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The Villainess Blooms Chapter 19




Yua and Veena – Part 5 Veena was trying to devise a plan to rush the throne room. The entrance had been barricaded, and several rebels stood guard.
What’s more, she could see that Arnight had been taken hostage. However, the soldiers nearby gave off slight traces of magical energy. Despite being able to use magic, they’re still inexperienced enough that they don’t conceal their energy. Are they commoners who learned magic? From who? Either way, this level of power doesn’t pose a threat to Veena.
After checking the interior of the room from afar using magic, Veena took a deep breath.
(The problem is that they’ve got a hostage. Because Prince Arnight has been taken captive, the King and Queen can’t act… What should I do?)
By her side, Yua was visibly trembling.
(I’d like to finish this as soon as possible. Should I attack from range…? No, it wouldn’t work. I might hit Arnight. If Leena was here she might be able to create a diversion, but she’s still busy in another part of the castle…)
She’s not worried about Leena’s safety. There’s no way that girl could lose. Veena holds that conviction strongly.
The magic the rebels use is all bark and no bite.
Whatever they learned is simply a shallow and hastily learned imitation of the comprehensive education an aristocrat goes through in order to learn magic.
Therefore, their magecraft is inferior to that of the nobles.
(Let’s just wait and see for now.)
Activating the observation magic again, she sees what’s going on in the royal chamber.
“What is your purpose here?”
Despite the situation she finds herself in, the Queen carries herself with an air of dignity. As befitting of Yua’s mother.
The one who answered her was a young woman.
“Purpose, huh?” Isn’t that already plain to see?”
She laughed loudly, her fiery orange hair whipping around her face as she did so.
“We’re here for the nation.”
Veena can’t see this as anything other than stupid. With this meagre military strength, it’s impossible. In the Kingdom of Lafalis, there are many more noble families other than the House of Lilyfall. It’s absolutely impossible for a gang of commoners who are average magicians at best to oppose them.
“To be honest, though, that kind of thing doesn’t really interest me. But that seems to be what everyone else has on their minds.”
The red-headed girl said as she dug her boot into Arnight who was on the floor beneath her. Even so, the Queen remained defiant and glared unwaveringly at the woman.
“Really though, what a letdown. I was hoping to enjoy myself a little more, but it was so easy to break in this far.”
“So you say. But without help from ‘that child’ it would have been impossible for you to get this far, would it not?”
“!”
The red-headed girl seemed visibly shocked as she stared at the Queen.
“As expected of ‘his’ mother. You already knew?”
“Of course. Do you think any of my children can keep secrets from me?”
The two women try to get the measure of one another. The King himself seemed utterly lost.
“Aha, so it was the mother that really holds the reigns? Yeah, seems like kicking off the plan early was the right call. You’re way too much of a threat to our goals. Sorry to say, but I’m going to have to get rid of you. Right now.”
Veena realizes the situation is about to deteriorate. The Queen can’t fight back if her son is being held hostage. If she resisted, he’d be killed instantly.
That’s the only way Veena can see the situation unfolding. But, if she moved, the other rebels will raise the alarm and Arnight won’t survive.
She can’t act now.
“You truly think you’re capable of killing me?”
“If you were able to do what you like, I bet this would get pretty ugly for me. But, thanks to the kid here, you’re basically just a puppet dancing on strings. To my tune.”
The girl took a step towards the Queen. But, in an attempt to shield his wife, the King stepped forward and put himself between them. Even if he might be an incompetent King who can’t keep up with the situation unfolding in front of him, he still stood up to defend her.
“I am the King of this nation. If your purpose here is truly as dastardly as I fear and you possess murderous intent, then I shall not cower from it.”
He’s just trying to buy time. This incompetent King is willing to put his life on the line for a ploy like that? Veena couldn’t help but be surprised.
“I heard that the King was timid and a fool, but apparently he’s able to stump up from time to time.”
The rebels laughed. The King was concerned about his dignity, but right now his only priority was protecting his wife and son.
“Dear…”
The Queen’s heart ached as she looked at the King’s back. This isn’t the time… No, maybe this is exactly the time. Passion flared up within her.
But the girl continued.
“Whatever, it’s useless. I don’t care if I have to massacre the whole royal family, so long as that woman dies. Doesn’t matter to me which order that happens in.”
“Y-you impertinent…!”
A ball of crimson began to form in the girl’s hand. The fiery sphere began to consume the oxygen around it until it grew to a certain point in her palm.
