The Villainess in the Romance Fantasy Is Strange

24. Accidents always happen suddenly.

The way he looks at me without saying a word is his gaze as if there is something wrong. I didn’t even think of replying and just stupidly opened my mouth.

…… What is this? Why can Leah and I move forward?

As written in the original work, obviously, only a man and a woman who will only love each other should be able to advance.

Why, for what reason. I don’t know how it is possible for us to pass in front of the tombstone.

“… ….”

I stared blankly at the tombstone with the ancient text written on it, then suddenly turned my head.

Even with the aftermath of her battle lingering, Liaga with her hair still a beautiful pink shade hanging down. She looks at me with big blinking eyes.

“Suddenly, her face went white. Are you sick somewhere?”

Lea let go of my sleeve and took a step closer. Then, the distance between us suddenly increased, and I took a step back just before Lia’s hand touched my forehead.

“Cain…… ?”

As if taken aback by my actions, Lia stopped with her hand outstretched. I shook her head quickly, showing by her actions that it wasn’t because I didn’t like her.

“Oh, sorry. Sorry. It’s not like that, did I sweat a lot? That’s why I’m afraid that Lia-sama’s hands will get dirty…….”

Even though I was muttering excuses, I couldn’t figure out why I was doing this. What should I say? I don’t know why, but when I looked at Lia’s face up close, I had to say that it was as if my thinking system was momentarily broken.

Maybe that’s why, the words that came out of my mouth were very crude. Lia tilted her head to see if she felt that too, then she stretched out her hand again and smiled.

“Yeah, really. Cain is also a boy. Are you concerned about the smell of sweat?”

“I’m not a kid…. I will not deny it.”

“Oh, I don’t have to.”

Lia smiled prettily and put her hand on my forehead.

“Well, no fever. Isn’t it like mana exhaustion?”

“Yes, probably not because I barely used any mana. Just wait, I think my physical condition was poor.”

“Not feeling well? Have you ever felt empty or weak lately? Shall I tell Dad to make a potion that works well for the body?”

“…… No, thanks. Thank you for caring me.”

You say the wrong thing once, but you hear all the stars. My body is as healthy as a 17-year-old, so I don’t really need potions.

“Really? Then, shall we go see that now?”

“Yes, let’s go.”

He stepped in front of Lia again and moved her steps. I thought about it slowly.

The reason why Lia and I can pass in front of the tombstone. It’s probably

A pair of men and women who will be united by the fate foretold by heaven……. It doesn’t make sense, and the phrase written on this tombstone actually has no effect. It would be more correct to see it as a mere warning.

Not that it isn’t. Didn’t Edwin, who passed in front of this tombstone with Stella in the original work, also cheat on him in the second half of the story and welcome a woman as the crown princess?

If the phrase written on the tombstone [From now on, only a man and a woman who will only love each other, can advance] Was true, such a ridiculous development would not have unfolded.

So, this tombstone is like a guide to a tourist attraction for couples.

Why, when you go to a tourist attraction, there is always one. It’s a clichéd notice that a couple who throws a coin into a fountain and kisses can love forever.

Hmm, no matter how I think about it, this seems right. If not, this makes no sense.

Feeling deeply satisfied with the conclusion I reached, I came to the altar with a lighter heart.

On the pure white altar that makes one feel reverent just by looking at it, two pairs of rings were placed as described in the original work.

The smaller one is worn by Stella, who will become a saint, and the larger one is worn by Edwin, who will be her escort knight.

“Wow…. Cain, look at this ring. It looks really pretty, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, it is beautiful, but….”

“Shall we try this together?”

I expected this to happen when I found the ring.

There was no reason to stop me, so I nodded my head calmly.

“Yes. I will do the big ones.”

“Then, I’ll do something small.”

We didn’t have a separate agreement, but Lia and I put the ring on the ring finger of our right hand as if we had made a promise.

Now then.

──My dear.

I heard a strange voice from somewhere. Lia and I looked at each other at the same time.

For some reason, Lia’s cheeks are stained red.

“…… Bar, what did you just say Cain?”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

“Ka, Cain you. Just now, you didn’t tell me to baby…… ?”

──Baby, it’s not that way.

“Again, again! I just said baby… !”

“…… Lia, I didn’t say that just now.”

Tok tok, I tapped my head with my index finger.

“Someone is talking directly to our heads.”

“Uh… ? Who, who?”

“Okay. I’m not sure, but he’s probably the owner of this ring, right?”

This is a story that also appears in Volume 1 of the original work, in which Stella and Edwin share a ring. It is said that the moment you wear this ring, you can directly hear the message of Venus, the goddess of beauty and love, in your head.

So, the voice of this holy woman must be that of Venus. I murmured confidently.

“Isn’t that right, Venus?”

──My dear, how did you know?

At Venus’ question, I pondered for a moment.

How should I answer here to win Venus’ favor?

After thinking about it for about 5 seconds, I came up with a pretty useful answer.

“Isn’t the only god that can be worshiped on this pure white altar is Venus, the beautiful goddess who symbolizes pure love?”

──…… Oh, do you really think so?

“Yes, even the altar is very beautiful, perhaps resembling the goddess. No other gods came to mind except Venus.”

–That’s right. …… Hmmm, this escort article. A really smart baby took care of it? Baby, what’s your name?

“Cain Reinhardt, the third son of Baron Reinhardt.”

──Cain Reinhardt……. Yes, I remembered it well. Baby

Because the voice of Venus calling my name was filled with goodwill, the strategy to make a good first impression seems to have been successful.

