How a Villain Defies Destiny Chapter 147

It was strange.

 

Yves Leblanc was not the type of person to leave his post without giving me any notice.

 

No matter how sudden and unexpected the situation was.

 

Just as my puzzlement was growing, one anxious hypothesis suddenly flashed through my mind.

 

That he might have been kidnapped.

 

“Lord Fenrir! What if Lord Yves Leblanc has been kidnapped by someone?”

 

Startled by fear, I blurted out the words while impulsively hugging Fenrir’s tail. The moment I saw the fluffy fur swaying in front of me, I unconsciously did it.

 

[What are you doing? Let go and speak! Let go!]

 

“If I’m not holding onto Lord Fenrir’s warm tail, I feel like I’ll cry from fear. Look. My hands have gotten so cold from the shock.”

 

[Aren’t you making a fuss just because he’s not in his room?]

 

“It might seem like I’m overreacting for no reason… but it’s Lord Yves Leblanc we’re talking about.”

 

If the missing person had been Nisana or Siris, I wouldn’t have thought of kidnapping.

 

The inside of the Papal Palace was a place so safe that even a powerless young child could wander around defenselessly.

 

Of course, if an overwhelmingly powerful being stormed in, there would be nothing they could do, and they would be taken, but such a being had no reason to target children.

 

On the other hand, Yves Leblanc was different.

 

As a former Holy Knight Commander, he was strong enough that even several sturdy adult men attacking him at once would usually fail, but he was still within the bounds of a human.

 

Therefore, there was plenty of possibility that a divine beast like Fenrir had kidnapped him because of his close relationship with me, who was in conflict with Nanna.

 

[Tsk, do as you please.]

 

Worrying that something big might have happened to Yves, something he couldn’t possibly resist with human strength, I whined at Fenrir with teary eyes. He frowned at the bridge of his nose but didn’t try to push me away.

 

He probably saw that I currently needed mental and physical stability.

 

I hugged Fenrir’s fluffy white tail tightly like a stuffed toy and tried to turn my worry-frozen brain to grasp the situation once more.

 

‘First of all, I can’t report it right away…’

 

That was obvious.

 

In this world, while there were guards in charge of public order, there was no institution that accepted missing person reports.

 

‘Ugh. I must be an idiot… Calm down.’

 

I felt pathetic for not being able to come up with even one proper solution in an emergency, but there was no time to waste on self-blame right now, so I tried hard to shake off the negative thoughts.

 

Even so, once blocked, my thought process didn’t work normally.

 

Unable to easily figure out what to do first, I eventually drooped my eyebrows and opened my mouth toward Fenrir.

 

“Lord Fenrir, what should we do now? It seems like Lord Yves Leblanc has been kidnapped…”

 

[But are you seriously thinking that guy was kidnapped? The human who stopped me when I went berserk without even using a holy relic?]

 

However, Fenrir asked back in a tone of utter disbelief.

 

Since he didn’t know that I had fallen out with Nanna, he seemed to think it wasn’t a big deal.

 

‘Should I tell him or not…’

 

I hesitated over whether I should tell him that Nanna was scheming something strange using Selene and that I had likely earned the god’s resentment by trying to stop it.

 

I had already decided that I would have to inform Yves Leblanc or Endymion soon, but I hadn’t made up my mind yet because Fenrir, who had firm beliefs, didn’t seem like he would believe me.

 

While I was hesitating, he added one more thing.

 

[Unless it’s a dragon, maybe.]

 

“Huh, could it be that a dragon kidnapped him?”

 

I asked back in genuine surprise, but for some reason Fenrir looked at me with an even colder gaze.

 

[Don’t take nonsense seriously. From the start, the Papal Palace has a barrier installed that even I, a divine beast, cannot freely enter. Even a dragon wouldn’t dare come in.]

 

“But on the other hand, couldn’t a divine beast like you, Lord Fenrir, who is permitted to enter the barrier, suddenly appear and kidnap Lord Yves Leblanc?”

 

[You really have a rich imagination.]

 

“There’s such a thing as ‘just in case.’ Life is unpredictable.”

 

[Good grief… If there was a being that strong, I would have noticed it right away. At least inside the Papal Palace, there are no other divine beasts besides Huluppu and me.]

 

“Really?”

 

[Yes.]