Veena still can’t move. Almost there. They just need to buy a little more time…
As she’s thinking it, a female rebel with an eyepatch covering one side of her face stops the girl.
“Oi, Misha. It isn’t time to kill them yet. The image conveyance isn’t ready.”
A spell that uses magic to capture and propagate reflections of real events. Such magic takes time to prepare. Some of the rebels are still working on the magical sigils on the floor of the throne room.
The girl called Misha stares at her companion that stopped her.
“The execution of the King should be more than enough for your little show. That woman needs to die right now.”
“Don’t go deciding things on your own. The execution of the entire royal family, broadcast to the whole world. That’s what’s going to happen.”
“…If that’s what you want.”
Misha shrugged her shoulders disgruntledly.
“Every moment she lives just creates more trouble for us.”
“That’s just your theory. We’re going to execute the entire family as a group.”
“Ha… Alright, I get it. Don’t blame me for whatever happens.”
Misha reluctantly clenched her fist to extinguish the flames in her hand.
Veena was relieved. The Queen thought the same way and finally stopped holding her breath. It was almost time to move.
“Damn it… You really are an inflexible blockhead.”
“And you’re too willing to just act on a whim. Try and exercise caution for once. One wrong step and you’ll ruin all of our plans. You understand that, right?”
“Yeah, yeah, alright. You’re the boss.”
Misha sat down, obviously unsatisfied. That was the moment.
The opportunity finally presented itself.
(It’s done!)
In the time that the King and Queen had bought with their speeches, Veena finally finished the magic she had been creating.
Veena activated all the magic sigils that she had synthesized in her head.
A countless number of magic circles suddenly appear surrounding Veena, and shockwaves travel in all directions. The ripples spread throughout the castle almost instantly, although Yua didn’t come to any harm despite being at the epicentre of the spell. It was the exact same sensation Yua had felt when the castle was originally attacked.
“!”
“What the!?”
Misha and the one-eyed woman reacted at the same time. As they looked around in confusion, that was the time to strike.
They took their eyes of Arnight for several seconds in the chaos. That was all the time Veena needed.
The rumbling and shaking resembled an earthquake. But, those two knew what it meant. It was the same magic that was the foundation of their plan.
“Ahh… Like I said. You should have just let me kill that woman.”
“Kuh-!”
They both brought their eyes back to Arnight at the same time. But, he was already gone. Before either of them knew it, he was in the hands of the Queen.
“Still, for someone other than him to be capable of using Descending Earth Calamity… What kind of devilish mages does this country have?”
Misha tried to keep her cool, but it was obvious she was bewildered. She soon got her answer.
“Hmm, so this magic had a name like that already? I’m sorry. I used it without asking permission.”
Veena fluttered down from the ceiling whilst holding Yua.
“But really, it’s a useful magic. I could layer plenty of ground shaking spells one atop the other. Thanks to that, I could save Prince Arnight.”
Descending Earth Calamity. Veena had recognized it as a wide-ranging magical spell. Once you lay the initial groundwork, you can perceive everything that is happening within its bounds. At the same time, you can activate magic at any time within the area. In addition, it’s possible to layer multiple magic spells at once to increase the effectiveness of the invocation. It’s a very versatile magic.
In other words, the caster has almost full magical control in every corner of the field.
“…Children?”
The woman with the missing eye seems incredulous. A small girl with fairly like features who seemed totally out of place, holding a princess in her arms.
But, Misha had the opposite reaction.
“I get it now. A Lilyfall kid, huh? Yep, seems like it’s over. We can’t do anything against these two monsters.”
She realized that it was finished, and gave up.
“What a terrible thing to say, calling such a cute girl a monster!”
Veena laughed softly as she answered.
“Misha, what do you mean? Isn’t it just a little girl?”
“Is that head of yours just for show? The Lilyfall family are a bunch of monsters, a magician from their line is equal to a thousand normal mages. For a Lilyfall brat to be here of all places… That kid sold us out, didn’t he?”
Misha spat out the words in disgust. Veena answered.
“Yes, that’s right. The First Prince Euberto told us everything about your plans. You really were just bit actors in this little show he was putting on. Dancing in the palm of his hand.”
But, Veena went on.
“I don’t feel sorry for any of you, all of you chose to come here. But don’t worry. I’ll drag him into the dirt as well one day.”
As she said so, black spheres began to form in Veena’s hands. A pitch blackness with no shine.
“So rest easy and die.”
Veena shot the magic towards the two enemies in front of her.