I thought this was enough, so I glanced at Lia. And come on, praise Venus in a way similar to what I said. We made eye contact to buy favors.

“Cain. Venus is the goddess of beauty and love, isn’t she the goddess of pure love?”

──Eh… ?

“Look. If it is a pure goddess who is to be served on a pure white altar like this, she is not Venus who just falls in love with anyone. She must be Diana, the goddess of purity. Isn’t that right, Cain?”

“…… Yes?”

──Ah, my dear…… ?

From now on, the saintess who only has to serve Goddess Venus is asking for my consent while gossiping about Venus.

I was dumbfounded and couldn’t believe what Lia just said, so I opened her mouth.

“Cain, if you take out this ring and bring it to me. Is it okay not to listen to the goddess saying Venus or something?”

“Yes? No, what…….”

“…… Eight!”

When Lia tried to remove her ring from the ring finger of her right hand and put it back on her altar, she panicked and stopped it.

* * *

Speaking of the original story for a moment, Stella, who wore her ring with Edwin, had to go through various tests to become a saint of Venus.

There were a total of four tests, and each test was conducted at intervals of one month. The time when Stella officially became a saint was just before the summer vacation of her freshman year.

So, if Lia, who wore the Venus ring instead of Stella, was the same as before, she would have had to go through four tests.

──Ah, sweetie. What do you mean? She said she wouldn’t take the test…… ?!

“Yes, I don’t. Cain won’t act like an escort knight. So, goodbye, Venus-sama.”

──Now, wait a minute! All right, then only three! Oh no two. I’ll admit it if you pass just two. I will recognize her as a saint and share her divine power! Please, don’t throw my ring on the ground…… !

Like this, Lia said that she didn’t want to do anything like the saint of Venus, and she was babbling. A total of four tests were reduced to two. Even that, Venus is working hard to persuade Lia, saying that she will give her an easy test.

If my memory is not wrong, Stella’s last test was to subdue a fairly strong monster classified as a B-class dangerous species together with Edwin.

But if it’s easier than that, wouldn’t it be subjugating a C-class or D-class monster?

If Stella of the original story found out about this, it was clear that she would jump up and down with regret. Stella, in the process of taking her final test, five more times she almost swept the same grave as Edwin.

“Mmm.”

Anyway, back again.

According to the setting, the only person who can become a saint of Venus is a woman who passes in front of her tombstone and wears her ring on the altar with her escort knight to protect her.

So, if she misses her Lia, a woman who meets her condition, who has come to her altar after a hundred years, Venus will have to wait forever again.

For such a Venus, there are no other options other than Lia, so she must be coming out in such a low profile.

Yes, I know. A hundred years have passed since the last saintess lost her life in a tribal war. I know better than anyone that the goddess Venus is very earnest.

However, Venus, the goddess of love, who was so noble in the original work.

──Hey, baby. My saintess, that’s right…… ?

“Stay still, I’m thinking about it.”

──Ugh, sorry. Think slowly…….

Seeing how pitiful it is. What should I say, should I say it’s a little sad?

Her kind goddess Venus, who greatly boosts her divine power and provides various help to her apostles, does not deserve to be treated so harshly.

Somehow she meets Lia instead of Stella and sees her struggling from the start. Hmmm, I think I should go out a little favorably instead of Lia. I felt a similar feeling of sympathy.

──That’s it, Cain…… ?

That’s when she decided to be nice to Venus. Venus’ message came to her head. I was about to reply immediately, but Venus added in her urgent voice.

──Dae, don’t answer, just listen. Cain, can you convince the baby for me? As for me, it’s beyond my power to convince Aga…….

Tomboy Leah, who is just objecting for the sake of objection, being stubborn unilaterally, look at me and convince me?

Isn’t this the goddess trying to hit me, a mere human, with her work?

Thinking that way, I felt skeptical for a moment, and the moment I was about to say something.

── If Aga becomes my saintess, she will be good for you too…….

“…… !”

My eyes widened at Venus’ words, “It’s a good thing.”

This is an opportunity. After all, if Venus, the goddess of love, professed to be a ‘good thing’, it must be a bad thing, if you don’t know it, right?

This is just my guess, but Venus is probably trying to provide clues to the location of the holy sword Caliburn.

Actually, if something good happens to me, the saintess’ escort knight, what else is there to do?

Since Venus is not the goddess of wealth, the only thing she can give me is the holy sword Caliburn.

I asked quietly, convinced that he was going to give me the holy sword Caliburn, which is said to be the best sword on the continent, which Edwin will occupy in the original work.

“Yes, what can I do?”

──I’m going to send a message to your head, so just follow it.

If you get the holy sword Caliburn, which is said to be able to cut down all the evil beings that exist in this world, then you have nothing to fear even if the ancient evil god Sisyphus is resurrected and descends to the present world.

So, if the condition that allows you to reach the holy sword Caliburn is like this, it will be very cheap.

I nodded lightly.

──Then, would you like to call the baby first?

“Lia-sama.”

“…… Why.”

Leah turned her head away, her sullen face.

── Then, get her on one knee.

Carefully, as instructed, I knelt down on my right knee.

──Reach out your hand, gently hold the baby’s hand, and try to repeat what I’m saying.

I gently grabbed Lia’s right hand.

──The saintess’ escort knight, Cain Reinhardt.

“The saintess’ escort knight, Cain Reinhardt.”

── Will you allow me to give the saintess the kiss of her oath?

“Will you allow me to give the saintess the kiss of her oath?”

“…… Uh?”