I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss, Vol. 4, page 14
“My, how kind. Hee-hee-hee. Men with composure are splendid, aren’t they? I envy your wife.”
“And I envy the husband you vilify. It’s proof that he’s loved.”
“Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee, my goodness, how dare you—!” She brings the chair down mercilessly. However, he cuts it apart, moving so rapidly she doesn’t even see it happen.
Tsking, Aileen picks up a side table, hurling it with all her might. Claude dodges it very casually. The table strikes the wall and smashes, making an incredible racket.
“My, my, how strong you are. What a reliable husband! Your wife must feel very safe.”
“Hey— Whoa, Aileen, no, wait!”
Snatching the sword from Baal’s waist, she slashes at Claude. Claude parries without raising an eyebrow. “Actually, no. My wife is stubborn and won’t rely on me.”
“Isn’t that at least partially your fault?!”
“No. The problem lies with you.”
This time, Aileen really snaps. She sends a shelf flying, throwing Claude off-balance, and strikes at him from the side. “I will not apologize!!”
“Of course not. If you’re going to whine because I’m showing a little kindness to another woman, then I wish you’d avoid constantly miring yourself in trouble in the first place.”
Every time their blades clash, silver dishes roll around, and mirrors fall to the floor and shatter.
Baal is clutching his head; he’s retreated to a corner so he won’t get dragged in. “Y-you’d start a domestic spat in a place like this…?!”
“M-Master Baal. We must stop them. The national treasure, over there—”
Roxane is pointing at an incense burner, an item presented to the principal consort. Said to be made of the same material as the holy sword, it’s a treasure in which evil-quelling incense is burned. Unlike the holy sword, it has no function beyond burning incense, but even so, it has existed since the nation’s founding. The vibrations from the sword strikes and the wind pressure have it teetering on its pedestal.
“All this, merely because I became another man’s consort?! Master Claude, with that face, you must have an illegitimate child somewhere!”
“Why is that twisted jealousy the only kind you’re capable of?”
“I’m so very sorry I’m not adorable!”
“I didn’t say th—”
“Wait, you two! Stop!”
The incense burner falls from its pedestal.
Baal hastily reaches for it, but it slips through his grasp. Roxane throws herself onto the floor in a desperate attempt to catch it, but it skims past the tips of her nails—and with a loud crash, the national treasure of the Kingdom of Ashmael smashes right in front of the king and his wife.
“How are you going to make up for this?!”
Claude has lowered himself onto the ground alongside Aileen. He looks dubious at Baal’s furious yell. “‘How’? You can’t unbreak an object, not usually.”
“You destroy a national treasure, and that’s all you have to say…?!”
“Everything physical must break someday, you know.”
“So you’d say the same thing if one of Ellmeyer’s national treasures were broken?”
His voice is low and threatening, and it makes Aileen feel rather uncomfortable.
Claude sighs wearily. “This wouldn’t have happened if you’d behaved.”
“…You’re saying it’s my fault?”
“No, I’m not saying that. You are the one who struck first, though.”
“Goodness… Master Claude, you’re completely unrepentant, aren’t you?”
“What should I have to repent of?”
Aileen has set the sword on the floor, but now she picks it up again. Wordlessly, Claude rests a hand on his own hilt.
They begin crossing the floor—although there’s really no place to walk, covered as it is with scattered shards of glass, pottery, and what remains of a national treasure. Baal gets between them and cries. “Enough of this! You never learn!”
“—It’s finished,” Roxane says. She’s been writing something at a table whose broken legs have made it slant toward the ground. She rises, displaying a paper to Aileen and Claude.
Everyone looks at it. It’s a bill for an amount featuring a very long row of zeros.
“Compensation for damages. Pay it, if you would.”
“This much?!”
“It was a national treasure, you know.”
“This much… And it’s all your fault, Master Claude!”
“No, it’s yours.”
“If you feel you can’t pay it, you may cancel it out by waiving the compensation we owe the crown princess for the trouble we’ve caused her.”
