I Choose The Villain Duke

After a week, the village had become noticeably livelier. The sounds of people talking, laughing, and calling out for customers filled the air instead of dust. The items being sold were fresh. Colorful fruits in so many shapes and sizes. Hunters were bringing in meat by the wagons. Red boar meat, wild rabbit meat, and other delectable types of meat that can only be found in the Viridian Woods. The smell of meat being roasted, fried, and boiled filled the streets from pubs and inns that have opened again. It absolutely smelled wonderful.

The village was alive and it was all because of Yuzan. One would think that Yuzan would be amazed at the sight of the flourishing village which was all his doing. But no, he remained stubborn, saying that he wanted to get out of the village and go see his sister already.

"Sir Yuzan, you can stay a few more days here. You haven't tasted the roasted firebird yet or the moonshine liquor or even the smoked silverfish with wonder mushroon sauce! You really need to stay longer so you can enjoy all the food we have here. You can't get those anywhere else!" A young woman with long chestnut brown hair wearing a green dress with a ruffled white apron said.

Yuzan sighed. This was the village chief's granddaughter, Feila. Yuzan and Azmir were staying at the village chief's house ever since Yuzan healed the village chief's family.

The village chief was a small old man with a smile that brings out all the lines at the corners of his eyes. His son died from a wild beast in the woods. His son was actually a good hunter but he had already taken in the poison so his body was too slow to avoid the beast's attacks. The village chief's daughter-in-law soon died too a few days after. She was overcome with grief and refused to eat. She only consumed water which she didn't know was filled with poison.

"Feila, we shouldn't force Sir Yuzan to stay if he doesn't want too. Then again, perhaps Sir Yuzan is not looking for food. Something else I could offer perhaps?" A woman with short brown hair wearing a low-cut violet dress that concealed only half of her breasts said while she touched Yuzan's arm with her finger slowly.

Yuzan sighed again. 

This was Reika, Feila's older sister. Feila exuded an innocent refreshing charm which most men would find cute while Reika exuded a seductive mischievous aura.

Yuzan stood up.

"Where are you going?!" Reika asked.

She wasn't used to being ignored.

"Out," Yuzan simply said without sparing them a glance and went out of the village chief's house.

*

*

*

Villagers greeted him as he walked passed by them. Several wanted to give him free stuff. Free food, free meat, free night service . . . Yuzan ignored all of those and continued walking wordlessly.

Azmir was in the woods. He told Yuzan that he would just get some rare supplies fron the woods that they can use for bartering in Aderlan and they could get out of the village at dawn.

Yuzan began ascending up the ladder attached to the cliff going to the woods. The villagers had placed several ladders made of sturdy vines on the cliff to make it easier for them to go to the woods.

"Urgh," Yuzan grunted.

He could feel the burn in his arms as he climbed up the ladder. Several times he regretted not asking for more skills fron the god he met after dying. He didn't expect it to be a difficult world to live in. The god said he would be sent to a world full of magic but he left out the part where Feylantis is the only kingdom filled with magic. There were no cars, no communication device, no social media to use to broadcast to everyone that he's looking for his dear little sister. If he only knew that there was no technology in this world, perhaps he should have wished to bring technology that would work here. Maybe a helicopter so he can go to his sister instantly.

THUD!

Yuzan was lying down on his back. He finally reached the top of the cliff. Blue skies and wispy white clouds. Was Mia looking at the same sky he was looking at right now?

His heart ached.

He still couldn't erase the image of his sister's tomb stone back in his mind. That drab gray slab of stone where his sister's body was buried underneath.

He had to see her.

He had to hold her and see for himself that she was alive and well.

"LET GO! THAT'S MINE!"

A voice ripped him off from his dark thoughts.

Azmir.

Yuzan got up.

He ran inside the woods and looked around.

"NO! STOP IT!"

He was becoming frantic. Where the hell was he?!

"HELP! PLEASE! SOMEBODY! HEEELPP!!!"

There!

He parted a huge bunch of vines hanging from a tree then he saw him. His teary eyes. His bruised mouth. His ripped shirt. His bare shoulder.

Yuzan's eyes darkened.

There were three men surrounding Azmir. They haven't noticed him yet. They were chuckling among themselves. He walked slowly behind them, trying to get closer as quiet as possible.

