I’m the Main Villain but the Heroines Are Obsessed With Me

25 – 12. The Presence of the Abyss (1)

“So, does this mean Ariel Volcanoff has been eliminated?”

With the chirping of birds, the voice of a male discovering the enemy echoed through the forest.

Facing the male discoverer, the man who had been resting while sitting on a tree also heaved a deep sigh and pounded the ground in frustration.

“Just confirmed and on the way back… No doubt. Ariel Volkanov was killed while fighting with Ian.”

“The hero was the first to be eliminated… This was unexpected.”

The man who had been discovered. When Berdo hesitated, the dark-haired man suddenly stood up and asked.

“Hey, Berdo. So how long do we have to keep doing this? Since the hero has been eliminated, hasn’t the plan become worthless? I want to take off this dog-like face leather now.”

“Don’t be so presumptuous, Alteyn.”

“Jeez.”

Thud!

In response to Berdo’s words, Alteyn roughly tore off the name tag attached to his robe.

2nd Year, 2nd Platoon, Baruch Hayshi.

That was what was written on Alteyn’s name tag.

Of course, the name tag wasn’t really his. It was a stolen identity that he had to kill a man named Baruch for, in order to infiltrate Ark.

As he stared at the name tag, Alteyn scratched his face. It wasn’t a good thing to be wearing the face leather of a dead man.

“So, what are we going to do then? The hero is already out, and there’s no profit in killing the others.”

“Yeah, you’re right. There’s no need for meaningless slaughter.”

“Berdo, I’ve always thought about it. Can’t you just say it straight without beating around the bush? It’s annoying enough as it is, so don’t scratch my nerves.”

As Alteyn began to sharpen his words, Berdo finally revealed his true intentions.

“I’ll tell you since you’re insisting. I plan to deal with Ian Volkanov.”

“What did you say?”

Deal with Ian Volkanov? Alteyn raised an eyebrow in response to Berdo’s words.

“Do we really need to do that?”

Honestly, Alteyn couldn’t understand why Berdo was saying such a thing. He was a member of the Sword Saint’s party within the Prophecy of the Holy Sword, but was there really someone like Ian who needed to be killed at all?

Alteyn had no intention of wearing Baruch’s face leather just to kill someone like that.

“Huh, what’s the reason?”

In his heart, he wanted to grab Berdo by the collar and interrogate him right away. But Alteyn held back and asked.

Alteyn.

He had spent a long time with Berdo.

As a member of the lineage of Asmodeus, one of the Seven Great Demons, they had completed numerous missions together, hadn’t they?

Because of that, Alteyn knew that Berdo was not the kind of person to talk nonsense.

The reason I had to restrain my anger, even though it was frustrating, was because of that.

“Say something, Verdo! What the hell is the reason for trying to catch Ian Volkov? Am I supposed to go through all this trouble to catch an insignificant bastard like him?”

“…He’s insignificant. It’s laughable. Do you know that? Recently, Asmodeus has been showing interest in Ian Volkov.”

“Ah, Asmodeus…interested in Ian Volkov?”

At that moment, Altein’s body froze.

A human receiving the attention of his master, Asmodeus.

This was no laughing matter. The fact that the Demon Lord showed interest had two meanings.

First, it meant that he wanted to turn Ian Volkov into his minion and use him for his own purposes.

Second, it meant that he saw him as an enemy that needed to be dealt with.

“Hey, surely the Demon Lord doesn’t want to make him a subordinate, right?”

Just to be sure, Altein asked Verdo.

“If that was the case, I would have said we should kidnap Ian Volkov.”

Fortunately, the worst-case scenario that Altein had imagined didn’t happen.

Satisfied that his competition didn’t increase, Altein let out a breath he had been holding.

“Phew. That’s a relief. I was worried for nothing.”

“I understand your feelings. However, it’s still too early for you to like him.”

“If the Demon Lord doesn’t plan to turn him into a minion, can’t we just kill him? What’s the problem anyway?”

