Chapter 12: I Reincarnated as a Villainess…and Ended Up Stranded (11)

Well, doesn’t that just mean I look like a cute, pretty, elegant, and femme fatale-esque villainous young lady?

But… his wounds should have healed by now.

Why hasn’t he left yet and is still here?

With that question in mind, I placed the doll in a small box where I kept important items.

Though, by important items, all I really have is that notebook and a few magic stones.

Meanwhile, the adventurer ahjussi’s intense glare felt a bit prickly.

Surely he wouldn’t do something so bad to his saviour… but his gaze was more blatant than I expected, so I figured I should give him a warning.

“Um, Ahjussi…?”

“……What is it?”

“Everything here is very precious to me, so you wouldn’t think of stealing it, would you?”

“………”

When I gave him a sharp warning, the adventurer ahjussi fell silent.

The reason for his silence was obvious.

And also the reason why he hadn’t left even though his wounds were healed.

‘What a bad person…!’

‘So he was staying here to steal my precious things…!’

“Right!? Otherwise, there’s no reason for you to be here!”

“……Aren’t you the one not letting me go back?”

This wicked human, perhaps because I hit a nerve, suddenly resorted to vulgar language.

They say people resort to swearing when they have nothing to say… this was exactly that situation.

“What are you talking about!”

“Your wounds are all healed, so hurry up and go back!”

“Is it your scheme to make me feel relieved, instill hope, and then, when I’m truly at ease, stab me in the back?”

“Quite a distasteful hobby you have there.”

“Huh…? Th-There are people who do such demonic things…?”

Monsters are monsters, but indeed, humans are the scariest in any world.

How can a person do something so atrocious and cruel…?

For a pro villainous young lady like me, it’s truly unimaginable.

“Damn it…. Even knowing, I keep doubting myself.”

“…No.”

“My reaction like this must be a good source of laughter for witches like you, right?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about right now….”

The thief ahjussi started laughing as if he was suddenly dejected after saying something incomprehensible.

No, thinking about it differently, perhaps he, despite being a savior, had such pitiful circumstances that he had to steal from a young girl?

I can’t judge a person by their appearance alone, but he didn’t look like a bad person… and more importantly, the armour he wore seemed quite expensive for a mere thief or ruffian.

For reference, the adventurer ahjussi’s armour was cleaned of bloodstains and stored carefully in the outside shed.

“So… what’s the real reason you’re not going back?”

“……”

The ahjussi didn’t answer.

He just kept his mouth firmly shut, trying to hide his emotions somehow.

‘Just as I thought….’

‘There’s some deep reason.’

The meaning of him not answering even when I asked again was obvious.

It would be difficult to confide in a young girl he’d just met, especially one so young….

Still, judging by his various reactions, he didn’t seem to be a bad person.

Besides, magic stones of this purity must be quite rare.

Thinking about it again, even I might have been momentarily tempted.

“Haa…. Alright.”

“I won’t ask anything more until you tell me yourself, Ahjussi.”

In the end, I had no choice but to take a step back and be considerate.

Well, if this ahjussi tried to steal my things and run away, our puppies would surely punish him with their teeth immediately.

More importantly, this was the first time I’d seen a living person after always seeing corpses, so there was a part of me that wanted to treat him as well as possible.

“Instead, while you’re indebted to me here, you will obey my words absolutely.”

“Understood?”

“……I will.”

Thus, I extended my pinky finger to get a final confirmation.

The adventurer ahjussi looked back and forth between my face and my pinky finger, then stared at me as if asking what on earth this was.

…Huh?

Could it be that in this world, extending a pinky finger has the same meaning as extending a middle finger?

That question momentarily crossed my mind, but thankfully, the ahjussi also extended his pinky finger.

“Promise!”

No matter how atrocious an villain might be,
if they make a pinky promise with such a cute and pretty villainous young lady, they have no choice but to keep that promise.

And,
a few days after I kicked the fully recovered ahjussi out and reclaimed my fluffy bed…

“Everyone, this way!”

“I can feel our Master’s overwhelmingly strong presence from here!”

“…! We’ve finally found it!”

“This is the witch’s hideout!”

“Huh? Not a witch.”

“It’s our Master.”

“Guild Leader…!”

“Thank goodness…. You’re alive and well…!”

“Kuh… But the witch has taken the Guild Leader hostage…!”

“Well, anyway…. …Master!! I’m here!!”

“Guess what, guess what! I missed Master so, so much!”

“And I brought a whole bunch of friends who wanted to see Master too!”

“I did well, right?”

“So you can praise me to your heart’s content!!”

An unexpectedly large group of guests arrived at the house.

……A very large group indeed.