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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Lord Fourth
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Even at this crucial moment, he couldn’t help but be plagued by questions.
The setting clearly stated that only those with the qualities of a hero could interfere with the evil spirit.
And in the story, only Varis displayed such qualities. So why was Arnold, the villain, able to confront the it?
“Interesting…!”
Just as his thoughts became muddled with questions, the evil spirit’s scythe swung down in a semicircle.
Clang -!
Sword skill [Parry]. A technique that negated most of the damage from an opponent’s physical close-range attack and depleted their stamina.
His sword deflected the evil spirit’s scythe. Despite the spirit’s size, dwarfing a human’s, he parried the attack perfectly without taking any damage.
“Hmm…?!”
He didn’t know if the concept of stamina applied to such being, but being able to negate its attacks was a significant advantage.
“You are no ordinary human!”
The evil spirit swung its scythe again.
He parried it with [Parry] and, almost simultaneously, kicked off the ground and leaped towards it.
“?!”
He aimed for the glowing red eyes, his blade slicing through the evil spirit’s face with deadly accuracy, causing significant harm.
“Ugh…!”
The grotesque black mass shuddered in pain, a viscous liquid oozing from its torn flesh.
Sizzle – Sizzle –
The viscous liquid dripped onto the ground, emitting white smoke and melting the ground beneath it, like acid.
“Impressive…!”
The evil spirit extended its hand and unleashed necromancy. Black orbs in the shape of skulls flew towards him with a will of their own.
“Saint Ring -!”
He countered with holy magic. It was his first time using this spell, but with Arnold’s talent, he could cast it by simply picturing it in his mind and chanting its name.
Ding – Ding –
The Saint Ring intercepted the skull magic. A holy sound echoed, and the necromantic spell, imbued with evil energy, vanished into nothingness.
“A mere human dares…!”
The evil spirit growled, its red eyes glaring at him.
“Do you think you can stop me?”
But he wasn’t intimidated by the evil spirit’s aura.
He smirked.
“Stop you? No. I’m going to obliterate you.”
As if mocking his words, the evil spirit swelled in size, emitting intense dark waves. The ground cracked, and the air became heavy with a suffocating pressure.
“Ugh… Arnold, be careful!”
Melina cried out from behind. She was still slumped on the ground, having lost her strength.
Varis was also groaning on the ground, but his hand twitched, as if wanting to help.
The evil spirit swung its scythe again. This time, it was accompanied by a surge of dark energy, as if to obliterate everything in its path.
“Die!”
But Arnold didn’t even flinch. He parried the attack and swung his sword, the tip of his blade tearing through the darkness and deflecting the evil spirit’s scythe.
“Impossible?!”
The evil spirit cried out in astonishment.
Arnold twirled his sword in the air, dancing and swirling, dispelling the surrounding darkness.
“······!”
The evil spirit stumbled back, as if in disbelief.
“How can you… without the power of a hero?!”
He answered, casually twirling his sword.
“I don’t know. But one thing’s for sure. You’re going to lose to me.”
He dashed towards the evil spirit.
“Ugh!! Don’t underestimate me!”
The evil spirit swung its giant scythe in desperation, but he easily dodged it.
His counterattack wasn’t a simple sword strike. An explosion of light erupted from his sword, piercing the evil spirit’s body.
“Luminous Blade.”
“Kgh!”
The evil spirit shrieked and recoiled, its massive form being torn apart by the light.
“This is the end.”
He raised his sword high. The air trembled as all his power concentrated into the blade.
“Aaaaagh—–!!”
He brought his sword down, unleashing a powerful strike. A blinding flash and a massive explosion followed. When the evil spirit’s scream faded, only silence remained.
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“Huu…”
He exhaled. The silence was short-lived, replaced by a sense of relief and a calm peace. He could feel that the evil spirit was gone.
“Is everyone alright?”
That meant Melina’s curse was also lifted.
“Ugh?!”
Just as he turned around, he felt a heavy weight collide with him. Surprised by the unexpected impact, he looked down and saw Varis clinging to him.
“Waaah – Arnold!!”
He was crying like a girl, sobbing and clinging to him with childish desperation.
“What are you doing?! Get off me!”
He had no interest in such displays of affection between men. He found Varis’s actions, though meant to express gratitude, rather unsettling.
“But you saved my and Melina’s lives! You looked like a hero, defeating that monster so coolly!”
“Seriously~ We’re alive thanks to you! Thank you so mu- Ouch?!”
He flicked Varis’s forehead. Varis winced, rubbing the reddening skin.
“Why are you clinging to me? It’s creepy!”
He pushed him away with a slightly annoyed tone. He understood his gratitude, but he found it unsettling that a man was clinging to him like a girl.
“Ugh, that’s mean…”
Varis’s eyes watered, a mixture of gratitude and pain. He seemed to have hit him quite hard; he could almost see smoke rising from his forehead.
“Arnold…”
Melina approached him cautiously with a gentle gaze.
“Did you… defeat that evil being?”
Her voice was filled with gratitude, despite her apparent bewilderment. Her blue eyes sparkled like the ocean.
“I guess so?”
He tilted his head, half-heartedly. He honestly couldn’t understand how Arnold, the villain, could defeat the evil spirit.
Could it be that Arnold also possessed the qualities of a hero? If so, it would explain why he was envious of Varis if he had become a hero by chance after his downfall.
“······.”
But he quickly dismissed the idea. It didn’t make sense for someone like Arnold to have the qualities of a hero.
Anyway, he was glad that Melina was safe and sound.
“Really? Then…”
But then, Melina suddenly hugged his right arm and closed her eyes with a happy smile.
Ah, this was it.
“Melina?”
“I finally… I finally found you…”
Her cheeks flushed with joy and relief, happy to have finally found the one she had been searching for.
“My destined savior!”
She declared confidently. Varis was also taken aback by Melina’s declaration of love, calling him her destined savior.
“Arnold is the destined savior?”
“Yes! Just like the prophecy foretold…!”
“Prophecy?”
Honestly, he had vaguely anticipated this situation since the fight with the evil spirit… No, even before that.
He had been growing increasingly uneasy as he stole her [Affection] due to Lates’s actions.
“Meow~”
Just as he thought of the cat, he felt a light weight on his left shoulder. Lates, the white cat, had jumped onto his shoulder and was rubbing its face against his cheek.
That cat was truly an enigma. It was clear that Lates was the cause of all this.
It was supposed to like Varis in the original story; why was it clinging to him now?
Well, what could he do? He had to accept it…
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“······.”
If he had to describe his current feelings in one word, it would be:
Frustrated.
“Hehe, I’m so happy to have found my destined partner!”
Melina was clinging to his arm, refusing to let go. He was not only bothered by her clinging to him like a lover, but also by the uncomfortable pressure on his arm.
“Meow~~”
And to make matters worse, Lates was also clinging to his cheek, showing no intention of leaving. The soft, white fur wasn’t unpleasant, but having them both clinging to him was overwhelming.
“Arnold is popular~”
Varis was walking with his arms crossed behind his head.
If his plan had worked, their roles would have been reversed.
“Hmm…”
What should he do now?
He had stolen not only Elisha’s but also Melina’s affection. The heroines who were supposed to fall for the protagonist were now interested in him.
His goal of guiding the protagonist towards the Harem Ending was long gone.
‘I am sorry, Varis… the heroines who were supposed to be yours…’
Of course, it didn’t matter to Varis since he didn’t know this wasn’t supposed to happen in the first place.
But he, who knew the truth, felt guilty about it.
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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.
