Me, the Weakest Member of the Hero’s Party? I’m the Villain Though? - Chapter 122
“So the reason the Devotees of Darkness are collecting the five relics is to gather them and summon the Dark God.”
Fortunately, it seemed my efforts hadn’t been in vain, because the Fairy King appeared to understand. Now it should have been time to let me go, but he didn’t look like he had any intention of doing that.
“Yes. If that happens, he will come to rule the world. To prevent that, I need to return to my companions. I promise we’ll pass quietly through the forest without causing any harm.”
The Fairy King, who had been pacing restlessly, finally stopped in front of me and crossed his arms. There wasn’t the slightest hint of goodwill in the way he looked down at me.
“So what you’re saying is, you just need to gather the five sacred relics before the Black Flame Dragon does?”
“No, that’s not it.”
I thought he had finally understood me, but it seemed there had been a major misunderstanding. I was so exhausted that my head began to throb.
“Why not? If you gather the five relics, you can simply make a wish for the Black Flame Dragon to disappear.”
“How does your thinking even lead to that?”
That meant making a wish to eliminate me. There was no way I would welcome that, and the plan was so absurd it left me speechless.
“You have one relic, there’s one in the Land of the Dead, and where are the rest?”
“Wait, listen to me. The five relics aren’t what matters right now. What really matters is stopping the Devotees of Darkness.”
But the Fairy King was already in a state where words like Devotees of Darkness weren’t even registering.
“The Dark God is none of my concern. What matters first is taking revenge on the Black Flame Dragon and restoring the World Tree.”
“The Devotees of Darkness are scattering mana crystals and creating an army of monsters. If the Dark God returns, they’ll trample this world, and that includes this forest.”
In the end, I had no choice but to bring that up as well. At words that were almost a threat, the Fairy King’s brows drew together sharply.
“An army of monsters, you say?”
The Fairy King, who had been muttering to himself, paused and asked. Thinking he was finally listening, I nodded toward my waist.
“Check my pocket, there’s a mana crystal there. The Devotees of Darkness are using those to create monsters.”
Instead of approaching me himself, the Fairy King gestured to the man standing behind me. The same man who had held a sword to my throat stepped forward and kicked the back of my knee, forcing me face down onto the ground.
As a result, my face was suddenly pressed into the dirt as I struggled. Couldn’t he have just taken it properly? Did it really have to be done in such an undignified position?
“This is what the Devotees of Darkness are spreading?”
The Fairy King’s eyes widened as he examined the mana crystal taken from my pocket. It was the reaction of someone who recognized it.
“Do you know anything about it?”
The Fairy King didn’t answer my question. He simply stared at the mana crystal, lost in thought.
Just as I was about to ask again out of frustration, he finally spoke.
“…I’ve seen it recently.”
I knew it. Their influence had reached even this abandoned forest.
If anything, this was a good opportunity for me. If I strongly emphasized that we shared a common enemy, I could build some common ground.
“Do you believe me now? If we don’t stop the Devotees of Darkness as soon as possible, monsters will start swarming everywhere.”
I strained as I tried to push myself up from the ground, but the man restrained me and climbed onto my back.
The forest fairies had light bodies, but their strength was incredible. I couldn’t move at all.
“Then do you have proof that you’re not one of the Devotees of Darkness rather than a member of the hero’s party?”
“Have you even been listening at all?”
The Fairy King was so impossible to reason with that I felt like I might choke from the frustration.
“I still cannot fully trust your words. However… among the outsiders I’ve seen, you know the most. So I will at least spare your life.”
It was certainly good news, but the phrase ‘at least’ bothered me.
“You’re not going to release me?”
“Before that, there is something I want to show you.”
Without explaining anything further, the Fairy King gestured to the man sitting on top of me.
“Caesar, take this one to the Black Swamp.”
The name alone sounded unpleasant.
“If you give a satisfactory answer there, I will release you.”
He did not explain what would happen if I failed to give a satisfactory answer. I had a bad feeling that I wouldn’t be able to give one.
So all I could do was hope my companions would find me before then.
