Taming The Villainesses-Chapter 350: Waking from a Long Sleep (3)

A full day had passed since Ayra awoke from the day of the Tree.

The Day of Gold.

Even though a whole day had gone by since she woke from the dream, Ayra didn’t seem particularly different from her usual self.

She acted as dignified as always, and at times, she’d gaze out the window with that same unreadable look on her face, like she was lost in thought.

If one had to point out anything that had changed, it would be that her physical condition looked quite good.

Maybe it was thanks to having gotten deep, uninterrupted sleep—but Ayra’s body was now taut with tension, like a bowstring pulled tight.

The beauty radiating from her vibrant youth was like a flower in full bloom. She was at her absolute peak. Anyone could see it—she was in the golden age of her life.

Even if a celibate monk who had spent his whole life in abstinence were to face her now, he’d no doubt blush and fall in love.

“I’d like to move my body a little. Elga, could you help me out?”

It was a breezy afternoon after lunch. In the name of preparing for the upcoming, nearly-final duel tournament, Ayra asked Elga for a sparring match.

“I should also be ready to face the challengers, right? As queen, it’s my duty to meet them in peak condition.”

It was a fair point.

Elga, eyes narrowed, asked her,

“Only with swords, not magic? Then I’m not sure I match your level. I’m not good at holding back. Why don’t you ask that one instead?”

Shff.

Elga gestured toward Mirna, who was calmly sipping her tea. Most likely, Elga declined because she was currently pregnant and didn’t want to push her body in a spar.

In fact, the one who’d changed the most after the journey through the dream wasn’t Ayra—it was Elga. She’d become far more cautious and protective of her own body, avoiding anything risky.

I completely understood how she felt, and on some level, I felt deeply sorry about it. It was like the paper spider of my conscience had just bitten into my heart.

“Who, me? A spar?”

Mirna furrowed her brow in annoyance at being suddenly roped into this.

“I refuse.”

A crisp, sharp rejection.

Elga let out a low chuckle.

“Well, she is a Sword Master, even if it’s mostly an honorary title. Even without using magic, she could wipe the floor with most knights. So I get why you’re scared, Mirna.”

Just as Elga said, Ayra was known by the title Sword Master.

Some claimed that the title was exaggerated flattery offered to the reigning monarch, but her skill with blades—manipulated through psychokinesis magic—was beyond even that of a seasoned master.

Even without the help of telekinetic magic, Ayra was quite proficient with the sword. That’s why I’d always been on edge, worrying she might one day drive a blade into someone’s body.

Anyway—

At Elga’s obvious provocation, Mirna scowled.

“You think I’d lose to a queen who doesn’t even use magic? Seems you don’t know that I, Mirna, also have a respectable level of skill with a blade.”

Surely Mirna realized this was a provocation. But apparently, it had hit just the right nerve in her pride to make her rise to it. She extended her hand with a flourish.

“Make preparations...!”

At her cue, a distant figure came waddling over, holding something in her hands—it was the imp, Tartar. In her hands was a comfortable adventurer’s outfit and a sheathed sword.

“Well done, Tartar.”

“The Draco family has received much help! So we, the Imp Sisterhood, are returning the favor!”

I wasn’t sure what had happened, but Mirna seemed to have a pretty good relationship with the imps. It was a lovely sight, and I couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction.

Suddenly, a scene popped into my head.

What if we assigned an imp maid to every influential family?

They’re so adorable—surely even the hearts of Angmar’s nobles would fill with peace. If we got to the point where we could send one companion imp to each household, maybe we could eliminate war altogether.

Of course, imps were originally wicked creatures, and it was only the ones raised with Marmar who turned out this gentle and kind. Still.

While I was lost in such thoughts, Mirna had already changed into her gear. She tossed a sword into the air, and Ayra caught it in one clean motion.

“This cool sensation... It’s been a while.”

Didn’t she say the same thing back when she tried to slice Belmott’s throat? Just remembering how hard I had to work back then made my stomach twist a bit. But that time and this time were different.

Back then, I was alone.

Now, I was not.

Which meant I didn’t need to force my blood to boil and stop them myself anymore.

“Then we begin at Tartar’s signal...!”

***

Clang, clank, clang!

The sharp sounds of metal clashing rang loudly across the wide clearing. Watching the sparks fly with every blow, the flashes were almost blinding.

The sparring match between Mirna and Ayra had gone on for quite a few exchanges now. Each strike was delivered with clear intent to overpower the other.

I couldn’t speak to the technicalities or skill behind their movements, but without the aid of magic or enchantments, the way they wielded their swords appeared to be about evenly matched.

That’s when Elga, who had been watching the scene intently beside me, said,

“They’re fairly well-matched.”

Who was she referring to? Elga was, after all, something of an expert when it came to handling swords and weapons. So I casually asked her for commentary.

“Who’s winning?”

“Well, in a match like this, I’d say Mirna has the edge—maybe 55 to 45. You can see it, right? Mirna has landed more effective hits.”

“Oh.”

That was... unexpected. I had always assumed that Mirna’s strengths lay in spells and knowledge.

