This Villain Is Mine Now

Chapter 71

“The last one—done!”

With the final sachet tied and sealed, one knight dramatically fell backward, cheering.

“Are we finally heading back to the capital? Can we go?”

“I’d rather swing my sword! I’m sick of fiddling with these tiny sachets!”

Voices erupted from all around.

Colin spoke excitedly, “That’s right! Pack everything up! Before His Grace changes his mind and orders us to fill another box!”

A loud cheer erupted throughout the camp.

The subjugation was over. But every end marked a new beginning. Elaina and Lyle still had countless responsibilities ahead of them.

Lyle needed to report their success to the imperial court, and Elaina had to return home before anyone noticed she had been absent.

She also had to inform Nathan about the sachets’ effectiveness and decide how to explain the surviving monsters and the existence of the dragon.

Even in the midst of their busy schedule, they hesitated to leave Mabel too soon, worried about the dragon’s well-being.

The dragon had warned them—if his pain became unbearable, his unstable magic would once again cause the monsters to go berserk. So before leaving, they needed to prepare adequately for him.

A single sachet provided the dragon relief for about a day. Even if the knights hurried back from the capital, the journey would take over a month. There was no telling if the dragon would develop a tolerance to the sachets, so they had to leave him with a sufficient supply.

The knights crafted a large wooden crate and filled it with sachets. Even with their existing stock, it only filled half the box.

Everyone abandoned their weapons and focused on gathering herbs and making more sachets. Eager to return to their families, they worked tirelessly, and within three days, they had filled the crate.

Watching the knights work, the dragon turned to Elaina. “[So, you’re leaving now?]”

Elaina nodded at his question. “[Yes. We need to report the subjugation’s success and also inform my friend about you.]”

She had briefly considered sending a letter, but it wasn’t safe.

The dragon, especially a living dragon, had to be kept a secret from everyone. Though most might dismiss such a being as nothing more than a myth, if they discovered he was real, it would bring nothing but trouble.

Especially for Nathan and Diane. For their safety, it was better to deliver the news in person. If it became known that the only remedy for a dragon’s pain was Nathan’s sachets, peace would be shattered.

‘Especially if the Marquis of Redwood were to find out.’

He was an ambitious, greedy man. Just as he had kept Diane in his grip all her life, he would surely do the same to Nathan.

Elaina learned this while talking to Lyle the previous night.

If less than a year has passed since the marriage was registered at the temple, the family of the married couple can file an objection to annul the marriage. Though such a thing has never happened before, it was certainly something the Marquis of Redwood might attempt to pressure Nathan.

“[It should be enough, right? We worked really hard on it.]”

“[Yes, it will be enough.]”

“[Next time, I’ll come with my friend. We’ll try to come back without taking too long.]”

The dragon nodded as though understanding that she was referring to the human who had created the scent mixture. He then glanced at Lyle, who still stood beside Elaina, watching him with wary eyes.

“[You’re still a fool. Didn’t you explain Propheta’s dream to him?]”

“[I did.]”

“[Hmm.]”

The dragon looked back and forth between Elaina and Lyle, then raised an eyebrow and made an offhand remark.

“[So, this is what they call love, is it?]”

“[What?]”

“[Affectionate. Yes, I remember Propheta saying something like that a long time ago.]”

By nature, dragons had little interest in their own kind. They were far too independent to live in groups—where “group” implied more than one being.

In that respect, Propheta had been a strange one. Born a frail creature, he had always shown an unusual interest in others.

Especially in him.

Seeing Lyle beside Elaina reminded him of Propheta, who used to worry about his well-being.

“[No! Lyle and I aren’t like that.]”

“[Didn’t you call him your husband? I heard humans marry those they hold affection for.]”

“[Well, some people do, but anyway, Lyle and I… it’s different. This is just a simple contract.]”

Elaina had never imagined that even a dragon would talk to her about love. For some reason, it made her think of her friend, waiting for her back in the capital.

