Taming The Villainesses

Episode 230.2

Kaching-!

“Kyaak-!”

Balan let out a sharp scream. Crouching on the ground, an absurdly hard bear trap was gnawing at her ankle, drawing a stream of blood.

“Professor Balan, you’ve fallen into another trap.”

“Sorry….”

Looking at it now, Balan was rather slow.

Perhaps it was because she had spent her entire life sitting in a chair strictly doing research, or maybe she was just inherently clumsy, but she managed to trigger every kind of trap.

“How do you step on a bear trap that’s right out in the open?”

“I’m not very used to watching my step….”

“Ah.”

Only then did I understand.

It must be because her chest was large.

Those mountains were so big that they blocked the view of her feet completely!

「You have calmly judged the situation!

You have gained experience points through the talent 《Calm Thinking》.

All job experience +5」 

Then there was nothing we could do. The good news was that Professor Balan’s body turned out to be quite resilient. 

Kaching-. I still couldn’t get used to the fact that her wounds healed as soon as the bear trap was released. It wasn’t human. Strictly speaking, would that be correct?

After all, such regenerative power was characteristic of the Ars Nova.

“Anyway, there are many traps. Be careful not to touch them carelessly.”

Numerous traps were scattered throughout the dark forest. And misteltein arrows were aiming at us from unknown angles.

“It seems like we’re being hunted. Why is Professor Stella…?”

“I don’t know. But we can’t just take it lying down.”

Pireureuk-!

Then the sharp cry of a bird of prey sounded from the sky.

“Theo-nim, our position has been exposed! More arrows will be coming!”

“Calm down. Making such a fuss will reveal our location even without the bird.”

I scolded Balan, but it was true that the bird flying around in the dark night sky was quite bothersome. So, I decided to use a bit of the magic I had been saving.

─Come, Tweety.

I reached out toward the sky and used an application of the binding magic Halpas, which could tame birds. According to my theory, any bird hit by this spell would be unable to disobey my commands.

━Peerik, peerrrrrr-.

Sure enough, the massive blue eagle, as large as a human, stopped flapping its wings and helplessly plummeted to the ground. At the same time, I heard someone shout loudly, “Tweety-!”

“There-!”

Ttak-.

I flicked my finger in the direction of the voice. Then a strong wind blew and shook the bushes and branches.

Swoooosh-.

“Argh-!”

A desperate scream could be heard through the swaying. The stench of blood seemed to mix with the wind.

“Let’s go.”

Heading in the direction of the sound, we saw something gasping and spewing blood. Balan nodded as she looked at the bloody neck.

“The carotid artery was precisely severed. A masterful work…. Now, even this foolish elf will realize who was being hunted!”

Balan laughed sinisterly, while Stella Bellhawk, or rather, the Headhunter, said nothing. She simply closed her eyes.

It was exactly like the story I knew.

The bird she loved was attacked, exposing her location and leading to her death. She was cornered and outwitted by her prey. There were no last words, only silence in her passing.

“Theo-nim, look over there.”

Kkuuuuk-.

Balan tugged at my collar. Looking closer, I saw what could only be called a ‘door’ hovering in the air in the middle of a forest.

How long had that been there?

A door in the void.

I didn’t like how it blatantly drew our attention, but it seemed entering that door was the right move for now.

So, Professor Balan and I opened the door and stepped into the pitch-black darkness. Immediately, everything around us changed.

“Cemetery? This time, it’s a cemetery. Much better than the forest. It felt almost comforting, like home….”

Balan smirked as if she liked the new setting.

As she said, around us were thick stone lids covering the graves and tombstones. Centipedes and poisonous insects crawled about here and there.

“…… Bul’ jack.”

Under the moon in the sky was a woman wearing a grim mask.

No, to be precise, she was wrapped in black cloth to the point where it was hard to tell she was a woman…. But the red eyes behind the mask and the fan were quite familiar.

Chwareureuk-.

“━━━─.”

As the woman with the fan recited some incantation, the heavy lids of the stone chambers creaked open, and the eerie dead rose from their slumber with glowing blue eyes.

Balan was the first to react. 

“Ne, necromancy…! It’s a necromancer, Theo-nim! This time, a necromancer has appeared!”

“I can see that much, Balan. Calm down.”

I calmed Balan down and activated Calm Thinking.

At this point, I had to admit that my hypothesis was correct to some extent.

The Headhunter of the Dark Forest, and the Mad Necromancer of the Moonlit Cemetery. 

They were the original episode bosses. 

Why the episode bosses from the original novel were appearing in the Guide’s manifestation was beyond me. 

One thing was certain: you were forcing me to confront the fate I’d been desperately trying to avoid. The moment I could see the Guide’s face, he’d definitely face my wrath!