I’m the Main Villain but the Heroines Are Obsessed With Me

11 – 5. Difference in Intensity (3)

Thud. Thud.

The sound of light footsteps reverberated gently in the cave.

Accompanied by a spectacular display of light, a spontaneous sense of wonder washed over them.

“Huh… This is beyond imagination, isn’t it?”

Having been in the darkness where not even an inch could be seen in front of them, it felt as if they had entered another dimension upon arriving here.

Bursting flames, transparent pools of water, and massive ice covering the entire wall. Vines and vegetation stretched up to the ceiling, while light and darkness harmoniously coexisted above.

“It definitely feels like the presence of powerful energies from all elements.”

Fueled by the immense mana that pressed upon them, Ian strengthened his entire body.

Only then did he begin to sense the gradual dispersal of the force that had been weighing him down.

It was thanks to the power of the ancient god Neltalion that he had overcome the pressure of the mana.

Could that be it? In the space that had been empty just moments ago, a massive statue began to reveal itself.

Neltalion, who had been examining the gem held in the statue’s hand, jumped up in excitement.

– Ian! I sense an extraordinary energy from over there! It’s definitely something good!

“Is Neltalion also recognizing the value of this?”

The value of the gem held by the statue was considerable.

That was the very connection Ian had been seeking. It was the Primordial Jewel.

“According to Elysion’s words, the Primordial Jewel is a crystallization of the energies of the elements that have existed since the world’s creation.”

The five elements present in the world: Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, and Earth.

Inside the cave, all the elements coexisted in equilibrium, and their forces came together to create the Primordial Jewel.

“For a long time, the forces of the elements have gathered to create this gem. Eating it would grant one the power of the elements, even if they were originally without elemental affinity.”

It might seem like a small matter, but in the eyes of those who understood the value of elemental affinity, it was a treasure worth celebrating.

“If you possess an element… you can inflict additional damage to enemies based on their weaknesses. When facing non-elemental enemies, you can deal twice the damage, regardless of elemental affinity.”

Only a minuscule number of those who had awakened their mana possessed an elemental affinity.

In other words, most of them were non-elemental. By consuming the Primordial Jewel, they could gain the power to overwhelm them.

But the value of the Primordial Jewel didn’t stop there.

“However, one might wonder if it’s useless for those who have already awakened their elemental affinity… but that’s not the case.”

The Primordial Jewel was imbued with the accumulated energies of the elements over a long period of time.

When consumed by someone who had already awakened their elemental affinity, they could absorb the essence of their corresponding element directly.

“Proficiency in the respective attribute and a vast amount of mana can be obtained for this property.”

This was important to Ian.

If the proficiency of the Darkness attribute increased, Nathalian would be able to recover his strength more quickly.

A vast amount of mana would also provide more assistance in reaching the Expert level.

Ian cautiously took out the gem as he approached the statue.

Now, the remaining question was how to consume it…

“It seems that the best way is to cut it into small pieces, just as it was done in the original.”

The best method is to swallow the gem whole and absorb it from within, but swallowing a gem the size of an adult’s fist is not an easy task.

During the process of cutting it into smaller pieces, there would inevitably be mana loss, so he wanted to swallow it all at once as much as possible. But… this was unavoidable.

Ian reached a conclusion and raised his fist to break the gem.

“Ian… Are you not going to eat that? Then, I’ll eat it.”

“What did you say?”

Nathalian suddenly swelled up and opened his mouth wide, swallowing the Primordial Gem in one gulp.

“Nathalian?”

Suddenly swallowing the gem? This was unexpected.

In the moment of confusion, a system window appeared before Ian.

“Nathalian has consumed the Primordial Gem. As part of the contract, the contractor, Ian Volkanov, will also receive the same effect.”

“Consumed the Primordial Gem without any loss. Proficiency in the Darkness attribute has significantly increased.”

“Cursed. The speed of the Sword of Hatred’s retaliation has increased. Retaliation up to 13%.”

“Due to the vast amount of experience, Nathalian is growing.”

“As Nathalian grows, it is now possible to spar with the enemies from his memories.”

“Something from the Abyss has begun to watch you.”

Ian’s eyes widened as he looked at the random notification windows.

“So, it’s possible to consume it in this way?”

It wasn’t something to boast about, but he was sincere about this game. Thanks to that, he had memorized even the smallest details.

But… he hadn’t thought of consuming the Primordial Gem in this manner.

“Well… full… sleepy.”

Nathalian, the central figure of the event, gave a satisfied look, patted his bulging stomach, and blinked his eyes.

Perplexed, Ian opened his eyes wide, trying to understand the situation…

“I don’t know how things are going.”

I still didn’t fully understand… but one thing was certain.

Thanks to Neltalion, I had achieved an unparalleled accomplishment.

That alone was reason enough to be satisfied.

It was a moment of joy.

Swoosh!

A sound came from the entrance of the cave.

“What’s that?”

With the thought that it might be an enemy, Ian cautiously approached the entrance.

He could see her.

“Celia Wignoran?”

Celia, lying unconscious with numerous wounds.

And.

“Grrr!”

Monsters approaching her as if they recognized her as prey.

“I should rescue her first and then see.”

Ian sighed deeply and approached her.

***

In my childhood, my grandmother used to say.

“Celia, when a dangerous moment comes… you’ll see a fantasy about your loved one.”

When life is in danger, memories of being with loved ones come to mind.

To the question of what a loved one is, I answered as a child.

“Loved ones? Then, it would be you or Dad, right?”

