How to Survive as That Villainess - Chapter 5

Chapter 1: The Villainess named Radel (4)

Kailon Raven. He is the son of the Duke of the Raven family, famous for their swordsmanship, known for wielding a sword so skillfully that he’s called a monster, and recognized as the youngest swordmaster. He is one of the fish in Seria’s pond, and despite being taciturn, he is kind to his woman, making him popular among readers…

But why is he here?

“The challenger is our champion! He always refused duels, claiming they were bothersome, so what made him change his mind!?”

It seems Kailon is a regular at this place. His free-spirited nature likely led him to sweep through the arena for fun often. There were a few such scenes in the novel when I read it, though they were described briefly, so I don’t remember well…

“Now, this seems to be the last match. Let’s ask briefly: Why did you suddenly decide to challenge the Knight of the Red Rose?”

Ahh!! I said not to call me by that weird nickname! My face feels like it’s turning red on its own. Is that announcer trying to embarrass me? With such a mortifying nickname, I pulled the robe further down over my head.

“I’m interested.”

As I bowed my head to hide my face, Kailon, who had been standing silently in front of me, spoke for the first time.

Interested…? In who? Surely, not me?

“It seems he’s interested after seeing your skills!”

The announcer added a comment, and Kailon nodded. So, he’s interested in my skills, huh? Haha, no way. Just put that interest aside. This is troublesome. The man in front of me is an empire-recognized swordmaster. I’ve only been learning swordsmanship for two weeks, so he’s not someone I can beat. Besides, if I accidentally lose the robe while fighting, the aftermath would be too terrible to even think about. If rumors spread that Lady Radel, the villainess, knocked out men in a tavern, my academy life would be over before it even started.

Kailon is indifferent and hates troublesome things, so he probably wouldn’t spread rumors, but I still felt uneasy. More than that, I wanted to run away. I shouldn’t have ignored Vivian’s advice. I suddenly felt like crying.

“Then we’ll start the final match for the prize money and reward…”

“…..”

“Sorry, what did you say?”

“I forfeit!”

I ended up forfeiting and quickly stepped out of the arena. Then, I rushed into the audience, grabbed Vivian’s hand, and left the tavern. From behind, I heard the announcer shouting, “What just happened?!” The audience was probably confused too. I couldn’t imagine Kailon looking surprised, but he was probably bewildered inside. Suddenly forfeiting, even I would find it strange. But what can I do? He’s Kailon. He’s an opponent I can’t handle!

Why is he suddenly interested in me?! At the party two weeks ago, he paid less attention to me than a pebble on the road!

“Miss, why are you suddenly running? Who was that man…”

“Just run. I’ll explain later!”

I kept running without looking back. The distance that seemed short when I left the mansion now felt so long, maybe because of my urgency. As I kept running along the endless street, Vivian called out to me urgently.

“Miss, Miss!”

“Why?”

“Someone is chasing us from behind!”

“What, who…”

Hearing Vivian’s words, I looked back and saw a familiar man running toward us at an incredible speed. I could tell just by the feeling that it was Kailon. My God, he chased us all the way here? I felt a chill run down my spine. I had no idea Kailon was such a determined person.

“Vivian, you go right, I’ll go left. Let’s meet at the mansion later!”

“Yes, Miss.”

If we kept running like this, we’d surely be caught. So, I thought splitting up might give us a better chance…

‘How did he know it was me and chase after me?!’

Amazingly, Kailon was chasing only me, without even glancing at Vivian. I couldn’t understand how he could pursue me without hesitation, as if there were a name tag on my back. Could I possibly smell? But I had bathed before leaving home, so I shouldn’t smell. I was left with no choice but to wonder why Kailon was solely chasing me.

“Wait.”

“Eek!”

I was caught. How could I escape from Kailon, the swordsmanship genius and stamina monster? Eventually, he caught my arm, and I couldn’t escape. To make matters worse, my robe fell off while running, and I was barely able to cover my face with my hand. How can I get out of this situation?

“…The scent of roses.”

What a random comment! The words he uttered while holding my arm were incomprehensible. Anyway, I had to shake off this man who chased me purely out of interest. I thought for a moment to find a way. Hmm, maybe if I just bite him, he’ll let go?

“…Ugh!”

The method was simple. I just bit Kailon’s hand. I was afraid he wouldn’t let go if I bit lightly, so I bit really hard. Kailon groaned slightly and let go of my arm. I didn’t miss the opportunity and ran with all my might as soon as my arm was free.

I never looked back. When I finally reached the mansion, I turned around to check. Kailon was not following. Fortunately, he seemed to have lost interest, or maybe he suddenly found it bothersome, but the chase under the moonlight ended like that.

***

The next morning, my whole body ached from overexerting myself running last night. My legs wouldn’t move as I wanted, so I decided to rest all day. After contacting all the lesson teachers, Vivian entered the room and brought unexpected news.

“They are looking for you at that tavern.”

“Huh, why me?”

“They are distributing flyers because they need to give the prize to last night’s winner.”

Vivian handed me a flyer as she said that. The owner of that tavern must be quite wealthy. Seeing them preparing and distributing things like this, it seems like the tavern is run by a very wealthy person. Come to think of it, the owner I met yesterday did seem to have money.

“Oh…my goodness.”

My face turned as red as it could possibly get while looking at the flyer. When I saw the phrase “Please find the Knight of the Red Rose” written in large letters, I almost tore the flyer apart. That announcer must hate me. He must have conspired with the tavern owner to humiliate me.

“So, you won’t go out at night anymore, right, Knight of the Red Rose?”

“Vivian, I’m sorry, so please stop…”

Vivian had been teasing me since morning. It seemed like her revenge for last night, and I wished she would stop. When I first met her, Vivian was calm, modest, and a bit more formal, but now she seems comfortable with me. She even jokes sometimes.

“Oh my, Miss, your hair smells nice!”

“Ah, it must be the shampoo scent.”

Hehe, I changed it recently. I really liked the subtle rose scent, so I’ll probably use it for a while. Since Vivian also praised the scent, I might never change it…?

“Come to think of it…”

Kailon also mentioned something about the scent of roses yesterday. Did he chase after me because he smelled my shampoo? What a scary guy. His sense of smell seems as keen as his swordsmanship skills. He’s like a…no, a puppy-like person.