The Villain Who Will Kill Me Is Too Handsome, It's Troublesome - Chapter 87

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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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Chapter 87
“What? Daizy?”
Why would Daizy—the girl who lived with grandmother—disappear like this?
Artiela quickly steadied Leigie’s collapsing shoulders as the Holy Knights rushed to gather nearby.
“Yes, she was helping grandmother at the Inn.”
She still lived there with grandmother, then?
“A person in a black robe—grandmother couldn’t tell if it was a man or woman—approached Daizy and greeted her.”
“Did Daizy know this person?”
“No, she seemed not to recognize them. But then this person told grandmother…….”
Kirien withdrew a handkerchief and offered it to Leigie, whose eyes were welling with tears. She bowed her thanks but continued speaking without managing to dry her eyes.
“They said Daizy had talent, so they’d take her away and raise her.”
“Surely grandmother didn’t consent?”
“No, it wasn’t like that…….”
“Then what happened?”
“They promised Daizy money if she learned magic, so she followed them. She said she wouldn’t make grandmother and me suffer anymore.”
“Ah…….”
Artiela couldn’t help but sigh.
That child must have been so troubled seeing grandmother and her sister sacrifice themselves for her sake.
“There are places that cultivate aspiring mages. If they’re legitimate, they provide living expenses for their trainees.”
“Really?”
“Yes, of course.”
“But……according to grandmother, those people seemed highly suspicious.”
According to Leigie’s account, the place wasn’t an academy she’d heard the name of before. True, a professor from the Imperial Academy had founded it, and they claimed to come from an established mage family, but…….
“They told Daizy that once she begins learning magic, she won’t be able to see her family anymore, and made her say goodbye to them.”
This reeked of a swindle.
Of course it did. Mother was a mage—would she not know this?
Young promising mages attend the nearest Guild Branch while learning magic fundamentals. As they grow older, they might enroll in educational institutions like the Imperial Academy and live in dormitories, but naturally they can visit their families whenever vacation comes around.
So they said she couldn’t see her family?
“Dark Mages…….”
Kirien started at Artiela’s murmur.
“Didn’t we eliminate all of them that day?”
“Not every last one would have rushed us. But since the pool of Dark Mages at their command has shrunk…….”
They’d need to rebuild and replenish their ranks.
According to the testimony of the Dark Mage brought to Edelion, Dark Mages were scattered across far more locations than expected.
“Is the Source of Evil stirring again? With its power sealed, it would need servants to act on its behalf.”
That’s how it would use humans.
Kirien already bore a curse linked to the Source of Evil inscribed upon his body, so it seemed he could move beyond the Magic Tower. But to consume other humans, Dark Magic incantations would need to be carved into them.
“Did they raise them from childhood to cultivate loyalty?”
That Dark Mage was the same way, wasn’t it? From what she’d heard, the Source of Evil would kill even its own subordinate Dark Mages without hesitation if displeased.
Yet to see them offer infinite devotion regardless—it couldn’t be explained by mere force alone.
Subjugation and loyalty were not the same thing.
“Leigie, did they say where they were taking her?”
“I’m not entirely sure. They mentioned the Great Land, but…….”
Just as Edelion was called a sacred land, they must have their own holy site. Naturally that would be a Magic Tower?
Artiela turned her gaze to the knights.
The knights immediately arranged themselves in formation, ready to receive orders at any moment.
“Report to the Holy Maiden.”
“To Countess Solthis? Dark Mage incidents have always required mages to assist……?”
“Last time I saw it, that place had no Mana, so the mages won’t be of use.”
In fact, protecting them might leave us hamstrung.
“Tell the Holy Maiden to come leading the Priest Order. We should still have Movement Scrolls remaining.”
I have some left myself.
“I’m going to pursue them immediately.”
“We’ll accompany you.”
“Only knights who can shield themselves with Holy Power barriers will go.”
“Yes!”
Kirien’s eyes widened at Artiela’s decision.
