Taming The Villainesses

Chapter 454: Side Story – Everyday Life Is Always Honey-Colored (3)

Elga was grumbling from the morning.

"Weren't we supposed to re-plan our honeymoon destination today? You said you'd tell me where that zoo is—the one with that monster, the, what was it, the platypus or whatever."

It had been a few weeks since the wedding, but we hadn't gone on a honeymoon yet.

There was simply too much to take care of. The noble ladies were busy with their respective duties, and I had more than enough on my plate dealing with both the Church and the royal court.

In fact, you could say I hadn't even started discussions with the Church yet, and I was already buried in tasks.

Priests from the Cult of Radiance had begun losing divine power, and high-ranking clergy wanted explanations. They sought me out directly.

I thought life would be peaceful once things returned to normal—but you never can predict what human life will throw at you. That unpredictability is half the charm, I suppose.

Still, it was a shame for both me and the noble ladies that our honeymoon plans kept getting pushed back.

Elga continued.

"You also promised you'd watch Leonoi with me this afternoon. Do you even understand how important a father's role is in a child's development? Huh? Do you?"

Apparently unhappy with me heading off into the forest or mountains, Elga kept grumbling. Hearing Leonoi's name invoked like this made my chest ache—as if I'd been bitten by a spider.

—Hiooong...!

Turns out I had.

I soothed Bael in my mind and said,

"I’ll just be gone for the day. I’ll definitely be back before dinner, so please don’t worry."

"Yeah right. You always say that and end up staying out for days."

Muttering and mumbling.

Elga, usually so breezy and blunt, had lately been acting like a nagging wife. Is this what they say changes after marriage? That story came to mind:

When a man and woman marry—the man assumes the woman will never change, but she does. The woman hopes the man will change, but he doesn’t.

Maybe Elga was the same.

Of course, I hadn't changed much either. My way of dealing with the noble ladies hadn’t really shifted, even after the wedding. Still, I had learned a few tricks. For example:

"Then when I get back, let’s definitely look after the cat together."

"Wha...!?"

Elga’s hair stood on end. She glanced quickly around at the other noble ladies, then lowered her voice and hissed,

"Don’t say that in front of everyone...!"

"Say what?"

What’s the problem with looking after a cat? I didn’t get it, but Elga gave an awkward cough and slapped my back.

"Whatever. Go. Or don’t. I don’t care!"

She turned her head sharply and then, after a moment, handed Leonoi over to me.

"Leonoi, tell Daddy to come back safe."

"Gyaruru."

"I’ll be back, Leonoi."

I offered my finger to the child. Her tiny, maple-leaf-shaped hand gripped it tight.

Squeeze.

Her surprisingly strong grip—was it thanks to the blood of the Lioness family pulsing through her? My heart swelled.

"I’ll be back."

It feels good to have a place to return to. My family. My home. With the ladies seeing me off, I set out.

"Then—"

"Ah, wait!"

Just as I was heading out, Stella came rushing over, waving her hand.

"Teo! They say some ruins have been unearthed in the forest you're going to today. If you can, try to determine which era they’re from! I’ll pack some reference materials for you!"

"Ruins?"

I asked, and Stella replied:

"Yes, relics of the ancient Fairy Empire. There are rumors—something like sightings of people in the forest speaking an unknown language. A sort of ghost story."

Then Narmee butted in.

"Teo, bring me back a souvenir!"

Mirna jabbed her in the side.

"Narmee, Lord Teo isn’t going on a vacation."

The lively clamor was nice. The only one missing was Her Majesty, busy running the kingdom.

Having the busiest wife in the world comes with its own troubles—half a joke, half true. With that thought, I set off on an adventure for the first time in a while.

***

Magic in this world had begun to decline.

Because I had wounded the God of Radiance. Well, not slain—but wounded so gravely that it would never heal. That was more accurate.

My father, Isaiah, now sat on that divine throne, looking down on the world. But even he was said to have only a century of life at best.

"A hundred years."

365 days times 100.

A farewell period in which humanity would say goodbye to magic.

That sounds long at first. But when I think about how I only have a hundred years left to spend with my father, it feels painfully short.

Wanting your parents to live for a thousand years—that’s probably the most natural wish for a son. But it’s all new to me, being a son. It’s confusing.

Anyway, this isn’t the time for that kind of reflection.

The reason I brought up magic was because—in this declining era—miracles and fantasies had finally begun to emerge.

Wonders that had been suppressed by the God of Radiance and his clergy: ancient ruins with primordial mysteries, secret paradises in dreamlike forests—all of it had begun to reappear.

A fantasy world blooming just as magic faded. Ironic, isn’t it?

That’s when it happened.

"Aah! Over here! A strange stone has been found! I, Tartar, the Imp with the Crimson Armband, declare that this clearly bears the runes of the Ancient Fairy Empire!"

Imp Tartar, walking ahead, picked up a rock and cried out. Other members of our party, rummaging through the underbrush, also started yelling.

"This glowing mushroom is definitely the one that makes you taller! Observe its radiant glory!"

"Punchnoi, from what Marshynoi sees, that’s not a height-growth mushroom, it’s a truffle. A delicacy known as the black diamond..."

"Agh! If it’s not a height-growth mushroom, then this disgusting Nymph-hated thing is worthless!"

Thunk.

Punchnoi threw the truffle to the ground. Marmar quickly picked it up and stuffed it into a sack.

