Fated to Be Loved by Villains
chapter-132

༺ Physical Punishment (1) ༻

[When I think about it a little, you’re a freak, you know that?]

“Excuse me?”

[Who else in human history, apart from you, would think of calming down a Saintess and a Devil’s Vessel just because they need someone to teach them?]

“…”

‘Stop talking about things that will make me feel depressed.’

I sighed at Caliban’s words while looking at the room in front of me.

Yuria’s room felt more decadent than expected for an adult.

The biggest reason was probably the smell that hit me when I approached the entrance.

‘…Alcohol?’

I could smell the scent of alcohol before I even opened the door.

Well, she was an adult, so it wasn’t like she couldn’t drink or anything like that.

It was just… It really didn’t suit her image.

Both her appearance and usual behavior just didn’t suit shit like alcohol or earthly entertainment. Rather, she should be someone who’d avoid such things, no?

No, I wasn’t trying to say that she had a model student-like personality, but you know…

In any case, because of that, she didn’t have anyone to enjoy such things with.

“…”

It was a sad thing. I felt bad for saying it, but it was the truth.

Putting it in a different perspective, though…

This could also mean that she was in a dangerous state.

Think about it, she was someone who had endured loneliness in a corner of the academy for so long.

And that kind of person had resorted to alcohol despite not being alone anymore, as she was with her little sister now. This meant that she was close to her limit.

That conjecture of mine was immediately confirmed as I opened the door and entered her room.

“…Huh… It’s Mr. Dowd…”

“…”

With slurred words like that, it was clear that she was drunk.

“…T-This is a dream, right? Mr. Dowd…coming to…see me…something like me… No way it actually happens, right?”

She giggled as she said this.

Though she was laughing, I could feel the deep aura of despair, something that would only come out from someone who had lost hope, emanating from her.

“Seems like I drank… Drank less than I should have. Ehehe…”

“…”

I sighed at the sight of her smiling foolishly with dead-looking eyes as she brought a bottle to her mouth.

She really was in a bad state.

Normally, Lucia would have prevented her from becoming like this, but she wasn’t in a good state either..

According to Dame Ophelia, it seemed like they had been holing up in their rooms for days.

“…Get a grip of yourself.”

After saying this, I grabbed the bottle she was about to plug into her mouth.

“And stop drinking something like this.”

“…”

Yuria blinked her eyes, looking back and forth between her hand where the bottle had been, and my hand that took it away.

A few seconds later, her face turned pale.

It seemed she finally realized that I wasn’t part of her schizo dream.

“M-Mr. D-Dowd, Dowd…?!”

“Yeah. It’s Mr. Dowd. I came because I have something to say to you.”

She backed away quickly as if she had seen a ghost, plastering herself onto the wall.

In that situation, she desperately clutched a worn out collar around her neck; Along with my handkerchief hanging next to it.

Who knew how much she fiddled with it. That thing looked so frayed that I couldn’t even see the family crest printed on it. It hadn’t even been a long time since I had given her that.

She clearly made a habit to touch it every time she could.

“…”

Scary.

What was so great about it that she treated it to such an extent…?

Now I became even more scared to say what I was about to say next.

“That. Take that off.”

As I pointed to the collar while saying that, Yuria’s face went completely white.

Her entire body was trembling. Tears started to form in her eyes.

It was like she was finally facing an inevitable, inescapable disaster.

“…I-I’m sorry.”

The first thing that came out of her mouth was a faint voice, akin to a sob.

“I’m sorry, please don’t abandon me, I’ll do anything, anything, so please, please…”

“…”

“I was, I was wrong. I’m sorry. I was wrong, Mr. Dowd. P-Please don’t throw me away, please…”

She muttered like someone who had lost her mind. Her eyes were wandering aimlessly.

As she reached the end of her words, her voice boiled over in a low, sobbing plea.

Compared to her drunken state earlier, she seemed like she had completely lost her mind.

System Message

[ Corruption Value of target ‘Yuria’ is rapidly increasing! ]

[ It surpasses 90%! ]

“…”

Seeing her like that, I sighed inwardly.

I checked over the ‘plan’ one last time.

This wasn’t something I was good at, since I had never tried it before. Hell, I was dogshit at this.

But considering the characteristics of Devils, this was just right.

When it came to things related to me, all the Devils rushed in, seeing red as they tried to possess something that ‘other Devils’ could never have. They were obsessed with forming relationships in ways that other Devils could not. It was obvious just from seeing how the Blue Devil used me as collateral last time.

However, even among them…

Only the White Devil did not discriminate and accepted whatever I wanted, as long as it was extreme, aggressive, or radical.

