Taming The Villainesses novel Chapter 376

They said that Fortress Gargarta was personally designed and consecrated by the Demon King Solomon in preparation for his final stand.

Because of that, the fortress interior held numerous traps meant to repel invaders, and more than a few secret rooms whose purpose remained unknown.

“Lady Mirna, are you here, by any chance?”

As I searched for Mirna, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy—had she perhaps slipped into one of those secret rooms I didn’t know about? Otherwise, there was no reason she should be this impossible to find.

What if something had gone wrong with Mirna?

The thought made me anxious. If she had been seriously injured or even vanished altogether, could I handle that?

No.

I had to find her, fast.

But the fortress wasn’t narrow enough for me to go wandering around blindly.

With the sun set, the fortress had become a twisted maze, full of cryptic structures and rooms with no clear purpose. The atmosphere was more than a little eerie.

First, I needed to think.

How had Mirna behaved, and where might she have moved? According to Narmee, the last place she was seen was near the large kitchen on the first floor of the fortress.

She had apparently seen a suspicious shadow there and followed it. Then my best option would be to head toward the kitchen myself.

Step, step.

Each time I moved, the sound of my footsteps echoed unnaturally loud between the cold stone walls. Though the corridor was completely empty, I had the persistent feeling that someone was watching me.

“Bael.”

━.......

Just in case, I called out to Bael, the paper spider curled inside [N O V E L I G H T] me. But there was no response. Was she asleep? Ever since the tournament, Bael had been spending most of the day in slumber.

It was right then.

BOOOOOM!

With a massive rumble, the sounds of clashing forces erupted around me. That could only mean one thing. Just as Stella’s sentries had warned, a night raid was underway.

I leaned toward the nearest window, and sure enough—figures were sprinting frantically across the ramparts.

━How many are there!?

━I don’t know! It’s too dark to see! Just—too many!

I didn’t know the full situation, but the urgency was unmistakable. Should I go join them? Or was it better to trust the others and keep looking for Mirna?

After a brief deliberation, I chose to trust Lady Stella, Elga, and Narmee.

I’d already left the fortress’s defense in their hands, and promised I would take charge of finding Mirna. I would do what I said I would do.

Besides, there were plenty of brave warriors stationed here—and Ayra was among them.

Comforting myself with those thoughts, I moved deeper down the dark hallway.

Amid the rushing crowd, I scoured the area for a glimpse of Mirna’s silver hair. Unfortunately, I didn’t spot her among them.

Where had she disappeared to?

In the end, I had no choice but to wake Bael. If anyone could help me locate Mirna, it was her.

Bael, wake up.

━...Hiooong.

We have to find Mirna.

Shhk.

As I spread out my palm, black shadows gathered and formed the shape of a small spider.

Seeming to understand my instructions, the spider leapt off and began to scurry in a specific direction. Before long, I found something lying by the wall near the kitchen.

It was a long strand of hair—glinting silver and quite distinctive.

It must’ve belonged to Mirna.

I tied the strand like a ribbon around Bael’s waist.

Bael, now adorned with the silver hair ribbon, seemed rather pleased, lifting her front legs alternately as if dancing.

“We can say thanks later. Let’s go find the owner of that hair.”

━Hiooong...!

With a strange cry, she clung to a nearby wall. Then she stopped moving.

Still, I could vaguely tell what she was trying to say.

Shhk.

I extended my hand, and Bael climbed onto the back of it, then up to my shoulder.

Without paying her any mind, I pressed against the part of the stone wall where she had clung.

With a faint clunk, part of the wall receded inward.

“There was a secret door here.”

It seemed likely Mirna had passed through this way. No wonder I couldn’t find her by conventional means.

Shhk.

I stepped into the passage—just wide enough for a single person to squeeze through.

Dust was thick in the air, and cobwebs covered the walls, making it clear this place had been abandoned for quite some time. But on the sandy, dusty floor, I saw footprints that seemed relatively recent.

I say “footprints” because there were at least two distinct sets.

One of them appeared to be Mirna’s. They matched the size of her small feet.

The other was even smaller—like a child’s.

─Light.

I cast a 1st-rank illumination spell, and Bael and I followed the trail of footprints.

***

BOOOM—

With another great tremor, the fortress shook. A cloud of dust fell from the ceiling and covered me, leaving me looking like a strawberry coated in powdered sugar.

“Cough, cough.”

I’d only just washed up an hour ago, and I was already filthy again.

Still, I wasn’t so lacking in class that I would complain about that. Right now, out beyond these walls, countless people were fighting monsters tooth and nail.

Every time I heard the screams and battle cries, I felt a pang of guilt for being in a safe place by myself. Elga, Stella, and Narmee were all out there giving it their all.

Fwaaash—.

Suddenly, everything around me lit up. Turning my head, I saw a brilliant light shining through the cracks in the brickwork.

─7th-Rank Radiance: Baldur.

A powerful spell had been cast. Even though we had a number of mages among the Angmar forces, only Ayra, aside from me, could wield magic of that caliber.

So Ayra had gone to the battlefield, too.

Was that spell meant as a flare?

━Hiooong...!

“Yeah, we’d better hurry too.”

Resolved not to waste time, I pressed on, following the trail through the hidden passage.

After walking for over ten minutes, I realized just how many such hidden passages were built into the fortress—each one leading to countless nooks and rooms of unclear purpose.

The one that caught my eye was a narrow space, just wide enough for a person to squeeze into.

Calling it a “room” was generous, but the presence of a wooden box and a worn blanket made it obvious that someone had been living here.

Flicker.

A candle was still burning.

...So someone had been here until very recently?

Mirna lifted one leg. I grabbed her thigh and yanked backward with all my strength. But the passage was narrower than expected—it wouldn’t be easy getting her out. _{fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓}