I Saved the Villainess (1)
Romance fantasy novels are, by definition, full of people with heads full of flowers. So, here’s a question: are the characters in the novel I read also total idiots?
“No… actually, aren’t they quite intelligent?”
I remember it being a popular novel precisely because the characters didn’t just blindly shower the female lead with affection, but instead seduced her through realistic means. Sure, there were scenes where the female lead’s face served as the plot device, but it wasn’t as excessive as other romance fantasies.
“The Arcadium Empire. I knew the name, but how was I supposed to know it was the empire from that novel? I barely even remember the characters' names!”
Why did I possess a body here? Honestly, I don’t even think about that. I’m just busy wondering how I can avoid getting tangled up in that godforsaken romance fantasy stage.
Clatter.
“Whoa!”
“Ugh… be careful.”
“Grrr…!”
Still, it’s a relief that Luca is coming with me. The guy from our tribe who was supposed to join us broke his leg. Was it while hunting a monster? Since there wasn’t anyone else particularly outstanding in that tribe besides him, we decided to take one more person from our tribe. As a result, five of us from the Northern tribes, including me and Luca, boarded the transport to the Empire. The other three are going on their own, and Luca and I are heading out first, just the two of us. The reason? I simply decided to move up the schedule.
“Why is this carriage so uncomfortable? Did you pick a cheap one?”
“It can’t be helped. We don’t have that much money, do we?”
“That’s because you didn’t do any divination!”
Divination. Among us barbarians, there is one role that doesn’t get cursed at by the Imperials. That would be our Shamans. Barbarians can be replaced by knights, but our Shamans cannot be replaced by mages. The reason is that it’s similar to the fortune-telling of shamans back on Earth. We communicate with the stars, so we can see a glimpse of the future. That is divination. And it pays quite well. I am a Grand Shaman who communicates with nine stars, no less. My price tag is incredibly high.
“Why on earth didn’t you do any divination!”
“Because… we have plenty of money.”
“It’s not your money!”
Our tribe is wealthy. To be precise, our Blue Bear Tribe is the most powerful in this region. To begin with, both of my parents are treated as legendary figures by other tribes. My mother is a Great Warrior, and my father is a Grand Shaman. And their son is a Great Warrior and a Grand Shaman. Where else would you find a family with such overwhelming power? The fortunate thing is that neither my parents nor I have any greed for power. That’s why all the tribe members get along so well.
“Geez… with all that nagging, what are you going to do when you have a future husband?”
Thud.
“…Do you hate it when a wife nags?”
“Of course I do. What man likes nagging?”
“Shut up! Just watch the road!”
After saying that, Luca pulled the fur she was covering herself with over her head. Thinking that her tendency to snap at me out of nowhere hasn’t changed, I sank back into my thoughts.
‘Romance fantasy… romance fantasy, huh…’
If you asked me if I’m a sucker for a pretty face, I’d have to say yes. What man doesn’t dislike beautiful things? But that doesn’t mean everything is okay just because the face is pretty. To begin with, even though the female lead is a genius alchemist, she’s a crazy bitch who goes around fishing for men. She even makes a habit of screwing over her original fiancé. Loving a woman like that? ‘Not easy.’
Anyway, if I go to the Academy, I don’t want to get involved with them, but I know I will. Because I’m a Great Warrior and a Grand Shaman. And my specialty is talismans.
In that case? ‘I should probably sell some talismans.’
To be honest, I don’t have much talent for divination. My father even says I’m good at everything except divination. And using divination is exhausting. It’s truly exhausting. It drains my mental strength completely. Divination is literally looking through the eyes of the stars, so for someone like me with too much talent, it’s not recommended because I end up assimilating with the stars. My father told me never to do it.
“Haa…”
“Don’t sigh! Be quiet!”
I wasn’t even listening to Luca, who was still angry, when suddenly—
Clatter!
“Whoa…!”
Thump.
Luca landed right in my arms. Luca isn’t short by any means at 168cm, but since I’m 2 meters tall, she feels small. Anyway, Luca, who had fallen into my arms, lifted her head.
‘She’s really pretty when you look at her like this.’
Northerners have naturally pale skin. I don’t even know the reason why. I’m always out and about, so I’m about the same as a normal person, but Luca is snow-white. It’s truly fascinating how she stays so pale even though she’s always running around outside.
Pat.
“Kyaa?!”
“Oh, you have no belly fat.”