After all, the Devil of Obsession, to put it differently, was someone who would do anything so that it ‘wouldn’t lose something.’

As such…

In this situation where she had ‘wronged’ me, it was possible to appease her temporarily.

System Message

[ Effect of ‘Title: Playboy’ is displayed! ]

[ Revisions are attached to your actions! ]

Yeah. I knew it would turn on at this timing.

Alright…

I wrapped the new collar I got from Vulkan around her neck, and locked it with a click.

Yuria’s eyes widened in an instant.

She was fumbling her hands around her neck, as if this situation was an unbelievable shock to her.

“I know that no matter what I say, your heart won’t be appeased. So…”

My chilly voice sank low in the room.

“I’ll punish you. After all, don’t you deserve to be punished?”

The atmosphere I was trying to create was ‘A Villainous Duke from a Romance Novel Obsessed with the Heroine’.

Uhh, you know…

Like, a bad boy oozing with charm…? Something like that.

Suddenly, I heard Caliban’s hysterical laughing from inside the Soul Linker.

[Y-YOU, PLAYING, A VILLAINOUS DUKE, THIS F, FUC, FUCKI, FUCKING, WOW, WOWWWW, WOWWWWW, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-!]

“…”

Shut the fuck up.

In any case, I managed to continue to act skillfully despite his interruption, thanks to my trait.

“…Pu…nishment?”

I continued in the same tone to Yuria, who was questioning me in a daze.

“Tomorrow evening. Come out to the outside of the Elfante residential area. I will hand you your ‘physical punishment’ there.”

But my tone wasn’t just filled with coldness and aloofness.

Within it, I mixed in a subtle ‘possessiveness’ to complete a sophisticated emotional act.

‘It’s not that I just dislike you, it’s that I have caught your weakness, so I’ll use this as an excuse to do various things to you—’ that was the vibe I was going for.

When I think about it, I realized how amazing the Playboy trait was. It gave me the ability to talk like an actual playboy.

“In the meantime, I’ll be confiscating this.”

With that, I waved the collar I just took off in front of her.

I continued with a mocking tone.

“A naughty child like you doesn’t need this. Right?”

“…N-No, p-please give it ba…”

Yuria tried to speak desperately, twining her fingers around the leash connected to her collar. She let out a shallow scream as she was yanked towards me.

I grabbed both of Yuria’s cheeks with one hand, speaking again in a sinister tone.

“I’ll decide that based on your attitude tomorrow.”

“…”

Yuria faced me with wide eyes.

“…T-Then…”

She gulped nervously before speaking.

“If I show a good side to Mr. Dowd… Does that mean I can get that back?”

“It’s possible.”

I answered smoothly, brushing my hair back stylishly.

From inside the Soul Linker, I could hear the voice of someone choking, but I maintained my elegant atmosphere.

“It will be difficult, though.”

“…”

Hearing my words, Yuria’s face immediately filled with determination.

“…I-I’ll do it! W-Whatever you ask, I’ll do it!”

System Message

[ Target ‘Yuria’ gains hope from your words! ]

[ Target’s Corruption Value decreases rapidly! ]

There you go.

With that, I achieved my goal for now.

I made her think that this was finally her chance to be forgiven. After all, it was obvious that no matter how much I said I forgave her, she would be worried about something like ‘Has he really forgiven me…?’.

For now, this much was enough to set the groundwork for the ‘event’ I had prepared for tomorrow.

If I was lucky, I could aim for two birds with one stone.

I could also take care of the Grand Assassin that followed me relentlessly.

“…Let’s see if you can keep your word.”

With that, I left Yuria’s room.

System Message

[ Title ‘Playboy’ has been deactivated! ]

[ Such adroit gaslighting! Proficiency increases! ]

[ The Title is deemed extremely suitable for your nature! The Title will soon be enhanced! ]

“…”

At the same time as that window popped up…

[…]

[…]

There was a stinging silence from two people inside Soul Linker.

Seeing that it was two, it seemed that Valkasus was also awake for the first time in a while.

[I must say…]

‘Valkasus. Quiet.’

[No, normally I would. But seeing this right after I woke up for the first time in a while, it made me want to say something.]

“…”

[That lady was certainly angry because of you. And then you nearly died because of your own mistake, but now you’re pushing the blame onto her and coming out like this?]

“…”

[I believe you know what I’m trying to say.]

As I stayed silent, Caliban spoke with laughter mixed in his voice.

[Excuse me, Boy King.]

[What is it?]

[Do you perhaps know what a standing ovation is?]

[I have not heard of it, but I understand it’s a culture to express admiration. Is the target receiving it this man’s ruined and utter failure of a morality right now?]

