This Three Year Old Is a Villainess-Chapter 282

But something was off.

I froze.

“What’s wrong? Why?”

Han Jihyeok asked as I stood motionless.

But I had no time to answer.

“Awen! Awen—!!”

I urgently called for the Crimson Ghoul, Awen.

At my frantic voice, Awen burst out of Ombre’s shadow.

“Contaminate the root! Quickly!”

At my command, Awen emitted a low, guttural growl and began swelling in size.

Then, reverting to his fearsome true form, the Crimson Ghoul roared mightily.

GRAAAAAR—!!

At that terrifying roar, Han Jihyeok’s face went deathly pale and he clamped hands over his ears.

I too covered my ears and bolted away from the center of the Land of Blessing.

“Just what are you doing?!” Han Jihyeok panted as he chased me.

“I have to close the root! But its power is so strong I can’t sever its magic!”

So I intended to taint the root’s power to quell this backlash.

“Why would you close a root you just opened—?!”

“There’s no response from the talisman! I can’t locate Maria!”

“What?!”

Traversing this interspace is tricky.

Here, blessings function properly. But in this void, magic fluctuates wildly, preventing a steady channel of blessing.

That means...

I can use the Blessing of Transit to enter this void.

But returning depends on luck.

I had confidently vowed to find Maria because I had a sure backup:

Her boon is the Power to Traverse Interspaces!

So Maria remains unaffected by this void.

“But if I can’t locate Maria, I must shut the root before we get sucked in.”

So far, I’d returned to our land only by the power of my Guardian Blessing.

“But since I’ve seen my past life, I haven’t sensed Selene at all!”

Without Selene, I cannot be certain I’ll return here.

I looked at Awen.

‘Awen alone can’t taint such immense power.’

“Nana!”

I shouted, and Nana slipped out from my sleeve.

“Jump in!”

As I yelled toward the center, Nana darted to the glowing zone.

Nana’s malleable form blocked the radiance.

Her body began melting, yet the light also started to dim.

Truly an ancient monster.

Together with Awen, she could indeed corrupt the root.

With the root’s power tainted, I could finally interrupt its magic as intended.

I sank to my knees, gasping.

Han Jihyeok ground his teeth as he watched me and the root in turn. Then, “To hell with it!” he cried, scooped me up, and dashed away from the Land of Blessing.

“Awen... Nana, come back...”

Even cradled in Han Jihyeok’s arms, I reached toward Awen and Nana.

They sprinted to me, and Ombre’s form opened wide to shelter them.

After running what felt like forever, Han Jihyeok set me down on solid ground.

“What happened? Gasp... gasp... did the talisman break?” he panted.

“I certainly felt its activation... but then—”

“Then why—”

Damn it. It’s a one-time talisman—I can’t test it with other hair.

“Can we get another of those tracking devices?”

“You think so?! It’s an ancient treasure! We infiltrated the Brickt household to obtain it!”

“...”

“That tracking device isn’t working! Don’t you get what that means? Maria’s power isn’t in this void!”

“...”

“Maria might be dead! Or Dalia’s soul has merged with her body, converting her magic into divine power—Dalia was a bearer of Holy Power!”

At my shout, Ombre trembled beneath my feet, startled.

Han Jihyeok stared at me.

I bit my lip and avoided his gaze.

“I’m sorry... I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

“It’s fine. I understand how you feel.”

He gave a soft laugh and stroked my hair.

“Hey, Erilot.”

“...Hmm?”

“Who always finds a solution, no matter where or when?”

“...That would be me.”

He grinned teasingly.

“Exactly—you.”

I clenched the talisman tightly. My racing heart was finally calming.

“Let’s head to the tribal village Grimie planned to trade with.”

“Why there?”

“If Maria’s gone, Grimie must have opened the Land of Blessing before me. We need to confirm.”

“Confronting Grimie could be deadly.”

“Take out the White Elderwood Flute.”

“You don’t mean...”

I balled my hand into a fist.

“I’m bringing Lagon.”

We stopped by Lagon’s nest to fetch him.

The clever dragon recognized me at once, even after years apart.

Han Jihyeok and I mounted Lagon’s back and moved swiftly.

“Waaaah—! Slow down!”

“Lagon, here.”

With a thud, Lagon landed. Though grown much larger, he still set down gently.

...Thankfully, the entire tribal village lay in flames, so we neededn’t worry about collateral.

Han Jihyeok groaned, surveying the aftermath.

“Grimie must have rushed to open the Land of Blessing before you.”

“Right. He abandoned the trade and attacked the tribe.”

The stench of blood was overwhelming.

Yet oddly, no bodies remained—no hair, no trace of people.

How could that be?

Han Jihyeok and I searched the village.

After a while, I spotted a sleeve peeking from behind a wooden pillar.

Approaching, I heard,

“No, no, no! I hate this, I hate it!”

A small child trembled, clutching their head.

“Are you from this village?”

“N-no... I hate it. Brother... big brother...”

I knelt to meet the child’s eyes.

“Don’t worry. I’m not one of the attackers.”

The child finally raised their face, smudged with soot and tears.

“Really?”

“Yes. Tell me what happened—why is no one here?”

“The bad people took them. They killed the chieftain and the warriors, then the villagers...”

Han Jihyeok and I exchanged looks.