“[It’s just a one-year marriage. As for love, that sort of emotion—]”

The dragon cut her off before she could finish. “[A dragon’s intuition is usually quite accurate.]”

He continued, his face impassive, “[I have a feeling you’ll be back here around this time next year.]”

It was just a casual remark, but coming from a dragon, it carried considerable weight. It sounded almost like a prophecy. Elaina forced herself to smile as if it meant nothing.

“[Not all divorces end badly. If we stay friends, of course, I’ll be able to visit the territory.]”

“[Hmm.]”

Once again, the dragon seemed not to take Elaina’s words seriously. He raised his eyebrows nonchalantly and blinked.

“[It would be better for me if you did come back. You’re the only human I can talk to, after all. Very well. Let’s end our conversation here. If we continue, that fool beside you might die of dehydration.]”

He looked at Lyle again before turning his gaze back to Elaina and letting out a chuckle. Lyle’s eyebrows twitched at the sound.

“[The deal is complete. Though I still don’t understand why you need my cast-off scales.]”

The dragon placed his hand on the wooden box, and in an instant, both the box and the dragon vanished, leaving behind only a massive shed skin, still in its full, circular form.

The knights, who had been waiting, quickly moved to handle it. Colin clicked his tongue at the sight of the enormous dragon skin, remarking on how grotesque it looked.

“What’s wrong?”

“What?”

“No, you seem a bit upset.”

After finishing her conversation with the dragon, Elaina looked at Lyle’s face and frowned. He was usually stern, but now he seemed almost irritated.

“He’s quite the talkative one,” Lyle responded to Elaina’s words with an unexpected reply.

He stared at the spot where the dragon had been for a long time.

Lyle couldn’t stand the dragon. He had never been this irritated by anything in his life.

He didn’t like seeing Elaina conversing with the dragon in a language he couldn’t understand.

And especially his appearance. Though just days ago he had been gaunt and corpse-like, now his complexion was healthy. His once scraggly, dry hair was now glossy. Tied back, it revealed his features more clearly. Despite his serpent-like, narrow vertical pupils, there was no denying that he was handsome.

Somehow, everything about the dragon annoyed Lyle—his changed appearance, the way he smiled while talking to Elaina, and especially the way he glanced at Lyle and muttered something under his breath as if mocking him.

“Let’s go.”

Lyle tried to calm himself as he escorted Elaina to the carriage. Elaina, unable to understand his strange behavior, tilted her head in confusion.

***

“That’s the monster’s head.”

“Whoa. Were those things really swarming in Mabel?”

The area in front of the castle gate was packed with people gawking at the monster heads hanging from the watchtower.

The Grant Knight Order.

When they had left for the north, they were mocked as a ragtag group of commoners. No one had attended the send-off ceremony except for House Bonaparte, and commoners had filled the empty seats. The story of that day remained a popular tale for quite some time.

Magic was something out of myths and fairy tales. Outside the Mabel Mountains, sightings of monsters were almost unheard of.

Most people had only heard that something dangerous had appeared in a dangerous area. Many even doubted whether the monsters were real.

But when faced with the evidence brought back by the Grant Knight Order—creatures with dark green skin that were neither beast nor human, wings ten times the size of a predatory bird—everyone fell silent.

The most spectacular sight was, without a doubt, the dragon’s shed skin. The massive dragon skin was strung up like a flag, flapping in the wind.

Its translucent thinness waving in the breeze gave people the impression of what a dragon might have looked like flying through the sky in the legends.

The standing of the Grant Knight Order upon their return was worlds apart from when they had left months earlier.

Their story was the talk of the capital. In particular, the story of their leader, Lyle Grant, inspired many, especially artists.

After being separated from the search party, Lyle had struggled to find the dragon’s lair and finally reclaimed the Mabel Mountains from the dragon’s grasp. His heroic tale became the subject of songs, poems, and paintings through the hands and voices of minstrels, musicians, and artists.

Lyle Grant.

Once called the son of a traitor, a butcher of war, he now stood as the empire’s hero.