A Runaway Villainess, Now Healing In An Enemy Country - Chapter 3

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Chapter 3】

“Ah shit! Hey you there! Are you trying to kill someone?!”

“If you don’t want to die, run over here. I’m going to fire another shot.”

“Mage? Protect me. You can abandon that crazy bastard.”

There was a minor issue with distance control, but anyway.

A noisy battle suddenly broke out.

And I ended up facing three high-risk magical beasts called griffins and all their minions below almost entirely by myself.

‘Thanks to certain people who just watched.’

I glared at the two knights who knew nothing of chivalry.

“…?”

Though they looked somewhat disheveled, they were clearly wearing black uniforms and swords. There were no insignias, but I could still figure out their affiliation.

‘Belmayer. And they must be the Duke’s knights.’

So what if they lacked chivalry. So what if they spoke informally to me without even thanking me after causing trouble at our first meeting.

With a benevolent smile, I pulled out my last emergency ration from the hem of my dress – some jerky.

“You said you were hungry. Want to eat this?”

They say you should give even your enemy an extra rice cake.

—Actually, it wasn’t that. It was because I judged these guys could become my express ticket to Belmayer.

The Hilbarsia Empire and the Belmayer Duchy.

The history of ceasefire between these two nations spans a full ninety years.

So, a hundred years ago.

Belmayer’s demon Duke was a Duke and Mage Tower Lord of the Hilbarsia Empire, but one day he fell to dark magic and killed the saint of that era.

Because of this, the Duke came under attack from the Empire, so he destroyed the Mage Tower and declared the Duchy’s independence, leading to war between the Empire and the Duchy.

But a victor wasn’t easily determined.

Though Belmayer’s army was overwhelmingly outnumbered, each individual was monstrously strong.

After a prolonged stalemate, they signed a ceasefire, which has been maintained to this day.

And that Duke from back then is still alive.

‘They say he became a demon for the sin of harming the saint.’

It’s unclear whether that expression “demon” is metaphorical or if he really became such a being.

However, his inhuman nature of being immortal while harboring dark magic is fact, and since Lishie calls him a demon in the original work, I suppose that’s what he is.

Well, whether he’s a real demon or fake demon doesn’t matter.

What’s important is that Belmayer’s enemy is the Empire.

“Ahem. I’m Irene. From Hilbarsia’s Balt—”

“I know.”

…Of course they would?

I had given them a bribe and was about to reveal my identity with great resolve, but surprisingly their attitude was very refreshing.

The man called a crazy bastard added mockingly.

“You’re a Baltres, aren’t you.”

Actually, it wasn’t surprising that they recognized me.

Baltres is a famous powerful family in the Empire, and black hair with red eyes are family traits.

Moreover, since Older Brother who looks just like me often goes out to border disputes, they might have guessed from that.

“Jepi.”

The pink-haired one who had instantly swallowed the jerky suddenly interrupted.

A youthful face between boy and young man, an expression that was hard to tell if serious or blank. He spoke again.

“Jepi.”

…I think I can see why his nickname is blockhead.

“Right. That’s your name? And you?”

The man with bronze skin tanned by sunlight and impressive platinum hair braided long had a fierce expression but obediently answered immediately.

“Nishe.”

“Good. So, why are you guys here?”

“You tell us first. Why is a princess who should be in the Citadel wandering around mountains looking like a beggar?”

A beggar, he says. Since it was an appearance I couldn’t really refute, I just twitched my eyebrows for a moment.

“Wrong answer. I’m no longer a princess. Right now I’m in the middle of fleeing after stabbing the Crown Prince.”

“…Ha. Isn’t this one completely crazy?”

“For reference, I wasn’t wandering but finding my way to Belmayer quite well. So now it’s my turn, right? Why are Belmayer knights here?”

Since we hadn’t crossed the border, this was still Empire territory. So their appearance was somewhat meaningful.

While Nishe remained silent, Jepi answered without any wariness.

“Returning after finishing a mission.”

…He’s telling me just like that?

I hope this careless knight didn’t get his identity exposed to Empire people while doing spy work.

Anyway.

“How about taking me along on your way?”

“Why?”

Jepi, with his sleepy, blank face, tilted his head.

“I caused a major incident and can’t stay in the Empire. I may not look it, but I’m quite an excellent mage, so I’ll be helpful.”

Fleeing to an enemy nation to escape your own country’s execution block.

The so-called ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ strategy!

“Okay.”

“Listen, my specialty is magical alchemy, so turning stones to gold is my forte… What?”

“Okay.”

Jepi repeated as if it was no big deal. It was such an overly cheerful acceptance that it sounded refreshing.

I was momentarily dumbfounded and asked.

“You’re saying you’ll take me to Belmayer?”

“You said you wanted to come.”

“What? Are you really crazy?”

Nishe, who had been quiet the whole time, suddenly got angry.

