Taming The Villainesses novel Chapter 417

We ran through the forest. We sprinted for quite a while through dense underbrush and thickets.

The towering walls of Monarch City shrank behind us, becoming no larger than candy—and even smaller than that—before Elga finally came to a halt.

“At this point, even the pursuers won’t be able to follow us.”

At those words, Mirna, who had been gripping a tree with her robe lifted, gasped for air.

“This is the first time I’ve done something so wicked. I feel like my heart’s going to explode. Oh my God, I ran away so irresponsibly. I... I’m committing a terrible crime right now...!”

As expected of Mirna, who always holds herself to such strict standards, she seemed to feel a deep emotional weight over this escape.

To that, Elga replied:

“There’s no time for sentiment. By now, people must’ve realized we’re gone. I’m sure my dad is buying us time somehow.”

At the mention of Elga’s father, Mirna looked even more horrified.

“I even received words of blessing in place of my father from Duke Reinhardt...! If he finds out we fled like this, he’ll be terribly disappointed, won’t he? We’ll be running into him often at court—how am I ever going to face him...?”

“Think about that later. If my dad started playing his saxophone to grab everyone’s attention, we probably have about two hours of breathing room—”

“Wait. Your father plays the saxophone?”

Stella cut in with a question from a strange angle. I wondered if that was really important right now—but honestly, I was curious too. That stiff old man, playing an instrument?

Elga said, “I’ve seen him playing by himself from time to time. He doesn’t seem to want people to find out, so I never said anything. He plays piano too. Pretty much everything.”

Reinhardt playing an instrument... I would’ve liked to see that. A shame that we had to run away like this.

“Anyway, we should try to cross the border within the next two to three hours. If our identities get exposed along the way, it’ll be a huge problem. Let’s change into different clothes. You all brought your spares like I told you, right?”

Before we escaped the royal palace using the dimensional portal drawn into the carpet, the noblewomen had each separated for about ten minutes to grab some supplies. It seemed they’d brought simple, practical clothes to change into.

Rustle, rustle.

I helped them out of their dresses and into more comfortable gear. Now, the five brides and their groom had vanished, replaced by five adventurers and their guide.

“I’ll hold onto the dresses.”

I stored the noblewomen’s changed outfits carefully in my inventory, 《Squirrel Storage》. As each one disappeared into my storage, Narmee spoke up, sounding wistful.

“They were so pretty. Do you think we’ll ever get to wear them again...? Or maybe this is it—maybe we’ll never wear something like that again. Thinking this is the end... it’s kinda sad after all.”

“...”

No one else said anything, but I figured they were probably feeling the same way Narmee was. So I tried to comfort them with genuine sincerity.

“We’ll finish the rest of it when we get back. The wedding isn’t over—it’s just temporarily on hold. When we come back from the trip, we’ll do it all again.”

Bigger and louder than before.

We’ll make it last a full week, no—a whole month, a grand festival. Then maybe everyone will forget their regrets and just enjoy it to the fullest.

That seemed to lift the heavy mood a little. As we glanced over one another’s outfits, Stella said,

“Why does everyone look like adventurers? You look more like you’re about to climb a mountain than go on a honeymoon. I mean, I know we’re heading beyond the barrier, but still.”

She seemed pretty hung up on the daggers and ropes the noblewomen were carrying. Truthfully, they looked more like a gang of robbers about to hit a bank than newlyweds on a trip.

Elga said,

“There’s bound to be trouble where we’re going. Teo, your hometown... I’ve just got this bad feeling it won’t be easy.”

Mirna nodded too.

“I don’t know why, but I felt like I had to dress like this too.”

Were they telepathic or something? No, maybe they just felt the tension in the very idea of my hometown beyond the barrier.

It wouldn’t be easy to go there lightheartedly, like it was just a casual trip. It really was a ridiculous request on my part. I suddenly felt sorry and grateful to these women for following along with my absurd plan.

“Thank you all for indulging my selfish request.”

Just as I was expressing my gratitude, Elga, who had been meticulously inspecting the seams of her leather gloves, turned her head awkwardly.

“You’ve listened to all our nonsense too, haven’t you?”

Narmee nodded.

“Teo did everything I asked for too! Then it’s only fair I grant one of his requests, at least once. Hehe...”

Even Ayra spoke.

“You’ve always told me you wanted to go on a vacation. Maybe this will be that vacation. Though it’ll be a bit busier than usual.”

They were clearly trying not to make me feel burdened. I had so much I wanted to say to them—but that could wait until we came back.

***

The Clarice Grand Barrier, standing strong and tall to protect northern Angmar. Only kingdom-authorized searchers were allowed to pass through it freely.

Of course, the world is full of people who do things not permitted—or outright forbidden—by law.

No matter how many forts you build, it’s impossible to cover every gap. Human affairs just can’t be perfect.

The place we were headed to, known as the “Squirrel Hole,” was one of those imperfect gaps.

Back in the days when I lived in Sandora, a city near the northern wall, I had kept an eye on several illegal searchers. One of them was now guiding us.

Tory the Blabbermouth.

He looked like a flippant man in his thirties, but I remembered him because of a large mole beside his left nostril.

“So, you folks are crossing the wall, huh? Today of all days? There's some kinda wedding or festival happening somewhere in Angmar right now—place is in an uproar.”

He seemed curious why we’d try to cross the dangerous barrier on such a festive day. As he inspected our robe-covered figures closely...

“Come «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» to think of it, you all look kinda familiar...”

If our identities got exposed, things would go south real fast. Everyone pulled their hoods deeper over their faces. Tory burst into loud laughter.

“Well, everyone’s got their reasons for jumping fences. My job ends once you’re across. Besides, days like this—these festive ones—they only work because people like me are doing the jobs no one sees.”

When someone’s resting, someone else is working. Even on holidays, someone’s still working behind the scenes. That’s how the world keeps turning.

It’s a noble sentiment—but hearing it from a criminal smuggler gives it a weird taste.

Still, his skills weren’t just empty talk. Following him, we soon reached a hole dug deep into the western base of the wall near Sandora.

A burrow dug right under the barrier—a literal tunnel through the earth.