Cursed Villainess' Obsession-Chapter 63

Egosword Tirpione.

She was nothing more than a sword that had fallen into hell with her original master.

As a knight dispatched from the kingdom to the tower, she had fought countless monsters alongside her master until one day, she fell into this place.

At first, she had no consciousness.

She was merely an ordinary sword bestowed upon a knight by the kingdom.

But after her first master died in the endless battles of this hell, she remained in this shabby house, absorbing the demonic energy of the underworld.

As she was tempered by the surrounding energy, she gradually began to awaken, and as her consciousness took form, she spent her days alone in the house where her master once was.

Without any goals.

Being unable to do anything if no one came to pick her up, she had simply kept her eyes closed and remained here.

Until now.

“Um… Are you okay?”

The first human she had encountered appeared before her.

“Uh, uh… uh…”

At his sudden greeting, Tirpione stiffened, finding it difficult to speak.

It wasn’t because he was the first human she had seen since her master.

Humans were, after all, just humans.

As an Egosword, she could easily kill such beings.

But this one felt different somehow.

‘...Why am I feeling this way?’

She experienced warmth for the first time.

Her body heated up like an iron ingot placed in a furnace, and her face burned.

Her heart raced, and the rush of blood to her head made it hard to think.

‘W-Well, I have to do something...!’

“Uh, um...! E-Excuse me! My name is Tirpione... I’m the spirit of the sword hanging over there.”

Her body trembled with tension, causing her tongue to trip over her words, but she managed to introduce herself nonetheless, pointing to her body behind her.

‘Is this the right thing to do…!’

In the midst of her confusion, she introduced herself.

It was a mystery why she felt compelled to reveal her name to a stranger, but she found herself wanting to share something about herself.

Seeing her awkwardly gaze back at him, Ken also introduced himself.

“I’m Ken Feinstein. I said I was lost, but the truth is, I’m looking for something.”

Though surprised by the difference from his memories of her, Ken knew the important thing was to find the key.

He stood up suddenly, and Tirpione’s introduction made him feel somewhat positively toward her, prompting him to state his purpose.

However, Tirpione didn’t quite register his request.

“Ken... sir.”

“Sir?”

With a dazed expression, Tirpione repeated Ken’s name, her cheeks flushing.

‘Ah, even the name…’

The man in front of her had introduced himself as Ken.

Even though she was just a sword, his presence made her heart flutter like a human's.

His innocent, gentle smile,

his straight nose,

his clean, fair skin, which had a bit of dirt on it,

and his blonde hair, tied back haphazardly,

made him look wild, yet appealing.

‘What... is this feeling?’

Though she had been a mere sword, after gaining consciousness, she had been alone for so long that she had grown numb to emotions.

In fact, she didn’t know much about emotions at all.

There was no one here to bring her joy or sadness.

Thus, when the boy who appeared for the first time offered her the first feeling of emotion, her feelings for him deepened.

Completely unaware of her turmoil, Ken continued to speak.

“Uh, Ms. Tirpione. If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask you about one thing?”

“Oh, yes, yes! You mean what you’re looking for!”

“It’s a palm-sized stone tablet with a peculiar inscription. I really need it.”

Ken knew she had the key, but it felt strange to directly ask for it on their first meeting, so he opted for a more formal question.

“Yes! Of course! What Ken is looking for is definitely among my former master’s possessions!”

To his surprise, she responded even more cheerfully than he expected.

As a tool born of humanity, Tirpione felt immense joy at being asked for help.

With a bright smile of happiness as a tool, she revealed that she had what he wanted.

‘She’s really friendly…’

Ken, taken aback by the unexpected turn of events, awkwardly scratched his cheek.

This wasn’t the Tirpione he remembered.

He recalled some of the lines she had spoken in the game.

“I am the magic sword Tirpione. How dare you disturb my slumber? Do you wish to die?”

