I’m the Main Villain but the Heroines Are Obsessed With Me chapter 54

54 – 25. Stealing the Younger Sister’s Woman (1)

Her father was a respected person.

If others saw him, he might appear as an ordinary farmer.

However, he succeeded in cultivating the crop of wheat, the first of its kind in the barren land of Volkanoft.

Having dedicated forty years solely to farming, he could proudly proclaim that there was no one in the northern region who surpassed him in farming knowledge.

Among all the skills, it would be appropriate to say that he was the most revered and deserving expert in agriculture.

But Raina respected her father for more than just that.

“How devoted my father was.”

Harsh land and heavy snowfall.

Money and power may be a beautiful sight to those who possess them. But to commoners, it was a disaster.

She couldn’t forget what the village elders used to say.

“Don’t work so hard. Let’s go somewhere else. This land is cursed.”

But her father went to the fields with his farming tools every day.

People left one by one. Even when they said they would hunt instead of farm.

One person said, “Shouldn’t someone still have to farm?”

It might have seemed foolish or unrealistic, but Reyna liked her father like that.

“Even if my father tried so hard for Balkanov… how could he do that?”

Father always smiled at himself even if he worked hard.

The first time his father broke down wasn’t when the crops failed, but when his effort was in vain.

He had ruined farming because farming was not sincere.

Upon hearing those words, Father cried silently, and Reyna, who flipped the blanket, clenched her fist.

It was the moment when she vowed revenge against those who humiliated her father.

Did God understand her affectionate heart?

Around the age of 19, a miraculous moment came.

“Oh…. it’s freezing! Really. I knew this would happen. … Hey? Little girl? Do you know where Count Volkunov lives?”

An elf with sharp, long ears met her when she was going to the well to fetch water and return home.

It was the first meeting with Illyan Sigurd, an apostate of Daesurim who had fought in the hero party several times.

As Elf’s archery was famous even in the Empire, he thought it was a great opportunity to learn from him.

By sticking to him relentlessly, he was able to receive his teachings in the end.

“You’re really working hard… little girl. Let me ask you one thing. Why do you want to get stronger? You heard that your boyfriend Dias wants to woo all the beauties in the world. Do you want the same? Then let me introduce you. There’s a guy who’s a year older than you and very handsome. He looks fierce on the outside but he’s very warm on the inside.”

“He’s not my boyfriend! And I’m not interested in beauty!”

“Our Reyna likes girls? That’s okay. This big brother respects everyone. Then I’ll introduce you to a girl your age. She’s not at all arrogant, but very pretty.”

“No interest in dating? I want to give Balkanov a punch!”

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“Is that what you… want? Is it him who wants to hit? Well, he doesn’t lack courage… I should probably hit him. Alright then, let this old man help you!”

The teacher’s training was difficult.

Her weak body screamed to give up but she gritted her teeth.

She had to succeed somehow so that Ian would acknowledge her.

Ariel and the reason they were close was because if she became his stepmother, it would become easier to trample on Ian. But what does that even mean? “Wasn’t it Ariel who spoke ill of our father, and yet Senior Ian acknowledged him?” She had asked Ariel once why she thought of going after Ian just because of how badly she was treated. At the time, Ariel seemed as though she had never heard of such a thing before. “Really? Then let’s gather our strength together and drive Ian out!” She said to her father after completely forgetting what she had done to him. How could you do that? He had been hurt his entire life by a single word, but Ariel, who had completely forgotten it, was sincere in her affection. It was good that they recognized her worth and followed her without discrimination, even though she was a commoner. She vowed to stay by his side forever after strengthening herself by fighting with the martial arts she learned from her master and drinking. Although Reina had devoted herself to loyalty, all that awaited her was a tragic reality. “Damn! Damn it!” She wanted to run right away and grab her by the neck, but as a commoner, she couldn’t do anything. She wandered aimlessly, feeling betrayed, and came all the way to Cheongwalgwan, which was far away. Since she had come this far, she decided to take advantage of the opportunity and headed towards Hiasinsu, where there were blooming flowers. But there, she unexpectedly met someone. “Is there anything bothering you? You look upset.” “Uh…it’s nothing, sir.” Reina bowed deeply between her legs at Ian’s indifferent question. She felt like she couldn’t stand the current situation. Of course, it wasn’t that she didn’t like it, but she simply couldn’t face Ian because of her own circumstances. Her heart was pounding as if it knew whether or not she knew her feelings. It was the moment when she was about to crouch down to listen in case she heard a sound. “Is that so? Then be careful and go in.” “Are you, are you leaving?” “Hasn’t it gotten late? It’s 4 a.m., so it’s time to go back. Your parents, friends. And Ariel will worry about you too, right?” Ian, who stood up from his seat, brushed off the dirt on his clothes.

