I’m the Main Villain but the Heroines Are Obsessed With Me chapter 59

59-27. Someone to rely on (2)

Bianca didn’t like Ian.

He was not only the core member of the 3rd platoon, the rival of the 1st platoon she belonged to, but also someone who belonged to Ariel’s party, herself.

She had spread rumors about Ian on futile days, so simply listening to him gave rise to a negative perception.

Of course, that wasn’t the end of it.

“Volkanov left us first when our family began to collapse.”

The family itself was also unpleasant.

To put it severely, they hated it.

“We were close, but he kicked us out of the family first.”

Both Volkanov and Marteif were families that shouldered the burden of blocking the mines for the Empire.

Facing a common enemy, the two families bonded together and didn’t hesitate to cooperate.

Despite being high-ranking nobles, they were people who looked at the Marteif without prejudice as dark wizards who were shunned by society.

Therefore, the relationship progressed rapidly.

Perhaps there were rumors circulating during her childhood that she might end up betrothed to Volkov.

The close family turned out to be the Volkovs, and she initially felt a fondness for them.

However, everything changed 180 degrees since her parents became magical beings.

“I remember everything….”

They must have surely done something deceitful. She shouted desperately, but the powerful nobles ignored her pleas, and the current emperor established a strong response against magical beings.

She sought Volkov as a last hope. But all she heard was a cruel answer.

“We have no cooperation with magical beings.”

Bianca’s view of Volkov changed because of that.

“I believed in you wholeheartedly.”

No matter how hard she tried, she was singled out simply for being suspected of practicing dark magic. The nobles eagerly awaited her downfall and undermined her family, as if waiting for the moment of their ruin.

She thought that they and Volkov were different.

“I believed in you.”

What she encountered upon her return was the sight of her parents brutally murdered by members of Volkov’s order of knights.

Since then, Bianca closed her heart and harbored distrust towards the nobles.

Some may argue that it is an exaggerated thought, that not everyone is like that.

But Bianca was unable to avoid experiencing dirty humans who approached her with great talent and a deceptive face.

She was convinced.

“I can’t trust these so-called nobles.”

That’s what she had always believed.

– Why does sister look like that? Don’t cry… It’s just a zombie story.

“It’s nothing. Sister won’t cry.”

There was a problem with a child named Nathalion.

“Why is this child following Ian?”

Bianca believed that only Ariel was a decent person among the Volkovs.

Despite being a hero and even having impressive lineage, he didn’t discriminate against commoners or fallen nobles.

At first, she thought it was just for image-making purposes. But after spending a long time together, she realized that it was truly genuine and liked it.

In other words, Ian had no prior information, so it was only natural to be cautious.

However, when she saw how sincerely Nathalion followed Ian, her wariness melted away.

“Children are innocent. They have no pretense and always act truthfully.”

As time passed, unlike the adults who wore a mask called pretense,

children expressed their affection without hesitation.

If they didn’t really like someone, they wouldn’t try to get close to them or show favorable feelings.

“But Nathalion really likes Ian.”

Is it still the same now?

– Yes. Last time, Ian made a lot of money with potatoes, right?

“Really?”

– Yeah! And he also held a fighting competition! It was so much fun. Do you want to go watch with me, Unni?

“Sure! I’m looking forward to it.”

Isn’t Ian constantly showering compliments about himself as they walk?

Nathalion spills all the facts she didn’t know before.

That’s why.

“He’s completely different from what I knew, isn’t he? I thought he was an authoritarian with a cold and cruel attitude… but he’s someone with unexpected sides.”

She wondered if she could trust Ian.

Bianca blankly stared at Ian’s back as he confidently walked through the mansion as if he knew every path.

“He moves as if he knows every road.”

Although Bianca, who lived here, told Ian that she would lead the way, he insisted on staying by Nathalion’s side, saying he wouldn’t be of much help.

“You can’t do anything here, so just stay put.” It could be interpreted as having such intention.

But Bianca wasn’t like that.

“It’s just his way of speaking. That’s not his true nature.”

He simply stated the fact. It would be better to stay quiet unless they were planning to burn down the mansion.

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Even at that moment, Ian easily subdued the rushing zombies and cleared the path.

It was a moment when she wondered if Ian truly had something special in him as he moved along an unfamiliar path, a path even she, who had spent her childhood in this mansion, didn’t know.

“We’ve arrived.”

“Y-You’re kidding, right? Ian, is this the place you were looking for? What in the world is here?”

“The one who possesses the only key to solving this incident is here.”

Ian stopped in front of the door, as if he had made a judgment after surveying the surroundings. He opened the sturdy-looking door.

Simultaneously, they could see it.

