The Harvest Mouse Exits the Fairytale Together with Cinderella-Chapter 90

[It actually worked.]

Inferno muttered in disbelief.

Truthfully, even Elodie hadn’t been sure her method would succeed.

She simply couldn’t afford to sit around and wait for the right moment to be deemed worthy of opening the book.

If she could make her body experience detoxification firsthand, wouldn’t that fulfill the condition?

‘This book records the method to create a body immune to all poisons. I thought just neutralizing Karon’s poison wouldn’t be enough...’

If that had been the case, she had been prepared to ingest some of the poisonous plants in the sanctuary’s greenhouse.

‘Just what is Karon’s poison, anyway?’

The thought briefly crossed her mind, but there was no time to dwell on minor details now.

Opening the book only meant she had been recognized as qualified to read it.

Mastering its contents was an entirely different matter.

‘It’s fine. Edmund and Geno said they would track Karon down.’

No matter what reckless thing he tried to do, they would be able to stop him.

Karon wouldn’t dare release his venom in front of them.

And Edmund—now nineteen years old—had gained fame for being as skilled as Eisenhart in his prime.

If anyone could subdue Karon without harming him, it was Edmund.

If they were lucky, they might even be able to persuade him to return to Valkyrisen.

That would be the best-case scenario, but she wasn’t counting on it.

‘Once I master this book’s contents, I’ll leave with Grandfather...’

Yes, that should be enough.

With that thought, Elodie bit her lip anxiously and focused on reading, flipping through the pages as quickly as she could.

Just then, Inferno suddenly flinched, sparks flying off his body.

His gaze snapped toward the entrance.

[M-My lady.]

"I’m busy right now..."

[I think we have a serious problem.]

"A problem?"

[Someone is trying to break into the sanctuary.]

A trespasser? Now, of all times?

Elodie’s breath caught, but she hesitated before responding.

"Grandfather said he’d wait outside the sanctuary until I finished reading."

She didn’t know what was happening, but Duke Valkyrisen himself was guarding the entrance.

He would handle it.

She didn’t need to stop what she was doing.

Right now, every second spent worrying about external threats was a second wasted—seconds that could determine Karon’s fate.

But even as she forced herself to think that way, her nerves remained on edge.

"What exactly is happening?"

[I can’t see outside.]

"......."

In the previous timeline, Eisen had died around this time.

His fate hadn’t changed yet.

And no matter how strong he was, knowing that made her fear that even a minor incident could be fatal.

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Elodie finally shut the book and cautiously peeked outside.

"...Grandfather?"

But he wasn’t there.

He had promised to wait quietly.

She had warned him repeatedly.

Told him, over and over, not to go ahead even if Edmund and Geno contacted him.

That way, even if he were fatally wounded, she could be right there to heal him.

So why wasn’t he here?

Had he been ambushed in that short moment?

Elodie slung the hammer onto her back and bolted out of the room without hesitation.

And at that exact moment—

"Gotcha, little rat."

A massive hand seized her.

She didn’t even have time to shift back into human form.

"Chii!"

"So it’s true—you turn into an animal when wielding the hammer."

The sanctuary’s entrance was so small that only a harvest mouse could slip in and out—perfect for keeping intruders at bay.

"How ridiculous."

The intruder sneered, gripping Elodie tightly so she couldn’t escape.

He pulled his mask up, revealing his face.

"Chiiiik! (Basilisk!)"

A mask, a hood, jet-black hair, and crimson eyes.

Even before he spoke, Elodie knew—he was a Basilisk.

He had the same colors as Karon, yet his gaze was nothing like Karon’s.

Karon’s eyes were cold but alive. This man’s eyes were slimy and twisted, radiating malice.

"Hmph. I don’t speak rat."

He obviously understood her. Beastfolk could communicate across species.

He was just mocking her.

Elodie struggled harder, but it was futile.

"Tsk. You’re completely powerless the moment you’re caught? And they call this a divine envoy? I went through all that hell because of a pathetic little rat like you?"

Unbelievable.

Scoffing, he bent down to pick up the hammer Elodie had dropped.

‘No!’

If he took that—!

"Tch!"

The moment his fingers brushed the hammer, a violent spark erupted.

His leather glove burned instantly.

But instead of letting go, he stubbornly tried to yank the hammer free, even as his hand was scorched.

Still, the hammer refused to budge from where it had fallen.

"Damn it... So it really won’t work."

He gave up and turned his gaze back to Elodie.

"Guess I should just kill you first."

"Chiik! Chii! (Like hell you will!)"

"If you’re around, 32’s conditioning will break immediately. I was ordered to capture and kill you before you met him."

"...32?"

"Karon, I guess? Though I never liked calling him that."

"Karon...?"

Elodie’s eyes widened.

They had assigned him a number—like a disposable object.

"When I first heard the order, I thought my father had finally decided to dispose of me. But I never expected the Ratson girl to be so weak."

