Taming The Villainesses-Chapter 376: Survivor of the Old Castle (2)

She had apparently seen a suspicious shadow there and followed it. Then my best option would be to head toward the kitchen myself.

Step, step.

Each time I moved, the sound of my footsteps echoed unnaturally loud between the cold stone walls. Though the corridor was completely empty, I had the persistent feeling that someone was watching me.

“Bael.”

━.......

Just in case, I called out to Bael, the paper spider curled inside [N O V E L I G H T] me. But there was no response. Was she asleep? Ever since the tournament, Bael had been spending most of the day in slumber.

It was right then.

BOOOOOM!

With a massive rumble, the sounds of clashing forces erupted around me. That could only mean one thing. Just as Stella’s sentries had warned, a night raid was underway.

I leaned toward the nearest window, and sure enough—figures were sprinting frantically across the ramparts.

━How many are there!?

━I don’t know! It’s too dark to see! Just—too many!

I didn’t know the full situation, but the urgency was unmistakable. Should I go join them? Or was it better to trust the others and keep looking for Mirna?

After a brief deliberation, I chose to trust Lady Stella, Elga, and Narmee.

I’d already left the fortress’s defense in their hands, and promised I would take charge of finding Mirna. I would do what I said I would do.

Besides, there were plenty of brave warriors stationed here—and Ayra was among them.

Comforting myself with those thoughts, I moved deeper down the dark hallway.

Amid the rushing crowd, I scoured the area for a glimpse of Mirna’s silver hair. Unfortunately, I didn’t spot her among them.

Where had she disappeared to?

In the end, I had no choice but to wake Bael. If anyone could help me locate Mirna, it was her.

Bael, wake up.

━...Hiooong.

We have to find Mirna.

Shhk.

As I spread out my palm, black shadows gathered and formed the shape of a small spider.

Seeming to understand my instructions, the spider leapt off and began to scurry in a specific direction. Before long, I found something lying by the wall near the kitchen.

It was a long strand of hair—glinting silver and quite distinctive.

It must’ve belonged to Mirna.

I tied the strand like a ribbon around Bael’s waist.

Bael, now adorned with the silver hair ribbon, seemed rather pleased, lifting her front legs alternately as if dancing.

“We can say thanks later. Let’s go find the owner of that hair.”

━Hiooong...!

With a strange cry, she clung to a nearby wall. Then she stopped moving.

Still, I could vaguely tell what she was trying to say.

Shhk.

I extended my hand, and Bael climbed onto the back of it, then up to my shoulder.

Without paying her any mind, I pressed against the part of the stone wall where she had clung.

With a faint clunk, part of the wall receded inward.

“There was a secret door here.”

It seemed likely Mirna had passed through this way. No wonder I couldn’t find her by conventional means.

Shhk.

I stepped into the passage—just wide enough for a single person to squeeze through.

Dust was thick in the air, and cobwebs covered the walls, making it clear this place had been abandoned for quite some time. But on the sandy, dusty floor, I saw footprints that seemed relatively recent.

I say “footprints” because there were at least two distinct sets.

One of them appeared to be Mirna’s. They matched the size of her small feet.

The other was even smaller—like a child’s.

─Light.

I cast a 1st-rank illumination spell, and Bael and I followed the trail of footprints.

***

BOOOM—

With another great tremor, the fortress shook. A cloud of dust fell from the ceiling and covered me, leaving me looking like a strawberry coated in powdered sugar.

“Cough, cough.”

I’d only just washed up an hour ago, and I was already filthy again.

Still, I wasn’t so lacking in class that I would complain about that. Right now, out beyond these walls, countless people were fighting monsters tooth and nail.

Every time I heard the screams and battle cries, I felt a pang of guilt for being in a safe place by myself. Elga, Stella, and Narmee were all out there giving it their all.

Fwaaash—.

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

Suddenly, everything around me lit up. Turning my head, I saw a brilliant light shining through the cracks in the brickwork.

─7th-Rank Radiance: Baldur.

A powerful spell had been cast. Even though we had a number of mages among the Angmar forces, only Ayra, aside from me, could wield magic of that caliber.

So Ayra had gone to the battlefield, too.

Was that spell meant as a flare?

━Hiooong...!

“Yeah, we’d better hurry too.”

Resolved not to waste time, I pressed on, following the trail through the hidden passage.

After walking for over ten minutes, I realized just how many such hidden passages were built into the fortress—each one leading to countless nooks and rooms of unclear purpose.

The one that caught my eye was a narrow space, just wide enough for a person to squeeze into.

Calling it a “room” was generous, but the presence of a wooden box and a worn blanket made it obvious that someone had been living here.

Flicker.

A candle was still burning.

...So someone had been here until very recently?

I decided to head deeper. That’s when I saw something in the narrow corridor.