“You… who are you…”

A man, lying on the ground, struggling to catch his breath.

A genius alchemist. The one who created the zombies.

“Are you Lord Velos?”

Velos Hedon.

It was the moment of facing him.

***

Lord Velos was not in good condition.

“It’s the worst.”

He seemed to have lost all his energy, unable to keep himself upright. All he could do was lie down and breathe heavily.

The dark circles under his eyes indicated that he hadn’t slept for days.

Even now, his mouth was barely opening, speaking hazily.

When he introduced himself, saying he had come to rescue him, he briefly showed a hopeful smile, but even that didn’t last long.

He had lost his motivation due to the guilt of ruining the domain.

However, Bianca saw that as an opportunity.

Thud!

“Argh!”

“Are you Lord Velos? What on earth have you created? What kind of nonsense have you done to bring Bruchus to this state!”

She shouted, releasing her anger.

Of course, she knew that Lord Velos didn’t do it deliberately.

She also knew that the one who was truly evil was none other than Vanessa…. the one responsible for creating the zombies.

“If he didn’t create those monsters!”

The beautiful city filled with memories wouldn’t have been engulfed in bloodshed.

This man ruined everything. The vacations, the memories!

With one hand, she grabbed him by the collar and raised mana with the other.

Without his staff, he couldn’t wield even a tenth of his power, but killing this trembling man wouldn’t be difficult.

She was about to swing her fist immediately.

Thwap!

“Show some restraint. It’s not yet time to kill him.”

In Ian’s hands, her fist came to a frustrating halt.

Her tear-filled eyes turned towards Ian.

“Why, why are you stopping me! You know what kind of person he is! If he hadn’t created such a monster….”

“Your territory would not have been ruined. I know his intentions. Lord Velos didn’t do it without any thought.”

He was not without blame for creating this situation.

Zombies. In a way, even more dreadful than ghouls.

But that alone couldn’t condemn Velos as irredeemable trash.

“The reason Lord Velos conducted such experiments was not out of personal curiosity, but due to a request from the royal family. It was an inevitable accident.”

“Accident? Then he should have dealt with it properly!”

“Before you say that, it would be better to look around. Look with your own eyes at what Velos was doing.”

Only then did the true Bianca look around.

Piles of documents with the results of experiments. Items to restore those turned into zombies back to normal.

And more.

Though broken, the room was securely sealed, with devices for double or triple control in case of unforeseen accidents.

The moment the existence of zombies was discovered, Velos sealed them away and devoted himself to creating a cure. The reason for the secrecy was the fear of Miners finding out and causing an uproar.

With guilt for creating the monsters, Velos confined himself to his research.

Although it was clear that his reputation would be tarnished, he made an effort to take responsibility.

If he truly cared about his reputation, he would have quietly disposed of the zombies he created and kept it under wraps.

‘Those sacrificed in the experiment were commoners, so they had no right to resist him.’

Even though there was a way to preserve his reputation, Velos chose to fulfill his human duty.

It was something he had committed. He took responsibility.

With that fact alone, Velos couldn’t be simply labeled as bad.

“Remember Bianca. The target of your anger should be the Resistance, not Lord Velos.”

Do not forget this. It is understandable to get upset in such a situation, but the need for calm to distinguish who the enemy is increases.

“Okay….”

With persuasion, Bianca closed her mouth. After leaving her, who shed tears ceaselessly, to Neltalion, Ian turned his gaze to Velos.

Ian asked, with Velos bowing his head as if he had no face.

“How much progress has been made in developing the cure?”

“…There have been no significant results yet.”

“No progress… or is it impossible?”

Velos told the piercing question truthfully.

“Sorry. It seems impossible.”

“Impossible. This is the worst.”

“After discovering the existence of zombies, I mobilized my researchers and conducted countless experiments. We used herbs, tried potions, and even considered calling in priests to use the power of God.”

Alchemists and priests are opposed to each other.

If Velos, who hardly utilized the power of the priests, was resorting to that, it meant he had tried everything.

“However, nothing worked. In the end, I concluded that it is impossible to restore the sanity of those who have become zombies.”

The potion was created to boost the morale of the knights.

Stimulating the brain is unavoidable when it comes to controlling emotions.

But reviving a damaged brain due to side effects is almost impossible with current technology.

‘The brain is challenging, unlike other organs.’

Is it not the most important organ in the human body after all?

Even the Pope, who believes he can save anyone as long as they’re alive, cannot save the brain. It wouldn’t be easy for an alchemist like Velos either.

Reversing the zombies was an impossible situation. But there was not a lack of methods.

“But it’s not like we got nothing. We found a way to handle the zombies based on our past work.”

