BJ Villainess

“Wooooow! That lady won!”

“Come on, you guys who bet money on the owner, hurry up and give it up~”

When I won, people were excited as if there was a festival. I took the money lying on the table. “Ha… what a fool. Even though I have low intelligence, my ability to drink alcohol is S-class… I’m not drunk at all, even now…?”

Ding!

[The Constellation ‘Professional Instructor’ has sponsored 10,000 coins.]

[If you’re drunk, wash your feet and go to sleep.]

“I’m not drunk at all. What are you talking about…? Ah, I want to get drunk too…!”

At that time, a man, who had been following me and making a bet, laughed and held out a large paper bag. “Lady, did you ask me where the delicious restaurant is? The meat pie here is very delicious. It’s a gift for you!”

Why are you giving this to me? I had a question but needed food, so I just accepted it.

Then the man laughed again, saying, “I bet all the stake on Lady today, and I won a lot!”

Ah, that’s what it was.

I took a big bite of the meat pie and began my journey to find Clyde.

“Mmm, but where should I start looking for Clyde…?”

But the journey was not very long.

“I’ll give you as much money as you want. Let me paint you, please!”

“Oh my God. I have never seen such a perfect creature in my life!”

“My muse!”

“…?”

At some point, the area where artists gathered to paint became noisy. Feeling something strange, I went there and saw a familiar handsome man. It was Clyde in a deep blue toy soldier uniform.

Some people work hard to make money, but others give you money just by standing still. The absurdity of the world made my appetite drop.

“… He’s definitely handsome.”

Wearing toy soldier clothes, he looked like a prince. It was then that my eyes met with Clyde’s.

* * *

It was hours before the two of them ran into each other.

Clyde woke up outside the lord’s castle, dressed as a toy soldier. He grasped the situation by examining his clothes and the scenery around him.

“Am I a gatekeeper?”

The outfit was overly flashy for a gatekeeper guarding the castle, but it was good. After all, the dungeon was nothing more than an illusion built on the foolish dreams and hopes of the demon contractor.

Dreams were bound to crumble one day. It was disgusting and unpleasant to see the weak mentality of signing a contract with the demon see this little illusion without knowing that fact. It was just like watching his stupid father.

Clyde tried to climb over the walls of the lord’s castle using magic but realized that his magic didn’t work.  “It must be a world without magic.”

The dungeon was a world where the rules that the demon contractor wanted were applied, so this was possible. The risk was low in dungeons where magic couldn’t be used, but the rules were absurd and tricky. Such powerful wizards like Clyde usually didn’t like these puzzle-game-like dungeons.

Did you say Delve? Since you said he likes art, there’s a high probability that it’s a dungeon related to that. But he didn’t know what art had to do with him wearing this uniform.

Step! Step! Step! Step! Just then, a one-legged toy soldier dressed in the same suit as him approached. “Hello, I’m the herald of dreams, bringing dreams to the new inhabitants of the village. I will tell you about your dream.”

“Dream?”

“Yes. This is a world where you can do whatever you like. Therefore, all residents should do what they love and make their dreams come true.”

It’s a dream. Do you have any dreams for me?  Clyde opened the envelope, thinking it was quite a strange dungeon. And he crumpled his face when he saw his dream written on the card.

[Clyde’s dream: A normal life like Theresa.]

“What is…” Clyde couldn’t figure out how the rules would work, so he swallowed the foul language up to his neck.

He could understand that his dream was to have a normal life, but why did the clue add ‘like Theresa’? Do you think I envy Theresa? That idiot?  It was ridiculous.

The one-legged soldier held out a round white bracelet. “Wear your happiness bracelet here. Since Sir doesn’t have something you like, it will measure how faithful you’re to achieve your dream every day.”

“How does it work?”

“White is a state that means ‘0’ as a number. When you do something fun, your bracelet turns green. On the contrary, if the bracelet turns black, you will be judged unfit to be a part of this world and executed.”

Clyde nodded. “Okay, go ahead.”

“Yes. Then, have a nice day.” After the business, the one-legged soldier turned around and disappeared far away.

