I Became A Squirrel Seeking For The Villain [EN]: Chapter 37

I listened to Meriel’s words, my eyes widening. “Oh.”

I didn’t know what kind of conversation Meriel and Johan had, but it seemed the original story had completely gone awry.

‘So, he didn’t fall in love with Meriel at first sight.’

And he was originally a very ambitious villain pursuing power, but he didn’t seem that way now.

For him, who had no political base, a marriage proposal from the Medest Duchy wasn’t a bad card at all.

But to not even need to get engaged to the Medest Duchy, it seemed he didn’t particularly want to show any political moves.

However, hearing Meriel say his personality was terrible, it seemed the original story hadn’t completely gone off track.

…Well, rumors had been circulating that he was very mean and arrogant since he came to the capital, but I only believed half of it… If Meriel was evaluating him like that, it meant his personality was really bad.

‘Okay. I shouldn’t be too greedy. Even if he turned out twisted, at least I managed to break off the engagement.’

My arrogance that he wouldn’t have turned out twisted if there had been a squirrel reaching out to him when he was young was betrayed.

Well, it didn’t matter. Because I wouldn’t be involved with Medest anymore.

In the meantime, Johan was frozen as if he had seen a ghost.

‘He seems more surprised than I thought… Well, he wouldn’t have expected me to be living here as a human.’

“Wait…”

He barely opened his mouth with a voice that even cracked.

“…Was it Yurika? I want to talk to her…”

‘Well, he must have a lot to say.’

I didn’t have any reason to part with him right away either, so I nodded.

“Renat, would you go ahead? I’ll talk to Lord Johan and go.”

Renat frowned and shook his head.

“No, I can’t. This reagent doesn’t usually show this kind of reaction… The Lady is a bit strange right now. I want to keep observing her.”

“Ah, I think I’m okay now.”

Actually, I kept feeling dizzy, which was a bit strange, but I had a lot to say to Johan, so I gently pushed Renat away.

I had to explain the situation to Johan, and I had to shut his mouth about certain things.

Even if his personality grew up as in the original story, he wouldn’t harass Meriel since the engagement was broken off.

There was no reason to be wary of Johan anymore.

“I’m serious. If you’re worried, would you have tea with my sister? Call me if anything seems off.”

“Well, if that’s what the Lady wants…”

Renat sighed faintly as if he was worried, but soon let me go.

“Well, then…”

I smiled brightly and said to Johan.

“Shall we go to my room and talk?”

***

“So, the war is over.”

In the basement of the temple, Rivena said calmly with her arms crossed.

She clicked her tongue and sighed as if she was quite displeased with the unexpected turn of events.

“As soon as the calming potion was developed.”

“I didn’t know the eldest son of the Hyrard Duchy would be such a great wizard. I should have known when Ella was so wary…”

High Priest Patre had a calm voice as always, but he was tapping the table with his fingers as if he was anxious.

“It ended much faster than I thought… It’s unpleasant when unexpected variables arise.”

“Johan Hyrard… I have a bad feeling about him.”

Rivena also pushed up her glasses and said coldly.

“Even the timing of the appearance of Yurika Medest, the adopted daughter of the Medest family, is strange.”

After she requested the recovery of the divine beast, the corpse of a squirrel bitten by a hunting dog was returned from the Hyrard Duchy.

Since the Hyrard crest was engraved on its chest, she didn’t doubt it much at first.

But soon after, a happening occurred in the Medest Duchy where the Duchess completely lost her mind and adopted a girl who looked exactly like her missing daughter as her adopted daughter.

Rivena had been paying attention to that matter for a long time.

“If Johan Hyrard was such a great wizard… and if he was in the same space as that divine beast anyway… there are many points that bother me in many ways.”

“But he’s not an easy opponent to touch anymore.”

High Priest Patre frowned and replied.

“Johan Hyrard is a war hero, and that Yurika Medest kid is a proper adopted daughter of Medest. Isn’t Meriel, the head of the family, protecting her?”

