The Male Lead Has Gone Mad Over the Troublesome Villainess - Chapter 45

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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 Went Mad for the Troublesome Villainess — Episode 45
After a long while, the firmly shut door eased open with care.
Four children emerged from within.
The largest slipped through the narrow gap first, while the other three clung to his back like limpets.
The oldest looked to be about twelve years old; the smallest seemed six or seven, though I couldn’t be certain. In the largest boy’s hand was a wooden stick, its end worn sharp against stone—a weapon, clearly.
I crouched down to meet them at eye level.
“Hello.”
No answer came.
“Are you hungry?”
I opened the sack and pulled out more jerky—the same kind I’d pushed through the crack earlier. One of the smaller children couldn’t resist; he darted forward. The older boy lunged to stop him, but was a breath too late. The smaller one snatched up the jerky, clutched it reverently in both hands, and retreated to chew it contentedly.
“I told you not to just take things!”
“I’m hungry!”
I opened the sack wide and drew out more jerky.
“There’s plenty here.”
Vanessa held out the water jug, speaking carefully.
“I was always terrified of things, you see.”
The children stared at her, their eyes still brimming with wariness.
“Before, I’d hide behind trees and cry. When Demon Beasts appeared, I was always the first to run. I’m a complete coward, really…. So it’s all right to be afraid, is what I’m saying.”
Vanessa let her voice fade. Though the children’s eyes remained sharp with suspicion, hunger proved stronger; they crept closer and snatched at the jerky.
But they still said nothing.
“How long have you been here?”
“We’ve been here for ages—!”
As the smallest child began to answer, the older boy flicked his hand sharply, cutting him off.
“Are there any adults?”
After a long pause, he asked something different instead.
The older boy adjusted his grip on the wooden stick.
“Rosana.”
Vanessa called to me very quietly. I shook my head. These were clever children; they wouldn’t run far. But a warning wouldn’t hurt.
“Don’t ever go outside the village. There shouldn’t be any reason to, but if you happen to encounter a Demon Beast, cry out for help.”
The children took a step back.
“…Never go outside. Do you understand?”
I lowered my voice deliberately, making it stern.
“The Demon Beasts swarm out there. If you go out, we won’t be able to save you.”
Only then did the older boy nod slightly.
“We won’t go.”
His reply was sharp. I set the entire sack down before them.
“I’m leaving this for you. Eat what you need. You can draw water and drink as much as you like.”
The older boy’s eyes moved to the sack, then back to me.
Still watchful—yet not as keenly hostile as before. Whether hunger had softened him or he’d decided to trust us, just a little, I couldn’t say. Pressing further seemed likely to make him retreat again. For now, this was enough. I’d confirmed they were alive.
The moment Vanessa and I stepped back, we heard the bar slide across the door.
* * *
We couldn’t open the children’s hearts before the Black Market opened. As though we’d locked them in ourselves, they would only snatch at food and never leave the house.
The Black Market lay farther than expected.
Hald led the way, followed by Kael and myself, then Millers and two knights in order. I wondered what sort of atmosphere Gracestone’s Black Market would have. Now that I’d confirmed this place was inhabited, a strange excitement pulled me forward.
The landscape around us shifted sharply. The stone underfoot gave way to earth, and soon the path narrowed to shoulder-width.
“From here on, you nobles should go alone.”
Hald stopped at the forest’s edge. There was a wall at the path’s end, with an oil lamp hanging from it—it looked like an entrance to a passage leading into the old mine shaft.
Hald shrugged. His face usually wore an easy grin, but today his eyes weren’t smiling.
“There’s no place for women in there. How about you stay here instead, so you don’t run into trouble going in?”
He still hadn’t come to his senses. My teeth clenched so hard Millers shot a warning look, calling Hald’s name.
“Hald.”
“Yes?”
But Kael’s hand moved first. He seized Hald by the collar and yanked, sending the swaggering man tumbling forward. Kael looked down at the sputtering Hald and spoke low.
“I warned you to keep your mouth in check.”
“Hack—!”
“It’d be smart to ease up on the insolence. Before I find a replacement.”
“Y-yes! Your Highness!!”
Kael threw Hald down. We passed by him as he lay gasping, one hand at his throat.
A swordsman stood guard at the mine shaft entrance. The man glanced at Hald and spoke.
“You came with that one?”
“Do you know that man?”
“Looks like an apostate. Don’t associate with him. He’s the type who muddies the waters. How many in your party?”
“Six.”
Kael answered.
“Break the rules like he did and you’ll be cast out. Fighting is forbidden inside. And theft as well. Mind yourselves.”
The man gestured toward the deeper passage with the end of his club. As we passed by him, I noticed old burn scars across the back of his hand.
Oil lamps hung in a line along the wall, and below them people moved back and forth. Market stalls lined the passage, their fronts alive with the mingled sounds of haggling and laughter.
I felt eyes sweeping across us from all directions. Once we’d passed, their gaze clung to the back of our heads. Six strangers arriving at once—it was only natural. Here, the real danger wasn’t Demon Beasts. It was those eyes.
I moved slowly toward the informant Hald had told us about. Right at this point. Then left at the next corner. Five lanterns hung together from the ceiling, he’d said. Below them, a woman in gaudy clothes.
“No crow flies from the oak tree.”
The woman lifted her head slowly, her voice low as she spoke.
“……Do you have coin?”
I nodded.
“Then go deeper in. At the very back, there’ll be a place where two lamps hang. Find the person sitting there. You’ll get what you’re after.”
* * *
Millers and the rest of the group remained outside. We needed to sell what we had and purchase supplies. Kael and I proceeded inward as the woman had directed.
My nerves were on edge. I’d never been in a maze-like atmosphere like this before.
The entire Mine Shaft had been transformed into a Black Market. Most of the people passing through were mercenaries with brutal faces. In the original work, a guide had been found here. But now we had Hald. I wrinkled my nose at the memory of his slovenly face. We didn’t need two guides anyway.
“There.”
Following Kael’s glance, I spotted the place with two lamps hanging. A middle-aged man wearing a monocle sat before it. The man with a missing left ear grinned crookedly at us.
“What brings you here, then? Let me explain the rules of this place. First, put the money on the table…….”
Kael dropped a purse of coin onto the table with a soft thud. The man’s lips curled into a lopsided smile.
“My name is Kalad. Tell me what you need.”
“We seek the whereabouts of the High Priest of Gracestone Central Temple.”
The man’s lips twitched.

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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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