He murmured irritably. “I’ll have to find Theresa first.” She had to be there to understand the clue which was said about living a normal life ‘like Theresa.’

“Does it mean I should live like a crazy dog?”

Of course, these days, Theresa seemed more like a madman rather than a crazy dog. But he didn’t want to be that crazy person.

“I see.”

He first moved to a crowded place. It was because he had a strange conviction that Theresa would surely do something noticeable.

At that time, a gray-haired old man who was sitting in a quiet laundry area and watching people passing by called him. “Hey, handsome soldier. Are you looking for someone?”

Clyde nodded. “Yes.”

“If that’s the case, go to the square. Even if you go further into this place, you will come out to the villagers where the poor life.”

The poor. He thought this place was like a fairy tale world where you only do fun things and chase your dreams. He felt something strange and continued his conversation with the old man.

“Are there poor people here too? Many houses are close enough to the lord’s castle, so it’s strange.”

“Hoho, this is a village where waiters live.”

“…Waiters?”

The old man showed his bracelet. The bracelet was not completely black yet, but it was almost black. “For those who haven’t achieved their dreams, have lost their dreams, or have hated their dreams, the color of their bracelets gradually turns black like this. Then, when the bracelet is completely black, they’re taken to the lord’s castle.”

“To be executed?”

“Yes.”

The old man showed no sign of fear, even though he was about to die. Seeing Clyde’s puzzlement, the old man smiled and said, “The lord may not be aware that there are not many old people who have dreams. He’s still young and has many things they want to do.”

“Just because people are young doesn’t mean they have what they want to do and dreams.”

“That’s also true. Look at that kid over there.”

Clyde shifted his gaze in the direction pointed by the old man. A little boy was digging the ground with branches. The bracelet on the boy’s wrist was of the same color as the old man’s.

“Just because you’re a kid doesn’t mean there are endless things you want to do. Imagination, dreams, and hopes are quite luxurious.” The old man looked up at the sky, which was always clear. “Ironically, that’s why the lord wanted a world like this. A happy and joyful world that everyone can dream of.”

Clyde thought it was a grossly disgusting idea, but he said nothing. He was an unhappy of dream. A dream that could never be realized despite longing for it desperately. Becoming a human. It was literally a ‘dream’ because it couldn’t be achieved through effort. Even if he wanted to compromise, he couldn’t compromise.

“…Thank you for letting me know. Is the square supposed to go that way?”

“If you go straight along the road, you will see a fountain. From there, you will see a beautiful scene like an illusion, so look forward to it.”

Well, as someone from the capital of the empire, could he be amazed by its scene? Clyde shrugged and headed for the square.

Certainly, the crowd poured into the square, and a festival-like scene unfolded. He felt a bizarre compulsion from the excessively enjoyable appearances. It’s an unpleasant world. He thought that barren and dry reality was much better than this.

When he reached the fountain, he felt the hot gazes directed at him. Clyde frowned and looked around. Men and women of all ages were stunned when they saw him.

“An angel…”

It was something that often happened in reality, but the reaction of the dungeon residents was remarkably usual.

“I’ll give you as much money as you want. Let me paint you, please!”

“Oh my God. I have never seen such a perfect creature in my life!”

“My muse!”

He wanted to kill them all. Clyde looked around him, pretending not to hear their bullshit, and stopped his gaze at one point.

The first thing that caught his eye was the fluttering red skirt. A blouse that revealed her dazzlingly immaculate shoulders and a white headband that made her long black hair stand out. A woman who looked breathtaking somewhere with a unique atmosphere that didn’t blend in with the scenery around her at all.

“If you go straight along the road, you will see a fountain. From there, you will see a beautiful scene like an illusion, so look forward to it.”

Clyde wrinkled his brows. What nonsense.

However, men were lurking nearby her, who appeared beautifully like illusions to others. It seemed to make sense that their calculated moves were like prowling cats. She’s getting on my nerves.

Unconsciously, Clyde quickened his pace and approached Theresa. Then he abruptly paused. “…Have you been drinking?”