I Became A Squirrel Seeking For The Villain [EN]: Chapter 130

That was Johan’s earnest voice.

As Libena said, I had been brainwashed since I started regaining consciousness.

Libena’s experiment to return to the past failed, but it did produce the result she wanted at some point in the past.

‘And… the original story I was thinking of was…’

I looked down at Libena with cold eyes.

The original story, in which Johan was obsessed with Meriel and acted like a villain, leading to Medest’s downfall, was Libena’s curse.

To think she even cursed Renat like that, after developing a drug that turned me into a squirrel.

Moreover, she knew about the incident where I saved Jayden’s life and specifically pointed out that Jayden would have died then.

‘…It was Libena’s curse. I guess she didn’t want to give the throne to Theodore in the meantime.’

Judging from the conversation, Libena disliked Theodore.

So, even while cursing, she seemed to have given Roimund and Meriel a happy ending.

Because Meriel’s love being fulfilled was an unbearable tragedy for Johan in that curse.

In any case, the curse didn’t contain Johan’s magic, so it couldn’t brainwash me, but it seemed to have clung to my past consciousness and made me think it was the original story.

“What.”

I sighed as I got up.

“The original story… it was just Libena’s imagination. Johan didn’t actually act that way.”

I didn’t know how much time had passed. But since I was the only one who had regained consciousness, I started to gather my clothes.

Anyway, I was glad I didn’t show the unsightly spectacle of changing clothes in front of others.

After getting dressed, I kicked Libena’s leg, which was pinned under the pillar and unable to move, and ran to Johan.

I recalled the conversation between Libena and Johan. Every word Johan said was touching.

He had to repeat that terrible past again because he had to have a wedding with me…

And he had such a warm heart for my family.

I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.

“Johan, Johan! Wake up.”

Fortunately, Johan slowly opened his eyes as I shook his shoulder.

“…Yurika?”

He muttered in a cracked voice.

“Um… I thought I was going back to the past…”

“Ah, you didn’t.”

I said brightly as I helped him up.

“But you created this present.”

“…Huh?”

“Thank you, Johan.”

Johan looked puzzled, but I hugged him tightly and said.

“Thanks to you, we can live together today.”

Johan still seemed a bit dazed. Still, he hugged my waist tightly and buried his face in my neck. He looked overwhelmed just by the fact that I was alive.

“I’ll explain it to you.”

I whispered in his arms.

“I know everything now, about all of this.”

And I started to explain everything.

* * *

I left Libena lying unconscious. After all, she was pinned under a huge pillar and couldn’t move.

Holding hands, we carefully headed back towards the temple.

The earthquake had already stopped, and the messy interior was being restored.

It didn’t seem like much time had passed.

As I was holding Johan’s hand and looking around, someone approached quickly. It was Jayden.

“Yurika! I’ve been looking for you. Are you okay?”

“As you can see. Is Uncle okay?”

“As you can see.”

Jayden and I looked at each other and smiled. He shrugged and said.

“And Prince Theodore has been arrested.”

“Yes? Why?”

“I reported him. Actually, he blurted out a lot of things himself.”

Jayden counted on his fingers as he explained.

“Libena made a potion that could turn Duke Medest into a tiger, Libena was looking for you two, and he knew you were the biological child of Duke and Duchess Medest.”

“Wow.”

“That alone is enough grounds for Medest to formally request an investigation. Didn’t His Majesty say he would actively cooperate in investigating the events that took place in the Medest family? So he was arrested immediately.”

Johan and I immediately applauded Jayden.

He had done an excellent job while we were gone. Jayden boasted and continued.

“The imperial knights who were guarding Prince Theodore heard everything. The imperial knights are loyal to the imperial family, not to Prince Theodore, right? They all testified as they heard it.”

“Then I have one more thing to tell you. If you go in through that entrance, you’ll find Libena lying unconscious. Tell them to arrest her too.”

“Ah, good.”

Jayden excitedly grabbed one of the passing imperial knights, pointed to the entrance we came out of, and began to explain.

Now that the magic incense that had been exciting the wizards had expired, the wizards who had been eyeing me didn’t rush at me like before.

As I blinked in amazement, Johan whispered.

“It’s a bit strange. I feel like I’ve emptied all my magic power, so I can’t even feel the calming effect.”

“Ah, is this the first time you’ve poured out your magic power like this?”

“Of course. Until now, I didn’t even know I could use up all my magic power like that. I don’t know what Libena did to you, but it kept going in endlessly? It was completely different from usual.”

While we were whispering, Jayden finished explaining the situation to the imperial knight.

“Here.”

Jayden, who had sent the imperial knight to Libena, smiled.

“From now on, you can really leave it to my brother-in-law. He’ll be brought to trial. My brother-in-law is someone who never loses in political tactics, so he’ll probably uncover all the truth and shake down the criminals.”

“Yes, I think so.”

I smiled and nodded.

My whole family said I resembled my father.

If my father had a similar disposition to me, then everything was already over.

“Meriel is doing well too. She received good treatment thanks to His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“That’s a relief.”

I looked around and asked.

“But where are Mother and Father?”

“Ah, that’s… over there…”

We looked in the direction Jayden pointed.

Mother and a tiger were together in the central garden.

I had already returned to human form, but Father didn’t seem to have returned to human form yet.

“Don’t worry. He’ll turn back into a human after some time.”

Jayden said brightly.

“Renat said so.”

“Renat?”

“Yes. He’s a genius. Didn’t my brother-in-law take good care of him when he was a tiger? He seems to have been doing research in the meantime.”

Although he was hidden by the tiger’s large build, Renat was also there. Renat winked at me.

“I have to go.”

Holding Johan’s hand, I started walking towards the central garden where my parents and Renat were.

The central garden was in a terrible state, probably because of the fire. Almost all the grass had been burned away, and debris was scattered around.

On one side of the central garden, a tiger was sitting like a painting.

As I got closer, I could see what the tiger was sitting on. It was the Alit grass containing the holy water.

The handful of grass that Theodore didn’t burn in the end to use as bait to lure me.

“Fath…”

I was about to greet the tiger, telling him that he had suffered a lot.

“Grrrrrr… Krong!”

The tiger, who had been sitting peacefully, began to show aggression, baring its teeth at Johan.

“Krrrreong, Eoheung!”

It was clear hostility. Then, Mother, who was next to the tiger, slapped his butt.

“Oh, get a grip. All that’s left is instinct!”

Ah…

He pretended to be kind to Johan, but he was so generous, saying he would accept him as family, but in the end, that was his true feeling…

“Grrrrrr… Krrrrrrr…”

“Duke Oscar Medest has already accepted me as family. He was the first adult who truly advised me. I can’t betray him.”

It was the moment I felt sorry for Johan, who had said that.