This Villainess’s Parenting Method is Her Fists

“He’ll be here soon. This is so d*mn boring, isn’t it?”

“…”

Lynen kept his eyes fixed ahead, habitually ignoring Dietrich’s comment.

They were hidden along one of the routes the rebels used to bring in supplies from outside. This was one of several paths.

This information came from recent recruits to the resistance. Luke’s resistance forces had grown considerably by now.

With preparations complete, it was time to redirect the flow.

“According to our information, the rebels travel in groups of about ten. Most are said to be small fry.”

Lynen planned to disguise himself by borrowing one of their outfits.

“Disguising yourself among the small fry means you probably won’t encounter their leader, but you should still be careful. They say he kills without hesitation if things go wrong.”

“It’s better to avoid confrontation if possible. I just need to find Calliphe.”

Just then.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

Lynen’s bracelet, made of Echo Ore, vibrated. It was the signal before Calliphe would transmit sound.

Lynen found himself smiling involuntarily.

Though it was frustrating that they couldn’t have a two-way conversation like with Communication Stones, there was something enjoyable about just listening to Calliphe chattering away.

He realized anew how pleasant her babbling voice was.

‘Like birdsong.’

His thoughts were plainly visible on his face.

Lynen didn’t notice Dietrich pretending to gag behind him, focusing instead on the incoming sounds.

—The storage room contains various items stockpiled by the rebels. Warehouse Number 3 has medical supplies, and Warehouse Number 1 houses children. Those children are…

Lynen organized the useful information in his mind while listening to Calliphe’s report.

‘Yulid’s room is on the third floor, and the storage room is on the first floor. Among the medical supplies are flammable materials. Used properly, they could cause a massive explosion.’

Thanks to Calliphe’s diligence in moving around as Yulid’s secretary, he was able to understand the rebels’ approximate forces, base facilities, and even some of the guard shift schedules.

But then, near the end of Calliphe’s report:

—For these reasons, it appears Leader Yulid has teamed up with Henrik to find his daughter’s whereabouts… Gasp!

The sound cut off momentarily after her surprised voice.

“…Calliphe?”

“Huh? What’s happening?”

When Lynen muttered in confusion, Dietrich, who had been half-distracted, focused his attention.

Calliphe’s flustered voice continued:

—L-Leader? What brings you here in the middle of the night? And why is your chest so exposed?!

“…!”

Dietrich’s eyes widened while Lynen’s brows furrowed sharply.

—What do you mean? Didn’t I say I would come find you?

—I thought you meant tomorrow morning. And why aren’t your clothes properly fastened? Button up right now!

—I’ll be taking them off anyway. You’ve seen it multiple times already, so what’s the problem?

“…!!”

Dietrich’s nostrils flared with intense interest.

Yulid had a habit of sleeping shirtless. Calliphe, as his secretary, had seen him like this before returning to her own room. So naturally, she had seen it multiple times.

However, Dietrich and Lynen had no way of knowing these circumstances.

“Whoa, this is crazy. Is this what I think it is? He visits a woman’s room in the middle of the night and says he’s going to take off his clothes… Ugh.”

“Excuse me?”

Lynen grabbed the back of Dietrich’s head and shoved it into the ground, pressing down firmly with his knee.

“Ack, Duke! I’m getting dirt in my mouth… Pfft.”

Yulid’s voice continued:

—Did you pack your things?

—No. I don’t really have much to pack anyway.

—Is that so? Good. Follow me.

—Where are we… w-wait a minute!

Footsteps followed, then the sound of a door opening twice.

—This is the room next to your bedroom, Leader.

—That’s right. From now on, this is your room.

—What? Why would I stay in such a shabby place! The bed is only single-sized! I can’t sleep here!

—…Well, if that’s your complaint, I’ll have it luxuriously furnished. Anyway, from now on you’ll be closer.

—I understand your point, but… everyone will definitely misunderstand!

—Will they?

Thump. Footsteps were approaching.

The voice grew closer. The distance between the two had undoubtedly narrowed.

Yulid’s voice laughed.

