Taming The Villainesses

(EP-250.1) Caged #5

250 – Caged Bird #5

I asked Aira a while back during a meeting if she could handle fighting the great heroes. After pondering for a moment and gazing at her fingertips, she responded. 

━Well, if their skills are truly as reputed, it might be a good match.

It was a surprisingly cautious answer from someone as confident and assertive as the Queen. It meant that there’s no knowing unless they actually fight. 

Aira, a Rank 7 Archmage, couldn’t guarantee victory.

While initially shocking, it made sense upon reflection. 

The heroes had fought a bloody battle against the great Demon King Solomon. Each one of them were superhumans that had surpassed the limits.

Crackle, crackle-.

This intent or aura currently pricking my skin was an intensity I had never experienced before.

Suppressing the unease swirling below my navel, I calmly asked again.

“Are you Opal Bellhawk?”

“……”

Kuuuuu-, kuuuu.

Again, there was no reply. Only the strange sound of breathing through an oxygen respirator.

This doesn’t seem like a good situation.

Srrk-.

I gripped the imp tail wand coiled around my left arm. With it, I felt a surge of confidence that I could overcome any obstacle.

At the same time, my Calm Thinking triggered.

The person standing in the dark hallway had to be Opal Bellhawk.

No one else could project such a tangible, skin-prickling intensity.

The issue was that a figure that’s supposed to be shrouded in secrecy in the Bellhawk family, had appeared before me for some reason.

While it was true that I had been seeking clues about him, his sudden appearance was rather startling. There was a high chance that his reasons for showing up were far from benign.

Srrrlng—

Another long, curved crescent moon rose from the darkness.

Seeing the two crescent ‘moons’ gleaming fiercely, I recalled the stories of the fairy swordsman Bellhawk who wielded two crescent blades to behead his enemies. 

If I’m unlucky, I might witness his skills firsthand this time. Just as I tensed up, the two blades drew long lines in the hallway like flowing wind.

Saaaa-.

“……!”

The speed was beyond my ability to react. By the time I realized it, I had already been ‘cut.’

The sensation of cold, sharp metal piercing my abdomen, slicing through my intestines and spine, felt vivid. My body crumpled to the floor from my knees down.

Blink, blink—

Just then, the lights in the hallway flickered back on. To my astonishment, I realized that my abdomen, which I was sure had been slashed, was completely unharmed.

“What—”

Lifting my shirt, I saw nothing but unmarked, smooth skin, without even the slightest scar.

As I belatedly glanced around, the crescent moons in the darkness and the ominous breathing were gone.

━Geiaaak—!

Just behind me, a skeleton that seemed to have been half-torn apart from the spine up vigorously thrashed around. The commotion must have alerted the long-eared elf maids who came and screamed.

“Kyaaa! Skeleton!” 

“It’s dangerous!” 

“Gei-yaaah…! Ggeuk, euk!” 

Smack, thud, crack—!

Thanks to the elf maids wielding brooms and striking the skeleton, the remains of Orobis Angmar were now completely lifeless.

How bizarre.

* * *

“I’m truly sorry. It was out of our expectations that the skeleton would move. Since rescuing the remains, nothing like this has ever happened. I’m not sure how this could have happened…”

The elf elder apologized to me repeatedly.

It seemed that the earlier incident in the hallway was wrapped up as me defeating the animated skeleton. 

The name Opal Bellhawk wasn’t mentioned. I also refrained from hastily mentioning that name in front of them.

“Since it’s late, please stay here for today. I really want to somehow make up for this disgrace…”

In the end, I couldn’t bring up the matter of borrowing 750,000 gold to settle the situation. For now, it seems best to follow their suggestion and stay for a day at Bellhawk’s mansion.

The problem was whether the dual-wielding fairy hidden somewhere in this mansion might be after me. When the night deepened, I decided to inform my companions of this fact.

In a private room designated for guests.

Only after thoroughly checking for any wiretaps did I let out a sigh of relief.

“Hey, Elga-nim.”

Elga, who had been tidying her hair to sleep, paused and furrowed her brow.

“What? You were attacked by Opal? Are you sure?”

“If it wasn’t him, I can’t explain it. And I distinctly remember being slashed by a sword. I felt the blade pierce my abdomen and slice through my organs.”

Seureuk-.

I lifted my clothes to show Elga my stomach. She looked embarrassed, exclaiming, “Why are you taking your clothes off?” What did she think I was going to do?

“It’s not that. Look at my stomach. It’s clean. There are no marks.”

“Oh. So, you’re saying it was definitely a cut, but there’s no wound?”

“That’s right.”

Click, giii-ik-.

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