Taming The Villainesses novel Chapter 401

They say the culture of valuing children hasn’t been around for very long.

Human history has always been riddled with conflict and chaos.

And in that endless turbulence, weak children—unable to protect themselves—were always the first to be ground down by the selfishness and cruelty of adults.

Especially in this chaotic world, a child without parents is just someone who could vanish at any time, only briefly gossiped about before being quickly forgotten.

That was probably why orphans were chosen as the test subjects for Solomon’s spell experiments.

So when Forest Keeper Faru led the children around the back of one of the monastery’s secluded buildings—I had the cold realization that perhaps things really were happening just as I’d feared.

Just in case, I followed him carefully, ready to catch him in the act if it came to that. At last, I saw him pull something out for the children under the dim shadows.

“Here, eat up. I just steamed them, so they should still be hot.”

“...Whoa, it’s hot.”

“Huahhahhah.”

It was a steaming root vegetable.

Potatoes, maybe? Watching the children scarf them down made something warm rise in my chest, like a hot potato swelling inside my own heart.

Was I being too suspicious?

Still, I waited until they finished eating. After all, luring hungry children with food and using them for foul deeds was such a common tactic it might as well have been a textbook case.

But after finishing their potatoes, the children promptly returned to their rooms. Only Forest Keeper Faru remained, cleaning up. Without turning around, he spoke.

“Who’s there?”

So he’d noticed me? Guess his title as a forest keeper wasn’t just for show—his instincts were sharp. As sharp as any wild animal’s.

Swish.

I stepped out from the shadows around the corner and walked toward him. Upon seeing me, he opened his eyes slightly and scratched his forehead in embarrassment.

“You’re Marmar’s friend, right? What was your name again...?”

“I’m Teo Gospel.”

“Teo Gospel, huh...”

Upon hearing my name, the man’s face shimmered under the moonlight with a curious expression.

But I could tell, vaguely, that it wasn’t because I was the most well-known half-fairy in Angmar. He muttered:

“Gospel, huh...”

“It’s a common name in orphanages like this one. Like Gloria or Gracia.”

“Right. Yes, of course. Even in this very orphanage, there are over ten kids named Gospel. And beyond these fences and forests, there are likely countless more. So then, can you understand what you just saw?”

“Children at that age can’t be satisfied with strict rations. They’re still growing.”

At my words, Faru’s bearded lips curled up into a smile.

“Exactly. I was like that, too. When I think back to my own childhood, all I remember ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) is being hungry. I did whatever it took to fill my belly. I hated that.”

“So that’s why you’re sneaking them potatoes?”

“Grown-ups think kids don’t matter, but the memories from childhood stick around sharper than you’d think. I just wanted them to have one good memory—when they grow up someday.”

Going to bed with a full belly after secretly eating a hot potato. Yeah, I could see how that might become a good memory. This man had a kind heart.

They say herbivores have an instinct for sensing danger. And nymphs are known to have a natural ability to distinguish between good and evil. As a half-fairy, I wasn’t much different.

I could tell that this man was a good person. And maybe, just maybe, this orphanage wasn’t the terrible place I’d feared.

Especially with Marmar’s friend acting as headmistress. Friends often resemble one another. If Narnar was someone Marmar respected, then perhaps she had also kept herself away from anything wicked.

“...Um.”

Just then, Forest Keeper Faru cautiously examined my expression and asked carefully:

“Teo, you seem to be someone of quite high status...”

“What makes you think that?”

“Among the people I know, Baron Voltaire is the highest-ranking and most elegant man. But you... You wear better clothes than him. Arrived in a finer carriage. And your bearing—it’s even more commanding than Baron Voltaire’s.”

I see—so he’d deduced my status from my attitude and behavior.

I paused for a moment, unsure how to explain that I was the royal court magician, the queen’s official envoy, and the sole surviving member of the Angmar family.

Forest Keeper Faru, looking quite uneasy, added quickly:

“And since you’re a friend of Marmar’s, I figured you must be someone with a good heart. I know it’s shameless of me to ask this, but... Please, save that child.”

“Save... who?”

The abruptness of it made me ask reflexively. Just as he opened his mouth to explain, someone shone a light toward us.

“Who’s there?”

It was a nun, wearing a black scarf over her head. At her appearance, Forest Keeper Faru shut his mouth and quickly vanished somewhere.

***

The next morning.

The bed was hard and uncomfortable, which made it easy to wake up.

Well—maybe it wasn’t just the bed. There were plenty of other reasons it was hard to sleep. What was it that Forest Keeper Faru had been trying to tell me?

It weighed on my mind.

If I could find him today, I had to ask.

Swish.

I rose and stepped outside, where the early dawn chill still lingered. In the dewy, misty air, I saw Marmar bustling about.

“Marmar, what are you doing?”

“Ah! Comrade! You’re up! I was just about to bring you some water!”

Creak, creak.

Marmar was hauling up a bucket using the well’s pulley system. Seeing her struggle with it, I tried to help, but she shook her head.

“I was in charge of morning water back then. I used to draw it from the well and leave it outside the headmistress’s and nuns’ rooms. There wasn’t even a pulley like this before! The place has improved a lot!”

“Really?”

Afterward, Marmar showed me the monastery’s vegetable garden and orchard.

“Nothing’s changed at all. It’s exactly the way I remember it!”

She looked bright and cheerful. To find your hometown preserved just as you remembered it—of course that would bring joy when returning after a long time.