I Choose The Villain Duke

"Of course not. They're merely poisoned," Yuzan said while getting the water bottles from the ground.

"Poison kills, Yuzan!" Azmir yelled.

"Ah well, it's just a poison that will make them feel like hell and regret that they've ever lived but they'll live. Unfortunately," Yuzan said and handed the water bottles to Azmir.

"What kind of poison did you give them?! What even happened?!" Azmir asked.

"Sheesh. Stop squawking," Yuzan said.

Azmir just stared at him hard.

"Fine. I'll talk. Come on, I'll tell you along the way," Yuzan said.

The two of them proceeded in getting down the cliff carefully.

"When the water passed through my hands, I poisoned the water. I wasn't sure it would work but I'm glad it did," Yuzan said.

"And the poison? What kind is it?" Azmir asked.

Yuzan offered his hand to Azmir because Azmir was having a hard time getting down from a steep rock. Azmir took his hand and slid down cautiously.

"Well, it's a mix of sorts. The first one is they'll be unconscious instantly. When they wake up, they'll have very, very, painful diarrhea," Yuzan said.

"Diarrhea?" Azmir shrieked.

"Yes, it's either they'll die from taking a sh*t in the woods and a beast eats them or die from embarrassment," Yuzan said, his body shaking with laughter he's trying to hold in.

"They'll probably get to the town then. In a day or two?" Azmir asked.

"Maybe but we'll get there first and we'll tell the villagers to capture those three thieves who will surely smell of sh*t. If they even get out of the woods," Yuzan said and laughed out loud.

"I wonder if your little sister knows how much of a sadist you are," Azmir said.

"I'm a good older brother," Yuzan said, grinning.

"But a terrible human being?" Azmir asked, raising an eyebrow.

Yuzan just smiled back.

*

*

*

The town was a far off image from the incredible kingdom of Feylantis overflowing with magic everywhere. This was a small town with few houses made of bricks and wood. There were no cobblestones to thread on but only dirt and sand. The air despite being near the woods smelled not of trees but of dust. It was like being in an Old West village.

There were a few villagers outside their houses. Several were pushing wagons of dried goods - fish, fruits, and things that shouldn't be considered food anymore as they were already being eaten by God knows how many flies. The villagers looked more dead than living. They were bony, and they walked slowly. None of them spoke to each other and the silence was startling. Their faces were ashen and their eyes had a disturbing distant look about them.

Their grim stares followed the two strangers as they walked past them. None tried to sell their strange dried wares. No one spoke. They just stared.

"Mir, I don't think we can get a room here in this town or even report those thieves. I don't think anyone even has the motivation to do anything here," Yuzan said.

"Let's just find an inn. I'm sure they can spare a room for us," Azmir said.

"A room, huh? I see you like my company," Yuzan said, grinning smugly.

Azmir glared at him.

Azmir approached a woman with dried mangoes laid out at her feet. She must be a vendor but she wasn't even trying to get buyers.

"Pardon me, madam, may I know where the inn is?" Azmir asked, flashing his ultra friendly merchant smile.

The woman just opened her mouth but no words came out. It was a disturbing sight.

Azmir grimaced.

"Maybe they speak a different language," Azmir said even though he didn't belive that.

Yuzan frowned and crouched in front of the woman sitting on the ground. Her eyes moved and focused on Yuzan but still, no voice came out. Dark circles hung around her eyes and her skin was more gray than pale.

Yuzan took her bony wrist and placed his palm on her. He closed his eyes.

"Purify," he whispered.

Color flooded back to the woman's skin. Gray became a resemblance of human skin. From her wrist, color flooded throughout her body. A flush of color bloomed on her cheeks. Her ashen lips slowly got a touch of pink. Then her eyes seemed to brighten up.

"Whoa. What the h-" Azmir said, his eyes widening at the transformation.

The woman gasped.

She looked as shocked as Azmir.

"Y-you . . . My savior!" The woman exclaimed.

"What did you do?" Azmir asked utterly amazed.

Yuzan stood up, patting away the dust from his clothing.

"I removed the poison from her body. I assume all of the villagers here are poisoned like her," Yuzan said.

"My savior . . . my savior . . . my savior . . ." The woman kept repeating while bowing with her whole body, her head touching the ground.

