Cursed Villainess' Obsession-Chapter 14

‘…But Laphne’s food is just too delicious.’

And she always served large portions. If I tried to leave food behind to eat less…

‘K-Ken… Why didn’t you finish your food? Was it not tasty? Have you lost your appetite? No, please! If you stop eating, you’ll leave the tower! I’m sorry! I’ll remake it right away! Please, just give me one more chance…!’

I could already picture a trembling, tearful Laphne.

Cutting down the food portions would take time and careful persuasion. Until then, I had only two options: increase my exercise and hone my skills.

‘If I train repetitively, I might even unlock new skills.’

One thing I had learned from being bullied by Emily was that in this world, skills that were originally obtained through items or skill trees in the game could now be acquired through repetitive training.

If I trained in swordsmanship, I could gain a swordsmanship skill. If I studied magic, I could unlock magic skills. Which meant that the person I needed to seek out now was...

“…Excuse me.”

With a creaking sound, the rusty hinges of the door groaned open. Fresh air and the fragrance of flowers wafted toward me from beyond.

I had arrived at the rooftop garden, a serene place filled with blooming flowers.

And there, watering the plants, was the person I had come to see—a man with black hair.

‘Found him.’

One of the main targetable characters from the game Epiris Academy—Siegfried Gardener.

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“You want me to teach you swordsmanship?”

Siegfried Gardener. A third-year student at Dreadis Academy, one year above me. He was known for his unique trait, Indomitable Will, and was a front-line fighter specializing in swords.

As his name suggested, Siegfried was destined to become a legend. Eventually, he would earn the title of the 9th Swordmaster of Lilias and gain the moniker "Dragon Slayer" after defeating a dragon.

‘But what really makes him special is his absurd skill.’

Siegfried was strong. Even now, he was probably capable of holding his own against someone like Laphne. However, in a world where strength was often dictated by innate abilities and unique skills, Siegfried’s skill was… unusual.

[Name: Siegfried Gardener]

[Unique Skill: Watering Flowers]

[Unique Trait: Indomitable Will]

Possesses strong mental fortitude, granting high resistance to mental attacks.

The summary of his stats floated before my eyes.

‘Whoever designed this skill must have been trolling.’

Siegfried was a character crafted with a single concept in mind—“hard work.” The developers had leaned into that theme so much that they even gave him a ridiculous skill like Watering Flowers, a purely domestic ability with no combat applications.

Thanks to that skill, the flowers he tended always bloomed beautifully. But in battle? Completely useless.

Yet despite that, Siegfried would go on to become a Swordmaster solely through his relentless effort and unwavering determination.

He had the willpower and mental resilience to become a great teacher, someone who could push me to not give up.

A perfect candidate to help me with my training.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline.”

“…Huh?”

He rejected me without hesitation.

“Was that too sudden? I apologize, but could you at least tell me why?”

I had anticipated the possibility of him refusing, but I didn’t expect such an immediate rejection. I needed to understand his reasoning—if I knew the cause, I could find a way to address it.

His answer was simple.

“I’m not qualified to teach anyone. You should find someone better.”

Ah, of course. He didn’t believe he had the talent to teach others.

“What do you mean by that? I can’t imagine asking anyone else but you, Siegfried-senpai!”

I decided to use a tactic I had recently learned—Laphne’s signature move: clinging to people.

I didn’t physically grab onto his clothes, but I had learned that persistence could make anyone reconsider.

“Do you know who I am?”

“Of course! Every day, you train with your sword here on the rooftop, pushing yourself despite not having a powerful skill, and you’ve grown so strong because of it!”

People tended to appreciate those who acknowledged their hard work. So, I added a dash of flattery.

“I admire you greatly! I want to become stronger through hard work, just like you!”

“…Hmm.”

Appealing to Siegfried’s sense of determination seemed to work. He softened, clearly understanding my desire to grow stronger. But just when I thought I had convinced him…

“I’m sorry, but I still can’t teach you.”

He rejected me again.

‘Looks like pleading alone won’t cut it.’

I had hoped to win him over without needing any extra tactics. After all, Siegfried was one of the main target characters in Epiris Academy, and I was concerned about disrupting the storyline if I interfered too much.

‘But if things go wrong, I can always switch to Adrian’s route.’

Even if Siegfried didn’t build the right relationship with Emily, she could always end up with Adrian. That way, the story’s progression wouldn’t change much.

"Then how about this? What if I help you win the upcoming tournament?"

“…Hmm?”

Siegfried’s previously indifferent expression shifted.

“…You seem to know a lot about me.”

There was a hint of wariness in his voice.

