Taming The Villainesses-Chapter 363: Main Character (8)

A fairly large scar had formed on my left ankle.

It looked like a band wrapped around my ankle, or perhaps like a bruise left from being gripped tightly by a palm. The moment I saw it, what sprang to mind was that strange incident I had just experienced.

Before I escaped through the passage torn open from the picture frame, someone had grabbed my ankle hard. Could this be the wound left from that moment? The pain was too vivid for it to be dismissed as merely a dream or illusion.

Understanding what exactly was going on right now was also difficult. I took the pocket watch from my chest and checked the time. It was around 11:30 in the morning.

...For some reason, time had been turned back?

That’s about the only conclusion I could draw for now.

Sshk.

At that moment, Mirna grabbed my wrist.

“Sir Teo is this flustered... It must mean you saw something that even I couldn’t imagine. Perhaps the unpurified shrine of the all-gods caused some sort of variable.”

Thanks to the warmth of Mirna’s touch, I was able to rein in the turmoil that had been boiling within me just moments ago. At the same time, I could hear the sound of guards running toward us from afar.

━They’ve broken into the all-gods shrine!

━Seize them!

I knew exactly what needed to be done at this moment.

It’s the second time, after all.

“First, I need to grab this painting!”

I yanked the picture off the wall. I didn’t understand everything, but I could clearly tell that the events I was experiencing were happening through this painting. I absolutely had to keep it.

At the same time, I said to Mirna, who cried out, “Sir Teo, there’s no time to grab the painting!”

“Lady Mirna, Plan D. I’m counting on you.”

Mirna looked utterly flustered.

“Plan D?! How do you even know about that, Sir Teo? Don’t tell me you’ve been peeking into my mind or something!?”

“I have no idea myself.”

For now, figuring out what’s going on will have to wait.

━D stands for Strong! Invincible! Supreme! Our pride, our soul, the loyal retainer who has inherited it all! Come forth, blue-eyed...!

Escaping the chaos I had once experienced before in the temple, I hurriedly warped to Sandora, where the tournament was being held.

Normally, it would take about thirty minutes to change appearances using the mirror 「Karma Changer」before the arena. But I didn’t have that kind of time now.

As I approached the waiting room near the entrance to the arena, a familiar face came into view.

“Hey, Teo! What the heck! That look! You said you’d change appearances! You’re still in your cute half-fairy form—if you go out like that, Ayra will....”

I quickly cut off the panicking Elga.

“There’s no time to explain! Listen, there are impure people mixed into the arena! If you catch participant number 132, the mage named Roland, and interrogate him, you’ll learn about a secret organization called Yggdrasil! And also about the Black Robe Revolution Corps—”

“What the hell are you talking about all of a sudden? Impure people?”

Elga shook her head, as if she couldn’t understand. Of course she couldn’t make sense of what I was saying. But what I needed right now wasn’t understanding—it was trust.

I grabbed both of Elga’s arms and said,

“Elga.”

“Wh-What is it, suddenly.”

“Elga, I believe in you. Just like I believe in you, I want you to believe in me.”

“Wh-What kind of... suddenly saying that....”

Elga blushed deeply, her hair standing on end. Soon, she let out a groan—“Ah, shit”—and scratched the back of her head.

“So, what I’m getting is: there are schemers mixed in the arena, and you want us to catch them? For the tournament?”

“Exactly.”

Elga really did understand me well.

“But those guys—if they’re that dangerous, you’d better take Professor Stella with you.”

“Yeah, let’s do that. Professor Stella, come with me, will you? You’re good at finding people, right?”

“Well, I am good at that kind of thing... But I still don’t understand what’s going on. Teo, I trust you’ll explain it all later. You sure do get wrapped up in things—on this side of the barrier or that.”

The two, still full of suspicion, disappeared down the hallway. As soon as they were gone, I hurried my steps. It might take some time to figure out where he is right now.

Just then, a flash of inspiration struck me like lightning.

Bael, didn’t you just roam around earlier to find that guy? Then you should be able to sense where he is now, right? You’ve searched once already—you should know well.

━Hioooong...!

Perfect.

Sshk.

Guided by Bael, I dashed off in a hurry.

Pop, popopopop—!

At noon, countless fireworks filled the sky.

The opening ceremony of the tournament must’ve begun. The prepared performances, congratulations from famous figures, and Queen Ayra’s opening speech would all follow in turn.

Normally, at this time, I would’ve been in a corner near the colosseum, using the 「Karma Changer」 to alter my appearance. But now, I was simply running around near the arena in my half-fairy form.

Still, Bael—are you sure this is the right direction? I feel like we’re just running in circles.

━Hioooong...!

So, that way?

Following Bael’s guidance, I moved through the alleys. What I was looking for were the ones who had ruined the tournament and trampled all over my plans.

Where are you?

As I ran anxiously, I spotted several black-robed figures clustered together in an alley behind the colosseum.

There were five of them.

Even at a glance, I could tell each one was highly skilled. Underneath those black robes, they were hiding sturdy armor and weapons.

