For the Young Villain’s Happy Ending - Chapter 16

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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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Chapter 16

Fortunately, Loctem was not the beginning of my misfortune.

「This letter requests that you exterminate the Lizardman habitat that first originated in Loctem and spread to Kingbaun Valley…」

The location mentioned in the letter was essentially a neighboring village next to Hibei.
Because of the expectations placed upon me as an Archmage, such commission letters often arrived by correspondence.

‘The Lizardmen that appeared in the original work weren’t particularly strong monsters.’

There was an episode featuring a Lizardman habitat.
I recalled it mentioned that children were often taken due to the ecological threat.

“Will you be going?”

At Kevenriak’s question, I lifted my eyes from the commission letter.

“I’m not sure.”

I feigned deliberation, but I had already decided on my answer.
It wasn’t even a problem affecting my territory of Hibei.

‘Honestly, it’s troublesome.’

Exterminating Lizardmen was work that could be handled by hired mercenaries.
It would be a waste of an Archmage’s efforts.

‘It could be resolved without me stepping in…?’

Just as I was about to dismiss it as usual, I felt a gleaming gaze from beside me.

“Kev.”
“Yes?”

Kevenriak answered calmly.
I swiftly moved the letter I was holding in a different direction.
The child’s bright, sparkling blue eyes followed the letter’s movement.

Left, right, up, down.
His head moved fluidly, tracking his prey with focused intensity.

‘So he’s interested in this?’

For reasons I couldn’t quite explain, my disciple seemed quite interested in the lizardman extermination mission.
It was certainly work that a third-circle mage like Keri could handle without difficulty.

“Keri, do you want to do this?”
“I can?”

His positive response came immediately.
I wondered what had inspired my disciple to show such keen interest.
Even as I pondered this, I nodded in agreement.

“You may proceed.”

My child’s first mission.
It was gratifying to see my disciple’s ‘first’ collection filling the subspace grow.

***

The next day.
Raina Hart and Kevenriak finished their preparations to depart.
I asked the Butler who had come to see us off in the lobby.

“Where is Kin?”
“She has gone down to the Orphanage.”
“I see.”

Last evening, I had invited her to come along if she was interested in the lizardman extermination.

‘Kin is afraid of blood, after all.’

It seemed he had chosen to care for the children rather than participate in subjugation missions.
Now thirteen years old, Kin remained shy, yet was a kind-hearted child.
After the Orphanage was built, he had asked Raina Hart for permission to visit freely.
It appeared he spent half his waking hours there.

‘The children adore Kin, so it’s good that he does what he enjoys.’

Unfortunately, Kin possessed neither magical talent nor swordsmanship aptitude.
He had succeeded in creating a mana heart and entering the First Circle.
But that was the extent of it.

‘The Second Circle may be beyond him.’

Swordsmanship was even more dismal.

“Kin has no aptitude for swordsmanship whatsoever?”
“That is correct.”

In the original narrative, Kin’s character was a swordsmanship prodigy.
Because of this, Raina Hart had entrusted Kin’s sword training to Person, only to receive word that he possessed no talent whatsoever.

“Could it be that his growth is simply slower?”

Whether in swordsmanship or magic, many children bloomed late in their talents.
I asked, wondering if Kin might be one such case, but Person shook his head firmly.

“Children like that reveal themselves within a month. Kin still cannot even assume the basic stance properly, so I can say with certainty that he lacks all talent.”

Even if Kin’s narrative had diverged from the original, could his innate talents truly differ as well?
Raina Hart found it strange, yet she did not force Kin to continue learning swordsmanship.
It was clear to see that he was struggling with it.

‘Why force him to do something he dislikes?’

There was no need for my second disciple to become a master swordsman. It was enough that he grew up kind and healthy.

‘Though it seems a master of swordsmanship will emerge from an unexpected place.’

I watched as Kevenriak received a sword from the Butler.

‘Now I’m tracking Person’s movements with perfect accuracy….’

Person, the vice-commander of the Imperial Third Knights Order.
In the original story, he was a character who rose all the way to commander of the Imperial First Knights Order.
And here was Kevenriak, who had trained with the sword for less than four years, matching him evenly in combat.
Even as I attributed it to the main villain buff, my lips curled upward of their own accord.

‘My disciple is turning out splendidly.’

That wild little kitten of a child—when had he grown so much?

“Master?”

Kevenriak tilted his head at me, who was staring intently at him.

“Yes, Keri. What is it?”
“I’m all ready.”

Kevenriak smiled softly.
I spoke to my disciple, now clad in perfect combat attire, adopting an deliberately mature tone.

“Good. You understand, yes? This time, I will only observe you. I won’t help.”
“Yes.”

In truth, I had intended to offer assistance, but Kevenriak had coldly refused me.

“I want to do this alone from start to finish.”

The dignified manner in which my disciple spoke those words was remarkable.
I told him to do as he wished and granted his request.
Though I would certainly step in if things became truly dire.

“Then shall we go?”

I cast a teleportation spell with Kevenriak.

***

Screeeech!

The red lizards, barely half the height of an adult, were helplessly swept away by the spear-shaped water that Kevenriak had created.
Though it was called a lizardman’s lair, it was a mission that a third-circle mage could handle alone.
And my student was skilled with a sword on top of that.

‘He’s doing well.’

From the cliff where I could see Kevenriak’s combat unfold at a glance.
I watched my student while quietly eliminating the lizardmen one by one with magic as they tried to ambush him.

‘Hmm….’

Despite the extermination proceeding smoothly, anxiety was evident in Kevenriak’s magic and swordplay.

