I Reject the villain’s ending.

Episode 39

“It’s been a while.”

“Uh, yeah. Good to see you too. So where is our precious magic circle, huh?”

I rushed over to Iros and looked in front, behind, and to the side, but when I couldn’t find the magic circle, the man turned to me with glowing eyes and lunged.

“My magic circle-!”

“Stop.”

“Kack!”

Iros grabbed the man’s backside as he lunged at me, sending him crashing to the ground.

Iros’s ice-cold mauve eyes glowed with life as he stared down at the man.

His hand was already on the hilt of his sword.

“What disrespect to a holy woman, Jozef. Do you wish to die?”

“Ah, hahaha. Iros, you’re the same old you. Still so fond of the saint?”

“I’ll cut out your tongue for talking nonsense.”

“Surrender! Surrender! Help me, Saint!”

Watching Iros and the man playfully bantering (Iros seemed too sincere to call it playful), it was as if a storm had gathered.

“It’s a mess.”

“Yeah, you must be close to your guardian.”

“Pink, you need to calm down. He, Jozef?”

The man with the round glasses smirked as I nervously called out the man’s name.

“Yep, it’s Jozef Crazy.”

“…….”

That was a good name, I thought. He did look a little too much like a madman.

“Anyway, I’ve come to ask you to investigate the wizarding circle, so why don’t we go inside and have a chat?”

“Hmph, a saint pays me respect, follow me. This Jozef, I’ll show you around!”

My head swam as I watched Jozef lead the way, his mouth agape in shock.

‘I feel like I’ve been caught by a weirdo. Are you sure you’re a trustworthy expert?

He doesn’t look too well. I wondered if this is what happens to geniuses, and we entered the mansion.

Jozef took us straight to the study in the basement.

The walls and floor were made of greyish brick, and it looked more like a laboratory than a study.

“Come this way, let’s look at the circle of magic first.”

“Here.”

“Oooh, the magic circle engraved on this robe is……!”

“That’s fake, the real one is this way.”

“What? This one is fake?”

Handed both the robe and the paper, Jozef tilted his head in bewilderment.

I nodded and gave him a cursory explanation of what had happened.

“Aha. So that’s how it happened, Eldrakis is dead. We’ve lost a valuable asset.”

“…Indeed.”

“Death is more common in this world than you might think, don’t worry. I’ll do my best to study the magic circle.”

“Can you analyze both of them?”

“Hahaha, you can count on it, I’ve just finished my research and have plenty of time on my hands, and while I’m not a warlock, I’m well versed in dark magic theory.”

I can see why Jozef failed the final wisdom test.

The temple considers anything to do with black magic almost sinful, so no matter how good he is, he’ll be rejected.

Iros, standing behind me, leaned down and whispered in my ear.

“He was more skilled than Eldrakis. And he’s not interested in anything other than his research, so he’s not in danger of being taken advantage of.”

Eavesdropping on Iros’s whispered words, Jozef thumped his chest.

“Ahahaha, Iros is right. Honestly, it’s not like I’m rich or lack a title, so I can’t be swayed by a thousand gold coins.”

“For such a frivolous man, you can trust him, for he is quite sincere.”

“Well, is that a compliment or an insult?”

“Both.”

I’d never heard Iros praise another person this much before.

He’s never been one to endorse or trust someone, except when he’s wary.

“I believe you because you say so.”

“Thank you.”

“Then I’m going to ask you for a favor, Jozef. The remuneration is…….”

“I don’t need it.”

“How much, eh?”

I was stunned and speechless for a moment.

It’s going to cost me money to do research, but I don’t need to be paid.

Then Iros explained, pointing at Jozef with the tip of his chin.

“It’s a fairly famous upper-echelon state, even though it seems like he’s kind of broke and crazy with his research.”

“Really?”

“He inherited a fortune, and didn’t want it to rot in a warehouse, so he set up shop at the top, and he’s been on the rise ever since. Lucky for him.”

“It’s not luck, it’s talent. That’s me, the ‘Joe’ at the top of the maple. You’re surprised, aren’t you?”

“Uh, well. I’m surprised.”

The Maple Top is one of the four major maple tops in the Western Hemisphere, and it’s hard not to recognize it.

I’ve heard that he’s a very tight-lipped and disciplined man…….

“Hahaha.”

I guess this is why they say that rumors are not to be trusted.

“Anyway, it’ll take me about two months to analyze the magic circle and create a reverse summoning circle.”

“You mean it will take that long?”

“That’s pretty fast because usually, it takes wizards and scholars half a year at the earliest to analyze a single magic circle.”

“Hmph. It takes that long?”

I don’t know the world of wizards, but it’s complicated.

“So I’m going to start my research right now, and I’ll see you in two months. Bye-bye, everyone. I won’t see you off.”

“Huh? Wait…….”

With a pat on the back and a smirk on his face, Jozef shooed us out without even a cup of tea.

It was a clear celebration.

