I’m Telling You, I’m Not The Villain! – Chapter 21

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Lord Fourth
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“…Why?”

Elisha stared at him with suspicion and confusion, as if struggling to comprehend this unexpected turn of events.

“Why what?”

He pretended not to notice her suspicion, trying to leave. He hoped she would just let him go, wanting to slip away unnoticed.

“You… helped me?”

But Elisha stopped him.

“No.”

“Then what?!”

He couldn’t think of a suitable answer. He couldn’t reveal his motives or the truth.

“…I’ll be going.”

“Hey…!”

She looked at him with frustration, as if he were a brick wall, finding his unsatisfactory answer irritating.

“Wait! Let’s talk!”

She called out to him in an annoyed tone, but

“….”

‘Just let it go, just let it go, just let it go… Please…’

He desperately ignored her, looking straight ahead.

“Ugh, seriously…! Are you going to be like this?”

Did his tactic work?

“Fine, go…! I’m the fool for trying to talk to you….”

She finally clicked her tongue in exasperation and gave up on trying to talk to him.

“Honestly -”

He could hear her grumbling behind him, but he ignored it and quickly walked away.

“…Haa.”

After walking for a while,

“I think I managed to get away…”

He leaned against a wall, relieved to have shaken off Elisha, and let out a deep sigh.
He felt bad for her, but since he couldn’t think of a good excuse, he had simply fled the scene.

Still… judging by Elisha’s reaction, it didn’t seem like she had developed any positive feelings for him. It was more like suspicion or mild curiosity.

“That’s a relief.”

It seemed he had managed to avoid stealing any affection that should have gone to the protagonist.

“What’s a relief?”

Just then… as he was catching his breath and about to head back to the classroom, a rather displeased voice called out to him.

“Eilly?”

He turned and saw Eilly walking towards him with a sullen expression.

“How long have you been there?”

Had she been following him?

“You said it was alright, Master, but… as your maid, I followed you to make sure you were safe.”

“But then you appeared like a knight in shining armor and helped Lady Elisha?”

It seemed she had followed him despite his instructions not to. And for some reason, her tone was filled with displeasure.

“…Almost from the beginning.”

She walked up to him with small but quick steps, her left cheek puffed up like a toad.

“Hmm~”

“Why are you angry?”

“I’m not angry!”

She denied being angry, but… she was clearly sulking…

“Is it because I helped Elisha?”

Now that he thought about it, Eilly didn’t like Elisha.

She had always had a negative view of Elisha because she disliked the way she treated her master. Was she upset that he had helped Elisha?

“I… I just couldn’t ignore her when she was in trouble.”

“I’m not upset that you helped her. It’s not a crime to be kind, Master.”

“It’s more like… I’m a little jealous…. And this feeling isn’t directed at you, Master, but at Lady Elisha!”

However, contrary to his expectations, she wasn’t upset that he had helped Elisha.

“Jealous?”

“Yes… I find it unacceptable and also enviable that she shamelessly accepted your help despite hating you so much.”

“I’m always devoted to you, Master… and yet, she gets the same treatment! It’s frustrating!”

In short, she was annoyed not with him for helping, but with Elisha for receiving help despite her previous disdain.

“Hmm~ Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?”

“Huh?! Th-There is, but….”

Could he do anything to appease her?

“Is… Is it okay…?”

Eilly’s cheeks flushed crimson. She lowered her head, avoiding his gaze, as if about to make a difficult and embarrassing request.

“What is it?”

“W-Well… I… I want to borrow your arm… for a bit…”

Borrow his arm? What did that mean…?

“…Ugh.”

She seemed too embarrassed to continue.

“Alright.”

“R-Really?!”

He decided to grant her request.

“Th-Then… excuse me….”

Her face completely red, she cautiously approached him and—

“Ugh.”

—leaned against his shoulder, her eyes tightly shut, as if embarrassed by her own request. Then, she rubbed her head against him like a puppy seeking affection, nuzzling him and taking a deep breath.

“P-Pet me like this.”

She really was like a spoiled puppy. She acted like a pet longing for its owner’s touch.

“Like this?”

“Mmm~ Yes…!”

He placed his hand on her head and gently stroked her hair, as if combing it.

“He… Hehehe.”

Eilly’s sullen expression melted away as soon as he touched her.

“This really calms me down.”

