Heroines, Villainesses, and the Hero's Yandere Harem? I want them all!
Chapter 39: Stealing candy from a monster

Chapter 39: Stealing candy from a monster

"What... is there something on my face?" she asked, tilting her head.

"No... It’s nothing," I muttered, closing my eyes.

Nora.

Well, what are the odds?

To think I’d stumble upon the very person I was looking for—while planning my own death.

That means she really does have the potion.

Knowing Nora, the chances of her lying about something like that are slim to none.

"Hey," I opened my eyes again to find her pouting.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Will..." She looked around quickly, then turned to one of the guards. "Hey, you."

"My lady?" came the voice—it was probably the guy dragging me around.

"I’m going to cast a spell on you. Don’t interfere."

"Understood," he said.

Next thing I knew, she was holding up a wand.

"You use wands?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"What? Wands are cool," she replied with a shrug.

"But... you don’t need wands."

From everything I knew about Nora—and I knew quite a lot—she never used wands. She always preferred raw casting. Then again, I did say leaving this place must’ve changed her.

"What do you mean? You don’t even know me," she said, folding her arms across her chest.

I said nothing and simply closed my eyes again.

Thinking.

Even if I’ve found Nora, that doesn’t mean I can go through with my plan. I’m still crippled. I can’t merge with the fairy if I can’t reach for it. And I can’t reach for it unless I can stand on my own two feet.

"Hey! Stop closing your eyes when I’m talking to you—"

"AHHH!" I cried out as a sudden jolt of pain pierced through my skull.

It wasn’t physical. It felt like something drilled right into my brain.

Fucking OP bitch.

"What?" I opened my eyes—and flinched.

She was now sitting right beside me in the cart.

Wait—when the hell did she climb in?

"Get off! You’re heavy as hell!" I blurted out without thinking. The pain was everywhere.

She froze.

Then—

"WHAT?! H-HOW DARE YOU?!"

Oh no.

BAM!

"AH—!" A torturous wave of pain surged through my entire body. To make it worse, she cast some kind of silence spell on me—I couldn’t even scream.

"Look here... No one calls me fat. No one. Not even my brother," she said, eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

She looked cute.

Like hell she did.

Fucking psycho.

Maybe I had the wrong idea about her. Maybe she’s only sweet in front of her brother. And since all the knowledge I have revolves around him... I only ever saw the adorable version of her.

"I’m not fat," she said again, now deliberately sitting on me harder as if to prove her point.

"....!" I couldn’t move. Couldn’t shout. Not only was she still nuking me with whatever spell that was, but now she was sitting on my lower abdomen.

"Now, am I fat?" she asked sweetly. "Nod for yes, shake your head for no. I dare you to say yes."

She pointed her ridiculously oversized wand at my face.

Lady, how the hell am I supposed to respond when I can’t move or talk?!

"You won’t answer? Fine. Then don’t blame me for what happens next," she said, and her wand began to glow—a shimmering, electric blue.

"Wait a minute..." she muttered, suddenly stopping.

She lowered the wand and reached for the bandages on my face.

"You’re one to talk about someone’s looks. Let’s see how you look."

Oh no.

She started unwrapping the bandages.

I could do nothing but stare.

"Huh..." She frowned as the last strip fell away.

Her fingers ran lightly over the scars and burns marring my face.

"You look... well, let’s just say, not so good."

Thanks for the confidence boost.

Suddenly, a potion materialized in her hand.

"Your head’s all burnt too... You—pfft. Sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to laugh but—being bald kinda has its perks, y’know? You’re not handsome, but at least you look cool."

She tapped the top of my head like she was knocking on a melon.

A vein practically popped on my forehead.

Being paralyzed and stuck in a cart with an overly energetic maniac is probably top ten on the list of worst things that can happen to someone.

"Alright, how about this... I heal your face, and you answer all the questions I have. Deal?"

I said nothing.

Because I couldn’t say anything.

"Oh! Right, you’re paralyzed. I’m so sorry," she said, snapping her fingers.

Instantly, the pain lifted—and my voice returned.

"..."

Still, I stayed silent.

Better not to provoke this girl until I’ve fully recovered.

"Talk. Deal?" she asked.

Silence.

She sighed. "Alright, please... just answer one thing. Did you mean it? Can you really help me escape?"

I frowned. "Escape?"

"Yes," she said, her tone finally softening.

"I just... I just want to leave. Even if it’s just for a day. I want to see somewhere—anywhere—outside the castle."

"But... this isn’t the castle," I said, confused.

"Yeah," she admitted, "but I only made it here because I ran away. They caught me before I could get far. I made it all the way to Karendel before they found me. though"

She smiled faintly, but there was frustration in her eyes.

I see.

A new idea flickered in my mind—and I grinned internally.

"But Karendel’s already far enough," I said.

Her eyes narrowed.

BAM!

A solid punch to the chest. So strong I swear I saw stars.

I really don’t understand how I keep feeling pain from body parts that shouldn’t even be functioning.

This is bullshit.

"Okay! Stop, stop!" I wheezed. "I can help you! I can get you far away from the Duke. So far, no one will even dare to find you. Just freedom. An adventure—just the two of us. There’s a whole world out there waiting to be explored..."

Her eyes widened.

"R-Really? You mean that?" she asked, voice trembling with hope.

"I do. However..." I smirked. "I have my own demands. If you agree to them, then we have a deal."

And here I thought manipulating her would be hard.

This is almost too easy.

"...What do you want?" she asked cautiously.

I grinned.

This time, I didn’t even bother to hide it.