Chapter 23
The Male Lead Went Crazy for the Troublesome Villainess — Episode 23
It was around daybreak by the time they finished off every last creature. Kael blinked his dry, gritty eyes and turned his head. At some point, he had become too busy to keep an eye on Rosana. Urging the exhausted knights on and keeping them moving had been more than enough to occupy him.
Only a bleak silence remained where the fighting had ended.
It felt as though Rosana's blood must be mingled with the blood flowing across the ground. Every scene passed slowly.
Fortunately, none of the knights had been gravely wounded. They were all merely exhausted, still standing upright on their own two legs. That fact alone made tonight a success.
Millus approached and reported.
"Your Highness, I have confirmed the casualties. There are only a few with minor injuries, and no fatalities."
"Good work."
Kael replied briefly, then turned his gaze back toward Rosana.
The moment he fully turned around.
"It's over, Your Highness. Isn't it?"
Rosana broke into a radiant smile. It was brighter than the rising sun.
Kael frowned. Even the backs of his eyes seemed to sting. Bathed in the rising sunlight, Rosana seemed to shine all on her own.
"I guarded Your Highness's back."
Rosana said it with pride. There were scratches on her face that he had not seen before, and her arms and legs were covered in scrapes as well.
But even in that state, Rosana had stayed behind Kael. While he ran without rest, she had kept running behind him. Almost by habit now, the rigid line of Kael's mouth softened.
"Right. So you did."
Kael swept his hair back. He did not know what this feeling blooming in his chest was. But one thing was certain. He was looking at her with different eyes and different emotions than before. It was a rather hot, passionate, and dazzling feeling.
* * *
While the battle continued, the camp was far quieter than usual. Most of the knights had left for the forest following Kael and Rosana, so only the old and weak, the clergy, the cooks and maids, and the children remained.
Around the tent where the children had been gathered together, the remaining knights stood watch. The clergy also stayed by their side, and Vanessa stayed awake all night tending to Lillia and the children. Before Rosana had left, she had made an earnest request.
'If anything happens, please take good care of the kids.'
Those words kept echoing in her ears. She wanted to believe nothing would happen, but a knot of unease refused to leave her chest.
'What can I possibly do? Why are you leaving the children to me, my lady?!'
'Call me Rosana from now on, Vanessa. And you'll be able to do more than you think. Unlike before, you can hold a sword now, can't you?'
Swayed by those words—completely swept up in them....... Vanessa murmured.
Rosana was a strange person. She drew people in even when she simply stayed still. Being beside her even gave rise to the illusion that everything would work out just as she said. It felt exactly like being under a spell.
Yes, it would be fine here. It was just as she was soothing herself with that thought.
Throughout the camp, low whispers leaked from those who still could not sleep. The occasional cries of beasts set her nerves on edge.
Crack.
The sound of a tree breaking came from not far away. Her heart plummeted.
"I heard a strange sound."
One of the children said in a frightened voice. Vanessa hurried to the tent entrance and peered outside. And in that moment, she saw what was revealed beneath the moonlight, and her breath caught.
A dark-red body gleamed in the darkness as though it had swallowed the moonlight, and eight eyes were fixed precisely on the spot where Lillia stood.
Vanessa sucked in a breath. Why in the world is that thing here?
Wasn't it supposed to be kept from coming here?
"W-we must protect the Saintess!"
Vanessa was not the only one who saw it. One cleric cried out in a shrill voice, but froze in place. Everyone else was the same.
Just as Vanessa was trembling as well, a small hand grabbed the hem of her clothes.
"Vanessa."
It was Lillia. Her face was terrified, but her gaze was steady. The sight suddenly made Vanessa think of Rosana. Rosana would have stood her ground and fought even at a moment like this. But Vanessa was not Rosana. If she could not fight, she had to find something else she could do.
Then she simply had to do what she could do.
Vanessa showed the children her trembling hand clenched into a fist.
The children all covered their mouths and lowered themselves. Not one child screamed, and not one ran outside. Fortunately, they understood Vanessa's hand signals.
'That's right, Vanessa. Right now, you're the only one who can lead them.'
Even looking around inside, there was no one who could properly fight. Because the commotion had first started at the outskirts of the camp, the remaining knights and soldiers had already rushed off in that direction.
The one fortunate thing was that, by Kael's order, most of the non-combatants left in the camp were gathered in this barracks tent.
Vanessa took a deep breath. The adults would manage on their own, and she only needed to look after the young children.
Rip!
The sound of a tent tearing came from outside.
Vanessa carefully parted the tent flap and looked out. The sight before her sent a chill down her spine.
A single layer of cloth could never block that enormous foreleg.
Vanessa held up two fingers toward the children.
Left.
The children's eyes widened. But no one objected. When Vanessa moved to the back of the tent and carefully lifted the cloth, a tall boy crawled out first, checked the rear, and signaled that it was clear.
The children lowered their bodies, paired up in twos, and began slipping out.
"You all follow the children and move too. If you're going to stay here, then stay."
The people remaining in the tent glanced at one another, then carefully slipped outside.
Vanessa was the last to leave the tent.
Like that, they crawled all the way to the supply area where the baggage carts were lined up.
"Everyone gather here. You mustn't make a sound."
As Vanessa whispered, the children pushed their bodies under the carts. Just then, a low voice came from behind her.
"Hey, you've got to get further inside. Kids, get in deeper and hide."
Startled, she whipped around to find an old cook. In his hand was a large kitchen knife, apparently the best weapon he could find. Behind him stood a few maids, a coachman, and several porters wearing uncertain expressions. They had apparently been unable to sleep and had come out at the commotion.
"Wh-what do we do? All the knights went into the forest......."
"It'll take a while for them to come back."
The cook swallowed. From far off, the sound of another tent tearing could be heard.
"That thing seems to be looking for something. It isn't just smashing things—it keeps rummaging around inside."
The cook narrowed his eyes and muttered.
"What about running? If we take the children and go into the forest......."
"Look at those legs. That thing's stride is probably twice as fast as ours. If we show it our backs and run, won't we just get eaten?"
Vanessa's face went pale. She could neither run nor hide. Then only one option remained.
"......Do we have to fight?"
The moment the words left her mouth, she quickly covered it. As if she had been infected by Rosana, she was talking about fighting. Was such a thing even possible?
But no one laughed at her.
Vanessa urgently looked around.
'Think, Vanessa. Think about what Rosana would have done.'
She clenched her teeth. The pressure to make a decision quickly was crushing her.
At that moment, the words Rosana had once said to her suddenly came to mind.
'If all else fails, set a fire, Vanessa. Even a monster will burn to death.'
The voice in her memory seemed to be telling her the answer.
Vanessa opened her mouth in a trembling voice.
"Th-the gap between the carts over there is narrow. If we lure it in there, it won't be able to stretch its legs out fully. What if we pour oil there and...... set it on fire?"
Even Vanessa was startled by what she had just proposed. The cook grinned and nodded.
"That's a fine idea."