Cursed Villainess’ Obsession

“Awesome! We already earned the toll for six more and we’re still rolling in it!”

Emily exclaimed excitedly as she counted their earnings at a nice restaurant after their last sale.

Since everyone else seemed to expect this reaction from her, there wasn’t too much surprise all around.

I mean, who would’ve thought production work could be so lucrative?

If it were just me, I probably wouldn’t have achieved this result in such a short time.

Stick to the basics—advertising is key!

It was truly the efforts of the team that made a huge difference.

‘But above all, the new skill is the biggest gain!’

My lips were on the verge of curling up into a smile without me even realizing it.

The skill called [Rapid Production] was born from the process of repeating repairs and productions dozens, maybe even hundreds of times.

Just as the name suggests, it’s a skill that lets you finish production in a flash.

If the materials are ready, it consumes those materials to produce equipment.

And if the materials aren’t available, it links with a magic conversion skill to fill in the gaps and produce the item.

But that wasn’t all we gained from managing the stall.

I realized something when I perfectly repaired Aspetra.

If I understood the structure as much as possible and conducted repairs, I could recreate that equipment.

And with the specific nature of the border area, all sorts of adventurers flocked here.

Among those adventurers, there were quite a few who entrusted me with special equipment.

I put in painstaking effort to repair such treasured gear—not because they were valuable to the customers, but because they’d become precious to me.

‘I’ll make sure to take good care of this!’

A silent gratitude was sent toward adventurers who must be out hunting hard somewhere.

“Oh, Ken’s smiling.”

“Well, he probably didn’t expect to earn this much.”

“I knew Ken could do it!”

I guess my chuckling gave it away.

Well, it’s not like there aren’t restrictions on rapid production.

For example, once the weapon reaches a certain level like Aspetra, it becomes a one-time-use item.

It probably gets labeled as a replica because it’s impossible to create the original itself.

For instance, the [Poison Hydra’s Throwing Knife] that creates extreme stiffening effect.

Shortened to Hydra Knife, it disappears after being thrown once.

To use it again, you have to consume magic.

It’s as if the equipment itself became a skill, but hey, at least we made amazing profits!

With those outstanding results, we joyfully ate tasty food together in celebration.

☆

With all the money for the toll paid, we swiftly moved toward the next destination.

We were just one village away from the city where the Tower of Tarros is located.

“This place looks smaller than Draemon?”

Raphne remarked about the village we were passing through, which was small for a city, but quite big for a village.

The earlier Draemon was surrounded by tall walls and had well-paved roads inside the city.

But here in the village called Parion, most of the buildings looked a bit shabby compared to Draemon.

Yet the population is quite substantial, so it’s not small at all.

“Guess since it’s not within the country, we’ll have to go through here for about two weeks more.”

“Aww~ Is it really that long?”

Emily frowned at the thought of camping rather than traveling.

There was no choice; the map showed it was the best route.

I encouraged Emily to tough it out a bit longer.

“Let’s register as adventurers here.”

I turned to my party, conveying my thought.

Only registered adventurers in the guild can enter the Tower of Tarros, so we need to register ahead of time.

Of course, we could have registered in Draemon or in guilds in the academy city.

But registering in the Lilias kingdom might require extra caution.

Just looking at how tolls have increased at the borders, it seemed wise not to rush the registration.

There might be some interference waiting for us.

If that happened, we’d be snagged again.

“Ken, what rank do you think I’ll get?”

Emily, with the face of a kid going to a gift shop, asked as we headed towards the guild.

She seemed to take a liking to this sort of thing during our travels.

“Hmm, maybe around B rank?”

“…Wow, super realistic. Tch, can’t I be labeled as S rank for once?!”

Giggling playfully, she lightly hit my shoulder.

I guess I answered reflexively since I have seen her adventurer rank often.

Speaking of ranks, it’s just natural to be curious about mine too.

Excluding Emily, the others must definitely be A rank or higher.

It’s only obvious for Raphne who recently knocked out an A rank adventurer.

But my curiosity is genuinely about me.