* * *

On the second day after we parted ways, a letter arrived.

[T]he magic circle on the robe was a cunningly disguised fake, as the saint had predicted.

The real one is the one drawn on the paper.

I’m analyzing the robe, and I’ll have good news for you in two months. – Josef Crazy]

I nodded in satisfaction as I read the letter, which was short and to the point.

I hadn’t trusted him before because he seemed like a madman, but now I’m starting to trust him.

Mei raised her eyebrows at me, curious about the contents of the letter, and Iros, who was standing behind her, stuck his head out of the window and read it.

When the two had finished reading it, they nodded.

“So the Robe’s magic circle was fake after all.”

“That’s right. It’s a good thing Mei remembered the magic circle.”

If Mei hadn’t remembered, we would have been shoveling through the investigation, unaware that the magic circle had been altered. The thought gave me goosebumps.

“Tsk. Whoever he is, he’s got a good head on his shoulders, and he’s annoying.”

“Well, it’s a good thing we don’t know about the Maya variable yet.”

“Yeah.”

I smirked ominously as I picked up the teapot of tea and turned to Mei, who rolled her eyes and smirked back.

“Hoo hoo hoo. You mean my Mei is a talent, right?”

“Thanks for the compliment, but why do I have this uneasy feeling……?”

Mei took a step back and smiled awkwardly.

“Mei, have you thought about studying?”

“What? Study?”

“Yes. You have good memorization skills, good comprehension skills, and most of all, you love books.”

“By the way…….”

I smiled wickedly, or rather, sourly, at Mei’s pensive pause.

“If you go to the library, they have all the books you need to become a wizard, and if you memorize them well enough, you’ll pass.”

“No way. You’re not a saint, are you?”

Mei asked anxiously, and I grabbed her shoulders and spoke up.

“Let’s cheer up, shall we?”

“Noooooo!!!”

Mei wailed as she pulled away from the crane. But this was a fairly expected reaction, so I pulled out my hand.

“The new Wisdom will be drawn in just two months. Until then, I’ll pay you six times your salary every month on the condition that you study properly.”

“Hmph, wait. Six times? Six times my salary…….”

Mei’s eyes, which had stopped crying, began to roll rapidly. As she wavered, I drove the final wedge.

“If you become the Seventh Wisdom, I’ll give you an extra 1,000 gold and full tuition for your siblings. What do you say?”

“I will become the next Great Wisdom, just leave it to me, I’ve never missed out on the top of the class in all my years!”

“Excellent, Mei.”

It was better to have someone from my clan in the position of guardian than for some unheard-of fellow to become wisdom.

I knew there was an unidentified enemy in the temple.

“And pink.”

“Yes, please.”

“You’re with me in tearing down my reputation.”

“Is that even possible?”

“I’ll make it happen. We spend the next two months hunting down warlocks like crazy.”

At my words, Iros looked at me as if he were seeing something strange.

His gaze was filled with the question, “How can you be so lazy?

“I’m going to capture a warlock, rob them of their stash, and use the money to do some poor relief work, preferably across the country.”

“You’re the only person I know who would ever think of robbing warlocks, but I like the idea.”

“I know. I’m a bit of a recycler.”

I grinned at the corner of my mouth as Iros shook his head in disbelief.

“Then pink, Mei. Please.”

“Yes. Got it.”

“Yes! Leave it to me!”

“I’ll see you in two months, then.”

And just like that, time flew by.

* * *

Before I knew it, two months had flown by.

Two months of being alone with Airos and getting bloody…….

“Kahahahahak! Where are you running to?”

“Mee, crazy! I thought she was a saint! Isn’t she a high-ranking demon disguised as a human?”

“I don’t know! Just run away! Ok!”

“Kuck! My leg! My arm!”

Correction. The warlocks came out and beat Iros to a bloody pulp.

It’s been another rewarding day, chopping up the rotten parts of the world and ransacking the warlocks’ warehouses.

Someone hid a jet-black safe in a corner, just in case they were shady.

“Whooooo – vault found!”

“Can’t you keep that thieving line out of your mouth, old man?”

“It’s already stuck in my mouth.”

With a wave of his hand, Iros wiped the blood from his sword, and the warlock fell to the ground with a leaden blade.

I shrugged off Iros’s usual nagging and deftly picked the lock of the vault with the pin that held my bangs in place.

I opened it to reveal a golden bar of gold, a tome, and some jewelry.

I flicked through the thick land documents, which showed a lot of merchant houses and nice flat land.

“We’ll turn the gold and jewels into cash, and use the land to build more soup kitchens and healing centers.”

“And while we’re at it, let’s build a few more orphanages. Six children is much better than twenty to a room, but we could use a little more space.”

“Yes. Let’s clean out the rest of the warehouse, too.”

“Yes.”

In truth, our jobs are not saints and guardians, but rather swordsmen one and two, and while they may seem skillful and vicious, they are not.

Especially not if it seems like a good fit.

Not really.