A Glimpse Of The Future

(I-I somehow managed to survive…)

After confirming that the enemy mage and the fire dragon (wyvern) had lost consciousness, I let out a relieved breath.

They were strong.

Or rather, they were an opponent far too strong.

There was no way I could beat them in a fair fight.

So I had used the water created by the “magic for watering plants” and coated it into wall-like layers so thin they would not notice, with the “magic for floating small, light objects.”

I had deployed countless of them in front of me, using the refraction of light to make my visible position differ from my actual one.

No matter how powerful an offensive spell was, if it did not hit me, I could get through it without a scratch.

The enemy mage probably never imagined that I would use simple household magic, the kind that could be activated even without a magic formula, in the middle of battle.

As a result, he misunderstood it as some unknown magic being used and was unable to make the correct judgment.

At the end, I used the “magic for watering plants” and the “magic for floating small, light objects” to fix water magic around the enemy mage’s throat.

I cut off his breathing, made him faint, and rendered him unable to fight.

(Thank goodness I spent every night before bed fantasizing about how to fight with household magic in a way that gave off a cool villainess aura.)

But if I celebrated here, my villainess-like aura would fade.

I brushed back my hair and focused on acting like the villainess I admired.

“Lady Mythia, why did you come back…?”

The one who spoke with a shocked expression was Vincent.

Apparently, my return had been unexpected.

On top of that, defeating the fire dragon (wyvern) and the enemy mage must have been a surprise to him as well.

Which was only natural.

I had been completely outmatched in pure ability.

It was only because Vincent had drawn them in with movements that were practically beyond human, and because I had exploited the opening in the enemy’s mind from not expecting household magic, that I had somehow managed to win through wit and ingenuity.

However, what I aimed to become was the coolest villainess in the world.

She would always act with total confidence and never let even a hint of agitation show.

I puffed out my chest, swept back my long hair, and said,

“I do not abandon my allies. I show no mercy to those who oppose me, but I am unfailingly kind to those close to me. That is the strongest villainess I aspire to be.”

“It is dangerous. If anything had happened to you, Lady Mythia—”

“Then you should value yourself as well, Vincent. You are my partner. I am a selfish, overbearing villainess, and I would use any means necessary to save you. Act only after taking even that into account.”

Vincent looked somewhat bewildered, but I was far too intoxicated by my cool villainess-like lines and behavior to care.

It was three minutes later that I realized we had lost the carriage and were in a critical situation where we would have to go to the inquest venue on foot, and clutched my head.

“I do not abandon my allies. I show no mercy to those who oppose me, but I am unfailingly kind to those close to me. That is the strongest villainess I aspire to be.”

To Vincent Velvet, Mythia Lumiore’s words were something he had never even imagined.

He himself had been raised as a tool by the Empire’s intelligence agency.

Even as he produced results and his treatment changed on the surface, that essential truth had never changed.

He was a war orphan, and the details of his identity were unknown.

A person like him had no place within noble society, and to the nobles positioned at the top of the nation, he was nothing more than a tool to accomplish their aims.

Every warm word spoken to him had only been for the sake of using him effectively.

If danger approached, they would discard him without hesitation and cut him loose.

Because their own lives were far more important than Vincent, a mere tool.

That was what nobles were like—no, what humans were like.

He did not even find it sad.

Because he had believed it to be a self-evident truth, an unchangeable reality.

(And yet Lady Mythia put herself in danger in order to save me…)

An action that should have been impossible in the world he had lived in.

Precisely because of that, the sight of her moved Vincent deeply.

(And she is only a ten-year-old child, yet what an extraordinary person she is.)

Feelings of respect and loyalty toward his young mistress.

At the same time, during the time he spent with Mythia, a feeling he had never known before had begun to sprout within his heart.

Ever since losing his parents in childhood, he had always been alone.

For him, who had devoted most of his life to falsehood as an intelligence operative and in the end had even been betrayed by his organization, serving a master he could trust was a first.

And spending time at a family-like closeness with a kindhearted young girl was also a first.

“Then you should value yourself as well, Vincent. You are my partner. I am a selfish, overbearing villainess, and I would use any means necessary to save you. Act only after taking even that into account.”

That theatrical tone and fearless sidelong glance.

Mature behavior and short little arms and legs.

Oversized sleeves and hands as small as a doll’s.

(Perhaps this is something unforgivable for a servant. And yet I cannot help but think it. I cannot help but feel it.)

Vincent bit his lip and thought.

(That Lady Mythia is adorable like a daughter…!)

He now understood how Ciel felt when she had repeatedly made incomprehensible statements like, “To me, Lady Mythia is the child I carried in my womb and gave birth to.”

