Fated to Be Loved by Villains

“…Right. Thanks for saving me.”

That was probably the first thing I should say.

Even though the dozen women in front of me were staring at me dangerously, as if they’d tear everything apart with their bare hands.

Because if I didn’t say that, my head might be the first thing that might explode.

“I’m… So glad… That you’re safe.”

“…”

No.

Saintess.

You’re not even a Devil’s Vessel, why are you talking with bloodshot eyes like that?!

“…”

Ladies.

I mean, yeah, I get it, you’re angry because I faked my condition to power you guys up, but…

C’mon, it’s totally worth it! Look at you guys, we could try for world domination if we want to now!

“…For now, let’s head back to Tristan Duchy first. Can you stand?”

Eleanor—looking the most demonic of them all with her sword drawn—gasped out those words.

Fortunately, as she said, I wouldn’t be having difficulty moving around. My skillset was geared towards surviving near-death experiences, after all, and I also had various durability buffs.

However, before I could say anything…

“Oh hell no, absolutely not. You’re not going anywhere with that condition.”

Riru, who had approached me at some point, suddenly scooped me up.

As if she was going to carry me herself.

“…?”

Okay, I appreciate the thought, but…

Seriously, I’m fine right—

“Hee, heehee, heeheehee…”

At that moment, her unsettling giggles entered my ears, sending shivers down my spine.

It was as if she was getting aroused just from skin contact with my bare body—

“—I’ll take this side.”

“Then I’ll take this side.”

“Ah, then I’ll take this side.”

“…”

Before I could even finish my thoughts, the other women approached me and grabbed my limbs one after another.

What do you think I am? A corpse?

Before I could even tell them that I could walk on my own, their hands started creeping upwards.

“…Um, I think I could manage if I just held him up to here…”

“…Hmm, then I’ll just go up to here too.”

“Then me to—”

“…Please, let’s just move on, I beg you.”

That was a genuine, heartfelt plea.

●

“—Haaa.”

Back in the Tristan Duchy. While lying on the bed, I let out a sigh that felt like my soul was being stripped away.

It wasn’t just fatigue; it was the heavy feeling of having lost something.

[What’s wrong?]

“That bastard… She took everything.”

[Hm?]

“The Prophet, I mean.”

At the start, she definitely mentioned that she was ‘testing the water’.

In other words…

We barely got a glimpse of her hands…

And yet, it felt like she had thoroughly stripped away our ‘maximum output’.

It wasn’t a complete loss, but…

Through the whole process, I did manage to grasp what kind of ‘foundation’ she had on her side.

Specifically…

Her understanding of ‘Devils’ was at a level far beyond my expectations.

[Didn’t even the Sword Saint do that thing where he could just nullify the Devil’s powers?]

‘That’s because the Sword Saint is a monster, and even then, there’s an obvious way to counter it.’

The nullification field the Sword Saint uses was an absurd ability that could even separate dimensions on its own.

But even that power had a simple counter: you’d just need to get out of the field.

However, in the Prophet’s case…

…We couldn’t even handle her even though we had gone all out.

Thinking about the situation at that old fortress we visited, it’s best to assume that everything there was prepared by just the two of them; Spinning Fire Wheel and the Prophet.

Yes, they probably spent quite some time preparing everything, but the fact that they could do that in the first place was already terrifying enough.

Considering the Prophet’s actions, she’d clearly try to kill Devils even if she had to ally herself with the Holy Kingdom.  Once she started getting their support… I couldn’t even imagine how much more handful she’d get.

“…Seriously, there really isn’t a single woman around me who doesn’t give me a headache…”

[…Woman around you?]

Hearing what I said, Caliban responded with a tone that sounded as if he had lost his mind.

[Did you just call the Prophet one of the women around you?]

“Did I stutter?”

[…]

“…What?”

[No, it’s just, uh… It sounds like you’re trying to seduce her too.]

“I mean, she said we even had children together, you know? Don’t you think I should at least take responsibility?”

I replied with a wry laugh.

[No, to begin with, the one she was close to wasn’t theyou in this timeline, but the you in another—]

“That’s not the point.”

Instead of that, what we should focus on was the fact that she ‘sacrificed’ something to come back to the past.

