Since I’m Just the Villain Who’ll be Defeated by the Protagonist Anyway, I’ll Go all out and do whatever I want using Forbidden Arts at Full Power until then! …Wait, what? Because I’m actually a good guy deep down, not only does the heroine like me, but the protagonist’s affection level is also maxed out from the start!? No way—that’s definitely just my imagination. I won’t be fooled! - Chapter 6

After arriving in town and parting ways with Etica and the kids, I headed straight to the Merchant Guild.

This place was a bustling hub where merchants from all over the country gathered—not just to trade monster drops, but also goods and resources. I’d even heard that in some areas, they negotiated business deals and investments.
At this rate, corporations might become common here sooner than expected.

And the place was massive.
I peeked into the neighboring Adventurers’ Guild as well, and it was packed wall to wall with people.

“Wait… isn’t that one of the Dark God Klyphot’s clan?”

“Back away! You’ll be cursed!”

But the moment they realized it was me, people started backing off.

“Oh? Making way for me? Much appreciated!”

A clear path opened straight to the Soul of the Bountiful Dragon exchange counter.
It felt like I’d become Moses, parting the seas.

The exchange counter was bustling with business and looked far fancier than the other booths—probably because they held a lot of sway in the Merchant Guild.
Although… the men running it looked more stuffed than sharp. Literally.

Just then, the pig-like man at the center—clearly the leader—looked right at me and gave a command to his subordinates.
He glanced at the price board on the wall.

There it was.
“Soul of the Bountiful Dragon – 1,000,000 Gold.”

…Until they slapped a sticker over it that read:
“TRADE SUSPENDED.”

“Huh!? What the hell!?”

“The trade for the Soul of the Bountiful Dragon just finished,” the pig merchant said, looking smug as hell.

His face was so ridiculously pig-like I figured I’d remember him if he was from the game… but nothing came to mind. Guess he wasn’t in it.

“What are you talking about? I’m the one who has the real Soul of the Bountiful Dragon.”

“Then what you’re holding must be a fake, you cursed wretch.”

The pig merchant pulled out a green, murky crystal orb.
It looked just like the real thing—but even I, with no appraisal skills, could tell it had no power at all.

“Come on, that’s obviously the fake.”

“You? What would a nobody from House Leipnitz know? You’re not an appraiser. No one here’s going to believe you.”

The same merchants and adventurers who’d been scared of me moments ago burst out laughing.

“In other words! You’re a fraud who faked slaying the Green Dragon and brought us a counterfeit soul!”

“…You serious right now?”

“Not only that—your recent assault on the lord’s son. There’s no way out of this now.”

“Okay… that part might be hard to argue. But it was self-defense…”

Yeah, extortion might’ve been a step too far.

Suddenly, a group of armed individuals began to gather around me.
Not just adventurers—there were knights here too. Ones who normally only act on orders from the nobility or the crown.

“So it’s that bowl-cut noble’s doing, huh…”

He was the lord’s son.
And if I remembered right, in the game, the guilds in this region were deeply in bed with the local nobility.

Yeah… it all made sense now.

They forged the dragon-slaying record.
They falsified the soul’s trade history.
And now, using that as a front, they were sending adventurers and knights alike to eliminate me.

All this just to get rid of a single guy—me.

“…Well, whatever. I get it. I’m from the cursed Klyphot clan. If people want a villain, I’ll give them one.”

By the time I finished speaking, the entire floor was covered in a black magic circle.
Merchants, adventurers, knights—everyone began to panic.

“Hiiieek! W-what is this magic circle!?”

“The forbidden magic you all mocked. That’s what.”

“What are you trying to do!? Stop right now!”

“Didn’t someone say there was a strong adventurer who killed the Green Dragon earlier?
Shouldn’t be a problem, then—should be able to take me out easily, right?”

“W-we, uh… we didn’t actually see who—”

“Oh? So you just assumed I’d keep my head down while you spat on me?
You didn’t think I’d ever fight back? That was your mistake.”