He’d never cast barriers himself—his Holy Power was fairly abundant thanks to his affection for Artiela, but he couldn’t wield it freely.
Still, he wanted to follow.
If the Source of Evil appeared again like last time, he might be of some use.
Kirien hesitated before stepping forward, but his companions called to him as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Sir Kirien, the Magic Circle won’t work here, so please go over there. We’ll all move together at once.”
“May I go as well?”
“Of course. You’re one of the few whose mastery of Holy Power is remarkable.”
Artiela, who had been issuing various instructions, nodded her approval. Instead, she drew a ring from her pocket.
It was the Goddess’s Will—the very item discovered in Bertia’s urn.
“If you don’t know how to use it, simply pour your Holy Power into it. The barrier will form on its own.”
“Yes, understood.”
“And take this as well.”
Artiela removed the Holy Power Amplification Bracelet from her left wrist and handed it to Kirien.
“Why this?”
“Because multiplying ten by two is far more effective than multiplying one by two.”
Dust is still just dust, no matter how much you gather.
It’s better to concentrate resources on those who matter most. Kirien is a full-fledged member of the Order, and if she’s in danger, she’ll protect me before anyone else—so I have to trust her with this.
“And when things get urgent, we all combine our Holy Power.”
It was the secret to leading the Order well, even with the smallest reserves of Holy Power.
As Kirien nodded, Artiela left to finish her own preparations. Kirien, too, consulted with her fellow knights about the proper ways to handle Holy Power, making ready for what was to come.
Once their preparations were complete, the Holy Knight Order stood ready for their expedition.
“All right, everyone stay sharp. Try to avoid any direct contact with the Dark Mage’s Dark Aura if at all possible.”
“Yes!”
“Either deflect it with a Holy Power barrier, or if you can purify it, do so.”
“Yes, understood.”
“But above all else—if there are children, their protection comes first!”
Someone raised a hand.
“What if a child has already become a Dark Mage and attacks us?”
Well, I hadn’t thought about that far ahead.
“In that case, go ahead and fight back. They’re just children—how strong could they be? I’ll have the priests purify them afterward.”
“That’s harsh, ma’am.”
“Don’t use Aura or physical force on the children. Even if it puts you at a disadvantage, you must take them alive. That’s the only way the priests will be able to purify them.”
“Yes, understood.”
As always, the knights eased their tension with banter, checked their weapons and armor one final time, and prepared to depart.
“Let’s move out!”
* * *
Soon they arrived at the village near the Magic Tower.
The chill that Lillian had felt during her visit lingered still. The difference from then was…
“Everyone is on guard when they see us.”
The people had hidden themselves away.
“They must be following the Lord’s orders well.”
Right—that man, the eldest son of one of the great magical houses. From what her mother had told her, he happened to be the ruler of these lands.
He was two years older than her mother, if she remembered correctly.
By rights, he should have become the Tower Master. But for some reason, he’d relinquished that position to another family.
‘Was he nursing his betrothed through illness back then?’
In the meantime, the Tower Master had brought in Dark Mages, claiming he needed to strengthen the mages’ power, and it had all ended in ruin.
As the Magic Tower crumbled, the domain grew precarious as well.
‘An economy that ran on mages, after all.’
And because of Lillian, he’d lost the position of Mage Association Director too. With no other way forward, corruption was inevitable.
“Which direction should we go?”
“There’s supposed to be an official mage academy here, right?”
At the Lord’s Residence.
As Artiela took the lead, the knights fell into step behind her. A grim wind kept blowing. The cries of ill-omened beasts echoed in the air.
It felt as though darkness had fallen unusually early, even though the sun had not yet set—or was that just her imagination?
Soon, the party stood before the residence.
“Commander.”
It was then that Kirien called to her urgently. Being addressed by title rather than name wasn’t so bad, she thought.
“Here, at the entrance.”
Kirien held up a mirror.
“It seems a barrier has been erected. By your mother, perhaps.”
Corrupted Holy Power? She didn’t like the sound of that.
The nightmare of her right hand came back to her.

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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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