A rat, after all.

He nodded to himself as if the natural order of things had been reaffirmed.

"A rat getting eaten by a snake—it’s only fitting, isn’t it?"

He tightened his grip.

And at that moment—

Magic Cotton.

The little bundles of cotton that had always followed Elodie around, even when she found them annoying.

They sprang into action, launching themselves at the intruder.

"What the—? AAGGHHH!"

He screamed as though electrocuted, his entire body convulsing.

His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed in a heap.

His grip loosened immediately, freeing Elodie.

"Hah... I’m alive..."

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

She finally shifted back into human form, collapsing to the ground, gasping for breath.

Boing, boing—

The Magic Cotton bounced up and down around her head.

"What just..."

That had been magic.

They had used magic.

‘Since when...? No, that’s not the issue right now.’

The intruder had said the Basilisks had brainwashed Karon.

And then they had sent him to Valkyrisen.

‘Karon...! Grandfather!’

Elodie threw open the door and ran.

The Magic Cotton followed right behind her.

***

Karon lowered his gaze to the blade pressed against his throat.

Then, slowly, he turned to look at the one holding it.

Duke Valkyrisen—Eisen.

"I was wondering who could approach so silently."

"......."

"You returned rather quickly for someone who set out to destroy the Basilisks."

Even with a sword at his neck, the boy didn’t so much as blink.

Instead, he tilted his head slightly and said,

"You’ll only ruin your sword if you try to wound me."

"...You’re not in your right mind."

Eisen looked into Karon’s unfocused crimson eyes and came to a grim conclusion.

Though the boy was staring directly at him, his gaze was as if he were looking at someone else entirely.

And to confirm it, Karon spoke again.

"Are you the head of the Basilisks?"

"......."

"For all the rumors of its infamy, its security is surprisingly lax. If I had known, I wouldn’t have wasted time—I would have come here sooner."

‘So he believes this place is the Basilisks’ estate...’

That meant—

‘He’s going to lose control soon.’

Eisen’s normally composed expression twisted into something dark, something rarely seen.

He had never truly been enraged before, even when faced with infuriating matters.

But now—

"Those wretched bastards..."

Karon had never had much time left.

Eisen had known that when he took him in.

Because if it wasn’t Valkyrisen, there was nowhere else the boy could go.

If he let him leave now, he would undoubtedly return to the Basilisks.

And then he would be given [N O V E L I G H T] another mission—one of mass slaughter—before dying.

The boy had carried too cruel a fate, so Eisen had allowed him to stay.

At the very least, he had hoped Karon could live as a person for whatever time he had left.

Karon had been aimless after his adoptive parents died, unable to form attachments anywhere—until he met Elodie.

From then on, he changed.

No, rather—he was willing to destroy himself if it meant staying by her side.

Eisen didn’t know exactly what had transpired between the two.

But considering the miracles Elodie had already shown, he could understand.

He could understand why Karon had made that choice.

And he respected it.

‘Foolish child.’

That was why Eisen hadn’t stopped him.

Karon was no different from someone with an incurable condition.

His time was running out.

If what he wanted before death was to remain near Elodie, even as a snake—

If he wished to burn away the last of his life for revenge—

How could he be stopped?

But now...

‘They brainwashed him and sent him back.’

To Valkyrisen.

To the only place that had ever been a home to him.

‘They want him to destroy everything with his own hands.’

How far were they willing to drag a single life into the abyss?

Eisen thought back.

Had there ever been a moment in his life where he had regretted something this much?

He regretted waiting.

Yes, they had needed time to uncover the true mastermind behind Elodie’s kidnapping and the curse on the Valkyrisen family.

But another reason for waiting was to let the boy take his revenge.

And now—

"If I had known your death would be this cruel, I would have erased them from existence myself."

Eisen reached out, pressing his palm firmly against Karon’s head.

But Karon did not react.

He did not recognize the grief, the regret, or the warmth in Eisen’s touch.

Instead, his vacant crimson eyes flickered, and he muttered,

"No, perhaps I timed this just right."

He could feel it now—his venom was beginning to mutate.

If he unleashed it within the Basilisks’ main estate, in the presence of their head...

He wouldn’t even need to think.

He could deal a fatal blow.

No—if he was lucky, he might be able to destroy the entire Basilisk family.

As he thought this, a thin smile spread across his lips.

The Basilisks’ security had been weaker than expected.

That meant his death wouldn’t be in vain.

He would be able to avenge those who had helped him, to protect the people who had given him shelter.

And that...

That was a relief.

"......."

Like a snake striking its prey, Karon suddenly grabbed Eisen’s hand.

Without hesitation, he released his venom.

As soon as the old man’s skin began to blacken—

"No, Long-Long!"

A figure rushed in, throwing themselves between the two.

More precisely, they flung themselves onto Karon, forcing him backward.

Knocking him off balance, pinning him down—

Holding him tightly so his venom could spread no further.