Pure kindness, and behavior that was a little airheaded and foolish.

This tiny mistress had far too much daughter-like charm.

(It is unforgivable…! As a professional, to harbor such feelings toward my mistress…!)

Vincent wrestled with himself inwardly.

(This is bad, she is far too adorable…! I am going to lose…!)

Completely unaware of his thoughts, Mythia stood facing the wind and brushed back her hair.

“Where is Mythia Lumiore?! Where is Mythia Lumiore?!”

The assembly hall of the Third Assembly, located on the north side of the city of Orphen.

The one who leapt from a carriage and came rushing in was Kyle, the Second Prince of the magical kingdom.

“Your Highness the Second Prince…”

The people around him let out cries of surprise at the sight of someone so important appearing without warning, but Kyle had no room to care.

Before the inquest began, he had to tell her it was a trap.

Count Schönheite, the most influential figure in the Eastern Assembly, and the Council of Three Hundred were guiding it from behind the scenes.

If she faced it without realizing it was a trap, he did not even want to imagine what horrific fate awaited her.

(I have to speak with her before the hearing begins, no matter what.)

Kyle looked around, searching for Mythia.

At that moment, the one who spoke to him was a man dressed in an elegant tailcoat.

“Well, well, Prince Kyle. How good of you to come.”

“…Count Schönheite.”

Kyle spoke in a low voice.

“Does it not strike you as rash to call an inquest so suddenly? She is still only a ten-year-old girl. She has managed the territory without issue even as acting lord. It does not appear to me that she has done anything warranting a hearing of this kind.”

“A difference of opinion, I would say. Her actions run counter to the traditions of this country that our predecessors built. It would be too late if matters became irreversible. As one of the nobles who guide the people, I must protect the livelihoods of the people of Lineage.”

“And yet I heard that the people of Lineage were living in far worse conditions before she became acting lord.”

“They cannot use magic. In this country, such beings have traditionally been of low value.”

“A custom that has continued does not necessarily mean it is correct. It may simply be wrong.”

“If that is so, then perhaps Your Highness is our enemy.”

Count Schönheite narrowed his eyes as he spoke.

“Do be careful. The darkness covering this nation is deeper than you think. The girl you wish to protect may already no longer be in this world.”

“…Surely not.”

Kyle drew in a sharp breath.

“That was the aim from the beginning?”

“I merely did the best I could.”

“Do you understand what you are doing?”

“The organization wished for her to be erased. There is no one in this country who can defy it. I am no exception.”

Count Schönheite said,

“She fell victim to this country’s dark underbelly. I recommend that Your Highness exercise caution as well. Perhaps next time, it will be you.”

“…”

He could say nothing in reply.

If Count Schönheite and the Council of Three Hundred had moved, then there was no doubt the method with the highest certainty had been chosen.

(If that is the case, then she is already…)

He had thought she was hope.

He had glimpsed part of a bright future.

She was astonishingly intelligent, and because she was not bound by existing values, he had thought she might be the one to shatter this country’s warped traditions and customs.

That was why he had followed her movements in between his busy official duties.

If danger approached, he had instructed his people to protect her by any means necessary.

And yet, everything had come too late.

The darkness covering this country was deeper than Kyle had imagined.

(It is my fault… If only I had been more capable…)

His regret swelled.

It was just as he was pressing his clenched fist against his thigh.

What appeared was a single carriage.

The one who stepped down from it was a beautifully dressed girl.

Wearing a red-and-black dress, she ascended the steps to the venue with graceful strides.

At the sight of her with a tall butler in attendance, Kyle could not help but stare.

(Mythia Lumiore…!? How…!?)

She was supposed to have been attacked, yet not only was she uninjured, there was not the slightest disorder in her appearance.

Approaching with refined grace, she spotted Count Schönheite and smiled, narrowing her eyes.

“Oh my, you must be Lord Schönheite. Thank you ever so much for preparing such a lovely gift for me on the road.”

“…”

Count Schönheite stared silently at Mythia and said,

“…If you enjoyed it, that is all that matters.”

“Indeed. I enjoyed it very much. Just look at this dress. Not a single stain on it, right? It was quite the ordeal, having to dispose of everything without dirtying my dress.”

Mythia said with a smile.

“I will repay you generously, so do prepare yourself.”

Without waiting for a reply, she turned her back on him.

At that dignified display, Kyle ended up laughing.

(Impossible. This is absurd. Can you believe it? This girl is facing Count Schönheite, the most influential man in the Third Assembly, and the Council of Three Hundred, and still maintaining this composure.)

Relief and hope.

As he watched her dignified back, Kyle thought,

(Amazing. This girl truly is amazing.)