Chapter 1.2
I Play the Role of (Villain/Heroine) in a j.a.panese-style Otome Game
I Play the Role of a Villain
Chapter 01 – Transmigration and Familiar Contract [Part 2]
A human came.
It isn’t just any human.
It’s an onmyoji[1].
Grandpa always says.
The most terrifying existences to phantoms are the human onmyojis.
They’ll appear if you attack humans too much.
That’s why you must never overdo it, or so he teaches me.
There was no way that I, who wasn’t even able to attack humans, could kill them.
Grandpa didn’t kill humans either.
However, he came.
And, right now, he’s torturing Grandpa.
“Stop!”
Shouting, I bite off one of the talismans binding Grandpa.
As a result, the inside my of mouth becomes burning hot and I feel cuts forming there.
Plop, dark red blood drips down.
“Haha, to think you can break my barrier talisman.”
Because I bit off one of the paper talismans, the restraints on Grandpa disintegrates.
However, Grandpa doesn’t have the energy to escape anymore and he crumbles down on the spot.
While facing that laughing guy, I hurriedly shield Grandpa and growl with all I’ve got.
“That’s great. I thought it’d be a boring tree spirit extermination but there’s also something fun, isn’t there.”
He grips a black whip as he laughs and swings it in my direction.
I must dodg—
I want to jump backwards at once to dodge but Grandpa is behind me.
It’ll probably hit Grandpa if I dodge.
What should I do!?
That one moment of hesitance becomes a c.h.i.n.k and I’m unable to dodge the whip.
The whip coming from the right sweeps across my right forefoot and heavily strikes my waist.
Ouch.
I unconsciously let out a sound.
Then, my body gets blown off and I tumble on the ground.
“Hey, are you a werewolf or something?”
I understand that he’s walking towards me.
I frantically strain my body in order to get up.
“… ow.”
It hurts.
I can’t put strength into my my right forefoot.
Did it perhaps break because of what just happened?
As a phantom, I probably won’t die from this but what’s painful is painful.
I raise my body while enduring the pain and stand up with three feet.
He watches my movements in an amused manner as he leisurely approaches.
No good.
It’s no good.
I must run.
Is this the thing known as ‘survival instincts’?
It’s scary. I want to run and put an end to this.
But, what about Grandpa?
If I run away, Grandpa’ll definitely be erased.
Even phantoms, when erased by onmyojis, will never be able to be born into this world again.
I’ve always been under Grandpa’s care.
I can’t let him be erased by that guy here.
Something.
There should be some way.
I desperately restrain my body that wants to run away to the spot and earnestly think of a way to save Grandpa.
Then, I suddenly remember what Grandpa said before.
『Thee hath no form. Thee can probably taketh any form thee wish to.』
That’s it.
This body is made of black miasma ma.s.s.
There’s no need for me to take the form of a small wolf.
First, constructing the right forefoot that can be considered broken.
Next, I construct the entire body.
“Haha! You truly are interesting!”
Thick limbs and sharp fangs.
Making the fur all around the large bod
y sharp and needle-like.
Brutal hooked claws grow on my feet, ready to reap lives at any time.
I launch an a.s.sault on him with that constructed body.
As he defends against my attack with talismans and whip, he slowly retreats.
Just a little more.
Just a little more and I can defeat him.
My heart leaps at the long-awaited chance of victory.
My body is injured and hurts from his whip and talismans, but I ignore that and heighten my offensive.
And then, he――
“Alright, checkmate.”
I’m not sure where he took it out from, but a deep black blade stabs into Grandpa’s body.
He was bidding for the best time to attack Grandpa while pretending to be suppressed by my attacks.
“Grandpa!”
“I’ll erase him if you move, you know?”
He pressures me, who wants to rush to Grandpa’s side immediately, with that single sentence.
“Shall I have you return to your previous form of a small wolf?”
As his hand holds the sword that’s stabbed into Grandpa, he looks towards me and grins.
There are no qualms in those eyes.
It’s likely he’ll erase Grandpa if I don’t listen to his order.
I hesitate for a moment but no good idea comes to mind.
It can’t be helped… huh.
Giving a small sigh, I obey his words.
I slowly re-construct and return to the small wolf before.
“Oh, that’s amazing. Hey, are you able to turn into anything?”
“… Well, yeah.”
“Then, try turning into a female human around 16 years old.”
I’ve no idea what he has in mind with such an undertaking.
It’s just that, with no option of defying him, I close my eyes tightly and construct.
Light brown shoulder-length hair and large, golden eyes.
White skin and soft, pink cheeks.
A height of about 160cm and a tight body.
Standing up with the two legs I constructed, I quickly glare at him.
He looks in amus.e.m.e.nt at the change in my body.
“Haha, it sure isn’t too bad. Alright, well then, will you not become my familiar?”
“Familiar?”
Unthinkingly, I ask in return the word I’m unfamiliar with.
He grins and replies, ‘That’s right’.
“Th,ee… can’t.”
“Grandpa!”
With the sword still pierced through his body, Grandpa speaks.
“You can’t……!”
However, before Grandpa can finish speaking, that guy stabs the sword in deeper.
Grandpa’s body trembles with a start.
It’s no good.
He’ll really be erased at this rate.
“I got it, I’ll become a familiar or whatnot. So please don’t erase Grandpa.”
“I like those who are perceptive. Don’t worry, it’s a simple matter. It’s just drinking a little of my blood and making a contract. It’s fine as long as you listen to me. Do you understand?”
“… Yes.”
“Kneel.”
I kneel in accordance to his words.
“Remain the way you are and come over here.”
I go to his side while still kneeling.
Slide slide, I move my knees and inch towards his feet.
“Open your mouth?”
I open my mouth as he overlooks me.
Thereupon, he cuts his right index finger with the sword that’s stabbed into Grandpa and puts that finger into my open mouth.
“Lick it.”
Even as I’m disgusted, I lightly lick that finger.
Sweet.
It feels like my body is boiling.
He removes his finger with satisfaction and continues speaking.
“Repeat my words.”
“… Yes.”
“Until mine life exhausts.”
“…Un, til mine life…… exhausts.”
The words wouldn’t come out well.
“Until his life exhausts.”
“Un, til… his, life, exhausts.”
It hurts,
it hurts.
“That I wilt beest his servant .”
“That… I, wilt… beest his, servant.”
My chest hurts.
It feels like I’m being bound by something, to the extent of crushing me.
“I swear.”
I don’t want to say it.
“I”
I can’t say it.
“swe”
I can’t.
Can’t.
Can’t.
“ar.”
The instant everything ends, the world sways dizzily once.
After which, pain runs throughout my body.
“Aa, aa, aa… wuu…”
I reflexively crouch down and curl up firmly.
“You said it well. Then, your reward.”
With those words, he thrusts the sword that’s stabbed into Grandpa even deeper and pulls it out in one go.
Grandpa gives a scream of anguish and disappears.
“…?! You said, you won’t erase him!”
“Aa. That’s why I kept my promise, didn’t I? I didn’t erase him. I did whittle his strength down to the minimum though. It may be 200 years or so before he can take up his previous form again?”
It’ll be nice if the cherry blossom tree doesn’t wither by then, won’t it? Saying so, he laughs.
His brown hair glistens as the silver full moon shines upon it.
And his deep blue eyes narrow in amus.e.m.e.nt.
… In this moment, I realise for the first time.
That this is the world of an otome game.
And this onmyoji is one of the capturable targets.
It’s the beginning of a nightmare.
aa
()
[1] Onmyoji. Literally translates to Yin Yang Master.()xx