I Thought I Healed the Villain's Sickly Younger Brother - Chapter 25

Just as he was marveling at the Saint’s healing power, he remembered Merrien who would always fumble and become dejected during dance practice.

‘She was quite cute.’

A slight smile came unbidden. To think such a small animal-like human could heal this crazy Tower Master.

Ariel observed each change in his expression before murmuring softly.

“So. Why did you write that she was cute?”

“…Ah.”

Agnes, who had been lost in thought, finally understood Ariel’s intention in calling him and grinned.

As he mischievously bared his teeth, his fangs gleamed.

Somehow, a document had appeared in Ariel’s hand from who knows where.

Ariel stared intently at Agnes with a rigid gaze devoid of any emotion or energy.

On the document that the butler had secretly handed over just before coming here, it was written [Even cuter today].

Though he had sensed something wasn’t right, Agnes couldn’t suppress his desire to test Ariel.

“Because she’s cute?”

Crack-.

 Agnes tilted his head, fully displaying his fangs as he answered playfully.

As a ‘dragon’, calling a human ‘cute’ was like the insignificant feeling one gets when looking at a small animal.

However.

Bang—!

“…Kugh.”

Soon after, Agnes staggered from the pain of his throat being constricted.

Ariel was casting magic on him with an expressionless face. Just by slightly moving one hand.

“Never appear in this form in front of Merri. Don’t call her cute either. Before we inform the Imperial family about the dragon’s existence.”

Ariel threatened in a level, calm tone. Agnes trembled from the real-time pain and fell to one knee.

Looking up, Ariel was clearly glaring at him as if to kill him, but his focus was subtly off.

Those blue eyes darkened to near black, were half-rolled back.

‘…So, he really can use magic during the day now.’

He wanted to confirm if Ariel could really use powerful magic during the day.

And also the extent of his feelings for Merrien.

…But if he’d known it would be this bad, he wouldn’t have tested him!

As his breathing became constricted to the point where red marks were forming on his neck, Agnes coughed up blood-tinged phlegm and barely managed to speak.

“…Is this how you treat your only friend?”

“……”

There was no answer. However, the magical force constricting his neck loosened ever so slightly.

Agnes hurriedly rubbed his neck with both hands.

Whoosh-.

 Ariel burned the document without hesitation. Could it really be because he wrote ‘cute’?

Unable to even think about standing up, Agnes recalled the letter Ariel had sent him a few months ago.

[Agnes. Could this be love?]

It was such a random letter.

He didn’t even reply, thinking it was nonsense. But after that, Ariel continued to report his unwanted daily activities, constantly mentioning ‘Merri’ or ‘Saint’.

And then.

[I kidnapped Merri.]

He even went as far as to say he kidnapped the person in question in his letter.

Moreover, recently he came running when told that if he just taught dance to this Saint Merrien, he would be given a top-tier magical beast.

He always knew Ariel was twisted, but only now did he fully realize that he had completely gone mad over the Saint.

‘Even though I helped hide the fact that I’m a dragon and even assisted him, he uses that to threaten me?’

Just because he wrote ‘cute’?

…He was truly unbelievably insane.

While they were facing off in a way that would make anyone doubt their claim of being ‘irreplaceable friends,’ the butler knocked from outside with a troubled voice.

“Your Grace. The Saint is waiting.”

The moment the word ‘Saint’ was heard, before the butler could even finish speaking, Ariel rapidly suppressed the energy he had been emitting.

Moreover, his face suddenly became full of vitality as if he had become a different person.

Agnes, who had been watching Ariel in confusion, felt an even more chilling sensation.

“I’ll be right there.”

Ariel replied in an extremely excited voice and moved straight away.

As if he had been alone in this space all along.

“…Wait, what about me? What about Cerberus?”

Agnes, still kneeling on one knee while fixing his clothes, grabbed him in panic, foreseeing being left alone.

Ariel waved his hand dismissively as if suddenly finding it bothersome.

“I’ll send Christopher to your nest tonight. As for you……”

He looked around irritably before pointing at the window.

“Go out that way.”

“…Really?”

Agnes gaped in disbelief.

“Yes.”

He was serious.

***

When Merrien went to Ariel’s room for healing, there had never been a time when he wasn’t waiting.

But Ariel wasn’t in the room. Feeling awkward in the empty, unfamiliar air, Merrien sat on his bed.

“…Merri! Did you wait long?”

Seeing Ariel catching his breath as he entered the room, apparently having run there, she jumped up.

“Why are you coming in from outside?”

Well, it was natural if he wasn’t in the room, but why had he been outside at this hour?

Just as she was about to scold him for wandering around while sick, Merrien ran to him before he could approach and infused him with Holy Power.

Ariel, who had been breathing heavily, widened his eyes in surprise at Merrien’s sudden proximity.

Secretly pleased by her worried expression, he smiled slightly and turned his head.

“…Ah, I suddenly wanted to see Christopher and went to check, but he had disappeared.”

“Disappeared?!”

Merrien lifted her head. The Holy Power flowing strongly from her hands stuttered before completely stopping.

“Then isn’t he wandering around the mansion?”

With that huge body, if he were wandering around this mansion, it would be absolute chaos.

“That’s not the case. Magical beasts naturally want to return home, so he probably just followed that instinct.”

However, Ariel casually lied while scratching the back of his head.

Christopher was still in his room, crying sadly about having to be sold to Agnes and having to obey him.

“…Is that something to talk about so casually?”

“Merri, this is your home. You know that, right?”

“……”

Here we go again.

Ariel, who had been composed until just now, threw out a meaningful statement.

When such desperate eyes fell on her, Merrien could only close her mouth tightly, at a loss for words.

Perhaps not expecting an answer, Ariel led her towards the bed. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he had Merrien sit in a chair for easier healing.

“How was the dance?”

And he returned to his usual languid and comfortable expression. Merrien watched his reaction as she raised her hands to continue the healing she hadn’t finished earlier.

“Well, it seems better than before.”

Though she spoke casually, her voice was more gloomy than expected. She unconsciously let out a sigh at the end of her words.

“The instructor didn’t do anything strange?”

“What are you talking about? What could possibly happen? She just watched from afar. And besides, we’re both women.”

“Women……”

Ariel’s eyes narrowed in displeasure. After a brief moment of contemplation, he issued a stern warning.

“If the instructor tries to touch you, actively protest ‘No, don’t, please stop.’ Understand?”

“Why are you like this?”

“That person sometimes has perverted tendencies, so it’s best to just learn dancing.”

……If he was going to worry this much, why did he assign such a person?

Every time she returned from dance practice, he would become restless like a puppy with separation anxiety.

‘No matter how I look at it, the instructor didn’t seem like that kind of person.’

She doesn’t even understand why he’s worried. Merrien looked Ariel up and down with uncomprehending eyes.

He lowered his eyes, pretending to be sad.

“I had no choice but to call that person. As you know, I don’t have any friends……”

Wow, there it is again. Ariel’s acting.

He even raised one hand to cover his cheek, pretending to be pitiful.

Merrien let out an obvious scoff.

“Ah.”

Then suddenly, Ariel’s eyes turned cold as he let out a low sigh.