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 8

The swine merchant ran.

Exhausted and on the verge of collapse over the impending ruin of the merchant guild, he hurried to Lady Etica, who had been silently observing the situation.

“L-Lady Lindwurm, I was wrong to call your work a scam! Without a doubt, what you’ve done is something humanity should be proud of! So please—I beg you—have mercy and save our merchant guild with that compassion of yours!”

His apology was laced with praise, and it sparked a wave of groveling merchants. One after another, they began their pitiful procession of apologies.

But Etica’s expression remained clouded.

Even now, they were begging her for help. Was it shamelessness? Or was this truly what people meant when they said “clutching at straws”?

“I-I’ll even support your volunteer work with everything I’ve got! The entire guild will back you up! Whatever you need, we’ll supply it! So please—please talk to those two on our behalf!”

“No.”

Her firm and unwavering rejection left the merchants speechless.

“We’ll even get on our hands and knees to apologize for mocking your volunteer work. So please, show us some mercy…!”

“Don’t you get it?” I cut in. “Don’t you understand what Lady Etica’s really angry about?”

With a sigh, I silenced the room.

Even a high school dropout like me could figure it out. So why couldn’t these so-called merchants in this world?

“Not one of you has mentioned what you said about the beastkin and demon children. Not a single word.”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t you say it earlier? That they were ‘less than trash,’ or something like that?”

It’s not like I was emotionally attached to those kids—I barely knew them. All I did was share some grilled meat. I figured I wouldn’t care even if they ended up dead in some alley.

But still, hearing someone call them less than trash really got under my skin.

“Those kids were the kind who said ‘thank you’ when they were given a meal. That alone makes them more dignified than you lot, who can’t even make a proper apology.”

“They’re kind children who’ve done their best just to live. I don’t care what happens to people who’d call them trash!”

Lady Etica truly wanted to save them. That much was clear now.

“Ah… it’s over…”

The swine merchant collapsed. He seemed to age years in an instant.

He had forgotten his role as a merchant, conspiring with his noble buddy to send adventurers and knights after me. The others, too, had called Lady Etica a fraud without a second thought.

Honestly, they’d make great bowling pins if I blasted them with Kurokami Apple magic. But as business partners? I’d rather not have them anywhere near me.

…Maybe I really should drop a meteor on them and end it physically.

“It seems this location is no longer suitable for conversation,” Cain’s voice brought me back to my senses. “I’ve prepared a private room. Both of you, please come this way. As for them—the state will decide their fate.”

Right. First and foremost, I needed funds—to do whatever I damn well pleased.

“You’re right. You sound like the kind of guy who knows how to strike a real deal.”

Leaving behind the funeral-like mood of the merchant guild, we followed Cain toward the private room he’d prepared.

“Thank you, Master Monad. And Cain. That felt… surprisingly refreshing.”

“You wouldn’t have needed that if you hadn’t stuck your nose in from the beginning. If you hadn’t shown up, I’d have dropped a meteor and wiped the whole place clean.”

“Then I’m glad I did. Thanks to me, you didn’t actually become a criminal.”

She smiled brightly, her expression light, clearly relieved she’d managed to say what she wanted to the swine merchant. She had truly been worried about me, a member of the cursed Klyphot line.

To be honest, I was… happy when she stood by me. Even if nothing had changed, it still felt good having her by my side.

I still didn’t know much about House Lindwurm, and I didn’t remember seeing her in Cheat Chronicle either—but… there really are people like her in this world.

“But hey, it worked out! I still can’t believe Cain agreed to buy the Soul of the Verdant Dragon at ten times the price!”

“Ten times, huh…”

Yeah. Now things were getting interesting.

Cain seemed like the kind of generous merchant who’d pay ten times the price for an item the merchant guild had turned away—like a hero of capitalism.

If I hadn’t played Cheat Chronicle, I’d have definitely seen him that way.

But the truth was different.

“We’ve arrived. Let’s talk about the ten million gold inside,” Cain said, opening the door and gesturing me in.

But I didn’t move.

Cain’s slitted eyes narrowed slightly with suspicion.

“Something wrong?”

“You really are a merchant through and through, aren’t you, Master Cain? You know ten million gold is far too cheap for this.”

“Oh?”

Fortunately for me, I’d played Cheat Chronicle. That’s why I could bluff like this.

“Not ten times… but a hundred times. I won’t sell the Soul of the Verdant Dragon for anything less than one hundred million gold.”

“Wh-what!? Master Monad?! A-a hundred million!?”

Lady Etica’s eyes went wide with shock. In this world, the unit of ‘hundred million’ weighed far heavier than it did in my previous life.

