World’s Strongest Became the Game’s Weakest Villain

Why did I want to know that?

Hah.

I was told not long ago that a demon, Raum, could see the future.

It didn\'t suit me to make a move if making it didn\'t make me stronger.

Demons were clearly strong, and someone who had contracted their strength was almost in my grasp. I would make the demons my underlings and take all their powers.

I held in a laugh while thinking of my plan that took me so many days to come up with. How splendid! How genial! Where would one ever find a person as amazing as myself?

I pushed the door to my room open.

Standing inside with her arms placed in front of her black and white dress was Maria.

"Young master," she said. "I was waiting for you."

I nodded, my face slightly stiffening up.

The tension between Maria and me had gotten stifling. What started as just teasing each other ended up being something that shook both of us.

It was palpable.

Things were not that different from before, but I could tell that she still wasn\'t able to accept me as I was. And that caused more troubles between us. Even if we tried to act close, it all just ended up making the tension worse.

I quickly picked up the towel from the back and went into the bath.

The white walls of the bathroom and cold water filling the tub helped me take deep breaths and cool myself down. I wanted to suggest that Maria take a bath too, but I couldn\'t help thinking that would go horribly wrong.

Just as usual, I finished my quick cold bath and flexed my muscles in front of the mirror before moving back to the room.

Maria was already standing there with my clothes in her hands. When she saw me, she placed them on a table.

"Hm?"

She turned back with another towel in her hands. I looked at my hands to see I hadn\'t dried myself off well.

"You\'ll catch a cold, young master."

"Is that so?" I asked. "I was so lost in my muscles I forgot to dry off."

Once I got dressed, I held her hands and pulled her along.

I sat down on my bed, holding both of Maria\'s hands.

Slowly, I leaned ahead to grab the plates when my collar was tugged on.

Surprised, I was pulled up by my collars. Maria held me tight as she looked down at me.

She placed one knee on the bed and twisted her body, locking me in with her legs as she stared at me, my collars in her hands.

I could see her neckline clearly, her soft yet sharp jaw, and her plump, rosy lips.

They came closer.

Her lips came closer as she leaned in.

The grip on my collar tightened.

She had done something like this before, but this was different.

Starkly different.

As her lips approached my lips, my head cooled down.

All of it. The heat in my head, the hastening of my breaths, the hesitation in my hands, all of them came crashing down to the ground as a cold, hard pail of reality wettened me from head to toe.

I was blinded. By the trust, I held in Maria, no, by this heat that welled up from my chest.

I was blinded.

Her lips came right up to mine. Slowly but firmly, she slammed them together.

She tried to.

I placed my palm between us at the perfect time, stopping her from kissing me.

Maria froze, but I didn\'t feel much.

I pushed her lips away and reeled my head back.

"Maria..." I muttered. "Why?"

Maria\'s legs furthered away from me, and one of them fell to the ground as she leaned away.

What kind of face was she making right now?

Maria\'s hands rose up to her lips as she lightly grazed them. "I..."

She plopped down on the ground and turned away.

"Maria!"

I tried to reach out but stopped myself. Maria immediately opened the door of the room and rushed out.

I could only stare at the door as she left.

With a sigh, I fell back on my bed like a heavy brick tripping over. I covered my eyes with my arm and sighed again.

Hah.

It had been like this since I came here.

What was I doing before this?

Why did I not notice that she was not just being full of tension, but had her thoughts in a mess. Of course she did. Why else would she approach me like this?

I thought that everyone would just have to accept things as they are. But I failed to see other possibilities.

"This is not how the strong act..."

My thoughts were already hardened. My values were already reaffirmed.

I had to act like the strong.

I had to figure out what was going on with her.

***

The next morning came up before I realized that I had gone to sleep.

I opened my eyes to see some cutesy locks of brown falling down on me.

"Good morning, Lily."

I said.

"Mornin\', young master."

"I heard you were having a lot of fun learning things again, so what brings you here?"

"Maria says she has fallen sick, so I came instead," Lily smiled and tilted her head to the side before moving away from right above me. "Do you not like to have me here."

I stood up from the bed and turned to Lily.

"Of course I am happy, I am very happy to see you."

Lily smiled.

"Let\'s train a lot today, okay?"

"Ah—!"

I had Lily use her healing magic till she couldn\'t stand anymore that morning.

With the knights in the fray, the investigation proceeded smoothly and I got a chance to take a break.

The day passed over and next the morning rolled in as well.

Maria still didn\'t come back.