I Became a Villain Perfect for Leveling Up - Chapter 013

WeTried Translations

Translator: Goku

◈ I Became a Villain Perfect for Leveling Up

Chapter 013

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Freud’s Fang (1)

Due to the start of a contract based on mutual interests, a being I could call a companion appeared on my journey, which had been a solitary one.

Although it was an unfairly forged contract, since Maeve complied willingly without any resistance, I decided to consider her a companion.

Even if I held the key to how she could die, I wouldn't exploit her like a slave.

Because the moment she might change her mind and decide to kill me, my life would once again fall into the abyss of despair.

“So, where are we heading now?”

Just as we were walking in step with silence, Maeve, who hadn't heard our destination at all, asked emotionlessly.

“Labyrinth of Fissures.”

When I briefly stated our destination and tried to walk on, Maeve cautiously grabbed my sleeve.

“…Surely, not to die?”

Perhaps knowing the notorious reputation of the Labyrinth of Fissures, she, uncharacteristically, broke out in a cold sweat and hesitated to take a step.

“Sorry, but I have no intention of dying, not even a speck.”

I briefly told her there was no reason to have such thoughts, then shook my sleeve, shaking off Maeve’s touch.

“Because I need equipment that can be obtained from the Labyrinth of Fissures.”

“If you get that equipment, will you kill me?”

“…I’ll think about it.”

After clearly conveying my purpose for heading there to avoid any future misunderstandings, I silently resumed walking.

The atmosphere had become too ambiguous for further conversation, so Maeve merely chewed on her lips cautiously.

An emotion as if she wanted to speak to me was conveyed nakedly.

At the silent clamor, I finally sighed and opened my mouth.

“If you have anything curious, ask. Don’t be so hesitant.”

“Yes. No…. Yes.”

She seemed to have tried her best to be subtly observant, but perhaps embarrassed that she was caught so easily, Maeve blushed.

“Dean, why are you alive?”

“…What do you mean by that?”

But the question that came was not one befitting the level of common sense.

A sharp question I hadn't expected at all.

“Looking into Dean’s eyes…. They contain an even deeper darkness than mine.”

“….”

“Most people with such eyes don’t wish to continue living.”

At Maeve’s words, which saw right through me so easily, I couldn’t answer.

…It had been quite some time since I let go of life.

I merely lived reluctantly because of my ability to return from death.

“But…. Dean is still alive….”

“Stop talking.”

“Okay.”

“Everyone has a story they want to hide, just like me.”

“That’s a good point…. I’ll remember it.”

As I directly expressed my refusal because it was uncomfortable to answer, Maeve didn’t press me further about myself.

Regardless of her talkative nature, she wasn’t tactless.

As there was still some distance to the Labyrinth of Fissures, as we continued on, I noticed the sun in the sky had already begun to set.

As I was about to continue moving even at night, as always, I asked Maeve for her opinion since I was no longer alone.

“The sun’s about to set. Want to rest, or keep going?”

“It’s better to lie low at night.”

“Understood.”

Respecting Maeve’s opinion, I sat down on the ground to rest.

“…?”

Seeing a slight crack appear in Maeve’s expression as she quietly watched me, I met her gaze indifferently.

Was there something about my actions that made her uncomfortable?

“Dean. Have you ever camped before?”

“….”

…So that was it.

Since I had never experienced camping, my act of simply sitting on the ground seemed to have annoyed her.

When I quietly nodded to indicate I had no experience, Maeve’s eyes widened.

“How on earth did you survive until the ruin without any camping skills?”

“…None of your business.”

I retorted unconsciously, but her words made sense.

Surviving until the ruin without any camping skills whatsoever was, in itself, absurd.

According to descriptions in the game, the forests were roamed by bears and insects whose bodies had grown enormous due to the influence of the ruin.

At night, wisps that stole souls roamed high in the sky.

Even if one were to receive help from people, most commoners had turned into bandits who preyed on others.

From Maeve’s perspective, my way of survival was an incomprehensible anomaly.

“Right, if you could kill me…”

Since I didn’t offer a specific answer, she seemed to have defined my existence as she pleased.

I didn’t interject or challenge the situation, letting her think as she wished.

The more such misunderstandings accumulated, the better it was for me.

Unlike me, who was simply sitting on the ground, Maeve began working to create a campsite around me.

She gathered dried branches in one spot to make a campfire area, then collected leaves and moss on the ground to create a makeshift bed.