“A key...? Why are you looking for such a thing? Stop bothering me and get out of my house.”

“Hmph, hurry up and take that away. ...Well, it wasn’t a bad conversation in the long silence. If you think of something later, come back.”

Cold and indifferent, she was a character whose attitude changed as favorability increased, yet her insincerity was also part of her charm.

‘...Well, if it’s good for me, that’s what matters.’

Though he was bewildered by her very different demeanor, it would be fine as long as things went well.

In fact, it was advantageous for Ken as he might be able to acquire the key faster than originally planned.

Tirpione seemed to share his sentiment, quickly moving to the shelf to rummage for what he was looking for.

Then, suddenly,

‘...If you get this inscription...’

Tirpione recalled what would happen after handing over the inscription.

She cautiously turned her head to look at Ken, who was waiting and staring blankly at her.

“...Um, Ken? ...What do you plan to do after you get the inscription?”

“Well… it’d be a nuisance to stay here, so I plan to head back.”

He thought it was a matter of courtesy, but Tirpione was taken aback.

‘...Why is he saying that?’

The flush on her face from moments before faded, turning pale as she gazed at Ken in disbelief.

Then, Tirpione turned her head and buried it in the shelf.

‘If I give this... will he really leave already?’

She didn’t want to part with him yet.

No, more than that, she simply didn’t want to say goodbye.

She wished they could stay here together.

As these thoughts crossed Tirpione’s mind, a sudden flash of inspiration struck her.

“Oh! By the way, this inscription was a precious keepsake of my master!”

“Y-Yes?”

Tirpione realized how odd it was that she suddenly changed her tune, but desire overcame her reasoning.

“I can’t just give it away.”

With a serious face, Tirpione looked cautiously at Ken.

To keep her intentions hidden.

And Ken, oblivious to her efforts, asked with genuine surprise,

“W-What do I have to do to receive it?”

“W-What do you mean by...?”

“Well, if you say you can’t just give it to me, doesn’t that imply there are conditions?”

Ken’s increasingly confused questions reflected the strange direction things had taken.

Tirpione was equally flustered by his inquiry.

She had only considered imposing a condition but hadn’t thought of the specifics.

“Uh, I-I mean, um…”

Flustered, she glanced around, trying to come up with something plausible.

Her eyes landed on her rusty and dusty sword hanging on the wall.

“Uh, that!”

“Pardon?”

“If you could polish my body beautifully, I would be willing to give it to you!”

Even she thought it was a great idea.

This place was hell within the traps of Tarros.

Fixing her sword in such a place would surely take a long time and be challenging.

As Ken worked on repairing her body, Tirpione contemplated how to keep him here.

With this perfect plan in mind, Tirpione pointed to her body with confidence.

However, Ken remained completely unperturbed by her words.

“Oh, well, that sounds fine.”

He answered with a smile, his demeanor completely at ease.

“...Huh?”

At his response, Tirpione’s fingers drooped limply.

‘Of course, it wouldn’t be so easy to just give it to him.’

I thought of the conditions I needed to impose to acquire the key.

After all, there were conditions in the game for increasing favorability.

There was no way she would hand over the key right from their first meeting.

But the condition she had set fit him perfectly.

Repairing a magic sword.

That was his area of expertise.

“Well, then, if you’ll excuse me for a moment.”

I reached out to grab her body hanging on the wall.

“Ah! W-Wait a moment!”

For some reason, Tirpione, who had been stiff, rushed over to grab my hand as I reached for the sword.

“W-What’s the matter?”

“I just remembered that my body shouldn’t be handled carelessly!”

‘Ah, that’s right…’

As I noticed her flustered expression, Tirpione’s backstory came to mind.

The dangers she spoke of regarding the sword were, as I understood, twofold.

The Magic Sword Tirpione.

A sword that has existed in the Bottom of Tarros for many years, imbued with the demonic energy of this place.