“Where are you touching?!”
I just grabbed her waist to sit her back down, but all I got in return was a string of curses. Just as I was about to protest that I was innocent, the coachman knocked on the door.
“Kanahan, Great Warrior and Grand Shaman! There is a guest in front.”
“A guest? Who is it?”
Wondering what was going on, I slowly stepped out of the carriage. And what I saw was…
“Haa… why is nothing going right!”
Estellia de Ortes. She is the daughter of the Ortes family, one of the three ducal houses that support the Empire. She, who had been trained to be a noble swan since she was young, had recently begun to crumble.
“This is all because of that damn Valter!”
Her fiancé, Radian Draken. He is the eldest son of the Draken Duchy and a man who recently reached the realm of Advanced Expert. He is currently solidifying his position as the heir to the Draken family. Honestly, when I first saw him, his cold impression didn’t appeal to me at all. Since we were bound by a political marriage, I had to see him often, and unlike his cold appearance, he was a man with a much warmer heart. But that was it. I didn’t have any personal feelings for him, but isn’t it a blow to my pride? After all, she is Estellia de Ortes!
“What on earth did she do to make Radian like that…? I can’t understand it. Did she make Radian like that with just that pretty face?”
She is pretty. Elessia Valter was undeniably the most beautiful person among everyone she had ever seen. But! As the eldest daughter of one of the three great ducal houses who has received countless lessons, and a daughter of a minor noble family who only has a pretty face and knows a little alchemy—shouldn’t it be obvious who to choose? Furthermore, she had a prior connection with him and they were bound by a political marriage.
“Haa… let’s calm down. How on earth could this be… Kyaaaaaa!”
Clatter!
The carriage suddenly came to a screeching halt. Just as she was about to get angry at the coachman, she felt something. She had learned countless lessons, including swordsmanship and magic. And what she felt was a killing intent so thick with the smell of blood it was sickening.
“Tsk… you noticed. I was going to deal with you when you came out.”
Estellia de Ortes. What kind of family is the Ortes family? If you trace her lineage back, her ancestor was a High Elf. A High Elf who fell in love with a human. They were in the same hero party and even defeated the Demon King together. They succeeded in marrying despite the opposition of the elves, and the first ancestor is still alive today. As a family like that, the Ortes family’s specialty is Spirit Magic.
“Spirits are quite annoying… Haa…”
She could feel the assassin walking toward her. Tremble. Seeing him walk like that, he must have already dealt with all the escorts. The escorts who were all composed of Experts! If so, she could never be a match for him. ‘…If we were to fight, that is.’
Whoosh!
When she gave the signal, what appeared was the High Wind Spirit she had contracted with. They had been together since it was a Lesser Spirit, and with the family’s support, it had grown all the way to a High Spirit. Their bond was that strong, and they could understand each other’s thoughts without needing words. Even though it read her thought that she wanted to run away, the spirit infused her with spirit power.
‘No, you have to deal with the enemy!’
Even as she thought that, the spirit kept injecting spirit power. Seeing this, Estellia de Ortes eventually gave up and decided to trust the spirit’s judgment. And the result was…
“Now, let’s see that beautiful face…”
“Kyaaaaaaaaaa!”
“…Huh?”
Estellia was sent flying straight toward the sky. What Estellia saw from the sky was dozens of assassins in black clothes surrounding the carriage. And she could even feel those dozens of men staring at her with wide eyes.
“Hahaha! I’m escaping!”
Perhaps because of the rush of dopamine, she even uttered vulgar words she wouldn’t normally say. But soon, a problem arose. The landing.
“…Kyaaaaaaaaaa!”
Fortunately, the place her spirit sent her to was where another carriage was parked. The problem was that there were no escorts! Eventually, just as she was resigning herself to her fate while falling from the sky, the coachman discovered her. And the coachman immediately went inside and had a conversation with someone.
“…Who is it?”
Grab!
“Haa… haa…”
Safe… she was held in the arms of a man with a massive physique. Despite falling from such a height, she didn’t feel a single bit of impact. Her age. Only 20 years old. No matter how much she had been trained by her family, this was the first time she, who had just become an adult, had her life threatened by assassins. As a result, the tears she had barely been holding back burst forth.
“Hiiing…”
And he, seeing a girl with red hair and a luxurious dress, with a large bust, crying in his arms, muttered:
“Sniffle… sniffle…”
“What on earth is going on here…”