“It can’t be helped. We can’t just let it go when we’re suspicious…”

Rivena took off her glasses and raised her eyebrows.

Now that she knew that the divine beast was with an excellent wizard, Rivena had no intention of just letting this matter pass.

She, who spent most of her time in the underground laboratory of the temple without going out into the world, put on a seductive expression and continued.

“I have no choice but to go out into the world and find out myself.”

***

While Yurika was explaining what had happened, Johan felt like he was in a hazy dream.

“…So, you were able to successfully humanize under those circumstances…”

Of course, he thought he would be the one to humanize her.

Because he thought it would be difficult to find someone with that much magic power easily.

Even wizards with outstanding abilities were already mobilized for the war.

So, Johan had assumed that Momo would remain a squirrel.

But to succeed in humanization using someone other than him. And to become a family with that person!

It stung that Meriel seemed to have achieved everything he had dreamed of.

“Thanks to her, I’m living as a family in such a good house…” Yurika’s room was indeed spacious and nice.

The Medest Duchy was wealthy enough to be comparable to Hyrard, so it wouldn’t be difficult to provide this much.

But he was going to give Yurika an even better room…

In the Hyrard Duchy without Ella and Tezen, he really wanted to live as a family, relying on each other as before…

“Anyway, thank you so much for breaking off the engagement.”

Johan, who had just kicked away the opportunity to live as a family, had no choice but to bite the tender flesh inside his mouth [suppress his frustration].

He was a great wizard, but he couldn’t do magic that could turn back time.

“You even declared that you wouldn’t go back on your word. You grew up really cool.”

Johan had no choice but to nod at Yurika’s cheerful words.

Anyway, according to Meriel, Yurika was weak to kind and gentle men.

Of course, rumors that he was an arrogant, terrible, and reckless war hero had already spread in the capital… Johan suddenly missed the adjutant who had sincerely advised him.

Come to think of it, there was one more thing he was curious about.

“…Who is that man? Renat?”

“Ah.”

Yurika smiled brightly and replied.

“He’s the doctor here, and my friend.”

“Friend…”

“Even though they didn’t tell me anything about my life before the adoption, he doesn’t feel bad and treats me really well. I’m grateful. Meriel and I agreed to say that I was adopted from an orphanage, but I’ve never even been to an orphanage.”

Then, she fidgeted with her fingers and carefully brought up the topic.

“So, Johan.”

“Yeah.”

“Could you keep my origins a secret? I don’t want the word to spread that I’m a humanized divine beast.”

Johan realized that Yurika had asked for a private meeting with him to say this.

“Seeing that they were even lying to the temple while looking for me… I feel uneasy.”

“The temple is something I…”

Johan hurriedly stopped speaking when he was about to say, ‘The temple is something I was planning to sweep away soon.’

He thought he shouldn’t say such a thing because Yurika liked kind and gentle people.

It seemed like she sincerely liked Meriel, so he had to match that taste.

“Okay.”

So, Johan smiled, curving his eyes.

Just like before, when he was trapped in the tower and showed a pitiful appearance to the squirrel.

“If it’s your request, of course, I’ll grant it. You were my only benefactor who eased my pain when I was young. But…”

But his determination to seduce her on purpose soon disappeared.

Because Yurika’s condition was visibly getting worse.

He thought it was a bit strange that she was staggering when he first saw her…

Come to think of it, the doctor named Renat said something about a reagent earlier.

“…Why do you look so pale? Are you sick?”

“I don’t know… Actually, I feel nauseous, and it feels like magic power is rampaging inside me. Is it because of the medicine that touches magic power? But this has never happened before…”

Yurika also seemed very flustered.

“This won’t do. Let’s meet Renat first…”

And Yurika’s words could no longer continue.

Yurika disappeared in front of Johan’s eyes in an instant, and only her clothes slipped down.

“Momo!”

It was when Johan, surprised, rushed forward.

“Kyugung…?”

A squirrel with a shocked expression peeked out from the soft silk dress.