“Here. Dean, you lay this on the ground too.”

Perhaps bothered that I was sitting directly on the dirt ground without anything beneath me, Maeve gathered some leaves and handed them to me as well.

At first, I intended to remain without help, but fearing I would get severely cold at night like this, I thickly spread the leaves Maeve gave me on the ground.

“…I’ll help too.”

After that, bothered by her continuously moving, I helped her make the makeshift campsite.

Even though my personality had become pessimistic, I thought it was right to help in such matters.

“It’s almost done, just gather some dry branches for me.”

Following Maeve’s request, I gathered dry branches suitable for kindling.

I snapped long pieces of wood in half and thought I could use thicker branches to sleep on, so I brought a few.

Once the makeshift campsite was complete, Maeve sprinkled a little gunpowder on the already prepared campfire and lit it with a lighter.

With a crackling sound, the fire caught, and she placed small branches one by one to grow the flame.

As I quietly watched her skilled movements, Maeve was soon meeting my gaze.

Our relationship wasn't close enough for comfortable conversation, so only hushed silence passed between us.

Our mutually hollow eyes soon looked elsewhere.

Maeve took out her pistol from her waist and maintained her equipment.

After wiping the grip and barrel with an oiled cloth, she carefully cleaned the blade portion as well.

Then, she pushed back her coat, took out the knife inside, and maintained it similarly.

Lost in thought for a moment at the sight, a wave of melancholy quickly shrank a growing emotion, and I lay my body down on the makeshift bed.

…The makeshift bed Maeve made was warmer than I expected.

Not long after I lay down, Maeve seemed to have finished her maintenance as well, and only the sound of the campfire burning and crickets chirping remained in the forest.

“Dean.”

Just as the sounds of nature began to grow increasingly, Maeve’s relaxed voice reached my ears.

“You’re looking for Freud’s Fang in the Labyrinth of Fissures, right?”

“……!”

Maeve uttering the name of the equipment I was targeting made me instantly sit up abruptly.

As I stared at her, still not having lain down, with a surprised gaze that asked how she knew, Maeve met my eyes and told me the reason.

“You killed me with that dagger. You probably severed my arms and legs.”

Her hands moved busily, a bullet entered the musket barrel, and gunpowder was loaded into the protruding groove near the grip.

Click. As the hammer was finally pulled back, completing the musket’s loading, a killing intent that had begun to dominate the surrounding space was felt, and I swallowed dry.

…I have to escape.

There was only one reason to deliberately bring up such a story. And the act of openly loading a gun clearly meant something.

“Don’t run away.”

Maeve, realizing I was moving to escape, aimed the musket at me.

A situation where if the index finger on the trigger pulled back even a little more, the gunpowder would immediately ignite, and the fired lead bullet would blow my head to smithereens.

As I was sweating cold, Maeve, whose eyes held only darkness and focused solely on me, slowly approached.

She soon placed the blade at the tip of my chin, raising my head, and then placed a hand on my cheek, just as I had done in the past.

“If I pull this trigger…. Dean will die, won’t you?”

“…”

“Your handsome head will burst, and the vital fluid contained within will flow out.”

Maeve’s finger tickled the tip of my nose.

“And as the vital fluid drains, your body, having lost control, will stiffen and its former warmth will disappear.”

“…What do you want from me?”

She didn't seem about to fire the gun immediately, so I asked her reason for doing this, sweating cold.

“Regrettably, I have no lingering desire to want anything from you.”

Contrary to her saying there was no reason, Maeve’s lips slowly approached, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

“Dean. You see, if there’s something I want, I’ve always made it mine from long ago.”

At a distance where our lips would meet, her breath tickled my mouth as an unsettling, emotionless story began.

“You remind me of a pet dog I raised when I was little. He was unconditionally obedient to his owner and a courageous fellow. But…, that obedience never truly extended to me.”

Maeve pushed my shoulder, making me fall over.

“So. Do you know what I did?”

“….”

“I taxidermied him. So he would only look at me forever.”

“What does that have to do with me….”

“This is the first time I’ve thought about taxidermying a person. Before, it was always just pets.”

She… was not normal.

Eirene or Carmen were people with mental states that made them seem like angels in comparison.

“I like Dean. …I think I fell for you at first sight.”

“….”

In her emotionless eyes, my existence was somehow swelling up gigantically.

When did this start?