Cain, on the other hand, remained calm—proof that, as a merchant, he was several leagues above those pigs from earlier.

“You’re making quite the demand. I didn’t expect you to ask for a hundred million…”

“What’s so unexpected about it? You said it yourself earlier—that magicians and engineers want this thing so badly they’re practically foaming at the mouth, and that it can even create fertile soil. So tell me, Cain. Why do those magicians and engineers want it so badly? What exactly do you mean by fertile soil?”

Cain paused for a moment—he was probably weighing what information to reveal and what to withhold. I pressed the attack.

“If you can’t answer, then let me guess: to create the Barrier Magi-Tech Device: Shelter, capable of protecting the entire royal capital from every kind of attack; and the Holy Sword Magi-Tech Device: White Blade, strong enough to wipe out entire enemy battalions. The two national-level weapons that the kingdom is pouring everything into—both rely on the Soul of the Verdant Dragon, don’t they?”

Oh? Cain’s poker face faltered just a bit—a single bead of sweat traced his temple. Compared to Lady Etica, who looked like she’d been thrown into space, that was telling.

“…Those are top-secret military projects, known only to the highest levels. How do you know about them?”

“So I was right.”

In Cheat Chronicle, the protagonist Spino completed both projects without using the Soul of the Verdant Dragon. But still…

“And let’s not forget the worsening mana pollution in the provinces. It’s created widespread famine—crops won’t grow at all.”

That seemed to fall under Etica’s domain. She nodded deeply.

“Yes, it’s led to a surge in starvation. My brother’s been trying to help—deploying devices to improve the soil and distribute emergency food supplies. But the spread of the pollution is outpacing our efforts…”

“Thanks for the clarification. Wait—hold up, wait just a sec!”

Did she just casually drop a bombshell?

“What do you mean ‘emergency food supply device’? What kind of guy is your brother, seriously!?”

“It doesn’t produce a lot, but… it’s a device that turns mana into food. As for my brother… even I don’t understand everything about him. Another time, perhaps…”

Someone like that exists? A cheat-tier guy like Spino actually exists in this world? The saying really is true—truth is stranger than fiction.

“Anyway, back to the point. I’d bet the solution to mana pollution involves the Soul of the Verdant Dragon, doesn’t it?”

“That’s… also classified at the highest level. How far does your knowledge go, exactly?”

“I only know the value of the Soul of the Verdant Dragon.”

…And the fact that I’m supposed to get killed by the protagonist Spino for having it, but no need to bring that up.

“In other words, this thing could literally determine the future of the kingdom. Don’t you think ten million gold is just a bit too cheap, Master Cain?”

“However—”

“You’re free to walk away, of course. But I imagine the One-for-All Church would be very interested in this item. Or maybe the secret society known as Illumination…?”

“You even know about them…?”

“If it falls into their hands, the kingdom’s done for.”

The One-for-All Church is a well-known monotheistic religion that worships the white god Sephiroth, who sealed away the black god Klypht. Depending on the route or scenario, they can become allies or enemies.

And as for the secret society Illumination—according to the original story, that’s the evil organization I, Monad, end up joining. They’re a bunch of lunatics obsessed with rewriting the world using the power of the black god Klypht.

Honestly, I’d rather not get involved with people like that. It’d be way easier to just sell this to Cain for a clean hundred million.

“On the other hand, if you favor me, I could become a valuable partner for the projects you want to undertake.”

I leaned in close, whispering into Cain’s ear so Etica wouldn’t hear—delivering the final blow.

“You’re suggesting I use forbidden magic… as a business tool? You realize the kingdom might not take that lightly.”

“Oh? Are you afraid of the puppet king, the one being controlled by his mother? Everyone’s too obsessed with political infighting to care about the old legends of the black god Klypht. Besides, the forbidden status comes not from the kingdom, but from the One-for-All Church. You’re a merchant, Cain. The Church doesn’t believe in profit—and merchants like you are their natural enemies. If you stick to their pious ideals, you’ll miss out on the biggest payday of your life.”

Cain looked up at the ceiling and let out a quiet breath. He’d made up his mind.

“I yield. Very well. Including a little investment for future returns—one hundred times the original price. I’ll pay one hundred million gold.”

“Deal.”

“But let me be clear—I’m not like Lady Etica. I have zero interest in volunteer work. If it ever seems like I won’t see a return on my investment, I’ll cut ties without hesitation.”

“That’s a lot cleaner and easier to deal with than some under-the-table backroom deal. I like simple terms.”

We shook hands, sealing the deal, and entered the private room prepared for the negotiations.

And so, the capital I needed to do whatever I wanted—one hundred million gold—was now mine.