I Became A Squirrel Seeking For The Villain [EN]: Chapter 120

Becoming the Squirrel Who Saves the Villain 120

W-what is going on? Did everyone take some kind of drug?

I was dumbfounded by their sudden advances, which seemed to come out of nowhere.

To be honest, when it comes to attracting attention with beauty, Meriel was several levels above me. Her beauty was so striking, it could excuse her from military service.

“Young lady, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve never felt this way before… May I ask your name?”

But the looks I was getting seemed genuine; anyone could see that.

What’s even more surprising is that these were people I didn’t even know.

Even though I wasn’t close to them, I knew almost all the high-ranking nobles in the capital. But everyone approaching me now was a face I’d never seen before.

It must be the mage families from the outskirts who all gathered because of Theodore’s enlistment.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Johann hadn’t arrived yet.

If Johann had seen this, it could have led to all the mages at the border getting injured, knowing his temper.

I had to resolve this quickly before he arrived. Just as I was about to step forward with a firm expression,

“Everyone better get away from my daughter.”

My father stood in front of me and said ominously.

“If you don’t want your eyeballs to be cut in half for flirting after falling in love at first sight.”

I never thought my father, who always had a benevolent expression, could say something so chilling.

Or maybe…

Thinking about his younger, more aggressive days [referring to a time when he was a fierce warrior], it seemed like it was an atmosphere he could definitely create.

And the mages from the outskirts knew my father well, even if they didn’t know me.

“Ah… Duke Medest?”

It seemed my father was quite famous among them, perhaps because they had fought alongside him on the battlefield.

Indeed, my father was said to be a renowned warrior in the war.

Instead of using magic, he specialized in strong and agile movements, relying on his heightened senses like a beast.

When I think about it, I was also instinctively good at using my body. I was very good at throwing acorns, and I was quick at instinctively avoiding things.

One of the young men who had been buzzing in front of me muttered with a dazed look.

“Then is this Lady Meriel Medest? Oh my god, they said her beauty would blind the empire!”

“…Yurika Medest, though.”

I couldn’t help but click my tongue inwardly at the ridiculous situation.

Honestly, I’m quite pretty, but not to the point of deserving such a description.

“My daughters are popular.”

My mother said nonchalantly at that moment.

“Just enjoy it, Yurika. What can you do if they like you?”

Because it was a gathering to announce my father’s return, my mother, who hadn’t shown her face in social circles for a while, had no choice but to attend.

She had some mental health struggles to the point where she couldn’t handle the household affairs, but she wasn’t completely unable to live a social life.

After dressing up beautifully for the first time in a while, my mother looked completely natural in all her actions, as if there had been no absence.

And my father glared at the young mage men who were prowling around me with fierce eyes, then whispered.

“I didn’t know either… Yurika, they must be vaguely sensing the energy of a Divine Beast from you.”

“Pardon?”

“Mages can’t help but be drawn to Divine Beasts. They haven’t seen a Divine Beast in a long time, so they’re instinctively drawn to you, who used to be a Divine Beast.”

“Ah.”

My father’s words made sense.

I hadn’t seen a mage strong enough to settle in the outskirts. That’s why I hadn’t anticipated this situation.

I thought Theodore and Johann liked me because they had a connection with me in the past.

“I don’t know everything, but I know there’s no precedent for a person becoming a Divine Beast and then becoming a person again. I think it’s a phenomenon related to that. They’re probably drawn to you without even knowing why.”

It was absurd to see the young men, intimidated by my father’s fierce expression, yet subtly lingering around me, wanting to stay by my side.

Of course, it wasn’t just the men.

“Hello, Lady. I’m Lilia from the Alamodna region. Could we possibly become good friends?”

“Lady, I’m sorry to say this so suddenly… We’re planning to have a tea party while we’re staying in the capital, and I’d like to invite you. I’d like to get to know you better.”

The mage women were the same. Rather, they were even more proactive because they could avoid being labeled as flirtatious.