In fact, she wasn’t tired yet and wanted to stay longer. But it would be better to leave the spot and not make things difficult for Reyna. And going up the mountain at this hour was definitely an issue she was concerned about. It was unclear why she was acting like this, but it was definitely a distressing situation. He had no desire to obstruct her desire to get some fresh air, even though she had literally combed all the soil off her shoes before she made a move.

“Ariel is not a concern.”

“What did you say?”

“Ah, it’s nothing… Would it be okay for you to stay a little longer, Senior?”

Ian retook his seat after seeing her hesitate and tug at her clothes in embarrassment.

***

She had only asked him to wait for a moment, but they hadn’t spoken or interacted otherwise. Reyna had been sighing the whole time, as if the world was coming to an end, while Ian sat without taking any action. Without knowing the exact circumstances, he knew that offering comfort could possibly hurt her even more. Besides, they were never close enough for him to listen to her concerns in the first place. So, he decided to think about what he should be doing instead.

“Something seems to be troubling Ariel.”

Ariel was the girl that Reyna said wasn’t a concern. As someone who knew how much Reyna valued Ariel, Ian knew it was unusual for her to say such a thing. In the original story, there were instances where the heroines were hurt because of Ariel’s careless behavior. “Of course, things will improve, and they’ll get closer eventually.” But for now, their situation wasn’t good at all. Ian decided to concentrate on that point.

“Perhaps… I should consider turning Ariel into Leviathan’s host.”

Making the one they had to protect into the demon’s host might sound insane in words. However, this was the best choice they had. “Leviathan is

Considering the situation, it is unlikely that the demons will behave recklessly as before.

We have already lost three demon kings. And in a situation where our most powerful force, the lazy demon king, refuses to cooperate.

“It’s not something we can fight full-force. I already realized that two demon kings were influenced and left me.”

It was a situation where they realized that rushing in blindly would only bring backlash.

Unless it was an optimal situation, the demons would never attempt to leave Astelgia.

“Unless it’s a perfect opportunity to go after my life, I won’t come out. Then how about using Ariel as bait?”

If it’s an opportunity to kill a hero… wouldn’t it be irresistible?

Leviathan, who was experienced in the original work, wasn’t a calm individual.

Expecting it to be a perfect opportunity, Leviathan would show himself.

While other demon kings would try to stop him calmly, Leviathan wouldn’t be able to bear it.

“That’s right… just temporarily make Ariel stay away from her friends.”

Although he felt ashamed of taking his sister’s woman as his own, it was an unavoidable action for Ariel’s sake.

After dealing with Leviathan, they would reconcile and get along well as before.

As soon as he made up his mind, Reyna’s firmly closed lips opened.

“Senior, if someone misunderstood and hurt you….it wouldn’t be easy to approach them again, right?”

“Misunderstanding…”

“You hurt someone and then try to restore the relationship… that’s shameless.”

Indeed, if they had caused harm to someone through misunderstanding, it could be possible.

Being criticized for something they didn’t do is not something easy to endure.

The situation was difficult. It was also true that reconciling the relationship was challenging.

