It's A Misunderstanding That I'm Dating The Villain

 

Indeed, it had been a long time since I had faced such an excellent swordsman.

If this were a duel, I would have been delighted to encounter a worthy opponent, but as I needed to adjust the intensity to avoid harming Lan, it was truly becoming a headache.

Clang, bang!

After several exchanges, I realized that Lan’s strength had been abnormally enhanced.

“Lord Duke, is it possible for the magic to enhance her physical abilities?”

“…It’s possible.”

Even while pouring all his effort into drawing complex patterns of light in the air, Ludger answered earnestly.

‘This kind of unfavorable situation… It’s been a while.’

However, despite the seriousness of the situation, I found myself smiling.

This sensation was immensely pleasurable. The irrational obstacles and adversities, being tested purely by my own skills.

No external factors intervened here. The only thing that could overcome this crisis was my swordsmanship.

The thrilling feeling as if being forced to perform acrobatics on a thin rope was exhilarating.

One of the senior knights who used to bully me once said that.

“A woman obsessed with the sword…”

Yes, that might be true. My words about continuing my knightly profession because I needed a stable life might just be an excuse.

‘I am….’

Clang!

‘….obsessed with swordsmanship.’

Clang, kang!

‘I love this sensation of overpowering a strong opponent!’

Unable to hold back my laughter, I struck Lan’s neck with my elbow.

Even though her body was enhanced by magic, it seemed that her instinct to react to a vital point attack remained unchanged, as she made a choking sound and stopped moving.

“It might hurt a little, but please forgive me!”

The red flame-like sword energy sliced through the air. The dim corridor was filled with a sunset-like red light in all directions.

Thud!

Lan, who was engulfed in the sword energy, was slammed into a corner without being able to block the shockwave.

“Sir Lan!”

I hurriedly approached and lightly tapped her cheek, but seeing that she didn’t wake up, it seemed she was completely unconscious. I had adjusted my strength, but there were limits to how much I could control.

“Ah…. Sorry. I’ll buy you a delicious meal next time.”

“….”

I turned around while holding Lan in my arms. Since I had finished my part, it was Ludger’s turn next.

In the air, a massive magic circle adorned with countless intricate symbols floated. Though I couldn’t understand it, I couldn’t help but think that the symbols were remarkably beautiful.

Ludger’s face, which was visible through the intricate patterns, appeared calm in front of the shimmering magic circle. His lime-green eyes, reflecting the sparkling light beyond his glasses, were serious.

I found myself holding my breath, captivated by the scene.

Before long, a massive light began to swirl across the entire magic circle. The brightness was so intense that I had to turn away.

After the gigantic vortex of light, like a burst of fireworks, had shaken the surroundings and passed.

I slowly opened my eyes and saw Ludger beyond the afterimage of the light.

He walked forward step by step and picked something up.

‘A box…?’

It seemed to be a metal box, and although I had never seen it before, it seemed strangely familiar. I quickly realized why it seemed familiar.

It was the pocket watch that Heilbronner had targeted previously and the one that the unidentified culprit had been possessing.

The box had patterns similar to the pocket watch, but it was covered in dark, rusty stains.

In an instant, a feeling like a lightning strike ran down my spine.

The sense of discomfort and frustration that had been lingering like mist disappeared, and goosebumps appeared all over my body.

‘…Black magic!’

The pocket watch, and also that box.

Both were the products of ‘black magic’ that was different from ordinary magic.

The memories of the original work, which I had completely forgotten while being absorbed in the common sense and knowledge of this world, suddenly resurfaced.

Although it is unknown to the general public, there was an ancient force called ‘black magic’ in this world.

Unlike modern magic that can only be implemented within a realistic scope, black magic exhibited transcendent power.

Just like what happened with Sir Lan, it could control people like puppets and demonstrated power beyond common understanding.

Black magic, whose existence had been forgotten for a long time, suddenly started causing incidents here and there after the female and male protagonists became adults, interfering with their relationship.

