BJ Villainess Chapter 305

Clyde walked silently, holding the reins in one hand and the chain connected to the bracelet on my wrist in the other. Walking endlessly on a path surrounded by nothing but sand dunes soon became exhausting and tiring.

 

It’s hot. It wasn’t this hot when the rain was pouring down. Unlike me, Clyde was fully covered, blocking out the light and heat, so he probably didn’t feel this kind of discomfort.

 

But is it even possible to ride a horse all the way out here in the middle of the desert? I thought horses were the least efficient animals for the desert. There’s a reason why people who live in the desert ride camels.

 

“Hey, how much longer do we have to walk? Can’t you use holy power?”

 

“I can, but it’s better not to use it here.”

 

“Why?”

 

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

 

Why did he keep answering me with vague answers instead of just explaining?

 

I pouted in dissatisfaction, and then Clyde suddenly took off his robe and draped it over me. He wasn’t a bad guy, even though his manner of speaking left much to be desired.

 

“Thanks.”

 

When I smiled shyly while pulling the robe close, Clyde turned his head away as if he had witnessed something unpleasant.

 

After a brief silence, Clyde spoke first. “You said we’re from the same dimension. And that we were friends.”

 

“Yeah, that’s right. We were classmates at the same school. Don’t you remember at all?”

 

Clyde nodded. “I only remember that my name is Clyde, but nothing else comes to mind. And… nothing else, really.” He seemed to want to say something more but stopped and ended the conversation.

 

Nothing but his name? He was always sensitive about his identity, so he must be really stressed. But he was also cautious, so he didn’t seem to trust me fully yet. Even though he must have been extremely curious about his past, he was careful with his words.

 

No matter how much I talked about our dimension, it could just provoke him if I didn’t have any proof. I decided to slowly close the distance between us.

 

“By the way, you don’t know my name yet, do you? Nice to meet you, I’m Theresa Squire.”

 

When I introduced myself, Clyde stopped walking and quickly turned to look at me. He looked very confused.

 

“Your name is Theresa?”

 

Why is he reacting like that… Is there something wrong with that name here?

 

“Yeah, Theresa is my name.”

 

“You…”

 

Just as Clyde was about to say something to me. Drrrrr! A loud rumble sounded in the distance as a cloud of sand and something black rapidly approached.

 

“They’re here.”

 

It was a swarm of scorpions. Each one was as large as a car—giant black desert scorpions.

 

“What the heck? Why are they coming this way?!”

 

“They’re attracted to holy power. They showed up later than I expected, and there were fewer than I thought. Strange…” He looked around cautiously instead of quickly dealing with the scorpions.

 

Why is he so calm when there’s a terrifying swarm of scorpions approaching? Clyde only stopped surveying the surroundings with a suspicious look when the scorpions were almost upon us, raising his hand to his chest.

 

“Huh?”

 

Then, a black butterfly suddenly flew in from behind and landed on his hand.

 

Come to think of it, I saw the black butterfly in the Seoul Dungeon too. The black butterfly had followed Clyde into the space-time rift and had stayed with him ever since.

 

Clyde gave the butterfly a command. “Go and take care of them.”

 

The black butterfly fluttered weakly through the air, seeming far too fragile to take on the scorpions. But the result was astounding. Wham! As the butterfly passed by, the ground turned over, and the scorpions were swallowed by the sand.

 

“Did that butterfly always have such power?”

 

When I couldn’t hide my amazement, Clyde looked at me with a frown.

 

“You can see the butterfly?”

 

“Yes. The black butterfly used to hang around with me, but it disappeared with you into the space-time rift.”

 

The black butterfly returned to Clyde after finishing off the scorpions, landing on his shoulder as if it had just finished a leisurely stroll.

 

“But if you had that butterfly, you could have just used it to teleport us here. Why did we have to walk all the way?”

 

When I complained, Clyde muttered seriously to himself. “You know it can teleport, too… I guess it’s true, then.”

 

“See? You should believe me.”

 

Clyde, now realizing that an unexpected variable had arisen, warned me with a troubled expression.

 

“Don’t tell anyone that this butterfly can teleport anywhere. If you do, I’ll—”

 

Before he could finish his threat, I quickly answered. “Even if the emperor asks, I won’t say a word. Don’t worry, I’m on your side.”