[Look at this gentleman being on the same wavelength as me. Now we’re talking.]

Clap clap clap clap.

Clap clap clap clap.

“…”

I removed Soul Linker when I heard the continuous applause.

This person had just woken up, but Caliban had already influenced his brain.

“…Haaa.”

I sighed, fiddling with the ‘spare’ collar in my pocket.

Somehow, I managed to deal with Yuria well, but there was still another person who needed to wear this.

Just like Yuria, she was just as troubled, and she was also necessary for the event I had planned for tomorrow, as a kind of ‘safety mechanism’.

And the place she was in… Was right next to this place…

For Lucia Greyhounder, the cathedral represented a space of two emotions.

First, it brought her a sense of comfort.

It was the place she had spent most of her life since childhood, so this was a natural sentiment for her.

The hard stone floor of the chapel, the cozy darkness of the confessional, the quiet atmosphere, and the sanctified scent spreading from the censer.

All these elements constituted the majority of Lucia’s memories. It was something she could not come to hate even if she wanted to.

However, the second emotion it brought was the complete opposite of the first one.

After all, most of the terrible experiences she had in the Holy Land had occurred here.

Like a bird trapped in a cage, she was destined to be ‘bred’ for use in the Pope’s plans.

‘The Paradise Plan.’

In a corner of the Holy Land was a place called the Sanctuary.

It appeared as nothing but ruins, yet it was famous among merchants and hedonists. After all, there often were high-quality holy artifacts found nearby.

Additionally, its relevance in the religious sense was significant.

Though not as well-known as the Void Zone where the Devils slept, it was still a place where legends whisper of the ‘Legion of Angels’ slumbering.

And the Pope was a man dreaming of resurrecting ‘something’ from that place.

In addition, Yuria and Lucia were to be sacrificed as ‘keys’ to that plan.

But…

A certain man had saved both of them from such a fate.

“…”

Lucia’s concentration, as she offered prayers and poured water on the holy relics, was shattered in an instant.

The image of a past ‘incident’ flashed through her mind.

The man, receiving a mortal wound from a blow unleashed by her little sister’s sword, had his body split in half.

Even as he was dying, he was still concerned about her, urging her not to get hurt. And she could not stop thinking about that moment.

“…”

Her concentration broke.

She bit her lip until it bled.

Never before had she struggled to focus on prayers, but these days, it was impossible to maintain even the most simple concentration.

After all, every time, a guilt, heavy on her heart, rose up as if trying to consume her mind.

She was… Powerless.

Even though she bore the title of the Saintess, she couldn’t protect the one man who showed her such kindness.

“Just as I thought, you were here.”

At the sound of that voice, her body jolted, as if an electric current ran through her body.

It was the voice of the man she had just been thinking about.

“…W-What…brings you he—”

Before she could continue…

WIth a click…

A collar was fastened around her neck.

“…?”

Lucia stared at the other person with a bewildered expression.

It was because she was unable to immediately comprehend what in the world had just happened.

Then, she stroked her neck, as if finding it strange.

Indeed.

It was a collar.

The kind usually put on animals.

At the very least…

It was not something to be causally put on a Saintess, the person who was standing at the very pinnacle of the continent’s believers.

“…”

“…”

A heavy silence fell between her and him.

Lucia took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

She tried her best to not lose her temper.

If it weren’t for the recent guilt she felt towards this man, she would have likely swung at his jaw, slapping his face around with all the Divine Power she could muster.

“…Explain.”

She omitted the usual honorific she attached to her words, but Dowd did not seem to mind this.

After all, it was a highly rational and reasonable response from her given that she didn’t slap him right away.

“Saintess.”

As such, he better have a good explanation for this.

Dowd took several deep breaths before speaking.

Now, it was not the first time he had messed up by speaking incorrectly at these kinds of times.

But this time, he absolutely had to get her proper cooperation through a logical and rational explanation.

“There is a reason for this.”

“Shut up and get to the point.”

“…No, wait, so like, I need to at least tell the reason why I put this o—”

“Just tell me why you fastened this onto me. You piece of shit. Summarize it in one sentence.”

“…”

Dowd shut his mouth at the sharp, biting words, as cold and unforgiving as frost.

The situation wasn’t the kind where he could get by with a simple explanation.

Which meant, he should try to create a pleasant atmosphere.

He smiled refreshingly. While radiating positive energy, Dowd spoke with vigor.

In one hand, he held the ‘handle’ connected to the collar he put on Lucia’s neck.

As if he was handling a pet.

“Do you perhaps like going on walks?”

Shortly after, a slap that seemed able to break his neck came toward him, but he managed to dodge it after using all his might.