—What can I do? That’s exactly what I want.

After all, rumors were better than having his subordinates discover he was receiving treatment.

Of course, Lynen and Dietrich had no way of knowing this either.

Although Calliphe had reported to Yulid about the weakness of insects hiding inside him, at this moment, neither of them recalled that fact.

The content they had just heard was too shocking.

“…Duke? I think the Echo Ore resonance has ended?”

“…”

Lynen didn’t hear him.

He was listening to something else now. The future of Yulid and Calliphe that the Mirror of Truth had shown him.

—I’ll give you all the love I couldn’t express before. So, won’t you leave with me?

—A-Alright. But you know you’ll be in trouble if you burden me with something heavier than debt.

—Of course, my one and only princess.

The color gradually drained from Lynen’s face. He had suspected it but didn’t want to believe it.

The terrible future was becoming reality.

“…”

“Gasp, Duke! They’re here. The rebel group has appeared!”

“…”

“Huh? I think they’re coming this way… They’ve noticed us! Snap out of it, please!”

As Dietrich shook Lynen’s shoulders, someone’s shadow fell over them.

“Looks like we’ve got some rats hiding here.”

A man in a black robe grinned. Not an ordinary robe. It was the uniform of the Special Magic Department.

Under the orders of Henrik, the head of the Special Magic Department, this was a squad leader sent to pre-select children worth taking.

“Well, who do we have here? Baron Rotten? And this is…”

The man was well-built, but his features were unremarkable, and his clothes were shabby, suggesting he was one of Baron Rotten’s subordinates.

He wasn’t moving at all, seemingly tense from the encounter.

The squad leader smirked and asked Dietrich:

“What brings Baron Rotten all the way here? Orders from the Young Marquis?”

“Ah, that’s… Yes!”

“That’s strange. If we were operating in the same area, I should have been informed of those orders.”

“To tell you the truth, it’s not orders. I’m acting on my own.”

Dietrich cleared his throat and stood up. The Young Marquis’s people still considered Dietrich a double agent.

“As you know, I haven’t been able to accomplish much lately. So I came looking for an opportunity.”

“So it’s not the Young Marquis’s orders, and you came here alone?”

“That’s what I said.”

The squad leader’s eyes narrowed.

“Then how did you know about this location?”

“…”

Oops.

“Lying in ambush in such a remote place. Almost like you knew someone would pass by?”

“Y-yes! Of course I knew. But I didn’t expect your group instead of the resistance fighters! Hahaha.”

“Hahaha, I see.”

“Exactly. Hahaha.”

“…Did you really think I’d buy that?”

Whoosh! A small fireball created by the squad leader’s artifact hit the ground at Dietrich’s feet.

“Hey! Why are you attacking allies? Have you lost your mind?”

“It’s just too suspicious to believe outright. If our investigation proves it was a misunderstanding, I’ll apologize then.”

“If you’re investigating, you shouldn’t be burning people… Ahhh!”

As fireballs flew in succession, Dietrich screamed and scrambled backward.

The squad leader, who was about to pursue him, noticed Dietrich’s subordinate still sitting in place and smirked.

He aimed a large fireball at the subordinate’s head.

“If you don’t cooperate, your subordinate’s life will disappear, you know?”

“Um, hey, you really shouldn’t do that. That guy’s in a bad mood right now.”

“Worrying about your subordinate? How pathetic!”

Whoosh!

As the fireball engulfed the man, the squad leader burst into maniacal laughter. How thirsty he had been in the Special Magic Department, only k*lling monsters!

Indeed, human screams were more pleasant to hear than those of monsters…

“Excuse me?”

“Huh?”

There should have been screams…

“Why are you grinning? Are you mocking me?”

Within the fierce flames, the man’s gray-blue eyes glinted like unmelting ice.

“W-what? How is this—”

“…I clearly warned against this.”

Right after Dietrich’s murmur:

“Aaaaargh!”

Swish! With a sword draw too fast to see, five streams of cold sword energy slashed through the air.

Not only the squad leader but also the rebels who had been watching with smirks were cut down by the sword energy and died instantly.