Taming The Villainesses

Chapter 422: Small and Trivial Habit (1)

Unlawful intruders had descended upon the village of Pallen.

They were all clad in heavy armor and armed to the teeth. But if one had to point out a particularly striking feature, it would be the cross-shaped insignia affixed to the crest on their chests.

‘Pursuers from the Church.’

Anyone with even a shred of awareness about the current state of the world would think the same.

Still, it was puzzling—none of us had expected them to catch up to us this quickly.

Stella said:

“We were erasing all traces as we moved. How the hell did they find out we were here? Even if they were on horseback, they came way too fast.”

According to Stella’s instructions, we had scattered our footprints, muddled every trace of our presence, and made our way here.

This village itself was hidden between rocky mountains—there was no reason for the Church’s pursuers to discover it. And yet they had burst in like this. Surely, they must’ve used some strange trick.

“This Leadernoy shall assist...!”

Leadernoy, the president of Pallen Village, quickly and shrewdly realized that those pursuers from the Church were after us.

“Quickly now, this way—into the warehouse...!”

And so he led us into a storage warehouse. If we had encountered the Church’s pursuers directly, we would’ve been forced to either scuffle with them or return to the kingdom under their watch.

But I had no intention of returning yet, so I chose instead to hide myself in a nearby hay storage to evade their gaze. The place reeked slightly, filled with dry straw and leather.

— Grrr...

— Rurgh, ruff ruff...!

It was the perfect place to evade the scent of the dogs the pursuers held by their leashes. We crouched inside, peering through the narrow slits between the wooden walls to watch the outside.

Men were shouting, locked in a tense standoff that looked like it might erupt at any moment.

Elga spoke:

“What do we do? If something breaks out, should we fight? I mean, those Church pursuers look strong, but I don’t think they could actually beat us.”

To that, Mirna responded with a chiding tone:

“If we did that, we’d be going to war with the Church. The kingdom, which is full of believers, might splinter too.”

Mirna’s assessment was spot-on.

It wasn’t that we feared the Church’s pursuers—we simply didn’t want to deal with the troublesome aftermath of a conflict that could spiral out of control.

Creak—

At that moment, someone opened the door to the warehouse we were hiding in. Then they stepped inside and whispered in a voice so low only my half-fairy ears could barely catch it:

“His Excellency has opened the back route. Even if you stay hidden here, the pursuers from the south will find and capture you. Please, come with me quickly...!”

It was a voice filled with urgency and sincerity. So I slipped out from the hay and followed him.

A man wearing a padded coat.

He nimbly slipped out the back of the warehouse and stealthily moved into a seemingly ordinary cabin nearby.

“There’s an entrance here.”

Lifting the rug on the floor, he revealed a square door—essentially a basement hatch. He opened it and beckoned us inside.

“Go on, quickly now.”

A secret passage, huh.

As we peered into the narrow path, Ayra spoke:

“Everyone seems pretty skilled.”

To which the man replied:

“We’re used to being chased and having to run.”

That made sense. According to Leadernoy, the history of Pallen Village was one of outcasts—people who’d fled the world for various reasons.

So it wasn’t strange that they’d built escape routes all throughout the village. Thanks to that, we managed to elude the Church’s pursuers.

“Follow this tunnel all the way through. His Excellency said the nymph you met last time headed even farther north!”

Even farther north, huh. I gave a nod.

“Understood. Thank you for your help.”

We continued walking through the underground passage for a good while. Eventually, a boulder blocked our path. When we pushed it aside with effort, we found ourselves in the forest once again.

Shff—shff. Stella scanned the surroundings.

“Looks like there are no pursuers nearby. Still, those guys figured out we were in the village really fast. They might be right behind us again.”

At her words, we tightened our guard and scrambled farther north.

It was a shame we didn’t even get to properly say goodbye to the villagers of Pallen, who had shown us such kindness and hospitality in our brief time there.

“Hey, let’s stop by the village again on our way back, okay? There were so many neat things there! What do you guys think?”

Just like Narmee’s suggestion, I too thought we should return to the village later and properly express our gratitude.

***

“Honestly, I guess I’m not the kind of person who could ever commit a real crime. Even just running like this makes my heart pound and tremble—it’s so uncomfortable.”

We’d been running hard for roughly an hour.

To catch our breath, we stopped near a stream and started wiping away the scent that clung to our bodies. That’s when Mirna said that.

And indeed, just like she said, being chased was enough to make your heart want to burst and your legs go numb. I knew that feeling all too well—I’d been chased before, back during the Koronoi incident, by Angmar soldiers.

But Mirna, who had lived her whole life without ever being involved in disgrace or scandal, was now being hunted like a criminal. The pressure she must be feeling in her chest must’ve been enormous.

Of course, her twin Narmee seemed to think quite differently.

“I kind of think it’s fun. No one’s ever tried this hard to come after me before! I mean, I’m not planning on getting caught or anything, though.”

She let out a mischievous little /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ laugh. Thanks to Narmee’s innocent and cheerful personality, we were all able to shake off at least a little of the weight that had been pressing down on our shoulders.

As we exchanged idle chatter, Stella, who had filled her canteen from the stream, straightened up and said:

“Still, I think they’ll catch up soon. There aren’t any monsters in this forest right now. Just like how we were able to get here so easily, the Church inquisitors will probably manage just the same.”