The first danger was the sword’s ability called “Corrosion.”

If a living being is cut by it, it can corrode anything.

The second danger occurs the moment someone takes the sword out of the house.

The moment one steps outside with the sword, all the monsters in the vicinity swarm and attack the owner.

All the players who had stolen the sword after first discovering its power had met their demise in such a manner.

And it was likely that the danger Tirpione referred to was being corroded by the sword.

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“So, uh, can I... borrow it for a moment?”

With a flustered look, Tirpione gazed cautiously at me.

Borrow? What was she trying to do?

Thinking it wouldn’t be dangerous, I nodded.

As I did, Tirpione, still looking anxious, flushed and took my hand, leading it to her.

And then.

“...Um.”

“Eh?!”

She bit my hand with her mouth.

“...Ugh.”

The sensation of her teeth sinking into my flesh. After the familiar pain hit, I realized,

‘Is she... drinking my blood?’

With her eyes closed, Tirpione had blushed while holding my hand for a while.

After a moment, she released my hand and stared at me blankly.

“It’s, it’s okay now… Hehe.”

A bit of my blood smudged at the corner of her mouth made her lips look slightly redder.

‘Did she do something…?’

Thanks to Emily, I had grown accustomed to the sensation of being bitten, so it didn’t hurt that much.

But the feeling of having my blood drawn was new, leaving me slightly flustered.

It seemed she took precautions to ensure it wouldn’t be a problem even if I was cut by her body.

Though I wouldn’t intentionally try to cut myself on her sword.

“Thank you. I’ll fix it up quickly.”

“Y-Yeah? Quickly…?”

“Don’t worry. This is my specialty.”

Seeing the flustered expression on her face, I pulled out my work hammer from my pocket.

I showed it to reassure her.

But upon seeing it, Tirpione’s expression hardened further.

‘Well, I suppose I should start.’

It was strange that she was the one asking for the favor but appeared despairing at the prospect of having it repaired.

Nevertheless, I prioritized examining her sword, which was of utmost importance.

‘Other than the rust and a slightly dull edge, it seems to be intact.’

It didn’t seem to require as much work as I initially thought.

As I began to polish the sword to acquire the key, strange sounds started emanating from behind me.

I realized this was her body.

Thinking about how I was handling Tirpione’s body made me a bit uneasy.

“Uh, th-that area…”

Let’s not think about it, let’s not think about it.

The repair was somehow more difficult than usual, but I managed to finish it.

“Phew, phew... Y-Yes? Is it already... done?”

Tirpione looked slightly disappointed as she checked her polished body.

“Wow, it’s perfect…”

Seemingly pleased with her now tidy body, Tirpione murmured with a serious expression.

Great, I’ve fulfilled my end of the bargain, so I should hurry and…

But then.

“Um, so, after I get the inscription, will you be leaving this place?”

Tirpione, with her head bowed, asked quietly.

What? I had a strange sense of déjà vu…

“Well, it wouldn’t be polite to stay here any longer, so… that would be the plan.”

I answered her question, still feeling the strange atmosphere around us.

Huh? Why am I feeling uneasy…?

Why does it seem like I can predict what will happen next…?

As I pondered this nagging sense of déjà vu,

“...No.”

Tirpione mumbled.

“…What?”

I reflexively repeated her words.

At the same time, Tirpione raised her bowed head.

Her eyes, eerily reminiscent of something I’d seen before, held a hollow gaze.

“No, ...you can’t leave.”

As she continued speaking, I realized the source of the unsettling feeling that had been bothering me.

It reminded me of how Laphne had imprisoned me in the tower.

Ah.

“How about… just staying with me? If you stay here, it’s quite nice.”

“Um, no, uh, Ms. Tirpione?”

The woman with the lifeless eyes approached me with a smile.

Then she pressed herself against me, looking up with a sultry voice as she whispered softly,

“I want to be your partner.”

...This is a big problem.