Stealing Heroines’ Affections Is My Job as the Villain

"There's only one path…"

Sophia pointed forward with her sword, and the others followed her with their guard up.

The group walked down the path, and the moment they saw a small light at the end of the dark corridor, the look on Sadim's face immediately soured, like cold noodles.

It was clear that whatever was at the end, he didn't want them to see it.

Vritra's eyes first went to Sadim as he smiled.

"Let's go forward, shall we?"

Everyone but Sadim nodded, and they continued until they reached the other side of the path and entered another large chamber.

However, this one was much different.

"WOOOOAH…!"

Ghislaine and Luciana's mouths dropped open.

The chamber was huge and bright, lit not by traditional torches but by magical crystals that radiated a golden light.

Giant golden statues of muscular men stood tall. One statue lifted a massive sphere on its back, another held a sword high, and a third had its fists raised, ready for battle.

The place felt grand, and the magic buzzing in the air was almost unreal, making the atmosphere feel heavy!

"What are these?"

Rosemarie asked as she looked at the golden statues.

"Maybe they're artifacts?" Esmeralda replied.

"If they are, then they're a little TOO detailed…"

Ghislaine said as she poked the private part of one of the golden statues while giggling mischievously.

"Th-, The fact that your mind went there…" Sophia frowned at the mischievous, small-bodied woman.

Meanwhile, Luciana stood next to Vritra, who seemed to be silently studying the statues. Whenever he was like this, he was likely analyzing something and would soon offer a correct answer.

The princess just smiled and edged closer to him.

"God Vritra, it looks… marvelous…"

"I agree."

The young lord smiled softly.

Still, that didn't stop Luciana from feeling uneasy.

『We've come quite a distance, and still no traps. I thought there'd be at least one or two traps here, considering how grand this room is, but there's nothing here either… it really bothers me…』

Just as she worried, Vritra gently took hold of her hand and interlocked his fingers with hers.

… Oooop~

The princess was a little startled by this and looked up at him in mild shock.

Smiling at her, the young lord brought her closer.

"You don't need to worry; you're with me, after all."

"Um, yes… I guess I am ♡…"

The princess's cheeks turned red.

Meanwhile, Sadim had already drawn his sword and was looking around the place with his guard up higher than ever. It was a bit odd, considering he'd been more relaxed at other times when the possibility of getting attacked was higher than it was now, where the chances of booby traps seemed scarce.

『Damn it, these guys are gonna kill me…!』

His eyes were constantly darting around.

He was keeping an eye on everyone in the chamber, hoping they'd soon get tired of looking around and decide to advance to the next floor.

"Huh?"

Sadim suddenly noticed Ghislaine playing with the private part of another golden statue. Panicked, he rushed toward her with his sword drawn.

"GET AWAY FROM THERE!"

When Ghislaine heard this, she turned to Sadim, her face immediately paling with a look of feigned innocence.

"I– I DIDN'T TOUCH ANYTHING!"

Instantly, the golden statue behind her, with its fists out, charged forward and tried to punch her into the ground. Sadim swooped in, carrying her out of the way before cutting down the statue's arm with his magic-reinforced sword.

… SLASH!!

The statue's arm fell to the ground, causing the entire chamber to rumble and awakening the other golden statues, including those holding a sphere or a sword.

The group immediately panicked.

"They're moving!" Esmeralda shouted.

The three golden statues rushed toward the group from all sides, but in that instant, Vritra held his hand to the side and used [Pressure Barrier], which caused a surge of gravity to surround them, forming a barrier. When the statues struck against it, they were blown back with ten times the force!

"We-, we're safe…" Sophia clutched her chest.

Luciana smiled at Vritra. "My husband is amazing."

"I agree…" Rosemarie smiled at the princess.

However, Luciana gave her a venomous stare, which left the red-haired nun in shock.

"Uh, did I do someth—?"

Before Rosemarie could finish, Ghislaine's loud scream echoed as she rushed to the young master's legs and tightly hugged them.

