The Villainous Young Lady’s Despicable Move (6)
Zeke felt his grip tighten on the bread in his hand.
He let out a deep sigh.
“Ha…”
‘Right, there must have been a reason. Maybe that female general demanded money in exchange for my retirement from the military.’
Honestly, it was hard to believe that she just handed over the money for no reason.
Her past was tied to Eustia, and it seemed like a complicated relationship, so this was more natural.
“Iriel, you were the one who gave all the money to the military.”
“Yes… I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright, if there was nothing you could do, it’s not your fault.”
“Huh…? That’s not it?”
A vein popped up on Zeke’s forehead.
“…Then why did you do it?”
“Because, you! You would have left if you had the money…!”
“I. See.”
Zeke cracked his neck.
Iriel shrank back, seeing that Zeke was in a bad mood.
‘It wasn’t like this before, Zeke! The military has changed you!’
Where did the loyal and dependable puppy go? Now, a wolf bared its fangs and growled.
“…So you wanted me to come straight to you…”
“Sigh…”
“I even gave you a necklace!!!”
Iriel glared at him, as if she was wronged.
Zeke frowned at her.
‘Why don’t you stop glaring? You want me to beat you up and put some medicine on it?’
Zeke pressed his eyes shut with his hand.
Well, it might be too late now.
He somehow saved Selena from the goblins, and now he was living comfortably in her mansion.
He was getting a hefty allowance once a month, and he even got a job as a swordsmanship instructor at the academy thanks to the bread.
He was making steady progress on his plan to help the female lead, so Iriel’s words were a little late.
‘The only time I was short of money was until I got on the carriage with Ramielli.’
Grit.
But it was still infuriating.
Zeke closed his eyes and cooled his heated head.
Sigh.
‘I’ve really grown patient.’
If this was the Dave Continent, he would have punched Iriel to a pulp and smashed her head in right here, right now.
But perhaps his heart had softened from living in this soft world, because Zeke had developed the patience to let it slide just once.
“…I see. That’s how it was. I understand.”
Zeke forced a nod.
Iriel added,
“But… when I pulled you out to the academy, it seems like my family decided to get rid of you. But… you, for me…”
Tears welled up in Iriel’s eyes.
She was trying to create a touching atmosphere again.
However.
Thwack!
Those words snapped Zeke’s thin thread of patience.
Whack!!!!!!
Zeke’s baguette slammed into Iriel’s rear!
“Aaaaaaaaagh!!!!!!”
Iriel was approaching Zeke step by step, when she was suddenly hit in the butt by the baguette and went flying.
He tried to hold back, but he really couldn’t.
‘This bitch! It was you all along!?’
It was bad enough that she had sent him to the academy as a swordsmanship instructor, a position that required him to use a sword.
And now, the Eustia Family was after him, and he had to deal with this troublesome situation.
And the money.
If it weren’t for her, he wouldn’t even be in this novel.
‘Damn it! She really is the villainess!!!!’
Thump.
Iriel, who had flown quite a distance, landed face first on the ground.
It was a very unsightly fall for a noble duchess.
Even Selena’s jaw dropped!
Of course, if he had hit her with all his might,
[Fate of Death, 40%]
The reason could have been Zeke himself.
So at the last minute, he had swung with almost all his strength removed.
But Iriel, who had just been hit in the butt with a loaf of bread, had no idea how desperate a consideration that had been.
‘…H-He… Zeke… hit… hit me…? And on the butt?’
Her eyes trembled.
It was Iriel’s first time being hit by someone.
Even her strict father and aunt had never resorted to corporal punishment, saying it was vulgar.
They would simply restrict her snacks, allowance, and movement.
They tormented her with endless words and pressured those around her to deal with her.
As the initial shock wore off, Iriel felt a sharp pain in her buttocks as if her flesh was being ripped apart.
It was so hot that it was now starting to feel cold.
Tears welled up in her eyes from the pain and sadness.
‘It hurts…! I think it’s split in two…!’
With trembling hands, she reached back and touched the sore spot, only to find the pain intensified.
The pain didn’t stop there. It spread to her lower abdomen, stabbing her like needles.
Iriel curled up on the ground, trembling.
‘Ha… Ugh…’
Strangely, she couldn’t tell if the stinging and throbbing she was feeling was pain or pleasure.
A strange heat spread through her body, and Iriel bit her lower lip.
‘It definitely hurts… It hurts so much…’
This feeling was unfamiliar to Iriel, something she had never experienced before. Her heart was pounding, and she felt strangely exhilarated.
‘Is he… Is he that angry? Or is my body malfunctioning…?’
She licked her lips unconsciously.
* * *
Iriel flinched for a while before finally getting up, rubbing her sore bottom.
Her eyes were filled with tears.
“Zeke!!!”
She pointed at him and shouted.
Zeke responded with an indifferent face.
“I’ve been holding back, but not anymore. Watch your tone, Iriel.”
