The Villain Dreams Of World Peace

Episode 30: Arson (3)

 

Kaiton grabbed Muriel’s forearm and stopped her when it seemed like she was about to jump in.

 

“The manhunt for the culprit will begin in no time. When Sharan becomes angry, reason evades him. If you get tangled up in this for nothing, it’ll be dangerous.”

 

That’s why she was going.

 

Among the dangers of the arson incident, August was the one that concerned her the most. Even if the person who started the fire changed from Muriel to someone else, the significant event of the novel still somehow happened. In that case, August might also face a different kind of danger. Muriel wanted to confirm that.

 

“If you’re not going to take me, then let go of me. Pony! Come out right now! Pony!!”

 

Muriel struggled to free her arm from Kaiton’s grip and shouted in frustration.

 

“I won’t get angry, so hurry up and come out, you coward!”

 

“I did think it was strange that you came all the way here, but you’re not alone, are you? Who is Pony?”

 

“…Pony!”

 

Muriel ignored Kaiton’s question and kept calling for the Murishi, but it was unclear whether Pony had already run away or if it was intimidated by Kaiton standing next to her.

 

“It seems like calling desperately won’t help since they’ve already run away.”

 

“…”

 

Muriel hrew more and more anxious. There was no time to lose. Thanks to the portal, Sharan’s knights had good mobility. In the meantime, August may have gotten himself involved in the incident like a fool.

 

“Let go of my arm. If we keep delaying, August might…”

“August? Why are you looking for him all of a sudden? I didn’t think you had such a special relationship with him.”

 

“…Well, we do have a special relationship.”

 

As Muriel replied defiantly, Kaiton’s eyebrows twitched. He pursed his lips as if urging her to continue speaking and stared at Muriel.

 

“He’s my friend. My first friend I made here.”

 

“…”

 

“I need to check if my friend is hurt.”

 

“….”

 

Muriel forcefully pushed Kaiton’s chest and turned towards where the smoke was coming from., but she was soon caught again by his fierce grip.

 

“…Did you prophesize something?”

“…Prophesying? What are you saying all of a sudden…”

 

“You’re acting as if August is going to burn to death in the wildfire. Did you foretell such a threat? Is that why you’re so desperate to jump into the sea of fire?”

 

Muriel sighed deeply. After catching sight of the wildfire, Muriel was completely consumed by it. She had only one thought in her mind: to quickly reach Sharan’s land. However, she realized that she wouldn’t be able to take a single step from here unless she somehow dealt with Kaiton in front of her. Muriel finally looked at Kaiton properly.

 

With a rogue expression, Muriel raised the wrist held by Kaiton, unlike just before, when she’d been nervous and worried.

 

“It hurts.”

 

So let go, okay? Kaiton smirked as he read the annoyed look in her eyes. He too knew that her attention had returned to him.

 

“It doesn’t hurt, does it?”

 

She didn’t even know pain. He mocked her.

 

“It’s not painful enough to be considered suffering, but it’s enough to be annoying.”

 

Muriel told Kaiton to let go not because she was in pain, but rather because it was annoying. In response, Kaiton raised the corners of his mouth and released her hand.

 

“You’re not the type to make a fuss about a small fire. What did you foresee? Is there something in that fire? Is there something that you must go and help with?”

 

If knowing the contents of the novel counted as prophecy, then it was a prophecy, but Kaiton’s question was likely asking if she used the power of a saint.

“I don’t have any prophetic abilities. I’m not a saint.”

 

Muriel said, sweeping up the hair that tickled her forehead. The sticky blood made her uncomfortable. She grimaced and wiped her hands on her dress.

 

Kaiton watched her silently before finally opening his mouth. He forced a snort in a low voice.

 

“…You’re not a saint?”

 

“You know that well, don’t you?”

 

“…I do.”

 

Kaiton’s dark eyes sank deeply. A hint of self-depreciation and self-loathing flashed in his eyes. Muriel couldn’t understand why Kaiton was making such an expression.

 

Instead of telling Muriel that she was the saint, Kaiton took off his cloak and handed it to her.

 

“Are you going to go looking like that?”

