The Male Lead Has Gone Mad Over the Troublesome Villainess - Chapter 22

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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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The Male Lead Has Gone Mad for the Villainess — Episode 22
I watched Kael’s pupils tremble, contracting sharply.
‘What, moved?’ He must be. In a world where people abandon their families and flee — it was only right. You were truly romantic, Rosana.
The monsters drew closer. Kael’s eyes met mine one final time, and he signaled with a swift hand gesture.
In the same instant, the knights waiting in the branches above hurled themselves downward.
I did the same.
The fierce wind scraped across my cheeks, the metallic scent of blood piercing my nostrils — I opened my eyes wide. I would not lose. Not now.
I tightened my grip on the Dagger. The moment I landed on the rapidly moving monster, I pushed myself upright. I had to do my part. I had to.
Only then could I lighten the burden on the other knights. Only then could we save even one more person.
“Hngh!”
Clinging to the spider’s massive body, I clawed my way upward, bracing every muscle against the creature’s thrashing.
“Kiaaaaagh!”
The monster’s howl tore through the forest with lethal intensity. The nimble knights quickly found their footing, balancing expertly as they swung their blades at the earth spider’s head. I was running out of time.
I poured all my strength into my arms, holding on.
“You can do this, Rosana. Breathe.”
I was using every muscle in my body to climb, when—
“Take my hand.”
A hand extended toward me. I looked up. Kael stood silhouetted against the moonlight, utterly steady even atop the charging beast — his posture unwavering, as if he had always been there, hand outstretched and waiting.
A wave of profound relief washed over me.
I grasped his hand — large and solid.
If I’d been my old self, I could have done better. I could have been useful to Kael. Every regret, every shortcoming threatened to swallow me whole. But with his help, I pulled myself atop the monster’s back.
“First time fighting a Monster?”
Beneath the creature’s metallic stench, I caught the warmth of Kael’s scent. He stood behind me, drawing my body firmly into his embrace.
“The first strike is always the most important. Watch carefully, Rosana. Every Monster has a weakness. Once you find it, they fall in moments.”
Trembling atop the bucking creature, I leaned into Kael for support. He closed his hand over mine — the hand holding the Dagger.
“Now!”
Moving my body as though it were his own, Kael drove the Dagger deep into the earth spider’s skull.
Crunch-crunch-crack.
The monster that had been tearing forward collapsed in an instant. Kael pulled me close against him and rolled us both to safety. Wrapped in his arms, I breathed slowly, steadying myself.
How had he done that? The hard carapace had softened like tofu beneath the blade. How did it even have such a spot? How was he supposed to find something like that?
“The highest point, or the most hidden. Or the mouth and Vital Points,” Kael murmured, identifying the weak spots as he helped me to my feet. He gripped my armpit lightly, steadying me upright, then pressed the Dagger back into my hand — his grip sure and unwavering. He adjusted his own sword with a faint smile.
“You promised to guard my back. So keep your eyes on it and follow me, Rosana.”
Those words made my chest tighten strangely. The thought that I need only follow that back — it eased something in me I hadn’t known was wound tight.
All the tension drained away.
It felt as though the chains binding me were dissolving.
Kael confirmed that I held the Dagger properly, then turned with clear relief. He would always be there before me. I felt certain of it — Kael would never stop moving forward.
He threw himself at an approaching earth spider. As his airborne form landed square on the creature’s vast head, it struck the ground with a sickening crunch. Kael descended without haste and drew his blade from the monster’s Vital Point. I saw it clearly.
I saw what Kael had shown me.
My turn now.
I gripped the Dagger.
It was time.
Screeeee!
The monsters poured in without cease. The moment had come for me to bear my share.
One spider charged, its venomous spike raised high. I twisted my body to slip the blow and swung my Dagger in one motion. Tainted blood sprayed across my face, but there was no time to care.
A second and third spider came at me in quick succession. I moved like I was dancing — rolling right, leaping left, the Dagger flowing from my hands. Every movement I’d drilled in Rainford came pouring out naturally.
The lessons Seraphine had taught me weren’t forgotten either.
‘It seems you’re still more comfortable with the Dagger, my lady. You must also consider your next move — how to recover it after you throw.’
Following Seraphine’s instruction, I moved carefully, recovering the Dagger between strikes. A fourth spider leaped from the branches and bore down on me. I dropped low and rolled, and the creature’s leg buried itself in the spot where I’d been standing a heartbeat before. Another inch and my skull would have been pierced. Too close.
“Haah!”
I gasped for breath as I pushed myself upright. Lowering my center of gravity as Seraphine had taught, I fixed my eyes on the monster’s leg joints. There was always a softer point between them.
I reversed my grip on the Dagger and drove it deep between the spider’s legs, driving it with all my strength into the tender flesh of its belly below.
Crunch-crack!
The spider convulsed and fell.
Another was on me before I could catch my breath. This time, my body moved first — the instincts of my past life and the muscle I’d built over these past weeks moving in perfect harmony.
A scream cut through the air in the distance.
“Aaaah!”
I turned to see Seraphine surrounded by two spiders, blood streaming down her temple from a fresh wound.
Creatures this size — no single knight, however skilled, could handle two of them alone.
Seraphine hadn’t yet awakened her power. Her emergence as an Awakened One was still to come.
“Seraphine, keep your head down!”
There was no time to hesitate. I grabbed the heaviest Dagger from what remained and hurled it with all my strength.
Fortunately, the Dagger pierced clean through one spider’s eye. As the creature lost its balance and toppled sideways, Seraphine didn’t waste the opening—she cut through the second spider’s Vital Point.
“Thank you, miss!”
Seraphine gasped out the words while I surged forward again.
My body felt weightless, as though it might fly apart.
My arms trembled, but I couldn’t stop. Wouldn’t stop. If I faltered even for a moment, it wouldn’t be just me who’d be hurt—those behind me would suffer too.
I caught sight of Kael ahead, pushing relentlessly forward without pause. A creature was closing in on his back; I drove a Dagger into its crown and recovered the blade. Seraphine had already moved up beside me, her sculpted muscles gleaming beneath the moonlight.
Even the way Seraphine drew her sword was graceful.
Ah, how magnificent. If only I had muscles like that. In that moment, I found myself missing my own strength.
“Are you hurt, miss?”
“…No, I’m all right, Seraphine.”
I watched her, marveling at the sheer power of her movements.
“You’re truly strong.”
At those words, color rose to Seraphine’s cheeks. She pulled me forcefully to the side as she spoke.
“Stay close to me. I won’t let you come to serious harm.”
Her solid muscles lent weight to the promise. And in that moment, I made a vow of my own.
I’d have to build more muscle.
Muscle gave credibility to such words—gave them resonance. A promise to protect meant something when it came from someone like her.

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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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