Despite the fact that I am a painting wizard, I never recognized Juliet as a “painting.”
In other words, I will not be able to identify someone else’s painting.
I could not tell if this was true for other wizards, but it was true for me.
Just because it is painting magic does not mean things like its level or durability will pop into their heads.
Besides, the ‘fake Kun Geisha’ I knew looked so real.
He was a bit of a nutcase, but given that Lacius recognized him, who would expect him to be a painting?
Unreasonably, I felt aggrieved.
‘The reason I came to the desert became in vain. In. Vain.’
He who is blinded by money will perish with it.
Why is a proverb running through my mind right now?
I gulped the water while forcing my lips into a smile as if I had put adhesive on them.
Fortunately, the head of Kun did not speak to me again after that.
“Nia, you can rest early if you are tired; the warrior test that will take place in a moment is similar to a promotion test, so you do not have to watch it.”
“… yeah.”
The traditional desert cuisine was laid out in front of me, but I could not bring myself to eat it.
I tried to force myself to eat something resembling curry, but I could not taste it.
Cat did not say anything to me because it was aware of other people’s gaze, but it purred as it snuggled up against my back.
Maybe he is telling me I need to get my act together.
‘Ha, let us get things organized.’
First, the Kun Geisha I know.
A crazy psychopath who appeared much more innocent, almost childlike, and even slightly cute. I will call that one the “fake Kun Geisha” from now on.
Then there is the real Kun Geisha.
A true psychopath who makes no attempt to appear decent. The most ferocious of the beasts. A bloodthirsty maniac who cannot wait to rip your throat out. To avoid confusion, he should be referred to as the Kun’s leader.
‘So Villainess #4 pretended to be a painter and painted a portrait of the Kun’s leader.’
A full-body one. However, there had to be more than one painting. Originally, there had to have been two.
One was offered to Kun and paid for, while the other was secretly taken and used to summon the fake Kun Geisha I know.
It appeared to serve a purpose other than that of a guard. If it was drawn for security, it would never have left the caster’s side like Juliet or Cat.
If it was made to protect, it would only serve one purpose.
To protect. To protect their creator.
However, the fake Kun Geisha repeatedly told me different things.
‘Let’s go to paradise.’
I thought it was nonsense, but if it isn’t, it is a problem.
I had to figure out what it was because that was the only way my future life would be safe.
The destination Shay desired after fleeing the Fata-Morgana and fearlessly summoning a clone of the Kun clan leader.
The paradise.
No one would do such a crazy thing unless they had a reason, so it was reasonable to assume that there had to be a compelling reason to go there.
‘I do not know, and I would rather not know right now, but that would undoubtedly cause problems in the future, would not it?’
In front of me, warriors perform a sword dance.
It seemed like they were coming to behead me, so I burst into hollow laughter.
No, even if that were the case, I could not understand why Villainess #4 in the original story would give up something so important in order to win Lacius’ affection.
I lowered my gaze to the steaming chicken dish, feeling like tearing my hair out.
It resembled tandoori chicken, but with desert spices sprinkled on top and baked in a furnace.
Cat purred behind me as I brought the knife closer to the dish.
“Alright, you can have it.”
Without hesitation, I took the plate off the table and gave it to Cat.
The sound of crunching was quite pleasing to hear.
If the Kun’s leader realizes that a clone of him exists and that I’m the one who created it, he’ll surely try to kill me, won’t he?
‘… Then, if the fake Kun Geisha is a painting, can’t I just turn him back into a painting?’
I thought as I remembered the fake Kun Geisha.
The way he’d shed tears of sadness, the way he’d whispered that he was disappearing, and the way he’d wished I’d killed him myself…
It all came back to me at once and stabbed at my conscience. No matter how clueless I was, how big of a scar could my actions have left him? And then here I am, trying to simply get rid of someone like that for my convenience.
A clone who was created with only one purpose; to find paradise.
‘… Haaa. Is living comfortably the wrong path for me?’
I watched with melancholic eyes as swords spun gracefully through the air. As the dancers put alcohol in their mouths and spewed it out, flames soared.
‘Is it through fire? Will I end up being burned at the stake?’
As my agitation increased, I started mumbling nonsense. I tried to regain my composure, squeezing my temples tightly with my left hand.
Frankly, I understood all too well why the Princess and Ram Hertiti didn’t like the Kun’s leader.
If you were to strike the fake Kun Geisha, there’s a high possibility that he would just take it. On the other hand, the real one would break your wrist without hesitation.
I didn’t particularly like tough men to begin with, but this one was extremely not my type.
“You don’t have to worry about anything.”
You can now sponsor a chapter by buying me a Kofi! 1 Kofi = 1 extra chapter