And she did all that because she thought that ‘Dowd Campbell’ was someone precious to her.

So, I naturally had an obligation to respond to that.

“That’s the practical reason, there’s also other moral reasons.”

[Moral reasons? Like not turning away a woman who comes to you, that kind of shit?]

“No, not that.”

This guy was just missing the point.

“At the end of the day, I was the one who married her and, to put it crudely, fucked her, right?”

[…]

“I gotta take responsibility for my free-spirited lower half, no?”

It’s a responsibility without the pleasure, but what can I do?

I grew up in the slums and brothels, so I know it well. When it comes to matters involving ‘children’, you’ll feel the weight of responsibility even if you don’t like it.

[…I often can’t tell if you’re magnanimous or just fucking crazy.]

“I’ll just be grateful that you don’t think I’m petty.”

I answered like that while lounging on the bed.

Anyway, whether I’d end up clashing with the Prophet or whatever, there would still be quite a bit of time left.

…When was the last time I got a proper rest?

As I thought that while trying to keep my eyelids from falling shut.

From this point up until the ‘end’…

There was just one more hurdle I really needed to overcome. And there was still some time left before that.

With that thought, I let out a deep sigh.

I should close my eyes for a moment. Having some rest would be so go—

“Son, son—!”

“…”

Right.

The word ‘rest’ wasn’t written anywhere in my fate.

Thinking as such in a gloomy mood, I raised my body as someone roughly opens my door and enters.

“…Dad?”

I muttered those words without thinking when I saw the face of the person suddenly bursting into my room.

No, I knew he was in the Tristan Duchy, but why did he suddenly come here?

As I was mulling over those thoughts, my father dragged the nearby wardrobe to block the door. As if to block ‘pursuers’ who might follow.

“…What are you doing, Dad?”

To my question, my father trudged over and grabbed my shoulders.

He looked like he was about to impart the world’s most important secret to me.

“Run.”

“…”

“It’s not too late yet…!”

“What?”

“I know because I’ve raised several including you. Raising children is hell. It’s not something humans should do…!”

“…”

Wondering what the hell he was talking about, I listened quietly as he approached with half-dazed eyes and firmly gripped my shoulders.

“I heard the Lady say that she wants at least ten…! She’s planning to squeeze you dry…!”

“…”

“That’s hell you’re walking into. It’s not too late, so listen to your dad, Dowd…!”

No.

Why are you acting like the grizzled war veteran in every horror flick who warns the protagonist not to go into the cursed basement?

“First, calm down—”

“How can I calm down?! You have no idea what kind of hardship you’re facing! The women of this duchy are all experts at wrapping men around their finger-”

Before I could calm down my father who seemed to be saying those words seriously, I heard someone knocking on the door.

What followed was a voice dripping with seduction.

“Lord Campbell? ♡”

“…”

My father’s body froze up like a small animal that had encountered its predator, to the point where it’s almost pitiful to see.

“B-Bella…”

“Oh my~ You can’t just skip your meal like that. After the meal, I plan to give you a massage as always ♡”

“B-Bella, I’m already taken—”

“And—?”

“…”

What the fuck was this setup?

Was my dad just casually trying to set up a live adultery subplot right in front of me?

Wait, I’ve heard this voice before.

Yeah…

She was Bella, Eleanor’s personal maid.

The moment I recalled that information, the door my father had blocked was violently destroyed. By the looks of it, she blew it all away with a single kick.

As expected of one of the top martial houses in the Empire. It seemed that being the personal maid of the future duchess granted you specs on the level of a human weapon.

“Ah, Young Master is here as well?”

“…Young Master?”

The phrasing sounds a little off, no?

My father and I are supposed to be guests here, why the hell is she talking as if we’re part of the family?

“Well, since you’ll officially be part of the family starting tomorrow, I figured it was fine to say it in advance.”

“…Excuse me?”

I blinked like an idiot, trying to process what the hell she had just said. Bella gave me a dazzling smile before continuing.

“The wedding ceremony, of course.”

“…”

“According to the lady, even if the heavens themselves were to split open, the ceremony will proceed tomorrow.”

“…”

“She said that she won’t tolerate any more interference.”

No.

At least give me time to prepare!

You’re all moving way too damn quickly!

***

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