The Male Lead Has Gone Mad Over the Troublesome Villainess - Chapter 61

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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 Crazy for a Problematic Villainess — Episode 061
The underground chamber where they were imprisoned was narrow and dark. The knight set Hald down on the floor. Hald steadied himself by gripping the wall, then examined the faces of those bound and lying prone one by one. After a moment, he nodded.
“These are men who work under Kalrad.”
“Kalrad?”
Millers let out a bitter laugh.
“Isn’t that the name of the informant who went to the Holy Sanctuary with His Highness this time?”
“Yes. He’s the type who betrays as easily as breathing.”
Hald spoke while gauging Millers’s reaction.
“Tell me everything you suspect.”
Millers’s tone turned cold.
“Likely, Kalrad intends to seize the Sacred Relic and everything we possess. Since the man doesn’t shy away from dirty work, he’s probably already planning to kidnap the children and women here and sell them.”
Millers’s brow twitched.
“Human trafficking? Such things actually happen in the black market?”
“Kalrad will sell anything. I know such trade flourishes actively beyond the southern border, far from Greystone.”
While Hald cleared his throat, Millers pressed his palm to his forehead.
“I knew he was a bastard, but he’s even worse than I thought.”
In truth, he’d already suspected these men might be Kalrad’s subordinates. Hald watched Millers’s expression and continued.
“It seems Kalrad has his sights set on us. What should we do?”
“What else? We prepare ourselves.”
Kael must have left most of the troops with this possibility in mind. Millers clenched his teeth at the thought.
They were seasoned soldiers who’d survived countless hardships on the road to Greystone—a minor crisis like this was something they had to overcome on their own.
Millers’s eyes gleamed. In the time he’d spent by Rosana and Kael’s sides, he’d learned and witnessed so much.
“It seems the time has come to put to use what we’ve carefully gathered. You—take Hald outside and gather the people. Hald, you need to spill everything you know.”
Hald nodded, his face shrinking back.
* * *
It hadn’t been long after they began walking when the knight ahead raised his fist.
“The sound beneath our feet is different. There’s something below.”
It was exactly as he’d said. When Kael tapped the ground with the hilt of his sword, the space truly echoed with a hollow sound. The stones beneath also appeared different.
At that moment, Kalrad stepped forward.
“I’ve seen a mechanism like this somewhere before. It was inside a tomb—it was a device that responds to weight. If weight above a certain threshold is applied, the floor will collapse or other traps will activate.”
Kalrad smiled thinly.
“No one knows exactly what that threshold is, but it would be best to proceed from lightest to heaviest.”
Kalrad’s gaze turned toward me.
“Wouldn’t it be proper for the two women here to go first?”
Kael turned to look at me. In truth, Kalrad’s suggestion had no flaw in logic. If the trap operated by weight, that would be the most rational approach. The only problem was that Kalrad was the one proposing it.
I shrugged and stepped forward first.
“After me comes Seraphine, and then one of your people should cross.”
Kalrad grinned at my words.
“Of course. Let’s do it that way.”
The order was decided quickly. They lined up in order of weight, then arranged for the mercenaries and knights to alternate crossing. Kael stood at the very end.
He looked lean and lanky, but it seemed his frame was packed with muscle. Whether it was a matter of talent or the privilege of being the male lead—either way, it was enviable.
As people crossed safely one by one, when it came time for a fairly large mercenary, a creaking sound came from beneath his feet. The stone he was standing on sank slightly. The mercenary hurriedly jumped to the other side, and the floor fell still again. It seemed the threshold weight that triggered the trap wasn’t very high.
Now only two people remained. One knight from our side, one mercenary from Kalrad’s.
Kalrad narrowed his eyes and asked.
“Who will you have cross first? Perhaps neither of them will make it across.”
Dust was already falling from above. I checked the ceiling and grabbed Kael’s arm. Kael lowered his head to meet my eyes level with his.
“Oh.”
At the sudden closeness, I instinctively stepped back. A deep woody fragrance came from Kael. Was this also a virtue of the male lead? Why did he not even smell like sweat?
Kael caught me with a smile as I stumbled.
“You’ll fall if you’re not careful, Rosana.”
“…Haha, thank you for catching me.”
I glanced at Seraphine and removed my hand from Kael’s. You two should stay together forever. I absolutely support you both.
“Let Tenedi stay behind and have the mercenary cross quickly by running.”
I spoke in a low voice.
“Why?”
According to the Original Story, there was a condition that had to be met to escape the Holy Sanctuary. It was called Equivalent Exchange.
For the Sacred Relic to be taken out, an equal number of people had to remain inside the Holy Sanctuary as those leaving outside. If eight people left, at least eight had to stay. If ten left, at least ten had to remain.
In the story, Kael stayed inside while Seraphine went out, and true to form as the male lead, he unraveled the mystery within and eventually escaped.
Since only Kalrad besides me could read the ancient script here, there was a high chance he’d deceive us and escape with only his mercenaries. He wouldn’t know that I understood everything.
When we first entered the Holy Sanctuary, our side had twelve people including me, and Kalrad’s side had nine including himself.
Tenedi had another reason to stay behind.
“Have Tenedi turn back and exit the Holy Sanctuary from here. Then wait outside and set traps. Kalrad will certainly betray us. We need to prepare for that possibility.”
“Can Tenedi manage alone?”
Kael asked quietly, so only I could hear.
“He only needs to cut off the escape route and buy us time. He knows how to set traps anyway. He still has that sticky Spider Web Trap, doesn’t he?”
Kael stretched his lips into a smile and nodded. As it happened, Tenedi was laden with a full pack of supplies precisely because of his bulk.
Just before Kael straightened, he whispered to me.
“I’m indebted to you again. There will surely come a day when I can repay you.”
“……Ah, please think nothing of it.”
I wanted no such reward. I stepped away from Kael, watching Seraphine’s reaction. Kalrad drawled his question.
“If you’ve finished discussing, then decide, won’t you.”
Kael let out a short laugh and spoke.
“Tenedi.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“You’ll turn back down this passage and exit.”
Tenedi bowed his head. Kael opened his mouth.
“Then it’s decided.”
Kalrad spoke.
“What are you doing, Norma! Cross already! Didn’t our lord just give the order!”
That snide attitude of his was thoroughly thuggish. Exactly as expected, an Iron Cage Trap fell from the ceiling just as Norma was crossing. He barely escaped with his life, rolling and leaping frantically out of the way.
“Ahhh!”
Norma’s sharp cry echoed through the passage. I saw Kalrad pat the cursing man’s shoulder as he spewed a stream of profanities.
“You nearly became a fish on a skewer.”
The mercenaries laughed crudely. And in that moment, a secret order fell upon the loyal soldier. Kael had issued a command through hand signals.
‘Go outside.’
‘Set the traps.’
‘Cut off the escape route.’

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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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