WeTried Translations
Translator: Goku
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became a Villain Perfect for Leveling Up
Chapter 043
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43. Eagles and Horses (6)
A cluster of human corpses infected by the Abyss, fused together, transformed into the shape of a giant’s hand and began to tear through the Fortress of Training.
Because the Valkyrie Knights, warned by Dean, had burned the corpses in advance, the catastrophe that lacked enough offerings failed to manifest as a full giant, managing only to manifest a single hand.
The born hand crushed the fortress as if it were a cake.
From that spot, a blonde woman riding a horse made of lightning and a woman with hair like a spear, carrying a greatsword, soared into the sky simultaneously.
A single eagle glided through the gloom-ridden sky, shedding mana-imbued feathers. As night fell upon the once-blue sky, a solar eclipse occurred as if a god were opening its eye.
The moment the feathers fell one by one and touched the ground, a series of lightning strikes surged forth and collided with the giant hand.
Crackle!!!!!
The back of the hand, struck directly by lightning that instantly snuffed out any life it touched, burst open, carving out a hole.
Through that hole, the eagle spotted its prey, dived in an instant, and struck with its beak.
With a burst of beautiful feathers, the thumb of the hand was completely pulverized.
A perfect coordinated attack.
Sigrun, with faint sparks of lightning dancing on her armor, landed lightly on the ground, followed by Altair, who landed with a flap of her wings.
“It’s not over yet.”
“Hmph…. I know that, don’t I?”
The hand, its thumb gone from the powerful attack, broke through the fortress and lunged at them.
The way the fingers moved, each having its own ego and beating in unison, was reminiscent of the movements of an insect.
“You wretched minion of Dina…!!!”
Sigrun, who had amplified the momentum of the shallow lightning into a raging storm, became a flash of light and slashed at the hand.
The scene viewed from afar created the illusion that a swarm of light was ravaging the hand.
Altair, unable to leave the fight entirely to Sigrun, spread her wings, soared up, and fired her feathers.
Whenever the light swarm wounded the hand, she would rain down feathers upon it, preventing it from regenerating.
It was a coordination so skilled it was hard to believe they weren't a pair with established trust.
Aquila and Valkyrie.
The pillars of the knight orders, symbolizing the eagle and the horse respectively, did not crumble easily.
However, since their abilities had clear limits, they grew visibly exhausted with every attack they unleashed.
It was a natural outcome, having repeatedly overused finishing moves that drained both mana and stamina simultaneously.
“…Haa, haa.”
“……It seems it’s over.”
Fortunately, the hand was destroyed completely faster than the two of them could reach exhaustion.
As the battle ended with the hand dissolving, leaving only blackened ash behind, the two women, drenched in sweat, staggered and sat down on the floor, leaning their backs against each other.
“You won’t move…?”
“…My legs won’t move. My apologies….”
Altair, answering the nagging Sigrun, quietly looked back at the past.
Back when she was still called the 'Morning Star,' had it been the Valkyrie Knights who recognized her talent and tried to scout her?
After refusing the scout, she had founded her own order.
But through that connection, the Aquila Knights and the Valkyrie Knights became allies, often training together once a quarter.
It truly had been a peaceful time.
“……….”
…Until three years later, before Altair slaughtered everyone in the Valkyrie Knights except for the Vice Commander.
Injected with the Abyss after a fight with a woman in Baroque-style clothing one day, her personality had begun to change gradually.
The charisma that hadn't wavered even during failed missions vanished, her personality turned abrasive, and the sword that once showed mercy to criminals forgot that mercy, severing many necks.
“Even if it was an act committed while infected by the Abyss, that event will remain as an indelible scar… I am truly sorry.”
“…….”
Sigrun, who knew the weight of the word 'Abyss,' bowed her head silently.
Now that the time of the two, whose ties had tangled and twisted into a bitter grudge, had returned.
They tried not to continue the conversation, harboring complex emotions, but-
“…Haa.”
Sigrun, with her innocent personality, couldn't overcome the stifling feeling and sighed, looking up at the sky.
“How did it end up like this….”
Getting revenge on Altair brought more bitterness than relief.
Besides, weren't all her precious people alive and breathing now?
Sigrun, freed from Dina, soon fixed her gaze on the man walking over from the distance.
“…Hey. Do you like him, by any chance?”
When she spoke as if to herself, Altair answered with a voice that sounded flustered to anyone.
“I-I am a woman too! Something like love…!”
“That one. He’s mine, so don’t touch him.”
“…Huh?”
“I’ve already marked him first.”
Sigrun, her eyes narrowed seductively like a snake’s, licked her lips with her long tongue.
The only part of Dina, the woman she wanted to kill, that she liked was her appearance. To think that a man with a domestic personality, inheriting only that appearance, existed in this world.
…She absolutely could not let him go.
Not to mention, wasn't she also at the prime age for marriage?
If it were a man of that caliber, she had the intent to bear him three children easily.
Leaving behind Altair, who wore a bewildered expression, Dean approached them, unaware of the two women’s war of nerves.
* * *
Because I had warned the Valkyrie Knights of the impending disaster in advance, the entire city was not annihilated.
Not only that, I was able to protect the Fortress of Training.
Although many parts were destroyed, it was at a level that could be sufficiently repaired over time.
