Fated to Be Loved by Villains

A Hero must always maintain their composure and thoroughness.

As humanity’s last bastion, maintaining a dignified image was part of the job for sure, but more importantly, maintaining composure was crucial for survival, especially in prolonged extreme situations.

But of course, doing that was fucking difficult.

And Iliya Krisanax was experiencing this difficulty firsthand.

Doing all that while dealing with the punk in front of her especially, was stupidly challenging.

“...Miss Yuria, like I said, he hasn’t abandoned you.”

“B-But, M-Mr. Dowd hasn’t...answered my calls...sob sob hiccup!”

“...”

“T-This is the third time he’s...disappeared without...any contact... T-This time...for sure...h-he abandoned me...”

“...”

“I-If that’s true...!”

White Aura began creeping up from within the punk’s body, prompting Iliya’s eyes to widen as she tightly gripped the Holy Sword.

Now’s the chance!

She swung the sheathed Holy Sword, instantly cutting away the white energy. Yuria’s body then collapsed lifelessly, like a puppet with its strings cut.

Because her Demonic Energy was being suppressed by the Holy Sword forcefully like that, it was inevitable that Yuria suffered from a backlash, momentarily stunned her.

Lucia, who had been anxiously watching the whole thing unfold from the side, rushed forward to catch Yuria’s falling body.

“...I hate to ask this every time, but are you sure—”

“–She’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

Iliya let out a long and weary sigh.

Even after being knocked out like this, Yuria would eventually wake up and spiral back into another anxiety-fueled episode.

Somehow, this had become a regular part of Iliya’s routine: subduing Yuria, who frequently had fits due to Dowd’s sudden disappearance, to keep her calm.

“Good work, my lady.”

Of course, suppressing Demonic Aura in this way also took a toll on her. After all, it required an intense concentration to handle the Holy Sword. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

As she wiped the sweat dripping from her brow, a servant nearby offered her a dry towel.

It felt as if they had accepted this particular activity as part of their duties as Margrave Kendride’s servants...

“...By the way.”

Iliya narrowed her eyes and turned her attention to Lucia.

“You don’t look so good yourself, Saintess.”

“...Pardon?”

Hearing those words, Lucia’s body flinched as her face flushed red.

The way she averted her gaze suggested that Iliya’s suspicion had hit the mark.

“Well, I’ve noticed that sometimes you’d go to lie down in the room where Teach stayed all by yourself.”

“...”

“And you’ve been...longing over his used furniture. Touching them with a...wistful expression.”

“...”

“The servants said that sometimes you’d even wear a collar at night. And you look lost in thought as if you’re long for—”

“...T-That’s not true...!”

“...”

One fact to note:

Whether she was a Saintess or not, Lucia Greyhounder was a terrible liar.

While Iliya was thinking this, the door behind her suddenly burst open.

“M-My lady!”

“...”

To Iliya who just started to relax, this was like a death sentence.

“...What now...?”

“T-There’s a huge fire at the castle’s main hall...!”

“That bitch is at it again...?!”

Unlike with the other Devil’s Vessels—she was somewhat friendly with them—Iliya had no fondness for this particular punk. In fact, the mere thought of her made her stomach churn.

She ran to the mansion’s garden in one breath. As the servant had said, an alarmingly large inferno had already risen there.

It was less intense than during the Crimson Night Incident, but seeing it melting all the snow in the perpetually snow-covered Kendride Margraviate, raising a thick steam in return, was enough to tell her how out of control the situation was.

Not long after, Iliya spotted the red-haired woman floating naked in the center of the pillar of fire, radiating intense heat. Her eyes widened in anger.

“The hell is your problem, you fuc–!”

“...My lady, please watch your lang–”

One of the servants coughed, trying to stop her from cursing from behind, but she already vaulted over to the railing and launched herself toward the center of the chaos.

Unlike the White Devil’s ‘Enthrallment’––which she could shake off easily enough as long as she kept her focus—this punk’s power had actual physical form, making it a bigger pain in the ass to deal with.