“Lady Mirna!”

“Sir Teo.”

The blood in my head instantly cleared at the sound of her voice. Relief washed over me—along with joy, anxiety, and worry all releasing at once.

“Lady Mirna, what are you doing here?”

“I was pursuing someone suspicious. More importantly, it’s noisy outside. What’s going on? If I listen closely, it sounds like a night raid.”

“I believe it is. Let’s go join the others in defending the fortress.”

“......”

But Mirna didn’t move, as if she still had something to do.

“Lady Mirna, we have to go now.”

“...But, I... can’t.”

“Come again?”

Her voice was so faint even my fairy ears could barely pick it up. When I asked her to repeat it, she growled like an annoyed beast and spoke clearly.

“...I’m stuck. My hips. Between the walls. I can’t get in or out.”

“Oh.”

So that’s why I could only see her backside.

Now that I looked closer, I saw that her body was tightly wedged between the narrow walls. Who would’ve thought her impressive hips and chest would become a trap for herself?

“Let me help.”

I reached out and grabbed her visible buttocks.

“Eek!”

She kicked her legs furiously.

“Wh-What are you touching!? You degenerate!”

“I’m just trying to get you unstuck. I’ll try pushing.”

I gave her soft bottom a gentle push. Of course, with how voluptuous her hips were, there was no way they were squeezing through.

“How did you even get in there?”

“I just... chased after someone... Anyway, Sir Teo, please try pulling my legs.”

Shhk.

Mirna lifted one leg. I grabbed her thigh and yanked backward with all my strength. But the passage was narrower than expected—it wouldn’t be easy getting her out.

“...Phew.”

As I caught my breath for a second—

Twitch.

Mirna’s rear trembled.

“Sir Teo, I’m sorry... for acting on my own.”

“No, there’s no need to apologize.”

As comfort, I gently stroked her backside. Even through her clothes, the soft, full sensation was pleasant—like a ripe moon.

Tremble.

She shivered at my touch.

“W-What do you think you’re doing!? Are you insane!?”

Did she think I was about to do something lewd?

...Well, it was kind of the perfect setup for that. The thought of stripping her and teasing her crossed my mind for a moment, but I held back—she’d definitely get furious.

I said,

“At this point, I’ll just have to break the wall. It’s an old fortress—hopefully the whole thing doesn’t collapse.”

─Paimon.

With a short incantation, I shattered the wall. Bricks crumbled in all directions, but I raised a mana shield to protect Mirna from the debris.

Shhk.

At last, Mirna’s face appeared. At that point, I had no choice but to ask:

“Lady Mirna, what did you find that had you stuck in here...?”

But the moment I looked at what she held in her hand, I stopped speaking.

Even without her explanation, I could tell what she’d been chasing.

It looked like a rod—with a star-shaped mark hanging from it.

“An imp’s tail...? Is that an imp’s tail?”

“I nearly had them. But they tore off their tail and escaped. It was star-shaped. No one in our forces has a tail like this.”

“Imps are all still in Sandora, anyway.”

Imps like Marmar, Gargar, and Tartar were still in the city of Sandora. Since imps didn’t suit battlefield conditions, we hadn’t brought them along. It was too dangerous here.

Mirna said,

“There’s an imp somewhere inside this fortress.”

Just then—

Shff.

Someone peeked around a corner at the far end of the shattered wall—a dark corridor barely lit.

A ghost? A chill ran down my spine.

But as I looked more closely, I saw a girl with striking short red hair.

I had a feeling I knew who that was.

That must be the imp Mirna had spotted.

“Give me back my star-shaped tail...!”

She even called out to us.

So she was upset that Mirna had taken her tail? I’d heard that for imps, their uniquely shaped tails weren’t just decorations—they were deeply important. A star-shaped tail would be considered excellent.

I asked the imp barely visible in the shadows,

“Who are you? Why are you here in this fortress?”

“Who are you!? This is my master’s fortress! You’re the ones trespassing on sacred ground!”

“Master?”

The owner of this fortress was Solomon. I wondered if she might be one of his imps.

That’s when Mirna asked,

“Are you Solomon’s imp? A demonling of the Demon King?”

But the imp growled.

“Solomon? Demon King? Who’s that? My master is my master! Not some Demon King. He was kind and gentle... One day, he’ll come back for me.”

Mirna tilted her head at that.

“I didn’t know there were imps unaware of Solomon or the Demon King. The only beings imps follow are Demon King Angmar—or perhaps Sir Teo, their acknowledged elder.”

She was right.

Imps valued equality. They didn’t just follow anyone. The only ones they served were Demon King Solomon, or in rare cases, someone like me who treated them kindly.

Only those with Angmar’s blood could control them.

No, wait. Now that I thought about it, there was one more.

“You... you’re Isaiah Gospel’s imp.”