Me, the Weakest Member of the Hero’s Party? I’m the Villain Though? - Chapter 39
I had almost been caught by Kyle.
I secretly calmed my anxiously pounding heart and walked past Kyle as if nothing was wrong. As I made my way back along the forest path shrouded in darkness, I glanced at him trailing behind me.
So how did all this happen? It started when I woke up a little while ago. I thought I heard a bird somewhere, and half-asleep, I followed the sound.
When I reached a clearing brightly lit by moonlight, something suddenly spoke to me.
—Master, you’re safe!
“…Master?”
Thinking I was still dreaming, I murmured softly.
—Yes, Master! It’s me, Larry!
A crow was flapping its wings in front of me.
At first, I thought I was seeing things and rubbed my eyes. But as my vision cleared, I could make out the distinct form of a black bird.
A small face with red eyes, a body and wings covered in black feathers. No matter how I looked at it, it was clearly a crow.
“What…? A crow?”
—Don’t you remember me? I’m your loyal servant, Larry…
The crow, claiming to be Larry, spoke sullenly, drooping its wings. I slowly chewed over his words, deep in thought.
It seemed this crow was the Black Flame Dragon’s loyal subordinate. It hadn’t appeared in the original novel, so there was no way I could have known.
“Were you… the Black Flame Dragon’s right hand?”
—Yes, yes, that’s right! I was always running errands for you. After I finished what you ordered me to do and returned to the lair, it was completely destroyed, nothing left but traces! I was so shocked!
Gerard had destroyed the lair at Kyle’s request.
“The lair was destroyed by the hero’s party.”
I replied honestly, and Larry flapped his wings, bristling with anger.
—I figured as much! I’ve been following you since yesterday, but… Why are you with the hero’s party?
“You’ve been following me since yesterday?”
If that was true, he’d been tailing us for quite a while, yet sharp-eared Kakaros and the others hadn’t noticed a thing.
—Yes, that’s right. I might not be good at much else, but I’m great at hiding. Are you purposely hiding out in plain sight among the hero’s party?
“That’s right.”
Too bothered to explain the long story, I just gave a vague answer. The crow raised its wings over its head and shook them from side to side.
At first, hearing a crow talk was a bit unsettling, but the way he acted was almost cute.
—As expected, you’re a genius, Lord Lysian! Before, you also snuck into the human world to gather information, didn’t you?
Listening to Larry’s story, I finally understood why Lysian had pretended to be a great sage and hidden in the human world.
“What information was I trying to get?”
—Huh? You never told me, so I don’t know either.
Apparently Larry didn’t know, either. Still, I thought this crow might be useful if I asked him about things I didn’t know.
“Are you going to keep following me?”
—If you order me to, I will. The lair is gone, so I don’t really have anywhere else to go.
“All right, let’s do that. By the way, there’s something I want to ask you…”
I was about to ask more about Lysian or the Black Flame Dragon when suddenly I heard a branch snap behind me.
Startled, I turned around. Kyle emerged from the darkness.
Did he hear everything? I tensed for a moment, worried he’d spot Larry and ask what was going on.
“Weren’t you just talking to someone?”
Fortunately, Kyle didn’t seem to have noticed Larry.
“I couldn’t sleep, so I was just looking around.”
Making a vague excuse, I glanced back at where Larry had been. There wasn’t a trace left. It was so spotless I wondered if I’d dreamed the whole thing for a second.
“Why are you wandering around alone at night? That’s dangerous.”
“It’s just an ordinary forest. What’s there to be afraid of?”
Kyle tended to be a little overprotective of me. Even though I was just a useless member, he tried to look out for me, even in such a peaceful forest.
“Let’s go back before everyone gets worried.”
I glanced briefly at the large palm Kyle suddenly held out in front of me. The moment from the prisoner transport wagon, when he’d grabbed my hand, flashed through my mind.
Remembering the warmth from that time, I suddenly felt my face grow hot. Worried he’d notice I was blushing, I quickly hurried past him.
