The Villainess is Tired of Everything-Chapter 79

"Of course."

Darcy thought his mother wouldn't send him away just for such words. But she had trusted Kiese's empty promise. Or perhaps she had blinded herself to the truth. Kiese, who despised the son of the magician who had insulted him, could never cherish Darcy.

Thinking of his mother, who ultimately could not have loved him, Darcy had sworn not to repeat the same mistakes and believed he would never understand her. He looked up at the sky.

“But now, I understand you a little.”

There was nothing she could have done. Love, which was beyond anyone's control, was like a natural disaster that left one with no choice but to succumb to it.

His mother, who had never been ill, had died almost immediately after sending Darcy to Kiese. The exact cause of her death remained unknown, but Darcy suspected that despair over Kiese's lack of love for her had played a part.

Anyway, he had met Marceau during all those moments, and that was enough.

Lost in thought, Darcy suddenly grimaced as a headache struck.

“I've been feeling this a lot lately.”

The stabbing headaches had been coming at regular intervals. Though he had consulted a doctor, he had been told there was nothing wrong.

Afterward, Darcy headed to a back alley, where Leticia awaited him at the agreed-upon location. As Leticia pulled back her hood, she flinched when she saw Darcy's hand before beginning her report.

"Lady Marceau has locked herself in her room again after meeting with Lord Ryan, and rumors are spreading that it is because she loves him."

“…I intended for this, but I don’t like it.”

If Marceau hadn't intended it, she would have squashed the rumors immediately. Darcy eyed Leticia. Though she had provided information to prevent Marceau's downfall, there were still many plans of Ryan’s that she hadn’t disclosed, especially concerning the magicians.

Ryan would reveal his identity as a magician at the perfect moment, as it would be a significant weakness for Darcy. Even if Leticia was cooperating with them now, she was still Ryan's pawn and would likely end up threatening both his and Marceau's lives under Ryan's orders.

“…Should I take care of her in advance?”

Perhaps sensing his lethal intent, Leticia quickly excused herself.

"Then I’ll be taking my leave."

She hurried away.

Returning to the palace, Darcy went to see Emperor Kiese—more accurately, he went to check on his condition. Though only a few high-ranking individuals knew of it, and it wasn’t yet confirmed, Emperor Kiese's mind had been deteriorating. Though it wasn’t constant, he had started forgetting minor things.

So far, Ryan hadn’t noticed, but Kiese had shown these symptoms in front of Darcy, whom he should have been more cautious around. Today, Kiese's gaze was hazy, his eyes unfocused as they fell on Darcy.

The vacant look in his eyes was unsettling. Darcy thought those blurred eyes resembled Kiese's future.

"…Darcy."

Kiese, who had lost his mind, called Darcy's name. Darcy didn’t bother to respond.

"It's like he's been brainwashed."

With an impassive expression, Darcy merely observed the emperor's current state, knowing that it would become a weapon for him. Kiese slowly focused his gaze and then asked,

"Are you happy now?"

It was an absurd question.

“Is that even a question?”

Darcy chuckled derisively, his laugh filled with contempt.

He then turned his back on Kiese. Slowly, Kiese’s eyes regained their focus, and as soon as he saw Darcy, he shouted,

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

“Who do you think you are to come here?”

Darcy squinted at the enraged voice. Without any need for brainwashing, Kiese would collapse on his own. Darcy would do his best to ensure that the process went smoothly—for Marceau.

When Marceau returned, it would be necessary to make preparations fitting for their reunion.

"A gathering where I can introduce the magic tools would be good."

He was confident that Marceau would be able to persuade the magicians, as the conditions were favorable enough that they had no reason to refuse.

"Is there a festival coming up before the Founding Day celebrations?"

Darcy pondered as he walked.

Ryan would return within three days. He planned to pull the strings of the web he had woven with Marquis Ephekl to bring about the downfall of the Marquis Etwar family. He needed to meet with Marquis Etwar to finalize the strategy regarding the magic stone mines.

Our journey was extremely smooth. In fact, it was quick.

First, I concealed myself using the ring Darcy had given me, so we didn’t have to worry about being spotted. The carriage, which was reinforced with magic stones, was much lighter than a normal carriage, so the horses didn’t tire easily, allowing us to travel twice as fast as usual.

When I opened the carriage door, the magical space inside felt weightless, so no matter how much luggage I packed, there were no issues.

I often teased Kaysen. When he booked a hotel for us to stay at, I would say things like,

“How could I, the notorious villainess, possibly use a room chosen by Sir Kaysen?”

Or when he brought food, I’d comment,

“I hope you don’t think I’d steal Lady Leshan’s meal out of jealousy.”

Whether he noticed my change or if it was because of Darcy’s words, Kaysen didn’t respond to my jibes.

Eventually, we arrived at the village of Gowat, at the northern border of the empire, three days ahead of schedule. The village was in a state of unrest due to Ryan, who had arrived just before us. He had brought a large number of soldiers with him, drawing attention even before the battle began.

We didn’t worry about running into him. His lodging was well-known, and we stayed at an inn near the village entrance, far from his location.

The inn was a good deal for its price. The first floor was a sort of pub, filled with people drinking and chatting noisily. The crowd provided a useful distraction from us, which was preferable to an empty place. Additionally, we could gather information from the conversations around us.

“Prince Ryan won’t let those bastards get away with it.”

“He’s going to teach them a lesson!”

Everyone was busy discussing Ryan’s upcoming battle. I had expected him to attack immediately upon arrival, but it seemed he needed to prepare.

"Maybe he has something to ready."

He must have brought plenty of magic tools with him. He would likely use the chains and shackles currently only available in the imperial palace.

“They deserve everything they get!”

Hearing the careless words of those around me, I realized just how terrible the perception of magicians was.

“I’m going upstairs.”

Ethan, looking disinterested, headed to the room. I decided to stay and eat in the first-floor restaurant, partly because I wanted to hear more of the villagers' conversations.

“Perhaps there’s something I can do.”

Though it was almost impossible, after seeing Ethan’s bitter expression, I couldn’t just go upstairs and act like nothing was wrong.

“I heard the final battle is approaching. Those bastards must be tougher than expected.”

As I listened, I gathered quite a bit of information. The magicians had established a small village on the empire’s border. The village was precariously positioned between the empire's territory and that of the neighboring kingdom. Though they had tried to secure safety by positioning themselves in a spot that required negotiations between the two nations, their time had run out.

“Now that Ryan’s here, that’s no longer an option.”

Ryan had made thorough preparations to crush them. He had brought a thousand soldiers to conquer a village of about a hundred people.

“Not winning would be more surprising.”

The soldiers had already surrounded the village, keeping watch.

There was nothing I could do.

The best way to help the magicians was to visit their village, persuade them, and commercialize the magic tools. That would be the most effective way to support them.

After finishing my meal, I returned to the room. Leshan was already asleep.

She wasn’t as strong as I was and tended to sleep for long periods.

Though I should have gone to sleep next to Leshan, I couldn’t calm my mind.

“Is it right to prepare gifts while they’re going through such a difficult time?”

Despite knowing the current situation and my own limitations, I couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt.

I became more alert, my eyes wide open.

"Maybe I should go for a light walk."

As I prepared to go outside, I ran into Kaysen and Ethan, who were standing in front of the door.