Me, the Weakest Member of the Hero’s Party? I’m the Villain Though? - Chapter 8
“That monster had no intention of attacking me. It was surrendering.”
“What are you talking about? It bit you. Monsters don’t surrender. They either attack or run, those are the only two options.”
Kyle answered without thinking deeply about it as he carefully lifted my bleeding arm, inspecting it closely.
“Thank goodness it didn’t bite too deep. Still, it looks painful. And since a filthy monster bit you, the wound is going to fester.”
“It doesn’t hurt that much.”
It had hurt at first, but surprisingly, the pain wasn’t as bad as I’d expected. The torn flesh looked gruesome, but it was bearable.
More than the pain, I was still fixated on the corpse lying on the ground—its severed head resting far from its body.
“…Is that how you’re going to kill the Black Flame Dragon too?”
I asked as I pointed at the dead monster as I spoke. I already knew arguing with him was pointless. But for some reason, staring at that decapitated corpse felt like looking at my own future.
“No?”
Kyle shrugged casually at my question.
He swung his sword through the air, expertly twirling it before sliding it back into its sheath.
Then, flashing a grin, he spoke.
“I wouldn’t kill it so quickly. First, I’d cut off its limbs. Then, I’d cut off its head.”
Back when I read this novel, I found his ruthlessness satisfying. Because back then, I wasn’t the villain getting tortured and executed.
“The monsters ran off, so let’s get back to Elonen for treatment.”
Without waiting for my response, Kyle threw my uninjured arm over his shoulder and started supporting me. I wasn’t even that badly hurt, so I had no idea why he was insisting on helping me walk. Still, I let him.
We had barely started moving when Kyle suddenly halted in his tracks as if he had just remembered something.
“Actually, there’s something I need to check…”
“What?”
Kyle abruptly turned his head, then leaned in close.
“What exactly are you?”
Thump.
At that moment, my heart plummeted.
A thousand thoughts raced through my mind in an instant.
Did he figure it out? If he knew my identity, what should I do?
Fighting one-on-one might be manageable… but then what?
Maybe I could quietly get rid of him and dump his body in the lake? I could make it look like a monster attack. After that, would things work out somehow?
“You lied to us, didn’t you? You’re not just some ordinary woodcutter.”
Kyle stared straight into my calculating eyes. I forced myself to remain calm and shook my head.
“I never lied.”
I felt a chill crawl down my spine and my guts practically shrank in that split second, but I kept my voice steady. However, Kyle’s narrowed eyes showed no sign of softening.
“Come on, just be honest. If you confess now, I’ll let it slide.”
For a brief moment, I had a vivid mental image of myself—limbs severed, writhing helplessly on the ground. My mouth opened and closed uselessly, struggling for a response. Then, Kyle’s lips curled into a grin.
“You’re actually here to slay the Black Flame Dragon too, aren’t you?”
All the tension in my body evaporated at once. For a moment, I felt a weird sense of emptiness.
Kyle wasn’t suspecting me of being the dragon.
He was suspecting me of being… a wannabe hero?
I exhaled slowly and shook my head. At least he wasn’t onto me. That was a huge relief.
“For the last time, I’m just a regular woodcutter.”
“Aww, what a shame. If you were, I was gonna invite you to join my party.”
Kyle pouted, looking genuinely disappointed.
As if the hero’s party was some childhood friend group handing out role assignments. Not that I wanted to join them in the first place.
“For some reason, I really like you. It’s strange… I feel like we’ve met before. When I look at you, my heart burns—like I’ve finally found someone I’ve been waiting for… for a very long time.”
…What an ominous thing to say.
I had no idea if Lysian had actually met him before, but I definitely knew why his heart was burning.
Because I was the archnemesis he was destined to kill!
“Sorry, but I have no interest in the Black Flame Dragon whatsoever.”
“Alright then. In that case, let’s hurry up and get rid of it so we can go home. Your wood business must be suffering terribly, after all.”
…Wood business?
I had no idea what he was talking about, but I just nodded and let him drag me along, wedged under his arm.
I had talked way too much today, and talking did nothing but increase the risk of exposing my identity.
From now on, I’ve got to speak less.
Clamping my mouth shut, I silently vowed to keep my words to a minimum.