‘They took them for experiments.’

He nodded.

“My brother hid me. He tried to run, but that woman—her face was burned—took him!”

Ayla, no doubt—she must have seized the child’s brother.

“What’s your name, little one?”

“I’m Mahokan...”

“Alright, Mahokan. It’s dangerous here. Come with me—Lagon will protect you.”

“Dragon?”

Han Jihyeok frowned.

“You want to go alone? It’s dangerous, you fool!”

“It’s safer than me getting in the way.”

“I’ve told you before: my problem isn’t I’m weak, it’s that your family are monsters...”

“In any case.”

Han Jihyeok clicked his tongue—he clearly felt useless.

Rather than hinder, he’d rather not.

“Take this White Elderwood Flute and go. If things get dire, signal Lagon.”

“Okay.”

I accepted the flute and rose. Meanwhile, Han Jihyeok lifted the child in his arms.

“Be careful.”

“I will.”

And we turned our backs.

“Um... excuse me!”

The child called after me.

“Yes?”

They hesitated, looking up at me.

“Are you going to find the bad people?”

“Do you know where they went?”

“They... they tortured the chieftain until he told them where the Sacred Tree Lake is...”

“Sacred Tree Lake?”

“Yes, the precious tree that protects our village. I know where it is.”

I moved closer.

“Where is it?”

“Enter the mouth of that mountain, follow the pink carnation flowers, and you’ll find a cave... it’s there.”

“Thank you.”

“...You’re a good person, aren’t you?”

The child looked at me with teary eyes.

I was silent a moment, then said,

“I will avenge your people someday. We share the same enemy.”

The child brightened.

I ruffled their hair and headed for the mountain.

The path was clear—Grimie’s forces had felled all the underbrush and monsters in their hurry.

Just as I was about to enter the cave, my communication stone flashed urgently.

‘Emergency code!’

I connected at once and whispered, “What is it?”

[An urgent report from Big Brother.]

“Urgent report?”

[The girl you were watching—Masa—has vanished without a trace.]

“What...?”

[Why is everything exploding at once...damn.]

I heard Balzac grinding his teeth.

Yet I felt hope.

‘If Masa disappeared, perhaps they failed to find Maria.’

Had they found Maria, they would have discovered Masa too—she came from the body of Grimie’s experimental subject mother. They might have taken Masa as a substitute for Maria.

‘Then Maria must still be alive!’

I gripped the comm stone.

“I know how relentless Erilot Astra can be.”

“I’ve seen you achieve everything you set out to do.”

“So I believe in you and will wait.”

The girl trusted only me and headed into the void.

‘I will find you.’

As promised, I will find you, Maria.

“Understood. Brothers, issue a state of alert to all forces in the Jurisdiction.”

[Right. By the way, they said a dragon appeared—could it be...]

I cut off the comm.

Pocketing the stone, I entered the cave.

Deeper inside, I sensed voices.

“The fusion succeeded... the Sacred Tree’s power... correct?”

“Yes... she remains unresponsive...”

Familiar voices—Ayla’s voice.

I crept closer, clutching the White Elderwood Flute.

Then I saw it: a body collapsed at the center.

‘Is it Maria or Masa?’

It must be Masa.

Not because Maria is dear to me, but...

‘Maria is Grimie’s intended vessel—stable. Masa is only a spare.’

Dalia’s soul would not stabilize as well in Masa’s body.

Moreover, Masa has no boon—no magic.

Without magic to protect her, her body would crumble when ripping out the soul.

‘They forcibly forced Dalia’s soul in without removing the other—’

If I can extract only Dalia’s soul, Masa will survive.

Good...

I retrieved my recording {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} talisman. I will capture this on film as proof of the sorcery.

I activated it and began recording Grimie’s agents.

A hooded figure said, “But it seems late for consciousness to return.”

Ayla snapped, “Isn’t there a problem?”

Then...

“Do not be impatient.”

I ground my teeth.

‘Grimie...!’

It was his voice. He had both performed sorcery and fled exile—surely he will incur the Emperor’s wrath again.

With his gentle tone, Grimie reassured them.

“Is this not the moment we have long awaited? Welcome it with joy.”

“But...”

“Our honored guest to toast with has also arrived.”

“...Yes?”

“It has been a long time, Erilot.”

I stiffened. Grimie slowly turned to face me.

Ayla hissed, “You...!”

‘It can’t be helped.’

I swallowed and stood.

“You carried a sealing talisman—how did you know?”

“If you planned to hide your presence, you shouldn’t have brought your shadow children along.”

“...You sense monsters’ presence keenly, as if you’ve faced countless fiends.”

Grimie chuckled softly.

“What answer would satisfy you?”

“Will you explain who the child behind you is first?”

“The child?”

“You dared conjure sorcery again after losing your place, Uncle.”

At that moment—

FWOOOSH—!

Behind Grimie, light gathered and poured in.

His followers shielded their eyes and backed away.

Grimie turned his head slowly and said softly, 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

“Let me introduce her, Erilot.”

...

Grimie knelt and reached out to the disheveled woman who stirred to her knees.

“I have long awaited the day we’d meet...Dalia.”

She blinked her large eyes, her long lashes trembling.

She looked at me.

“Wh-where am I?”

At last, she appeared: the heroine of .

Dalia.