"WAAAAAAAAH! YOUNG MASTER, I'M SORRY! I SWEAR I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO THAT!"

"Shut up…"

"Y-, Yes, sir!"

Her white hair spiked up a bit as she heard the young lord silence her. There was a side of Ghislaine that wanted him to forgive her, but there was also a side of her that wanted him to discipline her in the most obscene way possible.

Just the thought made her mouth water.

Perhaps that was why she was always such a klutz.

Rather than deal with Ghislaine, Vritra gently rubbed his chin, observing the golden statues outside the gravity barrier with a calm expression.

Compared to the others around him who seemed to be panicking, he remained neutral.

"So… this is the first serious trap we're facing. Probably the magical legacy of King Midas and the ancient civilization he ruled over. It's a bit funny that it gets triggered by a simple touch on its, well… maybe the gods do have a sense of humor. Am I right, Sadim?"

He looked at Sadim, hoping for a laugh, but the young man just scowled at Vritra.

Naturally, Vritra overlooked the attitude.

"Oh, don't be like that…"

He then looked at Luciana, placed a hand on her head, and smiled like an angel.

"My love, I need you to use a tier 4 water spell to defeat one of those golden golems."

"B-, But… this is my first fight…"

Luciana's eyes widened, looking like those of a cute puppy as she hugged the young lord.

She was a bit scared.

"I don't think I can do it…"

Her cheeks puffed up a bit, and she pressed her head against the young lord's chest.

Vritra simply laughed.

"Of course you can!"

He held her by the shoulders, placed her in front, and gave her two supportive pats as he chuckled.

"Trust me and use the staff I gave you, alright?"

"Al-, Alright…"

The softness in his voice really calmed Luciana.

If an ancient god had faith in her, who was she not to have some faith in herself?

『Okay, okay. I can do this…』

Luciana's face hardened as she held out her magic staff and closed her eyes to focus her magical energy.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Soon, the blue magic core attached to the tip began to glow a bright blue, and the magic energy around it started to gather and swirl like an ocean.

[Water Cannon!]

In an instant, a powerful sphere of water materialized.

… ba────TOOOOOOOOM!!

The sizable ball of water ripped through the air like a projectile shot from a rocket launcher, rocketing toward one of the golden golems. The moment it hit the interior of the gravity barrier, the force of the water ball was multiplied by ten.

The sudden force caused the water ball to diverge in different directions like a curtain of bullets, and this merciless barrage resulted in the raindrop bullets ripping all three golden golems apart, like a squad firing rounds into a target dummy.

The chamber went silent as all three golems crumbled, leaving only their smoking remains.

Everyone was left in shock—well, aside from God Vritra.

They all stared at Luciana, eyes wide and jaws slack.

"Y-, You're that… strong?"

That was all Sophia could say.

Esmeralda, though shocked, was also pleased by the princess's magical talent.

"Ahem! As I expected, Her Highness has excellent magical aptitude. I don't think even a Court Mage could defeat three ancient golems in such a stylish manner."

She folded her arms and gently nodded, like a proud mother.

Still startled, Luciana lowered her magic staff.

"I… I didn't think I'd be able to…"

She fell silent for a moment.

"Wow…"

Not wanting to waste a second, Vritra dispersed the gravity barrier and clapped slowly to get their attention.

"All right, all right, let's move."

No one was given a chance to really grasp the magical feat the princess had just performed, and the young lord simply shrugged it off as though it were just another day in a dungeon.

But maybe that was what made Luciana love him even more.

The way he showed this level of faith in her—that even after she pulled off such a feat, he wasn't surprised—made her feel that his words of encouragement weren't just to boost her confidence, but that he actually knew she could do it.

Luciana grinned, showing her pearly white teeth.

… Tee-hee!

Then, she rushed after him, wrapping her arms around his and pressing her breasts against it.

"Where to next, honey?!"

"Hmm, the third floor, I believe…"

The young lord answered calmly before glancing at Sadim for a moment.

That young hero was too suspicious.