My Villains Episode 354
59. Gowon (14)
Theodora… Shall we say ‘outside and inside out’? He is hard on the outside but soft on the inside.
She wears manners, caring, formality, and dignity, perhaps due to the influence of having lived as a high-ranking aristocrat and nun paladin all her life. So even though it was difficult to get close to, if you look carefully, there is a corner that is easy and you can feel the cuteness.
Even today it is. After receiving the offer to show the dream left by Saint Abel again, he followed me with a determined expression and guided me to my room.
“Oh Sir. As a voice paladin, I have to continue my vow of chastity…
“…Yes? You don’t lose your virginity just by entering my room for a moment.”
“…That’s right.” There was an even mixture of alertness and fear in her pale green eyes.
Vigilance was the kind of thing you would normally see in a narcissistic beauty, so let’s leave it at that.
But fear It was not a feeling that a paladin with powerful powers would have in a hallway without a single ant, so it felt really fun.
“I am also a member of the Kwangmyeong cult and a technician. I’m not interested in breaking the princess’s oath, so just come in.”
Of course it’s a lie.
In terms of looks alone, Theodora
fits my ideal type as much as Heila. There can be no darkness at all.
No matter how sincere I was, my tone was quite firm, and Theodora, who was hesitant, made a mysterious expression. A funny face that seemed a little bit sad and embarrassed…
I ignored the various changes in the princess’s expression and led her into the room. The purpose is to comfort her, so I plan to focus on that today.
Theodora entered the room, probably upset by the lie, and moved away from me, lest the hem of her clothes touch.
Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu –
But that was also a moment, as soon as a black disk protruded from the dimensional seal on my wrist, she quickly clung to my forearm. I could feel the tremors through my clothes and let out a chuckle.
and fall.
“Auuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu/”
Theodora gritted her teeth and endured the free fall that started from above the clouds, and finally let out a scream.
Out of consideration for her, I slowed down the fall a little, and she clung to me while repeating exclamations of unknown meaning, such as ‘wow-wow-wow-‘. He could feel the touch of the scaly breastplate on his side. The regret that I should have taken off the armor and brought it came belatedly.
After fully enjoying the dizziness in the quasi-dimensional space, he returned to reality. Theodora, who had become sporadic, stumbled for a moment and then collapsed onto the bed.
“…Uh huh.”
After catching her breath for a while, she suddenly looked back at me and her eyes twinkled.
“This is a strange thing.” She spoke like an excited girl, not a confident paladin. Have you not come to your senses yet?
“What are you curious about?”
“They say there is courage from the Lord in people’s hearts. At first, it is like the skin of a child, but the more you go through hardships, the harder it becomes like steel.”
“…what about it?”
“I just felt it. Falling headlong from the sky is terrifying, but it’s a lot easier now that it’s the second time.”
“It didn’t look that easy.”
“I can’t believe it was just a dream. How is it so vivid?”
As if he couldn’t hear anything, Theodore continued talking without tidying up his hair.
“If you experience this three, four, five times or more, you will be able to enjoy falling like a repairman, right?”
“I guess so.”
“Then next time—”
she chirped excitedly, then fell silent. Did I realize that I couldn’t keep my dignity as an aristocrat and a paladin, or was it embarrassing to say the next time alone?
It was funny, so I smiled and accepted the words.
“Then next time, try wearing something more comfortable and light. I can feel the wind more vividly.”
“…Uh”
The candles lit on the bedside table flickered, and the small face with elaborate features was dyed.
Her peach-colored lips moved silently, then only stammered.
“Yeah so- uh no… yeah. Please sir.”
The naive genitals who barely finished their words quickly got up from the bed as if they had been burned. Then, with an unnatural ravenous gait, she leaned against the door.
“I am not me. You have committed rudeness.”
“What disrespect are you talking about?”
“Is that…
did the drunkenness rise again? Theodora’s entire face, ears, and even neck were stained red.
“It’s dark outside for me.”
After a last word of incomprehensible greeting, Theodora left the room as if running away.
…A girl with a taste for teasing. What if I get addicted to this?
Around lunch the next day, we set off again.
Prince Ulkar left Lord Filter and a few of his own soldiers in Longdale as planned. These are the people who will return to High Castle after finishing the village probation.
The plateau was generally desolate, with many hills and rocky mountains here and there. Still, the road was paved, so it was not inconvenient for the horse to run.
After running for half a day, I encountered a winter rye field around the time I entered the terrain like a small basin. Looking at the verdant green leaves poking out through the half-melted snow, I could feel that winter was coming to an end.
There was a village around the wajiseon next to the rye field. It was a small village with about a dozen wooden buildings gathered in a fence made of stones, but there was no sign of people.
“…it seems to be late.”
It was as Ulkar said.
Most of the houses were burnt and collapsed. Bloodstains were left here and there, so I could guess what had happened.
The cavalrymen were enveloped in a calm atmosphere for a moment when Sir Gisella, the knight of the Birdhawk, discovered something and shouted.
“Your Highness here!”
What she found was the remains of a collapsed house in the center of the village. There was a pit in the mud mixed with ash and snow, and the area was full of footprints.
