Me, the Weakest Member of the Hero’s Party? I’m the Villain Though? - Chapter 4
Following what I had learned from the books, I concealed my miasma as much as possible and surveyed my surroundings. Pushing aside the undergrowth in the direction of the strange presence, I soon heard the murmur of voices.
I slowed my steps and crept closer—until I came face-to-face with a group of people.
“Huh? Isn’t that a human?”
One of them spotted me and shouted, drawing everyone’s attention to me.
Around a campfire, four people sat in a circle, now all staring directly at me.
Even at a glance, I could tell—it was them. The hero’s party. The very same people I had seen in the mirror.
“Are you alone? What are you doing here?”
The man who had stepped forward scrutinized me from head to toe.
His sharp sky-blue eyes gleamed with intensity, and his golden hair shone like sunlight.
His dazzlingly handsome features, the flowing cape, and his strong, well-built physique made his identity obvious. He was most likely the protagonist of this novel—the hero.
“And you’re wandering around out here like this? Completely unarmed?”
His gaze was filled with suspicion as he examined me. I needed to come up with a plausible response. Though, honestly, no answer would sound normal in this situation.
“I… got lost.”
Only now, after speaking, did I realize something strange. Ever since waking up in this dragon’s body, this was my first time conversing with another person—yet, oddly enough, I was speaking in a tone similar to the Black Flame Dragon described in the book.
“You got lost?”
Was this really the best excuse I could come up with? A flimsy lie, claiming to be a mere lost traveler? As expected, the man furrowed his brows in suspicion.
“This place is teeming with monsters because it’s near the lair of an evil dragon. And yet, you’re telling me you wandered in alone, completely unarmed, and just… got lost?”
“…And if I did?”
I didn’t think it was impossible. After all, humans made mistakes. Surely, at least a few unlucky people had stumbled into a dragon’s forest by accident.
“Well, you’re lucky nothing bad happened to you so far.”
A man in white robes, sitting by the campfire, spoke with a warm smile. It seemed my story had somehow worked—I let out a small sigh of relief. But just as I was about to relax…
“If you keep wandering around alone, you’ll get yourself killed. You’ve got no choice. You should come with us.”
The man scrutinizing me suddenly made an unexpected offer.
I should have refused immediately. I had fled into this forest to escape these people, but now, they wanted me to walk alongside them of my own free will? That’s practically suicide.
“No thanks. I prefer being alone. Just tell me the way out, and I’ll be on my way.”
“So, you plan to keep wandering through this monster-infested forest alone? Either you’re crazy, or you’re not just some ordinary person.”
The hero narrowed his eyes, suspicion deepening.
I had thought I had gotten away with it, but it seemed they still found me odd. Suppressing my discomfort, I glanced around to gauge the others’ reactions.
The entire party was watching me carefully. They were trying to act natural, but I could feel their wariness. Meanwhile, cold sweat trickled down my neck.
“I…”
“If not, then come with us.”
I didn’t want the hero’s party to become any more suspicious of me.
The best scenario was to act harmless and ordinary, distancing myself from their suspicions as much as possible. Then, I could slip away naturally, becoming nothing more than a forgettable passerby in their memories.
By the time they started searching for the Black Flame Dragon, I would be the last thing on their minds.
“…Then, only until we leave the forest.”
The moment I reluctantly agreed— Grrrrroooowl! A loud noise rumbled from my stomach as if it had been waiting for this moment.
Now that I thought about it, I had been hungry for a while. I had spent half a day wandering through this forest on an empty stomach, so it was only natural that my body had finally started to protest.
As I frowned slightly, trying to hide my embarrassment, the man shrugged.
“So, you’re saying you do want to come with us?”
“…Yeah.”
Only then did the man finally relax his stiff expression.
He reached out a hand.
“My name is Kyle Delos. I’ve come here to slay the evil Black Flame Dragon that rules this dangerous lair.”
Hearing his name, I finally remembered.
Kyle Delos. The seventh prince of the Helena Empire, and the hero of this novel. Blessed with the protagonist buff, he was devastatingly handsome, had a bold personality, and was a master of swordsmanship.
In the original story, Kyle was the one who killed me and earned the title of Dragon Slayer.
“My name is…”
For a brief moment, I hesitated. Should I really give him my name? But then I remembered that the Black Flame Dragon’s name had never been mentioned in the novel.
It wasn’t particularly unique or memorable either.
So, I decided to tell him.
“…Lysian.”
