Taming The Villainesses

Episode 230.1

When I came to my senses,

The bonfire and dilapidated house had vanished, and we found ourselves greeted by a forest under a large moon.

What was this forest?

As I wondered about this sudden change of scenery, Balan explained in detail.

“This is a mental manifestation… Where the landscape and objects in one’s heart materialize into something tangible. It’s a skill often seen among high ranking priests of the Gwangyeom Church or ascetics who have undergone penance for a long time….”

She was saying unfamiliar words that sounded difficult to understand.

I rephrased it as much as I could comprehend and asked again.

“If this is a mental manifestation, does it mean that the forest in the Guide’s mind has been brought out?

“Y-Yes. That’s the nature of this barrier. I didn’t expect that guy to possess such a skill. I, Balan de Sabrnak, was careless… It’s my mistake!”

“Now is not the time for self-reproach. We need to figure out how to escape from here or how to find him.”

I touched the nearby trees.

They were very much real.

The grass was also real, and the stones and soil felt real too. But, this was nothing more than a manifested image.

Having had a similar experience recently, I was able to remain relatively calm. It felt like when I entered Aira’s dream.

However, it would be more accurate to say that the dream came out instead of me entering it.

“Theo-nim, to maintain your composure even in this situation… Truly the mark of a ruler. I, Balan, am deeply impressed!”

Did I appear composed?

Though not intentional, my experience navigating Aira’s dream seemed to have been quite helpful. It was the nature of someone having experienced and seen similar things.

I asked.

“So, Balan, how do we break this manifestation? If it’s a spell created by a human, there must be a way to undo it.”

“The caster will be somewhere in this place. If we find and defeat him, this bizzare barrier will end. We should hurry, as we don’t know how this space might change over time—.”

Phishung-.

At that moment, something flew at Balan’s shoulder. With a sharp sound cutting through the wind, it embedded itself into the ground.

“Ugh-!”

A short scream escaped Balan’s lips, and blood began to seep from her shoulder. My heart raised seeing her white arm stained with blood.

“Balan-!”

“It’s, it’s okay…! It’s just a graze.”

Seureureuk-.

As Balan rubbed her left arm, the blood stopped flowing, revealing her white, smooth forearm once more. 

I was curious and amazed at how she managed it, but there were more pressing matters at hand. Quickly, I picked up the object embedded in the ground.

It was an arrow.

“It’s a misteltein arrow. Misteltein wood is soft and weak, but when magically processed by a skilled craftsman, it becomes the finest of all arrows….”

Sparkle-.

As Balan continued her long explanation, I saw a flash in the forest and quickly chanted.

─Mana Shield!

Phishung-.

Kwaajijik-.

Multiple layers of hastily created mana barriers were pierced by the sharp arrow. Seeing the arrow stop just short of my face gave me goosebumps. 

What was this?

“That was dangerous….”

If my chanting had been even a little slower, my neck would have been pierced by that long arrow. The thought sent a shiver down my spine, and I felt my blood run cold.

“Balan, I found the ambusher’s location!”

━Ortoros-.

Balan uttered a strange, eerie incantation.

Then the blood that had splattered on the ground clumped together with the stone and sand, forming a peculiar mass of flesh that transformed into a two-headed black dog. Its round face was surprisingly cute.

“Go-!”

━Kreuu, keong-!

The dog charged into the underbrush like an arrow released from a bowstring.

━Kkyaaak!

At the same time, a loud scream pierced the air.

Thinking it might be the Guide, we rushed into the thicket and discovered an unfamiliar being writhing on the ground.

“Elf…? A purple elf….”

Balan spoke up.

As she said, lying on the ground was indeed an elf. She was wearing black leather and war paint on her face, but her pointed ears were unmistakable.

“Tsk-!”

The elf, whose leg had been bitten by the dog, clicked her tongue. Then she pulled something from her pouch and slammed it onto the ground.

“Tweety-!”

Pang-!

A puff of smoke rose with a small explosion. The acrid smell made me cough. In the chaos, a giant eagle grabbed the elf’s arm and flew into the sky.

━Pireureureuk-!

Professor Balan said to me.

“Theo-nin, did you see that? You might have already noticed, but that elf just now… looked a lot like Professor Stella.”

“… You are probably right.”

“Does that mean Professor Stella has joined forces with the Guide?”

“No, it’s not like that. To be precise, it’s her but not her.”

“What do you mean…?”

Balan tilted her head in confusion, clearly not understanding. It was not that I was unaware of her feelings, but it is difficult to explain this with certainty. 

Why Stella Bellhawk, who was supposedly taken back to her family, was here in this forest.

I had a hypothesis, but there was not enough evidence to prove it.

“Let’s follow her.”