‘…What will my rank even be?’

Honestly, I’m feeling a bit nervous.

I had been training with Siegfried until now, and the monsters I defeated were of higher rank too.

Of course, I did that using cheat-level skills, but still…

‘What if I use Calorie Burn during the ranking assessment…’

Nah, let’s drop that thought.

Because I only need the adventurer qualification to access the Tower of Tarros, a high rank isn’t essential.

If I suddenly get a high rank, it could cause a ruckus.

Perhaps some adventurer might complain that I don’t look like I’d deserve it.

‘Let’s just earn it based purely on skill.’

So, we entered the village and headed straight for the adventurer’s guild.

“Wow! Is that Ken?! I see you around here!”

“Hahaha! Ken the boss! The weapons you repaired are working great!”

As soon as we opened the door to the adventurer’s guild, several adventurers drinking in broad daylight greeted us.

They seemed to be adventurers who handed their weapons to me for repairs or production back in Draemon.

Of course, I was too busy with requests to recall who they were.

“Ah! Sir! Nice to see you again!”

But Emily remembers everyone she served and warmly greeted one of the customers.

“Wow, the ladies are still here. Hahaha! You’re a lucky guy, Ken, traveling with such beautiful companions!”

“Ken, are you an adventurer too? Are you here to take a request?”

“Actually, we stopped by to register. I only did production work for a while back then… Haha.”

“Wow! You must’ve become a celebrity blacksmith in the kingdom! Too bad!”

The familiar older adventurers approached me warmly.

Maybe it’s the alcohol making them extra friendly, but they reminded me of the tavern uncles from before my reincarnation.

It’s just a simple relationship of client and craftsman, yet…

“Hahaha! Anyway, do your best! A craftsman like you deserves B rank, or I can certainly guarantee you’re at least A rank!”

“Of course! You gotta treat amazing talent like you with proper respect!”

As they let their spirits fly with the alcohol, their backs slapped me enthusiastically.

Well, I could be B rank, or maybe even A rank.

A strange anticipation began to make my shoulders bounce.

What if…

So we quickly went upstairs to begin the adventurer registration.

And the results came almost instantly.

“Ta-da! B rank! Ken hit the nail on the head. Hehe.”

Emily proudly held up her registration certificate, showing her B rank.

“I got A rank.”

“I’m A rank too.”

“Me too, I’m A rank.”

Then Mary, Adrian, and Siegfried of course got their A ranks as if it was no big deal.

Now, with a huge smile, Emily carefully slipped her registration certificate into her pocket.

“So, what about Raphne?”

She glanced awkwardly at Raphne, who hadn’t revealed her rank yet, smiling nervously.

With a sly grin, Raphne lifted her registration certificate.

It was an eye-popping S rank.

“S rank?! …I mean, I can understand that since it’s Raphne but… Ugh! I ended up with the lowest rank!”

“Fufufu, Emily. Now you need to respectfully call me ‘sister’.”

Feeling like it turned into some weird competition, Emily started stamping her feet in frustration.

Then she glared at me with her downcast expression.

“What about Ken? …You’re probably A rank too, right? You’re so strong…”

“Nope, I’m D rank.”

“Huh?”

My companions were shocked at my registration certificate.

Why are they so surprised?

Did they all think I’d be an A rank? Haha, I could never be one.

…Not that I expected anything.

My mana increased, and my crafting skill was solid, but I lacked combat ability, which is why I got a lower rank.

After all, it’s logical not to entrust A rank requests to someone weak in combat, right?

Since I hadn’t used Calorie Burn, I was okay with this result.

Yet it wasn’t just me who was okay. It was a problem brewing instead.

“Whaaa?! Hey, reception girl?! Isn’t there a mistake?! Ken’s a D rank?! That doesn’t make sense?!”

“No way, that’s impossible! Have you seen the weapons this guy made? There’s even a dedicated production party, this isn’t right?! I even placed a bet on it!”

The older adventurers who’d just praised me began arguing with the reception area vehemently.

I mean, they were the ones who placed their bets, right?

