I'm a villain within the hero's party-Chapter 35: Flasback

Yin said, "You got a problem?"

The wind blew gently. Gabby’s long hair moved beautifully in the breeze. He didn’t speak. He just stared at Yin Farrock with calm eyes.

Yin frowned, getting annoyed. "Hey ladyboy, say something."

Suddenly, Gabby’s left eye started glowing green. Blood slowly ran down from it.

Yin stepped back, surprised. "What the..."

Gabby finally spoke. His voice was quiet but serious. "You’re a dangerous man. You killed your own parents... and you smiled while doing it."

Yin’s face turned angry. "That’s it. I thought you were just some harmless fool. But you’re a fool with a sharp tongue."

He rushed forward and threw a fast punch at Gabby’s face. "My punch connected. I don’t even need aura to beat you."

But then he realized—his punch didn’t land. Gabby had caught it. His hand stopped Yin’s fist just an inch from his face.

Gabby said calmly, "You were sent to prison for what you did."

Yin pulled back, ready to punch again. But then he looked into Gabby’s eyes... and saw something strange.

It wasn’t anger. It wasn’t fear.

It was sympathy.

Gabby spoke again, softer this time. "You’re a lonely man. Your sister left you, even though you went to prison to protect her. You saved her from your cruel father. But the world didn’t understand. They punished you instead."

Yin’s voice shook. "What are you trying to say?"

Gabby moved fast—so fast he seemed to disappear and reappear at Yin’s side.

Yin turned his head and looked into Gabby’s eyes again.

He thought, "It feels like I’m looking into darkness. It’s so empty. Am I looking at the abyss?"

Gabby remarked, "I’m not here to comfort you."

Yin scowled, "Are you mocking me?"

Gabby leaned forward and hissed, "No, I’m here to help you. Help the world understand that you are not a monster."

Yin has lived with pain, guilt, and anger for years. People judged him for what he did, but no one ever asked why he did it. No one ever tried to understand him.

But Gabby didn’t need to hear the full story. He saw the truth in Yin’s eyes, in his silence, in his pain. In his upbringing demeanor. And he spoke to that truth.

That moment made Yin feel something he hadn’t felt in a long time: seen. Not as a monster. Not as a criminal. But as a human being.

Yin eyes widened, "What’s in it for you?"

Gabby looked him in the eye and said, "I’ll be honest. I need someone strong and reliable. I need an ally like you."

"What’s the plan?" Yin asked.

Gabby answered, "I’m going to create a way to fight the Rose of the Death disease."

Yin thought to himself, "He doesn’t look strong, but he caught my punch like it was nothing. That’s not normal. Maybe that’s why he ranked third in the trial. He’s powerful. But curing the Rose of Death? That’s impossible."

Yin said out loud, "That’s not possible."

Gabby replied, "Just listen. You’ll promote medicine using your name. If it works, you’ll be praised. People will call it a breakthrough in alchemy and the cure for an incurable disease."

Yin asked, "And if it fails?"

Gabby said, "Then blame me. Tell everyone I was the one who told you to do it. Be honest. People will feel sorry for you."

Yin raised an eyebrow. "So, either way, I win."

He thought to himself, "For gabby this is his gamble."

Gabby nodded. "That’s right."

Yin looked at him carefully. "Then why don’t you do it yourself?"

Gabby looked away and said, "Because I want to stay hidden. I don’t want people to know what I can do. And honestly... this is also a chance for you to redeem yourself."

"Redeem yourself."

That phrase echoed deep inside Yin’s heart.

He had spent years rotting in prison—forgotten, feared, and hated by the people. Even now, he was only allowed to study at the academy because of a parole deal. He was still seen as a criminal.

But if the medicine worked...

If it truly cured the Rose of the Death disease...

Then everything could change.

His prison sentence would be erased. His name would be cleared. He would no longer be seen as a monster—but as a hero.

For the first time in a long while, the anger in Yin’s face faded. A small, geniune smile appeared.

He looked at Gabby and said, "Fine. Let’s make your plan happen."

Gabby thought to himself, "I’m not even sure if the medicine will work. If things go wrong, I’ll just leave him and take the blame myself. I know I’ll come out fine. People will believe the exiled prince over a criminal from the countryside."

"After all, Yin is already known as a wanted man. I’m sure his old lord would be happy to throw him back in prison."

Gabby and Yin agreed to move forward. To make medicine more believable and trusted by the public, they decided to involve someone with a strong reputation.

They chose Professor Linda, a well-known alchemist, respected by the Academy for her knowledge and honesty.

Gabby thought to himself:

The disease first appeared during the Apocalypse, but no one knew what caused it.

After carefully examining Queen’s Hive Mirai’s body, experts found her aura veins were slowly breaking down.

The curse acted like a living parasite.

It attacked both the mana path and aura path—damaging them from the inside.

It blocked healing magic and energy control, and even changed the structure of a person’s energy anatomy.

One of the most frightening signs was the pink, rose-shaped markings that grew across the skin.

These were not just strange spots.

They were a clear sign that the curse had spread deeper.

As the infection grew stronger, it mixed with the victim’s blood and aura particles.

The result was petal-like veins that looked like blooming roses.

But these "blooms" weren’t beautiful.

They were warnings—marks that showed magical decay had started, like a countdown to death.

Victims who reached full bloom often fell into a coma before finally dying.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a hero blessed by the God. If you got infected. You’ll die.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a hero blessed by the gods—once you’re infected, you’re dead.

The medicine I’m about to create is the strongest painkiller humanity has ever attempted. Its main ingredient is weedsprout, a rare plant I collected during the trial. The formula is designed to numb the nerve cells.

Aura and mana pathways are tightly connected to the nervous system, so any external inference causes extreme pain. That’s why healing efforts usually fail.

But I learned something useful from my old master, Ren Restes. He could manipulate energy pathways using aura cultivation. It’s similar to burning out a parasite tangled in wires—the external aura may purge the infection, but it also risks damaging the entire system.