My enemies stood right in front of me, clear as day.
Like bowling pins, all lined up—ready to be knocked down by the ball that is Dark God Sorcery: Apple.

Forget selling the soul here. I’d just go elsewhere.
For now… time for another round of “self-defense.”

Wonder how much I could get from mugging that pig merchant?

What spell should I use for this…

“—Wait, please!! I can vouch that he really did defeat the Green Dragon!!”

“…Etica!?”

As soon as Etica ran up to me, she pointed straight at me with conviction.

“This man—Mr. Monad—is the one who defeated the Green Dragon! And the real Soul of the Bountiful Dragon is in his possession! I saw it with my own eyes!
The ones lying are the Merchant Guild!”

“Oh? And here I was wondering what nonsense the young lady would say next,” the pig merchant sneered.

But Etica didn’t falter. With a sharp motion, she extended her finger like a lightning bolt.

“Twisting my testimony is the same as dragging the name of House Lindwurm—my brother’s name—through the mud!”

Whoa. She’s going that far?
Is House Lindwurm actually a noble house of influence? One that could stand against a local lord?

I searched my game memory as hard as I could. Lindwurm… Lindwurm… Lindwurm…

“…Nope. Never heard of any House Lindwurm with influence.”

“Ehh!?”

I had to side with the pig merchant on this one. I honestly didn’t recall that name.
Maybe it was mentioned in some obscure lore file or hidden backstory… but if it was, I must’ve missed it.

Etica, meanwhile, went cross-eyed and awkwardly curled her finger back after her dramatic point.
Huh… she might actually be a bit of a klutz despite the serious tone. That cowlick suits her.

“Now that you mention it,” someone said, “I did hear about a pair of odd siblings calling themselves Lindwurm who’ve been helping the poor and supporting beastkin communities lately.”

“We’re not odd, thank you very much. But yes, that’s us,” Etica replied, straightening up.

“So… you’re scammers.”

The pig merchant’s greasy tongue practically dripped with disdain.
The crowd of merchants and adventurers burst into another round of mocking laughter.

“Didn’t the One-for-All Church go on a ‘rescue mission’ and end up massacring people recently?”

“And a bunch of mages claiming they were doing ‘good work’ burned down half a city not too long ago.”

“Anyone preaching charity always turns out to be some kind of schemer.”

“She’s probably just sleeping with powerful men behind the scenes with that pretty little face of hers.”

Etica, who had tried to stand her ground, could only clench her fists now as the jeers spread like wildfire. Her expression twisted in frustration.

“Beastkin, demons… What’s the point of taming trash like that? Even as mercenaries, they’re just a liability.
Tell us, Miss Lindwurm—are you building an army of rejects to make your own little faction?”

“Take that back!” Etica shouted. “Those children are not trash!”

She finally tried to push back—but the mood had already soured beyond repair.

Man… if these guys had social media, they’d be the type to post passive-aggressive stuff from alt accounts all day.

But this world didn’t have smartphones or social networks.
There were no anonymous safety zones where you could endlessly spew hate.

“Hey. You guys forgetting something?”

They all went quiet at the tone in my voice.

“Who’s standing in front of you right now? I’m from the Dark God Klyphot’s clan.”

That’s right. In this world, when you mock someone to their face, there’s no screen to protect you.
If you piss someone off—especially someone like me—you get hit.

“You think you’re safe just because you’ve got numbers? That won’t stop you from getting crushed.”

Alright. Time to shut them up.

“—Gravity Bind: Black Hoedown.”

A massive, invisible hammer of gravity slammed down onto the room.

“――――ッ!?”

BAM.
Everyone except Etica collapsed flat to the ground, pinned by unbearable force.

“Guh…!”

Only Etica remained upright, stunned by the sudden turn of events.

Everyone else—merchants, adventurers, even the knights—was crushed under invisible pressure.

At first, I’d just been thinking of it as payback for not buying the soul.
But the moment they started insulting Etica…

Something snapped inside me.

Not because of justice or morals or anything noble.
I just… couldn’t hold it in.

So I said it without thinking:

“You know what?
Let’s just destroy this entire guild.”