The Male Lead Has Gone Mad Over the Troublesome Villainess - Chapter 58

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

The Male Lead Has Gone Mad Over the Villainous Woman Episode 58
It was the night before our departure for the Holy Sanctuary. Once all preparations were complete, I stopped by to visit Lillia. She greeted me with a face far brighter than before.
“You haven’t been having bad dreams lately, have you?”
Lillia blinked her large eyes. Then she shook her head.
“Not at all!”
That was a relief, at least.
The Premonition Dreams had been nothing but nightmares, after all, so those too must have been an ordeal for the child. I stroked Lillia’s hair gently.
Lillia would awaken her power on the return journey. There was an episode in the original story where she awakened her abilities after her closest friend died.
The power Lillia would gain upon awakening would indeed become a significant asset for us. This was no mere expedition—far greater trials lay ahead. But must the child really endure something so terrible?
After we return from the Holy Sanctuary and rest, we’ll begin the journey back to the capital. If I prevent Lillia’s friend from dying, will she never awaken?
To ignore the child’s suffering feels no different from those adults who exploited Lillia before.
Yet to prevent her awakening leaves me anxious about this world’s future.
I swallowed my sigh and pulled Lillia into a tight embrace, then released her.
“You must be careful on your journey. Don’t get hurt.”
“I promise.”
Lillia, unaware of my worries, waved her hand at me. The desire to protect that bright smile of hers took precedence.
Children must be protected. They are the future—what else could be? My resolve hardened.
* * *
We set out from Gloria early in the morning, and after nearly half a day’s journey, we arrived at the forest’s edge where Kalad and his party were waiting.
There were nine of them in total, including Kalad. Eight of them were the mercenaries he’d brought. Kalad, who had been sitting with a torch in hand, rose to his feet. His gaze was far more sinister and shadowed than when I’d seen him at the black market. He grinned wickedly.
“You’ve arrived. Now let’s venture inside. Before we do, I’ve gathered what information I could about the Ogres and Trolls, but truth be told, there’s little of substance. So I’ve selected only those well-versed in combat. Isn’t that right?”
“That’s correct, Kalad!”
The mercenaries answered with swagger. That brought our total to twenty-one.
“Let’s move in.”
Kael tilted his chin forward.
Even in daylight, the forest lay shrouded in darkness, feeling more like dusk.
The trees were thick and densely packed, blocking out the sky entirely overhead, and the ground was covered in fallen leaves that sank beneath each step. It felt as though we were wading into a swamp.
The forest, which should have been teeming with life, lay submerged in an eerie silence. Not a single bird took flight—the quiet was unsettling enough to raise goosebumps. Why was it so cold? The atmosphere was oppressively grim. The knights felt it too; one by one, they drew their swords.
“Miss.”
Kael called out to me.
“Stand behind me.”
Kael pulled me to his side and lowered his voice.
“Don’t ever stray from my side.”
I nodded slightly. Then Seraphine approached my side. I bit my lip gently and reached out to take the torch she was holding.
“Miss?”
“I’m frightened.”
“…You look like you’re ready to burn whatever emerges to ash.”
“All the better then.”
Seraphine readily handed over the torch.
Now I had to show them the strategy without revealing my knowledge. Soon they would appear. I could already hear movement in the darkness. They had caught the scent of humans.
I saw Kael’s shoulders stiffen.
But the creatures were closer than we thought. A Troll concealed among the trees attacked us.
Growwwwl!
Its ash-gray body, buried among the trunks, and limbs stretching to the ground made it look like a dead tree. That’s why no one had noticed it until it moved.
Fortunately, Seraphine’s quick reflexes knocked its arm away. Then Kael’s Golden Sword Energy cleaved through the darkness, severing the creature’s left arm at the shoulder. The moment it shrieked against the fallen leaves, I saw yellowish-green flesh beginning to regenerate from the stump. There it is! I quickly pressed the torch to the cut surface.
“Miss?”
“Ahhh, ahhhh! This is terrifying!!”
I waved the torch frantically while pressing it hard against the wound. I swallowed. I watched as the creature’s flesh hardened to ash-gray before it could regenerate. Perfect!
I stumbled backward and drew my sword with my other hand.
“Burning works! The burning stops the regeneration!”
My cry rang out. Fortunately, it coincided with a horde of Trolls emerging. No one had reason to question what I’d done.
Acting is harder than I expected. Everyone fashioned torches and gripped them in their hands.
“The moment a limb is severed, cauterize it with fire!”
Kael’s voice echoed across the forest. The Trolls raised their red eyes toward us. But now that we knew how to neutralize them, there was nothing to fear. We began advancing slowly, then again and again forward.
The stench of their burning flesh began to spread through the forest. Soon the Ogres who caught this scent of roasted meat would come pouring in.
* * *
Only after we’d burned the last Troll could we finally catch our breath. I dropped the torch, now burnt short, to the ground. My hands were tingling. I checked them—my palms were burned a bright red. Only then did I notice the pain. Seraphine approached me.
“Hold out your hands.”
Seraphine crouched in front of me.
“It’s fine.”
“Every time you tell me you’re fine, my heart sinks.”
“This time I really am.”
Seraphine took my hand without replying and carefully poured water over the wound.
“Ow!”
I cried out before I could stop myself, then clamped my mouth shut. I steadied my breathing and forced down the pain.
“It was just the shock.”
“Yes.”
“The pain didn’t make me cry out—I was truly startled…….”
“……Does it hurt very much?”
“No. I’m fine, really. It was just the shock. It doesn’t hurt at all.”
At my words, Seraphine let out a soft laugh and spoke.
“Then what accounts for the tears?”
Oh.
I rubbed my face. When had I started crying?
“It’s… just sweat from my eyes.”
Seraphine seemed annoyed, so I kept my mouth firmly shut.
* * *
Only after Seraphine finished wrapping the Portable Bandage around my hand could I stand.
Kael turned his gaze toward me. His cool, settled eyes moved back and forth between my bandaged hand and my face.
You don’t need to look like that. A wound or two—it’s nothing. I’ve already been scolded plenty by Seraphine.
Besides, I had something to say.
“Your Highness! The Troll corpses—we’re leaving them as they are……?”
“Your hand. Is it truly all right?”
“It’s completely fine——”
“There are several blisters, and clear signs of burns. It would be best not to use the hand heavily for some time.”
Seraphine spoke rapidly from behind me. Wait, she’s not supposed to be a talkative character. Why is she rattling on like that……
“It’s really fine. These are marks of glory, after all. Besides, now that I understand how to deal with Trolls, I was thinking—what if we use the Troll corpses to lure the Ogres?”
“Rosana.”
“Monsters are drawn to the smell of blood, aren’t they? The Ogres must be going mad from the scent of Troll meat right now.”
It was like that in the Original Story, so I’m certain of it.
“If we dig a deep pit and throw the Troll bodies into it, the Ogres will leap right in of their own accord. They’re heavy enough that they won’t be able to climb out, so we just burn them while they’re trapped in the pit! Then the Ogres will——”
“Rosana!”
Kael raised his voice.

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