“Our lazy Demon Lord seems to have an interest in Ian Volkov.”

“The lazy Demon Lord?”

Ignoring Altein’s confusion, Verdo continued speaking.

“I don’t know the details either. But there seems to be something between our lazy Demon Lord and Ian Volkov. Asmodeus doesn’t overlook it.”

“Damn, even if I fall, I fall for him.”

The lazy Demon Lord, Belfegor.

Altein, who thought of him, bit his lower lip hard.

Belfegor. Who is he?

Even among the mighty Seven Great Demons, he is known to be comparable to a devil in terms of power.

Fortunately, he hadn’t shown much interest in the mortal realm and lived leisurely, so Altein hadn’t paid much attention to him until now.

He had always been restrained by the other demons.

With his immense power, if he were to genuinely confront other demons, it would become troublesome.

Asmodeus was no different. He had always kept an eye on his whereabouts.

While this was happening, there began to be signs of interaction between Ian Volkanov and Belphegor.

This was a matter she could never take lightly.

Perhaps Belphegor had decided to reveal his true colors and chose Ian Volkanov as the first victim.

From Asmodeus’s perspective, who was eyeing the next position, he had to do whatever it took to prevent Belphegor from getting involved in the intermediate realm.

That was the reason.

“Asmodeus. You despise Ian Volkanov greatly. You must know what I mean.”

“Are you saying he has to die here?”

This was what he had decided in this war game.

It was not certain that he was Belphegor’s subordinate, but they had to consider the possibility.

Alteyn seemed to agree with Berdo’s words as he nodded.

“I understand what you mean. But how do you plan to handle it? The gap between Ariel and Ian is substantial. You must be aware of that too.”

“We don’t have to worry about that. It’s not us who will kill Ian.”

“Not us? What do you mean?”

“Lilith has decided to personally intervene.”

Lilith. A being no less than Asmodeus himself. Alteyn smiled with a hint of disappointment at the fact that Lilith would personally intervene.

Certainly, if Lilith were to intervene directly, it would not be difficult to kill Ian. The magic that high-ranking demons possessed could consume a living human.

Ian wouldn’t be able to face Lilith while enduring the burning flames.

However, when he thought about what needed to be done to summon her, a sense of disappointment overcame him.

“I wanted to live a little longer… It’s over.”

“There’s nothing we can do. After all, this is the purpose of our existence.”

With Berdo’s calm tone, Alteyn exhaled a hot breath.

Finally, he sharpened his right hand with magic.

Swish!

And he stabbed it towards his heart. Blood started to flow through the gap in his hand, but Alteyn and Berdo didn’t seem to mind. They pushed it in deep.

Swoosh.

The blood began to seep into the magical formation that Berdo had prepared.

And before long, the blood had drawn the symbol of Asmodeus.

Kwoooosh!

An immense magical storm erupted.

“I didn’t really expect any reward. Is it better than I thought?”

Ian smiled as he looked at Leia lying near the campfire.

In truth, Leia’s condition wasn’t great. When he arrived, her body was covered in wounds, and her legs were full of bruises.

It was the kind of pain that would have made most people faint midway through, but she endured it with the determination of a squad leader.

For her, Ian decided to try out the new skill he had acquired this time.

Instant Regeneration. It was a skill that had been the only reason the ancient god Neltalion had survived until now.

The effect was… as expected, excellent.

“Ugh…”

The mana in Ian’s body calmly flowed into Leia’s body.

Ian’s mana began to move around Leia’s body, healing her wounds.

Gradually, the bruises disappeared, and her flesh started to mend, making her body look clean as if nothing had happened. Ian let out a small sigh of relief.

“Um…”

Leia’s breathing had finally returned to normal. It must be over.

“I knew Neltalion had an extraordinary regenerative ability, but I didn’t expect it to be this powerful.”

Neltalion’s words about being able to resurrect even if you die, as long as you have a part of your body and enough time, were true.

