Acting as a Slit-Eyed Villain Perfectly

Chapter 2. Annoying Person (1)

"Hoo..."

A man closed his eyes tightly and steadied his breathing.

His name was Herand Cryphart, and soon after, he resumed walking down the long hallway.

A mansion so splendid that one would gape in awe.

This place, exuding an atmosphere as grand as a palace, would have been a place to be appreciated like art for anyone unfamiliar with it, but that wasn't the case for Herand.

Instead, cold sweat trickled down his back.

If one could imagine a monster waiting with its mouth open at the end of this hallway, anyone would feel the same way.

'I don't want to go. I don't want to meet him.'

His mind began to fill with negative thoughts.

As he reached the door behind which a monster awaited, Herand contemplated whether it would be better just to turn back.

"Herand, the master is waiting inside."

However, turning back at this point was not an option.

With a wave of his hand, Herand dismissed the servant standing by the door, saying he needed no guide.

He straightened his clothes and pushed open the door.

It was a reception room decorated more luxuriously than the hallway.

In there was a man holding a watering can, giving water to a potted plant.

"... Orchid?"

The plant the man was watering was indeed an orchid.

A humble hobby for the owner of such a magnificent mansion.

Perhaps overhearing Herand's soliloquy, the man turned his head.

The first to catch the eye was the slit eyes, concealing the pupils, and a faint smile on his lips.

"Have you arrived, elder brother Herand?"

"Yes, yes."

Herand swallowed his saliva as he heard the soft voice.

He could not afford to be careless with any of his actions.

Yulian Cryphart Frason.

Though a member of the branch family of the Cryphart clan, he possessed the greatest swordsmanship skills within the family and was inherently a monster born with coldness and ruthlessness.

His nickname wouldn't be the "Smiling Executioner" for nothing.

There was no one unaware of the fact that those hands holding the watering can bore the blood of countless demons and humans.

As such, Herand feared Yulian, even though Yulian was younger and, by noble standards, indeed his junior.

Yulian would kill demons, humans, and even his own family members without batting an eye.

"Is your, your head okay?"

Herand opened his mouth, trying to hide his fear as much as possible. He pointed his finger at Yulian's head.

"I heard you hurt your head while hunting demons on the outskirts of the capital."

"Yes."

"The physician mentioned symptoms of amnesia...."

"There are a few. However, it's not serious enough for you to worry."

At Yulian's words, Herand nodded his head.

"Come to think of it, I've heard that the survivors of the Hyrans family you recently purged have fled to the Holy Land of Perenand."

"The Hyrans family..."

"Do you remember? I know the second son of that family particularly disliked you. Well, he eventually perished at your hands, though."

"I'm sorry, but, elder brother," said Yulian, turning his head.

"I do not remember."

Herand flinched at the blunt continuation.

He doesn't remember.

There was no way Yulian said those words without any thought, given his nature.

The number of people he had purged was countless. Could he remember each one? He seemed to be asking back.

At the same time,

'It means don't say unnecessary things and get to the main point.'

In front of this slit-eyed monster, lies wouldn't hold, nor did it seem beneficial to hide his true intentions.

Herand swallowed thickly.

The reason he was here today was entirely different.

"Though I know you're injured... the elders wanted you to participate as an instructor in today's 'Blind Eyes' induction test."

"'Blind Eyes'... Huhu."

With Yulian's composed laughter, Herand grew fearful again.

It was as though a monster pretending to be human was laughing.

"Understood."

"Y-Yes."

"Will Elder Brother Herand be coming too?"

Herand nodded his head.

"Yes, the elders of the Cryphart family ordered me to guide you."

The Cryphart family, one of the four great noble families of the Empire, has always emphasized lineage.

Everything was rigorously centered on the direct descendants, and should a branch lineage dare rise above their station, they wouldn't stand idly by.

Branch family members, no matter how great their achievements were, weren't recognized as official members of the family, and the family vehemently disliked anyone from a branch lineage gaining fame.

