I Thought I Healed the Villain's Sickly Younger Brother - Chapter 26

“Hm?”

Before Merrien could sense something was wrong, Ariel snapped his fingers.

……Ack!

Merrien’s ears perked up at the faint scream. She thought she caught something falling outside the window in her peripheral vision.

“Didn’t you just hear something outside the window?”

Merrien jumped up and hurriedly opened the window.

But even when she leaned her upper body out and looked around, there was nothing. Only bright sunlight streamed into the room.

“Don’t know? Maybe some perverted lizard was eavesdropping.”

“What are you talking about…?”

Did she really hear wrong? Ariel just made strange jokes as if he hadn’t seen anything.

“Today is really strange.”

Merrien tilted her head, frowning at the intensely bright weather, then closed the window and returned to her original spot.

Meanwhile, outside the window.

Agnes, who had retreated far away to the rooftop, hurriedly extinguished the fire on his wings while muttering inwardly, ‘Crazy b*****d…’

It was such powerful fire magic that if he had been even slightly slower, her entire body might have been reduced to ashes in an instant.

***

As the clock struck six in the evening, the Hartez mansion became quiet to the point of silence.

It was such a strange scene that one might doubt if it was a lie to say that dozens of people had been coming and going until just 10 minutes ago.

“Shall we go?”

Ariel, his hair now snow-white silver, walked through the silence-stained corridor.

Wearing his mask, he had perfectly transformed into the appearance of the Tower Master.

Soon arriving at the room where the magical beast was kept, he lightly snapped his fingers.

The multiple locks that had seemed unbreakable crumbled into sand.

It was also a sign that he would no longer keep ‘Christopher Alexander Montgomery Harrison’ here.

“……”

After breaking the locks without hesitation, he suddenly hesitated while holding the doorknob.

“Merri even petted it… What a shame.”

He clicked his tongue, seemingly having forgotten that he had forced her to pet it. After putting aside his pointless attachment, he opened the door.

“…Whimper.”

The magical beast that had tried to devour Agnes earlier seemed to anticipate its future, wearing a distant look.

Its three dog-like heads drooped their ears, and its terrifyingly massive legs were pressed flat against the floor.

“I’m back, Christopher.”

However, there wasn’t a trace of sympathy in Ariel’s demeanor.

He teleported and tapped the beast’s hide, checking its condition.

“…?”

The magical beast became confused when its master, who always scratched its chin and treated it affectionately, showed no interest in its pitiful act.

Soon after finishing his inspection, Ariel removed the thick chains binding the beast’s hind legs.

Clang! A tremendous sound echoed as the heavy chains hit the floor.

And right then was the moment.

The top-tier magical beast, having waited for this moment for a long time, didn’t miss its chance. The beast, which had been crawling carefully with hidden fangs, now free from restraints, began its final struggle.

Grooowl—!

As it roared loudly and spread its wings…

Bang-! Before it could do anything, the beast collapsed to the floor.

Its massive body was slammed right next to where the chains had fallen.

Ariel, wrinkling his nose at the thick smoke, dusted off his clothes.

This time he looked very displeased about getting properly dusty.

He crouched in front of the magical beast, whose three faces showed a mixture of frustration, bewilderment, and fear.

“This is why magical beasts are no good. Give them a little kindness and they try to climb all over you.”

Ariel’s eyes narrowed until they were barely visible.

Perhaps because of the mask, the magical beast felt an even stranger sensation and shuddered. It felt like goosebumps were rising on its thick hide.

“Should I just pull out all your teeth?”

All three heads were struck with terror.

After that, ‘Christopher Alexander Montgomery Harrison,’ now bound by nothing, followed behind Ariel without any further resistance.

Their destination was the peak of a barren rocky mountain without a single tree.

“Thud.”

The magical beast folded its wings and landed behind Ariel, who had touched down lightly.

Judging by how little noise it made despite its large body, it must have landed very carefully.

“……Seems you trained it well?”

Someone’s voice came through the hazy smoke. When Ariel waved his left hand, the smoke that had been covering the entire rocky mountain instantly disappeared.

Not far away, Agnes sat in a chair intricately carved from stone.

Resting his arm on the armrest and propping his chin, Agnes’s black pupils had narrowed vertically as he stared at the two.

“Of course.”

When Ariel lightly tapped the magical beast, a whimpering ‘whine’ was heard.

But such attempts to evoke sympathy didn’t work even slightly on these two men who knew more about magical beasts than anyone else in the empire.

When Ariel casually leaned against the beast’s body, it flinched, seemingly remembering its recent punishment.

“Merri even petted it. What if she gets sad when Christopher leaves? Would you transform into a lizard and stay instead?”

“Can I?”

“……”

Ariel’s sly smile dropped instantly at the quick response.

Agnes let out a laugh at Ariel’s constantly changing reactions whenever Merrien was mentioned and adjusted his posture.

“I didn’t know you were this serious.”

“About what.”

“About Merrien.”

“Don’t say her name.”

…Yes, exactly like this. Agnes observed Ariel while covering his lower jaw to hide his fangs.

While his blue eyes remained calm and unwavering, the sparks flying from his hands clearly showed his agitated mood.

No wonder the magical beast beside him was trembling.

“Our dear Tower Master. How do you hide such strong possessiveness in front of her? So, what exactly captivated you so much?”

“……”

Agnes’s pupils, filled with pure curiosity, turned almost completely black, leaving barely any white visible.

Ariel silently recalled the first day he saw Merrien.

It wasn’t the day he officially visited as Duke Hartez, nor the day he came as a transformed puppy.

“……Ugh, those insufferable nobles! Who do they think they are!”

That petite woman who burst into the artificial garden Ariel had created as his private retreat, believing it to be empty – that was their first encounter.

Ariel smiled shyly at the memory that felt as clear as if it had just happened. His cheeks reddened beneath his mask.

“I’d never seen a woman who cursed and shouted like that before.”

“…?”

What’s he talking about…? Agnes’s pupils narrowed again as his curiosity quickly faded. Indeed, this man wasn’t quite right in the head.

But Ariel seemed already lost in his reminiscence, unable to escape.

“Here it’s the High Priest and nobles. And soon the Tower Master. That damn Tower Master!!!”

Ariel, who had been secretly watching Merrien cry out and shout ‘Tower Master,’ was confused.

…No, what did I do wrong? While it’s true he didn’t remember people’s names or faces well, he was certain he’d never seen such a woman before, no matter how much he searched his memories.

Looking closer, she seemed to be the empire’s only Saint he’d heard rumors about…. They had never even met.

“I can’t die by the Tower Master’s hands, no way. Before that, I’ll fill my healing quota and leave……”

And then those cryptic words.

Agnes turned away in disgust at Ariel, who was now beaming.

“She was the first person I’d ever seen badmouthing me.”

“You’re really insane, you know that?”

Agnes promptly cursed at Ariel’s muttering.

But Ariel paid no attention. He continued his monologue as if he couldn’t hear anything.

“She absolutely cannot leave.”

Finally, his voice trembled slightly as he enunciated each syllable.

Ariel’s blue eyes gradually filled with madness, becoming dark and turbid.

…Provoking him at times like this could actually get you killed. Agnes gulped.