The Villainess I Abandoned Has Returned, Part 2
"M-Tower Master!"
Seeing Emilia draw close enough for her shadow to drape over both of us, Remi hurriedly pulled away from my chest.
Hey, if you react like that, it really looks like we got caught doing something suspicious.
"..."
With her head bowed low like a criminal, anyone looking at her would think we'd just been caught in the middle of an affair.
"State your affiliation and name, priest."
"I-I am Remi Franchel, an apprentice priest of the Holy Empire's Dispatch Bureau 2! I greet the Magic Tower Master! I-I visit every day to heal and reform the prisoners in the underground dungeon."
At a glance, she seemed expressionless and completely still. But having grown up with her since childhood, I didn't miss the subtle twitch in Emilia's facial muscles.
Her slender jaw, clenched tight, was trembling ever so slightly.
A moment later, a voice slipped through her trembling lips.
"...Now you're even hitting on priests."
The moment those words left her mouth, a commotion erupted in the dungeon.
The underground prison filled with the whispered chatter of the robed mages.
— Is this a love triangle right now?
— Oh my god, oh my god.
— So that handsome guy got caught cheating on the Tower Master?
— Heavens... is this what they mean by paying the price for being too handsome?
— Personally, I think the Crown Prince looks better. That guy looks like a total thug.
— You idiot, that's the whole appeal!
That damn Red Bean Porridge Squad is at it again.
Shiver, shiver.
Remi, keeping her head bowed like a criminal, was turning pale with fright.
This wouldn't do. As the saying goes, he who ties the knot must untie it. Since I was the one who caused this mess, I had to take responsibility.
I might be a commoner with no reputation left to lose, but Remi was a priest.
If a rumor leaked out that she was hugging a prisoner at her dispatch post, it wouldn't just ruin her career. She could be excommunicated from the church.
I quickly cleared my throat.
Remi had already frozen solid, crushed under the terrifying pressure radiating from the Magic Tower Master.
"I asked the priest for healing magic. She was merely doing her duty."
As I defended her, I wrapped an arm around Remi's small frame and pulled her behind my back.
Emilia's jaw seemed to clench even tighter.
...Seriously, anyone would be terrified if you glared at them like that.
Rumble—
In the darkness, her eyes glowed like red crystals. A chilling aura erupted from the 8-Circle mage, weighing heavily on the subterranean air.
Why is this girl acting like this when she's a fire mage?
Was this crazy woman planning to make a priest of the Holy Empire faint from sheer pressure?
And honestly, my conscience was clear. Why should I walk on eggshells?
It wasn't like I was some noble lady's secret lover caught cheating. What were we to each other anyway?
Frankly, even if I had actually been trying to do something lovey-dovey with Remi, it shouldn't have been a problem. Well, aside from the fact that she was a priest.
Smirk.
Emilia, who had returned to her expressionless face, curled one corner of her plump red lips into a smirk.
"Ah, you haven't changed a bit. At least, not that 'disposition' of yours."
That smile looked incredibly cynical. That was definitely a sneer, wasn't it?
But what did she mean by "disposition"? Did I have some trait I didn't even know about? How would you know, my lady?
Before I could even ask, Emilia grit her teeth and launched into a barrage of questions—or rather, an interrogation.
"...You look far too healthy to be a patient. You seem to have more energy than a breeding stallion in the imperial palace."
"Ahem! Priest Remi is just exceptionally skilled. I don't feel a single ache anymore. It's all thanks to her."
"Oh? You've already exchanged names? You certainly are sociable, even in prison. Perhaps I should have thrown in a few prostitutes for you. To match your level."
?
Why would that match my level?
But there was no room to butt in and ask.
...Because Emilia's eyes had completely lost their light. I couldn't even begin to guess how angry she was.
If looks could kill...
The stars of a mage gleamed within her crimson eyes. Uncontrolled aura, fueled by the volatile temperament of a fire mage, flared out in wild streams.
"I must ensure you don't lay a hand on a priest. If you mess with a priest of the Holy Empire, it will put me in a very awkward position."
