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

48 – 23. The Child Who Shouldn’t Have Been Born (2)

“Many story games are like that. They start off easy, but the difficulty ramps up quickly.”

If you make the early stages as difficult as this, who could enjoy the game?

At least in the beginning, it was only natural for the game to provide some background on the setting and the characters, as well as explain how to play.

“But that doesn’t mean it should be easy from start to finish. You shouldn’t lose interest in the middle.”

By the time players got used to it, the difficulty level would increase gradually.

It was a device created by the production company to keep the interest of incoming users.

The Heroic Academy had these devices too.

“Stronger monsters? Complex patterns? Sure, those were there. But there were also those who raised the difficulty in this game. They are the goers.”

The Heroic Academy was not just a game for enjoying academy life.

The players’ goal was to restore their ruined family and lead a party of heroes to defeat the Demon Lord.

In other words, it was essential to manage their territory, even if they didn’t know about other sub-events.

That’s when the goers showed their true abilities.

Ian remembered the time when he used to be active in the community that shared strategies for the Heroic Academy.

ㅇㅇ(121.139) : Do I really have to manage the territory? I wanted to wander around hitting monsters, but this damn thing keeps bothering me to do it.

ㅇㅇ(49.165) : hahahaha, if you don’t do it, it’s screwed. It’s a direct path to a bad ending, so endure it with patience.

ㅇㅇ(121.139) : Well then, isn’t there a way to change these bastards? Even the kid next door who goes to kindergarten would handle things better than these idiots. Is there really no human around? I can’t stand this crazy Schulin kid either, it’s driving me crazy.

ㅇㅇ(175.165) : Are you disrespecting Schulin right now? Schulin, who always saved the game with miraculous quest completions when it was about to explode because of the demons, is my hero. Damn, apologize or at least apologize to our Schulin.

ㅇㅇ(121.139) : What the hell are you saying? Do you want to die?

“They were crazy bastards.”

They wouldn’t let her do anything. They kept trying to make her do work while saying the same things.

“Yes, and when the results were bad, they always blamed the player.”

She remembered secretly assassinating someone at night out of frustration and gaining temporary satisfaction.

Of course, she stopped after experiencing the bad ending about 30 times.

In the end, Ian also searched for a way to get rid of those bastards by going around the community.

“I started looking for a way to get rid of them all.”

Until she saw the posts on the community.

ㅇㅇ(211.218) : Look at this guy complaining about managing the territory.

– Honestly, I was annoyed at first too. I understand wanting to get rid of them, but endure it and just break through to Chapter 3. The moment you kill Mamon, those damn bastards resurrect like dogs. We keep telling them to take a break, but they keep working like crazy hahahaha.

At first, she thought it was just a common fishing post.

“I thought it was experienced players lying to catch newbies trying to escape.”

But Ian endured it and played Heroic Academia again.

Since she was already at her wit’s end, she wanted to believe in something for the last time.

And at Chapter 3, when she defeated Mamon. Ian tasted a miracle.

“It wasn’t a lie. From then on, our family started functioning properly.”

Those people showed such crazy quest completions that one could even question if they were the same as the previous beings.

To exaggerate a little, it could be said that an automatic management system was introduced to the territory.

“Of course, I can’t draw any attention to single-player tournaments or original contents that don’t appear in the game.”

From Noble mtl dot com

But she didn’t have to pay attention to every little thing like before.

That’s why.

“Please kill me…”

“Hmmm….”

She was staring blankly at Schulin, who was shedding tears and asking for a reasonable punishment.

It’s true that Schulin hasn’t been doing the job properly until now. It’s understandable if it’s a servant of some remote noble family.

“Isn’t he the butler in charge of the prominent Changebaek family that manages the pivotal point of the Empire?

Even if that person is a traitor, it’s not an exaggeration to say they committed a grave deed, so punishment is necessary.

‘But is it right to deliver death as the punishment, as Shulkin wants?’

As Eria heard, some of Volcanov’s divine servants disappeared with Mamon’s disappearance.

Whether they did a good job or not, the situation had become one where manpower had decreased.

Ian had no choice but to hesitate to eliminate Shulkin as it was.

‘Still, punishment is necessary.’

This time, there would be no leniency. There was no such thought.

Instead, he intended to mete out a punishment equivalent to death.

‘Indeed, when you’re unsure of how to choose, looking back at history can be helpful.’

Just like King Sejong’s loyal subject, Hwang Hee, who opposed him to the end. Didn’t he refrain from seeking revenge until he died?

Besides, there was also a shortage of capable talents. Feeding them until their death was an option.

Swoosh!

As Ian cleared away the hanging raincoat, Shulkin’s pupils trembled at his appearance.

Ian faced his gaze head-on, as if to say he didn’t understand English, and reached out to him.

“I understand the desire for death, but… I have no intention of granting it.”