To distinguish between direct and branch lineages, the Cryphart family made those from branch lineages use the surname 'Frason'.

The Cryphart family, having control of the elder council, wished for this monster, 'Yulian Cryphart Frason' to fall.

Not only was he an abominable branch family member, but he was also a monster who could kill even a newborn on the order of the imperial family.

For the conservative elder council, it was an obvious stance.

Herand's presence here was one of many stepping stones toward that purpose.

Rumors of memory loss from battling the demons.

It was an opportunity to verify their truth and assess Yulian's condition.

"Guide... a guide... Haha."

A smile appeared on Yulian's face once more.

Through that smile, Herand could somewhat guess Yulian's thoughts.

Perhaps that serene laugh meant... he already knew everything.

Cold sweat trickled down Herand's back.

"Understood. Would you perhaps need some time? To change clothes and prepare yourself, considering it's been a while since you've worked."

"... Alright, then. Let's do that. There's still some time before the test anyway."

"But Elder Brother,"

As Herand was about to turn and leave, Yulian's voice stopped him in his tracks.

What more could be left?

He had already revealed the purpose of his visit.

"You don't look well."

For a moment, Herand wanted to resist the pressure and shout, 'It's because of you!'.

"D-Do I?"

"Yes, I think it's due to stress. How about growing one of these?"

Yulian suddenly extended a potted plant he had been watering.

An orchid was growing inside.

"You mean... an orchid?"

"It's an easy plant to grow. Just keep it in the shade and water it only when it rains, and it'll grow well."

Yulian's face held a sinister smile as he spoke.

Seeing that smile, Herand couldn't bring himself to decline.

'If I fail to take care of this orchid and it dies... does that mean my neck will follow?'

Though it might have been an overestimation, Yulian didn't earn the nickname 'Smiling Executioner' as a mere whim.

Whether on the Northern Front or in the capital, Yulian was a deranged lunatic who treated the life of his target as a mere toy.

He would surely draw his sword at the slightest provocation.

"T-Thank you..."

"You're welcome."

Herand accepted the unwanted pot with trembling hands while observing Yulian's ominous grin.

***

Staring at orchids filling a corner of the reception room, I let out a wry smile.

Originally, I planned to grow just one, at most, two.

But somehow, the servants misunderstood and brought so many that a corner of the reception room turned into a jungle.

Where on earth did they find so many orchids?

At least I dealt with one just now.

Since I gifted it to someone who seemed to need mental stability, it must have been a good deed.

"... From Herand's reaction, it seems my acting worked."

Muttering to myself, I turned my gaze to the mirror on the inside of the reception room.

What reflected in the mirror was my head wrapped in bandages and a faint smile between my gray hair, as if wearing a mask.

"With eyes like these, it is astounding how clearly I can see."

Those were slit eyes.

Perfectly slitted eyes that didn't reveal even the slightest hint of pupils.

I mumbled to myself, scrutinizing the 'me' in the mirror.

'Living hypocrisy', 'the seedbed of betrayal'—all the typical associations of a 'slit-eyed character' flooded my mind, and the 'me' in the mirror seemed wicked.

At least, that's how it seemed to me.

This man isn't originally me.

'Yulian Cryphart Frason.'

A loathsome villain appearing in the game I was obsessed with, 〈Let's Kill the Demon King Now〉.

Yes.

I now found myself as 'Yulian Cryphart Frason', a character in 〈Let's Kill the Demon King Now〉.

'Thanks to that, it was somewhat easier to act as Yulian.'

In short, I hated this character. No, I could even say I despised him.

He was the worst character who repaid the protagonist 'Hayden Reich's favor with hostility, wielded formal speech but had a domineering personality, and ultimately snuffed out the protagonist's life.

Therefore, it was somewhat easy to mimic Yulian's lines while acting as him.

