I Became A Squirrel Seeking For The Villain Chapter 80

Rivena listened to her subordinate’s report while drinking tea in her mansion in the capital.

 

“Really? Are you sure?”

 

“Yes. I heard they’re on Olred Road right now. A lot of people have come to see them. Aren’t they the noisiest couple in the capital?”

 

The report was simple.

 

Yurika Medes and Yohan Hyrad had gone on a date to Olred Street, the busiest shopping district in the city.

 

The story is that they planned a shopping date to soothe Yurika’s wounded heart.

 

“Good.”

 

Rivena put down her teacup and smiled faintly.

 

Until now, Rivena had been keeping an eye on Yurika.

 

Theodore’s rebellious behavior had been terribly inconvenient, but thanks to it, she had learned that Yurika could transform into a squirrel.

 

Which meant Yurika could spy on them by sneaking around in squirrel form.

 

So if Rivena wanted to do anything in secret, she had to first confirm that Yurika, in human form, was somewhere else.

 

Luckily, Yurika seemed unaware that she was truly the Medes family’s second daughter.

 

She hadn’t returned to the Medes estate and was now out on a loud and public date with Yohan.

 

‘If you try to use a wizard, you will end up getting hurt yourself.…’

 

‘Right now, he’s staying quietly by your side, but the moment you try to slip out of his grasp, he won’t let it slide, will he?’

 

 

Rivena scoffed as she listened to her subordinate describe how affectionate the couple had looked.

 

‘Maybe she needs to be locked up to finally come to her senses. I can’t wait for the day she gets stabbed in the back.’

 

Pretending to be lovers was also really fun.

 

Wizards were inherently possessive and obsessive. Words like trust and love were far from their nature. There was no way it could be a normal relationship.

 

‘Anyway, the important thing was that Yurika’s whereabouts were now clear.’

 

Rivena gave a light order to her subordinate.

 

“Then let’s move on to the next step.”

 

“Yes, understood. Also…”

 

The subordinate bowed again and added,

 

“The High priest has confirmed the letter.”

 

So, Theodore had done his part after all.

 

‘There seems to be no guilt for betraying, nor any regret for acting alone.… Still, he was a person who would definitely get things done if his interests aligned.’

 

“Okay.”

 

Rivena nodded slowly with a strange expression on her face.

 

“So it’s come to this….”

 

Her voice sank with quiet complexity.

 

* * *

 

‘We’d made it to the bustling Olred Street, but wow, there were just so many shops.’

 

‘Well, with this much of a public appearance… Rivena’s probably heard by now that we’re here.’

 

Rivena and Theodore did not break off their engagement.

 

There were even rumors going around that Rivena had met with Theodore and that, through the power of love, they had decided to endure the hardship together.

 

‘That means the two of them will continue to work together.’

 

Patre’s trial was scheduled for a week later.

 

Moreover, Patre consistently claims that he is just acting alone and that he is old and absent-minded these days.

 

Looking at the situation, it seemed unlikely that Rivena would be captured.

 

She had already left the temple, and surprisingly, she was not even an official member of the temple.

 

Still, she didn’t have many subordinates she could trust, so she was bound to act cautiously.

 

‘Obviously, Rivena will only move if my whereabouts are clear.’

 

So, for the first time in a long time, I went out to a crowded place.

 

She was clearly being extra careful to avoid being tracked by me in squirrel form.

 

Despite all the attention we were getting, Yohan acted as if he saw only me, completely unfazed.

 

“That yellow hat is cute. Want to go check it out?”

 

He even cheerfully took the lead in the shopping.

 

“That hat? Uh, sure.”

 

It was an adorable bunny-eared hat that clearly didn’t suit Yohan at all—but we went in anyway.

 

“This is the one you liked, right?”

 

Once inside, I took the hat Yohan pointed to and placed it on his head.

 

For a moment, the atmosphere in the shop froze.

 

Because, to anyone who looked at it, Yohan and the yellow rabbit hat didn’t go together.

 

“Sorry, Yohan.”

 

I quickly took the hat off and apologized.

 

“This is really not right. It doesn’t suit you at all.”

 

Yohan, who had also frozen along with the shop staff, mumbled awkwardly,

 

“Um, Yurika. Did you seriously think I picked that hat because I wanted to wear it?”

 

“You didn’t? It’s not my taste, so I figured it wasn’t for me.”

 

I blinked and replied, and Yohan quickly shot back,

 

“Yeah. Of course, it’s mine. There’s no way I’d choose something you don’t like.”

