Home/I Saved the Villain and Fell Asleep/ch 78

Chapter 78

"What?!"

"To break the magic circle, you need to strike it."

"Are you serious?"

I wrapped my arms around myself and backed away quickly, but Kali behind me chimed in.

"He's right. Your magical tool only works when you swing it."

Even you, Caelius...!

Deep down, aren't you just hoping I'll take out your arch-nemesis from another timeline?

Too shocked, I muttered nonsensical thoughts to myself.

"What's the problem?"

"What if I miss?! A person's head is fragile—it'll get crushed!"

"Huh?!"

Sir Silteng shot up in alarm. Despite my concern, Father, Caelius, and even Sier showed no reaction.

"If that happens, oh well."

Sier's weary mutter felt like a betrayal.

"C-can you really break it? The magic circle?"

"Well, I can."

"Then I have a good idea."

Sir Silteng suddenly spoke to me with a resolute expression.

"Huh?"

"I saw the magic circle right about here."

His finger pointed to Lewena's forehead—where her hairline met her skin.

"Since swinging might miss, how about striking downward from above?"

"That's a good idea—the circle would break before hitting her head."

"It might be better to stand on the bed rather than beside it. This way, young lady."

"Come here, Hari."

...Argh! Fine, I don't care anymore!

The guardian approved, so it must be fine, right? The guardian signed the consent form.

Resolved, I walked toward the bed. Lewena, lying with her hands clasped, looked like Snow White in her sleeping forest. Of course, I'm not the prince—instead of a kiss, I'm striking down with a club.

"Sir Silteng, are you sure about this?"

"Yes. I trust the Duke."

I sighed and climbed onto the bed. Bibi tried to follow, but Kali held him back.

Positioning Lewena between my knees, I straddled her. The heavy Goblin Club was in my hand.

"Huff!"

Sir Silteng gasped.

"It's a bit ugly, isn't it?"

"Huh? No, not at all!"

It totally is. It's clearly ugly.

I twirled the dull-colored club once, then gripped the handle with both hands. The tip of the club aimed at Lewena's head.

Everyone in the room was watching me. Might as well make the female protagonist owe me one. Whether that becomes a debt or the end of my future remains to be seen...

Eyes wide, I swung the club down at Lewena's head with all my might. Before it could touch her, I felt strong resistance—then black energy from the mana collision exploded outward.

Crack—!

A sound like hard plastic breaking followed.

"Huh?"

Through the fading fragments of the magic circle, I met bright blue eyes looking up at me.

"Who are you..."

The eyes blinked a few times through the fluttering hair, then slowly closed again.

The sensation of those blue eyes, so different from Bibi's, piercing through me remained vivid.

"It's broken."

Kali set Bibi down on the bed. Bibi sniffed around Lewena's head, then turned away sulkily—thinking his snack had been stolen, he irritably bit down on my club.

"Ugh, fine. I took away Bibi's snack."

Since even Bibi's biting left no marks, I left the club with him and climbed off the bed.

"To, to actually destroy a magic circle..."

"If there are no complications, she should wake soon. You, prepare to go to the palace tomorrow. Your daughter will stay with the ducal house for a few days."

After assigning rooms to the Siltengs, Father stood up. I scooped up Bibi, who was gnawing on my club, and followed Father out with Kali.

"Thank you so much, Duke! Young lady!"

Leaving Sir Silteng's deep bow behind, Father called Kaelen.

"We need to investigate the dark mages' movements more thoroughly. Have those in the dungeon talked?"

"The leader seems to know a lot, but he's not talking easily."

"I'll go."

"Yes, I'll have it ready."

As Kaelen left, Father turned and placed both hands on my shoulders.

"Hari, remember this—you too, Kali."

Father's face grew serious.

"When you're in danger, don't think about the aftermath."

"Huh?"

Don't think about the aftermath, not the opposite?

"I'll handle the aftermath somehow. Just focus on your own safety. Understood?"

I reluctantly nodded at his urging.

I'd only faced low-level traffickers, but dark mages who'd been hiding in corners were starting to appear. What did that mean?