“A solution, you say? What is it?”

“Zombies… they are cautious in their choice of prey, unlike ghouls who just devour without thought. As humans, there is still a lingering trace of fear in their minds.”

Weak ordinary citizens would be devoured without thought, but those who exhibited suspicious powers wouldn’t be so easily attacked.

“When they obtain such prey, they offer it to the most powerful host. And when the host consumes it without any consequence, others follow suit.”

“Is there such a rule among them? It’s interesting… but what does that have to do with a way to handle them?”

“I haven’t told you the most important part. When the host is dealt with, the zombies in the area also lose their lives.”

“They vanish.”

“Yes. Embarrassingly, I accidentally killed a host in an attempt to restore them. The zombies in the area all died instantly. You can trust that.”

“Are you planning to use this trait to handle them?”

At Ian’s question, Velos nodded and took out a syringe from his pocket.

He carefully held the syringe containing red liquid.

“This is a lethal poison that I made before. When injected, it spreads through the body and causes instant death after 10 minutes.”

The plan was simple.

“Surely…”

“Yes. After injecting myself with this, I’ll become the prey for another host that we captured before sealing off the territory. If we use him… that should work.”

To become prey yourself and join forces with the zombies.

It’s definitely not a bad plan.

If the information he discovered is true, he will be able to easily deal with the zombies.

Of course, sacrifices are required, but in Belos’s state of guilt, he would even pay with his life for redemption.

However, Ian couldn’t just stand by and watch that plan.

“I can’t just sit back and watch that plan.”

“There is no other way! This is the only way to minimize the damage while dealing with them!”

“If we can eliminate the hosts, we can kill the zombies. There’s no need for you to risk your life.”

He knew she had been trying to make amends. But that alone wouldn’t wash away her sins.

Regardless of this or that, it will end in death. Still, shouldn’t she properly apologize to the people of the territory who suffered and then leave?

Ian was not a forgiving person as much as he seemed to have an irresponsible attitude.

“I know your strength, Ian! I saw how you defeated the demon called Relis. But… zombies are different. If you are attacked even once, you too…”

“I don’t need to worry about that. I forced the plan, it’s my responsibility even if it fails.”

With Ian’s strong insistence, Belos ultimately had to yield.

“Then let’s start right away. Where is the host?”

“I sealed it in a room below. They’ve mixed with the resistance members who turned into zombies. But you can tell them apart because the hosts have a greenish tint to their skin.”

“Alright. Let’s move then.”

It was the moment they were about to move to deal with the zombies.

“Oh, there’s something I haven’t told you yet!”

“What is it?”

Belos hesitated and sighed before revealing it.

“We need to lure the zombies… into the mansion.”

“Lure them? Is it because of the plan to deal with the zombies through the host?”

“Yes. The range affected by the hosts’ influence is around this mansion… So we need to gather all the zombies within Brookes here.”

“So that’s why you’ve been holding back and not executing the plan.”

Belos, who nonchalantly thought of death.

If she just made up her mind, moving towards the host wouldn’t be a big deal, but she had been holding back because of this.

“There’s no point in going along with this plan if I can’t deal with all the zombies.”

Although they had prepared defensive barriers at the right time, one couldn’t say there would be no external damage.

But how long that would last, no one could tell.

“The communication system is already paralyzed. If we’re any later, even the palace will become suspicious.”

Lord Velos, who I entrusted with the mission, lost communication.

Naturally, the palace will consider it anomalous and dispatch an investigation team. What would they do if they see the defensive wall?

“It’s one of two options: break through and attempt infiltration or prepare forces and break through based on the intuition of anomalies.”

Either way, breaching is inevitable.

If there were those who remained unable to be dealt with all at once…. If they were to go outside.

“The game of the Lily Academy genre turns into an apocalypse….”

Isn’t it possible for the Heroic Academy to turn into the Zombie Academy?

No matter what happens inside, there was a need to prevent it.

“We must somehow gather those within the territory. Fortunately, Brookes isn’t such a large city.”

But how should we do it…. That’s what I was thinking then.

“What on earth is that?”

Bianca opened her mouth with a trembling voice.

“What’s happening?”

“Look, Ian! Something strange over there.”

Bianca pointed to the screen. It was the communication device functioning as a surveillance camera to monitor the territory.

There was a scene being displayed.

Boom! Bang!

Vanessa was causing explosions around the mansion.

“They’re swarming in.”

Reacting to the loud noise, zombies rushed towards the mansion like mad.

At the sight, Ian raised the corner of his mouth.

“Vanessa… I didn’t know you would do something good after four years.”

It was the moment when she, the mastermind behind this incident, lured the zombies into the mansion.

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