Chapter 5
"Did you wait long?"
And Donau crouched down, stopping right in front of his sacrifice's nose. The eyes that still glared fiercely at him, refusing to die, were vivid. Donau thought that was a bit audacious.
He brought the knife to the neck. If possible, he wanted to prepare it to suit the demon's taste. The demon would no doubt love it bloody. Blood beaded and flowed from the thinly drawn line. Donau was thoroughly excited by this delicate and artistic work.
And it was just as he adjusted the blade again. With a loud boom, dust swirled through the house.
Did the door get torn off? Damn it, did someone report to the guards? Hell. I don't think I can win against an adult man, even if a little girl wouldn't be a problem.
Coughing and wheezing, a silhouette approached through the dust. The first thing that caught his eye was a pure white dress that was practically a nightgown. And the next thing his gaze fell on was similarly colorless pure white hair.
"Evangeline Rohanson?"
His relief at seeing not a burly adult man but a sickly young lady who looked like she could be subdued with one hand was brief. The moment his eyes finally met those bright red ones, Donau inhaled sharply.
Revere and worship. Bow before the angel of light who has circled the earth and descended upon the ground.
From somewhere, a trumpet sounded.
***
Crazy! What the hell is this?
After entering the house with the door that shattered from just a light kick—how shoddily was this made—I found Donau holding a knife to the neck of a tightly bound girl. This crazy bastard!
No, I just came to catch a thief who ran off with my totally awesome otherworldly munchkin summoning formation, so why did this guy evolve from thief to kidnapper! Don't level up on your own, I tell you!
"Kanna!"
Hena, who followed behind me, was horrified at the sight of the bound child. Kanna? Seeing that she knows the name, is she an acquaintance of Hena? Don't tell me someone who works at the mansion? Hena was beside herself, covering her mouth and tears dripping down. What do I do, they must be close!
I found myself unable to forgive Donau more and more. The only person I talk to in this otherworld is Hena, and he just had to kidnap Hena's friend? I won't let you get away with this. I'll show you the cruelty of a romance fantasy villainess.
I was just making that resolution when it seemed the other side recognized me too.
"Evangeline Rohanson?"
Donau called my name and started trembling violently. Is this guy, a heinous criminal who stole someone's things and even kidnapped a child, actually scared of me? Must be because he got caught in the middle of his crime, right?
Surely it's not that Evangeline Rohanson is some kind of ultimate villain whose name alone makes people wet themselves. ...Right? Don't tell me I wasn't just at villainess level but was actually the strongest villain mastermind of this world's setting! I don't need that kind of setting, okay!
Sigh... My head is getting a bit dizzy, but that's not what's important right now. Saving a life comes first.
"Did you call for me?"
I didn't expect being a villainess would come in handy at a time like this. It's cringeworthy, but I held back my goosebumps and smiled with just the corners of my mouth lifted. The important thing is the eyes don't smile. Villain smile, easy right?
The knife Donau was holding caught my eye. The blade must have already grazed her, as a line was drawn on the child's neck. What should I do in this situation?
I recall detectives saying things like "Put down the knife and let's talk." What kind of conversation? What common ground do I have with this guy? Ah, there is one thing.
"Did you take good care of my summoning formation?"
I softened my words to avoid provoking the criminal. Take care of it my foot! He stole it! Come to think of it, why is this guy stealing my magic circle and then not even summoning anything, just kidnapping people? Now that I think about it, it's annoying.
"So... you're saying you're the owner of that summoning formation?"
"Of course. That's why I came looking for you like this."
Look at this guy playing innocent! He stole it from my room and now he's acting like he has no idea. The audacity is on another level. Well, he must be shameless to steal things and kidnap people and all that.
I wanted to hurl all kinds of vulgar curses at him, but with a young-looking hostage present, I desperately held back. The summoning formation is important, but a human life is more important.
"Tell me what you want. If you return that child, I'll grant it."
Of course, I meant I'd listen with my ears.
I'd let it go in one ear and out the other, but right now I had to pretend I'd really fulfill it. You hear the criminal's demands, exchange for the hostage first, and then put handcuffs on his wrists or whatever. Since this is a romance fantasy world, maybe there aren't handcuffs? Then I'll bring down the hammer of justice.
"Make me... make me incredibly rich!"
Right. What would be the reason for stealing others' things and taking hostages? It's all about money.
The problem is I don't have any money right now. I came out to catch a thief; why would I bring money? If that was the purpose, he should have at least left a note telling me to prepare money in advance! This guy doesn't even know the basics of kidnapping!
"Rich? Fine. How about Count Rohanson? I'll make you a Count."
So let's just pay with empty words. All I have right now is Evangeline's body and status. Might as well use them. Evangeline Rohanson is an only daughter, and if a husband marries into the family, he'd become a Count, wouldn't he?
Let's set aside for now the question of whether this is a romance fantasy world where women can also be family heads, or a patriarchal romance fantasy where even if a daughter is the heir, a man must be brought in as son-in-law to continue the line.
