The Villain Reborn as Game's Final Boss

My firm words seemed to have brought the seller to the ground, as he slightly bowed his head in apology before searching for the dagger.

Looking at Alicia, she seemed a little lost in her own thoughts.

I had the thought of buying the dagger for her as a... gift of sorts.

People often bought gifts for those who were close to them, so that the other person would remember them whenever they noticed that gift around them.

This gift of mine would have the same effect on Alicia, which I considered was a good thing... maybe.

"Here."

The vendor, after being lost in searching for the required item for more than a minute, finally presented the dagger before me.

The dagger was the same as the one that I had been holding earlier, the only difference being that it was far smaller in size than the previous one.

Holding it in my hand, the length of the dagger was the same as half the size of my index finger.

This... it was perfect to be stored as a gift, rather than being used in combat.

A very similar red dragon had been inscribed on the hilt of the dagger, the only difference being that it was smaller in size compared to its original version.

Looking closely there was a difference in the curve of the tip of the dagger, as the bigger one had a curved tip, while this one had a straight one... that made it look like a mini sword.

"Should I attach a chain to it?"

Hm?

A chain would be good enough to turn the dagger into a pendant.

The vendor seemed to have understood my motive behind asking for the smaller version of the dagger, as I could see him alternating his gaze between me and Alicia, who was currently standing close to me.

Diana, on the other hand, was at the far end of the stall, inspecting the goods at her own pace.

"Sure."

My words made the seller smile in return as he quickly got to work before attaching a chain to the dagger and turning it into a perfect pendant for Alicia to wear.

After paying the required amount, I turned my head to look at Alicia, who had her eyes fixed on the pendant.

"Turn around."

Though I uttered the words, my hands had already moved, as I gently grabbed Alicia by her shoulders before turning her so that her back faced me.

My hands wrapped around Alicia’s neck as I placed the pendant against her chest and fastened the chain behind her neck.

"It’s beautiful."

Just as I retreated a few inches, Alicia turned around while touching the pendant with her right hand, before raising her head to look into my eyes.

"Thank you."

Her words felt genuine, and maybe they were.

The surprising thing was that Alicia hadn’t cried this time, as her eyes were crystal clear with no tears in them whatsoever.

"Hm? Isn’t there one for me?"

Diana appeared between the two of us, as she lifted the pendant in her hand while inspecting it thoroughly—

"You will ruin it."

Alicia, on her part, retreated a few steps while holding the pendant in her own hand, as if protecting it from Diana.

"Shouldn’t you buy one for me?"

At Alicia’s actions, Diana pouted a little before looking at me with hopeful eyes.

"The food’s over there."

Changing the topic, I once again pointed at the earlier stall before moving in its direction.

"But my gift?"

Diana shouted from behind, though she still followed me, and so did Alicia, who was now practically sticking close to me.

"It’s my first time trying food out in the streets."

Alicia’s voice felt like she was relieved by uttering those words, though I didn’t understand the logic behind giving such a statement.

I had already known that a noble like her wouldn’t visit some lowly stalls—

"I never had the time to try it before."

As if someone could be that busy, but looking at the small smile on Alicia’s face, her words felt genuine for some reason.

Fair enough.

"Come here."

I motioned for Alicia to walk beside me.

As I had already given her the gift, maybe it was the right time to add a bonus to it.

I mean, it was a well-known fact that one should strike when the iron’s hot.

Though Alicia looked hesitant at first, she quickly made up her mind before walking beside me.

"Look up."

My words made her raise her head to look up at the sky above.

"Isn’t it beautiful today?"

Saying the words, I moved closer to Alicia before wrapping my arm around her shoulder.

Honestly speaking... the sky was the same as ever with no beauty in it whatsoever.

Still my gesture seemed to have startled the little girl, as her body trembled slightly, though she made no move to swat my hand away.

I could even notice Alicia trying her best not to ruin the moment by looking into my eyes, as she purposefully kept her gaze focused on the sky above and acted as if what I had done just now was a perfectly normal thing for her.

Human psychology has always revolved around the protection of the weak.

In a family, a sister would always look upon her brother or her father to protect her, even if she could handle the situation fairly well on her own.

She would subconsciously rely on them even if she had the option to be completely independent from her family.

Now, though Alicia wasn’t weak... at the end of the day, she was just a mere human.

No matter what bloodline she had or how great her pride was... in the deepest corners of a human’s heart, there is always a desperation for finding warmth.

The only interesting thing in this analysis was that... neither as X nor even after becoming Kael had I ever felt the need for that warmth.

Did my heart have that corner of desperation too, or had I changed into something that couldn’t be called human at its fundamental level?

"It is."

After a long extended silence, Alicia finally uttered the words while lowering her head and turning it to look into my eyes.

Hm?

I too stared back at her, as our silence extended for another couple of seconds before Alicia moved closer to me.