 

“…You’re quite good at sweet-talking.”

 

“It’s the truth. We weren’t just friends. We were really, really close.”

 

“That I find hard to believe. Even if I don’t remember my past, there’s no way I’d have been friends with someone like you.”

 

Wow. That’s rude. What does he mean by ‘someone like you’?

 

I raised one corner of my mouth and started listing facts to him. “It was true that our relationship wasn’t normal. I was even willing to die for you. We got married twice, and you even kissed me… Mmph!”

 

Clyde clamped his hand over my mouth, stopping me from saying more.

 

“I’ll teleport us home right now, so stop spouting nonsense. Got it?”

 

I nodded. Even though it wasn’t nonsense, I nodded, and he lowered his hand with a stern expression.

 

“But everything I said is tr—”

 

Before I could finish, my surroundings shifted. The place we teleported to was an empty area. No, it was a well-paved road. The road was so wide that it felt like an open space.

 

When I looked up along the road, I saw a massive mansion. I gaped and asked, “Just how rich are you?”

 

I had suspected he was quite wealthy based on his appearance, but this went beyond just being rich. This is clearly the home of someone in power.

 

“Just follow me quietly.”

 

Clyde dragged me into the mansion, not wanting to entertain my foolish comments.

 

“Ow, that hurts. My arm’s going to fall off.”

 

When I pretended to whine, he scoffed.

 

“If you’re going to lie, you should put in a bit more effort.”

 

Even so, he loosened his grip slightly, showing he didn’t actually want to hurt me.

 

“Motie.”

 

A woman who had been waiting quietly nearby approached at Clyde’s call.

 

“You called, Master?”

 

“This foreigner will be under my personal watch here until His Majesty returns. Make sure everyone is aware.”

 

“Understood.”

 

“First, get her changed.”

 

I had fallen onto the planet Signio in the clothes I was wearing in Seoul. Since my outfit was so out of place and had been soaked by rain before drying poorly, I thought it was a good idea.

 

“How should I address you, Lady?”

 

“Please call me Theresa.”

 

“Understood, Lady Theresa. Please follow me.” Motie led me away somewhere, while Clyde disappeared without following us.

 

I observed Motie and my surroundings as we walked. Motie wore a silver-blue outfit that looked like it was made of layers of thin fabric. Most of the other servants I noticed were dressed in drab white garments. She must be wearing better clothes because she’s in a higher position.

 

“The area around here is all empty. Is it far from the bustling part of town?”

 

“It’s quick to get there by airship.”

 

I had traveled by airship at the Pantheon too. It was an unexpected similarity.

 

“But Clyde seemed to be traveling by horse?”

 

“It’s dangerous to use airships in the desert because the planet’s adversaries attack them.”

 

Planet’s adversaries. The book explained that when someone uses the planet’s energy, creatures like demons or monsters are created as a sort of ‘vaccine’ to expel the invader. The desert scorpions were likely such adversaries.

 

“Is it impossible to teleport using holy power?”

 

“Using too much holy power for trivial matters is strictly forbidden.”

 

So, even though they could use powerful abilities, the lifestyle here was oddly outdated and rough. It seems like using magic freely would allow for a much more prosperous life. To me, holy power felt like an extremely inefficient energy source.

 

Motie took me to a simple room and provided clothes for me to change into after washing.

 

“If I used magic, I could wash and dry myself in an instant.” My dissatisfaction with the planet Signio, which already hadn’t left a good impression, deepened even further.

 

I changed into a light brown dress made of thin fabric and then asked where I should stay confined.

 

“There’s no need for that. You’re free to move around within the mansion, and if you want to go out to the bustling area, just let us know.”

 

“I’m a wanted person, though. Is that really okay?”

 

“If you were a criminal, you would have been locked up in the dungeon or executed immediately upon discovery. However, His Majesty only issued the bounty but didn’t specify how you should be treated.”

 

So, I was just a guest who needed to be watched to make sure I didn’t disappear before the emperor returned.

 

But all this hospitality will change the moment they unseal my bracelet. Once Ozworld and the people of the Signio Empire realized how useful I was, they would exploit me until I died. I sighed deeply, feeling a sense of despair.

 

Before Motie left the room, I asked for something I desperately needed at that moment. “Do you have any alcohol?”