A Strange But Effective Villainess Life - Chapter 200

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

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Commemorating the Webtoon Adaptation
Side Story – Episode 3
【What, what is it?】
Piyak spoke with a dejected tone while watching Wolf’s flustered expression.
【You don’t need to answer. After all, I’m not saying this with any understanding of concepts like speed or anything like that. I’m still too young to know such things… It’s just a speech habit.】
【No, what speech habit….】
While Wolf stood with his mouth agape, Isaac spoke while stroking Antesiani’s head.
“My goodness, you remembered all of that? While listening quietly to Wolf’s story?”
“Wolf’s voice sounds nice. It feels comforting even if I just keep listening to it.”
Antesiani answered affectionately with a bright smile. Then she added one more thing.
“So, if we were to calculate the frequency range of Wolf’s voice right now?”
Wolf was startled.
【What is this!】
【Didn’t Piyak just say that… I’m not saying this with any real understanding. It’s just a speech habit.】
Lowering his voice considerably, Wolf whispered urgently to Piyak.
【What kind of ridiculous speech habit is this! Why do things go well and then you attach something like that at the end?】
【The ‘going well’ part is because I educated her diligently… and the ‘attaching something like that at the end’ part is because she plays often in the Research Lab with Kiana.】
Piyak answered with a dejected tone.
【She picked it up by listening to the researchers’ voices in the background. Kiana didn’t push early education like I do, thinking the child would naturally develop interest, but the environment surrounding the child is just terrible….】
It was just as Wolf let out a deep sigh without realizing it.
Lea interjected while shaking her head.
【Now you understand why everyone is doing their best for Isaac? Both innate talent and environment are important—that’s what we’re learning.】
Only then did Wolf understand.
That earlier comment about ‘everyone pouring their hearts into Isaac, who resembles Hyde’….>
Hyde was originally a sensible and refined noble. But after experiencing a long period in the wild, the terrible hybrid personality mixed with Alex and Joshua manifested belatedly. That’s why everyone was making an effort to avoid exposing him to such an environment.
【I want to go back.】
Wolf eventually stood up with tears welling in his eyes.
【Childcare is difficult. It’s hard. I can’t do this. I thought only Daram had it tough….】
Meanwhile, the children were running around giggling among themselves like children do.
“Sia, the Empress wasn’t by your side when you chose your clothes today, was she? You don’t have a single checkered accessory. And it looks like you stopped by the Research Lab too. There’s blue ink staining the hem of your dress. That’s the ink color they use in the Research Lab.”
“Yeah! I was rolling a ball down a slide that looked like this earlier and knocked over an ink bottle! So how long did it take for the ball to travel to the ink bottle? Assume air resistance is negligible.”
While their words didn’t seem to connect perfectly, the children were still playing happily in their own unique collective monologue.
Only Isaac was looking after them, saying “Don’t run over there! You’ll trip on the rocks!”
Lea and Piyak were consoling themselves in the meantime.
【Still, it’s better than Kiana, right? Even this much means Piyak’s childcare is halfway successful. Right? Piyak has to comfort herself this way.】
【We secured one successor at least. Well, if Benjamin suggests publishing Lorelai again, that should work. We shouldn’t be too greedy.】
Wolf eventually left carrying only the remnants of shattered dreams, receiving mountains of letters from Kiana and countless photographs of Antesiani before heading toward the Prelai Duchy.
* * *
The Prelai Duchy.
Alex was overjoyed seeing the mountain-high stack of Antesiani’s photographs that arrived with Wolf’s letter. He was deeply moved even by Kiana’s hastily scrawled note.
“I never wished for a better brother! And now she wants us to be family again! XX, what blessing did I ever do to deserve such a lovely sister….”
It was just a three-line note lacking sincerity, but Alex treasured it nonetheless.
Watching him, Wolf tilted his head in confusion.
‘Wait. I could have sworn there was something else attached to that note….’
At the end, Kiana had added one more thing as a postscript after some deliberation. But it was gone.
‘I think I dropped something while passing through those monster corpses earlier. Was that it?’
True to the monster wave season, the Prelai Domain was littered with monster carcasses everywhere.
Weaving frantically to avoid the bodies, the note—which hadn’t been perfectly adhered from the start—must have finally come loose during the escape.
Of course, the letter with its signature was complete as it stood….
Just as Wolf was about to honestly tell Alex about this fact.
【I can’t do this, I can’t live like this! Forget it all! If it’s going to be like this, just quit!】
Daram’s frustrated voice echoed through the air.
【Why did you get it wrong again when I just explained it? You weren’t paying attention, were you? Huh?】
The relationship between Daram and Julius had been quite good until now. Daram had found Julius rather endearing, even while muttering about his own fate.
However, since Julius’s retirement, when Daram began personally teaching him dictation and simple mathematics… the two had been heading toward their worst period.
【Just live as a fool your whole life! Don’t you dare ask me to teach you anything else! Understood?】
Even Daram’s usually stern tone had begun to grow increasingly hysterical. According to Daram, this was because the period of “just grow up healthy” had ended.
“Here we go again.”
Alex shook his head in exasperation.
“Wolf, you rest for a bit.”
Then he went into his room, saying that Kiana’s letter and Antesiani’s photographs were being disturbed.
【Huh? What was I trying to say? What was it? Ah, never mind. I’m tired anyway, so let me rest and think about it later.】
Wolf, exhausted from the round trip to the Capital without rest, simply collapsed onto the ground.
* * *
Hitten was laboring in the heart of the Domain. He was cleaning up the remains of the monsters Alex had indiscriminately slaughtered.
“Ugh… Blech.”
Since arriving at the Prelai Domain, his life had been miserable and agonizing. There was no sign of improvement day after day.
That was when it happened.
A black wolf carrying cargo on its back came rushing from afar. It was unmistakably Alex’s summoned beast.
It seemed it had been sent to the Capital on some errand and had already returned.
Hitten instinctively covered his head and threw himself down. It was a reflexive thought of Alex.
The wolf dashed through the monsters at lightning speed. It moved so fast it was barely visible.
Only after the wolf disappeared into the distance did Hitten lift his head, trembling violently.
This place, piled high with monster corpses, felt like hell all over again.
Hitten found himself collapsing to the ground, sobbing.
“Would I be freed from this pain if I just died?”
The days when he wore fine clothes in the Imperial Palace and ate delicious food while receiving the flattery of nobles felt like a past life.
If he could return to those times, he felt he could do anything. But there was no way to return to the past.
So Hitten muttered painfully.
“In my next life, could I return to those days? At least it wouldn’t be this hellish existence, would it?”
That was when it happened.
A small piece of paper became visible atop the monster corpse beside me.
“Wh-what?”
Just as an ominous premonition caused Hitten to stumble backward, a gust of wind swept the small note to his feet.
“Aaaaaaahhhhh! Ahhhhhhh!”
Hitten continued retreating frantically, until he finally plunged his entire body into the filth that the dying monsters had expelled.

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

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