They were wearing leather breastplates and they had sheated swords attached to their belts.

Soldiers.

"We're just taking your pouch. What's the harm in that, aye?" A soldier said, laughing harshly.

"Are you sure yer a lad? Ain't find anyone so pretty as you in our camp. Fancy a roll in a hay?" Another soldier asked, leering at Azmir, touching his blue hair.

"Come on now. Don't be stubborn and come with us. We don't want to beat up that pretty face of yours," the third soldier said, caressing Azmir's cheek.

Yuzan had enough.

He pulled off a thick long vine hanging above his head and before the soldiers could even react, he swung the vine towards them, hitting the back of their heads.

Azmir looked at him in surprise.

The soldiers turned around and unsheated their swords. Yuzan spun the vine in a circular motion. He looked like a lion tamer with a whip in his hand.

One of the soldiers charged right at him. Yuzan side stepped, dodging perfectly, and going behind him. He placed the vine right over the solider's head and pulled. He was now strangling the soldier from behind.

The soldier made choking sounds. Yuzan remained expressionless even when he loosened his hold on the vine and the soldier collapsed on the ground.

The soldier's mouth was foaming and his eyes were white. The two soliders began to back away in fright.

"Are you from Faresh?" Yuzan asked, walking towards the two soldiers.

He remembered Azmir mentioning of a military kingdom near the village. 

"W-we'll leave! Please! Spare us!"

"We have swords! Don't come near us!"

Yuzan flung the vine at them, hitting them right at their faces.

Then they collapsed. Their mouths foaming and their eyes white.

Yuzan took Azmir's magical pouch from the unconscious soldier and handed it to Azmir. He also took the soldier's sword and tied it around his own waist. Not that he knew how to use it but it could still be useful.

"Let's go," Yuzan said, grabbing his hand.

"Why are you here?" Azmir asked, bewildered.

"I got tired listening to the two sisters and I had nothing else to do," Yuzan said, still pulling Azmir by his hand.

They eventually reached the cliff and they began their descent using the vine ladders.

"So? Why weren't you fighting back?" Yuzan asked when they got down the cliff.

"I did. Well, I tried but I had no water with me and my fists are not of much use," Azmir said.

"They ripped your shirt," Yuzan said, frowning. 

He should have stabbed those damn soldiers. 

Azmir looked down his shirt and shrugged. "Must have gotten damaged when my pouch was snatched from me."

"I doubt that. I think they wanted to do bad things to you. If I didn't come, they could have. . . " Yuzan trailed off. 

"Well, you got revenge for me. I presume you poisoned them with the whip. What kind of poison was that? You knocked them down so fast!" Azmir said.

"Something they deserve," Yuzan said.

"Thank you," Azmir said.

Yuzan nodded.

"That's not the way to the village," Azmir said.

"I know," Yuzan said.

Realization dawned on Azmir.

"No way. Are you going to Faresh?!" Azmir asked.

Yuzan nodded.

"Why?! It's a military kingdom! I'm not even sure if you can even call it a kingdom! It's a military camp!" Azmir said, yelling, but still following Yuzan.

"I don't care," Yuzan said.

"Why? You don't need to get revenge for the villagers. You already saved them from the poison. You said we're leaving tomorrow anyway!" Azmir said.

"They shouldn't have done that," Yuzan muttered to himself.

"Done what? Poison the villagers?" Azmir asked.

Yuzan looked at Azmir.

"They shouldn't have touched you," Yuzan said.

*

*

*

After almost an hour of walking, Yuzan knew they had reached Faresh. There were tents everywhere. The soldiers saw them and just curiously observed them.

Yuzan had a strange air of authority about him. He walked with confidence as if he knew where he was going. Azmir looked around them nervously.

"Yuzan, please. Let's go back. It's too dangerous here," Azmir pleaded.

Yuzan ignored him. He saw a large man who had more armor on him than the others but he didn't look like the highest authority among them.

"Take me to your leader," Yuzan said.

"And why should I?" the large man asked with a smirk.

Yuzan placed his palm on the large man's face and quickly removed his hand.

"AAAAAAARRGGHHHHHH! IT'S BURNING! MY FACE! ARRRGHH!!!"

"Take me to your leader or else that face of yours is going to come off," Yuzan said.