She seemed to be enjoying his touch, despite her embarrassment, and her mood gradually improved.

“I’m satisfied now!”

Soon, she returned to her usual bright and energetic self.

“Thank you, Master!”

She smiled brightly and walked away with lighter steps than before.

“Let’s go back to the classroom! It’s almost time for class.”

She checked the time and suggested returning to the classroom. It was almost time for their next class.

“Alright, let’s go.”

He followed Eilly back to the classroom, breathing a sigh of relief that everything seemed to have worked out.

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“Arnold~!”

As they returned to the classroom, Varis greeted him with a smile, as if he had been waiting.

“Here, take this! It’s a thank you for earlier.”

He approached with his usual enthusiasm and handed him an amulet.

“This is….”

“I bought you a good luck charm! I hope you like it~”

The item he gave him was a decorative item that actually existed in the game. As he said, it was a charm that slightly increased luck.

“…….”

While he appreciated the gesture, luck was honestly the most useless stat in the game, even when boosted.

Still, he decided to accept it, considering Varis’s kind intentions.

“Thank you, I’ll treasure it.”

He thanked him with a faint smile.

“You’re welcome! I’m the one who should be thanking you.”

He grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. He really did seem like a protagonist from a shonen manga.

“Let’s be friends, Arnold!”

He slowly extended his fist towards Arnold. He understood what he meant.

Thump –

Their fists bumped lightly. Varis grinned, showing his teeth.

“Yes, let’s be friends.”

Fortunately, he seemed to have built a good relationship with the protagonist from their first encounter. This would make it much easier to support him in the future.

Now, all that remained was to help him connect with all the heroines through the events.

“…….”

Hoping that incidents like today wouldn’t happen again…

He looked forward to the day Varis would win the hearts of all the heroines.

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Click, clack –

Somewhere in the academy, in a deserted hallway, the quiet sound of high heels echoed.

“Oh my~ Look who it is~”

A voice filled with mockery, contempt, and ridicule called out to someone.

“Hmm?”

The owner of the footsteps stopped and turned around.

“Elisha… You attend this academy too? How unfortunate.”

Elisha brushed her hair back and saw a young noblewoman with a distinctive hairstyle.

“…You.”

She had her hair styled in two spiral buns, and her blonde hair was brighter and more vibrant than Elisha’s.

“…Viekka -”

Elisha gritted her teeth in hatred and uttered the name of the noblewoman who looked down on her.

“Fancy meeting you here… How unlucky.”

Her already sharp eyes narrowed further as she spoke to her with venom.

“Look who’s talking. But in a way, I’m glad. Now that you’re here, we can finally settle our rivalry.”

She called Elisha her ‘rival,’ her laughter laced with confidence and ridicule.

“I’ll finally put you in your place.”

Viekka Lemoliona.

Born as the daughter of a noble family who had also made their fortune in agriculture, she had known Elisha since childhood, but they had never been close.

Now that their paths had crossed again at the academy, the atmosphere between them was filled with nothing but animosity.

“Hmph… Try me. I… never considered you a rival. Just like no one considers someone of your low caliber a rival.”

Elisha retorted with an insult, trying to provoke Viekka.

“What?! You’ve got some nerve!”

“Then I’ll be going. Let’s avoid each other in the future.”

Viekka glared at Elisha, enraged by her words, but Elisha simply ignored her with a cold, expressionless face.

“Hey, wait -!”
Elisha ignored Viekka and walked away, disappearing down the hallway.

“Tsk…! You’ve always been… a thorn in my side!”

Viekka cursed Elisha, who had ignored her and walked away.

“Viekka, are you alright?”

Just then –

“How are you going to deal with that Elisha?”

Viekka’s friends, who had been hiding nearby, appeared. They all had sharp, arrogant eyes, befitting their noble status.

“Haha! That’s right. I have it all planned out.”

Viekka smiled wickedly at the question, like a devil, and took out a mysterious vial.

“Huhuhu… Just you wait, Elisha.”

Viekka looked at the pink liquid labeled “[Aphrodisiac]” with satisfaction. What kind of wicked thoughts filled her mind?

“I’ll give you the most humiliating experience of your life! Hahahahaha!!”

An unpleasant laughter echoed through the empty hallway.

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Hi Lord Fourth here!
I’m new to translating so if you find some mistakes or inconsistencies let me know about it on the dedicated channel on discord.