‘Maybe I pushed too hard.’

I had to present him with an offer he couldn’t refuse. And the bait was something coming up soon—a mini-event taking place in a week.

A small swordsmanship tournament held in the city.

“Alright. I’ll hear what you have to say.”

He placed the watering can on the ground and led me over to a table tucked away in the corner of the rooftop garden.

“What kind of tea do you like?”

“Oh, anything is fine.”

‘He’s unexpectedly domestic.’

But it made sense. Siegfried was a target character in an otome game, and the developers clearly designed him to appeal to players who liked the idea of a quiet, serious man who could handle household chores. It worked, too—Siegfried was one of the most popular characters, constantly competing with Adrian for the top spot.

He left to prepare the tea, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

‘It’s good that he took the bait.’

The condition I offered was to help Siegfried win first place in the upcoming tournament.

“Thanks for the tea.”

“Mm.”

Siegfried returned with tea and snacks, placing a cup in front of me. The aroma was soothing.

“So, what exactly do you plan to do to help?”

He wasted no time getting to the point.

‘He’s really eager.’

In the game, the swordsmanship tournament was an early event where Emily could build her initial relationship with Siegfried. It was a simple event where she helped him win, and in doing so, he grew fond of her.

“I’ll make a weapon for you.”

“……”

By providing him with a powerful weapon, he would be able to secure victory.

The swordsmanship tournament was Siegfried’s first real chance to prove himself, a promise he had made to his childhood friend, Elise Granbell.

“I’ll get stronger. And I’ll protect you.”

“…Mm.”

Having lost their families to demons, Siegfried and Elise grew up relying on each other. Elise, burdened with grief and fear of the demons, struggled to get through each day. Siegfried made a vow to her that he would get stronger to protect her.

Together, they worked hard and eventually enrolled at the academy. But once there, Siegfried realized a painful truth:

‘…I have no talent.’

Despite working harder than anyone else, despite sacrificing sleep and leisure, Siegfried couldn’t surpass the gifted students at the academy. The realization crushed him, making him doubt whether he could keep his promise to Elise.

Just as he was about to break down, a helping hand reached out to him.

“I’ll help you.”

The person offering that hand was the protagonist, Emily Epiris. Thanks to her, Siegfried won first place in the tournament, and from that moment on, he began to develop feelings for her. However, this also marked the beginning of the rivalry between Elise and Emily, with Elise becoming the main antagonist in Siegfried’s route.

‘In the game, you just had to give him a decent weapon to help him win.’

Without Emily’s help, Siegfried couldn’t win the tournament. The gap between his physical prowess and the skills of his opponents was too vast.

‘Plus, this is a good opportunity to improve my crafting skills.’

Even if Siegfried refused to help me train, I would still benefit from creating the weapon. The only question was: what kind of weapon should I make?

‘If I can imbue it with magic, that would be ideal…’

When I made the raincoat for Mary, I discovered something important: even if I lacked skill proficiency, as long as I had the right idea, I could create something useful.

Which meant that if I could figure out the mechanics, I could potentially create a magic-imbued weapon.

It was time to take a chance.

“That’s why I’m going to start crafting different items!”

“…Oooh!”

Laphne clapped enthusiastically at my declaration. But there was one small problem.

“…But I’m missing some key materials.”

“…Ooh…”

Basic materials could be purchased at the market, and luckily, my family seemed to have plenty of money. However, there were some materials that weren’t easy to come by. Items like the spirit stones I used for Mary’s raincoat were rare, usually snapped up by mages as soon as they appeared on the market.

Hunting monsters for them wasn’t an option either—I wasn’t strong enough yet.

Acquiring the necessary materials was the biggest hurdle in my plan.

“Um… Ken? Do you want me to help you get what you need?”

“Huh? You can do that?”

“Yup! My family can support me with most things. If I ask one of our familiars, they can bring the materials to us quickly.”

“Wow! Thanks, Laphne!”

I grabbed her hands and shook them excitedly.

“Hehe, no problem!”

Laphne’s face turned red as she smiled shyly.

Of course! The Martinez family was one of the most powerful in Lilias. As the daughter of such a prestigious house, Laphne had access to resources that most people could only dream of.

“Alright, here’s a list of what I need. Make sure to get this one, especially.”

“Got it!”

I handed over a list of materials to Laphne, and she relayed the request to her familiar. It didn’t take long for the items to arrive at the tower.

No wonder the food here was always so delicious! She had access to high-quality ingredients.

Thanks to Laphne’s help, I now had all the materials I needed.

“Alright! Laphne, can you help me with this?”

“Of course! Just tell me what you need!”

It was time to start crafting.