"Hehe, truffle!"

Rustle rustle.

Marmar began collecting all the mushrooms the Nymphs were tossing aside.

"This one’s matsutake. This one’s oyster. This one’s enoki. Wow... I’m going to be mushroom-rich!"

Buzz buzz.

Nearby, Imps with large sacks were frantically harvesting mushrooms and herbs. They never wasted a good day.

But—

Was this really the right approach?

I said,

"Marmar, we’re not here just to collect mushrooms—we’re here to find the one that makes you taller. If we keep grabbing everything else, we’ll lose time."

It was nearly lunchtime already. We hadn’t even reached the ruins where the mushroom was supposedly found. At this rate, we’d go home with everything but the height-growth mushroom.

At my worried tone, Marmar blinked and nodded sharply.

"Ah, right! I got distracted thinking about the old days of camping in forests. Hehe."

She laughed innocently. Marmar had told me once that back when her monastery was disbanded, she’d spent a lot of time camping and sleeping rough.

Even now, as the president of a major corporate entity, those memories linger.

"But still. There really are so many «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» mushrooms here! I’ve never seen a forest with this many!"

"You’re right."

Just as Marmar said.

This ancient forest south of Monarch City was filled with towering giant sequoia trees.

Even though it was nearly noon, the thick canopy made the place feel dim. Not gloomy—but mystical.

Occasionally, sunlight broke through the leaves and lit up the forest floor in a shimmering array, like sunlight filtering through deep sea water. Flowers, mushrooms, and pebbles gleamed in rainbow hues.

It would’ve been nice to bring the noble ladies. I should come again with them.

Anyway—

In a forest like this, it wouldn’t be surprising at all if the rumored "height-growth mushroom" really existed.

Deeper in the valley, perhaps I’d even encounter the legendary crane said to grant children. I’d ask it for the secret to making a bunch of little fairy princesses.

Heh.

With that mood, I kept walking.

Just then, one of the Imps shouted,

"Everyone, look over here!"

Where the Imp pointed stood a small stone statue. Covered in dirt and moss, it was round in shape. Like a giant thumb with a human face carved on it.

A thought struck me. I pulled out the ancient tome Stella had given me.

A thousand years ago, this forest had been the heart of the brilliantly advanced Fairy Empire. Ruled by an emperor named Jinshinoi, who sought immortality.

Could this be one of their remnants? I’d heard that even Angmar’s national treasure, the painting of the ancient Nymph, was discovered in this region.

Stella would’ve loved this. It was too bad she couldn’t join us because of her duties to House Bellhawk.

Hoping to find more traces nearby, I glanced around.

Soon, the Imps began reporting similar statues all around. And more than that—we discovered a steep cliff with a cave at its base.

A glittering cave of crystals.

Drawn by the magical glow, someone took a step forward.

"This Punchnoi... hears a voice calling from within the cave! I feel warmth, like from a teacher...!"

Punchnoi stepped inside, leading the way. One by one, the other Imps followed, as if entranced.

Unlike the dark, damp interior I expected, the cave was filled with luminous crystals, beautiful as a decorated museum.

"These lovely crystals would make great bracelets for Tartar...!"

"Gyaruru, gyarururururu—!"

"Aaah! Gargar is trying to eat the crystals!"

The Imps and Nymphs chattered excitedly. Seeing them so happy put me in a good mood too.

I decided to grab a few as gifts for my wives. These would be perfect for jewelry—necklaces, earrings, that sort of thing.

Just as everyone was stuffing their sacks with pretty crystals—suddenly, the entire cave hummed.

Woooong—

The crystals began to vibrate and shine even more brightly.

"What the—?"

We all froze, stunned by the breathtaking spectacle.

Then someone jabbed me in the side.

"Marmar, what is it?"

"It’s not that. They say there’s a weird Nymph mixed in with us!"

"A weird Nymph? Punchnoi?"

"No, no. We started with ten people. Now there’s eleven. Looks like someone joined our group midway without us noticing..."

I frowned, unsure what she meant.

But then—I saw it.

Just as Marmar said, there was indeed a Nymph who’d somehow joined our ranks.

She had short black hair, unlike the others. Her outfit was simple, like something out of a traditional hemp hanbok. It was strange.

"Who...?"

A stranger.

The black-haired Nymph, surrounded by our group, noticed me and opened her mouth.

"━━─."

What language was that?

I’d never heard anything like it. She kept murmuring in that same tongue, but no Nymph or Imp seemed able to understand her.

"Does anyone know where this black Nymph joined us?"

"She wasn’t there when we were picking mushrooms!"

"Must’ve appeared from inside the cave! She joined our group on her own!"

"━━──."

"I, Tartar, have no idea what this creature is saying!"

While everyone murmured in confusion, only Punchnoi said, "Hmm... this feels oddly familiar..."

I had an idea.

I handed the mysterious Nymph a pen and paper.

I had the 《Clairvoyance》 skill. While I couldn’t translate spoken words, I could read written ones.

But strangely—the black-haired Nymph tilted her head as if she’d never seen a pen or paper before.

"...?"

Tilt, tilt.

"Writing."

I mimed scribbling with the pen, and only then did she grasp the items and begin to write.

Scratch, scratch.

What she wrote made my scalp tingle.

On the paper, it said:

“Outsider. Is Emperor Jinshinoi still alive in the outside world?”

“Is the Nymph-hating Forced Labor Act still in effect out there?”