A Runaway Villainess, Now Healing In An Enemy Country - Chapter 37

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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 37】

 

5. Operation Riot

 

Life is truly a kaleidoscope of events.

 

They say bad things happen in clusters, so of all days to encounter that crazy tree evil spirit, why did Chessier have to wake up on that very day?

 

The fact that the first thing he did upon regaining consciousness was put out a bounty on me, and that I’m now walking back to the Empire with my own two feet—it’s all just laughable.

 

“Let’s rest for a bit.”

 

Ally said this as she spread out a sleeping bag and laid me down.

 

Since we’d been traveling since dawn without any sleep according to our schedule, I was already nodding off and followed her touch without resistance.

 

“You’ve been dozing since earlier, haven’t you? Go to sleep. Even if we waste a little time here, we’ll still arrive at the Duchy as planned.”

 

“Ally, you’re acting really like a maid right now…”

 

Ally, who had even lit a fire, replied with a satisfied air.

 

“I am your personal maid, after all.”

 

A forest path where snow-laden trees stretched densely.

 

This was the northwest of the Empire. It was also where the villa from the day I stabbed Chessier was located.

 

Of course, it’s on the complete opposite side from the northernmost point with the World Tree. That place was originally land attached like a tumor to the east.

 

Well, anyway.

 

We crossed the mountain range in the blink of an eye thanks to Jepi’s ability. He said there weren’t many restrictions on mountain range travel as long as we weren’t close to the World Tree.

 

However, both traveling long distances at once and moving with three people in tow put strain on his legs, so he needed rest breaks in between.

 

This was exactly one of those rest periods.

 

Our haste seemed worthwhile, as the Imperial Army hadn’t reached this area yet and the surroundings were quiet.

 

‘Though it’s probably the calm before the storm.’

 

I looked up at the night sky dotted with stars with unease and thought about Giselle’s operational plan.

 

To summarize, it went like this:

 

1. I make as noisy an appearance as possible in the Duchy.

 

2. While they’re distracted by this, we kidnap the Countess.

 

3. We show Irene’s death before everyone.

 

4. We all safely return to Belmayer together.

 

‘…Easier said than done. Will things really go this smoothly?’

 

Honestly, it sounded so absurd that I couldn’t help but have some doubts about this brilliant plan devised by Belmayer’s chancellor, advisor, and mastermind.

 

“Your affairs are soon to be Belmayer’s affairs.”

 

…But having heard those words, I had no choice but to follow her instructions.

 

‘If only I hadn’t shown myself to Noaren back then.’

 

There’d be no worry about getting caught, no need for all this suffering!

 

I’d been regretting it constantly since meeting that guy, but regret is called regret because it comes too late. No matter how much you do it, the past doesn’t change.

 

So I had to think about how to handle things well.

 

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

 

Suddenly my eyes were covered by a palm. It was cold like a frozen washcloth, so I immediately recognized its owner.

 

“I’m tired, but lying down makes me unable to sleep.”

 

Right. Now that I mention it, ‘we’ includes me, Ally, Jepi, and even Davuer.

 

“…But are you really going to follow me?”

 

“You’re asking again even though we’ve already come this far.”

 

“Well, I’m worried.”

 

Davuer chose this option despite saying he hadn’t been outside Belmayer since being consumed by the Magi.

 

This untested journey to the Empire might pose an even greater risk to him than sleeping in Winter Castle.

 

After all, my totem ability hadn’t been properly verified. Since I gained it suddenly, it could just as suddenly disappear.

 

“I’m afraid of sleeping.”

 

His voice didn’t sound afraid at all.

 

Even so, somehow my sense of duty as a totem became heavy. I muttered as if making excuses.

 

“I really can’t take responsibility. It’s not like it’s an ability that works just because I try hard… I don’t even know the principle behind it…”

 

“Who told you to take responsibility?”

 

“Well, no one in particular… but still.”

 

“Staying by your side is my choice, Irene.”

 

Davuer removed the hand covering my eyes.

 

Perhaps because of his bright silver hair, he looked like the moon in the sky as he sat beside me looking down.

 

“So you don’t have to take responsibility for anything.”

 

…Those words were strangely comforting.

 

Despite not being able to see the future, optimism that everything would work out well suddenly overwhelmed my worries.

 

Then, as if it had been waiting, drowsiness poured over me immediately.

 

I dreamed of a moon with eyes, nose, and mouth.

 

* * *

 

The Duchy, Hill.

 

We arrived when the morning sun was high in the sky.

 

We had traveled a distance that would take a full week by carriage from the north in almost half a day.

 

Truly the Zephyrus Express. It was tremendous speed that could compete even with teleportation magic.

 

Most importantly, thanks to that, we were able to secretly slip past the Duchy’s checkpoints.

 

“Ugh. I’m going on strike now… ugh…”

 

However, the penalty was definite too, as Jepi, who had properly overexerted himself despite resting, kept dry heaving.