'The more you dislike something, the more closely you tend to watch it.'

That doesn't mean I am fond of this situation.

The first day, I was bedridden with a headache.

Servants and unfamiliar folks were dropping by to inquire after my well-being.

I yelled at them amid the throbbing headache, telling them to get lost. As a result,

"It seems rumors of amnesia are spreading."

Yet, this didn't seem to be something to worry about.

The crucial point now was that I had become a character in the game 〈Let's Kill the Demon King Now〉.

"And among them all, the fact that I've become Yulian."

Indeed.

"Even my soliloquies are converted into formal speech?"

With an exasperated expression, I once again looked at the slit-eyed man reflected in the mirror.

------------------==

Yulian Cryphart Frason

√Character Disposition

⇒ Slit Eyes
⇒ Formal Speech
⇒ Poker Face
⇒ Assertive Presence
⇒ Duplicitous

⇒...

√Traits

⇒ Amazing Intuition
⇒ Color of Negativity
⇒ Innate Swordsman
⇒ Vessel of the Demon King
⇒ Excellent Mana Control

⇒ ...

------------------==

An interface window familiar from 〈Let's Kill the Demon King Now〉 appeared before my eyes.

I reflected on how hard I worked over the past five days to master the use of this interface.

I focused my attention on the 'formal speech' listed under character dispositions.

【 Character Disposition 《Formal Speech》 】

√Effect

└ Every word you speak will contain respect. You will show deference to everyone, whether child or elder.

For a sinister 'slit-eyed character', having formal speech was a common character disposition.

The character I was now inhabiting, 'Yulian', was one of those sinister 'slit-eyed characters', and I knew that in the story, he formally addressed everyone.

However,

"To think it applies even to my soliloquy, isn't it a bit too much? Eh, never mind!"

I tried to force the words to come out short, yet somehow formal speech slipped out again.

There are already plenty of things to worry about, and I don't want to waste energy on this.

Exhausted, I threw myself onto the couch in the center of the reception room.

"Damn... what a wretched thing to happen...!"

As I vented my bitter dissatisfaction, the daunting realization of having to live as 'Yulian' crept over me, and I let out a heavy sigh.

An acknowledged master of not only outstanding swordsmanship skills but also of magic—a genius.

A young talent who was skilled enough to become a member of the royal exclusive organization 'Blind Eyes'.

The protégé of 'Hayden Reich', the hero protagonist of 〈Let's Kill the Demon King Now〉.

'And simultaneously...'

A madman. A sociopath.

A monster in human skin, the demon of the Northern Front, the Smiling Executioner.

Having so many notorious labels meant 'Yulian Cryphart Frason' had equally numerous enemies.

Moreover, the 'Cryphart Family' he was part of despised Yulian because he was from a branch lineage.

A life of solitude.

The phrase came to mind as this guy didn't have anyone to rely on.

In this harsh world, his only means of survival was his own power.

But even that power was useless now.

'This slit-eyed villain,' possessed by someone like me, 'Yi Shihu', who had no particular expertise in swordsmanship, was nothing more than an average person.

"It's daunting..."

The current situation was daunting for this very reason.

Considering the notorious reputation 'Yulian' had built up, there would inevitably be more enemies in this capital than I could anticipate.

Displaying even the slightest weakness meant a certain death beneath the ravaging onslaught.

And so, though it was repugnant. Incredibly repugnant!

I had to flawlessly act out the role of 'Yulian'.

The sinister and deranged slit-eyed character that the entire empire feared.

'Then, first, I should start by participating as an instructor in the Blind Eyes induction test, as the elders mentioned.'

With that thought, I started unwrapping the bandages wound around my head.

No matter how this bizarre situation came to be or how to revert to my original state,

That could be figured out gradually.

The priority now was surviving within this absurd and unpredictable world.

"It's bothersome, but I'll have to play the role of an instructor temporarily... Won't you just overlook the soliloquy, please?!"