"And Hariella—you can finally ask His Majesty for those mana bombs."

"Mana bombs?"

"Yes—the ones you've been begging for. Since we've secured Sir Silteng, His Majesty should grant that much."

My heart swelled instantly. Mana bombs! I'd completely forgotten!

"Dad, you know I love you, right?"

"They're powerful—use them only in real danger. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah!"

I nodded vigorously, and Father patted my head before quickly leaving with Kaelen.

"Mana bombs! Finally in my hands!"

"I think the Duke made a mistake."

"What?"

"Giving a bomb to a bomb. Who knows what you'll do with that."

"I'll only use it in real danger. So, Kali—how about giving me just a tiny bit? I'll only use it when I'm really in danger. You saw it—people with tool-summoning unique magics are being kidnapped. What if I get kidnapped too?"

"Who? You? Kidnapped?"

Kali snorted as if it were a joke.

"Just in case!"

"Use the fog."

"What if they have wind magic? It'll scatter instantly!"

"Use the Duke's magic."

"Then I can't use magic either! Look, Kali—first, I confuse them with fog, then I use Dad's magic to block theirs. While they're panicking, I deactivate Dad's magic and burn them all with yours. How about it?"

Having finished my presentation, I gazed at Professor Kali with sparkling eyes, hoping for an A+.

"Ha."

Kali squeezed his eyes shut in exasperation.

Huh, I think I'm close to winning him over!

I leaned my face toward Kali and met his gaze.

"Hmm? Ka-li?"

"Fine, just get your face out of here!"

Kali's loud voice hit my ear. I stood there, holding one ear, dazed for a moment, then looked back at him.

Wait—did he just say yes?

"I said I got it—now get that blocked ear out of here and come on."

He strode ahead, and I quickly chased after him. I had to store his fire in my club before he changed his mind.

...But how did things end up like this?

I only wanted a tiny bit of Kali's fire in my club—so why are Lewena and Caelius glaring at each other like they want to tear each other apart? With me stuck in between!

"Um, Silteng?"

"Just call me Lewena, princess."

Lewena smiled at me with a calm face. Her dazzling smile made me gape like an idiot.

Crazy. She's so beautiful...

Her slightly tanned skin from her wandering life and her dark blue hair suited her perfectly. Add her vibrant smile, and Lewena radiated pure vitality.

"Lewena, could you... maybe put this down?"

That guy over there, sparking fire everywhere, looks like he's about to explode.

"That man is dangerous, princess—he's radiating very dangerous mana."

I knew that those with more mana were more sensitive to others' mana, but Lewena must be the same?

"Kali is my family. He's not dangerous at all."

Lewena's arm wrapped protectively around my shoulder.

Wow, so solid! What is this, all muscle?!

And she smelled good too—a refreshing, cool scent.

"But just now, he tried to set fire to your magical tool, didn't he?"

Lewena frowned, recounting what she'd seen.

"It's easy to misunderstand, but it was absolutely not dangerous!"

I couldn't say I was trying to get his magic—how do I explain this?

"Princess, you don't have to take his side. Whatever happened, I'll protect you."

Lewena's smile was so beautiful that I missed my chance to argue.

Whoa, her smile is so pretty—the gap between her expressionless face and this is huge...

I was blissfully nestled in Lewena's arms when our eyes met—Caelius glaring at me murderously through a curtain of water.

"I warned you—put this down."

"Until the princess's safety is guaranteed, I can't do that. Even if you had no intention of harming her, starting a fire in a garden surrounded by flammable materials—I can't comprehend it. Please step back and keep your distance."

Hmm?

"Hah? Outsiders should stay out. You barely saved your life—aren't you scared?"

Hmm-hmm?

"Do you think your magic can beat mine? No matter how powerful your fire is, you can't defy the laws of nature."

"Can't defy the laws of nature—that's interesting. Want to test if it's really impossible?"

"Amusing joke. Your flames can't break my water barrier."

Wait, wait you two! What are you trying to do...!

"Flames? That word's a bit too cute for what I'm about to show you."

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