Although Aileen has been glaring at Claude, Roxane’s words make her blink.
Baal is wearing the same expression. “…Roxane, you knew?”
“I noticed only recently,” Roxane says impassively. “It’s just that, when the demon king—His Highness the crown prince of Ellmeyer—arrived, I suspected that might be why.” Retrieving the bill, she tears it up. “Now neither of our nations has committed any transgressions. Will that do?”
“Yes. That’s more than acceptable.” Impressed, Aileen nods.
“Wait,” Baal stops her. “We haven’t agreed to this. Don’t just settle it on your own.”
“I’m not satisfied, either. You kidnapped my wife and made her your consort.”
“Then you two talk amongst yourselves, over there.” Dismissing their husbands with a word, Roxane turns back to Aileen. “First, to avert any misunderstandings, I will tell you: I invited Master Claude into my rooms so that he could teach me how to draw this magic circle.” She holds out a book and the paper she’d been drawing on earlier. The book contains a patently ominous design. However, the attempted copy on the paper is as shakily executed as a child’s drawing.
Baal and Aileen both look at Roxane. Her cheeks flush, and she clears her throat. “…I—I have no talent for art.”
“I couldn’t just stand by and watch. She was making a copy, and yet somehow ended up with something completely different.” Claude has casually said something quite mean.
Aileen’s shoulders slump. “I understand your reasons and the circumstances… But why were you drawing a magic circle?”
“Since we had the opportunity, I thought I would have the demon king take the fiend dragon home with him.”
“What, as if it were a souvenir?!”
Through her shock, Aileen realizes the idea had merit. That’s right. This magic circle was in the game as well. It’s the one Roxane used to summon the dragon…! She wonders idly whether the game version of Roxane had any artistic talent.
“Initially, I simply assumed the demon king had come to retrieve the dragon. I wasn’t certain whether he wanted to stop its rampage or simply cover it up, but I thought either would be fine. However, when I spoke with him, it turned out he didn’t know even where the fiend dragon was…”
“And so you drew a magic circle to summon it…?”
“Yes. If I managed to produce the dragon, he agreed to remove it for us.”
“Why would you do a thing like that?!” Baal yells, as if he can’t help himself.
Roxane is calm and collected. “You feel that fighting Imperial Ellmeyer would be a poor move, and it would be. Our nation must not be used by the Queendom of Hausel in a proxy war.”
“…How did you pick up on that? Who told you?!”
“No one. If anyone considers the intent of the orders you’ve been issuing, it’s patently obvious. In any case, if you meant to fight, you would have declared war long ago. However, you postponed the restoration of the holy sword, and you’ve been conducting yourself so as not to provoke Master Ares and the others unnecessarily. I can tell by looking at you… But even though I knew, all I could do was find the women the Queendom had sent here to incite war and expel them from the harem…”
“……”
Baal starts to say something, then stops. No doubt he can’t find the words.
“Either way, unless we do something about the dragon, dissatisfaction with your refusal to fight will continue to build. That is why I asked him to retrieve the demon, but…”
Roxane glances at Claude, and he finishes the sentence for her. “It looks as if the fiend dragon has gotten lost.”
“Lost?”
“The poor child has never been outside before,” Claude says tenderly, as if he’s talking about a hopeless child. “In a rush of excitement, the dragon flew off. However, after ramming into the barrier and losing its power, the poor thing’s lost and all alone. I don’t think the dragon can return to the demon realm without help.”
“…Wait a minute. You’re talking about the fiend dragon?”
“Yes.”
“And you aren’t trying to deceive us?”
“Why would I need to do such a thing?”
Planting both hands on the floor, Baal writhes in agony. Out of nowhere, the demon that threatens his kingdom has been reduced to a lost child who can’t get home. Aileen understands his feelings.
“No— Wait, we refuse to be tricked. It appears to us, every night. That malevolence, that ominous air. It can’t possibly just be lost.”
