I Reincarnated as the Villain in an Eroge, But Before I Realized, I Became a Capture Target
Translator: Reo
Editor: PalenMisha
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Luca POV 11 (Part 2)
“Sorry Bennett, I have something I need to do. You go ahead with the rest,” I apologised.
“Uh? Ah, y-yes. Understood.”
I left the confused Bennett behind and exited the dungeon. Then I started running.
It would have been about ten minutes since Zagan had left the dungeon, so I had to hurry if I wanted to catch up to him. Mostly because Zagan would be moving through the darkness to avoid being seen by others, making him a lot faster.
If I took into account that so far it had taken about half an hour between leaving the dungeon and the dragons’ attack, it was safe to assume that within ten minutes of leaving the dungeon, Zagan would have made it into the forest.
Anyway, run, run! I had to hurry to Zagan’s side. I needed to make it through the outer gate before the dragons attacked and panic started.
On my way there, I saw three dragons flying overhead. The attack on the 9th city was starting.
Every single loop, I warned Duke Magnifique about the Dark Organization, but not once had I managed to make it through this event with zero casualties.
Every time, even if it was only for a bit, I fought the dragons in order to save the people, so this current situation where I was abandoning them made my chest feel tight. But… time would repeat itself anyway. That’s why this time I wanted to prioritise Zagan.
A few minutes after the dragons flew by me, I found the place where Zagan had collapsed. However, there were three people clad in robes around him, so I quickly drew my sword.
“Lightning!” I shot an attack at the person who was about to stab Zagan, then leapt forward, kicking them away from Zagan.
“Gah!?”
Without a moment’s delay, I took advantage of the two remaining people’s surprise and used magic.
“Shockwave!”
The two people who were on guard against attacks from above were swallowed by lightning from below and both collapsed with a scream. As they had fainted from electric shock, they likely wouldn’t regain consciousness for a while.
Zagan was clearly still alive. His eyes were squeezed shut and his breaths came out painfully. I dropped down on my knees next to him and took an item out of my magic bag.
“Zagan, this is a high-grade potion. You’ll feel better in no time.”
I didn’t have the time to check where he was hurt, I just poured the potion over his clothes, and then another bottle. As for the third bottle, I lifted his body and put it to his lips, carefully tilting it.
Zagan seemed to still be conscious and, though slowly, he drank the potion for me.
After he’d drunk about half of it, he weakly opened his eyes.
“Zagan! I’m so glad you’ve come to. Thank god you’re alive. Truly…!”
How many times had I held his cold and hardened corpse?
I didn’t save Zagan until now because I couldn’t help but think he would have no future as a criminal, and even if I had saved him, time would have reset anyway.
However, now just knowing he was alive in my arms made my heart so full. I was so happy I was tearing up.
Had I known it would make me feel this way, I would have tried to save Zagan a lot earlier. No, I could just do it from now on.
Turned out that even the smallest choice could take me down a path that was nonexistent in the game. If I didn’t think about it as something absolute, I could change the story. So, from now on, I’d save Zagan and change the future in strides. I’d go find all kinds of paths to go down. If I found them, then maybe one day I’d find the path that leads past this story.
“How is it, Zagan? Think you can move?”
Having drunk the whole bottle, Zagan looked up at me blankly. Maybe he wasn’t fully conscious yet.
I called out to him again. And at that very same second his eyes snapped open and he shoved me away.
Zagan moved as if to protect me and I could hear the sound of something clashing.
Following his line of sight, I saw something red in the air. Something as red as his eyes.
Blood.
Two heads rolled to the ground.
“Zagan! You son of a biiiiiitch!!!” the robed man, who’d seen his comrades fall, rushed at Zagan.
Zagan was strong though.
The man’s swinging blade was blocked by Zagan’s staff and, just as easily, his head was cut off.
Zagan’s sword skills were so fast and beautiful that I ended up admiring them even though he’d just killed a person.
After the last man fell, Zagan turned to look at me, who was still on the ground.
“Ng, hah… look what happens when you don’t properly kill them, you bastard.”
“Mm, sorry Zagan. Thank you for saving me.”
Since he’d moved around when he still hadn’t fully recovered, Zagan obediently entrusted himself to me when I reached out my hand to him. We sat like that for a bit.
Though I was moved that I was able to hold the still-breathing Zagan in my arms, I was worried because his face was still incredibly pale.
Perhaps because he was in pain, but Zagan let out a loud sigh.
“Klage, that bastard, he’s going to be so disappointed. Ha! That’s what you get for leaving it to the small fry. Well… I was also surprised to see that there was some bastard out there who’d be willing to save me… you’re a crazy one for sure.” His lips curved in a smile, but in the next second, he was coughing. Blood trickled down his chin.
“What? No! You drank a high-grade potion, why are you still bleeding?!”
“Ah… this isn’t something a potion can heal. It’s probably cause I used that sword technique. The fact that I’m spitting blood means my insides are in shreds. That thing’s probably useless at this point.”
“N-no… why? Why?! I’d finally–”
The words that came after didn’t come out.
I’d just found some hope that things could change, that the game was not absolute, that I could change the story and move past it. But was that impossible after all? Would Zagan always die here? Was I trapped in this world for eternity?
