I Became The Villain’s Master - Chapter 2.8
I ran across the backyard behind the mansion, heading for the back gate.
There, I spotted a dilapidated carriage.
Having completed his inspection of the wheels, the coachman hoisted himself up onto the vehicle.
Just as I hid in the grass, a soldier standing in front of the carriage turned around.
I heard someone shouting at him from afar.
“Collie! The young miss has disappeared! Have you seen her?!”
“What?! N-no, I haven’t! No one came this way!”
The soldier called Collie hurriedly locked the iron-barred gate and shouted to the coachman as he ran towards the mansion.
“Depart now! Hurry!”
“Yes!”
The coachman gripped the reins properly.
I, who had been holding my breath, passed under the bars and climbed onto the luggage compartment under the carriage.
“Giddy up!”
Neigh!
The horse whinnied as the carriage departed.
The sound of hooves clattered rhythmically, cutting through the cool night air.
The lights of the mansion were gradually fading into the distance.
Sand from somewhere flew in and tickled my face.
***
After traveling all night, the carriage stopped at a tower standing tall in the forest behind a large mansion.
In the dim surroundings, the black outer walls covered in vines gave off an eerie atmosphere.
“Oh. Finally here.”
“You must be the one sent by Marquis Crumble?”
As an old man approached the carriage, the coachman greeted him and opened the carriage door.
The old man came closer and peered inside the carriage.
I secretly got off the carriage and hid behind a tree.
“Hmm. Younger than I expected. Perhaps this body… No, never mind. Give me the child.”
“Yes. The Count sent an invitation along with the slave certificate. He said he wanted to discuss a new business matter…”
As I thought, it was the Count.
No wonder Sir Peanut betrayed me!
“I see. That’ll be all then. I’ll make sure to deliver the documents to the Marquis.”
“Yes.”
The old man picked up the deeply sleeping Rory.
As the carriage left, dawn was breaking.
Just as the old man entered the tower, poof! My vision changed.
As if mocking my crouched form behind the tree’s shade, the sun began to rise, chasing away the forest’s darkness.
Being larger than when I was a fox, I felt I would be much more noticeable.
Moreover, being naked, I was worried about the delicate baby skin getting covered in rashes from the plants, but that wasn’t the important thing.
There was never such an incident in the original story!
“…”
Stay calm, stay calm.
Looking at the tower, this was clearly the Crumble Marquis’s estate.
The family of Violet Crumble, the second most prominent villain among all the antagonists in the novel.
To put it simply, the Crumble family was a place that conducted human experiments on slaves.
The large mansion visible over there was the main residence of the Crumble Marquis family, and this tower was a secretly operated laboratory where even the Marquis’s servants were forbidden to approach.
Therefore, only the Marquis Crumble, Violet, their closest aide, and the researchers residing in the tower knew the truth about it.
How could I rescue Rory from this extremely dangerous place with this body that was useless except for being cute?
‘When there’s no answer, it’s best to just charge in recklessly.’
I poked out the most harmless face in the world from behind the tree.
Not even an ant was stirring around the tower.
I approached the tower and knocked on the door.
The tightly closed iron door only hurt my hand.
“Excuse me!”
I shouted at the top of my voice.
Loud enough to be heard from 50 meters away.
Thud! Rumble!
The door opened with a heavy sound.
The old man I saw earlier was standing there, looking surprised and bewildered.
“Wh-what child…?”
“Grandpa!”
I smiled brightly and clung to the old man’s pants.
“I’m hungry!”
***
“Um… Don’t touch anything. Understand? And don’t come out of the room. Uh, I’ll quickly go and bring something to eat.”
“Yeeees.”
I sat obediently on the bed in the old man’s room that smelled of musty mold.
The children’s tunic he gave me, saying it belonged to his grandchild, was a bit dusty but well-maintained and fluffy.
When I wore it, it looked more like a dress than a top.
“If someone comes and knocks on the door, pretend you’re not here and hide.”
The old man kept cautioning me, seemingly worried.
I nodded, and the old man closed the door and left, his footsteps fading away.
I hopped off the bed and pulled the books piled in the corner to place them in front of the door.
I stepped on the books and stood on tiptoe to grab the doorknob.
‘Not doing what I’m told not to do wouldn’t make me a three-year-old baby, old man.’
I was now on the second floor of the tower, where the researchers’ quarters were located.
The kitchen was situated in the bas*ment, while the first floor appeared to serve as both a living room and reception area.
Rory’s scent was leading up the stairs.
I crept up the stairs, sniffing as I went.
My plan was to first understand the tower’s layout and confirm Rory’s location.
‘Why are these stairs so darn high?’
I climbed diligently, but my short, chubby sausage-like legs were no match for them.
While I had thought ‘If I get caught, so be it’, I was discovered far too quickly.
“My, what’s this adorable creature?”
A black-haired woman coming down from the upper floor picked me up and shook me.
“Eek!”
“Who are you? This area is off-limits to outsiders, you know?”
My head and limbs dangled as she shook me, making me dizzy.
When the woman stopped shaking me, I gradually regained my senses.
“Are you also a test subject?”
“No.”
“Then you shouldn’t be here. Outsiders are subject to immediate disposal.”
“My bwother is here.”
“Brother? Do you mean the handsome little boy who arrived today?”
“Yes.”
I answered obediently, blinking my eyes.
The woman chuckled as if finding me cute.
“Pfft. You’re funny! I only said ‘handsome little boy’, how do you know it’s your brother? You tiny thing. Do you even know what ‘handsome’ looks like?”
“It’s my bwother. I hid in the carriage and followed him here.”
“Is that so? But what should we do? We don’t accept ones as small as you. It feels wrong to experiment on you.”
“Experiment?”
“That’s right. Kids don’t need to know about it. Where’s your home? I’ll send you back.”
“I don’t know my home.”
Translator
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lurelia
Known for turning pages faster than I move in real life. Warning: May suddenly vanish into fictional realms, leaving behind only a vaguely potato-shaped indent on the sofa.