 

Ally quickly pulled me away about three steps from him and wrinkled her face.

 

“Disgusting.”

 

“Urgh.”

 

Jepi, with his pale face, seemed too sick to even get annoyed at Ally and just kept making retching motions.

 

The place where we were standing now was a secluded alley leading to the Duchy’s central plaza.

 

We could see people coming and going in the plaza right away.

 

I had changed my hair and eye color to brown with magic and still pulled my robe’s hood down deep.

 

“…It’s been half a year.”

 

Being expelled from the Duchy happened around summer, and I’d spent a little over three months in Belmayer after that.

 

“Wasn’t it from the Duchy that you came over back then?”

 

Davuer, similarly covered by a robe, asked back.

 

Unlike me, a famous figure in the Empire, there probably wouldn’t be anyone who knew him, but he was a man who would stand out more if he revealed his face.

 

Come to think of it, he would probably have much deeper feelings than me. It would be his first time in a hundred years, after all.

 

‘But he doesn’t show any particular signs of that.’

 

I scratched my cheek and replied.

 

“Ah… I was actually expelled from the Duchy. For causing a disturbance during last year’s consecration ceremony.”

 

“A disturbance?”

 

Once every year, a consecration ceremony was held at the Grand Temple.

 

The name sounds grand, but in reality it’s just priests adding various impressive-looking procedures to bestow blessings.

 

I always thought of that consecration ceremony as a pitiful nationwide scam show trying to somehow package their feeble holy power, so I rarely participated.

 

But last year’s consecration ceremony was presided over by Lishie, and Lishie personally bestowed blessings.

 

Since divine power is ‘real,’ I attended once.

 

And the priests who saw me foamed at the mouth, saying they couldn’t bestow the Countess’s blessing upon a villainess.

 

What would I have done there?

 

“I turned all the priests bald.”

 

“…How cruel.”

 

Jepi, who had stopped dry heaving, grabbed his own hair.

 

Ally flicked Jepi on the forehead and said.

 

“There must have been a reason for everything.”

 

“Right. It was magic that would wear off with time.”

 

“As expected, Irene is too kind for her own good.”

 

“…Ahem.”

 

Anyway, for that reason, Lishie’s inauguration ceremony ended up being ruined in an unsightly manner.

 

That day, I received a permanent ban from the Grand Temple, and my father ordered me to be confined to the Western Duchy and not come out.

 

So on the day I went to meet Chessier, I rode on horseback from the duchy’s mansion to the Northern Villa.

 

It was fortunate that the duchy was close to the north; if I had departed from the Citadel, I would have arrived with my bottom glued to the saddle.

 

Suddenly, Davuer quietly confessed.

 

“…I once did something like that too.”

 

“Huh? You mean you made someone bald?”

 

“Yes. A priest.”

 

“I never thought there’d be another person who thinks exactly like me.”

 

I never dreamed it would be the former Demon Duke.

 

“Well. There probably won’t be another.”

 

“…Huh? But you said you did it!”

 

“I only carried it out.”

 

After giving that cryptic response, Davuer returned to his mysterious concept.

 

Instead of pressing him further, I turned my gaze toward the plaza.

 

‘Something definitely seems strange…’

 

I’d been feeling it for a while now, but the atmosphere in the Citadel was different from what I had expected.

 

Far from the Royal Guard strutting around importantly, there wasn’t even any murmuring about the wanted order issued by the Imperial Court.

 

Rather, it felt too… excited.

 

“For now, let’s try to understand the situation in the Citadel.”

 

Davuer nodded in agreement.

 

“From now on, I’m a country noble lady who snuck out for a stroll, Ally is my maid, and you two are escort knights.”

 

After improvising role assignments, I looked at the group with their conspicuous hair colors and cast normalizing magic on everyone except Ally.

 

Meaning I changed them to brown hair.

 

“Oh.”

 

“It’ll return to normal after a day passes.”

 

Jepi pulled his short hair toward his eyes. As if he could see the color that way.

 

Anyway, we had become roughly ordinary-looking.

 

However, if there was something to worry about.

 

“…Will this really hide us well?”

 

It was a situation where Davuer stood out due to his magi.

 

If someone with abilities like a knight or mage saw him, they would notice that the ominous aura he carried was magi.

 

“It’s just a guess, but probably.”

 

He answered ambiguously while taking my left hand.

 

The method he proposed for hiding his magi was precisely this act of ‘holding hands.’

 

Something about how his magi becomes weaker when he touches me. He said he felt it when we held hands while escaping from the World Tree.

 

“The effect… really needs to work.”

 

The difference between grabbing hands frantically in a hectic moment and consciously holding hands was quite significant, making me rather nervous.

 

Meanwhile, the faithful maid raised a question.

 

“But Irene, what kind of escort knight just goes around holding a lady’s hand?”

 

“…I set myself up as that kind of lady.”

 

“Ah, I see.”

 

Fortunately, she’s simple-minded.

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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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