Taming The Villainesses

(EP-353.1) #1

353 – D #1

The venerable Draco family.

They were a lineage that had taken form since the ancient era when mysticism pulsed through the world.

Though they were currently enduring a great tribulation, the foundations they had built were not so fragile as to crumble overnight.

One example of this was the Draco family’s possession of the pantheon.

In the eastern mountains, at the temple where their headquarters was located, there were weapons and idols of the enemies the Draco family had fought over the years, all under the strict management of high priests.

Among them were treasures of such immense power that they could shake the world.

The “Karma Changer” that was being introduced now was one of them. A mysterious hand mirror that could change a person's appearance.

It was also the name that appeared when Mirna used it on me before, asking me to “pretend to be her fiancé.” Although that matter eventually fizzled out.

Hearing that name mentioned again made me realize how much the story had changed, and I felt a bit sentimental.

Then Elga asked.

“So, what’s this Karma Changer? How does it work?”

Mirna answered just as casually.

“Simply put, it’s a tool that changes your appearance once a month. Quite the incredible treasure. With it, becoming someone else isn’t difficult at all.”

“There really are all sorts of strange things. If such a thing really exists, creating a fake identity and participating wouldn't be difficult at all. So, where is it? Do you have it now?”

Elga’s gaze swept over Narmi and Mirna.

Mirna let out a small sigh, then turned to her twin sister.

“It should be at the mansion in Ark… Narmi, where did you put it?”

“If you’re talking about the Karma Changer, I think we moved it to the main temple in the Eastern Mountains. It’d just rack up maintenance costs if we kept it at the mansion.”

Elga scowled deeply.

“Hey, so you're saying we have to go all the way to the Eastern Mountains? Even if we rush by carriage now, it would take months. Isn't this just a pointless discussion?”

Elga had a solid point.

The main temple in the Eastern Mountains—there was a considerable distance from this northern city of Sandora to the Draco’s headquarters, the Ten Thousand Peaks. Even with the fastest and sturdiest horse, the journey would take several months.

Of course, that was if we went by horse.

“Does the temple have a teleportation gate?”

Right now, I had the ability to leap across great distances through teleportation gates.

No matter how far away it was, as long as I burned a bit more mana, I was confident I could retrieve the item and return in under an hour.

However—

Time was pressing.

Tch-.

Elga turned her head toward the grandfather clock near the dining hall and clicked her tongue.

“It's about ten right now. The opening ceremony is at noon. You know that anyone who isn’t present before their match automatically forfeits, right?”

I was well aware of the festival rules. After all, I had a hand in drafting them—it would be strange if I didn’t know.

As Elga said, the festival's opening was scheduled for noon today.

Assuming the first match started about 30 minutes after that.

That meant I had to be back here by 12:30 PM.

“Of course, before that, we need to create a fake identity and register it for the tournament. Lady Elga, could I trouble you with that? If we ask Lady Stella, it shouldn't be too difficult.”

“With that professor, forging an identity won’t be a problem. What name and background do you want?”

At Elga's question, a scene suddenly popped into my mind. It was the character selection screen from the games I used to enjoy, the part where you chose your nickname.

Changing my appearance and creating a new character—.

It felt exactly like that.

Then, like a shooting star, an idea struck me.

“How about this?”

Amidst everyone's anticipation, I quietly opened my mouth. After my explanation, Elga furrowed her brow and said.

“You’re insane.”

* * *

“Sir Theo, as far as I know, the main temple does have a teleportation gate. But it hasn’t been used in a long time, so I can’t guarantee it’ll work properly.”

“Still, just having a teleportation gate installed is already something to be thankful for.”

Teleportation gates were a technique devised by Solomon roughly a few decades ago. Because of that, the mere presence of a teleportation gate suggested that Solomon had visited the location at some point.

Besides, the Draco family and Solomon have had quite a close relationship. It wasn’t surprising that Solomon’s teleportation gate existed in the Draco family’s main temple.

Before I knew it, it was half past ten.

Two hours left.

Bringing back the item through the teleportation gate should take far less than two hours, but as this situation proved, things rarely went exactly as planned.

Fwoosh.

Standing atop Sandora’s teleportation gate, I gathered my mana.

As I gently closed my eyes, strange patterns flickered into view against the dark backdrop, wavering like candle flames.

These were the symbols representing different cities. You could even say they were the crests of the lords who ruled over them.

Among them, I searched for the farthest eastern land—the one marked by a silver-embroidered dragon on a black background.

That was the emblem of the Draco family.

“I’ve found the coordinates. I’ll be leaping through the dimension now, so hold onto me tightly to make sure you don’t end up somewhere strange.”

At my words, I felt the Draco twins grab onto my waist. Since a mishap in spatial teleportation could land us in a strange place, the closer they clung, the better.

Squeeze.

Feeling the warmth and scent of the women pressing against me, I drew mana from within my body. At the same time, I could sense Bael, residing inside me, swiftly calculating the complex coordinates and directions.

━Hioooong…!

Truly impressive.

If I hadn’t obtained Bael this time, just locating the eastern coordinates and performing the necessary calculations for the spell would have taken me more than half a day.

Thinking about it like that, everything I had experienced so far felt as if it had all been part of a long-prepared plan, seamlessly connecting into a single path.

As if I were walking the predestined Royal Road.

And now, I took that step.

“Teleport.”

Edit by: faker