I Became A Squirrel Seeking For The Villain [EN]: Chapter 124

Becoming the Villain’s Squirrel 124

If Johan said it, and not just anyone, it meant this wasn’t magic. He was an expert in the arcane arts, after all.

But it didn’t feel like a natural earthquake either. Too many things felt off.

“Then…….”

In the meantime, the earthquake intensified, and cracks spiderwebbed across the ceiling.

Nobles, all desperate to escape, crammed into the already narrow temple entrance, creating even more chaos.

The ground bucked violently, and some people crawled on their hands and knees. The entrance was so congested it seemed impossible to get out.

‘This……’

In the chaos, Libena was nowhere to be seen. As if she’d foreseen this, Theodore had also vanished.

‘Libena is behind this.’

I hadn’t imagined such a massive device could be hidden within the temple.

‘I was prepared for her to do something reckless, but……’

Even with our biggest enemy gone, the temple remained enemy territory. So, I’d come prepared to some extent.

I just hadn’t imagined she’d try to destroy the entire temple.

Just then.

“High Priest!”

A priest, panicking and trying to escape the chaos, screamed.

Startled, I looked up at the platform and saw the boy who’d just become the High Priest struck by a collapsing statue and sent tumbling.

In this pandemonium, no one cared about the boy, a mere puppet of the Imperial Palace.

Even the Emperor and Empress, who’d feigned concern for him, were too busy worrying about their own safety.

However, a young priest who’d been near the High Priest desperately shouted.

“He’s not…… He’s not breathing! What do I do! A doctor! Is there a doctor?”

Of course, there was no doctor here. There were already casualties everywhere.

Johan held me close, and Mother clung to Father, dodging the flying debris, but others seemed to be struggling just to survive.

“Damn it……”

Johan muttered under his breath.

“Of all times, there are so many wizards……”

As Johan said, the sheer number of wizards with decent skills was a problem.

The wizards were firing off spells indiscriminately, hoping to blast through the walls to escape if the entrance was blocked.

However, the temple walls only crumbled, stubbornly refusing to yield.

‘It’s okay. This is within my predictions.’

I thought, fiddling with Renat’s drug [likely a healing potion or antidote] in my pocket.

‘Stay calm. I have a plan for the final moment.’

But first, I had to find Theodore and Libena. They definitely hadn’t escaped outside.

Their target was me.

As long as that remained true, I could lure them indefinitely.

“Wait!”

In the distance, a huge crescent-shaped statue crashed down with a thud. Someone’s magic must have hit it.

“No!”

I, who had been calmly assessing the situation, shouted.

“If that disappears……”

The crescent-shaped statue was a symbol of the temple, signifying the High Priest’s authority.

If it shattered, a new High Priest couldn’t be appointed.

With the current High Priest on the verge of death, the impossibility of appointing a successor meant we’d never obtain the Holy Water.

I’d investigate the magic signature later, but it seemed Theodore was deliberately trying to sabotage us.

“Duke Hyrard!”

My father, nearby, seemed to have reached the same conclusion.

Father rummaged in his pocket and tossed a small glass bottle to Johan.

“Keep it, just in case.”

It was the Holy Water he’d just received, divided in half and put into a new bottle.

Johan easily caught the small bottle Father threw.

“You’re stronger than Jayden, so.”

Indeed, Jayden seemed to be struggling to avoid the flying debris. He stumbled and hid, barely able to protect himself.

Johan received the bottle containing the Holy Water and carefully tucked it away.

“Fire! There’s a fire!”

Thick smoke billowed in the distance.

“Damn it!”

Father cursed, annoyed.

“It’s the garden side!”

If it was the garden, it was where the Alite grass [a rare and potent medicinal herb] grew.

Libena and Theodore were constantly pushing us, cornering us.

Father and I exchanged a look.

I hadn’t expected things to escalate so quickly, but I hadn’t ruled it out either.

The temple was a closed space, never opened to outsiders, where they’d secretly experimented on me and Father.

I was certain there were many hidden devices.

There was a reason I’d risked everything to come to the temple.

“Why don’t we just go?”

Mother, held by Father, spoke for the first time in a while.

“Meriell is too injured…… I’m so worried about her. And Yurika and Duke Hyrard too…… I’m worried about Jayden too. If we stay here, bad things will happen.”

She seemed to know Johan’s name, even though she pretended not to notice him.

Mother looked at me, Johan, and Father with pleading eyes.

“You can get out, can’t you? Duke Hyrard too.”

Even in the midst of the chaos, Mother frowned occasionally, as if suffering from a headache.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to do here, but our family’s safety is the most important thing.”

Mother smiled weakly at me.

“Don’t you think so, Yurika?”

From the moment they announced the event at the temple, I suspected it was a trap set by Libena and Theodore.

Maybe the safest option was to stay away.

But it was about Mother’s illness.

If I missed this chance, Mother would remain a shadow of herself, tormented by headaches for the rest of her life.

In fact, we’d even considered the possibility that Libena would eliminate the Alite grass and the High Priest.

That’s why we’d secured the Holy Water as soon as the event began.

But I couldn’t simply not attend. Libena and Theodore could have held our family hostage within the temple and used them to threaten me.

I had no choice but to enter, knowing it was a trap. For Mother’s sake.

If I was going to attend anyway, Johan and I had to go together, creating a force strong enough to protect us.

“I, my family is the most precious to me……”

Mother urged Father, as if to hurry him. Tears welled in my eyes.

I hadn’t expected the temple to physically collapse like this, but I didn’t regret my decision.

I only focused on obtaining the cure and escaping.

My family, who recognized me instantly, even when I didn’t know myself.

“Besides, I couldn’t protect Yurika…… I don’t want to fail to protect her again.”

At Mother’s words, my nose tingled. I could only move my lips, but Johan spoke instead.

“Madam is also family.”

Just then.

Flames erupted again in the distance. Panicked wizards were now destroying the fountain, causing a flood.

This wasn’t the time for sentimentality.

“Put me down, now! I can go alone!”

I quickly wriggled out of Johan’s arms. I was confident I could move nimbly.

I started running towards the central garden, holding Johan’s hand.

In the distance, Father ran in the same direction, keeping his distance.

‘I can do it. The timing was unexpected, but it’s all within the expected range……’

As I ran, dodging debris, someone blocked my path.

“W-wait a minute!”

It was one of the peripheral wizards I’d seen earlier.

“Just a moment……, just a moment…… Can’t I stay by your side? I feel safe when I’m near you……”

I paused, blinking. Other wizards began to gather, inching closer.

“I…… I want to be with you too.”

This was unexpected. Even female wizards approached, asking, “Shall we escape together?” as if wanting to hold my hand.

Of course, Johan wouldn’t allow that.

“Get lost, all of you. What are you doing?”

Johan said grimly. With a crash, a huge wall collapsed in front of me and the group of wizards.

“Good job, Johan! Let’s go…… shall we?”

I gave him a thumbs up, but Johan’s expression was strange.

His purple eyes were wide and unfocused. He said, his voice cracking.

“It’s weird here, Yurika.”

“Huh?”

“Using magic is several times more painful……”

I grabbed Johan’s hand. Surprisingly, Johan, who usually gently stroked my hand, urgently intertwined his fingers with mine and pressed his body against me.

“……Right now, I want to hold you so much.”