"Count Rohanson? Right... I like that. It seems good to take that damned Count's seat for myself."
Negotiation established. Must have been an acceptable trade condition. Well, it's a Count title, isn't it? Money and power come as a set, so why would he refuse.
"Shall we make the exchange now?"
Hand over Hena's friend to me already!
I was waiting to receive the hostage when suddenly Donau, face flushed, started waving the knife around and headed toward the girl. Wait, what, what are you doing!
"Stop. What kind of nonsense is that?"
"I'm trying to finish the deal...."
Ah. So he meant he was going to untie the hostage's bound hands and feet himself? Phew. Thank goodness. I let out a sigh of relief and watched, but Donau looked really unsettling. Is he really untying her? He's not going to hit me on the back of the head, is he?
This won't do. It's better if I untie the hands and feet. I need to receive her first.
"I'll do it, so bring that knife here."
Donau frowned but still listened well. Just when I thought we'd finally have the hostage exchange, Donau came toward me with the knife.
W-wait, did I offend him? Was it because I spoke informally? Or was it a command? No, is impersonating Evangeline Rohanson a crime!
I don't know what it is, but instead of calming him down, I seem to have provoked him.
I'm screwed? No, stay calm. I'll use this as an opportunity. What matters is that Donau is focused on me instead of the girl.
"Hena. You save the child."
I spoke through ventriloquism. I said it incredibly quietly so Donau wouldn't hear, but Hena must have sharp ears too as she nodded slightly, saying she understood.
I'll draw the aggro. A villainess is naturally an aggro magnet. Trust me.
"Hey. Making you a Count was a lie."
"What?"
"You believed that? How stupid."
Good. Nothing pisses people off like giving and taking away. I deliberately mocked him thoroughly to rile him up. Ah, I laughed so hard my stomach hurts. The laughter stopped because it hurt.
Suddenly turning serious is a bit weird, isn't it? But since things already got weird, I decided to go out boldly.
"Why should I grant your wish anyway?"
"Weren't you summoned for that?"
No I wasn't! How would I have known Hena's friend Kanna was captured and come looking! I just came to catch a thief!
"I only came because of my summoning formation."
Donau had nothing to say and hung his head. I thought he was silent because I caught him off guard, but listening closely, he was endlessly mumbling something.
"...This, this shouldn't happen. Something went wrong. I did it exactly the same. I did what I was told, so what's missing? Evangeline Rohanson. I did everything you told me to do. So why doesn't it work for me? I can do it too. I could have become that damned Count too. Please don't look at me like that. You too, do you think I'm pathetic too? Don't look at me, you damn... demon bastard...."
It sounded like crazy talk to pay attention to. Well, a sane person wouldn't kidnap his comrade's friend.
After mumbling for a while, Donau suddenly snapped his head up. His eyes were completely gone.
"The preparation was perfect, so why?"
Donau, staring blankly into space like someone possessed, suddenly whipped his head around. Hena was diligently trying to undo the knots binding Kanna's hands and feet.
"It won't undo. What do I do? Why won't this come undone?"
Hena's face was covered in tears. With her hands trembling like leaves, there was no way precise knots would come loose.
"No, no! My sacrifice!"
Donau shouted, and Hena, hearing the sound, hugged Kanna tightly to protect her.
Donau flailed and reached out his arm. In his haste, he apparently couldn't even see the floor properly, and a candle at his feet tumbled and rolled across the ground.
The kids are going to get hurt at this rate! My heart grew urgent. At that moment, Donau completely turned his back to me. You shouldn't expose your back to the enemy! I didn't miss the opportunity and struck the back of Donau's head.
Gah! I thought wrong! I should have aimed for the nape of his neck, not the back of his head! It was just so round and satisfying to hit that I couldn't help it. Still, it worked. Even though I hit him with my bare hand, Donau wobbled and collapsed to the floor. I passed Donau and headed toward Hena.
"Move, Hena."
Seeing her trembling hands, it seemed I'd be faster at untying than Hena. Hena, who had been squeezing her eyes shut, carefully opened them and moved aside.
As expected, maybe Hena was struggling because she was nervous—the rope came loose easily after I fiddled with it a few times. It just fell apart at the slightest touch.
"You're safe now."
One problem solved. My heart was barely holding up after my first spectacular incident since possessing this otherworld.
"Kanna."
Hena, who had been standing aside, pulled the girl into her embrace.
"Sister...."
"Are you okay? How did you get caught! I told you not to go outside! You've only just recovered!"
"I'm sorry, sister.... I didn't know I'd get caught by someone like this. I was waiting for you, sister...."
"I'm sorry too, Kanna. I'm glad you're safe. I'm glad I wasn't too late."
They weren't friends but family. Seeing their affectionate appearance made my nose tingle. I wanted to join in the hug too, but I was just playing the impressive villainess until moments ago—joining this moving scene would be out of character, wouldn't it? I looked at a distant mountain and dried my tears.
Even if I can't cry with them, I want to help.
"Your name is Kanna, right? What should we do with Donau?"