Chapter 2: Sword Girls and Moral Dilemmas
"Let me get this straight," I said, holding the rusty dagger like it was a cursed spoon. "You're supposed to be my moral compass?"
Liria nodded, her expression unreadable.
"I kill too many people, you kill me," I clarified.
She nodded again. "Exactly."
"...Fun."
We were walking down a dirt path through a peaceful forest, which seemed way too chill considering I was the supposed Villain of Prophecy.
"So," I asked, "do I get a villain base or do I just evil-freelance this whole thing?"
She sighed. "The Demon King's castle was supposed to be yours. But it exploded."
I blinked. "Exploded?"
"Apparently, the last villain tried to turn it into a giant robot."
I paused. "Respect."
---
While walking, we passed a traveling merchant getting robbed by bandits.
"Should we help?" I asked.
"You're the villain," Liria replied, arms crossed.
Right.
...I helped anyway. Not because I'm a good person, but because the bandits were so bad at robbing people it offended me.
I threw a rock. It hit the leader in the face.
They ran away screaming.
The merchant thanked me with free bread.
"Villain?" I asked, holding the loaf.
"Disgrace," Liria muttered.
---
Later, we set up camp under a tree. I tried starting a fire by rubbing sticks together. It didn't work. I cried inside.
"Why were you chosen as the villain?" Liria asked suddenly.
I shrugged. "Maybe the gods were drunk."
She stared at me, then laughed.
It was short, soft... but it was a laugh.
Progress?
---
As I lay back, staring at the stars again, I whispered, "All I wanted was to watch anime in peace…"
The stars didn't answer.
But Liria did.
"…Then conquer the world quickly. Maybe they'll stream anime in the afterlife."
I smiled.
"I'll conquer the world in HD."
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[Next Chapter: A Psycho Mage and an Accidental Cult]
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