I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss, Vol. 4, page 12
“…I’ve just known her for a long time, that’s all.”
“Well, never mind. Killing you now would be a poor move. The important thing is exercising discretion.”
Isaac doesn’t ask, Discretion in what?
“Your interpretation of the situation is probably sound, Isaac. And so, I will play Cupid as well.”
“Sorry, but you’ve completely lost me.”
“It’s nothing difficult. I’m merely going to teach Aileen a lesson, while simultaneously granting her wish.”
After thinking for a few seconds, Isaac gets it. In spite of himself, he tells the king off. “That’s low. She’s extra vulnerable to that sort of thing. Or what, do you want to make her cry?”
“That’s where we differ. The idea of Aileen crying makes my heart race.”
That’s not something to get excited over, he thinks, but realizes that really is what sets them apart.
“…Do whatever you want, but do you even have a shot at this? You said the principal consort was wary of you.”
“Look at my face and say that again. As a matter of fact, I’d like to see what it’s like to lose— Oh, don’t tell Aileen. She’d say she understands, but it would weigh on her.”
I hope you do lose. Internally cursing him, Isaac mentally switches gears. It’s not as if he doesn’t understand the demon king’s anger. It’s an emotion the men around Aileen feel over and over again.
It’s just that this man is the only one who can confront her with that anger directly.
“So that’s how things stand,” says the king. “Auguste, you stay and guard the harem with me.”
“Oh— Yes, sir!”
“Isaac, I want you to be our liaison. Use Cedric as you see fit.”
“There’s no way his princely highness is going to listen to me, and you know it.”
“Just add ‘says your brother’ to the end of every statement. Cedric is a good boy.”
“…Is that right?”
“The other one, uh… What was his… The instrument. I’ll leave him to you as well.” Marcus isn’t even human anymore. “Oh, I can’t wait to see Aileen’s face.”
“Really? I’m so happy for you.”
“Oh, that’s right. Rachel seemed well.”
The attack comes out of nowhere, and Isaac’s reaction is delayed. The demon king gets to his feet, smiling triumphantly.
Isaac tsks, irritated. “…I didn’t ask. If Aileen’s fine, she probably is, too.”
“That’s your fatal flaw. Auguste’s prospects are better. Yes, all that’s lacking is the courage to whip it out and show it…”
“Look, here’s some friendly advice: Steer clear of that particular topic.”
There are a ton of other things he wants to say, but that warning is the only genuine remark Isaac allows himself.
Fourth Act
When the Villainess Is Involved, Imbroglios Ensue
The day when she first came to this country and thought Why did this happen? feels like the distant past.
His black hair ripples, and the heels of his shoes click. That alone is enough to draw sighs of admiration from all quarters. His posture is elegant no matter which angle it’s viewed from, and his tall, well-muscled physique seems modeled on the golden ratio. At the sight of the new guard, everyone naturally clears the way, and the principal consort who follows him is gathering envious gazes.
General Ares has chosen and assigned a guard to the principal consort. At first, everyone felt that he was a guard in name only and was really there to keep an eye on her. Now, any thought of pity or disdain has evaporated. They’re simply jealous. It’s almost palpable.
And this is all because of the taciturn, beautiful, faithful, kind, strong, well-mannered guard who’s rumored to smile at no one but the principal consort. The only fly in the ointment is the fact his name is Claw.
“Your hand, milady.”
He addresses her gracefully, extending his own hand. Roxane takes it, climbs the steps to the pavilion, and seats herself. The sight paints a lovely scene.
Aileen, who’s hiding and watching from a distance, grinds her teeth. Milady! He called her “milady”! I’m so jealous… I want Master Claude to wait on me and call me milady, too!
If only a knight like that were to treat me like a princess—Claw, or rather Claude, had made that maidenly dream a reality in grand style.
