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 15 (Part 1)
I wanted to see Zagan again, so on the afternoon of the following day, I went to the adventurer’s guild.
My goal was to use the excuse that he was an S-rank adventurer I’d met inside the dungeon to make an official request for him to join us on our travels. Since I’d be requesting Zagan specifically, the guild would have no choice but to disclose his information, right?
Unfortunately, the results weren’t very fruitful. While they did answer my questions about Zagan, it seemed he had already taken on an ingredient-gathering request in the morning and had gone out to the Great Etoile Forest. The distance between the guild and the forest was about half a day’s ride on a horse and they didn’t know when he’d come back.
I, too, took some requests, spending my time between subjugating monsters on the outskirts of the city and training, but in the end, I didn’t get to see Zagan again in the 1st city.
On January 31st, Nina joined our party, and the four of us headed out to the 2nd city.
Zagan’s breathtaking eyes, those intense, sparkling pupils – there was no doubt they belonged to that man, the one whose room I’d visit with every loop.
The moment I realised that that man, the one I thought belonged to the real world, was here, everything in this world, even my own existence changed from fictitious to real. The force of that realisation was so strong I couldn’t help but fall in love.
Yet, despite that, he was still Zagan. He was, without a doubt, still the Zagan I knew. I would be able to recognise the man I had faced so many times anywhere.
It seemed to me that even the quiet atmosphere that surrounded him now was something he would have grown up with had he not been abused and turned into a killer. After all, Zagan’s soul had been incredibly tranquil.
Speaking of which, at that time, didn’t Zagan’s soul merge with another one that was very similar to him? I remember how panicked I was when they both disappeared after fusing like that.
Does that mean that Zagan and that person had merged into one, becoming the current Zagan?
If that was the case, then that might mean that by coming to his room all the time, I, the singularity, had changed his Akashic record. Otherwise, the World wouldn’t have been able to interfere.
I didn’t know why the two had merged, but I had a theory. Because it was something that I too had feared – that if Zagan retained his memories, the first thing he would do would be to kill his abusive parents.
If that man had been brought here in order to prevent that, it meant that our encounter in the dungeon would have been his first time meeting me. Or were Zagan’s memories from the previous loop actually intact? No, no. There was no way eyes that beautiful held any memories of killing thousands. Did the Zagan I knew only exist in his subconscious…?
I sighed.
It was after dinner and we were sitting around the campfire. I could hear the sounds of Noel and the others enjoying themselves, but my mind was elsewhere, filled only with thoughts of Zagan. None of the things they said registered in my brain.
Mnn, his eyes really were beautiful. I wanted to see those red pupils again and have a conversation with him. I wanted to know what he, who didn’t have Zagan’s memories, but was familiar with the game, thought. I wanted to know how he spent his days and, if he was willing, I wanted to go on a date with him. And I wanted to touch him.
These were thoughts I never had before. I admired Zagan’s strength from the bottom of my heart and hated to leave his corpse alone, which was why I always made sure to go and collect it. Sometimes I’d take the corpse out of my magic bag and touch it, but that was purely to calm my nerves. Never once had I held him with any sexual desire.
It was the same when it came to that man. I’d always been attracted to his beautiful, powerful gaze, but those few minutes we’d spent together were soothing rather than arousing. After all, it was the only time when I felt like I myself was real.
He wasn’t even a person I could touch in the first place, so I never really thought about whether I liked him or not.
And yet I love you. The more I think of you, the more love seems to overflow, so much so that I feel it writhing inside me.
Sigh, how did I end up falling for you like this? No, of course I know why. It’s because you are both. You are the man I could only yearn for from afar because he was a criminal and the man I was attracted to but could never reach because he lived in a different world.
Thanks to that person, Zagan didn’t become a criminal, and thanks to Zagan, that person became someone I could touch. I was powerless against falling in love in the face of such a miraculous existence.
Perhaps it was because I let out another big sigh as I watched the bonfire, that the girls called out to me.
“What’s up with that sigh? Something bothering you?” (Miranda)
“Aha! Are you pent up? I just happen to be missing the touch of human skin as well – should I comfort you?” (Nina)
“Ah, how about me then? I’m quite good, you know. I’ll make you feel good, hmm?” (Miranda)
As Miranda and Nina spoke, I finally remembered this conversation. It was one we’d had twenty years ago and since it wasn’t that significant I’d forgotten about it until now.
Ah, it had been a while since I felt sick like this. Thanks to Zagan, I’d come to the realisation that this world wasn’t fiction, but that didn’t mean that the days I’d spent in agony had just disappeared.
The air grew heavy as I subconsciously let out intimidation, and Noel stood up abruptly as if to dispel it. She put her hand on her sword, not to protect the girls who were being intimidated, but to protect me.
“Who do you ladies think this man is? Depending on the situation, this could be considered slander. Also, His Highness has someone he likes, so if you could please refrain from ever making such advances again.”
It really was different from before. She was playing the part of a proper guard. Also, she really did love Zagan.
Since Noel was keeping them in check, I stopped letting out intimidation and turned to the two, whose shoulders had shrunk in on themselves, with a smile.
“Sorry, Miranda, Nina. I would have turned down such invitations no matter who the other person was. As Noel said, there’s someone I like, and I don’t want to be with anyone other than them.”
I’d only just recently fallen in love with him though.
Still, the fact that I, a prince, was a misanthropist was something that shouldn’t be spread around. Noel too had skillfully avoided the topic.
“No, my bad… it wouldn’t have been strange for me to be executed immediately for saying something like that to a prince.” (Miranda)
“M-me too. Sorry for saying something so careless.” (Nina)
The two bowed their heads in apology and Noel finally took her hand off her sword.
“I will accept your apologies. You should be grateful for His Highness’s generosity and be more careful moving forward. And if you happen to be lonely, I’ll happily be your partner, whether it be sleeping next to each other or staying up late!”1
Yup. As expected of Noel who, thanks to Zagan, was as bright and positive as they came – she stopped them while simultaneously throwing the notion that only relations between a man and a woman could fill the loneliness in their hearts out the window.
Due to the Akashic record, and everything that I’d experienced until now, I knew that Miranda’s fiancé had passed away and that Nina had to sell her body in order to survive. Noel, however, had only just met them, but she still realised that the two were lonely despite their earlier invitations being quite lighthearted and mostly meant to tease me. To make a declaration that she’d be with them despite all that was quite impressive.
The kind and confident words that were just like her seemed to reach the other two’s hearts. After a few seconds of shock, they erupted into laughter.
“Ahahaha! You got me there. Yeah, us three girls drinking the night away sounds like a hoot.” (Miranda)
“Ahaha! It’s the first time a girl has offered to sleep with me. What should I do? I can’t wait for bedtime tonight!” (Nina)
“Yes, I’m looking forward to it as well. I… can’t drink a lot, but I’ll pour you your drinks, and we’ll talk a lot, and when we get sleepy, we can share a futon together.” (Noel)
“Yosh! Then I’m pulling out all the stops. Let’s drink some of my best alcohol. I’ve got delicious snacks too.” (Miranda)
As part of their group, I was happy that the girls were bonding, but it seemed like my presence would only be a bother to their fun, so, though it was a bit early, I said good night and headed to my tent.
