After carefully reading the mission a few more times, I saw nothing new.
[Mission: Eat the Villainess]
Eat.
It was unexpected to see that word in the context of a mission, especially from the system.
"That's what I–"
[Yes, host. That's what you're thinking of. As I mentioned earlier, I'm an advanced system to ensure that you have the most comfortable interaction with the user. To that end, your personality has been analyzed and you see information filtered to match it.]
After a few seconds of silence, I said.
"I see, it's thanks to my *ahem* cultured soul."
[ Do you want to change that?]
"No."
Quickly I replied.
I did not mind if the system decided to use the cultural language by default.
The realization that I was spared the fate of killing a demon king, and could pursue something that was to my liking, brought me a sense of satisfaction.
Maybe the system wasn't so bad.
I was still confused by the overly sparse mission description though.
Villainess?
With a lot of novels to read behind me, I could guess that in this world she's one of the 'evil' personalities opposing the protagonist, tossing him all sorts of challenges that gradually pump him up, only to end up in his harem at the end.
Does that mean... am I the protagonist of this world?
Or am I a villain destined to give the mc a green hat?
Both possibilities aren't so bad.
I nodded to myself, and then went back to the mission.
It didn't give even a hint as to the identity of my 'target'.
Did that mean that any villainess would do?
Or would more information be revealed as the system improved?
I tried to get answers from the system, but all I got in return was silence.
In any case, the answer to this question won't help me much now, what I really need now is to gain power and learn more about this world.
Assuring myself of that, I looked out the window where the first rays of dawn were beginning to illuminate the surroundings, allowing me to see the rapidly passing trees.
"Seems like an opportunity is coming soon."
With a faint smile I said.
After a while, when the sun had risen high enough to be seen from behind the treetops, the carriage stopped.
Seeing no point in waiting, I got out.
We were getting in the middle of the edge of the forest, which gave me a good view of my surroundings.
Besides the carriage I was in, there were several others in front and behind, though not as ornate as mine.
There were fully equipped men walking around, with swords on their belts walking all over the area.
As I was about to go and get more information, a conversation between two guards came to my attention.
One of them looked rather timid and was small in stature, while the other had a bulky body with an obvious potbelly.
"Sir Bolt, late last night I heard strange shouting and talking coming from our employer's carriage."
The shorter knight began hesitantly.
"I wanted to make sure everything was alright, but I was stopped by the vice leader telling me to mind my own business... "
"GAHAHAHAHA"
The obese knight's loud laughter interrupted his subordinate's words. Only after half a minute did he managed to suppress it.
"I can tell right away, you're a rookie. If he hadn't stopped you, your head would be hanging from the peak by now!"
"Remember once and for all, whatever antics the lord does, you'd better ignore it."
While the younger knight stood there with emotions of shock and disbelief on his face, trying to figure out if it was true or a local joke, the man, ignoring his confusion, quickly added.
"Since the vice leader rescued you and I enlightened you, kindly treat us to a beer the day after tomorrow in the capital."
As he was about to leave, he turned around and ran into my gaze.
I saw his face instantly turn pale.
Wondering if I heard his words or not, he bowed respectfully and saluted.
"Good morning, young master"
Although he tried to appear calm, the tremor in his voice clearly gave away his emotions.
Walking around some more, I noticed similar behavior from the others.
I was met with surprised looks everywhere, which didn't linger on me for long, preferring to bow politely and hurry away on their own business.
I was definitely in the body of an important person, judging by the size of my entourage and their attitude towards me.
But that was the end of it. No respect or any other positive emotions. There was fear in the eyes of most of them, and only a few had contempt that showed even through their masks of calm.
Apparently, I was a bastard.
And if you take into account the looks of the women who, despite their fear, occasionally stole glances at me.
An extremely handsome bastard.
I guess that's how young masters feel.
I thought, and without waiting for a protagonist to jump out of the bushes for a couple rounds of face slapping, I decided to finish my research and head back to the crew.
On the way back, something caught my eye. Stopping and looking to the side, I noticed a group of girls cheerfully discussing something around a campfire.
"Thank goodness there are girls here."
I said with relief.
Up until that point, I hadn't met a single girl in the entire camp.
And the realization that I would be spending my first two days in a fantasy world surrounded by all kinds of sweaty men was weighing on me a bit.
As I got closer to them, I was able to get a better look at their outfit.
It was a golden mean between regular armor and the famous armored bras, providing optimal protection and mobility while revealing and emphasizing all the right places.
At that moment, their words came to me.
"Susan, don't laugh, what I'm saying is true!"
One of the girls stared resentfully at the other.
"Yes, we believe you."
The other girl knight grinned, circling the remaining girls and causing a sea of smiles from them.
Noticing this, she angrily shouted out.
"But I really know the young master since childhood!"
I was originally attracted solely by the appearance of the girl knights, a strong contrast to the rest of the guards. Now, however, all my attention was focused on the girl and what she had to say.
"He was completely different then!"
Not waiting to be laughed at again, the girl continued her story.
"Back then, he was... only a little lustful... never afraid to tell people the truth straight in the eye and..."
Desperately trying to find good traits in the past me, she added.
"He was excellent with a sword, we even sparred with him more than once."
Still not very convinced by her story, the girls kept the smiles on their faces.
One of them even teased.
"And who usually won those sparring matches?"
Taking this question as pure interest in her story, the young girl proudly replied.
"I don't want to brag, but as a child I was recognized as a prodigy. Many famous masters came to our town just to take me on as an disciple! Even the young master didn't stand a chance against me."
At this point, I had already stopped hiding my presence and openly approached the girls.
Since my supposed 'childhood friend' was sitting with her back to me, she continued her story without suspecting anything, gesticulating to make it more dynamic.
The other girls, one by one, began to notice me and their faces quickly turned pale.
It was amusing to watch their faces as the emotions of shock turned to fear and then to pity for the storyteller.
Some even tried to warn her, but the excited girl paid no attention at all as she continued her story.
"... and then I knocked the sword out of his hands with a deft move, forcing him to admit defeat again."
As she finished her story, she noticed the strange behavior of her friends, looks of pity and sorrow were directed at her.
They still don't believe me?
Flashed through the girl's mind just as a cold voice sounded behind her back.
"What an interesting story."
Startled and slowly turned her head, she saw me looking down at her.
***
Thanks for reading, everyone.
Please support me with Power Stones.