It was quite an unfamiliar sight, as I had been subtly ostracized in social circles, though it was partly voluntary.

And then something suddenly came to mind.

[Lady Yurika will be loved by many people.]

The note that Rivena must have sent to Johann.

‘Could it be… that the many people meant family?’

I felt a chill. Could it be that Theodore called all the mages from the outskirts to create this situation when he said he would enlist?

“I’m sorry. The carriage suddenly broke down, so I’m a bit late…”

To make matters worse, Johann arrived at that moment.

He quickly came to our side and immediately sensed something was wrong.

“…Why are all the mages from the outskirts looking at you with those eyes? Does it make me want to kill them all, one by one?”

Johann came to my side with a very wary expression and placed his hand on my shoulder as if to show off.

My father’s eyes instinctively narrowed, but Jayden quickly calmed him down, saying, ‘If mages are going to hit on her anyway, wouldn’t it be better if it was the strongest mage?’

I thought to myself that it was fortunate that today’s plans were all being carried out because of my father. This was a variable that had little to do with my father.

Rivena was standing elegantly next to Theodore in the distance.

Johann muttered quietly.

“Can’t I just kill them now, disguised as an accident?”

“No, Johann. Magic leaves traces if you investigate it. Are you trying to make me take care of you in prison?”

When I spoke urgently, as if soothing a puppy, Johann’s eyes softened in an instant.

“…Would you?”

“Then should I not take care of you in prison and marry another man? I feel like I could choose anyone here.”

Of course, he became sharp again at those words.

I sighed inwardly and looked at Rivena. My father, who had been listening to our conversation, said quietly.

“In the worst case, we have to kill her. But I’ll do it.”

My father had similar thoughts.

“You said she’s conducting dangerous experiments on Yurika. Then we shouldn’t let her live any longer. We have to get rid of her when she comes out to a formal event like this.”

In fact, Rivena had protected herself by secluding herself in a completely unknown place. It had been a long time since she had come out to such a formal event.

Of course, the best way was to capture her alive or officially reveal her crimes.

We still didn’t know many things, and we might be able to learn new things by interrogating Rivena.

There were still too many things we didn’t know.

Divine Beasts usually have no will to humanize, but why was I so conscious from the beginning and trying to humanize myself?

What was the identity of the voice that echoed in my head, telling me that I had to become human?

Perhaps only Rivena, who had been keeping me with her, would know.

In addition, capturing Rivena was the best way to thoroughly investigate the relationship between Medest and the temple.

But if the best wasn’t possible, we had to choose the next best thing. If we missed today, we didn’t know when Rivena would show up in front of us again.

“I’ll kill her and take the blame.”

The opponent was the Crown Prince’s fiancée. If we killed her without revealing her crimes, the price to pay would be enormous.

“I wouldn’t even be standing here if it weren’t for you guys.”

My father muttered in a low voice.

“I’ll take care of everything and leave, so don’t let this dirty history sacrifice you any further and live your lives. I can’t let that filth splash on you.”

Even Johann became solemn at those words. It was a meaningful statement.

“Hey.”

I forced a smile and changed the atmosphere.

“Everything will go according to our plan. Let’s not think about the worst-case scenario too much. We can think about that when the time comes.”

Even so, I knew better than anyone else. Rivena was also prepared to be killed by my father or Johann when she stood in this place.

She must have put her life on the line this time, whatever plan she was making.

‘Was the experiment successful? Did she take this risk because the experiment was somewhat successful? Of course, there was no choice on their side either…’

I wondered if Trevor was right when he said, ‘That experiment can never succeed.’

‘They must have plotted against me with me as the target…’

Before I knew it, Theodore turned his head and smiled at me. His face was somehow ominous.

Like a vague warning that this would be the last time I would be with my family and Johann.

All the events were about to begin.

If it didn’t end with my father and came to me, I was confident that I would respond wonderfully.