Were they possibly drunk and betting on ranks?

Just then, the guild was filled with the ruckus of drunken adventurers.

‘Well, this didn’t go as expected.’

If I had known, I should have just used Calorie Burn to get a higher rank.

“Let’s get out of here. It won’t do us any good to stick around.”

“Um, yeah.”

So I hurriedly took my party and exited the guild.

As loud voices and chaos drew the attention of other adventurers, they all looked our way, making me wonder why it was my embarrassment alone.

I covered my flushed face with one hand and bowed my head as I stepped outside.

“Hey, it’s okay Ken. Don’t be too down.”

“Huh?”

Just then, Raphne, who was nearby, came to comfort me.

“What if you’re D rank? It’s fine! I can protect you! …Hehe, I’m S rank after all.”

She timidly showed her registration certificate.

“Wait, that gives me an idea! I’m B rank too!”

“No, Emily. You at least need to be A rank to protect someone.”

“Ugh! If I had known this would happen, I’d have trained my attack magic more!”

With Emily flailing behind us, Mary stepped closer by my side.

“I’ve wanted to protect you since the beginning Ken. So don’t feel too let down because you’re D rank. I’ll always watch over you.”

“Yeah, I’ll be here for you too, so don’t worry.”

Siegfried gave my shoulder a reassuring pat.

Receiving encouragement and comfort from my companions, I dazedly stared at them.

…Did I really look so gloomy?

No, it was just hard to lift my head in embarrassment.

Adrian, watching that unfold, seemed to be chuckling beside me.

Then, just as we were heading toward the inn with that strange feeling…

“Hey! You guys over there!”

Suddenly, we heard a voice calling from behind, and as it got closer, I realized it was directed at us.

Turning my head, I saw a skinny, agile-looking guy with sharp eyes.

His prominent mustache was quite memorable.

“You’re the adventurers who just registered, right?”

With a friendly smile, he casually approached us.

“Yes, but… what can we do for you?”

“Are you guys heading out of town to somewhere else?”

“…For now, we’re on our way to the Tower of Tarros.”

I responded cautiously.

Coming at us out of the blue—it’s common sense that there are robbers among adventurers.

Of course, trying to rob us would be like committing suicide given the strength of our party.

“Whoa! So you’re challenging that tower! Just perfect! How about this? Need a guide? We know a shortcut!”

“A shortcut?”

“Absolutely! Despite my appearance, I’ve been in adventuring in this area for quite some time. I know the routes better than any map. Just….”

Drawing his fingers together to create a circular shape, he looked sly.

A money gesture.

“I’ll take a small fee, but what do you say? From what I hear, you’ve got quite a bit of cash after all. Wouldn’t it be nice to travel quickly without any monsters?”

It seemed like he wanted to make a profit off guiding us.

Fine, it’s not an unusual thought at all; it could even be a real bet.

“Can I talk to my companions for a moment?”

“Sure, take your time.”

I pulled my party aside to discuss a bit.

“What do you think?”

“Hmmm, it feels a little suspicious.”

Emily was the first to voice her thoughts.

“But Emily, don’t you feel tired from traveling? If it’s a shortcut, we could reach the city faster.”

Mary, confident in her abilities, leaned toward agreement.

She must be thinking that if anything suspicious happens, she’d retaliate.

Her words swayed my heart indeed.

We were all in a cheerful mood, but traveling, camping, and awkward sleeping arrangements can be tiring.

If we could cut down on that time, it might not be a bad choice.

Raphne nodded along, agreeing with Mary.

“I’m fine with it. If anything weird happens, I’ll just kill them.”

“No, Raphne. You don’t just kill them right away. You should ask for directions first.”

“Oh! Right! Ken, you’re so smart!”

“Y-You both are casually saying some chilling things.”

Emily shivered at Raphne’s confident words.

Then, I similarly sought opinions from Adrian and Siegfried.

“I’m good; I don’t mind whether it’s a shortcut or not.”

“They don’t seem that strong. I think even you, Ken, could win against them.”

Neither of them looked particularly worried.

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