But strangely, he was glaring at empty air instead of Jepi or me.

As if he was talking to a ghost or something. He rubbed his face with thick hands and grumbled.

“…Fine. I’ll do as you say, Witch.”

“….”

“Hmph. Don’t ever send me on missions with blockheads again.”

“….”

I was getting a bit scared by his crazy muttering, when Nishe turned his gaze to me.

Then he finally spoke to me.

“Hey. You want to come to Belmayer?”

“…That’s right?”

He pulled up the corner of his mouth in a sly smile.

“Let’s go. There’s work for you to do. Blockhead!”

Huh? What?

Before I could react, Jepi grabbed my hand as if snatching it. A strange light appeared in his bright green eyes.

“I can run now.”

“What do you mean by that… Aaaaah!”

Whoosh!

Before I could prepare myself mentally, the scenery before my eyes changed rapidly as if I was on a roller coaster.

“Damn that crazy blockhead! You have to take me too!”

“You can come on your own.”

Whether Nishe, left behind in the distance, was throwing a fit or not, neither Jepi nor I cared.

‘This is what he calls running? That’s impossible.’

My mouth fell open at the strange ability comparable to teleportation magic. Jepi glanced at me and warned.

“Better close your eyes.”

Whoosh!

After that, all my senses ‘whooshed’ past me.

After what felt like an incredibly brief moment. When I properly stood on solid ground again, it was no longer the Empire.

“…This is Belmayer.”

The northern Duke’s land from the Loban world, as if painted.

Under the overcast sky, the scenery of a snowy country frozen pure white was welcoming me.

Could entering enemy territory really be this easy?

I suddenly glanced sideways at Jepi, who seemed quite capable.

According to the original work, Belmayer had several non-human beings besides the Duke. They were his right-hand men, and though their exact identities were unknown, they were collectively called monsters.

All I knew was that they possessed powerful and alien abilities that were neither magic nor aura.

So was he, no, were they those ‘monsters’?

‘But both of them had aura cores.’

Generally, a mage’s heart contains mana circuits, while a knight’s heart contains an aura core.

Their aura presence was also remarkable, so I had assumed that with such skill, they must be the Duke’s knights.

Well. There’s no law saying you can only do one thing… right.

It was a situation where no one had deceived anyone, yet only I had been deceived.

‘They’re probably more than just close associates, so this actually worked out better.’

Examining the tranquil (actually somewhat like a large abandoned house) exterior of the Duke’s Castle covered in white snow, I casually brought up the topic.

“Hey, could you maybe let me meet the Duke?”

For asylum, I needed permission from the highest authority.

At this rate, maybe I could meet him right away? Maybe the Duke would coolly say ‘You stabbed that annoying Crown Prince? I quite like you’ and grant permission?

“Master is sleeping.”

…Different from my expectations, but sure. That could happen.

“Then tomorrow? The day after?”

“Master will be sleeping.”

“…When does he wake up?”

At my question, Jepi rolled his eyes around as if counting numbers, then responded with a question mark.

“Next year? Or not?”

“Right, that’s not it, right? The time unit is strange. It must be tomorrow?”

“Year after next? Master has only been asleep for 3 months.”

‘What is this, Sleeping Beauty?’

I had never heard any rumors about the demon Duke being under a sleeping curse like in fairy tales.

To begin with, in the original work, the Duke never appeared directly, not even a single line. Not even until the very end.

‘Since Lishie’s reverse harem was the main content.’

This is why remembering all the original content was useless.

Anyway, since the Duke’s condition = the world’s survival = my life was at stake, I was about to question him step by step when Jepi suddenly whipped his head around.

“Ah.”

It was a sound that could have been either an exclamation or a tongue click. He left me with just one word before disappearing like the wind.

“Don’t want to get bitten by a mad dog.”

“What?”

Thud thud thud—

It was right after that when I felt vibrations from the ground.

“Zephyrus…!”

In the distance, a threatening silhouette was rapidly approaching the Duke’s Castle, which had no gatekeeper.

The mad dog who reached me in an instant shouted.

“Today I’m finally going to give you some discipline…”

“You came? Are you also some kind of non-human ability user?”

As if immediately grasping the situation, Nishe’s well-defined features crumpled up.

“Ha.”

“I don’t like it when you sigh right in front of me.”

“Whatever, you… just follow me for now. Let’s get ‘that matter’ dealt with first. The Witch is going crazy telling us to hurry up.”

What matter? Witch? Ah. Come to think of it.

I had forgotten due to the bewildering circumstances that brought me here, but Nishe had said there was ‘work to do’ for me.

“Shouldn’t you explain what kind of work it is first?”

“You’ll know when we get there.”

What a way to talk.

Unfortunately, since I was in the weaker position here, I followed his unfriendly guidance without complaint.

And as soon as I entered the interior of the Duke’s Castle, I realized the uncomfortable truth that the exterior had been the more presentable part.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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