 

“Then where on earth could Lord Yves Leblanc have gone?”

 

[Who knows?]

 

To my persistently continued questions, Fenrir answered indifferently.

 

He clearly showed no interest in Yves Leblanc’s safety, but I paid it no mind and asked for a favor.

 

“Please help me look for him, too, Lord Fenrir.”

 

[What? Why should I?]

 

“Well… You said you didn’t have anything particular to do.”

 

[I may look like this, but I’m a busy person!]

 

Seeing Fenrir shamelessly claiming to be busy after barging into my room early in the morning, saying he was bored, I snorted.

 

“If you find it bothersome, just honestly say it’s bothersome. I remember you saying you came to my room because you were bored.”

 

I let go of the tail I had been hugging and crossed my arms.

 

As I pouted with clear displeasure, Fenrir hurriedly turned his body, about to argue back, but soon closed his mouth.

 

[I came to see you because I had a separate matter…!]

 

It was obvious to anyone that he had made a slip of the tongue and trailed off.

 

“Huh? Earlier, you said you just came.”

 

[Th-that’s…]

 

When I pressed without missing the opening, the flustered Fenrir eventually shouted.

 

[I came to subtly remind you of the thing you forgot!]

 

“Did I forget something?”

 

[Yes! The promise to ask about Huluppu’s preferences.]

 

Oh right.

 

Only then did I recall the promise I had made with Fenrir.

 

In exchange for asking about Huluppu’s preferences, I had agreed not to read Yves Leblanc’s thoughts.

 

‘I forgot it so completely that there’s no room for excuses.’

 

At the time, I had been too busy trying to understand the new information I had gained and had no chance to remember Fenrir’s request.

 

‘After that, unexpected events kept happening one after another, so I completely forgot.’

 

If he hadn’t mentioned it today, I probably wouldn’t have remembered it until the end.

 

“If that’s the case, you should have just said so right away.”

 

[You said it so coolly like you didn’t care even if you didn’t get the answer you wanted, and now you’re scolding me for not asking…]

 

Come to think of it, back then, Fenrir had also completely forgotten about Huluppu’s preferences and had been busy chatting with me about the god’s incarnation.

 

‘No. Actually, Lord Fenrir was even more excited about the chatter than Lord Huluppu.’

 

He even added all sorts of digressions that strayed from the topic.

 

After pouring out his inner thoughts, Fenrir seemed embarrassed and cleared his throat pointlessly as he changed the subject.

 

[Ahem, anyway, even if you don’t make a fuss, that guy will come back on his own.]

 

I did feel sorry for forgetting our promise, but my worry for Yves Leblanc was far greater, so my focus quickly shifted back to his safety.

 

“Do you think so…”

 

[Tsk, if you really can’t trust that, go ask Huluppu to check where Yves Leblanc is.]

 

When I still couldn’t shake off my anxious expression, Fenrir grumbled that it was needless worry but still offered the most efficient solution.

 

“Ah!”

 

My head must have really stiffened.

 

I had completely forgotten about Huluppu’s ability that could resolve my concern in one go.

 

“Lord Fenrir, you really are a genius!”

 

Now that I could finally feel relieved, I hugged Fenrir’s neck and jumped around in joy. Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind.

 

“What are you doing in the corridor?”

 

When I turned my head, Endymion was standing there in comfortable clothes.

 

“Lord Yves Leblanc’s whereabouts are unknown, so I was worried.”

 

I simply told him my current feelings as they were, but Fenrir, who was next to me, interjected.

 

[Don’t make such a big fuss just because he stepped away for a moment. Something urgent must have come up that didn’t even give him time to tell you.]

 

Even though he had suggested asking Huluppu, he still seemed to think my worry was an overreaction.

 

“Yves Leblanc disappeared without saying anything to you?”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Somehow, I felt Endymion would react similarly to Fenrir, so I avoided his eyes and replied in an even smaller voice.

 

“I don’t think that’s possible, but… could he have been kidnapped?”

 

“…!”

 

He gave an unexpected answer.

 

‘Endymion is thinking the same thing as me!’

 

Startled by the unexpected agreement, I could only open and close my mouth. Fenrir spoke up instead with a dumbfounded expression.

 

[Are you serious too?]

 

His gaze, alternating between Endymion and me, was filled with suspicion that asked, ‘Have both of their heads really gone wrong?’