Please Leave The Sickly Villainess Alone

It was rarely easy for a noble to bow their head.

Moreover, with such an aggrieved face and reddened eyes, it made it seem as if we had forcibly demanded an apology.

The tables were divided in various ways, so most of the young ladies didn’t know the details of our situation and would only remember this moment.

If Ensia’s group, who seemed to have some standing in social circles, were to express her grievances here and there…

‘I see.’

I looked at her bowing her head with cold, sunken eyes.

Laveria would have been sitting in this same place in the original story.

How would such cunning hostility have appeared to her, who had been adopted from a poor orphanage not long ago and hadn’t yet learned noble etiquette?

Laveria would have lashed out, not knowing how to deal with it properly.

I almost wanted to praise her for grabbing the other’s hair and swinging it 360 degrees, as was reported.

Just as Rachel seemed about to burst out in anger comparable to Laveria in the original story, I stood up.

It was right before Ensia was about to lower her head deeply.

“No, there’s no need for you to apologize, young lady. As you said, I’ve been trying hard to adapt to noble etiquette, but it was my fault for being lacking.”

Ensia showed a slight sign of confusion at my sudden action, but she quickly hid it and said:

“Oh my, there’s no need for you to apologize for such a thing. Especially not to me. I was just taking issue with the fact that you lied and made excuses for forgetting an important ritual of the hunting festival.”

Unlike Rachel, who was glaring at Ensia as if she would tear her apart, I smiled brightly. Seeing this, a lady with luxurious auburn hair similar to Lady Jeria’s flinched.

“Ah, it seems my words have caused a misunderstanding for Lady Ensia. I didn’t lie at all.”

‘I wasn’t planning to summon it here, but I have no choice.’

I spread my hand wide and summoned the Crimson Blade.

But.

‘No, why… why is it appearing so flashily?’

Usually, it just appears, but now it was gradually materializing in my hand with a red haze and bright light.

The gentle breeze rising from the Crimson Blade disheveled the young ladies’ hair, and the brilliant streams of light, as if spotlights were on, hurt their eyes.

Thanks to the Crimson Blade adding special effects discreetly, even more attention was focused on me.

Ensia stared blankly at this sight, blinking her eyes.

As soon as the Crimson Blade was fully summoned, I grabbed its handle and said:

“As I said, I didn’t lie. I brought it as a top priority because it’s a noble’s possession… I feel a bit wronged. I just found it difficult to bring out because it summons so ostentatiously and draws attention, as you can see.”

As I spoke with a slight smile, someone muttered in an astonished voice:

“Come to think of it, my brother mentioned before that Lady Rayes had manifested a Sword Aura… I thought it was just boasting…!”

Since there were noble young men like Ion in the Rayes Knight Order, rumors would have spread one way or another.

At my nod to her small mutter, the lady sitting next to Ensia hastily said:

“Th-that can’t be! I’ve never heard that a common-born princess learned swordsmanship…”

Seeing her cover her mouth with an ‘oops’ expression, I was certain.

Among themselves, they referred to me not as ‘Lady Rayes’ but as the ‘common-born princess’.

Even if I were the real daughter of Duke Rayes, the fact that I was raised by commoners and grew up in a commoner village would follow me like a trace.

“Well, even though I’m common-born, I think I’m better than a lady who engages in vile gossip behind others’ backs.”

The lady’s face instantly twisted horribly as she grasped the true meaning of my words.

For the noble faction, one could say they were corpses if you took away their noble pride.

And now, a mere commoner had uttered words insulting her, so her insides must have twisted.

“Wh-what nonsense are you spouting, Lady Rayes!”

I raised the blade of the Crimson Blade high into the sky with an expressionless face.

“Eek!”

The scream leaking out from somewhere was utterly ridiculous.

Without hesitation, I swung the sword down diagonally.

The red aura flowing from the Crimson Blade instantly flew behind Ensia.

Ensia’s auburn hair, unable to even breathe out in shock, was cut by the passing aura and fell to the floor in a heap.

“Wh-what are you doing…”

At that moment, an eerie cry that seemed like it would tear eardrums apart resonated from behind Ensia.

Kiaaaaaaa-!

Fatally wounded by the aura I had unleashed, dripping sticky green blood, and stepping out from the bushes with a thud…

‘A demonic beast. It’s finally appeared.’

Grrrr, grrrk!

“Kyaa, kyaaaah! A demonic beast, it’s a demonic beast!!”

My aura’s strike was indeed not enough to defeat the beast in one go.

I had fought demonic beasts at the mansion before, but those were ‘undead’ beasts that were already dead, and the one that appeared now was at least a second-grade monster.

Ensia blankly watched the demonic beast writhing in pain after being hit by my aura, then turned back to me.