On his very first day as a guard, when lower-ranking consorts had shown veiled contempt for Roxane, Claw held them at sword’s point and demanded an apology. On the second day, there had been another attack believed to be the work of the fiend dragon, but he’d beaten it back without trouble, protecting Roxane. On the third day, he’d knelt before Roxane and slipped her shoes onto her feet. On the fourth day, when Roxane had fallen and the holy king insisted on ignoring her, Claw swept her into his arms and tended to her— At this point, Roxane isn’t “under observation.” She is the principal consort who’s come under the protection of a knight and the envy of all.
Why is Master Claude so needlessly perfect…?!
She’s so jealous, jealous, jealous.
Out of frustration, Aileen digs her nails into the wall of the building. Beside her, a man wearing the same expression mutters, “Why did this happen?”
“It’s because your face is weak…!”
“Is that really a word for describing faces?! No, we’re supposed to be one of those handsome types, so there shouldn’t be a problem.”
“You’re awfully confident for someone who doesn’t have a charming personality or a dashing demeanor!”
“Enough! The longer we watch, the more we start to suspect it might be true…!” Baal is clutching at his chest, but it serves him right. At any rate, no one who’s hiding in the shadows grinding his teeth could be considered dashing. Not by a long shot. “Why does this pain our heart so?”
“No doubt because you’re being forced to see that you’re in a completely different class as a man.”
“Even if that’s true, Roxane looks a little different as well. That can’t be right.”
“Women shine brighter depending on the man they’re with. You didn’t even know that? If Lady Roxane looked dim and hazy before now, it is most definitely your fault.”
“What?!”
“If you think I’m lying, just take a look for yourself!”
In the pavilion where songbirds twitter, Roxane is drinking tea. Gently, Claude holds out a book to her. Roxane gives the smallest of gentle smiles and says something to him. She’s probably thanking him.
Baal watches them in a daze. “…The woman smiles? We’ve never seen that before.”
“I imagine you haven’t…!”
And Claude is doing this in order to force him to see it. In other words, he’s helping Aileen. She hasn’t lost his love. She knows that.
But he doesn’t have to go so far, does he?!
There’s no way he needs to get that close. He doesn’t have to be so kind. He doesn’t need to cherish her like that. And why does he look so gentle!
“—Hmph! It’s none of our concern. Why should we have to care about Roxane?” Baal turns his back and walks away. He’s spoken coldly, but his footsteps are angry. Not only that, but since he isn’t looking where he’s going, he walks smack into a tree branch at face height and ends up writhing in agony.
If she’s on his mind, that’s progress. Aileen’s sure of that. However…
“Consort Aileen. Did you need me for something?”
When she suddenly hears a familiar voice behind her, she almost shrieks. Claude has joined her in the shadows and is smiling down at her coldly. “I’ve felt your eyes on me for a while now, so I wondered.”
“I-i-i-it’s absolutely nothing, nothing at all!”
“I see. I thought you might be jealous.”
“Wh-why would I ever be—?!”
She huffs, turning away with the greatest degree of indignation she can muster. Ignoring her display of ire, Claude bends forward, drinking in her face deeply. From the look in his eyes, he’s clearly amused by all this. That only makes her angrier, so she turns her back on him once more. Claude promptly circles around until he’s in front of her again. The two of them go on turning pointlessly in place like that, until on the third round, Aileen finally explodes.
“For goodness’ sake, what on earth do you want?! You are on guard duty, are you not? Why don’t you hurry and go back!”
“May I?”
“Well, of course…”
If she asked him not to, would he stay? For just a moment, her weak heart makes her steal a glance at Claude. Instantly, she regrets it.
“Don’t look as if you’re about to cry. I’ll enjoy it so much I won’t be able to exercise proper discretion.” With an expression that couldn’t possibly be more triumphant, Claude whispers sweetly in her ear. “There’s no need to worry. I am devoted to my wife.”
“I—I know that…”
“And so, if my beloved wife asks me for anything, I fear I’ll grant her request without a second thought. It’s a real problem.”