“Why, why…”

“The current family is in a state of chaos. They’ve made rapid progress with the new business, and they’ve gone through turmoil once due to the barbarians, so we must do our best to prevent that pain from recurring.”

“I’ve done nothing… Even when Lord Do-ryeon worked for the family, I always offered opposing opinions and suspicious glances. But… why spare me now? Even without me, Volcanov will prosper. I’m… just an old dog now.”

“An old dog… But that doesn’t mean the path you’ve walked disappears.”

“What… do you mean?”

The path he had walked, his memories that had kept Volcanov going until Mamon’s illness.

Ian had no intention of disregarding that.

“Rapid progress is undoubtedly a good thing, but it often leads to confusion. I might not be able to resolve that situation. However, with your experience, can’t you help prevent mistakes?”

“…”

“Use your past experiences. Help our family move in the right direction. That should be enough.”

With those words, Shulkin couldn’t speak.

Partly because of the pitiful pronunciation due to tears, but mainly because he couldn’t meet Ian’s gaze again, having failed to carry out the given mission.

However, he was confident in one thing.”

“I will keep that in mind, Your Grace.”

The determination to once again sacrifice himself for Volkanoth remained.

Ian smiled as he looked at Shulkin nodding.

‘Let’s see. Shulkin is now 65 years old… 120 years. That should be enough, and then we can retire him.’

That level of punishment would be justifiable.

***

As anticipated, after Mamon disappeared, the family continued to run smoothly.

However, with some departing along with Mamon, a shortage of manpower began to emerge.

‘The shortage of manpower? The departed can fill in through overtime.’

While this might make them appear heartless and ruthless at first glance, they felt no guilt, as it was entirely their own choice.

‘Of course, we can’t continue like this forever. We just need to fill the positions.’

Whether they had experienced the ending or not, they knew where to find capable individuals they could put to good use.

They could bring them into the family later and assign them tasks.

‘But for that, we need to succeed in the Second Danotu.’

Ian carefully examined the plans for the next competition.

The new recruits they planned to add. Convincing them wouldn’t be as easy as it sounded.

‘They’re not foolish, and we’re earls in our family. Want to work together? They won’t be swayed by the same words.’

Unless they were completely uninterested in the situation, they would know that working in Volkanoth was not an easy task.

To persuade them, an attractive bait was needed.

Ian decided to use Danotu as the bait.

‘We’ve already succeeded once. I want to know if it’s an item that can consistently bring success.’

If the second competition also ended successfully, it would become an item that could cover Volkanoth’s shortcomings.

‘Preparations are proceeding smoothly.’

Could they finally rest easy?

That was the moment he thought so.

Knock! Knock!

“Your Grace, a personal letter from Shulkin. May I have your permission to deliver it? He said it’s urgent.”

A luxurious envelope was handed to him by Shulkin, who had suddenly come to see him.

Without further ado, Shulkin got straight to the point, looking intently at Ian.

“Because it is a serious matter, please understand that this has come suddenly. I have received a letter from Edenria.”

“A letter from Edenria?”

The moment Ian heard the words “The Holy Kingdom of Edenria,” his eyes widened.

“It doesn’t seem like it was sent with good intentions.”

It could be his paranoia, thinking too negatively.

The contents of the letter might express regret over the damage Falconov suffered due to the recent massacre.

But Ian believed that his suspicion was reasonable.

“I’ve already received a letter expressing concern.”

After dethroning the Emperor and going to Edenria, Prince Perez Arcana, who now holds the position of Archbishop, had already shown his sincere support for Falconov.

“Although it came in the name of Prince Perez Arcana. Sending a priest was in line with the opinion of Edenria.”

But why send another letter?

There’s no way it was sent with good intentions.

The timing itself is off, and it wasn’t even an official letter envelope sent from Edenria.

“From Edenria’s side. To be precise, according to the letter sent by Archbishop Raymond…”

Shulkin cleared his throat and continued.

“He has expressed opposition to the hosting of the Dionotu Festival. He is requesting to meet with you in person.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a new notification window appeared before Ian.

[Quest ‘The One Who Defies the Will of God’ has been activated.]

“Perez Arcana, the youngest Archbishop who has risen to his position using immense divine power, is seeking to reform Edenria by breaking away from the boring tradition. Conservative Archbishop Raymond is in conflict with Perez, and in order to dispel the confusing atmosphere, he is imposing sanctions on those who behave against the teachings.”

“So Archbishop Raymond’s reason for coming is also because of that.”

He wanted to obstruct them, citing the teachings that prohibit meaningless fights.

“If he’s from the conservative faction in Edenria… he would probably bring in the Inquisition Examiner as well.”

Although it won’t be an open attack, he will likely threaten them with the Inquisition Examiner, who has given countless headaches.

“I’ve had numerous headaches because of the Inquisition Examiners who popped up even while playing the original.”

If they don’t prepare, it will be a highly risky situation.

But why?

-Huh? Ian, why are you like that?

With the current ancient god Nathalian next to him, he had no fear.