Published at 18th of November 2020 07:17:13 PM
Chapter 20: 20
The moment I make it out of the fog, I’m overcome by an awful smell .
What… . . is that… . . ?
The air is completely saturated with it, making it feel heavy and disgusting as it reaches my nose . It’s so hard to breath that I start to feel a bit faint .
Eyes watering, I try to survey the scene in front of me .
But I have no words for it… . It’s the first time I’ve encountered such miserable conditions in all my life .
There are people collapsed on the ground, moaning, clothed only in tattered rags and their skin grimy with dirt and sweat .
Hoping not to draw attention to myself, I pull my hood more tightly around my face and quickly put out the light of my lantern .
If anyone were to realize that I’m a noble, I’ll surely be attacked . At the thought, I can’t help but start quivering in terror .
After reading all those books, I was able to understand the conditions that these people live in to a certain degree, but I never would have imagined that it could be this awful……
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The conditions that I see here are much worse than what the books had described them to be .
In the game, just what did the heroine manage to accomplish here again… . ?
Ugh, the stench is so strong, I can’t even think straight .
Honestly, I don’t want to stay in a place like this for long . A villainess won’t act on feelings of compassion or mercy . So I definitely can’t start thinking that I want to help them or improve these awful living conditions .
As long as I’m living well, that’s all that matters . That’s how a villainess lives her life .
But… . . my legs seem to keep pushing me forward of their own accord .
As I walk I see children stretched out on the ground, their tiny bodies emaciated, just skin and bones .
And then I get to what appears to be a plaza . There’s a fountain standing in the middle of it, but no water flows from its center .
Instead, there is just a pool of stagnant, murky water sitting within it . And surrounding this fountain, tons of people lie sleeping on the ground .
Are there really this many homeless people living in this village? I glance at the buildings around the plaza . Many of them look like they should be houses, but most look as if they could collapse at any moment . Cracks cover their facade, and many have have giant, crumbling holes eating through their walls .
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And, as I continue to look around I note that the only light in this whole place comes from a few candles . There are no street lights to be seen, and even the moon’s light doesn’t reach here as the sky is overcast with an impenetrable layer of clouds . Without having even a tiny breeze, the air feels stagnant and thick .
“Young Lady,” a voice suddenly calls, and my whole body tenses up, freezing in place .
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Was he talking to me? Did they realize that I’m an outsider? That I don’t belong here?
What should I do? I’m quite confident in my sword skills now, but I didn’t bring my sword with me… .
If I run as fast as I can, I wonder if I’ll be able to get away? I don’t want to die in a place like this!
I mean, I haven’t even gotten to bully the heroine yet!?
“Young Lady,” the voice says again, and this time I feel a hand plop down on my shoulder .
A villainess should never cry, but in a situation like this one, I don’t think it can be helped .
With eyes brimming with tears, I glance down at the hand; it’s big and slightly wrinkled… . And then I slowly turn to face the hand’s owner .
He has white hair and although he looks old, I suspect that might be mostly due to his hair color . I think he’s probably younger than his appearance suggests… . . Somehow, I get the feeling that he is purposely trying to look like an elderly person .
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He has a pair of thin lips, and a tall nose; his face actually has very nice features… . But I wonder why he has his eyes closed .
Wait, could he possibly be blind… . . ?
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The terror that I had felt only a moment ago vanishes in an instant .
It’s not because he’s a blind, old man though, but rather based off of instinct . My gut is telling me that he’s a good person .
The atmosphere he gives off is warm and gentle .
And despite his age, as I look at him longer I can see just how handsome he really is .
Are all the people in this country good looking or something??
“You’re not from this village, are you,” he says in a kind voice .
Even though he can’t see, I wonder how he was able to tell?
“No,” I quietly admit .
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“It’s dangerous around here, so I think you’d better hurry home . ”
“No, but… . . I… . . ”
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“Then come with me,” he says, and then slowly starts walking away .
Father told me to never go anywhere with a stranger, but it feels like it’ll be okay if I follow this man .
Though, it’s that sort of impression that can be the most dangerous of all . Since the scariest people are often the ones that are able to appear nice at first .
But even so, I know that nothing will happen if it’s this person . I’m a good judge of character after all .
What do you call it again… . Having a discerning eye? I think I have that . Even though I’m saying it about myself… . which might make it seem less credible to some people… . But for some reason I feel like my eyes are more capable than most .
Like with the speed reading… . or like when I’m practicing my sword play with my brothers how everything seems as if it’s in slow-mo .
And even when I was slicing that apple in midair, it looked as if it was falling in slow motion and that’s how I was able to split it perfectly in half .
Realizing that I had been lost in thought, I look up again and see that the old man had already walked quite a distance away from me . And despite being blind, he’s quickly and easily weaving through the various people who are stretched out on the ground in front of him . Could it be that he isn’t actually blind?
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Though I still feel a bit hesitant about following, in the end I decide to go with him for now, so I wind my way through the people and hurry after him, trying to catch up .
T/N: Stranger danger!!! I’m not entirely sure that I trust Alicia’s intuition . I’m sure it’ll probably be fine, but we are talking about the girl who somehow misinterpreted what it means to be a villainess to this insane degree