It’s all right to ask me to stay. He dangles that temptation right in front of her, and Aileen bites her lip. It’s a love trap: If she reaches out for it, she’ll end up drowning.
Claude caresses Aileen’s face like it’s the most precious thing, and there’s a hint of poison in his smile. “You’re stubborn. Granted, that’s appealing in its own way.”
“……”
“I love you, my Aileen.”
Dropping one gentle kiss on her cheek, Claude spins on his heel. Naturally, he’s returning to work. No doubt he’ll go right back to perfectly protecting Roxane.
The sense of defeat is crushing, and she clenches her fists. Calm down. This is work and nothing more; that’s right. I won’t be the sort of asinine woman who pressures Master Claude with questions like “Which is more important to you, your job or me?!”
However, Claude is kind, and Roxane is a very lovely woman.
What will I do if something does happen?
“Why must I feel the same as the holy king, Rachel…?!”
“Because you angered Master Claude.”
Aileen persisted in following Claude and Roxane around, irritated all the while, but now night has fallen, and she’s returned to her palace. As befits an outstanding lady-in-waiting, Rachel flatly tells her the truth. “When Master Claude came to rescue you, you should have avoided wording things in a way that gave no consideration to the pains he’d taken.”
“…Perhaps so, but—”
“At times like these, the first one to get angry loses. Calm down, please.”
“I know that as well! But in the extremely unlikely event that anything untoward were to occur, what then?!”
“…Frankly, since you’ve become another man’s consort, I’m not sure you are in a position to say much of anything…”
“I am Master Claude’s wife! I’ve done nothing to be ashamed of!”
“No doubt Master Claude would declare the same thing…”
“Oh, Lady Aileen! Is it true that the demon king has cast you asi—?”
Lilia manages to drive her into a fury the moment she opens the door. Aileen hurls a small fruit knife at her to silence her, then hauls her up by her bodice for good measure.
“Say one more word and I’ll kill you.”
“My, my, Lady Aileen, you’re quite lively when you’re truly angry.”
“Enough of that. There’s no time.” Already tired of their bickering, Serena yanks the knife out of the door and locks it from the inside. Then she turns and smiles down at Aileen. “Congratulations on your divorce.”
“Lady Aileen, control yourself! And you, Lady Serena: Simply make your report, please…!”
“Yes, yes, all right. We’ve become Lady Sahra’s attendants without trouble. We haven’t found out where the holy sword is, though.”
When she hears that proper report, Aileen gets her breathing in order, shifting her thoughts to another track. “Lady Lilia, can you sense the holy sword’s presence?”
“Of course I can’t. Perhaps I could if it were in its prime, but the holy sword is practically broken.” Lilia flops down onto a cushion on the rug. “I did hear something entertaining, though. They say we’re getting a guest from Ellmeyer.”
“…From Ellmeyer? I wonder if that’s Isaac.”
“No matter who it is, it must be a trap set by the demon king. And come to think of it, I wonder why the kingdom’s citizens haven’t discovered him yet. Are they stupid? Oh, it could be a game spec—”
“Thank you for your report, Lady Lilia. Here, have an apple.”
She shoves a whole apple at Lilia, successfully shutting her up.
“What about you, Serena? Did you meet Auguste?”
“Yes, we met. Has he lost his manhood?”
“…Can you please be a little more concerned with anything else? Poor Auguste. He came all this way because he was worried about you, you know.”
“Worried? I heard he lost to that general. I’m worried he may hold me back.”
“You really show him no mercy, do you…?”
“Oh, that’s right, Lady Aileen. It sounds as though an envoy from the Queendom of Hausel arrived just after the fiend dragon’s revival and stayed here as Lady Sahra’s visitors. They’ve secretly been in contact with Ares ever since.”
After finishing the apple, Lilia mentions something crucial with shocking nonchalance.
“—The Queendom of Hausel and General Ares?”
