I’ll Become a Villainess That Will Go Down in History

The boy wrinkled his brow. I looked him straight in the eyes and continued my story.

“I want you to believe me and not doubt me. And you can rely on me.”

“…How. I’m not going to follow a guy who can’t look me in the eye.”

“If you don’t, your brother is going to die.”

He must have been aggravated by my words, because he reached out from the fence and grabbed me by the chest, saying, “You son of a!”

It was more powerful than I thought it would be. I managed to keep my posture and expression unchanged. The killing intent emanating from him was tremendous.

“If you lay a hand on my brother, I’ll kill you.”

“He won’t be killed by me, he’ll die from the disease.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m sure you know of it because it’s famous, but your brother has the spotted disease.”

He paused for a moment at my calm response. The boy’s grip on my chest weakened.

…He was not really surprised. Maybe he noticed?

Perhaps, that was why he wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible.

“…How did you know that?”

To cover it up, I blurted, “I just noticed,” then added.

“That’s not what’s important right now, I know that you are trying to help your brother. I can help you.”

He stiffened at my forceful tone. I could see the doubt in his eyes.

I wondered if he still didn’t believe me. Well, I suppose that was to be expected. It was just too good to be true.

“If I could save your brother, would you trust me?”

The boy glanced at his brother.

Was he his only living relative? If so, I would also be very worried.

“Okay. If you save my brother, I’ll trust you.”

He turned to me with a determined look on his face.

“However…”

“However?”

“You fight me once and win. I’ll give you a chance to save my brother. But if I win, you will get us out of here.”

Why were you being so rude? Well, it was important not to put the other party in an advantageous position when negotiating.

It was the way of negotiating that puts one in an advantageous position.

“Okay. If you beat me, I’ll set you free. And I’ll let you choose any weapon you want to use during this battle.”

I would never lose.

The boy pondered for a moment, and then replied, “Barehanded”.

It was true that he might be better suited to barehanded fighting than sword fighting. He was small and would be able to move quickly.

“Okay.”

I took the key from the wall and inserted it into the sturdy keyhole of the cell.

I wasn’t worried about him escaping once I got him out of jail.

His favorite brother was still in jail. He couldn’t possibly flee without him. Moreover, he would realize that if he broke his promise, his brother might be killed.

I opened the door and let the boy out with a smile. He stepped out of the cell cautiously.

“Speaking of which, what’s your name?”

“Leon, fourteen years old.”

He answered quickly and easily.

For a fourteen-year-old, he was smaller than I thought he’d be. He and I were about the same age. He needed to be well nourished because he was still growing.

If I win, I would have to feed them a lot of good food!

“Leon. That’s a nice name. Do you know my name?”

“Ria, sixteen years old. Didn’t you mention it before?”

“Did I? Well, never mind. Nice to meet you, Leon.”

“Nice to meet you, huh? I guess the game is just beginning.”

Leon looked disgusted.

I wondered if he was going through puberty. I wish he’d be a little more sociable. He looked just like Gilles when I first met him.

“That’s Rio, he’s eight years old.”

Leon said, pointing to the little boy sleeping in the prison.

I hoped he was finally opening up to me by introducing me to his younger brother.

“He’s a precious little brother, isn’t he?”

“Yeah. I would do anything to protect him.”

“Well, then, I’ll have to play your game and save him as soon as possible.”

“Why are you assuming that you’re going to win?”

I grinned as I told him, “Because I can win.”