CHAPTER 132:………………………………..
The Fire (1)
Something unusual.
She knew better than anyone else what was unusual.
That it was located deep within, in the outskirts where few people came and went.
That it was quiet, thanks to the clean air and untouched natural scenery.
But that wasn’t it.
It was something that existed only in that villa.
“But… is it okay to tell Lowell about this?”
Her pupils trembled relentlessly.
“If I do, where do I even start… and how much should I say?”
She couldn’t tell him everything. It was an artifact passed down through generations of her family, through the direct lineage. The most she could do was speak in vague terms—
“I’m not sure if it’s unusual, but I’ve heard that the villa was built near the old Gold Dragon’s lair.”
“The Gold Dragon?!”
“…Yes. Etvalga was regarded as a founding hero of the kingdom, so there are stories that even the Gold Dragon took notice of him. Maybe there’s something related…”
Temia spoke intermittently, her hands drenched in sweat. She stiffened her face, trying to appear calm, desperately hoping that this wasn’t another reason Prometheus lingered around the villa.
But Lowell shattered that hope without mercy.
“Prometheus is fundamentally a group of mages. Hearing that story could have given them some idea. Even if it wasn’t because of Lady Lacroix, they might have found something in the villa worth investigating.”
“…!”
“However, if that’s the case, it means they’re willing to risk open conflict with the dukes. So unless they found some trace left by the Gold Dragon in the villa, they wouldn’t have moved.”
Temia instinctively clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle a scream.
Thinking back… even in my previous life, Lowell already knew about the artifact when he invaded the villa.
It was an item even she, who stayed there, didn’t know existed. Her father had also clearly stated he had never told anyone. This meant there must have been some information somewhere else that could reveal the artifact’s existence, even if she didn’t know where.
Could it be… that’s why Prometheus has come to the villa now…!
Seeing Temia’s face turn increasingly pale, Lowell gently shook the still-sleeping Leri awake and added:
“…There’s someone who knows the Gold Dragon well. Rio Felix. You know him too.”
“Rio?”
“Yes. He knows more about it than anyone else in the kingdom. In any case, Leri should call him to the villa. Hopefully, nothing happens before he arrives.”
After giving the message to the drowsy Leri, he released a bluebird outside the window.
The flutter of wings quickly faded into the distance.
Silence returned.
Lowell, seeing Temia still in shock, took her hand as if to comfort her.
“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. Whatever you want, I’ll make it happen.”
Unfortunately, by the time they arrived near the villa, peace had already been shattered.
“…It seems like something has happened. We can’t go further.”
The ominous feeling started with the trembling voice of the carriage driver. Faint screams and distant, visible gray smoke made him refuse to go any further.
“There’s definitely a fire! How can I go forward in that situation?! Telling me to proceed is basically telling me to die!”
“Then we have to go quickly! Please, I beg you!”
“I don’t want to die here! The horses are panicking, and people are still screaming. Going further now would be suicide!”
“Enough. Let’s get off here. It’ll be faster on foot anyway.”
Seeing the driver’s firm stance, Lowell shook his head. Wasting time arguing was pointless—moving themselves would be much faster.
Above all, if we wait any longer, Temia might jump out at any moment.
They had no choice but to dismount. The moment their feet touched the ground, the driver quickly steered the carriage in the opposite direction, as if fleeing. Everything happened in an instant.
Temia was still panicking, her whole body trembling.
What on earth was happening? At least when Leri had come to them, she said there would be no collisions, even if incomplete. Could an accident have occurred in the meantime?
As she was lost in thought, a familiar voice called out to her.
“Te-Temia?”
It was one of the villa’s servants. Recognizing her, he ran over and grabbed her hand, checking her condition.
“Miss, what are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here! You need to run immediately!”
His face was soaked with tears. Lowell tried to restrain him, but he kept mumbling the same things, pulling Temia along.
She mustn’t stay here, she has to escape, there’s a huge fire in the villa, everyone else is already out—don’t go in.
The shrill voice rang in her ears. She kept hearing the words to flee, but she couldn’t take a single proper step.
Fire.
The villa was on fire.
The crimson afterglow flickering outside what should have been darkened windows.
People running frantically in every direction.
The nanny who pushed her to safety never returned.
That fire devoured not just the building, but everything in life, leaving her alone.
…Alone?
Temia’s eyes lit up with an intense emotion.
Coming to her senses, she grabbed the servant with trembling hands and spoke, word by word:
“There… was my friend in the villa, Kylie Lacroix. What happened to her?”
“…Ah, um… well…”
“Answer me! Where is Kylie now? You said people were evacuating earlier. Are you sure she escaped too?”
The servant couldn’t speak. Tears streaming down his face answered for him.
Temia, growing desperate, shook his shoulders.
Please, please… let nothing have happened to her. Let her have escaped safely. Let it have been the villa, not Kylie, that was their target, just as Lowell said.
“I-I’m sorry… Miss. They promised that if we left Miss Kylie behind, everyone else would be released safely…”
But his words crushed her hopes mercilessly.
Seeing the servant collapse, Lowell knelt in front of him and demanded, his voice full of anger:
“When you say ‘they,’ who do you mean? You better speak properly, before I question your crime of abandoning the daughter of a viscount and looking out only for yourselves.”
“I don’t know. They were strangers. Please, I really don’t know them… Ah, they were mages! Mages! That’s all I know. I wanted only to survive.”
It was Prometheus. Without hesitation, Temia started running frantically toward the villa as soon as she heard this.
“No! No, Kylie! No—!”
Lowell jumped up and chased after her. All he thought about was keeping her safe. But he too gritted his teeth in response to the unexpected chaos.
They must have known Lady Lacroix was only my fiancée, so why take her hostage…? It was to raid the villa, wasn’t it.
Foolish, but effective. A shallow connection to a guest who is a noble, but not the master. No one would cling to such an annoyance.
Even if someone did, they’d be blind with loyalty or incredibly stupid.
And if they managed to make Temia and me move, they could demand whatever they wanted without touching the target themselves. A hypothetical, but almost a certainty.
No. Maybe I wasn’t the target from the start.
If there was a connection between the Gold Dragon and Etvalga, and it left something behind…
Then perhaps it’s something only the direct lineage of Etvalga could use. In that case, they’d surely try to draw Temia in.
Since her friend was at stake, Temia would never risk it herself. She wouldn’t gamble with the life of someone she cared about.
They must have anticipated that threatening Temia would force me to act.
If the dragon had even prepared a barrier, using me would be the most effective trick. Temia wouldn’t have the luxury to hesitate.
“Do you think we can let them get away with this?”
A deep anger rose within him. To dare manipulate Temia, not once but twice. Flames of annihilation burned in his blood-red eyes.
