"S-stay back all of you! We aren't rebels! We aren't!"
That doesn't matter anymore, idiot. This is going to be the bad ending for you.
-Claud Branford's Willpower: 8/24-
"Oh oh... Having a meltdown, big brothers? That won't do... You're causing a public disturbance. Haha... that makes you a rebel, doesn't it? Sowing seeds of unrest in the public again?"
I said it just loud enough for their ears. With the crowd's growing volume, only they could hear my taunts.
"Shut up! You piece of shit!"
Okay he's pulled his sword. I think I should back up now.
I don't know how high their stats are, but good luck fighting a hundred people.
"You fuckers!"
"Stop!"
"Do you know who we are!"
Hahaha... that's not going to help you. Not that anything could help you right now. Or... you could try giving the Demon King a call. HAHAHAHA.
What are you still glaring at me for? You're being beaten down, you have to fight back otherwise...
"AAAAAH!"
Oopsies.
Luckily for him, he's not going to miss that appendage when he's dead.
Whoever came up with the phrase, 'Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me'. You were wrong. Wasn't it words that got these dumbasses killed? If they could have held their tongue, if they didn't fall for my taunts, if they didn't feed me ideas, they might have lived.
"AAAAAH!"
"C-Claud..!"
-16/50 Bad deeds completed. Scare successful-
Okay, stop already... your screams are scaring the Hero. Mob mentality, please finish them off quickly. My precious Hero might get a trauma from this.
Ah... Sophie, your face. I enjoy that look usually but now I feel disgusted by it somehow.
"W-what do we do? Those people are going to be..."
-17/50 Bad deeds completed. Scare successful-
-Claud Branford's Willpower: 7/24-
I hug her to comfort her and to shield her eyes from the atrocities being committed behind me.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
"It's okay. They were bad people. They tried to kill someone innocent."
Well I don't know about innocent... I'm not sure if he was actually a rebel. But that doesn't matter, what matters is what you believe.
"I... I didn't want them to die... Uuuuuh..."
-19/50 Bad deeds completed. Scare successful-
-Claud Branford's Willpower: 6/24-
"They were going to hurt more people if we left them be... This wasn't an easy choice for me."
Yeah it wasn't easy. It was the easiest. I didn't have to turn public perception against them, they did that themselves. All I had to do was increase public awareness.
"Hic.. I know, Claud... I know. I'm so sorry... If I didn't come here-"
-20/50 Bad deeds completed-
-Claud Branford's Willpower: 5/24-
"If you didn't come here. That man would have died today... Think about the person whose life you saved. Think about his family that are going to get to see him come home today..."
"Y-you're right. He must have a family waiting for him... But those people might've had families too..."
Ah... why did you have to notice the hypocrisy in that statement... Sophie, you have too high of an emotional intelligence sometimes. But did you notice that you said something very hypocritical just now too?
You used 'must have a family' for the person you saved but 'might've' for the guys who just died. Oh I could cry... Even the Hero chosen by the gods, is not infallible. But I won't fault you, my best friend, my golden goose, my dearest partner. It is just a part of human nature and I accept it all.
-Claud Branford's Willpower: 4/24-
"There are many bad people all around the world, Sophie. But don't worry-"
I'm the worst one-
"-I'm here for you."
-and I'm on your side.
'Crunch'.
-21/50 Bad deeds completed. Scare successful-
Ah, please don't flinch, Sophie. Please don't get a trauma from this... You were fine with killing the goblins even though they appeared humanoid enough, didn't you?
Hmm... maybe if I can just convince her that bad people aren't humans, she'll be fine with it too. That's how soldiers fight in war after all... The people I'm fighting aren't humans. I'm doing this for my country. Those kinds of propaganda and ideologies are rampant throughout history.
But on second thought, regarding the Hero's brainwashing. That wouldn't be a good idea. She innately believes in the good of people and I can still make use of that. So that even if her skill evolves and she can see my class... She won't ever betray me.
Because she believes in the good in me.
-Indirectly contributed to 3 deaths-
-Villain class skills unlocked: Covert Taunt. Taunts your enemies quietly without anyone else hearing. Your mouth won't appear to be moving-
-Next Villain skill: 3/10-
Hah. This will be a useful skill. Too bad I'll have to be careful with how I use it. I don't want Sophie to notice my skill usage. She would be very distraught.
Hmm... a death counter. This is really suitable for my plans. If I command an army, I'll be indirectly responsible for all their deaths, wouldn't I?
As I was thinking about all of this, Sophie suddenly started bawling.
-22/50 Bad deeds completed-
I did think she was holding it in the tears a bit too well...
I bent down and offered her a piggyback.
She accepted.
Come to think of it, this happened frequently back then too. Giving a piggyback that is.
Most of it was not by my choice though. Someone had to carry the younger kids and I was the nicest. Or so they thought. I just did it because I wanted more food in my plate.
I wonder how they're doing? I wonder what is Keith doing? Did he ever stop crying?
Even though the pastor went to jail, Keith was never the same. I hope Sophie will stay the same. Even though she's a crybaby now, I think she might change if she's pushed too far.
Humans are resilient after all. If their current self can't cope, they'll change.
But in the rare cases that they can't cope and they can't change... They die.
Maybe I shouldn't have done that.
I had no choice back then because I had to protect Keith. But here it's different.
I'm strong in this world, aren't I? I can just fight honestly here. Those three didn't seem all that strong. I could have taken them.
-23/50 Bad deeds completed-
I'm sorry, Sophie. Please don't cry. I'll feed you lots of delicious food later.