"My lady, you've got it all wrong. This was strictly! Medical! Treatment! I swear it. Do you have any idea how luxuriously I've been living for the past few years?! Suddenly being thrown into a cold place like this made my whole body ache and stiffen! I couldn't sleep, and I had a terrible headache!"
"And you receive treatment with your chest completely exposed because it's so cold?"
Ugh.
She hit the nail right on the head.
As expected of a magic genius. She'll never get scammed.
Ahem. Cough.
Hiding my embarrassment, I adjusted the front of my shirt with both hands.
No, this wasn't my taste; it was that bald old man's. This shirt was personally recommended by Jeremy Summertime—the root of all my problems, the man who had invited me to that cursed Crown Prince's birthday banquet.
"Hahaha, Ian! These days, men in the capital unbutton their shirts all the way down to their navels! If you wear this, the noble ladies of the capital will dive headfirst into your bed! Headfirst! Bwahahaha!"
"I thought you at least knew your place. Have you grown bold? I knew a man like you couldn't resist women even in prison, but to dare touch a priest..."
Look at her. She's just jumping to whatever conclusions she wants.
Is this woman crossing the line?
Suddenly being treated like some sex-crazed lecher made me stubborn. Why was she trying to pin something on me that I didn't even do? I'll have you know I've been a pure, solo-since-birth virgin from my past life to this one!
"Well, what can I do? I'm a healthy, grown man, after all."
I pulled my shirt open at the chest again and thrust it forward.
A stir went through the crowd. The dungeon buzzed with the whispers of the mages lined up behind Emilia.
— Oh my, oh my goodness.
— He really is well-built, isn't he?
— I can't see well. Can we get a bit closer? I think I need to judge for myself.
— I'm not sure either. We need to see up close to know. Swap places with me!
That damn Red Bean Porridge Squad is at it again.
"Silence, all of you! Maintain the dignity of the Magic Tower!"
At her command, the Red Bean Porridge Squad shut their mouths and collectively turned their heads away from me.
Just like they always did until a few days ago.
Emilia's gaze shifted to Remi, who was peeking out from behind my back.
The Holy Empire possessed extraterritorial jurisdiction. No matter how powerful the Rosenheim Empire was, it couldn't afford to make an enemy of the Holy Empire. Furthermore, Remi was a direct priest of the Holy Empire.
I might have been her former lackey, but surely even Emilia wouldn't dare speak recklessly to Remi...
"The discipline of the Holy Empire has truly gone to the dogs. Rolling around with a prisoner in broad daylight under the guise of reformation."
Well. I had severely underestimated this crazy woman.
"Drag that promiscuous priest away and lock her up with the female prisoners!"
"Understood!"
A crowd of red-robed mages swarmed forward and dragged Remi away from my back.
"I-I am a priest of the Holy Empire! The Holy Empire will look for me...!"
"Quiet."
Flash—
The moment Emilia extended a hand, the light vanished from Remi's eyes, and her entire body collapsed.
"My lady!"
My outstretched arm, reaching to catch the falling Remi, was blocked by the crowd of red robes.
Even if I tried to stop the Magic Tower's mages from carrying the unconscious Remi away, my resistance—as someone no different from an ordinary human—was futile.
"Wait! Just give me a moment, my lady!"
"Insolent! How dare a commoner speak to the Tower Master!"
"Don't do this, let's talk, just the two of us, my lady. Please! If there's a misunderstanding, let's clear it up."
Emilia stared silently at my eyes, which looked back at her with desperate pleading.
A silence that felt like eternity stretched between us.
Then, her red lips parted.
"Throw this commoner into solitary confinement. Bind him with mana-sealing chains. No food until I return."
"Wh-What? My lady?!"
No food?! She had to be joking.
...But looking at the atmosphere, it didn't seem like a joke at all.
"Three days. Let's see if you can still treat me like a friend after starving for three days."
"My lady!!"
Completely ignoring my angry shout as if it were nothing but a dog barking, Emilia walked out of the dungeon.
Slam!
Before the dungeon door shut, the instructions Emilia gave to the guard lingered in my ears.
"Give him nothing but water. If he has even enough strength left to move his fingers, he's the type of bastard who will harass any woman nearby."
