Absolute, their golden and jade green odd eyes reflecting Absolute’s image.

(I’m not good with children… they are pure and act only on instinct and emotion, unlike adults. I think it is because of my skills or my strong face, but every time they see me, they cry or look at me with frightened eyes. They look at me as if I am a monster. I’m sure these two will do the same.)

Absolute was a little defensive about the children, but their reaction was different from what he expected.

““Really? Thanks for saving us!””

The two separated from Haniel and hugged Absolute in the same way as if surrounding him. They  seemed to have quite a friendly personality.

Their reaction was different from what he expected, and although he did not show it on his face, he was puzzled. He had never been liked by a child before.

“Aren’t you guys afraid of me?”

Absolute wonders if they are not afraid of him.

Haniel, sensing Absolute’s doubt, spoke.

“It seems that the eyes of these two people have a little special power. Perhaps that is why they are able to nullify your skills.”

Absolute shifted his gaze to the two girls who were hugging him. They had healthier faces and bodies than when they had been abducted by Gileus, and their expressions had power.

“I heard that they were the girls you protected, so I thought you might be interested in them, so I showed them to you. Look at their faces, they are alive and smiling …… you saved them.”

(I never helped anyone….. but I still think it’s a good thing that these guys were saved.)

Absolute puts his hand on their heads as they hugged him.

“I get it, don’t hug me… it’s too hot.”

The two pulled away from Absolute and then went back to their tea.

As I watch them move away, thinking how free children are, Haniel talks next to me.

“Haha, they are nice and bright girls, aren’t they? Fianna-san and Fiamma-san…… originally were supposed to be able to return to their hometown in the Kingdom of Suiroku by now, but because of the disturbances that are currently taking place, they are unable to return.”

“The country is in danger…. it can’t be helped.”

“So here’s the thing, Absolute, if you go to the Kingdom of Suiroku, you will save the Kingdom from the dark organization so that the children can return home as soon as possible.”

“Shouldn’t you be telling that to the hero, not me?”

“We talked about it a while ago, but I don’t think he’s good enough. He is full of things he lacks. If he had friends who could still help him, it would be a different story… but I think the current situation is tough.”

(I’m still watching closely. She understands the essence of the hero and neither overestimates nor underestimates him. Princess Haniel is a good judge of people.)

“Saving the Kingdom of Suiroku from the dark organization…… I see.”

Absolute came to an idea.

No matter how he did it, the hero would be sent to the Kingdom of Suiroku. If that is the case, why not let the hero make achievements?

(If he could do something about the Black Fairy before the reinforcements arrive, he wouldn’t have to let the hero get credit for his achievements. I’ll take away the role of the hero myself.)

After thinking it over for a moment, Absolute’s mind was made up.

“Will you take it?”

“I’ve stayed here for a long time. I’m going back now.”

Absolute made no reply, but turned his back on Haniel and walked back into the castle. Haniel didn’t stop him, but kept staring at Absolute with eyes that didn’t capture the light as he left.

“I’ll take care of the duty Princess Leone’s escort. As for the hero, as long as he doesn’t interfere with me, I’ll give him the silent treatment.”

The king and Villain were surprised at Absolute’s different answer. Although the king was surprised, he agreed that he would go to the kingdom of Suiroku.

“I’ll make arrangements for you to take a leave of absence from the school while you’re gone. Of course, if anyone harms the Ark faction, we will punish them without mercy.”

“Well then….. I will have to leave here tomorrow. Then I shall take my leave.”

“Wait, Absolute, why did you agree to go when you didn’t want to in the first place?”

It was a question based on pure curiosity as to what kind of change of heart had occurred. In response to the king’s question, Absolute turned his back and walked away.

“Even villains do good deeds from time to time. In other words, they are capricious.”

After saying these words, Absolute left the room.

With this, it was decided that Absolute was going to the Kingdom of Suiroku.