I, who was reincarnated as the villain character in a game, was secretly enjoying my role as the villain while pulling off heroic moves behind the scenes. However, my actions were exposed to my fiancée, who absolutely despises me - Episode 33

Episode 33

As I grip the dagger in both hands, the wolf kicks off the ground and leaps towards me.

Fast… but I’ve seen monsters like this in the Forest of Rebellion countless times.

Swiftly dodging its attack, I thrust the mithril knife towards the wolf’s neck.

The wolf doesn’t flinch. I offer it a smirk before releasing my hand from the knife.

“…?”

The wolf gazes at me with curiosity, and I sigh.

“You can talk, so stop pretending to be a mere monster.”

“…Did you know?”

In response to my question, a gruff voice comes from the wolf.

This wolf is none other than Ruf, the character I’ve been searching for who can use appraisal and other skills.

“I did.”

“…Why do you know? Apart from the villagers, no one else should know about my ability to speak.”

What the wolf is saying is…

To be honest, I can’t disclose the solution to this.

“I’ve glimpsed into the future a bit.”

“Nonsense?”

“Hear me out till the end. In that future, your power was needed. That’s why, Ruf, can you lend me your strength?”

“…Do you also know my name?”

“Yeah. I do. You like sweet things, and you’re protecting children in that cave over there.”

“…?”

Ruf stares at me intently, then exhales softly.

“It seems you’re not lying.”

“You were troubled about where to protect the children, right? If so, I’ll protect them all at once. Would you come with me?”

If we label it as a servant, we can easily accommodate them in our house. The management around here is quite sloppy.

Upon my inquiry, Ruf hesitates for a moment before walking towards the cave.

“Follow me.”

Ruf says so and starts walking briskly.

Although I haven’t earned his trust, he must understand that it’s tough to stay here like this.

As we head towards the cave together, there are three children there.

…Although they’re called children, their age isn’t much different from mine.

The one who gazes at us with a bit of caution is a girl about the same age as me.

…I recognize her face from the game.

“Ruf… Who is that person?”

“Come to think of it, I didn’t ask for his name. What’s your name?”

“I’m Reis Validor. I’m the third son of the Validor family, but let’s not worry about that.”

“…Validor family, huh.”

Ruf gazes at me intently. The children’s expressions seem a bit wary.

…Just by mentioning the Validor family’s name, they’re on high alert. How should I express my gratitude to my family for this?

After sighing, I raise my hands to ease their caution.

“I understand that you’ve heard various nasty rumors about me, but I just want to borrow Ruf’s power. If Ruf agrees to lend his hand, I’ll provide them with the basic necessities like food, clothing, and shelter. How about it?”

“…My power?”

“As a comrade who will fight alongside me, and since you can use appraisal magic, I’d like to borrow that power.”

“You even know that?”

“I told you, I’ve glimpsed a bit into the future, right? So, what do you say?”

Upon my words, Ruf ponders for a while… but one of the children speaks up.

“…Are you going to exploit Ruf like a slave?”

Though her voice trembles, there’s strong hostility towards us.

A glaring look from the girl.

The Validor family seems to be really despised… Even though the game’s protagonist would instantly recruit allies with a word, is it this difficult when you’re not the protagonist?

“You’ll have to do the necessary work, but I don’t intend to overwork you to the point of death. If you’re busy with appraisal, you don’t have to engage in combat, and vice versa. If you can’t trust me, shall we make a written employment contract outlining daily working hours and wages?”

“Inaesia. Don’t worry about me. …Reis. I apologize for the rude words. I’ll comply with the conditions you’ve proposed, so please take care of these children.”

After conveying this to Inaesia, Ruf bows his head to me again.