I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain

Hi everyone! I’m excited to announce that I’ve started translating this , and I’m using ChatGPT MTL which I’m editing to provide the best possible experience for you.

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Beyond the forest, fire illuminated the night sky with an orange glow as it burned a path from the forest to the village.

“Oh, Solars. I thought I could smell something burnt.”

Akku, a mercenary with one eye, gazed at the scene and murmured, “If it’s visible from here, it must be a sea of fire.” He turned his head and asked “Captain, didn’t you say that you were the only swordsman around?”

The bearded man he called “captain” leaned against the tree, his brows furrowed.

“He looks like a mage with a sword. I saw him with my own eyes, don’t you believe me?” Akku added

The captain’s eyes seemed ready to draw a sword at any moment.

Akku flashed him a submissive smile. “Of course, I was just wondering. Just wondering.”

Unlike him, the captain was from the Imperial Army. Despite being a deserter, the captain’s sword skills were genuine.

“Captain, if that’s the case…” their companion, a burly man watching the forest next to them hesitated, then asked “Shouldn’t we change our plans? This mage seems quite formidable…”

Akku interjected, “That’s what I mean, Captain. That looks like the direction of the kobold camp. If he’s capable of burning down an entire camp by himself, wouldn’t it be better to retreat?”

“…” The captain’s brow furrowed even deeper.

Encouraged by the captain’s silence, he added with a chuckle “You don’t have to risk your life for a side job. That mage didn’t seem to have much on him anyways.”

“Hmm.” The captain finally let out a sigh.

The reason he had formed a mercenary group with these pathetic people was to protect the village from the kobolds. It seemed like a dangerous job, but the reality was different.

Kobolds, those small monsters, rarely ventured out of the forest and were so timid that if one or two were poked with a sword, they would be busy running away in fear.

In exchange for this mercenary service, they had unlimited access to free food and drinks making this a lucrative business.

Besides, there were plenty of side jobs to take.

Wandering mercenaries would claim to be able to eradicate the kobold camp, but none had succeeded. This was due to the fact that kobolds would become blinded with rage when their hiding place was threatened and would turn into real monsters who defied death.

Aware of this fact, the captain and his men would wait on the path and prey on the battered and bruised mercenaries who would come running back after failing to eradicate the kobold camp. It was an easy matter to dispose of the bodies in the forest as the kobolds would dismantle them. They were only interested in the flesh and didn’t care much about the belongings.

It was a mutually beneficial relationship. And today, too, that was the plan. Until they saw that sight.

“You stupid idiots.” At the words of the leader, the bald man and Akku’s shoulders tensed. “If he’s really burning kobolds alive, is the side job a big deal? If he succeeds, it looks like we wont have any side jobs from tomorrow on.

The two men stared at him, eyes wide.

The captain clicked his tongue and continued, “That’s why we have to shut that mage’s mouth. The villagers should not know that the kobolds are gone.”

The two men nodded.

The captain shrugged. “Then we can continue to act as vigilantes of the town. Perhaps you will be recognized for your merits and be officially appointed.”

“As expected of our leader…” Akku said in admiration.

The bald man muttered again, “But can we win? And the red mage…?”

“That’s why we have to do it now, you cowardly bald head. Is magic a miracle that can be used indefinitely?” The captain clicked his tongue and cut himself off. “He can’t recover his magic now, he’s at the end of his ability. A magician without magic is more helpless than a child.”

He motioned, slitting his throat with his thumb. “All you have to do is stab the mage with a knife. I’ve seen a lot of mages die in vain like that on the battlefield.”

“If he has any magic power left?”

“Red magic takes a long time to cast. So, if you notice something strange, I will throw the knife right away.”

Finally, the bald man’s eyes sparkled. He nodded firmly, “Okay, Captain.”

Hiding his true intentions, the captain patted the bald man’s shoulder. His last words were a lie. He planned to make his two subordinates scapegoats to create an opportunity for him to stab the mage. He believed in his own swordsmanship. “Don’t worry. There’s no way a great mage would come to such a remote place. I heard all the real mages are locked up in the tower. So if we just…”

Suddenly, the captain’s voice trailed off and he lowered his body as he stared into the darkness. “Shh, they’re coming.”

The bald man and Akku were startled and crouched down on both sides of the path.

Thump, thump.

Slow, limping footsteps were heard.

“It’s filthy heavy…” the rumbling voice cursed.

The stench of blood, ashes and sweat scented the air. The captain frowned as the mage’s appearance was revealed. He looked as if he had been bathed in ashes and blood. He was no longer wearing the hood or the sword he had been wearing during the day. Even one leg was lame.

Instead, he was holding something in his arms. When he looked closely he could see a head with horns growing on his forehead. It was a kobold’s head several times bigger than the captain had ever seen.

The mage really killed a living kobold!

The captain realized that it was the kobold chieftain. He was relieved at the sight. “As expected, this is the only time he can be killed.” It was clear that the mage wasn’t in a state where he could use magic right now. Waiting for the mage to get close enough, he sent a signal to his subordinates.

The bald man and Akku stood up without a sound, drawing their swords. Even in the darkness, their sword’s light shimmered faintly.

“Hmm?” The mage raised an eyebrow.

But now it didn’t matter if they got caught, he was only six or seven steps away. With a single leap, they could rush in and stab him with their swords.

The captain, confident of his success, stood up a beat late. “You’d better stop.” He said, gripping the hilt of his sword.

The mage stood still. “Ugh…”

In the moment he let out a sigh, the captain quickly added “Don’t even try to cast a spell. And that -” he gestured to the chieftains head in the mage’s arms. “ Put it down on the ground. Then I’ll spare your life.”