Even in his current incomplete state, showing this level of healing ability was impressive. If he continued to grow, he might be able to regenerate with just a part of his body.

Ian was pleased with this possibility.

“With my current state, I could probably regenerate even if I lost an arm in just a day.”

Inevitably, since he had to engage in close combat, he had to be prepared for the possibility of losing a part of his body.

Of course, he hoped to avoid such a situation as much as possible, but it was essential to be prepared for any unforeseen circumstances.

In such a situation, having a skill like this was undoubtedly an advantage.

“Hmm… Hmm… Feels good.”

Ian looked at Neltalion, who had shared this skill with him.

Neltalion, who was soundly asleep on his belly, had grown considerably due to his growth.

Previously, he was small enough to fit comfortably in his arms. Now, he was the size of a three-year-old child, if not more.

Furthermore, Ian could almost feel Neltalion’s body temperature. It even seemed warm at times.

“That must be my imagination.”

Ian dismissed it as his imagination. It must be because his body temperature was changing.

As Ian chuckled, having trivially passed it off, he didn’t know that it was the beginning of an incredible change.

“Are you feeling good? Well, it’s safe to say that the training is almost over now.”

Eri, who was lying next to Ian, smiled happily.

“Are you getting up? Your turn for watch duty is still a long way off; you can sleep more.”

“I’m not one to sleep for too long. I usually only get about three hours of sleep, so it’s fine. Besides, I have to keep an eye on him.”

Eri’s gaze shifted from Ian to Igor.

“Kreuh….”

Unlike themselves, who were sleeping by the campfire, Igor never tried to sleep near the campfire. He couldn’t stand the heat due to his extended stay in the southern regions.

For Igor’s sake, Ian had asked Eri to attach a water elemental spirit to him.

“Kreuh. Cough!… Kreuh….”

Holding the cool water elemental spirit like a pillow, Igor seemed satisfied as he now snored, even through his nose.

Once Eri confirmed that the water elemental spirit holding Igor was secure, she could continue the conversation without worry.

“Still, it seems like we can finally relax. We’ve dealt with the biggest threat, the 1st unit, so all that’s left is the 2nd unit.”

“You’re right; we don’t need to worry about the 1st unit anymore. However, keep your guard up.”

Due to the party’s destruction centered around Ariel, the 1st unit suffered considerable losses just before their defeat. Of course, there were still defensive forces remaining, but their levels were not high, so they didn’t need to worry about them too much.

They had secured the outcome of the war game to some extent, but Ian was cautious.

“They still haven’t found those who were trying to kill Ariel.”

How did the opportunity come about? Since it had already come to this, why not eliminate those who were targeting Ariel?

That was why Ian couldn’t relax until the very end.

“…I understand.”

Of course, from Eri’s perspective, who didn’t know Ian’s situation, he seemed different. Looking at Ian, who maintained his vigilance even in a situation where he could relax, Eri concealed a faint smile.

Ian, always cautious… Eri admired that.

His pure and refined personality was so appealing to her. She earnestly wished to possess it.

In her heart, she wanted to reveal her true identity and take him to the royal family right away. But in her view, Ian still had tasks to complete for the Volkanov family.

In such a situation, she knew that revealing her identity suddenly would be detrimental. So, for now, she decided to be content with the current situation.

Ssssh.

She moved her body closer, pressing her arm against his.

“Eri?”

“It’s cold, can’t we just stay like this a little longer? Captain?”

That was when she smiled mischievously.

“Eek!”

It was Igor’s scream from the side.

“Igor?”

Ian turned his head, wondering why he suddenly screamed. And then he saw it.

“What, what is it? Why am I…”

Igor disappeared, enveloped in a blue light.

But Igor was not the end.

“Ugh… huh? Huh!”

“Captain? What is happening…”

Ria Hirst. And even Eri started to disappear in the blue light.

As Ian raised his head in disbelief, a notification window appeared.

“Abyssal presence is staring at you.”

“An urgent quest has occurred!”

Something unusual was happening.