Taming The Villainesses novel Chapter 449

Wobble—

Elga’s body swayed violently.

The shoulder of the giant, which she’d been using as a foothold, had suddenly shifted. What had felt like a solid mountain range now trembled all over.

Goooooooo—

Because of that, Elga lost her balance and plummeted down from the giant’s high shoulder. The moment she shut her eyes tight, her organs seemingly floating up inside her from the fall—

Fwip—

Something wrapped around Elga’s arm. A long rope.

“Elga, are you alright?”

“Ah, thanks to you—I’m alive.”

Thanks to Stella’s intervention, Elga avoided becoming an egg splattered on the ground.

A strong pull lifted Elga upward. Now mounted on the ghostly back of a bizarre dragon, she was carried away from the collapsing giant.

Elga asked,

“This situation... It’s not just me, right? It is weird?”

“I think it’s weird too.”

Stella nodded in agreement. Anyone would’ve found it strange to see the giant, who had been fighting with such intensity just moments before, now utterly motionless.

Tap—

Elga and Stella dismounted from the dragon and landed on the ground. Queen Ayra, who had been fiercely battling the grotesque angels below, raised her head, panting heavily.

“This is...”

The angels charging toward Ayra stopped moving.

Like children frozen in a game of freeze tag, they came to a complete halt. Ayra slowly reached out, touching their arms and wings.

Sssrrrk—

What she felt at her fingertips was absolute stillness. It was hard to believe they’d been moving just moments ago—the angels were like statues now.

“Looks like... something’s happened.”

Ayra’s eyes turned toward the giant—the one who had been seated in a noble lotus posture, observing the world.

The light that had been radiating from its body dimmed, like a firefly at the end of its life. It flickered intermittently—then extinguished completely.

The space around them was no different. What had once been blinding with radiant light was rapidly fading to dullness. All around, the air rumbled like the end of the world was near.

Even without a word,

Everyone could sense—they needed to get out of here. But Ayra’s feet wouldn’t move.

The half-fairy.

“Teo...?”

Something had happened to him. That much, she could feel in her gut.

Whether it was good or bad, she didn’t know. But if she left this place before the half-fairy returned, she might never see him again—that thought alone kept her frozen.

Just then, someone yanked Ayra’s wrist.

“We don’t have time to stand around. We have to get out of here.”

“Elganes, you know as well as I do... Teo is still in there...”

Ayra trailed off.

The face of her cousin, Elganes, who had grabbed her wrist, was too resolute—too full of determination.

Elga spoke.

“If we get out safely, we’ll definitely meet him again. But if we don’t leave now—then everything ends here.”

There was no proof.

It was just a feeling Elga had. Her life had always run on spontaneous instinct, and once again, she was going all-in on her gut.

Still, Ayra couldn’t bring herself to move so easily.

“But—”

“Just this once! Please listen to me, you idiot!”

Elga screamed.

Ayra’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Then, as if slowly accepting it, her expression softened and returned to calm.

“Elga.”

“But he promised. That bastard promised he’d come back. On the day flower petals rain down. He promised he’d return.”

Elga’s face twisted in a way Ayra had never seen before—tears pouring down in thick streams. And watching her, Ayra felt a quiet sorrow stir in her chest.

But the queen did not cry.

A queen’s lips weren’t meant for falling tears—they were meant to wear a smile.

Ayra said,

“Teo Gospel is a liar. There’s no such thing as a day when petals fall from the sky.”

“......”

“He’s told more lies and made more blank promises than anyone. Everyone knows that—even if I didn’t say it. And you still believe him?”

“I do.”

Elga’s answer was the end of that. Ayra said no more.

To believe, or not to believe—

That’s a matter of personal faith. It’s not about logic or proof. It belongs entirely to the foolish, private, and sentimental domain.

Ayra had never believed in people.

They were full of lies, manipulating others when it suited them. With her sensitive ears, Ayra could always hear the falseness in their words.

So trusting people—was never easy.

And yet—

Now that they stood at the edge of the world—

Maybe the next thousand years would be different.

Maybe tomorrow. Maybe next month. Maybe everything ahead could change.

So Ayra decided to bend. Just once more, she would believe in a lie.

“Everyone, get on!”

Stella shouted. Elga and Ayra grabbed the rope Stella had lowered and were hoisted up, landing on the strange dragon’s tail.

Flap—

The enormous wings spread wide. Elga and Ayra hunched down instinctively, gripping tightly so they wouldn’t fall. Soon, the twins climbed onto Ayra’s back.

Mirna asked,

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