“It is a trace of a person.”
Sir Gisela continued carefully, examining the footsteps heading northwest.
“There are many children’s things mixed together. It must have escaped after hiding in a cellar to avoid looters.” Prince
“Q”
nodded silently, then put up the reins, and a hundred or so riders immediately followed.
A few hours out of terrain resembling a basin. We followed the footprints and discovered two more villages.
Of course, like the first village I saw, it was all empty or only a few corpses remained. However, the footprints continued to increase in size, so it was not difficult to guess the situation.
“I found one more village, but the situation is similar.”
“Me too, Your Highness. It seems that all the residents have evacuated.”
It was the report of Seto, a cavalry officer of Randell, who led a detachment to search the surrounding area. Ulkar, lost in thought for a moment, turned to Lord Ankir.
“Everyone seems to be moving in one direction. What do you think?”
The ‘giant’ Lord Ankir was said to be from the fortress ‘White Stone’ in the southern part of the plateau. He’s the heir to the family that’s in charge of the castle’s lord for the second generation.
To him, the plateau was no different from his own courtyard, so he was able to come up with an answer as soon as Ulkar asked a question.
“There is a settlement about the size of a small town to the west. It’s called ‘Kebor’ and it’s bigger than Longdale, but it’s a poor neighborhood.”
“Did you go there?”
“Yes, Your Highness. Nine times out of ten it will.”
Riding west, we were able to catch up with the evacuees on their tails as the sun went down.
When cavalry suddenly appeared from behind, the serfs who were moving heavy steps screamed in fright.
“Calm down! I am Ulkar, the son of His Majesty
King Lionel III !”
However, when Ulkar, who took the lead for a while, took off his helmet and revealed his identity, the uproar quickly subsided.
No, to be precise, the uproar did not subside. The residents who met the idols of the kingdom made a fuss in a different way, like passionate fans.
“Prince! Prince Ulkar!”
“I ran away without taking care of anything, save us!”
“Prince, I can fight! Please take me to High Castle!” It was none other than me who finally calmed the serfs, who seemed to number well over three hundred.
As they approached Ulkar by driving their bicorns, the surprised people hurriedly retreated without even shouting properly.
“That one.”
“It’s a bloody swordsman.”
“I’m riding a monster.”
A low murmur, evidently frightened, was followed by cries of babies. Women with crying children shuddered and turned their shoulders in the opposite direction from me.
what is this mood What did I do wrong?
Prince Ulkar looked at my confused expression and said with a wry smile.
“Practice smiling kindly. Especially in front of the weak. You seem to need that.”
“I’m still doing well… see you.”
Saying that, he smiled, and Ulkar nodded with a timid expression.
“…it wasn’t a matter of expression.” “yes?”
“No, forget it. let’s go.”
…what a pity.
We passed the residents who parted like the Red Sea and entered Kebor.
Keibor was a large village surrounded by flat and wide farmland, which is hard to find in the highlands.
It seems that rye farming is also done here in winter, but unlike the rye fields I have seen before, it gave a tidy impression thanks to the clean removal of snow.
The edge of the village was surrounded by low, fat wooden fences reinforced with stones in places. It didn’t seem to be attacked by the Bloodmane mercenaries, but was it because it was a well-prepared settlement?
It was fortunate that the village had not been looted, but that was not necessarily a positive thing.
“…the rite of exile? To the paladin of the Cult of Calandari?”
Perhaps because it was a large town, Keibor had a manor and a lord.
He was a man named Baron Boanen, but he showed a very unfriendly attitude befitting his stubborn image.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. All residents of Keibor, including myself, are faithful followers of the Light.”
“You mean that’s the problem? My niece is also a priest of the Kwangmyeong Church.”
“Isn’t this heresy?”
“what! What nonsense is that!”
The angry Lord Ankir knocked on the table and jumped up, but the prince held him back. Baron Boanen remained obstinate despite the threat of the large knight.
“As a vassal of His Majesty the King and His Excellency Margrave, we will treat the Prince, who is a member of the royal family, with good intentions, but we will not engage in a ceremony of consecration. This is related to the internal affairs of the territory.”
If the remnants of the Bloodmane mercenaries had attacked this place and if we had saved the village from danger, the situation might have changed a bit.
However, Keibor avoided looting with thorough defense, and Ulkar, who was only a visitor, had no reason to force Baron Boanen.
Several rights, including the wartime tax collection right and conscription rights transferred from Count Landry, were useless in front of the baron, the clear owner of the estate.
“…Unlike Longde, where commerce flourished, Keibor is in a position where he has no choice but to starve when there is a bad harvest, isn’t it? Besides, the land here is said to be fertile, but a plateau is a plateau. If the ritual of excavation is skipped even for a year, the land may die, and the clergy of the Church of El Ganor are absent, so why not make a concession for the sake of the people?”
Despite the prince’s kind persuasion, Baron Boanen remained stubborn.
He knew that the Cult of Ra El Ganore had an exceptional influence on the frontier bordering the realm of Calandari, but Ulkar did not expect to meet such a ‘faithful’ person as a secular lord.
After remaining silent for a moment, the prince nodded and stood up.
