Taming The Villainesses

(EP-354.2) #2

354 – D #2

Chwaak-.

“Ahh! It’s so cold!”

Dressed in a white ceremonial robe, Narmi was drenched in icy water from the massive fountain. It was the sacred spring of Mount Spirit, said to be colder than ice.

“It’s freezing!”

Watching her tremble like a puppy caught in a storm made her look rather pitiful.

━Poor young lady.

━But rules are rules. There's nothing we can do.

“Narmi has everyone’s attention. If we’re going to sneak out, now is the perfect time.”

“Sneak?”

“While Narmi’s distracting them, we’ll steal the treasure from the Pantheon.”

“Oh.”

‘Steal.’

It was such a criminal plan that it was hard to believe it came from Mirna, who had always lived as a model citizen.

At the same time, it was brilliant.

Seeing her so unhesitant about committing a bad deed and deceiving others for the sake of the plan, she was indeed worthy of being my wife.

Swish.

We quietly backed away from the crowd.

In the meantime, everyone's eyes were on Narmi, who was screaming in the cold water, so no one cared about us.

“People have always been more interested in Narmi than me. But I guess that works in our favor now.”

Her expression looked somewhat relieved.

Perhaps she had overcome some of the inferiority she once felt toward Narmi. It was fair to say she had grown as a person.

Though you could also argue she’d taken a turn toward corruption, given the whole “stealing.” As if reading my thoughts, Mirna pouted and hastily added.

“I’m just taking my own belongings from my own storage. That’s not stealing. So it’s not a crime.”

“Well, that’s true… but do you even know where the Pantheon is? If I had to guess, I’d say you’re just as unfamiliar with this place as I am.”

“Well, I did visit once when I was a child. But I remember it vaguely. This stone path. The fluttering banners. And just around the corner…”

Mirna strode ahead like a seasoned guide.

━Hey, you there! Outsiders aren’t allowed here—kehh-!

Occasionally, soldiers and civilians tried to stop us, but Mirna swiftly knocked them out with a punch to the gut.

Thud.

As I stared at the fallen soldiers, Mirna grabbed my hand.

“No time to linger. If they realize we’re missing, all the attention Narmi drew will have been for nothing…! And everything we’ve done so far—”

“I know. Let’s keep moving.”

After running for a while, we eventually found a huge cave connected to the temple. The entrance alone was several meters in diameter.

Several stakes were driven into the ground, wrapped tightly with chains covered in talismans. Stone statues of fierce-looking angels stood guard before them. It was clear this was no ordinary place.

“Who are you? No one is allowed to enter the Pantheon during the purification ritual!”

As soon as we approached, warrior monks wielding swords blocked our path. I had expected some resistance. The best course of action was to neutralize them quickly.

“Wha—!?”

“T-The ground! The ground is collapsing!”

“Magic!?”

The ground beneath them suddenly crumbled like a swamp, swallowing them up to their chests.

Rank 5 spell.

Earth Collapse.

With that, they wouldn’t be able to climb out for at least an hour.

Just as we stepped past them and moved toward the chained cave entrance—

Zap!

A sharp sensation sparked at the tip of my nose like lightning. Looking closer, I realized there was something invisible blocking our path.

Mirna spread her palm in the air and clicked her tongue.

“It's a barrier. As expected, they weren’t going to let us in that easily.”

The soldiers, still buried deep in the ground, confidently shouted.

“This magic was cast by the ancient King Solomon and the great hero Judas! A barrier that has never once been broken by any intruder! Those with impure intentions cannot even set a single toe inside!”

So they claimed.

“But barriers like these—I’ve always broken through them.”

Suk-.

I placed my palm against the barrier.

“Break.”

“Hah! Fool! That’s the same as Ark's dome barrier! You think mere words can break the greatest—”

Crackle! Zzzzt!

A loud rupture filled the air, and the soldiers’ faces twisted in disbelief.

“… The barrier broke…!?”

“The Pantheon, untouched for over half a century…”

When the last remnants of the barrier shattered with a resounding crash, their faces paled in horror. They had never imagined their trusted barrier could be broken.

“… Who—who are you?”

Replying to the fear in their voices, I paused for a moment.

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

Before long, only my name and banner will echo from the highest peaks of this world.

That last part sounded too dramatic, so I swallowed it back.

Step-.

With that, I took my first step into the dark cave. Just one step—but the air immediately changed, thick and humid, clinging to my skin.

This was the Draco family's Pantheon.

A place where all kinds of treasures and curses converged.

“… The miasma is suffocating.”

Mirna visibly struggled, as she covered her nose with a handkerchief. It seemed she was having a hard time enduring the ominous energy permeating this place.

But it was more tolerable than I had expected. My throat and face stung, but thinking of it like a chemical warfare drill made it manageable.

Before me were numerous platforms and glass cases, filled with all manner of eerie objects.

Where was the one I was looking for?

As I frowned slightly, glowing text began to appear in front of me.

「Monkey’s Hand Bone」

「Monkey’s Skull」

「Monkey’s Tail Bone」

「Monkey’s Spine」

“……….”

What the hell? Why are there so many monkey bones?

I quickly turned my head, scanning through the sea of monkey remains in search of the words I wanted to find. If I wasted too much time, the guards would realize the Pantheon had been breached and come rushing in.

Narmi was out there suffering under freezing water for this—I couldn’t let her sacrifice go to waste!

「Karma Changer」

‘Ah, there it is!’

Crash!

Breaking the glass case, I reached for the mirror resting on the pedestal. Just as I wrapped my fingers around it, a sharp jolt suddenly ran down my nape.

A strange feeling crept over me. And when I turned my head, I locked eyes with someone.

Those blue eyes.

That familiar brown hair.

Even the lively smile playing at the corners of their lips.

“… A painting?”

It was a framed portrait.

The distinctive handwriting on it resembled the script that Bael had shown me.

“… Solomon.”

I stepped closer and read the words below the portrait.

「My moon. My star. My eternal flame. Beatrice.」

Edit by: faker