Chapter 20: 20

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The moment I make it out of the fog, I’m overcome by an awful smell.

What….. is that…..?

The air is completely saturated with it, making it feel heavy and disgusting as it reaches my nose. It’s so hard to breath that I start to feel a bit faint.

Eyes watering, I try to survey the scene in front of me.

But I have no words for it…. It’s the first time I’ve encountered such miserable conditions in all my life.

There are people collapsed on the ground, moaning, clothed only in tattered rags and their skin grimy with dirt and sweat.

Hoping not to draw attention to myself, I pull my hood more tightly around my face and quickly put out the light of my lantern.

If anyone were to realize that I’m a noble, I’ll surely be attacked. At the thought, I can’t help but start quivering in terror.

After reading all those books, I was able to understand the conditions that these people live in to a certain degree, but I never would have imagined that it could be this awful……

The conditions that I see here are much worse than what the books had described them to be.

In the game, just what did the heroine manage to accomplish here again….?

Ugh, the stench is so strong, I can’t even think straight.

Honestly, I don’t want to stay in a place like this for long. A villainess won’t act on feelings of compassion or mercy. So I definitely can’t start thinking that I want to help them or improve these awful living conditions.

As long as I’m living well, that’s all that matters. That’s how a villainess lives her life.

But….. my legs seem to keep pushing me forward of their own accord.

As I walk I see children stretched out on the ground, their tiny bodies emaciated, just skin and bones.

And then I get to what appears to be a plaza. There’s a fountain standing in the middle of it, but no water flows from its center.

Instead, there is just a pool of stagnant, murky water sitting within it. And surrounding this fountain, tons of people lie sleeping on the ground.

Are there really this many homeless people living in this village? I glance at the buildings around the plaza. Many of them look like they should be houses, but most look as if they could collapse at any moment. Cracks cover their facade, and many have have giant, crumbling holes eating through their walls.

And, as I continue to look around I note that the only light in this whole place comes from a few candles. There are no street lights to be seen, and even the moon’s light doesn’t reach here as the sky is overcast with an impenetrable layer of clouds. Without having even a tiny breeze, the air feels stagnant and thick.

“Young Lady,” a voice suddenly calls, and my whole body tenses up, freezing in place.

Was he talking to me? Did they realize that I’m an outsider? That I don’t belong here?

What should I do? I’m quite confident in my sword skills now, but I didn’t bring my sword with me….

If I run as fast as I can, I wonder if I’ll be able to get away? I don’t want to die in a place like this!

I mean, I haven’t even gotten to bully the heroine yet!?

“Young Lady,” the voice says again, and this time I feel a hand plop down on my shoulder.

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A villainess should never cry, but in a situation like this one, I don’t think it can be helped.

With eyes brimming with tears, I glance down at the hand; it’s big and slightly wrinkled…. And then I slowly turn to face the hand’s owner.

He has white hair and although he looks old, I suspect that might be mostly due to his hair color. I think he’s probably younger than his appearance suggests….. Somehow, I get the feeling that he is purposely trying to look like an elderly person.

He has a pair of thin lips, and a tall nose; his face actually has very nice features…. But I wonder why he has his eyes closed.

Wait, could he possibly be blind…..?

The terror that I had felt only a moment ago vanishes in an instant.

It’s not because he’s a blind, old man though, but rather based off of instinct. My gut is telling me that he’s a good person.

The atmosphere he gives off is warm and gentle.

And despite his age, as I look at him longer I can see just how handsome he really is.

Are all the people in this country good looking or something??

“You’re not from this village, are you,” he says in a kind voice.

Even though he can’t see, I wonder how he was able to tell?

“No,” I quietly admit.

“It’s dangerous around here, so I think you’d better hurry home.”

“No, but….. I…..”

“Then come with me,” he says, and then slowly starts walking away.

Father told me to never go anywhere with a stranger, but it feels like it’ll be okay if I follow this man.

Though, it’s that sort of impression that can be the most dangerous of all. Since the scariest people are often the ones that are able to appear nice at first.

But even so, I know that nothing will happen if it’s this person. I’m a good judge of character after all.

What do you call it again…. Having a discerning eye? I think I have that. Even though I’m saying it about myself…. which might make it seem less credible to some people…. But for some reason I feel like my eyes are more capable than most.

Like with the speed reading…. or like when I’m practicing my sword play with my brothers how everything seems as if it’s in slow-mo.

And even when I was slicing that apple in midair, it looked as if it was falling in slow motion and that’s how I was able to split it perfectly in half.

Realizing that I had been lost in thought, I look up again and see that the old man had already walked quite a distance away from me. And despite being blind, he’s quickly and easily weaving through the various people who are stretched out on the ground in front of him. Could it be that he isn’t actually blind?

Though I still feel a bit hesitant about following, in the end I decide to go with him for now, so I wind my way through the people and hurry after him, trying to catch up.

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T/N: Stranger danger!!! I’m not entirely sure that I trust Alicia’s intuition. I’m sure it’ll probably be fine, but we are talking about the girl who somehow misinterpreted what it means to be a villainess to this insane degree

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