“That nation fancies itself the organizing body behind all women with holy power, so it’s only natural that they’d concern themselves with the Daughter of God. And since they’re mediating between Ashmael and Ellmeyer, it makes sense, but still rather suspicious.”
“…Yes, it is.”
“Lady Aileen, you’ll have to be careful. The envoys from the Queendom are bound to recognize the demon king.” Aileen gives her a sharp look, and Lilia smiles as if she’s terribly entertained. “There’s one other thing that concerns me. Do you think the fiend dragon is really with the holy king?”
“…What are you trying to say?”
In the game, that would have been the case, but Aileen hasn’t checked. Lilia tilts her head sweetly. “Well, you know, it sounds as if the fiend dragon only ever appears near the holy king or the harem.”
That had been true in the game as well. However, it was because the game had been presented from Sahra’s perspective. There was no need for reality to follow suit.
“It’s almost as if someone is manipulating the fiend dragon using demon snuff and making it attack those places exclusively, don’t you think?”
A terribly sensible hypothesis. Tsking in irritation, Aileen gets to her feet. “Rachel, I’m going to the holy king. Get ready.”
“What? —Um, at this hour, that may not be wise. Particularly if Master Claude catches wind of it.”
“There’s no time. I need to see whether the fiend dragon really is tied to the holy king.”
At night, the dragon’s presence will be stronger. Lilia raises a pointed chuckle, rising to her feet as well. “If I learn anything, I’ll come and report. Serena, let us return.”
“Lady Lilia, you know something, don’t you?”
Lilia makes a show of opening her eyes wide and smiles. “Goodness, Lady Aileen. Don’t make me repeat myself. I’m on your side this time.”
“Could it be that you’re intentionally trying to get the fiend dragon to possess someone?”
Lilia stares at her. Unlike a moment ago, her emotion is real.
As a rule, the fiend dragon targets Baal. By using the body of someone who possesses strong holy power, it gains strength that transcends both good and evil. However, in reality, not only has the Daughter of God awakened, but Aileen and the others are present. Under the circumstances, there’s no guarantee that the dragon will target the same person.
“Hee-hee, hee-hee-hee.” Lilia laughs, hiding her face.
Aileen takes a step forward. “Enough of that. Answer me. Depending on what you say—”
“There’s no need to worry. I only have a hunch about who the dragon will go to in the end.”
“…You what?”
“If you think about it, you’ll see it, too. But that’s exactly why I’m not worried. It could never win against the power of love, after all. Besides, the fiend dragon doesn’t matter. And since we’re already on the subject, I don’t care about that trifling Daughter of God, either.”
Lilia takes a step closer, peering up into Aileen’s face. “I am enjoying myself, though. Do your best, Lady Aileen. I’m sure the action will speed up soon, as the end draws near.”
Still irritated, Aileen kicks the door open. As she barges in, Baal blinks at her. He’s already in bed, reclining against a generous stack of pillows. “If you’re here to seduce us, make a more alluring entrance.”
“No one is wooing anyone. I simply need to talk.”
“What happened to the guards?”
“I put them to sleep. I can’t have anyone starting odd rumors.”
“How?”
“My lady-in-waiting is extremely well prepared.”
Luc must have given her the substance. Rachel had taken some powder out of an inner pocket and set it alight, and the guards stationed outside the holy king’s bedchamber had been asleep in moments.
“Well, that’s incredibly pathetic.”
“…If you’d had a few more people, it wouldn’t have been this easy,” she says, insinuating that there aren’t enough guards protecting the royal bedchamber.
Baal gives a wry smile. “There’s no telling when the fiend dragon may appear. No one would guard this place willingly.”
“So the fiend dragon appears.”
“That’s right. Just as the rumors say. Every night, it comes just as we’re settling down to sleep.”
Which means that, unlike the game, the fiend dragon isn’t inside Baal.
I should have made sure of it first thing. It’s all because I carelessly became this man’s consort; it made me wary of approaching him…!
