Reincarnated as the Hated Villainous Prince, I Thought I Could Live Freely in This Life, but Unconsciously Acted Like a Saint ~Trying to Create an Evil Kingdom, but for Some Reason I'm Highly Respected by Everyone~ - Chapter 4

“Hehehehe…! A quick one, aren’t you?”

“But now that you have come this far, there is no escape, is there?”

“Please… stop…!”

It seems that the two guys who entered the alley behind us had indeed targeted the girl.

They cornered her against the wall, drooling filthily as they slowly approached.

-No, seriously, it’s unbelievable.

To be honest, these two aren’t exactly handsome.

They look rather unclean, and in Japan, they’d certainly be rejected by women. Yet, they’re so confident in approaching a girl…

And to think that they’d try to make such a cute girl their own…!

“!”

Mirua, who had been following me, suddenly widened her eyes.

“Your Highness, could it be that girl… an elf…?!”

“Yeah, probably.”

In the game from my previous life, elves wore green robes when they entered human settlements.

The clear difference between humans and elves are their ears.

To prevent their identity from being revealed by their pointed ears, they hide deep under their robes.

To avoid being attacked by humans seeking their blood, they make sure their race remains undetected at all costs.

In the land of the elves, this was common sense.

And when it comes to elven girls, they’re known to be extremely beautiful!

Big-breasted, beautiful, and elegant, the thought of toying with such a girl…!

“Unforgivable. Let’s annihilate them quickly.”

“Yes…!”

Mirua seemed ready for action as well, rolling up her sleeves at my signal.

“But, Prince Esmeralda… Did you foresee this…?”

“Huh? Foresee?”

I didn’t quite understand, but one of the criteria for the “villainous role” I aspire to is to “often wear a meaningful smile in all situations”.

“Heh… That’s right. I hate nothing more than those who try to have fun all by themselves. That’s why I was one step ahead of them.”

“Prince Esmeralda…!”

Hahaha, it seems I’ve nailed it.

Here I am, planning to take the elf away from these men, literally to have the good times all to myself. Yet I wouldn’t allow them the same.

Such arrogance is indeed befitting of the villainous prince, Esmeralda Dia Vefeld!

“Prince Esmeralda… My judgment was not wrong…! Though cold and blunt in appearance, you truly possess deep kindness and insight, and I believe the rapid improvement in your swordsmanship is to right the wrongs of this world, surely it must be, I believe so.”

Mirua seemed to be moved by some incomprehensible emotion, rendering her useless.

It is time for me, alone, to act like the villainous prince I am and take the woman away from these men.

“Hey, you guys. What are you doing?”

I crossed my arms dramatically and called out to the men who were about to pounce on the elf.

“It looks like you’re having fun in secret, but that woman is mine. There’s no place for lowly humans like you.”

“Huh…?”

At my call, a man with messy bed hair turned around with an irritated voice.

“Who the hell are you? Are you trying to pick a fight with us, huh?”

Oops, that’s right.

To avoid being recognized by the commoners, I had been wearing a black mask until just now.

The reason, of course, is that it’s cool and villainous.

“Heh… Ignorance is truly amusing.”

“Huh?”

“If you’re going to talk like that, I’ll show you. Behold my hidden identity!”

With a sly grin, I removed the black mask – revealing to the men the true face of the villainous prince, Esmeralda Dia Vefeld.

“What…?!”

“No way…!”

As expected, the two men looked at me with shocked expressions.

-Ah, this is great. Exciting.

Hiding my appearance in public, now revealing myself where there aren’t any passersby.

It’s a situation that perfectly embodies my villainous aesthetic.

“Ah, I always thought he was cool, but I’ve never known love, but this could be what they call love, but it’s my first time, so I don’t understand anything, even now I wonder if Prince Esmeralda would escort me, oh my, I’m so naughty.”

Sword Emperor Mirua, still behind me, continued to mutter to herself while fidgeting with her legs.

…Strange.

She is the Sword Emperor.

In the game, she was even a troublesome figure for the final boss, a cheat-character-like presence supporting the heroes.

The fact that even the Sword Emperor can’t move an inch, could it be the work of these men…?

Maybe they used some kind of spell to bewitch women, or maybe they had some kind of thin-book-like ability.

“Hey, you two,” I said, looking down at the men in a deliberately deep voice. “It’s not just the girl you’re playing with, is it? What else are you plotting?”

“! How ridiculous, how could you know…!”

“Heh, looks like I hit the mark.”

The men, seeing my meaningful smile, must have increased their caution considerably.

“For some reason, this one knows about our plans. We have to deal with him now.”

And just like that, they took a fighting stance, ready to face me.