The Male Lead Has Gone Mad Over the Troublesome Villainess - Chapter 59

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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 59
I stared at Kael with wide eyes. His gaze pierced through me as if determined to see straight through to my core.
“You, of all people…”
Kael lifted my wrist.
“Until this hand heals, you are to do nothing. You will not lift a weapon.”
“Your Highness!”
What kind of death sentence is that? There are so many monsters in this area!
“Seraphine, you will keep watch over Rosana with an iron grip. Guard her and observe her both.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
“Your Highness…! Everyone here is injured! So why only me…!”
“Because no one fights the way you do—throwing their life away so recklessly! Everyone else understands that life has value.”
Kael ground his teeth, his words sharp with frustration. His eyes were clouded with an emotion I couldn’t quite name.
Had I thrown my life away in battle? I couldn’t deny it. I always had. I believed my absolute best would yield the best results.
This time was no different.
Was that approach wrong?
‘You make people anxious, you know.’
‘I do?’
‘Never mind. We’ll just have to work harder, that’s all.’
My comrades’ words came back to me. I had always been at a disadvantage—an island isolated in the world, and I could only earn recognition by giving everything I had. That was the only way to survive. If I hadn’t enlisted? Would I have been sold to debt collectors?
If I hadn’t risked my life in military service, I would never have become a special forces operator.
I would never have reached this point.
Was I truly wrong?
I had always been inadequate. So I worked to become adequate. I saw others more wounded, more broken than myself, and I simply chose to work harder than they did.
That was my creed, the compass that drove me forward.
I still didn’t believe I was wrong. And yet, I nodded.
“…I understand.”
But I wasn’t fool enough to rebel against people who genuinely cared for me. They weren’t angry—they were worried. Just as my comrades had been.
‘You’re benched.’
‘No! How can you bench only me…!’
‘You’re sitting this one out. What can you do with that arm?’
I thought of the comrades who had cherished me. I looked up at Kael again.
“I’ll be quiet. I’ll stay right beside Seraphine as you’ve ordered. But setting traps using the Troll Corpse—”
“Do it.”
Kael swept his hair back and exhaled softly.
“I’ve told you already. Since we began this expedition, there has not been a moment when you weren’t needed. That hasn’t changed now. I trust you, and I trust your judgment.”
His words set my mind at ease. In the Original Story, we had faced hardship when Ogres were drawn by the Troll scent. It was better to prepare than to simply collide with them unprepared.
“…And while we’re digging the traps, what if we did one more thing? We could tie rope around the trees so they stumble. Since their bodies are so heavy and slow, they probably won’t be able to get up easily.”
“Have you ever seen an Ogre before?”
“No. Hald told me about them. He said their movements are sluggish because of their size.”
Kael paused in thought, then nodded.
“It’s worth trying then. The problem is rope. Do we have enough?”
That’s when I remembered something brilliant. This happens after we enter the Sanctuary, but the Trolls are massive creatures too. We used to strip their sinews and use them as rope substitutes.
“What if we tore out the Troll Sinew and used that? Since sinew is naturally tough, it should work perfectly well as rope.”
Especially Monster sinew—it’s even tougher.
Kael’s eyes widened.
“…That was mentioned in the papers.”
I nodded.
“Did you perhaps read the same papers as I did?”
“Possibly.”
I’d read the Original Story, but let’s call it papers.
“This seems like the perfect time to test it, Your Highness.”
Kael agreed with me.
“We start digging the traps now!”
The mercenaries who had been gathered in the distance, snickering to themselves, turned their attention toward us. Kael gave them a quiet order.
“Get moving.”
Only then did the mercenaries slowly rise to their feet. They appeared to be cooperating willingly enough, but something about it felt off. Watching their attitude, I couldn’t shake the suspicion that they might stab us in the back.
* * *
We installed traps using the Troll Sinew, dug several pits to an appropriate depth, and threw the Troll Corpse into them.
We climbed into the trees to wait for the Ogres to arrive. Seraphine, having left me in a safe position, stood guard in front of me.
“Seraphine, I can’t see anything from here.”
“……Keep your promise. You said you wouldn’t interfere.”
“Well, that’s true, but…….”
We need to see if the traps are working properly! Seraphine sighed and cleared her view. She could see the trees ahead swaying.
“They’re coming.”
“The bait worked well.”
The earth trembled as a thick tree snapped clean in two.
Wow, this is my first time seeing Ogres. They were easily three times a man’s height, with shoulders broad as a door. Their skin looked incredibly thick. Four Ogres emerged from the forest.
I held my breath, watching them charge forward without even glancing at their surroundings. One of them caught on the sinew and stumbled, crashing down like a felled giant. Another Ogre fell into a trap while the first was still thrashing about. They really were stupid.
“They really are stupid.”
“Uooooooooooo!”
All the charging Ogres had fallen. The moment they dropped into the traps, Kael gave the signal. The ones lying helpless were no different from overturned tortoises.
“Now!!”
Kael unleashed his Golden Aura, cleaving the Ogre in two.
“Go, Seraphine!”
“You must stay here.”
I nodded. It was already a won battle anyway.
“Absolutely!”
That was the beginning. The knights and mercenaries leaped down like falling leaves. The Ogres died without ever properly using their strength.
* * *
The ruthless men were leading the way, having collected even the Ogres’ sinews. Kalaad glanced back. Not a single one of Kael’s party had been injured in the fighting.
‘It seems the girl was the one using her head.’
Her combat skills were nothing special.
At first she’d brandished a torch, but when facing the Ogres, she’d hung back. She claimed her hand was injured, but I hadn’t seen her wield a sword properly.
Still, she did have decent tactical sense. Tearing out Ogre sinews and using them as rope—even harvesting the more durable sinews had been impressive enough to make me whistle. But that would be all.
That much was certain.
Once Rosana was eliminated, they would fall apart into a rabble.
‘What if that woman used her mind for us?’
Kalaad’s eyes narrowed. That was rather tempting. None of his subordinates had a proper head on their shoulders.
Hald had been the only one worth anything, and he’d turned traitor. From what Kalaad could see, Kael’s party clearly knew nothing of the final condition demanded by the Sacred Relic and the Sanctuary.
If he separated Rosana and locked the rest in the Sanctuary?
Kalaad smiled with satisfaction. No matter how he looked at it, this was a profitable venture.

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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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