Taming The Villainesses

Episode 291.1

Seureuk-.

A cool palm touched my forehead. In the midst of my burning headache, that refreshing sensation felt incredibly comforting.

At the same time, a wave of nostalgia swept over me.

Where had I felt this before?

In my earliest childhood.

Maybe during the time I suffered from a terrible fever.

━You’re always so sickly.

My entire body ached, burning feverishly to the bone. When I had a high fever, everything in front of me would blur like eerie ghosts.

Old furniture, clothes hanging on a rack, or patterns on the ceiling seemed to morph into faces, and it scared me. I also had frequent nightmares.

So I think I used to whine and fuss, refusing to sleep even though it was late.

And for me, those cool hands would gently soothe my hot forehead, cheeks, and neck, singing softly….

“Sir Theo.”

Someone called my name. I looked up to see Mirna gently rubbing my forehead with her cool palm.

“Lady Mirna.”

“Sir Theo, you don’t look well. Did something bad happen in the forest yesterday? Or perhaps you haven’t fully recovered from the cold you caught after falling into the river last time….”

“I’m not sure myself.”

“You don’t seem to have a fever, though.”

“Is that so?”

Only then did I manage to pull myself out of my wandering thoughts and properly take in my surroundings. The high altitude. The dizzying view below the railing.

I was standing atop the Great Wall Clarice, overlooking the world. At some point, a throbbing headache had clouded my mind, but now I felt somewhat better.

“Ever since we arrived in the north, Sir Theo doesn’t seem to be doing so well. The incident in the forest, and now this.”

Mirna looked at me with clear eyes. The reflection of my face in her gaze didn’t look great, just as she had mentioned. My complexion was dull, almost muddy.

No wonder she was concerned.

“It’s just a bit of a headache.”

A headache.

As I said that, I could feel the throbbing pain. It was as if my head was being pierced by sharp needles or an awl.

Although the pain had subsided, just a few minutes earlier, it had struck every few seconds, making it impossible for me to focus.

There was also a strange wailing sound that echoed in my mind, but I couldn’t tell whether it was an actual sound or just tinnitus, so I kept quiet about it.

Then Mirna said.

“They say the oxygen is thinner at high altitudes. It seems to have affected Sir Theo because of your heightened sensitivity. Would you like to take the gondola back down?”

Oxygen.

Was it a symptom of oxygen deprivation?

Mirna’s words seemed plausible. My mind was showing me hallucinations.

If not that, it could be a fear of heights triggered by the altitude. Everything below looked so far away, like tiny ants from this height.

“I’m feeling better now.”

I reassured Mirna.

“Hmmm.”

However, despite my words, Mirna still looked at me with concern. I understood her feelings—if it were Mirna or Elga in pain, I would be worried too.

“Maybe it’s just because we’re so high up. It’s bringing back some old memories.”

I added a little more to ease her worry.

Of course, it wasn’t a lie.

Since arriving in this northern city of Sandora, flashbacks that I could only describe as old memories had been popping up in my mind.

Was it because this ‘body’ was born in the North? The problem was that those memories were mixed with ‘Lee Seong-eum’s memories’.

Memories from the past, buried deep in the warehouse of my mind because of how busy I was or days when my life was in danger. For example, memories of having a high fever.

Maybe this ‘body’ also had a high fever during childhood. That might be why my memories and the body’s memories were getting mixed up.

「You have calmly judged the situation!

You have gained experience points through the talent 《Calm Thinking》.

All job experience +5」

Really?

It seems like he had something in common with me.

“Sir Theo, are you lost in thought again?”

“Ah, I guess I was.”

“Well, this place does seem like a good spot to organize your thoughts. There aren’t many opportunities in life to look down at the world from such a high place. Everything looks like an ant.”

Swoosh.

Mirna gazed at the world beyond the barrier. Then, she turned around and began looking down at the world to the south.

“That would be our world. Seeing it like this, everything looks so small. The problems we’re struggling with, our worries—they all seem so tiny. Like the concerns of ants.”

“Hmm, that might be.”

“When I think about it that way, well… it feels silly to be thinking so seriously about everything. The world is so vast, and yet I live entangled in the worries that fit inside my head.”

I could understand what Mirna was saying.

It seemed like the many things troubling her were gradually being put in order as she gazed upon this wide and lofty view.

“That’s good, Lady Mirna.”

“So, Sir Theo-.”

Just as Mirna turned to me and opened her mouth to say something.

“Ahh! Look over there…! There, there…! Look over there…! Everyone! Quickly!”

Imp Tartar’s sudden outburst grabbed all of our attention at once.

I, too, looked down at the bottom of the wall, wondering what had caused Tartar to foam at the mouth like a puppy whose snack had been taken away.

─Grrrrr.

Crunch, crackle.

Something that looked like a mantis was clawing its way up, digging its sharp hooks into the wall as it climbed.

I didn’t know what it was, but its black and red body was very creepy. Looking at this, the lord of Sandora, Redney, chuckled softly.

“Everyone, you’re in luck. On a clear day, you get the chance to see monsters climbing the wall.”

Marmar, startled by this, asked in shock.

“Monsters from beyond the barrier are climbing the wall to get over…?”