For the Young Villain’s Happy Ending - Chapter 21

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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 21

The Emperor recalled the events of the past.
About a month ago.
It was the day he had summoned the Traveling Troupe that came to Jenia to perform at the Imperial Palace.
An Old Woman among them presented him with the problematic item, claiming it was a precious object brought from across the sea.

“At first, I thought it was an effective restorative. I drank it before sleep, and when I woke, my body felt remarkably refreshed. But the curse wasn’t in the potion itself—it was dark magic woven into the bottle.”

The Emperor continued, trembling with rage.

“While I slept, the dark magic inscribed on the bottle at my bedside activated, and toxic energy accumulated within my body.”

Raina Hart examined the object the Emperor had given her.
It was a wooden container the size of a perfume bottle.
The interior was empty.

“I had the potion inside sent to the physicians to analyze its composition. They said it was merely an ordinary restorative. Unable to find any cause, I split the container in half to examine it more closely—”

Raina Hart inspected the inner surface of the wooden bottle split in two.
Intricate magical incantations were carved densely throughout. Multiple magical formulas intertwined with one another.
Restful sleep, fatigue relief, recovery…

“There’s nothing inherently problematic. Except for the sections of the incantations that have been corrupted into dark magic.”

The purpose seemed to be solely to accumulate toxic energy within the body of whoever possessed the bottle.

“The Traveling Troupe and the Old Woman vanished without a trace.”
…
“What do you say? Will you take on this case, Raina Hart?”

Magic belongs to the mage.
Dark magic belongs to the supreme mage.

…

Raina Hart, who had been quietly studying the potion bottle, finally spoke.

“I apologize, but I’m quite ignorant in these matters. The Betuzhenia Empire’s Criminal Investigation Division would be far more suitable.”

Something reeked of trouble.
I cut ties swiftly.

***

A moment earlier.
When Kevenriak encountered the Empress at the Separate Palace.

“We’ve never had a proper conversation. Come to my palace and have some tea.”
“I—”
“Fourth Prince, are you refusing the Empress’s command?”

I had been trying to identify the voice’s owner before my master arrived.
Kevenriak had no choice but to follow the Empress to her palace.
As if prearranged, the First Empress Consort, Third Prince, and First and Second Princesses were already gathered at the tea table.
They rose from their seats at the Empress’s entrance.

“My, Your Majesty the Empress. And this child is—”

A neatly dressed boy the Empress had brought with her.
Perhaps the son of a noble acquainted with the Empress.
The First Empress Consort’s expression had been welcoming at first.

“The Fourth Prince.”

Her gaze turned glacial in an instant as she regarded Kevenriak.

‘So that’s where I’ve seen him before.’

The Second Empress Consort, long dead and gone.
This child bore a striking resemblance to her.

“Good day to you.”
“…”

Kevenriak’s greeting. The Empress Consort nodded coldly and muttered under her breath.

“…A creature without even basic manners.”

Though spoken in a hushed voice, Kevenriak heard every word with crystalline clarity.
The princes and princesses gathered nearby snickered at him.
Their demeanor had shifted as dramatically as flipping a palm—ever since the Empress had uttered the words “Fourth Prince.”

“Beast.”
“Vermin.”
“Lowborn creature.”

Each whispered a single word from their limited vocabulary.
The very epithets they had heard used to describe the Fourth Prince.
To them, it was merely amusing sport.

“Be seated.”

As the Empress settled into the place of honor, the imperial family members took their respective seats.

“….”

All except Kevenriak, who stood vacant-eyed as the last chair vanished.

“If there’s no seat, why don’t you just stand over there?”

The ten-year-old Second Princess pointed toward one wall.
Servants and attendants stood in a rigid line.
Waiting to respond instantly to the imperial family’s every command.

“Why would you say that, Asil?”

The thirteen-year-old First Princess seated beside her gently chided her younger sister.

“Your Majesty the Empress, might I arrange a seat for the Fourth Prince?”
“Very well.”

With the Empress’s permission granted, the First Princess rose from her seat.
A teacup and a plate of cake were set down at the edge of the table.
…beside.
Upon the carpet spread across the floor.
As if feeding an animal.

“How is this?”
….

Kevenriak stood in silence, observing the scene.
The Third Prince and Second Princess stifled their giggles.
The Empress said nothing upon witnessing the spectacle.
The First Empress Consort pressed down the corners of her mouth as they threatened to rise.
The servants and maids lined in a row were all suppressing their laughter within.
The Fourth Prince, the object of everyone’s ridicule.

….

Kevenriak walked forward without a word and dropped himself onto the floor.
This was nothing to him.

“I shall eat well.”

Raina Hart had instructed him to remain obedient, and he still had not found the owner of that voice.
The Empress had told him to drink his tea and leave.
Once he finished it all, she would let him go.

‘What is this.’

The First Princess had anticipated seeing the Fourth Prince break down and weep at the insult.
Yet here he was, sitting upon that filthy floor and eating without the slightest concern.
The First Princess took a hesitant step backward and returned to her seat.

‘A beast, truly.’

The Empress glanced at Kevenriak’s bare wrist as he ate cake with his fork.
The absence of a bracelet was proof that he could not teleport.

“Your Majesty the Empress, word has come from the Magic Association that the Fourth Prince is a Second Circle mage.”

A low-ranking mage of the Second Circle. Barely past the novice stage.
For his age, neither precocious nor delayed.

‘So even a Grand Mage’s teachings are no different from any other mage’s.’

In truth, Kevenriak was a mid-tier mage of the Third Circle.
But I had advised him to remain at the Second Circle.