“…”
Clenching her fist, Iriel said, “Do you have any idea what you just did!!?”
She yelled.
“…”
“Y-You…”
However, as Zeke stared at her with an emotionless face, she immediately switched back to honorifics.
“I’ll say the same thing I said before. Get out of my sight, Iriel Eustia.”
Her finger, which was pointing at Zeke, trembled.
It seemed like she wasn’t going to turn around and run away like last time.
She kept moving her lips as if she had something to say.
Zeke felt a deep rage he hadn’t felt in a long time, but that damn 40% chance of death was bothering him.
She was his enemy, but a really stupid one.
This kind of thing usually gets solved with a good beating.
Zeke pondered over what to do with this woman.
‘Sigh… Fine. That’s right, this kind of ambiguous enemy is better off kept alive and tormented for a long time. I’ll make sure you properly regret your foolishness, you bitch.’
Zeke walked towards Iriel and reached out to her forehead.
Her gaze followed his fingertip.
“What are you doing now!!”
Slap!
A crisp slapping sound rang out, and Iriel fainted, her forehead bright red.
Zeke grabbed her red hair to keep her from hitting her head.
Selena watched, her jaw still dropped.
‘Instructor… So merciless…!’
“Selena.”
At Zeke’s call, Selena finally closed her mouth, swallowed, and answered.
“…Yes?”
“Can you take care of her and put her in the mansion?”
“…Our house? Eustia…?”
Zeke nodded.
Selena looked at Zeke, then glanced at Iriel, who was still clutching her head.
‘Well, she did warn us about the danger… But her life wasn’t in danger, so why…’
“Yes, I understand.”
She felt uneasy, but Zeke’s expression was serious, so Selena agreed.
“Can you carry her alone?”
“?”
Selena tilted her head.
“What about you, Instructor?”
“I have a guest to greet. Selena, don’t come to the academy tomorrow. And tell her the same.”
Selena’s eyes widened at his casual tone.
“No way! It’s dangerous, Instructor!! It’s the Eustia Family! You’re here, in the academy. They wouldn’t dare hurt you here!! I’ll ask my family to send someone…!”
“Selena.”
Zeke cut her off.
“Don’t worry, I have a plan.”
“At least, the mansion’s knights…!”
“Selena. Have I not earned your trust yet?”
“…”
“I’ll take care of it and be back soon.”
Selena bit her lip.
She searched for a way to stop Zeke, but then her eyes fell on Iriel’s red hair, still tightly clutched in his hand.
“…But how can I carry her alone?”
Zeke nodded.
“That’s right. I’ll carry her. I should be able to buy some time to get to the mansion.”
Selena suddenly approached him and, with unexpected strength, lifted Iriel onto her back.
Then she turned to Zeke.
“Instructor, if you’re not back before dinner, I’m calling the knights.”
From experience, Selena knew that Zeke wouldn’t listen even if she tried to stop him any further.
It was better to send him off calmly.
Zeke smiled faintly at her gruff words.
“Alright. Thank you. Make sure dinner is delicious.”
“As if you wouldn’t just eat bread again.”
* * *
In a slum next to Soi Spoon bakery, a little ways away from the academy.
Zeke entered a desolate back alley, carefully watching his surroundings.
He put the man he was carrying down on the ground.
He had tied the man’s hands with the cloth Soi Spoon had wrapped around the bread, just in case he struggled.
Thud.
Thud.
Zeke kicked the man in the face to wake him.
“Well, Hades. It’s time we had a little chat, just the two of us.”
“Ugh…”
“Are you awake now?”
*Pooey*
The man spat blood and saliva at Zeke’s face as soon as he saw him.
But Zeke immediately struck back with the mana-infused bread, the spittle splattering back onto the man's face.
Whack.
“Hehehe…”
But the man just laughed, even with his own spit dripping down his chin.
“What’s so funny?”
“You think no one will know I’m being held here? I can’t believe Eustia’s lapdog would make such a mistake.”
“Well… that’s not really important…”
Zeke touched his lips as he looked down at the man.
‘It’s better to use him as bait than to try to get information out of him, right?’
Getting information would be easy.
Just like how he had stroked the Guild Master back then, he just needed to give him a little touch and the man would spill everything while crying his eyes out.
Then he could just storm their hideout and wipe them all out. It was a simple solution.
But Zeke was drawn to the option that would allow him to take care of three things at once.
'Now, kill each other.'
He preferred this method to doing the dirty work himself.
‘If I’m going to use him as bait, I need to minimize exposure of our side’s strength… I’ll just break one of his arms and send him back nicely. I need to make sure he goes back with the wrong information.’
Zeke rolled the recording crystal in his pocket with his finger.
At the same time, he was a little worried.
‘Seeing Iriel’s state, she’s a real airhead. Is everyone in the Eustia family like that? Will they even be able to decipher this code?’
Zeke frowned.
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Zeke awakened something on Iriel
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