“Are you sure that isn’t someone else’s fiend dragon? Mine wouldn’t do that.”
“You can’t be serious! They’re all yours!”
“When you put it that way, you have a point… I think the child’s probably irritable. The dragon’s been imprisoned, after all.”
“‘Imprisoned’?” Aileen asks.
“Yes.” Claude nods. “I call, but there’s no answer. If I were beyond this country’s borders, I’d understand: the sacred barrier would naturally interfere. However, we’re both inside the barrier now. The fact that we haven’t met yet is proof that the dragon is locked up somewhere.”
“You can’t use magic here. Isn’t that why?”
“No. Even without magic or my memories, I am the demon king.”
That’s right. Even when Claude had lost his memories and his magic, if he’d wished for something, the demons obeyed.
Of course. That’s why Lady Lilia— Gracious, even Serena said it!
It’s obvious where the fiend dragon would go: to Claude. There’s no reason to manipulate people and attack them. The dragon was attacking because of the machinations of a human—someone using demon snuff!
“Oh, but wait, the supply of demon snuff is controlled by the church…and they don’t get along with the Kingdom of Ashmael.”
“However, the church and the Queendom of Hausel get along very well,” Claude says, as if he’s read Aileen’s thoughts. When she turns around, their eyes meet. “In short, it’s a trap. It probably began back when you boarded that ship.”
“What…?”
“The Queendom of Hausel is a nominally pacifist nation. Even if they’re dealing with the demon king, declaring war of their own accord would go against their principles. As a result, when Ashmael came to them with a request for mediation, they began trying to steer them into a proxy war. They sent women who have sacred power to the harem as personnel to fight the fiend dragon, then had them stir up support for war among the populace, loudly claiming it’s a fight they could win. Holy King, as a condition of Hausel’s mediation, I imagine you were told to accept the women who were fleeing to the Queendom on that ship into your harem. That’s why you seized the entire vessel. Am I wrong?”
“We don’t have to answer that.”
“And this time, the crown princess of Ellmeyer was on the ship. The Queendom of Hausel orchestrated that, most likely without your knowledge or that of the general, in order to sow the seeds of conflict. If it came down to it, they planned to pin everything on Ashmael and abandon you. Either that, or to say Imperial Ellmeyer had slipped her in as a spy.”
Baal doesn’t answer. Leaning back against the wall, Claude shrugs. “Well, don’t worry. If I’m here, they’re sure to release the fiend dragon. They’ll want to make Ashmael and Ellmeyer fight each other—to make the holy king slay the demon king. Or else to run me through with the holy sword.”
“—If you knew that, then why did you come?!” Aileen shouts at him. Claude has spoken about the very apparent danger to his own life as if it were no great concern.
Aileen rises to her feet. Gazing at her, Claude answers mildly, “If I didn’t, the fiend dragon would be killed the moment an incident occurred in this kingdom… And that would become yet another convenient justification to act against us.”
His conclusion could not be more correct. At the very least, it’s an answer Aileen couldn’t have produced, desperate as she is to protect Claude and only Claude.
This man is a true king. And Aileen is his wife.
She takes an unsteady step forward. Then, giving in to her impulse, she grabs Claude’s shirt and pulls him toward her.
She knows of no other way to express her emotions.
“……!”
Claude’s wide, red eyes. The sensation of their lips colliding.
They melt violently, yet more softly and sweetly than anything.
“—I am still very cross with you.” She glares at Claude’s face, which is so close to hers she can clearly make out the tips of his eyelashes as he blinks. It’s partly an attempt to hide her embarrassment. “That said! I am your wife. Let me help you!”
As Aileen gets fired up, Claude’s eyes widen again. “Help…? You knew…?”
“Please don’t say a word, Master Claude. I understand everything!”
“I see… I suppose it’s impossible to hide things from one’s wife. It’s safe here, though. I’m getting by without losing control.”
“L-losing control, hmm? So you do, erm, lose control… U-um, in cases like that, what should I do…?”