The Holy Sword’s blade materialized in an instant, slicing through the flames and striking right into Faenol’s skull.

Unlike the previous strike with the sheathed sword, this time the naked blade created a sonic boom that threatened to level the surroundings.

If Iliya hadn’t held back, that single strike would have reduced the surrounding area to ash.

The pillar of fire vanished instantly, and Faenol’s body was slammed into the garden below at terrifying speed.

“...Oh, Miss Iliya?”

But apparently, being a completed Vessel came with a perk.

Despite receiving such a strike with her head, Faenol just blinked and muttered those words in a daze, as if that strike was no big deal.

“What the hell set you off this time?! How many times do I have to tell you––if you’re struggling, get some damn therapy or talk to someone instead of––!”

Iliya’s furious shout dropped with murderous intensity.

It was an overwhelming scolding that drained all color from Faenol’s face. She couldn’t just run away too, as the source of all this chaos was her own outburst.

Because of this, it took quite a while before she could stammer out an explanation.

“U-Uh, y-you see, I-I was thinking.”

“You better choose your next words carefully.”

“...”

Facing Iliya’s glare that seemed to suggest that she’d hit her again if the reason for her going berserk was just another bullshit, Faenol swallowed hard.

“...Well, he took Lady Tristan with him, didn’t he?.”

Those words made Iliya sword’s tip twitch ever so slightly.

It was such a subtle movement that probably no one else would notice.

But, this topic was something that had been bugging her too.

“...Yeah. so?”

Hearing Iliya’s curt response, Faenol continued with a gloomy voice.

“...Doesn’t that mean she’s the one he trusts the most and will always keep close to his side?”

“...”

“In other words...doesn’t that mean the rest of us...aren’t truly trusted by Mr. Dowd? That we can never really be close to him––”

Before Faenol could finish, the Holy Sword’s sheath bonked her head hard.

It was such a powerful strike that even the nearby servants flinched.

“...Shut up.”

Iliya muttered in a gloomy voice as she stared at the unconscious Faenol.

“I already know that.”

Nevertheless...

There were things she wouldn’t give up on.

She prided herself on knowing exactly what she needed to do to stand by his side.

As she stood there, trying to catch her breath...

“...Um, my lady...?”

“...”

She couldn’t even steady her breathing when a servant approached her, carrying news that made her squeeze her eyes shut.

“...What is it? Spit it out.”

There’s no way, right...?

Sure, that guy disappeared without explanation or contact, but surely every single one of them wouldn’t lose their minds over shit like official wife position or being abandoned—

“There are reports of massive amounts of fur flying around one part of the castle.”

“...Fur?”

“...It’s a common symptom among beastkin whenever they lose control. Their bodies would become completely covered in fur.”

“...Is it where the Evatrice Sisters are staying?”

“Yes.”

“...”

“Also... There’s a Purple Demonic Aura emanating from their room...”

Iliya smacked the back of her own neck hard as if trying to keep her sanity intact.

These crazy bitches...!

At this point, even she felt that this started to feel a little overwhelming.

After all, it wasn’t just one or two of them, but it was every single one of the Vessels who had gathered here who was having emotional breakdowns. Even though she was the Holy Sword’s wielder, she still had her limits.

This is why I told that idiot to at least send a message before disappearing!

Seriously, what an inconsiderate jerk! Would it kill him to think a little about these mentally unstable women whose lives are dependent on his every move?!

I’m the one who has to clean up the mess he left me!!

I swear, the next time I see him, I’m going to give him an earful until he—!

“...Ahh, I made it in time.”

“...?”

At that moment, as she was about to subdue the Evatrice Sisters, a ‘hovercar’—something she’d never seen before in her life––appeared before her, prompting her to open her eyes wide.

Huh?

Where the fuck did this thing come from?

“Dowd Campbell requires your assistance, Hero.”

It was a cyborg, emitting the characteristic blue flames of magic engineering cores all over its body, who said such words to the dazed Iliya.

“Will you bring all the Vessels and follow me? Time is running out.”

...Apparently.

She wouldn’t need to wait long to give Dowd her promised earful.