At that time, my grandmother would smile kindly and stroke my cheek.

“You’re still too young to understand… but… later, when our granddaughter grows up, she will value someone more than your father or grandmother.”

“Well… but won’t it be sad to think of a loved one before you die? You might never see them again…”

“hahahaha… that might be the case… but it’s fortunate to know who the most important person is. If you get another chance… you can go meet that person again.”

“It’s hard for me to understand…”

In response to my words, my grandmother just patted my head.

The meaning of that statement, which I didn’t understand at the time.

Celiah could only understand as she fell off the cliff, her feet landing in empty air.

“Ah… That’s what it meant.”

Precious person. It meant the one she loved.

Then. Celiah Wigunaron thought that Arielle would appear in her dreams.

The most precious person to herself was none other than her.

“Can I see Arielle’s face one last time…”

She could recall the happy memories she had with her.

Thinking so, she closed her eyes.

“Hoo…. hoo…”

“Ugh, Ian… I’m sorry… I was wrong… Please don’t die…”

“Why do I remember this moment…”

What appeared was her younger self and Ian Volkanoft.

Blood was flowing from Ian’s back, where he had suffered a big wound, and she was tearing her cloak to stop the bleeding.

The pale expression of Ian and her crying… it remained in her memory.

“It must have been when we were young…”

When she was just beginning to learn the Wind-style magic. She had sneaked into the forest to avoid people’s gaze.

Looking back now, she wondered what confidence she had to step into a place infested with monsters, but back then, she thought that if she could use her family’s Vision magic, she would be able to easily deal with those monsters.

However, that was a mistake.

“Huuaaah! Sa-Save me!”

“Kerr!’

“That’s right… I wandered around the mountain and got lost. I was surrounded by monsters and faced a life-threatening situation.”

She froze as soon as she saw the monsters, and she was exposed to their attacks.

Just when she thought she was going to die, Ian saved her.

Ian, who took the attacks from the monsters on his back, carried her out of the mountain.

Ian kept running with clenched teeth until they reached the entrance of the forest, and then he put her down and lost consciousness.

“After that, our family’s nanny found me crying and treated Ian, who had severe injuries.”

As Celiah carefully confirmed her childhood memories, her mind was filled with questions.

It was clearly someone precious. Why does this scene come to mind…

And why does a corner of her chest start to ache…

Grandmother said.

Isn’t it fortunate to find out who the precious person was, even if it’s too late…

And right before she passed away, her grandmother held her hand and said.

“Celia… you must find the precious person… no matter what…”

So, is the precious person she was referring to Ian…

She still didn’t fully understand. Why would the thought of a precious person come to mind in a situation like this? Is it because she’s reminded of Ian Volkov, whom she despises.

But one thing is certain.

“Why do I want to see him?”

Once again, she wanted to see his face.

With that, the grandma’s hand disappeared.

And when Celia opened her eyes. He appeared.

Crack! Boom!

“Aargh!”

“How annoying.”

The image of the man who had protected her from monsters in her childhood.

“I. Ian?”

As Celia mumbled that she didn’t understand, Ian glanced at her indifferently. Then he spoke.

“It was true even in our childhood… You haven’t changed.”

***

For Ian, Celia Wignorun was a significant woman.

But that doesn’t mean he had feelings for her.

In the game, she was an attractive character. But as he discovered the truth through the diary, those feelings faded, and his liking for her completely vanished from the moment she abandoned him.

There was another reason why she was important.

“Celia is a member of the hero party led by Ariel in the future.”

She was a woman destined to slash the demons as a new member of the hero party.

Because of that, he couldn’t let her be killed by monsters.

“To see a happy ending, I have to uncover the secret that Ian has hidden… Then I have to make sure Ariel can handle the demons.”

If Ariel screams and dies before catching the demon, the secret and her life will be lost.

Even if he didn’t like it at the moment, he had no choice but to save her and see.

That’s why he hunted monsters to protect Celia.

“Wait a moment. We’ll reach the summit soon,” Ian said, holding her tightly as they climbed the cliff.

“Let me down. I can climb on my own,” Celia said, embarrassed to be embraced like a princess by the person she once despised. She had stubbornly insisted on climbing on her own, but Ian ignored her words.

“Did you hurt your leg? You can’t even walk properly.”

“Still…”

“I understand your discomfort, but endure it. I couldn’t help it either,” Ian said.

“I’m not uncomfortable… no, I’ll just stay still…”

After speaking firmly, Celia sealed her lips tightly. It was because she couldn’t think of a better way.

As Celia sealed her lips, Ian focused on climbing the cliff once again. As he climbed the steep cliff, Ian checked the system.

“Something in the Abyss is watching you.”

It was a notification that appeared when he absorbed the Primordial Gem. At that time, he was too preoccupied to carefully consider it.

But looking back now, it wasn’t something he could easily pass by.

“There’s only one thing in Heroic Academia that can be referred to as ‘something in the Abyss.'”

The Demon Lord. Beings that dwell in the darkest abyss.

The fact that the system notified him to such an extent meant that they were preparing to extend a black hand.

Unless he knew what tricks they would play, he couldn’t move slowly.

Ian climbed the cliff with a determined heart.

Finally, when they reached the summit, they could see.

“Ughhh…”

“Ughh… my arm…”

“Huff… huff…”

Members of Celia Wigron’s squad were heavily wounded and struggling to stand.

“Damn it… why are they so tough…”

And Igor, who was blocking a knight with no head.

“Kraaah!”

Once the man noticed Ian, he let out a scream as if he was about to tear him apart.