Chapter 7: Let’s Unleash a Monster in Town!

The day after I shoveled delicious food into my mouth while shedding tears, I was seething with rage at this world that kept interpreting my villainous deeds as acts of virtue.

Then, I reconsidered.

Perhaps my previous misdeeds lacked the necessary ruthlessness.

“Yes, what I need is the resolve to harm anyone, no matter who they are. No more holding back!”

As I reaffirmed my determination, Marie entered the study with a cup of tea.

I immediately activated my status ailment resistance and heat resistance spells.

“Master, here is your tea,” she said.

“Hmm, just set it there,” I replied.

If I didn’t have to worry about poison, Marie’s tea was actually quite good.

As I took a moment to relax, Marie glanced at the documents on my desk and reacted.

“Is this a report from the knight order?”

“Yeah, something about a troublesome group of monsters appearing in a nearby forest.”

The monsters were called Gigahorn Boars—boar-like creatures with massive horns imbued with special magical energy, said to pierce through anything. Their high attack power ranked regular individuals as B-rank, while mutated variants could reach A-rank.

The report detailed that multiple such monsters had appeared in the forest, and the knight order was preparing to deal with them.

To me, this was utterly irrelevant—until it hit me!

“—That’s it! That’s the way!”

A stroke of genius flashed through my mind.

I’d capture one Gigahorn Boar and release it in the town center.

Then, as it wreaked havoc, I’d reveal myself as the mastermind, ensuring the townsfolk knew who was responsible.

This would undoubtedly instill fear of me in their hearts.

Of course, this plan had the downside of destroying the town, which would take time to repair.

But no progress comes without accepting some risks.

With my decision made, I sprang to my feet and issued an order to Marie.

“I’m heading to the forest. If Oliver comes by, make up some excuse for me.”

“Eh!? M-Master!?”

Ignoring Marie’s attempt to stop me, I leapt out the window with flair.

Last time, I ran into Oliver the moment I left through the door, so this was surely the better choice.

Meanwhile, back in the study after my departure—

“The moment he learned of potential danger to the people, he dashed off gallantly despite being the lord. I’ve etched that image into my heart. As expected, the Master is the most wonderful person!”

—For some reason, Marie’s trust in me skyrocketed, though I had no way of knowing this.

Upon arriving at the forest, I used magic detection to locate the monsters.

I sensed multiple signs of combat.

It seemed the sweep had already begun. I couldn’t afford to fall behind.

Just as I was about to charge forward—

“Hey, could that be the lord?”

Caught off guard by the sudden voice, I turned to see a handsome blond man in armor, his helmet removed.

Who the heck is this guy?

“Who are you?” I asked bluntly.

The blond snapped to attention with a sharp salute.

“I’m Rain, sir. I usually serve as a town guard, but today I’m participating in the Gigahorn Boar subjugation at the knight order’s request. I was also involved when you ordered the destruction of [Crimson] in town.”

“…What?”

His words jogged my memory.

Not long after my reincarnation, I caught a boy thief in town.

It turned out he was a key member of a criminal organization, and his capture led to its downfall, which tragically skyrocketed my reputation.

So, this Rain was the guard from that incident.

He’s an object of my resentment, and I’d love to punish him, but I didn’t have time for that now.

I needed to capture a Gigahorn Boar as soon as possible—

“GOOOOON!”

At that moment, as if on cue, a Gigahorn Boar charged through the trees toward us.

Rain’s expression changed drastically.

“What is that!? That size—it’s beyond a mutated variant, an awakened evolved individual!”

“«Mind-Severing Lightning»”

Cutting off Rain’s words, I unleashed a lightning spell.

The bolt struck the Gigahorn Boar directly, successfully knocking it unconscious.

“To incapacitate a Gigahorn Boar of that size with a single blow—truly remarkable!”

Rain’s face lit up as he drew his sword, likely intending to finish it off.

I quickly raised a hand to stop him.

“Hold it. We’re taking this one back to town alive.”

“Alive…? But bringing it in that state will surely cause panic among the citizens…”

“No problem. I have a plan.”

“! Yes, sir!”

With that, Rain—shockingly—hoisted the massive Gigahorn Boar onto his shoulders single-handedly.

I was a bit surprised, but this saved me the trouble of using magic to transport it.

Shortly after, a transmission spell brought news that the knight order had successfully defeated all the Gigahorn Boars. Apparently, our knights were more competent than I’d thought.

“Let’s head back,” I said.

“Yes, sir! The townsfolk will be amazed to hear of your deeds!”

Rain beamed with a delighted grin.

Normally, that would’ve irritated me, but the real show was about to begin.

I couldn’t wait to see how his face would twist when I unleashed the Gigahorn Boar in town.

With those thoughts, we returned to the town.

