The ring shrinks to fit when I put it on my ring finger.
I'd like to put it in a subspace, but I have to wear it to use blood magic.
Now no one in this castle will defy me no matter what I do.
There was no big succession ceremony or party, but regardless of the inside story, the succession of the family head just took place.
If it were another family, I would have to take over the duties as the head of the family, look at documents, and study how to lead the family in the future.
But I'm a praiseworthy sacrifice just for staying alive until the great work is done~
"Now the real start begins, that's it."
What both I and Rachel, who sent me here, want in this terrible game is just one thing.
A perfect happy ending.
A harem ending!
Just wait, Kane. I'll lay out a flower bed for you and escape. I'll even fix the main party's temper.
"Young, young master, what will I do if you abandon me and go…"
"What are you talking about? You were sleeping just fine."
I pushed away Luna, who had somehow found me and was whimpering beside me, and went down to the basement where Kane was locked up.
From the flashbacks I saw while playing the game, I remember that when Adelian bought him at the auction, he cast a spell of subordination to make him outwardly obedient and then used him.
If I did that now, I'd be on Cain's revenge list, so I just brought him, but he's in a terrible state.
Seeing the wounds that have increased in the meantime, it seems he resisted quite a bit here too.
"Can you relax your eyes a bit? If you could kill people with your eyes, I'd have been burned to death already, but you're human, right?"
Even though I knew that eyes alone couldn't do anything unless he was a basilisk hybrid, I spoke to him, pretending to be okay despite the chilling gaze that made my knees weak.
"You perverted bastard. I'm a man."
"I know, you crazy bastard! What are you thinking?"
I like women normally! It's not that my favorite female character is your future wife.
Don't misunderstand this otaku's heart trying to push you towards a harem ending despite that!
"There seems to be some misunderstanding, but I didn't buy you for that kind of thing."
I tried to calm down and brought a chair to sit in front of Kane, who was sprawled on the stone floor with his limbs tied.
It's annoying, right? I know. But I absolutely must not be looked down upon by you.
The maximum work that Adelian's talentless, incompetent body and an ordinary game otaku can do is bluffing and fraud.
You're caught well, by me.
"I know well what you want, Kane Raynare. The last survivor."
For a moment, Kane's eyes widened and he crawled towards me, struggling.
"My name. How did you know?"
"I told you, Kane, you can't kill me with your eyes. And that's not what you should be asking. Not how I knew, but what I want from you."
I leaned forward slightly while sitting on the chair and spoke lowly to him who had crawled to my feet.
"I know who your enemies are, Kane. Let's make a deal. I'll help you kill them, so you help me."
"A deal?"
"Yes, a deal. I'll make you strong, so when you become the best, be loyal to me after everything is over."
To Kane's face that was frowning as if it was nonsense, I added:
"Ah, of course, with your personality, I won't expect real loyalty, so just on the surface? You get the opportunity to become stronger with support, and I can have the title of the best."
At the whispered words saying we could write a divine contract if he wanted, Kane's shoulders trembled.
Divine punishment for those who break the contract.
"I don't understand. I don't even know what traits I have yet because it's before my birthday, and you're telling me to believe your words?"
"Why do you think I know your full name? How do you think I know your past, your wishes, your enemies? Knowing all that, why do you think I couldn't see your potential?"
No matter how much I grovel to that distrustful person and say I want to help you out of goodwill, he won't even listen with half an ear.
Sincerity communicates. This kind of thing doesn't work with that guy. How can he trust when everyone he trusted betrayed him and he even underwent human experiments?
It's much better to go with the idea that I'm mysterious and have something, that guy knows something, and there's something to gain if we make a deal.
Not trust and sincerity, but deal and use.
Not bosom buddies, but business partners. That's the relationship that suits me and that guy.
I smiled calmly, somehow acting out the feeling of a villain I've seen in numerous movies.
"I want someone stronger than anyone. I plan to make my family impossible for anyone to ignore. Then only the strongest in the continent would qualify as my knight, right?"
But think about the people known as the best in the continent now. A royal knight somewhere, the master of the tower. The companion of a fairy.
"How long would it take to bring them to the family? Isn't it faster to just raise someone?"
I am a mad scientist. I am a villain. I am a slightly crazy idealist.
My ideology is twisted and I am not normal. Therefore, what I say is not a trap but a misaligned sincerity.
Believe me, Kane. Believe. There's even a divine contract. It's definitely not something that will disadvantage you.
"I can't believe your words."
You bastard!
I tried to maintain my smile that was about to crack and met his eyes.
"Why?"
"Because I'm not strong."
Don't say 'If I were strong, that wouldn't have happened' with your face, you protagonist.
Anyway, no matter what you do alone, you're just thinking about getting stronger and taking revenge.
"No. You are strong. More precisely, you're going to be strong. Because I'll make you that way. There's only one thing you need to do now."
I got down from the chair leaned towards Kane's ear and whispered.
"Just once. You just need to acknowledge me. As your sponsor… No, supporter for your future."
I quickly changed the word because it sounded a bit strange, then smiled.
"What?"
"You don't acknowledge defeat. You deny both defeat and failure. But you know, for a person to develop, they need to bend their pride or will once."
That's because the Indomitable trait needs to disappear.
Listen to me. I didn't want to do this either. Honestly.
"So I'm going to try to break you. I'm not seeing how well you endure. Remember my words, just once. Let yourself go just once. I'm not just tormenting you."
Looking at Kane's face who seemed not to understand what I was saying, I gestured.
Man, you have the genius trait. You know exactly what I'm saying and what I mean.
It was good that I disguised myself with a slightly insane villain feeling. That way, whatever I do from now on can be brushed off as 'he's not thinking normally'.
"From now on, don't give him water until he's about to die. And don't let him sleep."
I waved the divine contract I had prepared in advance at Kane, who was looking at me with disbelief, and stuck it on the wall.
"You see my name? Just call my name once and it's over."
I closed and walked out of the prison door, handing it over to the soldier who would watch to make sure Kane couldn't sleep.
"Young master… Is it really… You, young master? It's too… Scary… I feel sorry for that child…"
Seeing that timid person whimpering but still saying things like just kick him all you want and end it, or that not being able to eat is too terrible, is the future groom still the groom?
I looked at Luna, who was speaking well, perhaps because I hadn't been violent for the past few days, and smiled kindly.
"Then do you want to give up the carrot cake that's coming out today, Luna?"
"…What?"
Leaving Luna who seemed to have forgotten what to say for a moment, I walked away, and as she belatedly came to her senses and clung to my arm saying 'I'll give it up…', I pushed her away.
Yeah, it's already too late. No.