 

When Muriel stood still without taking the cape, Kaiton urged her with impatience. Muriel was unable to reach out willingly. Her hands were stained with blood. She was reluctant to spoil the glossy, good-looking cloak.

 

“…It’s fine, really.”

“There’s no need to let others know there’s a curse made with dark magic on the saint’s back.”

 

Kaiton draped the cloak over Muriel’s shoulders. When Muriel tried to refuse, he shook his head and firmly fastened the cloak. As if he would leap into the sky at any moment, he embraced Muriel’s waist and stood beside her.

 

“Are we going… together?”

 

Muriel quickly tried to withdraw her body, afraid that Kaiton would take her somewhere else. She asked hesitantly. Kaiton pulled Muriel closer and nodded his head.

 

“I’m curious about what you’re planning to do, that’s all.”

 

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

 

“This is clearly an ominous omen. I can’t believe the sacred mountain protected by Sharan burned down. Something terrible is going to happen.”

 

“I heard rumors that it was Ur. Who else would dare to set fire to the mountain blessed by Sharan, if not the demon king?”

 

It was said that the mountain, now reduced to ashes by a massive wildfire, had always been under the protection and blessing of Sharan, and no demons had ever appeared there.

 

“They say it was a group of black wizards who set the fire. But what could be the reason?”

 

People gathered in groups, seemingly converging around the mountain. It seemed like everyone from the capital had gathered near the mountain.

 

Muriel hurriedly navigated through the knights of Sharan and the court wizards who were taking care of the situation, trying to find August.

 

In her hand, she held Rovelia’s talisman ring. She had found it lying at the starting point of the wildfire and picked it up.

In the novel, it was  August who found this ring. Because of that, he learned that Muriel was responsible, and sacrificed himself by falsely confessing to protect her.

 

However, things were different now.

 

The wildfire was caused by Rovelia, and August didn’t have any feelings for Muriel, nor did he find Rovelia’s ring. So, there should be no danger for August, yet Muriel still felt ancious.

 

Who was the person that August mentioned he secretly liked? If the person he had feelings for was Rovelia… wouldn’t he sacrifice himself again to protect the arsonist?

 

Muriel wanted to find Rovelia and throw her to Sharan as the culprit, but that was difficult since Rovelia still had the fragment of Ur.

 

“August!”

 

Muriel called out to August when she spotted him walking with a grim expression. He was walking swiftly maneuvering through the crowd. There was no hint of hesitation in his steps.

 

“August! Wait a moment!”

 

As if he didn’t hear Muriel, August greeted his father, lord Eklum, with a kiss on the cheek, said something to him and then handed him the sword he was wearing.

 

“No, he can’t…!”

 

In the novel too, August discarded his weapon to show he had no intention of resisting the knights and revealed himself as the culprit in front of many people.

 

Again, he planned to make a false confession and say he was the culprit.

 

Why…?

 

Why did August have feelings for Rovelia? Did Muriel change the novel? It couldn’t be the law of preserving a villain, could it? Did Rovelia turn dark because Muriel didn’t commit any evil deeds…? Muriel was confused, but she didn’t have time to ponder.

 

“Close your eyes.”

 

Muriel spoke to Kaiton, who had been watching her like a spectator all this time. When Muriel took out the Nihil from her bosom, Kaiton stared at her silently.

 

“Hurry.”

“…What are you going to do?”

 

Realizing that she was about to use Ur’s fragment, Kaiton glanced at Sharan’s knights nearby.

 

“You’ll find out.”

 

August was advancing straight towards Sharan’s knights. There was no time to wrestle with Kaiton. Muriel covered Kaiton’s vision with his cloak and tightened her grip on Ur’s fragment in her hand.

 

Bang.

 

Massive flames soared on the already ruined mountain. Muriel, being attuned to water magic, had to pour out an immense amount of pacio to create a fireball big enough to draw everyone’s attention.

 

As the flames surged again from the mountain that the palace’s wizards had barely managed to extinguish, the surroundings turned into chaos in an instant. People screamed, fearing that the dark wizards had reappeared, while the knights tensed up, preparing for any additional attacks.

 

Then Muriel emerged from the flames.

It was an incredibly dramatic entrance.