Heading toward the location where the lightning had struck and moonlight had flowed, I found Altair and Sigrun sitting back-to-back, resting.
Seeing the two of them discovering me from afar and talking, I felt relieved, as if I were looking at friends bound by a bitter past.
As I slowly approached the two women and reached out my hand, Sigrun grabbed mine without hesitation, while Altair showed hesitation, her hand hovering before grabbing mine.
When I held her hand directly to show it was alright, Altair finally gripped it firmly.
“…Tsk.”
Hearing Sigrun, who was sitting beside us, click her tongue softly, I shifted my gaze. She simply smiled brightly and stood up, holding my hand.
“Sorry for letting you die, Dean. It wasn’t on purpose.”
Sigrun, who had kept the fact that I died while stopping their fight in her heart, apologized and stroked my chest.
Her hand, which climbed up naturally, stopped at the Valkyrie Knights’ brooch.
“…Did you meet the Commander?”
“Yeah.”
When I gave a brief answer, Sigrun looked toward the partially destroyed Fortress of Training.
“Thank you, Dean. Thanks to you, I was able to protect my home.”
She bowed her head, expressing her gratitude to me.
Although I had focused on preventing things from escalating, I remained quietly silent, as I hadn’t played a substantial part.
Altair, watching that scene with a meaningful expression, gripped the hand she was holding even tighter.
….
Now that all the corpses buried in the mountain had vanished, the chaotic city quickly regained its peace.
The numerous citizens who had evacuated to the checkpoint returned to their homes, and those whose houses were destroyed were provided with free lodging.
The Valkyrie Knights, who had suffered the most damage, were setting up a plan to rebuild the Fortress of Training while setting up temporary tents nearby.
“Well done. I trusted that you would resolve this.”
Entering the bustling knight order with my companions, the Knight Commander, who discovered me, smiled and patted my shoulder.
“Hmm? Commander Altair? Did you assist in this as well?”
“Yes. It has been a long time, Commander Freya.”
The two familiar knight commanders greeted each other and began a brief conversation.
“Dean. Wait here for a moment.”
Leaving me behind as an awkward scarecrow in a knight order consisting only of women, Altair and Sigrun stepped away. As I was wondering when to act, female knights who had been waiting for their chance swarmed me like hyenas and hurled questions at me.
“…Ahaha.”
Whether I had a lover, if I had ever dated, why my body was so fit, as I gave flustered laughs to these trivial questions, Sigrun soon appeared.
The female knights instinctively fled as if they were running away in unison.
“Here. Take this.”
“…A feather?”
“It looks like one, but it’s something precious.”
She brought a fluffy feather from somewhere and placed it directly into my hand.
It was a feather that one might call poor as a gift. However, the more I looked at it, the more I felt drawn into something, and as I toyed with it-
“…!!”
Altair, who had finished her conversation with the Knight Commander, discovered me toying with the feather, held her breath, and her expression turned strange.
“?”
Just as I was left wondering what on earth the situation was-
“So, son-in-law. When will you marry my daughter?”
“…Excuse me?”
“If a knight of the Valkyrie Knights hands over a swan feather, it signifies a marriage proposal, and accepting the feather signifies the acceptance of said proposal.”
My body stiffened at the Knight Commander’s words, which revealed the meaning behind the exchange of the snow-white feather.
I finally understood why Altair had looked so shocked when she saw me receive the feather.
Sigrun stuck out her tongue, her face shyly flushed, and managed the situation.
“…Mom is just a bit mischievous, she’s just playing a prank. Handing over a feather doesn’t just mean that; it also signifies that I will dedicate my life to protecting you forever.”
“…C-cough.”
The Knight Commander, who had been caught in her matchmaking scheme, turned away and escaped to the table where the fortress reconstruction plan was laid out, clearing her throat with feigned composure.
“…Dean. Where are we going now?”
Altair, finding the situation incredibly uncomfortable, broke the silence with an obvious acting tone and interlocked her fingers with mine.
“Wouldn't it be better to return to the Altar of Lamentation? Since Eirene said she would be waiting for us there…”
I, who felt like I wanted to run away from the knight order that very instant, nodded and tried to step away.
“I’m coming too.”
Sigrun naturally cut into the procession heading toward the Altar of Lamentation.
“…Sigrun?”
“I think it would be more efficient to help you, Dean, than to stay here. Besides, I am nothing more than your sword now.”
Sigrun, who had lived as Dina’s sword against her will while being held hostage, had decided she would willingly become the sword of the one who saved her.
“Our Valkyrie Knights’ symbol is a horse… Then does that mean you might be able to climb onto my back later?”
“…Cough.”
“Ooh-hoo-hoo.”
I coughed at the metaphorical suggestive remark.
Why did I have a chilling feeling that I had been caught by the wrong person?
“I look forward to working with you, Dean.”
Sigrun, wearing a smile that coexisted with playfulness and shyness, grabbed my hand and interlocked her fingers.
Altair, who had been watching that action quietly, also interlocked her fingers with me. I ended up returning to the Altar of Lamentation, awkwardly carrying flowers on both hands.
If Eirene, upon returning, were to see this sight, I felt a vague anxiety that the Altar of Lamentation might end up smashed to pieces, just like the Labyrinth of Fissures.
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