BXBX NOVEL Chapter 77 Am I The Villain?
"Are you sure? But the rumors, they seem to be true," spoke a brown-haired woman wearing common villager attire, holding a baby in her arms.
"She's right, some of them have been proven to be true," said a man with worn-out clothes. He had black hair, and his prominent feature was his huge dark circles.
"That's right, that bitch was robbing us."
"Yes, that wretched Duchess was abusing her position just to take more than half of all the money that should be ours."
"Our harvest, the money we risked our lives to earn by killing monsters and any means we could find, was being stopped and given more than half to the Duchess, who used nonexistent excuses."
Chaos ensued, everyone was foaming with anger and wanting to crucify the greedy Duchess.
All these people were in the same place in front of the adventurers' guild, where Dantalian had positioned himself in front of the door. In front of him, a three-meter staircase separated him from all the villagers.
' So foolish and yet so clever at the same time. I don't know what they're complaining about. It's just the cost of living here. Hihihi. '
Dantalian smiled, stomping heavily on the ground, using golden energy in the sole of his foot to amplify the sound of the impact, silencing everyone immediately.
' Oops, I bit my tongue ' thought a child in the midst of the adult villagers.
Dantalian looked at all the people in front of him, everyone silent, waiting for his next words.
' Sure, the taxes are abusive, but all the nobles in this region do the same. The real problem was that the Duchess forced any payment from outside to have half of it given to her, making the idiots receive less without even knowing because the money was given to her after the tax payment. The bankers aren't on your side, so why are you in this crowd of people? '
Dantalian looked at the guild attendants. ' You shouldn't be here either, reducing the rewards by half just to give them to the Duchess. '
Dantalian sighed, tilting his head to the side. Everyone looked at him restlessly, with thoughts like "Why is he silent?" or "Just speak, you bastard" running through the villagers' minds.
"So, all of you here saw the ice aberration, right?"
Dantalian activated his divine hand, and golden energy began to envelop his entire body.
"What is this?"
"Is it a monster?"
"The guild master was being attacked by a monster."
"You idiots, haven't you realized yet?" The child spoke, taking a few steps forward.
"Oh?" Dantalian looked at the child and said, "You seem to remember. Can you tell me the truth?"
Dantalian jumped, landing in front of the child.
"You saw the ice aberration, didn't you?" Dantalian extended his hand, the radiance emitted from his body captivating the gaze of all the villagers.
' Is he an angel? ' thought the woman holding the baby in her arms.
"Yes, so it was you, the golden light?" The child asked, holding Dantalian's hand.
"What a pity. So, that's what happened." Dantalian pulled the child closer and embraced them.
"Huh?" The child looked confused, while all the villagers present had their gazes fixed on this scene.
"I have to apologize to all of you... I was fighting against someone who went mad due to a certain illness, and if I'm correct, you all saw those rumors on pieces of paper hidden in your homes, right?"
The silence was broken, and all the villagers began speaking one after another.
"So, it's all lies then?"
"Stop saying that. We have already proven that even if it's a monster, that bitch of a duchess is truly robbing us."
"Exactly, why are you going after someone who has only done good?"
The golden energy covering Dantalian's face dissipated, revealing his expression. His cold gaze silenced the villagers.
"Boy, come with me," Dantalian said, carrying the child in his arms as he climbed the stairs again.
"First, can you tell me about your memory involving the ice aberration?"
The boy looked at all the villagers present, speaking with a genuine smile that immediately won them over.
"I saw it with these very eyes," the boy pointed to his own eyes, continuing, "That night, I had gone out to buy medicine for myself. My mother wasn't feeling well." The boy's expression grew sad, and he stopped speaking.
"Are you okay? If you want to stop, I can take care of the rest," Dantalian said, smiling at the child.
"No! I can do it, I can," the child clenched their fists and continued, "That same night, I saw two small lights in the sky, and that was before everything you must have heard about the golden and blue lights that ran throughout the kingdom."
The child gestured with their hand, and their smile started to return. "It was like pow and pa, like punches and kicks at each other, and then suddenly the golden man was thrown to the ground."
"Then the aberration came flying really fast and crashed onto the ground—Pooof."
"At that moment, I lost sight of them and tried to run to see what had happened, but then the owner of the potion shop, who was waiting for me, found me on the street and took me home after giving me the medicine."
All the villagers were listening attentively to what the child was saying.
' That's it, keep going, boy ' thought Dantalian.
Dantalian silently looked at the child and then asked, "That wasn't the only time you saw them, right?"
"Oh, of course not. It was like on the same night when the lights appeared in the kingdom, so it happened twice. I'm sure of it."
A man raised his hand, looking at the child with disdain.
A smile almost formed on Dantalian's face, but he held himself back and said, "What is it, my young man?"
"The so-called aberration opened our eyes, and you're a guild master and also friends with the duchess, right? So why can't you be the villain here?"
"That's right, what the child said was just a fight."
"Maybe he was trying to prevent the blue one from exposing the duchess's dirty secrets."
"And also, I don't like the way this Dantalian looks at us."
The child looked at Dantalian, hearing phrases like these repeated multiple times.
"Oh, really? Why do you think I would do that? You know me, right?" Dantalian spoke, looking directly at the man who started all of this.
"Huh? Of course I do. You're just a pathetic noble who enjoys your position, just like the duchess."
'Boom,' Dantalian thought.
"What are you talking about, you idiot? How dare you speak of Master Dantalian like that?"
"He may be friends with the duchess and may have even tried to cover up her dirt."
"But he's not that kind of person. He even spent his own money to prevent the massacre that was going to happen in this region by the monster creators."
The conversation continued, and the whole situation shifted in Dantalian's favor. With a smile on his face, he placed the child on the ground.
' These NPCs are so pitiful ' Dantalian thought, caressing the child's head and speaking to everyone.
"Can't you see? I'm on your side. And am I friends with the duchess? You know about my mission in the elven kingdom, right?" Dantalian started descending the stairs.
"I'm not an enemy or a friend of that woman. I simply follow orders. So, my dear friend, I ask you again, why am I the villain? Especially when I strive to do my best for all of you. You know, I don't want to see another city destroyed, whether it's mine or someone else's. It's terrible."
At that moment, the news appeared in the minds of some villagers.
"Here's what I'm saying: you can trust me as long as I exist. Nothing will harm you. The ice aberration is just a being driven by revenge." Dantalian tapped his finger to his head.
"The duchess may indeed be a bitch, and don't worry, I will investigate and bring peace to you all. But I ask that you forget about the ice aberration. She only did it for revenge. She doesn't care about you. After all, where's the evidence for the rumors you're talking about? And what about other rumors? Are they true or just a farce too?"
Dantalian walked and stood in front of the man who started all the commotion, asking, "So, answer me, am I the villain?"
Far away from where Dantalian was, atop one of the houses, were the three girls Fiona, Amanda, and Freytan. Among the three, Amanda had eyes that resembled those of a bird, allowing her to see exactly what was happening where Dantalian was.
"Hahaha, the master did it, and he didn't even need much. Just filled their minds with nonsense," Amanda said, laughing.
Freytan, gripping the handle of her sword, spoke, "Of course, they're all just parasites. They can say whatever they want, but they're only here because, despite all the problems they claim to have, this is the best region for people like them."
"Protection, food, and work are some of the things they desire here, right? They only care about flaunting their money," Fiona said, rising to her feet.
"Alright, now that my owner has finished his part, we'd better prepare ourselves too. Freytan, is your sword sharp enough?" Fiona asked, looking directly in the direction where Marian's house was.