At an hour when the capital's massive moon filled the windows of the Magic Tower's top floor.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
The sound of the new Magic Tower Master scribbling on documents echoed through the office.
A prerequisite task to be cleared before her coronation as the new Empress.
The execution of the sole bloodline of the deceased Emperor, Crown Prince Kasen Rosenheim.
As a symbol of the old Empire, it was a national event that had to be held publicly in front of the citizens.
The day of the Crown Prince's execution was drawing nearer.
Originally, she had planned to burn him at the stake in the plaza on the very day of the birthday banquet.
Who would have thought that at the very venue chosen for the deed, she would run into the lecherous butler who had vanished years ago?
Kasen Rosenheim, you have a long life.
Because of this, Emilia completely changed her plans for the Crown Prince's execution.
She decided to burn him at the stake right in front of the lecherous butler's eyes—alongside the pink-haired saintess he had been pining for!
Sending the Crown Prince and the saintess, that nuisance of a couple, to their graves together made things complicated.
No matter how much her reputation had been dragged through the mud by all kinds of scandals, the saintess was still the saintess. Executing her required pushing past the Holy Empire's opposition, which delayed the execution schedule longer than expected.
Well, a slight delay didn't matter.
"No, no! Lady Emilia, please! Please spare the Saintess!!"
Imagining that lecherous butler kneeling before her and begging for mercy made the tightness in her chest since this afternoon ease up a bit.
She would sit in the spectator stands with a glass of wine, forcing the traitor—her former butler, bound in chains and forced to kneel beside her—to watch. She would show him the end of the woman he loved!
Emilia steeled her heart.
I will make you realize that you can never be with the woman you love.
To do that, she first had to clear the mountain of public duties piled in front of her.
Work, work, work. Before the excitement of the revolution could even fade, every day was a continuous cycle of piled-up tasks.
As Emilia mechanically stamped the towering stack of documents, her head suddenly...
Thud!
...collapsed onto the desk.
"Ugh."
Her forehead was burning hot.
Come to think of it, I haven't been able to sleep at all for the past few days.
Mages were a breed born with temperaments several times more sensitive than ordinary people.
Nothing was more dangerous for a mage than being swept away by intense emotions. This was because uncontrolled emotions disrupted the flow of mana running through their blood vessels.
Her condition had been poor ever since she visited that place this afternoon. No, had it been since she saw him a few days ago?
Ultimately, her chronic illness, akin to a mana backflow, had flared up again.
Mana Disease.
It was an illness suffered by mages who had failed to learn proper mana control in their youth.
Since childhood, she had been too busy hiding her magical talent from political enemies within the Duke's castle to learn proper mana control. As a result, she frequently fell ill due to the side effects of suppressing her natural mana. And back then, no one in the Duke's castle cared about her.
Whenever the Mana Disease struck, she would lie alone on a massive bed with a wet towel on her forehead. She would grit her teeth to keep any groans of pain from escaping.
"My lady, didn't I tell you to let me know right away if you're hurting? You really never listen to me, do you?"
He was the only one. The only one who held her hand while she suffered through the night.
It hurts...
It felt as though a violent wave of mana was tearing through the blood vessels of her entire body. Whenever this happened, no matter how hard she tried to shake them off, memories would flood her mind.
"I shouldn't have gone there."
What on earth had she expected? Did she think he would have turned over a new leaf just because time had passed?
Emilia closed her eyes and smiled faintly. She felt so miserable she could hardly bear it.
Did I want to show off?
To show him that she was no longer that pathetic girl who couldn't survive without him. That someone like him had no influence over her anymore. Someone like him, someone like him...
The girl from three years ago who had clung to him miserably, begging him not to leave, was already dead and gone.
Ever since the events of three years ago.
"I was harassed by Ian Jeffrey!"
"No, Marien!"
"I-I was also harassed by Ian Jeffrey!"
"Chloe, you too?"
"Ian Jeffrey forced me into bed under the pretense of marriage!"
"Butler Ian did it to me in the stables!"
Into Emilia's feverish mind, memories she shuddered to even think about came rushing back.
Memories of the days following "that day" three years ago flooded her consciousness.