Until her followers quickly supported her arms and left the place, Ensia couldn’t take her eyes off me.

I had sensed the demonic beast’s presence the moment it approached right behind Ensia.

Ensia had nearly been torn apart by the demonic beast right then and there.

“Kyaaaah! Save me!”

While I bought a short time, the young ladies each moved as far away from the bushes as possible.

Then suddenly, another thud! shook the ground.

Three or four more demonic beasts as large as trees had sprung out from the bushes.

They had appearances similar to dinosaurs, and their eyes were glowing red as if they might bleed at any moment.

The sight of their long tongues flicking out instilled fear in people.

People could do nothing but shed tears of fear with blank eyes.

Just as in the original story, demonic beasts had appeared taking advantage of the weakened boundary of the Dark Forest.

People gathered in one place each screamed, and nobles from other countries who had left their seats to discuss diplomacy hurriedly returned to the campsite to avoid the demonic beasts.

As the demonic beasts let out a fierce roar, the blue number floating in the air turned red and became 57, adding 5 to the original number.

The demonic beasts were recognized as beasts, and the number instantly increased.

‘Including the one I attacked earlier, there are five in total, huh.’

At the same time, I saw the constantly accumulating scores of the hunters suddenly stop.

The number of prey no longer decreased, and the hunters’ scores no longer increased.

I could feel that the people who had gone out to hunt were returning to the campsite one after another.

But it would take time for those who had already gone deep into the forest to return.

Among them were swordsmen like Luka who could use magic, but they couldn’t use high-speed magic.

Because it was a festival where they competed only with swords, magic use was limited within the Ias Forest, which had a magic seal.

Moreover, they had collected magical tools, so I didn’t even have the ring Jen had given me.

“Kyaaaah! It looked this way!”

“Wh-where is the Imperial Guard! Where are they?!”

“Everyone, please calm down!”

Amidst the screams bordering on wails, a clear voice maintaining composure burst out.

At that refreshing voice, people who had been shaking almost like the Crimson Blade suddenly turned their gazes in that direction.

In the original story, it was said that Laveria, unable to flee with her leg using a cane, sat down on the spot, paralyzed with fear.

It was Senia who saved Ria, who was about to be killed by the demonic beasts just like that.

She appeared like a ray of light, as expected.

The girl who had been chatting like any ordinary young lady suddenly stood up from her seat.

Senia knew about the existence of a ‘trap’ that the Kablos Duchy had set up in this area before.

As a family that handled demonic beasts as their subordinates, they had set up traps as a countermeasure for when they encountered demonic beasts too violent to control, which often appeared from the Dark Forest.

There was a very deep cliff near this plain, and the bottom was lined with sharp spikes, so they would lure the demonic beasts there and make them fall.

In the original story, thanks to Senia’s wit in using that trap, there were no casualties.

Recalling this fact, I calmed my startled heart and headed towards the corner where people were gathered, taking Rachel with me.

The demonic beasts, as if they had cornered us in one place, were gradually closing the distance.

The prey was no longer the beasts in the forest, but us.

Some young ladies finally lost strength in their legs and sat down with a thud.

At that moment, a fierce light extended from Senia’s hand, causing a gentle breeze.

‘That’s… Alexer?!’

It was the only attack magic of healing mages that I had read about in Princess Neuw’s book.

It was something like the very last secret technique, which I hadn’t even attempted yet.

A graceful curve of light flowed from Senia’s hand and soon hit a demonic beast.

Kiaaaa!

But like my aura, it didn’t deal a significant blow to the second-grade demonic beast.

Senia seemed to have made up her mind, and soon manifested Alexer once again.

The demonic beasts instinctively ran towards the magic power most similar to holy power.

The killing intent of the demonic beasts rushing to kill its source was clearly felt.

At that moment, Senia turned the stream of light from Alexer in a different direction.

Not towards the demonic beasts, but towards the high fence surrounding the campsite.

The huge fence crumbled like powder when hit by the magic.

‘…Huh?’

Beyond the fence was the Nabel village we had taken a wrong turn to earlier.

“This way, follow me!”

Senia shouted loudly, drawing the attention of the demonic beasts while running towards the village.

Kieeeeek!

The not-so-intelligent demonic beasts rushed towards the only human moving in this situation.

Grrrrrr! Kiaaak!

Although many people had lost strength in their legs, Senia desperately ran, luring the demonic beasts.

Knowing the only way to resolve this situation, a heavy sense of responsibility had spread to her.

Just like the protagonists in other novels.

‘But, that direction is…’

I let go of Rachel’s hand and took a step forward.

I could feel Rachel’s anxious gaze on me.

It was clear that she was heading towards the cliff where the trap was set, but she was trying to go straight through Nabel village.