Stealing Heroines’ Affections Is My Job as the Villain

While Vritra was still fuming about the new heroine who couldn't decide if she liked him or not, it kept him from focusing on the real issue he was supposed to be dealing with.

In reality, it wasn't much of a problem at all.

He could easily solve it just by explaining himself.

But since when did an Asura Prince have to do something so pointless and embarrassing?

The beaten knight pointed at Luciana.

"Boss, she's the useless bitch who tried to demand that we help these lowlifes! What are you going to do to her?!"

He was desperate for Lord Arcellion to put these people in their place so they would know never to offend a knight from Lord Arcellion's order. He was already imagining them on their knees, begging him for forgiveness.

"Keke… they'll regret this!"

The knight grinned mischievously.

"It seems you all don't know who the man before you is, as expected of ignorant fools waiting for slaughter!"

He stepped away from Arcellion to give him a more than proper introduction.

"This is Lord Arcellion Modeus Karsinov. He's the feudal lord of Kaalen Tower City and one of the greatest hunting knights to ever serve the Military Kingdom of Serathen. He's one of Divine General Ravenblade's trusted soldiers and a future Divine General himself!"

That introduction was enough to make everyone gasp.

Luciana stepped back in shock, looking more cautiously at the man.

"No way…"

She didn't expect they would somehow enter Serathen territory. In fact, she didn't even know that Serathen's military influence had extended this far into the Red Desert. It made her wonder just how much of the Red Desert was now under Serathen's control.

Normally, Sophia would have been the one feeling this shock since she was an Imperial Knight, but she had assumed this territory would belong to Serathen after seeing a knight freely roaming the streets of Kaalen Tower, deciding that its people wouldn't get the chance to eat food or drink clean water.

However, standing before a soldier who was supposed to be the right-hand man of the Black Divine General triggered her killing intent.

"Serathen!"

She pulled out her sword.

But before she could do anything, Vritra held out his hand without even looking at her.

"Cease…"

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That was all he needed to say for Sophia to stand down.

He refocused his attention on Lord Arcellion.

"Well, it seems you do──"

Before Vritra could finish his sentence, Luciana stepped forward confidently and threw aside her silk robes and scarf to reveal her regal gown and royal crown.

"I am Princess Luciana Aveline Duranzia, the first and only princess of the Fortress Nation of Duranzia, and the heir apparent to the throne!"

As soon as she revealed her identity, both Vritra and Neron facepalmed.

The few commoners who had been watching collapsed to the ground, and some were so shocked that their jaws dropped at being in the presence of the princess from one of the great nations of the Central Continent.

For them, the chances of meeting royalty were nearly impossible, especially with the ongoing war between Duranzia and Serathen, which made traveling across the Redsteel Territory incredibly difficult.

They had better odds of seeing a lightless star in the night sky than ever encountering royalty from either nation.

"Look at her dress!"

"Look at her crown!"

"Look at her hair! I heard that people from Serathen don't have golden hair, so she must be from Duranzia!"

"Oh my goodness, this is crazy!"

"Maybe this is our ticket to a better life… no, this is our ticket to freedom! BAHAHAH!!"

The people rejoiced quietly as they watched.

Even if nothing immediate came from it, just the fact that royalty from a rival nation was present felt reassuring.

Whether or not Duranzia would treat them well didn't matter; it would surely be better than the hell they were presently living in.

Lord Arcellion remained silent.

He was analyzing the situation.

『Hrmm, I see what's going on here. It makes sense now. Luciana Aveline Duranzia is the daughter of King Felmus VI and engaged to God Vritra Kalyon Asura.

『If that's true, then this guy in front of me must be the world-destroying dragon who nearly plunged the Sacred Human Kingdom into eternal darkness. He's a vile creature.

『Clearly, they're using disguises to reveal the true nature of my knights and make me panic. But I can handle this.』

He nodded confidently to himself after thinking it through.

The ignorant knight, still holding his broken fingers, gritted his teeth in frustration.

"M-, My Lord!"

He didn't care.

Just because this woman was royalty from another nation didn't mean they had to give up and cater to her needs right away. In fact, it would be smarter for Luciana to keep quiet about her position to reduce her chances of suffering.

Who would be daring enough to step into enemy territory while knowing they were a royal from a rival nation? Only someone extremely foolish or immensely powerful would do that.

"My lord, we can't just let her say such nonsense. Besides, she's royalty from another nation; we don't owe her anything! I say we discipline her!"

"And why should I do that?"

Lord Arcellion shot the knight a slow, deadly side-eye that made the knight step back even more.

Now at a safe distance, he held out his broken fingers.

"Do you not see this, my lord?! Just because I was trying to enforce your rules, that bastard man broke my jaw and snapped my fingers… I may never hold a sword again!"

He struggled to contain his anger.

No knight would dare raise their voice at their commander, but he was too furious not to.

Arcellion raised an eyebrow at him.

"So, you're angry because of your broken fingers?"

"W-, Well, not just that… b-, but ye…"

His words stumbled out, but before he could finish, Lord Arcellion's halberd cut through the air, slicing off the knight's hands as if they were blocks of butter.

"URRRGG────?!"

Before the knight could scream or even blood could spray from his severed hands, the halberd moved again at terrifying speed and cut off the knight's head in one swift motion!

Blood splashed out like a fountain of red water.

Now, he lay dead, another corpse claimed by the desert.

Arcellion looked at the headless body.

"Good. Now you don't have to worry about a broken jaw or broken fingers anymore…"

The knights around Arcellion showed no reaction, but the commoners and Vritra's companions were stunned.

It was shocking to see a commander kill one of his own soldiers without a hint of remorse or regret. This was a surprising sight, especially for the commoners, more so than for newcomers like Vritra, Luciana, and the others.

Rosemarie stepped back in fear.

"No way…"

She was absolutely shocked, her body frozen in place.

『I know Lord Arcellion is a vile man, but he's never been the kind to kill his own men… there must be something I don't understand about these people. What makes them so important that he would spill the blood of his own soldier? Aren't they supposed to be enemies?』

She took another step back and bumped into someone.

"KYAA────!!"

Before she could scream, the person placed a hand over her mouth and gently held her by the waist.

"Shhhh~! It's me, my love…"

"Sa-, Sadim?!"

Rosemarie's eyes crawled back for confirmation, and to her surprise, it really was Sadim.

A delightful surprise, of course.

"Honey, it's you!"

Her face lit up brightly at the sight of her man.

"Come with me…" Sadim whispered in her ear.

"O-, Okay…"

Rosemarie quietly nodded.

━ ━ ━ ━

Meanwhile…

Lord Arcellion dismounted from his horse and immediately knelt before God Vritra and Princess Luciana, bowing his head lower than even a servant would.

"Forgive me... I never expected to see you, Princess Luciana Duranzia. I've only met you once before, when you were little. But there's no doubt in my mind it's you."

This revelation shocked Sophia deeply.

Even Luciana herself was taken aback.

"D-, Do you really mean that…?"

Her anger faded instantly.

The only ones not surprised were Vritra and Esmeralda, who already knew about the small history between Lord Arcellion and Princess Luciana.

『This will be an interesting plot indeed…』

The young lord smiled.