Yes, right at the very moment.

‘That black magic….. I had a suspicion that this dark magic might be related to the Phantom Thief Heilbronner.’

Although it was not directly expressed in the original work, when Ludger stopped being a Phantom Thief after being influenced by the female protagonist, the black magic incidents also ended.

And now, Ludger was… solidifying that suspicion.

Why was he able to purify black magic?

Why was he retrieving the tool containing black magic?

Furthermore, he even tried to gloss over the explanation as if it were just ordinary magic.

‘Yeah. Ludger was the mastermind….’

Unconsciously, my once-fading wariness towards Ludger intensified.

I couldn’t discern Ludger Kassen’s true intentions.

Why does he know such terrifying magic so well?

While I was lost in thought, Ludger retrieved the box and put it into his bag and turned around.

After checking Lan’s condition with a few spells, he nodded.

“It’s over. The magic that caused the problem has been purified, so Sir Lan is fine.”

“…Will it take a long time for her to wake up?”

“No. She’ll wake up in 30 minutes at the most.”

“….”

Even if he was the true mastermind, he wouldn’t lie about something that would be found out quickly. Lan will wake up. I reassured myself and tightened my hold around her.

“But, how should I explain it to Sir Lan when she wakes up?”

“She probably won’t remember being controlled by magic. She’ll likely think she just fainted suddenly.”

“Then I’ll have to explain to Sir Lan about magic….”

“No.”

Ludger cut me off with a stern expression.

“About this magic… It’d be best if information about it didn’t leak out.”

“….”

“I hope you will also keep this matter confidential.”

To be completely honest, the problem still remained with me.

I didn’t want to doubt Ludger. It was true that he had saved the boy who was about to be sold, and that he had done other good deeds.

“Let’s just say that…. it’s an act extremely necessary for the Empire.”

That vague explanation sounded so sincere.

Perhaps his intentions were not to misuse the black magic but to use it for good. After all, he didn’t use the black magic against Lan; instead, he purified it.

However, all humans have multiple facets.

Just as the seemingly benevolent Gustav Meyma used his public reputation as a weapon against me.

“I understand… How about explaining to Sir Lan that she was attacked by a monster?”

“I’d appreciate it if you would.”

Regardless, whether he was a saint or a villain, there was no place for me, who had no role in the original work, to interfere.

The one who would influence him is the female protagonist, and the activities of the Phantom Thief Heilbronner and the black magic would likely end with the original story’s happy ending.

As my confused thoughts cleared, my tasks became more defined.

I need to keep Ludger’s true identity a secret from everyone and quietly allow the original story to unfold as an ordinary citizen.

I’ve already released Heilbronner and kept my silence. Nothing would change.

Some people might point fingers at me, but I wanted to live in peace.

That was the only thing I wished for in my life.

“It seems… I keep increasing the number of secrets Sir has to keep.”

“That’s right. It would be wise to be more cautious from now on.”

“I’ll take that advice to heart.”

As he said that, Ludger bent his knees and turned his back to me.

“…?”

“Shouldn’t we take her out? She needs to be carried.”

At his generous offer, I couldn’t help but wonder why a ruthless black magic mastermind (or someone who might be) would do something so outrageous.

“Yes? If that’s the case, I can carry her! It’s not beyond my capacity to handle such things that I have to trouble the Duke.”

“However, you still need to be wary of any remaining demonic creatures. We should have a reasonable division of roles.”

“I’m confident I can deal with demonic creatures even while carrying a person! If anything, I can even carry the Duke!”

When I explained that I had trained while carrying sandbags that were about the size of two adult men, Ludger stared at me for a while and burst out laughing.

“Well… Sir, you are quite… unconventional in many ways.”

“Isn’t it a basic skill for a Spirit user…?”

Nevertheless, this discussion wouldn’t resolve anything, so I decided to just carry Lan. As I supported her upper body.

“Ugh…”

A shallow groan escaped Lan.

“Ah! Sir Lan! Are you awake?”