━We just need to stick to the plan. Our objective is clear—don’t mess it up.

━Come on, why don’t we just win the tournament ourselves? Take the queen and the throne, and rule the world our way.

A woman?

That cheerful voice made me hesitate for a moment, just before a voice as heavy as stone cut in.

━That would go against Father’s will. We’ve waited a lifetime for this assignment. Act in a way that befits the name of the Brotherhood. If we succeed today, we’ll finally meet Father.

Hearing their hushed voices, I knew for certain I’d found the right group.

So they’re the magic swordsman Andromalli and his companions?

Brotherhood?

I couldn’t tell exactly what they were planning, but it was clear they were scheming something. So that bastard did have allies.

I should catch at least one of them and interrogate them.

Sshk.

I approached them and asked,

“Are you the magic swordsman Andromalli?”

At my question, the group looked at each other and murmured in low voices.

━What the—someone knows who we are?

━Was the assignment leaked?

━Impossible. The assignment weighs heavier than silence.

Sshk.

Then, one of them pulled back his robe and spoke.

“Look at that—he knows me. I am pretty famous, huh? I told you I was. Yeah, I’m the magic swordsman Andromalli. And you are?”

Ash-gray hair and a pale face. A familiar appearance. I wasn’t numb enough to forget the face of a man I had killed.

Seeing his face, I fully realized it—by some mysterious cause, I had returned to the past. That such a thing was even possible... Whatever the reason, this was a valuable opportunity for me.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Bael, maximum output.

“Nether Abyss!”

I chanted the spell that had once brought down the magic swordsman. A high-grade spell that generated an intense gravity field to pin everyone’s ankles and flatten them to the ground.

“Guhh!”

“Uwaaaagh! What the hell!”

All five of them fell to their knees, slamming their heads and shoulders into the ground. I tensed, wondering if any of them might resist the magic, but nothing of the sort happened.

“Ughhh, this can’t be...!”

Blood spurted from the nose of Andromalli, the ash-haired swordsman. As I heard the clatter of chains unraveling from near his left arm, I quickly cast a defensive spell.

─Aegis.

Aegis—an enhanced version of the mana shield with far stronger protection. It consumed more mana, and once activated, I couldn’t move—but—

Kang—!

It gave near-absolute defense. Ordinary attacks would bounce off with ease.

“Wha—What?”

Andromalli looked stunned that his ambush had failed. The black-robed schemers were already being crushed under the pressure, unable to move a finger.

“Guahh!”

“Graaack!”

Their cracked ribs pressing against their lungs—it must’ve been excruciating.

I asked them,

“Who are you, {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} and what the hell are you trying to do? Answer quickly, and your pain will end quickly. Not that I expect you to answer just because I ask nicely.”

Sshk.

I pulled off their robes.

Their revealed faces had no particular commonality—race, age, gender—all different.

Among them, my gaze was drawn to a woman with violet hair tied behind her head.

Mid-twenties, perhaps. Aside from the scar at the corner of her right eye—just like mine—she was quite a striking woman.

I glanced at her status window. The name Aruru was listed. Her occupations were things like high-class courtesan or assassin.

Sshk.

─Charm Beam.

“Hyaa!”

“Now then, Aruru. Let me ask you—who are you people, and what are you trying to do?”

“The Brotherhood. That’s our name. Though, honestly, names don’t matter. What matters is that we carry out assassinations or kidnappings on commission.”

Aruru, the assassin of the Brotherhood, answered my questions frankly under the effect of my mind-control spell.

According to her, they received assignments from a figure known only as Father, and they simply carried them out.

“What is this Father’s true identity?”

“I don’t know. We call them Father, but we don’t even know if they’re male or female. Among us, only Andromalli over there can actually communicate with them.”

Looks like this conversation might take a while.

I asked,

“Why did you enter the tournament?”

“To kill our target. Today’s the final mission. If we complete it today, we’ll finally be free. Free to do whatever we want.”

“Free?”

They were all orphans, she said. Gathered by this ‘Father’ figure who issued them missions to kill important figures at designated times.

“Father knows everything. Who’ll drink poison disguised as wine, who’ll appear outside the winter window and catch an arrow in the chest, who among us will betray the rest.”

The mysterious leader had, through uncanny foresight, molded the Brotherhood’s orphans into natural-born assassins. Facing events that seemed like prophecies, they had lost all will to resist.

This so-called Father had promised that today’s mission would be their last, after which they would be released.

Sshk.

I rolled up my pants leg and asked,

“Is the assignment to kill someone with a palm-shaped bruise on their ankle?”

The moment I showed the bruise on my ankle, I felt a shift in the gazes of the people pinned beneath me. Especially Andromalli—he began crawling toward me with his broken leg.

“As I thought... I had a hunch.”

He coughed up blood as he spoke.

“You’re our Father, aren’t you? I thought the information couldn’t have leaked... But I know. You resemble him. Just the same. The words whispered to me every day... They were yours, weren’t they?”