‘Is it because of what’s been troubling him lately?’

He claimed he had no worries, but he was clearly preoccupied with something.
The problem was that I had no idea what it was.
What kind of teacher am I if I don’t know what troubles my own student?

‘Let me think about this, Raina Hart.’

I had plenty of time.
I sat atop the cliff and began to speculate about what could be troubling my student.
In truth, there were a couple of possible causes that came to mind.

First.
My student had noticed the finely chopped vegetables I occasionally mixed into the hamburger steak.

‘I instructed the Head Chef to chop them so finely they’d be invisible. He might have detected them by taste.’

But there was nothing I could do about that.
For four years now, eating only meat three times a day—wasn’t that far too picky?
No matter how much he’d been influenced by my eating habits, Kevenriak was still growing, and it was crucial that he consume a variety of nutrients.

‘But this is unavoidable. It’s for Kevenriak’s sake.’

Second.
He’d found out that I’d been secretly giving Kin pocket money.

‘Did I slip up? Could he have seen it?’

But there was nothing I could do about it.

‘Kin spent her entire monthly allowance this month buying snacks for the children.’

Though the children received their own personal allowances each month, Kin spent most of hers on them.
Ever since I learned of this, I had taken to slipping her money under the guise of snack expenses.

‘I thought Kevenriak had no interest in money and wouldn’t care about such things. I should probe him carefully today to see if he really did notice.’

If he did, I’d apologize.
…But this wasn’t about finding Kevenriak’s worries—it felt more like I was searching for the reason he was upset with me.

‘He’s hurt. That’s why he’s acting this way.’

Kevenriak, who used to follow only me around—and still does, though now it feels different—seemed to be pushing me away as if he’d grown too old for me.
I wished he’d stay in my arms a little longer.

‘Sigh. Is he really upset with me?’

While I pondered this at length, Kevenriak’s extermination of the Lizardmen was nearly complete.

‘I should head down soon.’

I needed to praise my disciple for successfully completing his first request.
I’d keep the request form as a memento.
But I stopped, my hand pausing as I reached to place the request form into my subspace.
The sound of hoofbeats drawing closer from behind me.

‘There’s no one in this area who would be riding horses.’

And it wasn’t just one or two. At least ten.
I turned around with my characteristic expressionless face.

‘Those uniforms—’

White uniforms born from the arrogance of those who believed they would never shed blood on the battlefield. A gleaming silver eagle brooch on the left chest.
The Imperial First Knights Order, directly under the Emperor himself.

“….”

The man leading the procession bore that same arrogance in his eyes.
Dresherd, Commander of the Imperial First Knights Order.
A man who held the rank of count despite being a knight.

‘Has he come looking for me? How did he even know I was here?’

…I suppose I should greet him. This hierarchical society is such a nuisance.
Raina Hart rose slowly, her reluctance evident in every movement.

“Raina Hart, Countess.”

Dresherd’s heavy voice reached her.
There was an urgency in it that suggested my greeting mattered little.
In cases like this, there was usually only one explanation.

‘Something troublesome is about to befall me.’

I could have feigned ignorance about not receiving the Emperor’s letter.
But when someone was sent in person like this, such pretense became impossible.
Raina Hart regarded Dresherd, who had halted his horse at a distance from her.

“His Majesty the Emperor is gravely ill.”

Dresherd continued, addressing Raina Hart.

“His Majesty spoke from his sickbed, saying, ‘Your foresight was wrong.'”

Foresight.
Raina Hart recalled what she had once told the Emperor.

“In twelve years, though I pray it does not come to pass, Your Majesty will reach the end of your life.”

In the original story, the Emperor had used his death—the one he would meet at Kevenriak’s hands—as leverage against me.
He demanded I relinquish my position as Kin’s mentor.

“Furthermore, His Majesty spoke thus: ‘If you cannot keep the promise you made, I cannot entrust my son to you. Return to the Imperial Palace with the Fourth Prince.'”

Raina Hart watched Dresherd as he looked down at her from atop his horse.
His voice dripped with arrogance once more.

“Countess Hart, this is an imperial decree. Prepare to depart at once.”

***

‘Still not enough.’

Kevenriak thought this as he faced another moving Lizardman.
He had already slain well over a hundred of the creatures.
Yet his mana heart showed no response whatsoever.

‘This level won’t cut it.’

I had to change. I had to grow stronger.
To remain a worthy disciple at my master’s side.

‘Fourth Circle, hurry…’

Impatience seeped into my blade.

“Screech!”
“Grraaahhh—”

The last remaining Lizardman seized a child and held them aloft as a shield.
It had learned. Humans would not attack if it meant sacrificing a child.
A human would not, at least.

‘But I am a monster.’

Without hesitation, an incantation spilled from Kevenriak’s lips.

“Shriek!”
“….”

Whoosh! Splurt!
Water arrows streaked from all directions.
They pierced through the lizardman’s body with perfect precision.
The unharmed child stared at Kevenriak, terror flooding his features.
The boy trembled violently, unable even to cry out.
He seemed far more frightened of the figure before him than of the lizardman itself.

“Your village people are over there.”

Kevenriak pointed in the direction the other children had fled from the lizardman’s lair.
The village adults who had come with them would look after the boy.

‘My master—’

Kevenriak’s gaze lifted toward the cliff where Raina Hart stood.
His blue eyes, which had held a gentle light while thinking of his master, now harbored the sharp vigilance of a predator.

“White uniform.”

It belonged to the Betuzhenia Imperial Palace.

—————
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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