Her swordsmanship was impressive, sure, but I’d always considered it secondary to her skill in sorcery. And yet, seeing her hold her own against Queen Ayra—it was clear she was no ordinary person.

“The problem is that she can’t bring out her full ability in real combat. Even she probably knows ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) it—she lacks practical experience.”

“Is that so?”

“Mirna freezes up at critical moments. Her younger sister, Narmee, is the opposite. That girl could stand to learn some restraint.”

“True, Miss Narmee can be a bit... ruthless at times.”

Shff.

I glanced over at Narmee, who was playing tag with the imps. Even though her sister was in the middle of a sparring match with the queen, she seemed far more interested in running around the field.

“Ahh! Gargar’s tail has been caught by Narmee! Gargar is now the tagger!”

“Garrgrrr! Garrgrrr!”

What a wholesome sight.

So peaceful.

Then Elga spoke again.

“What really surprised me was Ayra. The more they exchange blows, the sharper she gets. It’s probably been years since she last picked up a sword, but it’s like she’s reawakening her senses.”

Reawakening her senses—yeah, it felt that way. Maybe it was just my imagination, but Ayra seemed like she’d requested this sparring match specifically to test the limits of what she could now do.

Elga continued.

“Her physical condition looks great too. At least her body, I mean. She’s moving without hesitation, like she’s been unburdened somehow.”

“...It could be literal.”

“That’s what I was thinking. Lately I’ve been wondering—what if that giant spider wasn’t giving Ayra strength, but was actually shackling her?”

Elga’s voice held an uncharacteristic note of concern. I could understand that. If everything we did to restrain Ayra had only ended up making her stronger...

Of course, it was all just speculation without evidence.

“No matter how hard we’ve worked, you do realize, Teo, that if you don’t win the tournament, it’ll all be for nothing, right? I know your magic’s impressive, but that was two dream-years ago against the old Ayra.”

“That’s true.”

“The Ayra now isn’t even comparable to back then. You know this already—but an 8th-rank sorcerer can level an entire fortress by themselves.”

Elga went on to explain just how dangerous Ayra could now be. Feeling like the conversation would never end at this rate, I decided to steer it back to something important.

“So, Elga-nim. Did you check on that thing I asked about?”

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

“You mean whether there was a crack in the barrier?”

I raised a finger to my lips in response to her question.

Shh. Not so loud. If word got out that we were even talking about such a thing, there’d be mass panic.

But Elga answered casually.

“They said there’s nothing wrong. There’s no way those massive towers would collapse overnight.”

“I suppose that’s true...”

They said the barrier would collapse if Bael were defeated.

But I ignored that warning and defeated Bael anyway. So I was worried—what if it really was starting to break down? But according to Elga, there weren’t any signs of that happening.

Maybe there’s some kind of grace period.

Or maybe it’s because I didn’t completely destroy Bael—but rather, absorbed her—that some variable has come into play. The surest way to find out would be to ask her directly.

Shff.

I closed my eyes and asked silently:

Bael, how does it look?

━━Hiyoong.

Still no idea what she’s saying. Ever since she took up residence inside me, Bael had been like this.

It felt like we couldn’t even communicate. Maybe she had lost too much of her power after being defeated inside Ayra’s heart. Maybe if I keep feeding her and letting her recover, we’ll be able to talk someday.

━━Hiyoong!

Still, having her inside me had its perks. For one, the experience I gained from absorbing her had boosted my magic power up to the 7th rank.

The biggest benefit—

Klang!

—was interrupted by a sharp sound and something flying toward my face. The first one to react was Mirna.

“Ah!?”

At the same time, I felt Elga stretch out her hand.

“Watch out!”

I could see it too. Ayra’s sword, knocked free by Mirna, was flying straight at my face. Elga was probably trying to stop it with her hand.

But that wouldn’t be necessary.

Whssssh.

A gust of wind sent the blade flying high into the air. It spun several times before plunging tip-first into the dirt of the empty clearing. Only then did Elga turn toward Mirna and shout.

“Hey! If you’re going to deflect a sword, do it right! What if someone nearby got hurt? You’re seriously careless.”

Sure, the real issue was that we’d been standing way too close while watching—but Elga didn’t seem to care about that. Mirna, meanwhile, slid her sword back into its scabbard and asked me,

“Sir Teo, are you alright? Also, just now... didn’t you cast magic without chanting? I didn’t see any spell words or hand signs.”

As expected, Mirna’s sharp senses had picked up on it.

Just as she said, I had just cast the 3rd-rank spell Thunderstorm Gust without needing an incantation or a seal.

The casting time that is normally a mage’s biggest vulnerability—I had overcome it.

That was only possible thanks to the advanced incantation assistance I’d gained from Bael. Now, whenever I imagine a spell, Bael—residing within me—forms the necessary seals with her eight legs on my behalf.

━━Hiyoong...!

It cost more mana than usual, but for anything 5th-rank and below, I no longer needed any preparatory steps. That was a huge advantage.

And it wasn’t just Ayra who was in good condition.

I felt sharper too, like I’d had a deep, healing sleep.

And so, a few days passed.

The arena was now bustling with people from all over—

And the start of the duel tournament was just around the corner.