I'm in Love with the Villainess!-Chapter 189: Easier Than I Thought...

I started with the chains—vines bathed in magic, likely imbued with the suppression field that the elf mentioned. I guess they didn’t want to risk her using magic, so they just doubled her restraints.

Smart—if it weren’t for the fact that they treated her this poorly.

Seriously, who in their right mind would treat someone as beautiful as her like this?

Rip!

While the vines were magical, their durability didn’t seem enhanced. They were literally just normal vines wrapped around her arms. Well... at least they were fairly soft for chains.

I guess I can give them credit for that.

They didn’t treat her badly enough for me to just massacre them outright.

That doesn’t mean I’ll let them live, though.

They still touched her and bound her.

In my book, that’s still an unforgivable sin that should never have been committed against my goddess.

I touched her shoulder again, trying my best to force some magic into her by drawing it from the ambient air. But it didn’t work. The moment the magic entered her, it immediately dissipated.

"Impressive..."

Elves really were the magically blessed race. Even the Shadow Society didn’t have access to this kind of magic.

I guess that just leaves one option.

I placed one hand on her hip and the other on her waist, holding her up in my arms. Then I kicked the door open, sending it flying into an unlucky elven guard standing just outside.

BANG!

"H-He’s strong..." An elf remarked.

"M-My lord! Is anything wrong?!"

The elven leader from before rushed back the moment he heard the commotion. He really was such a good lapdog. Maybe I should spare this specific camp.

They seem dumb and scared enough not to even doubt me...

They might become useful agents in the future.

"What about the two gold-haired ones?"

"Them? They were brought directly to Faey."

[Photographic Memory]

Faey, huh? One of this branch of elvenkind’s biological hubs—if the steam and industry back in Eryndor were replaced with plants and living growth.

I really didn’t want to go that far just to rescue them...

"Does the silencing field reach there as well?"

"No, my lord."

"I see. Then do with them as you please."

Well, that makes my job easier. The fact that Faey isn’t covered by a silencing field likely means both Julius and Marcellus can cause chaos the moment they find an opening.

I doubt some elves would be able to contain those two prodigies.

"A-Are you leaving?"

"Yes. Tell me, where’s the closest place where this silencing field ends?"

"Leftmost from here, my lord."

"Then, as you were. I’ll be bringing her with me."

"W-Well... there’s a problem with that."

"That is?"

The elven leader scratched the back of his head, unsure how to deliver the news he’d just received. From his expression alone, it was likely from another higher-up, deeper in elven territory.

"Apparently, the girl’s a D’Arclight. By order, we need to keep her here until more Humaens like you arrive to bring her to the capital."

Hah... what is life if not complications? It just couldn’t be that easy, could it? And here I thought it would be a simple in-and-out, so I could finally live the dream of acting like a married couple with her in our own lands.

[Primordial Pressure]

"And what do you plan to do about it?"

The elven leader immediately collapsed to his knees, clutching his head in agony as if the gravity around him had suddenly multiplied.

The other elven soldiers stared in shock and rushed to help, but the moment they drew near,

they also collapsed. It seemed they weren’t nearly as resilient as their leader.

Unlike him, they were knocked out cold the instant they stepped within range of my power.

"N-Nothing, my lord!" the elven leader gasped, gripping his head hard enough to draw blood. "I’ll tell them she escaped! S-So... aghhh!"

He dropped fully to the ground, bracing himself on his elbows and knees.

"M-Make it stop!"

The elven leader collapsed the moment I released the pressure, his body convulsing on the floor as I walked away.

The sudden shift must have thrown his body into shock.

Well... not my problem anymore.

***

The edge of the silencing field was only a short walk away, and once we passed it, she’d be able to breathe magic again. Hopefully.

I started moving. My steps were light but purposeful, careful not to jostle her too much. I kept one hand supporting her back, the other under her legs.

Carrying her like this was like giving a flamethrower to an arsonist.

The feeling was absolutely unmatched. Having her sleep in my arms was something I had always wanted to do.

Then...

Rustle!

A flicker of movement caught my eye—a lone guard trying to sneak behind us. His eyes were wide, his mouth opening to shout, but he never got a sound out.

My left hand shot out, flicking him aside like a ragdoll. He hit the ground with a thud, unconscious but intact. Efficient, but merciful in its own way.

I guess not everyone bought that I was who I said I was after I brought Evelina with me, but since he’s the only one who stalked me...

I guess the others were still too afraid to question me.

I glanced down at Evelina again. Her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, her hair shimmering faintly in the filtered light. I couldn’t help myself; I leaned down and kissed her on the lips, feeling her stir slightly in her sleep.

It really was like she was hibernating.

Good. The closer we got to the edge of the field, the stronger her magic would become. And once she woke up... I definitely wasn’t patient enough to wait to see her reaction to being saved by me.

Aside from the tournament at the academy and the emperor’s tomb, this was probably the first time I’d actually rescued her from a truly dangerous situation.

"I’m expecting a reward, okay?" I whispered in her ear.

Now... I should probably think about why the elves’ situation deviated from the original novel.

But...

I looked down at Evelina again, seeing her sleep soundly in my arms.

Eh... I’ll deal with that later.