I Became the Older Brother of a Villainess - Chapter 15.1
Kaku tried to somehow cover up the situation.
“It must have been a mistake from the nearby mercenary group, or there’s definitely another reason. The villagers, the villagers are innocent….”
“Is it the doing of the mercenary group then? No matter how formidable the Slos Mercenary Corps is, they couldn’t have brought a monster from the recluse’s land all the way here. Are you ignoring me? Or are you trying to deceive me?”
I intentionally pointed at Pippin. It seemed like a good time to reprimand him and let him fall into disgrace.
“Moreover, trying to sell me the meat of a Viridis! Without deliberately raising or luring Viridis, is such a thing even possible? It seems like harming Viridis was also a sham.”
“A sham? I clearly caught it with my own strength! There are clearly marks of my sword on its head….”
Pippin opened his eyes wide, struggling in Kaku’s grasp. Kaku crumpled Pippin up like a piece of paper and hid him behind me, then bent over, vehemently denying my words.
“That’s impossible! I’m sorry, truly sorry. There must be some misunderstanding.”
“It’s not enough to just apologize. There’s more than one suspicious circumstance, especially with the black-haired boy. Pippin, was it?”
“This kid is a slightly inferior swordsman working at my butcher shop. He’s not capable of intentionally summoning monsters or anything like that. He’s lacking in skill and wouldn’t know how to do such things.”
Pippin extended his head through Kaku’s arms, looking as if he felt unjustly accused.
“Master, am I really lacking in…?”
“Master? Hahaha! Call me ‘boss’! Anyway, you’re a fool who doesn’t know how to use titles properly. You’re not someone of high concern to the boss like a lord.”
Kaku singled out Pippin, making it clear that Pippin was innocent.
Certainly, even from my perspective, Pippin didn’t seem cunning or strategic.
In the game scenario, he was a tank, blocking all kinds of storms with his straightforwardness and loyalty. However, whether Pippin was innocent, virtuous, or heroic was not my concern.
The only thing that matters is one thing: I was contemplating on sinking Pippin off the cliff by gnawing at his ankle. Whether he’s a hero or a thief, once they fall off a cliff, they’re just a piece of meat.
“It’s not a matter to be easily dismissed. He tried to sell me monster meat. I’ve never permitted monster transactions in this village. It’s a clear violation of the law.”
Approaching Pippin with purposeful steps, I looked him in the eyes. Pippin met my gaze directly, but without a hint of tension, he blinked casually.
“Your ability to defeat Viridis is impressive, but resisting me on my territory is an unforgivable act.”
The villagers, who had been murmuring, erupted into a commotion. When I raised my hand slightly, they quieted down again, and Kaku’s complexion turned a pale blue.
Seeing him exchanging glances with the village chief, I could definitely sense something fishy.
Even better.
“Kaku, hand Pippin over to me.”
Kaku’s eyes flickered with hesitation.
“How do you know my name…?”
“Why wouldn’t I recognize you? Seems like you seriously underestimated me, thinking I wouldn’t recognize you.”
I stood boldly and confidently.
“The guilty should receive appropriate punishment—”
[There’s a reason for all this! Pippin did nothing wrong!]
Suddenly! A spirit popped out from behind Pippin. She was the spirit who had been constantly buzzing around Pippin. She approached my side without passing through Pippin. The spirit’s chilly magic made my body temperature drop sharply.
‘Ugh. Ughhhh. It’s a ghost, it’s a ghost… That’s definitely a ghost…’
I swallowed the scream internally. It was right on the verge of the authoritarian duke’s mask shattering. The spirit, with an intimidating presence, stuck close to me and kept defending Pippin.
[Pippin isn’t a bad kid! There’s a reason why monsters keep appearing in the village! Pippin is just trying to protect the villagers! As for trying to sell monster meat, it’s just because he’s stupid! It’s because there’s a knife in his head instead of a brain!]
While pretending to defend Pippin, the spirit subtly criticized him. However, amid those words, it was clear that he was genuinely concerned about Pippin.
Although it felt a bit uncomfortable to push an innocent and foolish boy into the role of a sinner…
Since I had chosen to be the antagonist in this world, I had to bear the consequences.
“Hand Pippin over to me.”
Awkwardly smiling, Kaku took a step back with Pippin. Pippin, unaware, casually asked, “Are you buying meat?” I could hear a sigh from behind.
[Hey, sorcerer over there! Please, listen to me. Can’t you hear me? I’m visible, right? If you ignore our resentment, I’ll cast a curse.]
The spirit puffed up threateningly, exhaling a cold air. I pretended not to notice and continued the stare-down with Kaku.
It seemed Kaku had no intention of backing down either.
I knew it too.
Kaku was a guardian who cared deeply for Pippin, a mentor. The sharpness in the skills of the warrior Pippin was a result of Kaku’s affection and dedication. Leaving the mercenary corps, he found the warmth of human affection that he missed in Pippin.
“How about we take a break for today, and we continue with the disposal tomorrow? It’s getting dark, Your Grace.”
The elderly village chief spoke with a trembling voice. Kaku, instead of showing surprise at my revelation, turned to the chief with a fierce gaze, one that held a depth of untold stories.
