The Male Lead Has Gone Mad Over the Troublesome Villainess - Chapter 60

—————
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 for the Villainous Woman 060
As they crested the slope, a stone structure came into view.
According to the Original Story, the Sanctuary harbored countless secrets. The temple had long restricted access from outsiders to guard the Holy Relic, and consequently, little reliable information about the Sanctuary existed. This was why Kael and his party in the Original Story had endured considerable hardship within its walls.
So during the entire journey here, I’d been organizing my thoughts.
Calad, catching a glimpse of the ancient script carved into the massive stone door, opened his mouth.
“Can you decipher it?”
“You look like you can manage it.”
Calad nodded with a satisfied smile.
“I’m pleased to be of use. The inscription reads: ‘Only the worthy may enter within. Yet even the worthy shall not claim all they desire, nor can I promise safe passage out. Let the fearful abandon the attempt here.'”
Calad chuckled softly.
“A suitably menacing warning. Please open the door, Your Highness.”
Kael stepped forward and reached into his breast, withdrawing a piece of metal the size of two adult thumbs placed end to end. As he inserted the key into the groove of the stone door, it turned with a perfect click, and a grinding sound echoed from beneath the earth.
Crunch-crunch-crunch.
The ground beneath their feet rumbled as the door slid inward, revealing the interior from which a cold wind rushed out—a current carrying the scent of wet stone.
“Go in first, Calad. This is the moment you’ve been longing for.”
At my gesture, Calad’s face brightened.
“Thank you for your consideration. Then I shall take the honor.”
Calad entered first, then suddenly seized Kael’s wrist. He leaned close and whispered in a very quiet voice.
“He’s lying.”
Kael looked down at me.
“The inscription doesn’t mean what he said it means.”
I was taken aback as well—ancient script written in our script? More than that, since I knew the Original Story’s contents, I understood the true meaning of what was carved on the stone door.
Kael asked quietly.
“Can you read ancient script?”
“…Yes. When I was young, reading was the only thing I could do.”
I offered a vague deflection before hastily continuing.
“He did tell some truth. However, he deliberately left out the most important sentence: ‘Should one desire the Holy Relic, one must offer a price befitting its value.'”
This was the complete inscription. But I couldn’t let this opportunity slip away. It was a legitimate chance to spoil the Original Story knowledge properly. I smirked before speaking again.
“…And the most crucial part is…”
Kael’s eyes widened as he listened to what came next.
“They’re definitely going to betray us, Your Highness.”
Kael nodded with a grave expression. Yet I harbored no anxiety. In the Original Story, Seraphine and Kael had found their way through. With my assistance added to that? We were invincible.
* * *
The moment all of us entered, the door shut behind us. Such a predictable setup.
I created a light source to examine the interior. It was a cave, not a temple.
The ceiling was high, and shallow water pooled across the floor, producing a soft splashing sound with each step. According to the Original Story, they encountered Trolls at the entrance. The moment the mercenary ahead raised the torch, Trolls emerged from the darkness—creatures degenerated by the underground, their eyes milky white.
Seraphine instinctively moved in front of me.
They were smaller than the ones we’d seen in the forest and far paler in color. They couldn’t see ahead. All monsters encountered in caves would be the same. According to the Original Story, the creatures here had degenerated vision and smell while developing hearing to an extreme degree.
“Grrrr…”
They seemed unaware of our location. Everyone gripped their swords and torches with tense expressions. But the air was so damp that there was no telling how long the torches would hold. Besides, the further in we went, the more densely these creatures would swarm.
In that hushed moment, one mercenary let out a soft curse. Every Troll’s head snapped toward the direction of the sound.
“What?”
When the mercenary carelessly uttered another word, the Trolls instantly located his position and charged.
“Aaaaahh! Get back, you damned monsters!”
The mercenary fled deeper in, and the moment the Trolls turned their backs, Kael moved. The Golden Aura flooded the cave with brilliant light, slashing across the creatures’ backs. Witnessing this, the mercenary collapsed to the ground, gasping and cursing continuously.
“What are you doing? Waiting for them to come back to life?”
At Kael’s chilling rebuke, those who’d regained their senses rushed at the fallen Trolls and burned them. The acrid stench of wet rot and decay hung heavily in the cave.
Once this was confirmed, Kael issued an order.
“Check if there are any others nearby. And.”
Kael glanced at the mercenary who’d nearly met his end.
“If you can’t handle this, at least keep your mouth shut.”
Kael spoke quietly while examining the Trolls.
“These creatures seem to have degenerated vision and smell. Their eyes are clouded white, their noses flattened. But they’re hypersensitive to sound. As long as we don’t draw unnecessary attention, we can avoid combat entirely. Remember this: our objective isn’t to exterminate them, but to find the Holy Relic and leave.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
The knights responded. Calad spoke with a slow, sardonic smile.
“Remember well. My subordinate seems to have been quite startled. I’ll ensure this doesn’t happen again. Well? You just going to stay sprawled out there?”
As Calad irritably hauled the mercenary to his feet, the surroundings were swiftly cleaned up.
* * *
At that moment, in Gloria.
Patrol guards discovered suspicious figures in the alley where warehouses were clustered.
“What do you mean, what?”
They bolted at once, but after a relentless chase they found themselves cornered in a dead-end alley. When they glanced back, only two figures blocked their escape. With odds like these, they could force their way through if they had to.
This was worth a shot. The two mercenaries exchanged a look and nodded.
They drew their swords.
“Step aside here and I’ll let you keep your lives. That’s the offer. Now go.”
The knights burst out laughing.
“What’s that?”
“Come over here, you lot. Looks like some rats have wandered in.”
At that, more patrol guards came rushing over. The mercenaries faltered, backing away. Damn it all—what was this?
In truth, Kael had warned Millers before they set out. Given how much coin they’d spent at the Underground Market, anyone who’d noticed the company carried wealth might target the remaining members. Millers hadn’t taken that warning lightly.
Watching the crowd gather at the alley’s end, the mercenaries swallowed hard.
“I’m giving back exactly what you said. Drop your swords, or you’ll end up dead.”
The knights’ casual words drained the fight from the mercenaries.
* * *
That evening, a knight who’d brought supper told Hald what had happened at the Underground Market. As the knight finished the tale, he added one more thing.
“Millers is asking for you.”
“Me? But why—”
“Get up. Some suspicious types came in last night and got caught. He wants you to come and identify them.”
The knight answered curtly and lifted Hald, who could barely manage to sit up on his own. Millers was waiting for him outside the garrison.
“Come on in.”

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