Me, the Weakest Member of the Hero’s Party? I’m the Villain Though? - Chapter 38
“There’s no time, Your Highness! Please, you must also—!”
At that moment, a tremendous roar shook the ground once again. Smoke burst up outside the window, and both Kyle and the knight holding him ducked low to the floor.
The Black Flame Dragon’s massive roar could be heard. Kyle shook off the knight’s hand and rushed to the window.
“Your Highness, stop!”
In the eastern quarter of the imperial castle, jet-black flames were raging fiercely.
Not only that—the once peaceful and beautiful imperial capital, Blaine, was now engulfed in black fire.
“N-No, this can’t be…!”
Kyle couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He wished, if only for a moment, that this was still a dream and he hadn’t woken up yet.
But the screams of people and the stench of burning at the tip of his nose forced him to accept the terrible reality.
【 Humans who have broken your promise. Receive your punishment. 】
A thunderous voice echoed above the heads of the trembling people.
Kyle looked up and saw a black shadow floating in the sky. Its vast wings, spread wide and blocking out the moonlight, looked like a storm cloud.
When he met those vivid red eyes, an indescribable chill and helplessness swept over him.
***
Kyle opened his heavy eyes. Darkness shrouded his vision. The quiet moonlight filtered into the pitch-black forest, and only the sound of insects was loud.
“A dream…?”
It seemed he’d dreamed of the past for the first time in a long while. It was something that had happened a long, long time ago.
Blinking his bleary eyes, he realized the spot across from him was empty and sat up.
“Lysian? Where did he go?”
On the dawn of the day he first met Lysian, he’d woken up and found Lysian, who had been away for a moment, looking for him.
From that moment on, Kyle thought Lysian was someone the hero’s party absolutely needed. That was why he persuaded Gerard, who was against taking Lysian into the party.
Since Lysian had risked his life to help them, Gerard didn’t really object anymore.
Elonen was always fine with anyone, and Kakaros didn’t make any strong objections either, so Lysian was brought into the party without issue.
Kyle walked toward where the undergrowth had been trampled. Since it wasn’t a path people usually walked, following the tracks was easy.
“Hmm, looks like he came through here. Where did he go? What if something happened?”
After following the traces for a bit, he soon saw Lysian’s back. Lysian was standing in a clearing where the moonlight streamed through the round-grown trees.
“…Did I really do that?”
He could hear Lysian muttering to himself. Kyle pricked up his ears, but maybe because of the distance, he couldn’t make out the words.
It seemed Lysian was talking to someone, but since no one else was in front of him, he was probably just talking to himself.
“Are you going to keep following me?”
He sounded annoyed, maybe even a little grumpy.
Just as Kyle stepped closer to hear better, a twig snapped underfoot. Lysian, startled, turned around.
“…Kyle, what are you doing here?”
“I noticed you were gone, so I came to find you. Did something happen?”
Since he’d been found, Kyle quickly closed the distance to Lysian and glanced around, but didn’t see any sign of anyone else.
“Weren’t you just talking to someone?”
“No, I was alone.”
Lysian replied flatly, dusting off his pants and getting up. His eyes, as cold as ice, swept indifferently over Kyle.
At first, Kyle thought he looked frightening—as though he was truly evil—because of his expression. But looking closer, it was just that his eyes were sharp, and his face was actually very handsome.
“I couldn’t sleep, so I was just looking around for a bit.”
“Why are you wandering around alone at night? That’s dangerous.”
“It’s just a normal forest. What’s dangerous about it?”
Lysian was totally incompetent now. He might have once been a great sage, but now he was just an ordinary person with a broken mana core.
He’d even admitted himself that he couldn’t do anything. He’d never held a sword, nor was he any good at cooking. They’d let him handle meal duty once, but everyone ended up vomiting, so they never let him touch a knife again.
For these reasons, Kyle was always worried about Lysian. The forest was a dangerous place. There were monsters, wild animals, and all sorts of hazards.
“Let’s go back before everyone gets worried.”
Kyle held out his hand to Lysian.
Lysian, whose thoughts Kyle couldn’t guess, just stared blankly at the offered hand, then walked right past it. Kyle sheepishly drew his hand back and followed after him, feeling a little embarrassed.
