134 - How Could the Villainous Young Master Be a Saintess?

134~ Why Are All the Villains Richer Than Him These Days? "Don’t worry, Princess Mirexia. These lackeys are nothing to me," Wenny said confidently, hefting his spear and giving Mirexia a reassuring smile. "Hey, you bunch of lowly scum, hand over my princess, or I’ll send you to face your master. Do you understand?" Wenny pointed his spear at the figure in the purple robe, his expression icy. "You counterfeit brat, I thought you were as insignificant as a discarded rag, but I see now I was wrong. Not only are you worthless, you're laughably foolish," the man in purple sneered. "You had a chance to live, yet you squandered it. You’re just a fraud who foolishly thought this disaster was an opportunity to play the hero and rescue the lady, forsaking your only chance at survival." The taunt was dripping with disdain. "So dumb it's disappointing. Even with the goddess’s banner, you're utterly naive." "Arrogant? I think you’re the ones who are arrogant," Wenny spat, contempt clear in his voice. "I’ve only withdrawn from competing for the farcical title of top villain because it's a waste of time. If I wanted, none of you could stand against me." "If I decided to be the villainous leader, all you pathetic followers would have to step aside. It's truly a case of ‘while the cat's away, the mice will play.’ Random nobodies think they can trample on me, the real deal." "But honestly, competing with trash not fit for a dumpster diminishes my standards. Though renowned as the capital’s infamous antihero, engaging in your despicable deeds would sully my hands." "Survival instinct is natural, but humans have emotions. Even if I am an antihero, it doesn't stop me from saving my childhood friend and princess. Got it? You filth." As he spoke, Wenny summoned [Armor Barrier], and his entire body was clad in thick armor. "Wenny..." Mirexia watched in awe as the armored warrior spoke proudly and valiantly. At this moment, he resembled a knight rescuing a princess from a fairy tale. "Virtue +100." "Current Virtue: 2554." "An armor-based soul skill? Can't even the heir of the 'Saintess' family harness the 'Holy Emissary' nowadays? And yet, they worry needlessly," the man in purple laughed. "Well, he’s just a fraud; my expectations were always low." "Dispose of the boy however you please," the purple robe instructed the black-horned creatures beside him. The creatures opened their large mouths, spewing a spray of green corrosive liquid toward Wenny. "Sssss!" The armored figure remained motionless as the acid hit his armor, emitting white smoke from corrosion. "Tch! Filthy beasts, can't you pick up after yourselves?" Wenny snarled at the foul attack. The acidic liquid, with a chemical scent, seemed to be a toxic alchemical potion, corroding his armor. "Boy, this is 'Wild Viper Venom,' potent enough to melt bones. I’ll enjoy watching you melt away," the purple robe grinned viciously. With white smoke rising from his armor, Wenny knelt, propping himself up with his spear, motionless. "Heh, it looks like the venom’s permeated, dissolving the boy," the purple robe gloated. "Stop struggling, Princess Mirexia, that arrogant fool is dead." He glanced at Mirexia, restrained by tentacles. "Once his body dissolves, his soul skill will vanish." Abruptly, a chain of ice wrapped around the purple robe's staff. "What?!" he gasped, as a force pulled his staff from his grip. Mirexia, bound by tendrils, began to fall from the sky, closing her eyes until she landed in a cold, firm embrace. The one who held her swung his spear, severing the tentacles, turning the attacking monsters into frozen statues. [Frostfull Moon Slash] "When did you get here, brat?" "Old idiot, was that your best? Not remotely satisfying," sniffed Wenny, barely sparing a thought for the fragrant presence he held as he dashed away with Mirexia. Yes, the danger had been a ruse. Reinforced by his journey to the sorcerer realm, his [Armor Barrier] had gained new resistances, absorbing the poison and corrosion before it could harm him. "Brat, do you know what this will cost you?" "Is that all you want to say? You should say more, because you won't get another chance soon." Having rescued Mirexia, Wenny tossed his spear with a taunting look at the man in purple, before focusing and hurling the spear. In flight, the icy spear sprouted crystalline wings, transforming into a menacing frost dragon. Ice crystal wings spread wide as the beast surged forward, roaring in fury. The monsters, their compound eyes wide with terror, saw the dragon approaching fast, overwhelming all. This time, the ice dragon was far larger than it had been during Wenny’s apprentice days. [Basilice Roar] "BOOM BOOM BOOM!!" As brilliant light burst, the temperature plummeted. Mirexia shielded her eyes; within moments, everything was blanketed in snow, and the black creatures were frozen solid. "Heh heh, did I freeze you ugly monsters into popsicles? That's the power of Wenny, the great," he declared smugly. An enchanted weapon? Mirexia opened her eyes, startled at the scene. Judging by the weapon’s power, it was of high quality. Despite Wenny’s sorcerer-tier aura, the enchanted ice spear emitted such powerful energy that it froze Cult followers of the Demon Pillar. But... is it truly over? Staring at the frozen creatures, Mirexia felt a nagging doubt, a foreboding creeping into her thoughts. The coldness clung to her skin, making her shiver. Mirexia glanced down to find Wenny holding her in a princess carry. Just like the knights in fairy tales rescuing princesses from