In other words, it wasn’t impossible.

“Do you know what most people do when there’s an extremely tangled knot?”

“A tangled knot?”

“Yes. When the knot is too tangled to unravel confidently, people either cut the rope or throw it away and find a new one.”

If that happened, the relationship would come to an end. They would forever remain unable to untangle it and grow distant.

“But if you invest time, you can always untangle even the most tangled knot.”

It didn’t matter what caused the knot, whether it was misunderstanding or something else.

As long as they didn’t sever it, they could find a way to untangle it.

“Of course, there’s no need to rush. If you don’t see a solution, let time pass, and gradually work on unraveling it.”

Reyna didn’t really know what problem occurred between Ariel and him.

However, if they were to take some time and attempt reconciliation, they could surely resolve the misunderstanding.

“Besides, since I caused the accident and have no colleagues around, Ariel will probably accept it.”

If only Leviathan could be dealt with, it wouldn’t be difficult to make room for them.

Ariel and Reyna could certainly reconcile.

That’s what Ian intended to say.

But in reality, Reyna took it completely differently.

“I misunderstood and hated my senior. You’re giving me another chance.”

After learning the truth, she had kept it in her heart.

How should she face him? Would he even accept an apology from someone like her?

Having almost given up countless times, she held back and spoke up.

And when she heard Ian’s response, all her worries melted away.

“There’s still… a chance.”

But the release of worry didn’t mean the end of it.

Thunk!

“Ah!”

Was it because her tension was relieved? The wooden barrel she had been holding rolled off her lap, spilling its contents.

Red berries fallen on the floor.

“This is…”

“It’s… winter strawberries, senior.”

Winter strawberries.

They used to grow near the village where she lived, and she would often eat them as snacks since she was a child. They were like comfort food that accompanied both good and bad times.

The fruits her mother would give her when she looked gloomy.

Reyna cautiously spoke as she looked at Ian holding the fruits.

“You can have them, senior.”

“…?”

“I found them around my house… and there’s no one to give them to anymore.”

She hesitated.

In truth, she didn’t want to eat them. She was just worried about what to do with the barrel that fell on the floor.

But she couldn’t refuse when he said it so sincerely.

“If I say I won’t eat them, I might start crying.”

Isn’t she hitting the bottom of pride?

I asked her to try it, but if she doesn’t like it, the situation will only get worse.

Ian bit into the winter strawberries.

He closed his eyes to slowly savor the sour taste enveloping his mouth.

Reyna watched him carefully.

“Why did I do that?”

Why did I say try it, only to act like that?

If it were food that he cherished, maybe he wouldn’t know, but Ian would have eaten until he was sick of it…. Why did he make a fuss?

“You’re clearly not going to like it.”

Moreover, the winter strawberries near the house were a bit different, with a more sour taste than sweetness.

That’s why he usually drank it with honey or milk or made it into a drink.

To have such a stark difference in taste… it was a mistake he felt in his gut at that time.

“It’s delicious. Judging by the strong sour taste, it seems to be a rare breed from the outskirts of Ashelra.”

The moment the worries were washed away cleanly, Reyna looked approvingly at Ian, as if she liked it, and asked.

“How did you know that?”

“I know well. That place is my personal territory.”

“Personal territory…”

“There are many good farmers there. I always wanted to repay them. You know it too, you’re from Volcano. Our family has always treated the farmers well.”

Having not paid attention to the territory, hadn’t he dedicated himself to them until now? Just that alone made them worthy of respect.

“It might be too late. But you’re making the effort now. When it’s time to repay them…. Of course, I don’t know if they will recognize my sincerity.”

“Of course. They will recognize it.”

She turned her head in a voice that seemed choked.

“I’m sure. Everyone in the village is grateful to the senior.”

The sun that had suddenly risen brightly colored her.

“Thank you for being with me, senior.”

Reyna’s expression was wide and beaming, unlike before.