“We’ll report Keri’s Third Circle advancement to the Association around age fifteen.”
“Why?”
“Prodigies are troublesome. A moderately talented mage is preferable.”

To the Empress, who knew nothing of this, Kevenriak was merely the Fourth Prince—utterly unremarkable.
Especially watching him devour his food like some beast.

“…Hehe.”

I could only laugh.
At the sound of the Empress’s laughter, the First Empress Consort turned to look at her.

“Your Majesty, has something pleasant occurred?”
“No, I believe I’ve simply overestimated Raina Hart.”
“Indeed. Though her magical prowess seems considerable, she’s still just a child, is she not?”

The First Empress Consort’s agreement came naturally.
Raina Hart. Disparaging remarks about her were familiar to both the Empress and the First Empress Consort.
On the day the Empress’s Palace was invaded when the Empress sent an assassin to the Fourth Prince.
That day had been deeply humiliating for both the Empress and the First Empress Consort.

“Had it not been for Your Majesty’s magnanimity, she would have been imprisoned by now. How does she come to the Imperial Palace without even paying her respects? Shall I go and teach her a proper lesson?”
“Leave her be. With such lowly status, she simply doesn’t know proper etiquette.”
“Lowly status? Count William’s daughter?”
“Brother, you still don’t know? Raina Hart was an orphan.”

The princes and princesses began giggling as they joined in the conversation.
Once begun, the mockery directed at Raina Hart showed no sign of stopping, despite considerable time passing.
Even though the Fourth Prince, her student, was present.
But what did it matter if he was listening?
That beast-like creature merely had a presentable exterior; he was incapable of doing anything whatsoever.

“A commoner orphan girl whom even her own parents didn’t know—.”

A chill ran down her spine.
The Empress felt an eerie sensation crawling up her backbone to the crown of her head, and her words faltered.
No.

“…!”

No sound emerged from her lips.
It wasn’t only the Empress.
Gaping. Gaping.
Like carp moving their mouths in the air outside water.
The Empress Consorts and Princes and Princesses could only move their lips, unable to produce any sound.

‘What on earth is this!’
‘Uhhhhh—. I can’t speak—.’
‘I’m scared, I’m scared….’
‘Knights! Call the knights outside!’

One of the servants, understanding the Empress Consort’s gesture, rushed out to call the knights stationed beyond the door.

“K-knights!”

Kevenriak’s lips moved toward that servant.

“Ye-. …?!”

In an instant, even the servant lost his voice like the imperial family members.
Only then did the Empress realize what was happening, her eyes widening.

‘This is…!!’

‘Silence’.
A fourth-circle spell that silences designated targets within range.

“…My master.”

In the silence, a single voice filled the space.

“Do not insult me.”

The beast slowly rose to its feet.

***

“….”

As I exited the Emperor’s Audience Chamber and walked along the outdoor corridor.
I caught sight of a noble man waving toward me and quickly changed direction.

“Baroness Hart!”

I hadn’t expected him to call out my name so directly.

“…Count William.”
“How have you been? It’s been four years since we’ve met in person.”

The Count who sent me marriage proposals two or three times every year.
His appearance wasn’t bad.
Did this confidence in proposing repeatedly to an Archmage stem from that handsome face?
Since I’d run into him like this, I felt I should speak my mind.

“Count William, please stop sending me marriage proposals.”
“Does that mean you’ve reconsidered marrying me?”
“It means I have no intention of marrying you, Count.”
“What about romance?”

A direct type who wouldn’t yield even to rejection.

“I have no interest in that either.”
“Even so, do consider it. We could achieve a beautiful harmony between the Hart family and the William family….”

Count William, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, remained unchanged.

‘Should I silence him with magic and leave?’

As I briefly pondered this, my gaze fell upon Count William’s bare wrist.
In contrast, my own wrist was adorned with a bracelet.

“Ah, even if you remove the bracelet, the Imperial Army will still come. They can detect the wearer’s pulse through it.”

In other words, the wearer must always keep it on.

‘Teleportation would be the fastest way to get there.’

This bothersome bracelet. The arrival of the Imperial Army was even more troublesome.
What had that checkpoint knight said again?
If one teleported while wearing the bracelet—

“The wearer’s sudden change in location would be detected, and a report would be sent to the Imperial Army units stationed throughout Jenia.”

So moving just a single step should be fine, then?
I grabbed Count William’s wrist.

“A gift.”

Since he possessed no magical power, he would have no reason to teleport anyway.
And so the bracelet transferred from my wrist to the Count’s.

“…Lady Hart.”

Count William gazed at the bracelet now adorning his wrist, moved to tears,

“What does this mean…!”

He looked up, hoping for an explanation.

“…”

But I had already vanished through teleportation.

***

The Grimoire of Magic.
Deep within the Imperial Library of the Betuzhenia Empire, that ancient tome had slumbered for countless ages until it awakened two years ago.
It had opened its eyes two years prior.
The sole and incomparable existence that comprehends all truths of the world and possesses all knowledge.
In exchange for receiving a soul, it serves a single master.

[….]
[Master of this generation.]
[Come to me.]
[To me.]
[I am in the Imperial Palace-.]

The Grimoire of Magic could sense it.
That the human who would contract their soul with me had come to this place.
That they would soon appear before me.
A boy with black hair.
One who would hate the world alongside me, curse the world, destroy the world-!

Crash!

The Grimoire of Magic that knew all things in the world.
The sturdy door that had confined it opened, and what appeared before it was-

“…Who are you?”

A woman who resembled a violet.

—————
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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