This Villain Is Mine Now

Chapter 67

When Leo heard that the Grant family’s carriage had arrived, Leo simply thought it was a response to his letter. So when Elaina herself stepped out of the carriage, Leo was utterly stunned.

“Elaina?”

Elaina, who had just gotten off the carriage, rushed toward Leo.

“Leo! What happened to Lyle?”

On the journey from the capital to Mabel, countless thoughts had plagued her. Whenever she imagined the worst, she forced herself to think of the best outcome. But such efforts were hardly effective; each time, even more dreadful thoughts filled her mind.

“Wait, calm down, Elaina.”

“Do I look like I can calm down right now?!”

Leo’s attempt to soothe her only made Elaina more frantic, her voice rising in desperation. Just then, a voice called out from behind her.

“Elaina?”

Elaina froze. Her head turned with a jerky motion, like a broken doll.

There stood Lyle Grant—alive and intact. To be precise, his abdomen was wrapped in thick bandages, but at least he wasn’t the bloodied, lifeless figure from her nightmares.

Seeing Lyle safe, tears welled up in Elaina’s eyes, though she couldn’t explain why. Lyle, in turn, looked at her with a bewildered expression.

“…Looks like the letter arrived late.”

He thought he knew Elaina well by now, but he had never seen her this vulnerable.

Elaina hastily wiped her eyes and clenched her teeth. She had yelled as soon as she got off the carriage, drawing the attention of all the knights around them.

“Leo Bonaparte.”

Her voice dropped to a low, threatening tone. Leo, sensing trouble, started rambling nervously in his defense.

“How could I have known?! He returned not long after I sent that letter. I considered whether to tell you or not, but I thought it was right to inform you. Believe me, I regretted it too—maybe I should’ve waited a little longer.”

Leo clasped his hands together as if begging for mercy. Seeing this, the tension in Elaina’s shoulders eased, and the knights around them began to chuckle.

Only then did Elaina fully take in her surroundings. Although they were laughing, the lively spirit she had seen at the departure ceremony was long gone. The knights’ mood was dark and heavy, almost like that of defeated soldiers. Elaina turned back to Leo, who also looked grim.

“…What happened?”

“The monster subjugation failed.”

The words hung in the air, incomprehensible to Elaina.

She demanded an explanation, but Leo only said that Lyle should be the one to tell her, and then he disappeared. It seemed he had no wish to repeat the story in front of the dispirited knights.

“It’s chilly out here. Let’s go inside and talk.”

Lyle approached Elaina, suggesting they head indoors. Looking around, she noticed the knights packing up as if they were preparing to withdraw.

With a final glance at their weary faces, she followed Lyle.

***

“How’s your injury? It’s not too serious, right?”

Lyle led Elaina to the cabin he had been using. He acted as if it was nothing, but there were bloodstains on his bandages.

“It’s not life-threatening.”

“What did Leo mean earlier? What do you mean the subjugation failed?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. The monster subjugation failed.” Lyle gave a bitter smile.

He had selected the swiftest knights to form a scouting party and had pursued the dragon’s trail deep into the mountains. He first noticed something was wrong when the traces of the monster—evidence that should have been more apparent the deeper they went—began to disappear.

“A monster… I’m not even sure if that’s the right word. It was on a completely different level compared to the others we’ve faced.”

At some point, a fog rolled in, thickening until he couldn’t even see his own hand. For a short while, the knights confirmed each other’s locations by calling out, but one by one, the voices faded until Lyle was alone.

Still, he pressed on, feeling his way forward, groping through the blinding mist.

He wandered for who knows how long, until suddenly, as if waking from a dream, the fog lifted. Before him stood a massive lair nestled between the cliffs—or rather, it looked like a huge wall made of branches. But somehow, Lyle instinctively knew it was a lair.

A man stood in front of it, his complexion pale. He glared at Lyle, clearly annoyed that he had made it this far.

The man spoke, but Lyle couldn’t understand a word. They faced each other in a strange standoff until, with an exasperated gesture as if swatting away a fly, the man waved his hand.

What followed was anything but trivial—a gust of wind came at Lyle, and though it was merely air, it slashed across his waist like a blade.

Blood sprayed like a fountain.

The man seemed surprised that Lyle had managed to evade the attack.

After a moment, the man smirked and muttered something to himself—again, in an unfamiliar language. Yet Lyle understood. He had been given a chance.

The man—or whatever he was—spoke words Lyle couldn’t comprehend:

“[Leave.]”

“[And do not return.]”

“[If you come back, you will surely die.]”

When Lyle opened his eyes again, he was no longer at the dragon’s lair but in the forest near the knights’ camp.

After hearing Lyle’s story, Elaina’s face turned grave, her eyes fixed on his injured side. Lyle pulled his coat tighter to hide the bandages.

“Don’t worry. The cut was clean, so it’ll heal quickly.”

“How can I not worry? You could’ve died! You should’ve turned back like the others. Why did you keep going…?!”

No matter how stubborn he was, pushing forward in that situation seemed reckless. But Lyle’s next words left Elaina speechless.

“Because there might be others like me.”

“What?”

“Someone else could end up facing that monster alone, just like I did.”

“Ha. Really…”

“A leader doesn’t abandon his men.”

Lyle’s explanation—that he pressed on because another knight might get lost and end up at the monster’s lair—revealed his unwavering sense of responsibility.

“So… Are you really giving up on this place?”

“Who said anything about giving up? I only said this subjugation failed.”

“If subjugating the monster is impossible, then we have no choice but to abandon this land.”

Lyle shook his head stubbornly. “I never said it was impossible.”

“…What do you mean?”

“With just twenty knights, it’s like trying to break a rock with an egg. We’ll pull back for now and return to the capital to request reinforcements from other knight orders. Once the nobility hears about the dragon’s existence, they won’t be able to ignore our plea.”

Lyle spoke matter-of-factly, as if explaining something obvious.

“I’m sorry. It looks like we’ll have to miss the summer ball.”

“Is that really important right now?!”

Elaina couldn’t help but shout again. How could he be so nonchalant about something so trivial after nearly dying?

“You almost died, and you’re worried about a silly ball?!”

Seeing Elaina’s indignant reaction, Lyle finally let out a faint laugh.

“Why are you laughing?”

“It’s just… this is the Elaina I know.”

Elaina stared at Lyle for a moment before remembering something she had left in the carriage.

“I have something that might help. The herbs you sent last time—Nathan combined them with others to create sachets.”

“Sachets?”

“Hold on.”

Elaina opened the door, and there, in front of the cabin entrance, was what she had been looking for. Sarah, perceptive as always, had placed the item at the door when Elaina left it behind.

Elaina picked up the basket and showed Lyle the stack of papers. “All these herbs grow here naturally. We can make as many as we need.”

Lyle checked the notes she handed him. His expression grew increasingly serious.

“So this is actually possible?”

“Nathan is researching how to make them safe for medical use. Finding a harmless ratio for human use will take time, but for a massive monster, there’s no need to be precise. What do you think? This should be useful, right?”

Elaina showed him the basket filled with sachets, all sealed tightly to prevent the scent from leaking. Lyle’s expression shifted strangely as he looked at them.