But something was off—the town center was in an uproar.

Judging by the voices, it didn’t sound like anything good.

“What’s going on? I can hear the commotion even from outside the walls…” Rain wondered aloud.

“Who knows,” I replied, my mood soaring.

If the town was already in chaos, releasing the Gigahorn Boar would amplify the despair even further.

As I moved to open the gate, a cry rang out.

“Someone, help! An S-rank monster, Aegis Bird, has appeared in the town center! Its body is covered in special magical energy that blocks all normal attacks! The only thing that could pierce its magic is the horn of an awakened evolved Gigahorn Boar, but there’s no way one would conveniently show up! I know it’s hopeless, but please, someone help!”

The moment I heard that cry, a scene from a few hours ago flashed through my mind.

I’d ignored it at the time, but Rain had called the captured Gigahorn Boar an awakened evolved individual.

Based on past experience, this situation was heading in a bad direction.

I turned on my heel, intending to leave the town immediately.

But blocking my path was none other than Rain, still carrying the Gigahorn Boar!

“I see now! I wondered why you personally joined the subjugation, but you had it all figured out from the start! From the awakened evolved individual among the Gigahorn Boars to the Aegis Bird attacking the town—it was all within your calculations!”

With those words, Rain hurled the Gigahorn Boar with all his might.

The beast soared over the town walls, crashing into the center with a resounding BOOM!

“…”

Why does this keep happening!?

Resigning myself to the situation, I moved to the top of the gate to look down at the town. In the center, the now-conscious Gigahorn Boar was locked in a fierce battle with the Aegis Bird.

“What’s that!? Something fell from the sky—is that an awakened evolved Gigahorn Boar!?”

“Look! The two monsters are evenly matched!”

“No, it’s over! A double knockout! They took each other out!”

“To think we’d be saved like this… It’s nothing short of a miracle!”

The townsfolk erupted in joy as the two monsters collapsed simultaneously, their lives spared.

But one person was about to rain on their parade.

“No! This is no miracle!”

Rain, standing beside me, shouted at the top of his lungs.

This guy, no way…!

“That Gigahorn Boar was captured by our lord, who foresaw the Aegis Bird’s attack and brought it here! The fact that we’re all still alive is entirely thanks to him!”

As expected, Rain said something outrageous.

Damn it, I should’ve escaped when I had the chance!

As regret consumed me, the townsfolk’s voices reached my ears.

“““Thank you so much, Lord-sama!”””

…Damn it, not again!

At first, I cursed my fate, but as their words sank in, anger began to boil within me.

—That’s right, I’d been going about this all wrong from the start.

The convoluted plan of unleashing a monster to destroy the town and then revealing myself as the mastermind was the root of my failure.

If it’s come to this, I’ll just have to destroy the town myself!

With that resolve, I raised my right hand, gathering magical energy.

The townsfolk, mistaking my gesture as a response to their gratitude, cheered even louder.

Heh heh heh, just you wait.

I’ll turn those cheers into screams of despair in no time.

The only one who noticed something was off was Rain, standing beside me.

“Lord-sama, gathering that much magical energy—what are you planning…?”

I flashed a smile at Rain, who was visibly shaken by the sinister energy coalescing in my hand.

“Nothing much. I just thought their cremation hasn’t been handled yet.”

“Cremation!? You don’t mean…!”

Rain finally realized my intent, his eyes widening in shock, but it was too late.

“«Hellfire»”

I unleashed a jet-black flame toward the town center, where the two monsters’ corpses lay.

But then—

‘Piiiiiiii!’

—What!?

To my disbelief, the supposedly dead Aegis Bird sprang to life, soaring into the sky.

In an instant, my black flames struck the Aegis Bird, incinerating it completely.

Since the contact happened in midair, the town was, regrettably, unscathed.

“…”

As I stood there, dumbfounded, Rain erupted with excitement.

“As expected! Only Lord-sama could have foreseen that the Aegis Bird was still alive! And to pierce its magical armor, even in its weakened state, with such power… Your foresight and magical prowess are unparalleled!”

The townsfolk, misinterpreting Rain’s words, cheered even louder.

Amid their applause, I alone was plunged into despair.

Why, why, why!?

All I wanted was to sic a monster on the town to destroy it, or failing that, to unleash my magic myself!

Why am I the one suffering such misfortune!?

Acknowledging my defeat, I turned to leave.

Unable to hold back, I shouted with fierce determination to exact my revenge someday.

“You lot! Remember this day! I’ll never forgive you if you forget!”

My words came out like the pathetic howling of a defeated dog, but the townsfolk—

“““Yes! We’ll never forget this kindness!”””

—replied with beaming smiles.

Trembling with rage, I left the scene, their words of gratitude echoing behind me.