dragons. Mirexia looked up, her expression complex as she gazed at the armored figure cradling her. Perhaps it was the chilling air from the [Basilice Roar], or her natural fear of cold. Her body shivered, her twin ponytails trembling, instinctively seeking warmth from Wenny. But Wenny, wrapped in armor, was cold and rigid. His armor, a lavish close-fitting silverfish scale with a blue plume, added a knightly air to his earlier rescue. Mirexia hadn’t expected to be saved by her peculiar childhood friend. If this were a knight-saving-princess story, the next step would be the knight returning her to the kingdom, where the king would reward him with her hand. Mirexia snapped back to reality, realizing she’d let her thoughts drift into some absurd direction. For a brief moment, the unchanging cold beauty of her face was tinged with an almost imperceptible blush. Hastily, she began to struggle to get down from Wenny’s embrace. "Uh..." Wenny felt Mirexia stirring and suddenly realized he had been holding her in a princess carry since earlier. The situation was awkward, as they had never been so intimately positioned before. He signaled Mirexia to stay still momentarily, acknowledging her frailty. Gently, as if handling a piece of delicate art, he allowed her feet to touch the ground before releasing her. Truthfully, Mirexia wasn’t exactly light. Holding her was quite a challenge for him. Despite the effort, the sensation of having Mirexia in his arms felt wonderful, like hugging cotton candy. Even with no direct skin contact, he could still catch the delicate fragrance she left behind, a lingering presence that enchanted his senses. Clearing his throat, Wenny reassured himself that he was simply offering an objective assessment. This was certainly not him letting his desires get the better of him! After all, he was a man. Without some reaction, could he even call himself that? That said, does this mean he just got to experience a main character's dream scenario? Could this be considered “greening” in the mind of Aesphyra, sowing jealousy like tending a pasture? Well, it was an unavoidable situation. He couldn’t dwell on it too much when saving a life was the priority. But the thought of Aesphyra, knife in hand and smiling ominously, whispering “How dare you covet my harem?” made his skin crawl. To be fair, he didn’t set out to challenge fate or compete with the fated heroine for the affections of others; it wasn’t intentional! Fate left him with little choice. Mirexia was in danger, and somehow, despite Aesphyra being the destined protagonist with all the heroic privileges, she hadn’t appeared in time. It was he, the erstwhile villain, who stumbled into the scene. What was he supposed to do, let her die? If Aesphyra had arrived, Wenny wouldn’t have been in such a messy predicament. Storing away the [Frost Fang] now reverted to its crystalline earring form, Wenny sighed with relief. Regardless of how it all played out, the storyline’s abrupt turn seemed resolved... probably? At that moment, the frozen blocks began to crack, a surge of heat coursing through them. At the core, the icy mound started melting into water. Wenny fell silent, watching the man in the purple robe break free from the ice’s grip. Seriously, is this guy resistant to the cold or what? He didn’t freeze to death? "Unexpectedly, you counterfeit brat, you still had a few tricks," the purple robed figure shivered, biting his frost-purpled lip. "If I hadn’t prepared, I’d be in trouble." "But unfortunately, we’re well-prepared." With that, he pulled a frozen flask from his pocket, tossing it to the ground. "Is that a Frost Reaper Elixir?" Mirexia recognized the vial immediately. "What’s a Frost Reaper Elixir?" Wenny found himself at a loss, his knowledge falling short. "It’s a special elixir that absorbs ice-element magic for the bearer, better than enchanted resistance items, but single-use. It’s high-grade, difficult to brew, and costly. Ice magic users can’t carry it without hampering their magic," Mirexia explained with furrowed brows. "Exactly. This is a high-tier Frost Reaper Elixir, a precaution we wisely kept." "You said ‘we’?" Wenny caught the key detail. Moments later, the black-skinned creatures, previously frozen solid as icy mountains, started to revive, breathing freely again. At their feet lay completely frozen vials of the congealed elixir. "Our master Eurnes protects us. Your petty tricks won't work." "How much does one of these elixirs cost? Are you all this rich?" Wenny couldn’t help but grumble. How come these small-time villains all seem to have more money than him? It’s just unfair! "Your enchanted weapon was impressive, but you can only use it once in a short period, right?" Retrieving his fallen staff, the man in purple cast a spell towards Wenny. "Boy, you’ve run out of chances, die now!" As tentacles lashed toward Wenny's head to crush it, Mirexia stepped in front and shattered the crystal amulet around her neck. With a spatial distortion, the two of them vanished just before the strike could land, leaving the tendrils grasping at empty air. "What?!" The purple robed man was momentarily stunned. They disappeared? Does the princess of Camellia carry such a teleportation relic capable of spatial transport? Could it be a device that returns its user to a specific location? No, unclear… If it were, why hadn’t Mirexia used it earlier to escape? This suggests the pendant didn’t free Mirexia from danger but merely transported them elsewhere, meaning they hadn’t returned to the continent of Treris. They remained somewhere within this realm.