After a moment of silence, the mage answered with a sneer, “As you wish.” He loosened his grip on the head, revealing a wave of blue magic in his hand.

The captain instinctively shouted “Shoot!”

With a “swoosh” a crossbow bolt fired out behind the mage’s back. It was fired by another subordinate who had been lying in wait.

“Shihak-!”

A gray haze emanated from behind the mage almost simultaneously with the sound of the crossbow bolt.

“Ah!” the bald man fell to one knee. The bolt that should have struck the mage was lodged in his thigh. “Ugh, ahh!”

There was no time to think about what had happened.

Akku screamed and threw himself out of the way.

The captain rushed towards the mage.

“Poof!”

A gust of wind carrying gunpowder suddenly pushed his body away. It was the windshield that had bent the trajectory of the bolt. The effect of the shield was very short lived.

“Snap!”

But it was enough time for the mage to clap his hands together.

“Shuhuaak-”

Cold air burst out in blue concentric circles around the mage. The objects caught in the shockwave froze instantly.

Akku, who was hit by the shockwave at close range, passed the mage and collapsed, completely frozen.

“Kkakjik-”

The sound of ice breaking came from his body as he fell to the ground.

The captain, who was behind him, was lucky. “Ah, aaah!” He suffered severe frostbite all over his body but was still alive. The magic was not widespread.

The mage glanced down with a sneer at the fallen man and walked swiftly past him. Suddenly, his hand was surrounded by red magic once again.

“Hwareuk- Hwareuk-”

Seven small flames the size of fists bloomed around him. The mage sequentially launched six of them behind him.

“Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop -!”

“Ahh-!”

Even though they weren’t properly aimed, it was enough to sweep away the ambushers.

“Help! Save me-!”

“Perong! Hwarur-!

The last flame engulfed the bald man, now soaked in tears and snot. The surroundings became brighter thanks to the flames.

The captain looked up at the mage, trembling “H- How…” His lips barely moved. “Ice and fire at the same time…?”

It was a question that could be asked since he was from the Imperial Army and had frequently seen mages. It was a commonly held belief in the Empire that mages specialized in only one type of magic. They were very sensitive about their knowledge and never interacted with mages from different schools believing that knowledge and spells defined their identity.

“How… it doesn’t matter.” The mage muttered as he picked up the captain’s sword “Because I’m a scoundrel.” His tone was mixed with annoyance.

“Scoundrel?” The captain asked bewilderedly. That became his last word.

“Kwajik.”

The mage mercilessly swung his sword at the captain’s neck. “Sickening bastards…” The mage sighed once again, bending to search the captain’s body. A very familiar gesture.

Soon, a small pouch was in his hand. The mage forced the pouch open and briefly clicked his tongue. “The sword was good, so I had expectations.” Just a few coins. The captain’s belongings were disappointing.

The captain’s belongings were disappointing, but the mage meticulously searched the bald man and Akku’s pouches. It was clear that if the captain was this poor, his subordinates would not have much more. He picked up a few slender pouches before finally turning away from the bodies.

Suddenly, his gaze turned to his hand. “… Now, I don’t even tremble anymore.” With a bitter tone, he picked up the kobold chieftain’s head again. “Here we go.”

The chieftain’s head was also frozen solid. “So many troublesome things…” The mage used the sword that belonged to the captain as a staff and limped forward. The bodies were left in the same place.

***

“Squeak – Boom!”

The door of the tavern violently opened. The chaotic noise in the tavern cut off suddenly as if it had been cut with a knife. The eyes of the patrons all focused on the man who opened the door as if to break it down, but no one yelled or got angry.

Not only did the man look like he had come back from hell, but he was carrying a large, grotesque head in his arms. The face of the monster still showed the pain and fear he must have felt at his last moment. The man entered the hall and headed for the counter ignoring the gazes of the men. With a bang he set the monster’s head down.

The muscular tavern owner, who had been dozing off, raised his head and burst into laughter “You really got rid of the kobolds. I didn’t even expect it. Thank you.”

The man did not respond to his greeting. Instead, he raised his right hand and dropped the sword onto the counter.

The owner frowned, “You met the mercenaries. Are they all dead?”

“Yes.”

“Well done.”

The man stared back at the owner, his eyes calm and steady. “You haven’t forgotten the cost of the quest, have you?”

“As promised, lodging at our bar is free for life. If you want, you can collect the reward fee and give it to me. It’s hard to live, so there won’t be many.”

“That’s all right. I want to sleep comfortably.” The man sheathed his sword.

“Understood. Shall I prepare a hot bath for you? Right away?”

The man replied without turning around. “Keep it coming until I say stop.” He limped up the stairs.

The owner, who was looking at his back, suddenly added. “Come to think of it, I never asked. What is your name?”

The answer was short this time too. “Ian.”

****

“Let’s hang this head on the wall!”

“You look filthy ugly!”

“Does he look like you? Are there any kobolds among your ancestors?”

The sound of chattering echoed through the floor. “… It’s filthy noisy, really.” Ian clicked his tongue as he sat in the bathtub. Even so, he was rubbing all over his body with his hands. It was his third bath already so the filth should be gone, but he still felt uncomfortable.

“If I had at least one cucumber scented soap, I wouldn’t have a wish.” Ian muttered to himself and suddenly laughed, “A bastard who has no wish, fuck…”

His biggest wish was to return to his original world. He stared at the ceiling covered in spiderwebs, “… In the first place, it wasn’t like I was downloading illegal content.” The reason he ended up in this world devoid of hygiene and human rights, was an event that happened about a year ago.