They even had horses.

We were on foot.

It was only a matter of time before they caught up.

Elga asked:

“So what are we gonna do? If things really go south, are we fighting them? Or are we just gonna go back home with the inquisitors?”

Ayra let out a soft chuckle and answered:

“I wouldn’t mind taking them on, actually. I’ve been meaning to test out the output on my new wand.”

From thin air, she summoned the magic wand I had gifted her, twirling it between her fingers. I imagined the queen launching a spell at the inquisitors with that thing...

...but the image didn’t quite come together in my mind, so I gave up.

To dispel those wandering thoughts, I spoke up:

“For now, let’s keep heading north.”

Farther north.

The meaning behind that was clear. Everyone here was sharp enough to understand what I was implying without me needing to say it outright.

Stella spoke:

“So, you’re planning to go all the way to the Final City, Teo?”

“What’s the ‘Final City’?”

At Narmee’s question, Stella looked up toward the northern sky.

“Over there—beneath that hole in the sky. There’s a city. The place where the great heroes supposedly tore Solomon’s body to pieces. It’s called Gargarta.”

At the name Gargarta, Narmee furrowed her brow in confusion.

“Wait, Gargarta? Isn’t that the name of the fortress we captured? The one Teo burned down with magic?”

Her question made sense. But Stella shook her head softly.

“That was Gargarta Fortress. The one below us is the city of Gargarta. A lot of people get them confused because of the name. The fortress was built later, named after the city itself.”

It was said that Demon King Solomon, who had guarded Gargarta Fortress, had retreated to the Final City under the assault of the alliance and the heroes.

And that in the end, he was struck down by those heroes after they broke through the gates of his stronghold. Though, calling it “struck down” might not actually be accurate.

He didn’t exactly die—he had just continued existing in the past.

I turned to everyone and said:

“We’re heading farther north. This will be a journey unlike any we’ve taken before. This might be our last chance to turn back.”

Maybe the smarter decision would’ve been to surrender to the Church’s pursuers and return south.

Going farther north meant venturing into the completely unknown. Who knew what was waiting for us up there? So I wanted to give my wives one final choice.

***

The nymphs were said to possess a peculiar trait: an equally peculiar evolutionary system. That’s right—just like the characters I used to like as a kid, the nymphs evolved.

They all started out as Ditchwater Nymphs when they were young.

And then, as they lived and gained various experiences—or met specific conditions—they evolved into different types of nymphs.

There were Honeydew Nymphs who were close with bees, Ink Nymphs, and even Stream Nymphs—who were considered emotionally mature by nymph standards.

You’ve probably already noticed, but all of their names include the word “water.” It just goes to show how inseparable nymphs are from water.

Maybe that’s why, as a half-fairy, I felt refreshed just by resting near the stream for a little while. The fatigue in my body melted away, and my mood lifted.

And just then, I spotted Stella soaking her feet in the cold water.

Was she trying to soothe her swollen feet from all the running? Some mischievous instinct kicked in, and I began creeping up behind her.

“Teo-kun, you coming to wash up at the water?”

“...How did you know it was me? I completely masked my presence.”

“There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize your heartbeat.”

My heartbeat? That’s... my god. Her senses weren’t just on the level of recognizing footsteps or rustling leaves. I couldn’t tell if she was joking or serious.

So I asked:

“Anyway, Lady Stella—has everyone made their decision? This might be the last chance we have to go home.”

“That decision was made a long time ago. Our minds haven’t changed. No one’s said it aloud, but I think everyone feels the same. What about you, Teo-kun?”

Suddenly, the arrow of the conversation turned toward me. I was a bit flustered, and Stella continued:

“Have you really made up your mind? To us, it looks like you’re the one hesitating more than anyone about going there.”

“...That’s...”

She wasn’t wrong.

The Saintess had told me before—I’d have to choose. Between what I already had, and what I might gain in the future.

I thought that meant walking a tightrope between the comfort and peace I’d built so far... and the uncertain happiness that might await beyond.

If I decided to head there—

I might lose everything I’ve gained up to now.

And that... terrified me. This moment right now—where only the girls and I existed in this entire world—how wonderful would it be if it could last forever?

“I used to have nothing. So I wasn’t afraid of losing anything. The worst that could happen was losing my life. That’s why I could pull off all sorts of reckless things.”

But now, I had too much to lose.

So I hesitated.

Then Stella rose to her feet.

She took my palms, brought them together in a prayer-like position—and smacked them hard from both sides. It stung like hell, and my mind instantly cleared up.

“How’s that? Feel a bit more awake now?”

“......”

“Isaiah taught me that. When your thoughts get tangled and messy, there’s nothing like a loud clap to shake it off.”

“...It really does feel like some kind of spell.”

So it was one of Isaiah’s habits.

Stella smiled softly.

“A spell? Nah, just a small and trivial little habit. But hey, Teo-kun—it’s just between you and me, okay? Don’t go telling anyone else.”

Thanks to Stella’s encouragement, I felt a little more strength returning to my limbs.

And so, just as I was about to speak up and declare my resolve to the noblewomen gathering one by one around me in response to that loud clap—

“Then—”

That’s when something rustled through the brush. I heard a beast’s low growl.

Could it be the Church’s hounds had tracked us all the way here?

...No. It didn’t sound like that.

The breathing was rougher. Heavier.