Taming The Villainesses novel Chapter 454

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—

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify