Home/I Saved the Villain and Fell Asleep/ch 91

Chapter 91

The dark mage was shocked at the crimson flames erupting from my Goblin Club.

"So teleportation wasn't the only ability?! How!!"

I had no intention of dragging this out. I ruthlessly shattered his dark magic, never once answering his questions, and knocked him unconscious.

The masked men engulfed in flames screamed for mercy. I tightened my grip on the club. I couldn't afford to fear their deaths now—this was only the beginning.

"Young lady!!!"

"Kaze, good timing. Carry this one."

"Please! Please take me with you! Huh?!"

"It was urgent, sorry. Did you see Chelsea on your way?"

"Yes. Another shadow is escorting him to the castle. He should have arrived by now."

"...Thank goodness."

Kaze hoisted the unconscious dark mage onto his back. The man groaned—he was clearly in pain from being beaten.

I barely held back from killing him. There was still much I needed to ask.

Chelsea arrived in time to neutralize the poison, but Irein didn't wake. Father arrived late that night and spent the whole day in Irein's room.

"Dad."

I sat beside Father, looking down at Irein's sleeping face. He looked like he'd open his eyes and grin at me any moment, but his haggard, motionless face felt strange.

It felt like someone had bulldozed a tractor into my peaceful countryside home.

"Brother's unique magic is always active, isn't it? Could you nullify it, Dad? Then use a potion of life..."

I already knew the answer, but I asked anyway, just in case.

"I wish it were that simple."

Irein's magic was highly unusual—beyond special, it was extraordinary. His unique magic was a "body that repels magic." The only way to deactivate it was by his own will.

So what would happen if it clashed with Dad's unique magic—"mana severance"?

"If only... that would have been wonderful."

Dad's voice was tinged with self-reproach. Even though his magic severed mana, its essence was still "magic"—so it didn't work on Irein. Even if I swung my club at Irein, it would only crush his body, not break his magic. My club was also my unique "magic."

"Brother... he'll wake up, right?"

"His wounds are healed and the poison is neutralized, so he should wake soon. Once he regains consciousness, we can use a potion of life."

Irein's face was etched with exhaustion. Since they were returning from Roman, he must have been on his way back after completing his mission.

"The castle will be unsettled... Hariella, stay in the estate for a while."

"Yeah, okay."

If you asked where the safest place in the empire was, I could say with certainty it was the ducal castle, right after the Imperial Palace. The number of magic circles installed was almost grotesque.

I understood Dad's feelings. But... was staying put really the right call? Hiding would only let those bastards run rampant.

"Your Excellency."

"Kali?"

"Madam is looking for you."

"Alright. I'll go."

Dad patted my head lightly and headed to Mother. I pulled the blanket up to Irein's chest, gazed at his face for a while, then stood up.

Too much had happened—I couldn't think straight.

Back in my room, I slumped onto the sofa by the window. Kali followed quietly.

"Is Mom okay?"

"She was shocked, but she's fine. What about you?"

"Me?"

"When you suddenly vanished and came back dragging a bloodied dark mage, I was so..."

Despite his calm tone, Kali's eyes blazed as if he'd burn me on the spot.

"It was urgent. If I'd been any later, Chelsea would have died—and Irein's poison wouldn't have been cured."

"Ha..."

He understood it was the best course of action, but he still seemed dissatisfied.

"Is this what His Majesty meant by their tactics?"

"Using ordinary people around them... utterly despicable."

I thought I was beginning to understand why Isaac died early at the hands of the original Caelius. The original Czerban Caelius was entirely alone—wary of everyone, keeping no one close, so tactics using ordinary people wouldn't have worked on him.

"It makes me sick. Those bastards who manipulate people, and that former Emperor trying to take your body."

"The moment he touches me, I'll destroy his rotten soul."

Kali laughed scornfully, but I couldn't fully trust that.

Dark magic. Brainwashing.

Kali had been caught by dark magic once before. I didn't think he'd fall for it easily now, but what if he was manipulated without realizing it? And if I or Bibi weren't by his side when it happened?

"Kali, if you ever get headaches, dizziness, or feel like parts of your memory are missing—come to me. If I'm not there, go to Bibi."

"Against that kind of dark magic..."

"Just in case!"

"I won't fall for it, but fine. I said fine—stop shaking me."

I grabbed his arms like I was trying to pry them open, begging for agreement, and he finally nodded.

"You never listen to what I say, but you're always making me promise. Do you have a conscience?"

"Huh? Me? I've never—!"

There was a bit of truth to it, but I chose to deflect rather than admit it.

"...I told you not to disappear without a word."

"Disappear without a word? I shouted 'take care of the castle' and poof—I was gone."

"Ah, right. So I should just wait, not knowing when you'll come back, where you went, or why?"

"You really have no trust in me, do you?"

Am I that unreliable?? I've never gone off alone and come back hurt. You know I'm not easy to take down.

"It's not about trust."

"Be honest with me. You always clam up when this topic comes up. I know you're worried. But like I said before—even if I disappear, I'll always come back."

"It's different."

"Different? What is?"

Kali looked directly at me. Caught in his gaze, I couldn't look away.

"I'm anxious. It's not that I don't trust you—it's that I'm the one who's anxious. My mind goes blank. I wonder where you are, what you're doing, who you're fighting, if you're in danger. Worried? It's already beyond simple worry."

...Mom. What is he saying right now?

His sudden outpouring of sincerity caught me off guard. I blinked rapidly, trying to process it.

So this means...

"When I find you again, acting like nothing happened—I feel relieved, but at the same time, I want to break your legs so you can't go anywhere."

Even hearing that insane talk about breaking my legs, it didn't sound threatening at all. Because he said it with a trembling voice—one that sounded like he'd cry if you touched him.

"The moment you turn away from me, I miss you. But you don't even care about me."

His confession—ignoring all signals and barging in—left me stunned. This was a confession, wasn't it? He was worried about me, anxious when I'm not around, wants me by his side... and in the end, misses me. He hadn't said "I like you," but it was practically a confession.

"He-hey. W-wait, Kali."

"You should never have met me in that dusty shed."

The crumbling shed in that dusty pit—if I hadn't met him there, I would have met Kali after he'd fallen apart, rotted from the inside.

"What am I to you?"

In the original story, he was the villain who would destroy me and my family. Not anymore, though.

I'd tried to pave a flower path to prevent him from turning into a villain. I wanted him to be protected under the Algenprina name, to not despair alone, to not be lonely.

"If the Duke and Rachel treat me as their youngest son, I could be their youngest son anytime. But I can't be your little brother."

Kali straightened up. His large hand cupped one side of my cheek. The warmth of it left me unable to move a single finger.

I'd let my guard down. I knew he was conscious of me in that way—I was the one who always brushed it off with jokes.

I thought it would just end as a crush. Kali never revealed his true feelings. So even when he snapped at me, if I didn't press him, it was easy to mistake it for mere scolding. I thought he'd never confess.

"You've gone quiet, Hariella."

"...This is the first time I've heard you talk this much."

"It wasn't fear of my sincerity, was it?"

He hit the nail on the head. I had nothing to say, so I bit my lip—Kali stood up.

"I didn't say this to get an answer, but just so you know."

"Wh-what?"

I was afraid of what he might say, yet part of me wouldn't calm down.

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