Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son

"...."

With my arms folded, I looked cautiously at the girl who stood in front of me.

She looked ordinary with no distinctive features.

Looking around, she shifted uncomfortably under my watchful gaze.

She tried to whistle but embarrassed herself because she couldn't.

"...So, how do you know her?" Aimar, who stood leaning against the pole, asked, "..Is she your friend?"

"No," I replied, shaking my head, "I don't know her."

"Hey, how can you say that?" Nella questioned, her expression hardening, "We did so many things together."

"Don't make it sound weird," I grumbled, shifting my body to look back at the garden.

The kids were still playing around with a few exceptions who were looking in our direction.

Maybe they wanted to play with Aimar or the new girl who had arrived caught their interest.

"Why are you here?" I turned to look back at her as she asked, suspiciously.

"To adopt a child."

"Really?"

"No, you gullible idiot," I snarled, shifting my focus away from her, "I'm here for a different reason."

"I'm going back," Aimar said tiredly as he moved toward the bench, "Call me if you need anything."

"Sure," I replied, while waiting for the old man to arrive.

"Why the scar?" Nella asked, stepping closer to stand beside me.

"I like scars," I replied, shrugging and glancing at her.

"...I respect your fetish," she replied with an awkward cough.

...That's not what I meant.

"Why are you here," Ignoring her comment, I whispered, my voice serious, "...You didn't randomly show up here, right?"

"....Counselor Nevaeh," she replied, with a small pause, "...She wanted me to visit this place."

"An orphanage?" I whispered softly, rubbing my chin, "Are you sure it was her that 'asked' you to be here and why?"

"I don't know," she replied, shaking her head, "All I know is that father approved my visit."

"And you couldn't care less which place it is as long as you get time alone," I whispered, knowing her well.

She nodded and I fell into deep thought.

There's no way the king would randomly send her here without a reason.

And Nevaeh....

...Am I missing something about her?

Because I don't remember Arianell being in this place at this time.

There was no such thing in the game.

And of course....

'What are you planning, mother.'

There's no way she isn't involved in all of this.

I mean, I stopped believing in coincidences after all the stuff that happened with Belly.

'...Is something big going to happen here?'

I wondered as I saw the old man walking toward me.

Kidnapping, intelligent monster, Primordial demoness, and the history of this town.

...Hmm.

[Have you noticed?]

'What?'

[You are getting smarter every day.]

'I was always smart.'

I scoffed as the old man arrived in front of me.

"Here are all the addresses, my lord," he said politely, handing me a list,

"...And please be careful with the towns people...They don't like to talk about the past."

I nodded my head at his words as I glanced at the list.

"I'll keep that in mind," I replied, nodding as I walked past him.

"Hey, where are you going?" Nella asked, making me halt.

"To investigate," I replied, glancing back at her.

Her eyes gleamed with interest as she walked closer, "Can I tag along?"

I parted my lips to refuse but thought about it for a moment—it's better to have her with me than let her randomly wander around.

"Fine," I replied, and she smiled, skipping steps to stand beside me.

"Okay, what are you investigating?" she asked, glancing at the paper in my hand.

"Kidnapping of children in the town," I replied, walking out of the orphanage, "...Especially the virgin girls."

"Who's kidnapping them?" she asked, her interest immediately spiking.

"Some kind of monster," I replied, "that comes out at midnight."

"...You serious?" she asked, looking at me with a frown, "...Why would a monster do that?"

"That's what we're trying to investigate," I replied, shrugging.

"But why virgin girls," she probed further, her steps matching mine, "...Do they taste better or what?"

"How the fuck would I know?" I grumbled as we arrived at an intersection in the main town.

"But why virgin girls...." her words trailed off, her eyes widening as she looked at me.

"Yeah," I whispered softly, "...Sacrifice."

My steps slowed down; there weren't many people, but all of them gave us unwelcoming looks.

It was as if they didn't want us here.

"Do you feel creeped out or is it just me?" Nella asked, stepping a little closer.

"Just let them be," I whispered to her as I took out the list of places.

Changing direction, I walked toward a house at the end of the street.

The air around felt suffocating, and the chilly winds didn't help much.

We slowly walked under the crucifying gazes of the townsfolk as we arrived at an old house.

Knocking on the door, I waited.

The door opened slightly, and an old lady peeked out.

"What?" she asked rudely.

"Azan of the royal guards—"

"Wait wha—"

I pinched Nella's mouth, glaring at her.

"I'm here to investigate the kidnapping case," I continued, looking at the old lady, "I'd like to ask some questions."

She looked at me suspiciously as she whispered, "...What?"

"I'd like to know more about the Primordial demoness—"

The door slammed shut in my face, hard enough to make dust fall from it.

I stepped back, releasing her mouth.

"That was rude," Nella grumbled, rubbing her lips, "and why did she do that?"

"People don't like to talk about them," I replied as I glanced at the list again.

Normal people fear Primordial Evils a lot; it's not an understatement to say they would burn someone alive if they found out they were worshipping them.

...And this town used to do that.

It's understandable why they don't want to talk about it.

"Onto the next house, I guess," I whispered softly as I folded the paper before putting it back.

...

...

...

....And three hours later, we got nothing.

"You're shit at this," Nella grumbled, walking beside me, her shoulders slumped from exhaustion.

"Shut up," I grimaced in response, looking up, "...Not my fault they don't want to talk."

The sun was hidden, concealed behind the clouds.

We were already on the opposite side of town from where we had started.

And every door we knocked on was slammed in our faces.

"Can't you be a little more forceful?" Nella commented, placing her hands in her pockets, "You give up too easily."

"It won't help," I replied, shrugging, "And how are there pockets in your skirt?"

"Why?" she asked, looking at her blue skirt touching her knees, "You got a problem?"

"No," I replied as she slowed down and walked behind me.

I looked around—it was still unsettling to walk here with people glaring at us.

The houses had lowered in number while dried grass covered most places.

"Hmm?"

I halted as she stepped on my shoe from behind.

"...Sorry," she mumbled with a light smile as I glared at her.

Fixing my shoe with my finger, I started walking again.

"..."

But she did it again.

"Sorry," she said with a smile as I glared at her.

I fixed my shoes again.

I stepped forward; she stepped on it again.

"..."

Neplh.

"Sorry," with a bright smile, I said as I placed her down.

She showed her middle finger with both hands, glaring at me.

"Wait, Azariah!"

A large hand made of ice materialized from the ground, grabbing her by the waist, lifting her, and tilting her slightly.

She placed her hands over her skirt, but I didn't bother to look there. Instead, I took off one of her shoes before throwing it far away.

"Sorry," with a bright smile, I said as I placed her down.

She showed her middle finger with both hands, glaring at me.

Limping on one leg, she moved toward her shoe while I walked behind her.

A chilling sensation clung to my heart as I abruptly stopped in my tracks.

I glanced to my side, where an old, almost ancient, temple stood made of only one big boulder.

'Was it always here?'

I wondered as I turned to walk toward it.

"Azariah?" Nella called from behind before her steps echoed.

Her hand placed on my shoulder made me glance at her.

My scalp turned numb as I saw not her but an old lady looking at me.

I turned, yanking her hand away as I stepped back.

"What do you want?" the old lady asked, while Nella quickly rushed beside me.

I drew in a deep breath to ignore the unease as I observed her.

Her skin clung to her bones, eyes barely open, hair graying from old age, and she used a staff for walking.

"This temple," calming myself, I asked quietly, "...Whose temple is this?"

The old lady smiled creepily, nodding her barely hanging head.

"Let me show you."