My head drooped under the crushing reality. My chest was tight, it hurt, I wanted to throw up. I hugged Zagan tight. I didn’t want him to die.
As I rested my cheek against his head, Zagan was lost in thought. He untied the small bag around his waist and handed it to me.
“I don’t really know what’s going on, Luca, but… you take this. It’s the six fragments I managed to get.”
His hand was shaking. Perhaps he had no more strength left.
When the bag seemed like it was going to fall, I grabbed it in a fluster and Zagan let out a chuckle. Even at a time like this Zagan was Zagan. It felt like my tears would spill over.
Say, Zagan, did you think I’d still be so sad when you died? I’ve seen it happen more than thirty times already. So many times and still I’d have to witness it again and again.
“Say, Zagan… do you think you’d want to live this life again?” I asked, unable to hold in my tears.
Zagan opened his eyes, which were about to drift shut, and turned to look at me.
“Ah? This shitty life? You crazy?”
“That’s right… you wouldn’t want to repeat it.”
How happy I would be if life stopped at this moment. If only this moment when he was alive and I was holding him against my chest could last forever.
“I don’t get you… Anyway, should you be here? The dragons are destroying everything.”
“Probably. Fighting them is exhausting though. Protecting the people is ultimately meaningless. It’s all going to go back anyway.”
I was tired.
No matter how many times I defeated the dragons and saved the city, it just went back to the start again. That just meant that no matter how many casualties there were, it didn’t matter, right?
It was going to repeat itself anyway, so I could just do whatever I wanted. Next time, I was going to do everything to save Zagan.
Determined, I took that out of my magic bag.
I uncorked the small bottle with one hand and downed the whole thing in one gulp.
Immediately I could feel my throat and my stomach burning and I started coughing violently. It was a poison I’d prepared for those times I wanted to restart in the middle of the story.
My consciousness was already starting to fade.
Perhaps because of my coughing fit, Zagan, who could barely open his eyes, turned to me.
“Ah…? You’re getting more and more transparent, you bastard.”
He probably didn’t mean it literally. It was just that his consciousness was fading away. And mine as well.
“Yeah. You too. I’ll fix it next time.”
“I… don’t get you.”
“Fufu. Until next time, Zagan.” I squeezed out despite the pain, showing him a smile.
Then, seeing Zagan’s eyes close as if he were falling asleep, my eyes, too, drifted shut.
I felt fuzzy.
Perhaps I hadn’t fully died yet.
But if I waited just a bit longer, this fogginess would go away, and when I opened my eyes I’d see that usual corridor. Then, in another three weeks, I’d get to see Zagan again.
What should I do to save Zagan?
When we faced each other in the 5th dungeon, I always got forcibly transferred out first, so maybe it would be best if I waited in the great hall for him. Then, when he transferred there too, we’d leave the dungeon without the girls noticing and the two of us would go somewhere far away together. However, if it’s after the 5th dungeon, it seemed unlikely that Zagan would cooperate. Then would the safest bet be to join him before he faced the dragons? But that seemed difficult to do.
By the way, it still felt like I was wrapped up in something soft.
Did I properly die?
I got anxious and tried opening my eyes, but it wasn’t the usual corridor. It wasn’t the real world either.
I was drifting in some unknown dimension. And right next to me was a faint, glowing light. The light flickered, kind of like a soul, also it seemed to be looking at me…
I tried reaching my hand out towards it, but I couldn’t feel the sensation of a hand and instead all of me got closer to it. Then, when I touched the light, it was strange but I knew without a doubt that that light was Zagan.
I guessed I was in this state because the loop was about to start again. Perhaps every time I’d seen the real world I was in this soul state. With Zagan here, it was my first time thinking about it.
Was he here with me because… because I’d vowed to save him?
Of course there wouldn’t be an answer to something that was beyond human understanding. Since I couldn’t do anything about it, I just stuck close to Zagan. And he, who had been flickering before, wasn’t moving either.
After meeting and fighting Zagan, I always thought that he was a hot-tempered person to his core. Plus, the world considered him a savage – a killer. However, now that I was touching his soul, I could feel that he was a very serene person. Even in a situation like this, he was quite calm.
Zagan was relaxed, so I too felt comfortable as I focused my attention on him. Then I saw a light approaching us. It was probably a soul as well. Its colour and the way it moved resembled Zagan.
When that soul approached us, Zagan left my side as if he was being pulled away from me. He stuck to the other soul.
The two spun around each other until they merged into one.
While I was still mesmerised by that mysterious sight, they suddenly vanished.
Zagan!?
Even as I yelled no sound came out.
I was shocked and panicked, but I didn’t know what to do in this situation. I still ran around looking for Zagan though, and while I was doing that–
“Gu. Au…. Nn?”
When I came to, I was a baby.
Omg it’s finally happening!! The last cycle!!! ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )‧º·˚ Omg Lucaaaaaa!!!
oh wow i love this chapter,it’s very interesting to see that not only luca but also original zagan (personally i call him ciel) somewhat knew about the time-warping to some degree,it also is really cute to see that ciel actually probably fell in love with luca before the MC did ty for the chapter
Oh my god finally!!! Ahhh