 

“Right. I actually tend to trust experts when it comes to fashion.”

 

Still looking bewildered, Yohan turned to the frozen staff and calmly asked,

 

“Is there a hat that would suit my fiancée? If there’s anything that looks even a little bit good, I’d appreciate it if you brought out everything.”

 

In the end, Yohan is a kind-hearted person in the world.…No, he became the sweet fiancé and took charge of the sales of that lucky hat shop.

 

‘Well, we just have to kill time anyway.’

 

After casually flaunting the Hyrad family wealth with a signed check, Yohan smiled and made a suggestion.

 

“Then, Yurika, shall we go hear what a fashion expert thinks next?”

 

Since worrying about money was meaningless when it came to a grand duke and great wizard like Yohan, I simply replied,

 

“Sure, sounds good.”

 

It was a bit embarrassing, but I didn’t mind these not-quite-dates with Yohan.

 

Time passed quickly.

 

We ended up buying hats, dresses, and all kinds of accessories.

 

That’s when it happened—

 

“I have received a call from the knights at the temple.”

 

Finally, the news we’d been waiting for arrived.

 

Yohan’s adjutant appeared out of nowhere and whispered his report discreetly.

 

And the report was exactly as we expected.

 

“They say someone tried to sneak in from behind the temple. I even received a report that several young attendants pretended to be asleep and let them in.”

 

As expected.

 

I figured Rivena would make her move while I was out in the city.

 

“The intruder was highly skilled, but unarmed.”

 

If they weren’t armed, then they probably hadn’t expected a fight.

 

That meant they were there to destroy evidence.

Either way, we were finally starting to see the threads unravel.

 

‘Father, just wait. I will save you soon!’

 

“Tell them not to let their guard down.”

 

Yohan spoke quietly.

 

“The intruder must be quite skilled, so be sure to follow them until the end.”

 

That was true. There was no way Rivena would have sent just anyone.

 

Perhaps she might have even sent one of the imperial knights, using Theodore’s power.

 

The fact that the intruder had come unarmed was even more unsettling.

 

‘How tough are they to come in like that?’

 

Still, if we trace the intruder’s footsteps, we will surely be able to find out where in the temple the things that Rivena considered important were located.

 

It was far more efficient than wandering around as a squirrel without a clue.

 

“Be careful, if they don’t follow through, it could lead to a more dangerous situation.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Anyway, if I could get Rivena moving, I would have achieved all of my goals for going out today.

 

Yohan and I exchanged a glance that said, That’s enough.

 

There was no need to remain the center of attention any longer.

 

“Then shall we head back now? Yohan, I’m a little tired.”

 

“Really? Then we should go back quickly.”

 

We were wrapping up our shopping to return to the Duke of Hyrad’s house when it happened.

 

As we stepped out of the jeweler’s and headed toward the carriage we had arrived in, a sudden chill ran down the back of my neck

 

‘What was that?’

 

Before I could think any further, my body moved instinctively. I threw myself sideways and rolled across the ground.

 

It wasn’t a human response—it felt more like the instinct of a beast that had been sleeping inside me.

 

“Yurika!”

 

And my instincts were pretty accurate.

 

Sure, it must have looked ridiculous for someone in a dress to suddenly roll on the ground like that, but five daggers struck the exact spot where I had just been standing.

 

It was a situation where I would have died instantly if I hadn’t dodged in an instant.

 

Even though I had just survived with some insane reflexes, my heart was pounding wildly from the shock.

 

“Yurika, are you okay?”

 

The person who rushed over and helped me up was Yohan.

 

“Yeah, thankfully I’m fine, but…”

 

Before I could even finish my sentence, a large signboard in front of a shop suddenly exploded and collapsed.

 

A shadowy figure that had been hiding behind it leapt and disappeared behind a line of trees.

 

Of course, soon after, the connected trees also collapsed.

 

It was obvious to anyone that the one firing off all the magic was Yohan.

 

“Yohan!”

 

And not only did he help me up—he cast a spell and bolted after the assassin without even bothering to order his subordinates to follow.

 

That’s how urgent it was.

 

After practically leveling an entire street, Yohan finally caught the assassin himself and flung them down in front of me.

 

The whole thing had happened in an instant.

 

“Ah…”

 

I took a deep breath and blinked as I looked down at the person Yohan had captured.

 

Clad in all black, face and features hidden, even wearing a hooded mask—the very image of a classic assassin.

 

* * *