She has no experience with this sort of thing, after all. Her spirit may be willing, but she’s frightened, and she fidgets uncomfortably.
Claude is endlessly gentle. “It’s all right. If there’s something I’d like you to handle, I’ll ask. Please don’t do anything reckless.”
“Master Claude… A-all right. I’ll show you I’m serious; I’ll accept everything…!”
“What is this farce? And what’s more, we have an intense hunch that you two aren’t on the same page.”
“I don’t really understand what’s going on, but I share your hunch, Master Baal.”
Remembering that Baal and Roxane are present, Aileen comes to her senses. This is no time for her and Claude to deepen their mutual understanding.
“For the moment, let’s consider what we’re going to do about this predicament. We may have our own separate circumstances, but it would be irritating to fight simply because the Queendom of Hausel desires it. Don’t you agree?”
“We refuse. We don’t like his smug face.”
“And I’d prefer not to cooperate with the sort of man who tries to steal another’s wife.”
“Even now, you two are still— Both of you! Who do you think you are?!”
“We are the holy king.”
“And I’m the demon king.”
They’re in sync only where they don’t need to be. Feeling a headache coming on, Aileen calls for help. “Lady Roxane, say something, please!”
“Someone’s coming.”
In a lovely gesture that makes her look like a model noblewoman, Roxane gets to her feet. Aileen checks the clock. It isn’t yet dawn. However, she can hear several sets of rough, hurried footsteps. The occasional metallic clinks are the unmistakable sounds of swinging swords. This seems far too ostentatious for a normal visit to the principal consort’s bedchamber.
Claude, who’s been quietly scanning the area, murmurs, “…They’ve surrounded the Sun Palace.”
“What?” asks Baal. “What’s the meaning of this—Roxane?”
Roxane whirls around and gropes under the bed. There’s a clunk as something falls into place, and then the floor opens to reveal a stairway, leading underground.
“This way, Master Baal. If you take this secret passage, you’ll emerge near the palace.”
“We are the king. You’re telling us to run? Why?”
“They may have learned about Master Claw— I mean, Master Claude. If they discover that you are in communication with Ellmeyer now, it may give rise to unnecessary suspicions, such as the idea that you intend to betray the nation. Public opinion favors General Ares and Lady Sahra, who are calling for the demon king’s subjugation.”
Dexterously, Roxane fastens the door’s inner lock, drops the bar into place, and begins moving furniture. “If they’ve come here, there’s no doubt they’re planning to find incriminating evidence. However, fortunately, our relationship couldn’t be colder. If you cut me off, they won’t be able to drive you from the throne just yet.”
“You…”
“No doubt they suspect me of summoning the fiend dragon. My jealousy of Lady Sahra was so great that I tried to borrow the dragon’s power and kill her. That’s probably what this is about. After all, that is how they planned it.”
“Roxane. Are you there?” There’s a subdued knock on the door. The voice belongs to Ares.
Baal is standing there in a daze. Aileen grabs his arm and pulls him toward the stairs that lead underground. Stumbling, Baal starts down. Then he turns back. “Roxane, why?”
“Lady Sahra’s power is splendid, and it’s likely that General Ares is correct. However, you are the one who is best suited to be king. We must not let civil war break out.”
“But… But you and Ares…”
In his bewilderment, her husband lets a stray thought slip out. Roxane acknowledges it unwaveringly, her face still expressionless. “I did admire him. I believed I was loved, and yes, I harassed Sahra in an attempt to keep her from taking him. It was the ugly, disgraceful act of a jealous woman. But I—”
“Roxane! I know you’re in there. Open up.”
Behind her, Ares bangs on the door. Roxane offers a thin smile. “I was passed on to someone else, with no regard for my feelings or position, as if I were an object.”
“Isn’t the key here yet? Hurry up!”
“He considered it a matter of course. He didn’t ask me my thoughts on the matter. He gave me no choice. He sneered at me, telling me I was fortunate.”