"Yuzan, I think this village needs you," Azmir said.

Yuzan looked horrified.

"No," Yuzan said.

"I haven't even asked," Azmir said.

"I know what you're going to ask and my answer is 'no.' We'll just stay here for a while. If there's no inn, we can just sleep on the ground just like what we did when we were in the forest. I am NOT going to heal everyone here," Yuzan said.

"But you're an adventurer!" Azmir said.

"I am not! I haven't consented to becoming an adventurer," Yuzan said. 

Yuzan began walking and looking around, trying to look for something resembling an inn.

"You were brought to this world!" Azmir said.

Yuzan just kept silently walking.

"It must be because it's your destiny to purify these people from the poison in their village!" Azmir insisted.

Yuzan stopped walking. He looked fed up.

"It's not my destiny. God asked me what skill I wanted to have and I said I wanted something to protect against poison. My sister was poisoned, Azmir, and I just want to protect her. If that god said I can only heal my sister, I would have accepted. I do not care if these villagers die. I'm going to find my sister," Yuzan said. 

Azmir sighed and Yuzan turned his back and began walking again.

"WAIT! PLEASE! WAIT!"

The woman Yuzan just healed was trying to catch up with them. She eventually did, out of breathe and gasping for air.

"P-please. Help my little sister. Before you go. Please. She's in a very bad state and she's going to die if no one helps her," the woman said with tears in her eyes.

Azmir raised an eyebrow at Yuzan, curious on what he's going to do.

Yuzan looked annoyed but he was obviously conflicted.

"Please! I'll give you everything we have! Just save my sister. Please!" The woman cried.

Yuzan sighed.

"Do you have a spare room?" Yuzan asked.

"Y-yes," the woman answered.

"Fine. I'll heal your sister," Yuzan said.

Azmir smiled.

*

*

*

The house was as run-down as the others. Made of wood and filthy with dust but Yuzan didn't say any complaints.

"Your sister. Where is she?" Yuzan asked.

"She's in the bedroom. She's been in such a terrible state that she can't even get out of bed now," the woman said with a sob.

Yuzan followed the woman inside the bedroom. A little girl who looked like she was only made of skin and bones laid on top of a small shabby bed. She looked more dead than alive.

Yuzan placed his hand on top of her dark brown hair and closed his eyes.

Like a black and white picture being converted to a colored version, color slowly filled her skin. Her breathing which was ragged changed to a relaxed pace and her cheeks were flushed in color. The little girl blinked and stared at the man with unique snow white skin and raven black hair.

"Grace! Oh, Grace! You're okay now! He saved you! Thanks this man for saving you, Gracie," the older sister said, hugging her little sister close to her.

"Thank you, Mister," the little girl said.

Yuzan nodded quietly.

It was a strange feeling. Saving someone else's little sister. If only he had this ability before. Perhaps he could have saved his own younger sister and they would be living happily in their original world.

*

*

*

"Why does your village only sells dried goods?" Azmir asked.

"Well . . . it's because we can't sell fresh ones. The soldiers from Faresh have been trying to extort us with higher taxes but when we refused, they placed a curse on us. I don't know how exactly it was done but after that day, we just suddenly became incredibly weak and we were unable to step inside the woods. We can only gather fruits growing from the outer parts of the woods," the woman answered.

"I'll get the two of you something to eat and drink. You must be tired from your journey," the woman said and left the room.

"Faresh, huh? That's the small kingdom at the right side. A military kingdom if I recall correctly. I don't think they know how to make curse magic. Strange," Azmir said.

Yuzan narrowed his eyes at Azmir.

"I hope you're not thinking what I think you're thinking," Yuzan said in a warning tone.

"Come on, Yuzan. Don't you want to be a hero? Save this village from whatever is poisoning them and teach those guys in Faresh a lesson!" Azmir said, grinning.

Yuzan grimaced.

"I'm not a hero, Mir. I'm just an older brother who wants to find his little sister," Yuzan said. "Nothing you'll say will convince me."

"Really? Just think. What will your little sister think if she learns that her older brother is a hero? Her older brother saved a village and fought the evil guys. How do you think she'll react?" Azmir asked gleefully.

Yuzan glared at Azmir.

Azmir smiled, already knowing he had won.

"Fine," Yuzan said grudgingly.