 

Even those who had been nervous about the appearance of the exiled black wizard, let out sighs for various reasons.

 

This was because they were well aware of the identity of the young woman with blue hair.

 

The star of the saint, which appeared after more than a decade.

A person least likely to have anything to do with the malicious arson scene.

 

Why was Muriel Storm here? Did she predict something? Surely she wasn’t the culprit, right? But what was with that outfit? She wasn’t actually the culprit, was she?”

 

“It’s me.”

 

The loud voices of the crowd instantly quieted down at Muriel’s words.

The knights were at a loss, unsure if it was right to arrest the saint, who had voluntarily come forward.

 

“I set fire to this mountain.”

 

The fact that the saint candidate didn’t possess enough Pacio to light even a match on fire was well-known, so both the knights and the onlookers were not easily convinced.

 

However, when Muriel raised her fierce gaze and unleashed a fireball towards the wizards who were heading towards the mountain to extinguish the flames, they finally looked back at her with astonishment.

 

“I told you it was me.”

 

“Why would the Saint’s star…”

 

“I’ll explain that to Sharan in a little. Now, please proceed with the arrest.”

Among the initially bewildered crowd, an irrational acceptance began to spread.

The fact that the saint candidate was terrible at magic became forgotten.

 

In their eyes, all they could see was her blood-stained attire, her sinister black cloak that looked somehow evil, and her usual behavior that would not hesitate to tell any lie to gain attention. They began pouring out their anger, without considering that there might be another side to the story. Muriel, wearing a wicked smile without a hint of remorse, only fueled their blind rage. The sudden shift in their reaction created an atmosphere as if they were celebrating the downfall of a beauty of high status.

 

“No, Muriel.”

 

August blocked Muriel, resolutely guarding her as if he would not allow the knights to arrest her.

 

“It’s not the young lady. Why are you lying like this? This fire, I… I…”

 

August turned to Muriel as if he couldn’t understand.

 

“Do you realize what you’re doing right now? Sharan… Sharan won’t show any mercy.”

 

And what about yourself? Before August could declare he was the real culprit, Muriel showed him the talisman ring she held in her hand. She warned him with her eyes. She knew who the real culprit was.

 

“…Now do you understand why I’m doing this?”

 

“…”

 

“Don’t worry. I have a plan.”

 

August, who always maintained a calm and cheerful expression, was visibly agitated, as if he was about to shed tears.

 

“Muriel, I…”

 

His voice, filled with deep remorse, couldn’t hide his indescribable sense of guilt. Afraid that tears might actually start falling from his bloodshot eyes, Muriel said it was okay and smiled gently.

 

“The Guardians must protect the Kingdom of Bulrion. I… well, you could say I’m doing this for world peace, so don’t worry too much.”

 

“…I am not someone who can dare to be called a Guardian.”

 

August was ready to let go of everything and protect Rovelia. He chose to give up on being the guardian of the kingdom and instead wanted to protect the woman he loved. He could never become what Muriel called a Guardian.

 

“Let me go instead. Protecting her… I’ll do it.”

 

“I’m not going to die, but that’s not the case for August, is it?”

 

“!”

 

“I’ll be back alive. See you then.”

 

Muriel walked past August and stood before the knights. The hesitant knights, who were taken aback by the Eklum heir’s appearance, finally arrested Muriel, as if they’d received permission only then.

 

August, unable to move or even blink, kept his gaze fixed on Muriel until the end. Her face was illuminated by the fiery glow of the massive fire. It was a heat that didn’t suit Muriel, who was usually cold and nonchalant.

 

As August watched Muriel, who didn’t flinch despite the intense heat, he realized his own ignorance. Muriel, who seemed cold and aloof, was actually a person filled with such intense passion. The heat that could incinerate mountains was nothing compared to the immense and fierce heat she carried within her heart. Only he hadn’t known it.

 

Muriel saved August with her quiet yet fiery flame.

Even when he was trying to throw away his life as if it was worthless.

 

August vaguely guessed that he would have to repay that kindness for the rest of his life.

---

 

This is why I love Muriel. Because as cold and indifferent as she may seem, her heart’s a different story altogether. Whether it be Kaiton or August, she’s soft-hearted at the right moment.