The Villainous Mage King Has No ShameCh21 - I’ll carry you

Edited by Iseul

“Absolutely not!” Leonel exclaimed, shoving the doctor aside to ensure his voice was heard. MVWqxE

The night had grown dark, crickets and nocturnal beasts howling and chirping. The girl was at least competent enough to get a decent fire going, staving away the nightly spring chill.

For whatever reason, Julian found great joy in Leonel’s impatience, enjoying the way that the inquisitor’s brows had furrowed and the way that he raised his voice. “You have brought me enough trouble as is, girl,” Leonel hissed bluntly.

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“I-I—!” the poor teenager stuttered, her eyes wide and blinking while she struggled with a retort. It took her a moment, but righted her composure, and found the will to spew a response despite the tremble in her voice. “Mother— Anderina told me a-about the prize that you sought. If you…return to Fauster with me, I can show you where it’s hidden!”

Julian was instantly intrigued. A prize? So this must have been the exchange that Leonel had spoken about. What manner of prize was valuable enough for an inquisitor to betray his own? Or was it something personal that catered to one specific Inquisitor Leonel’s tastes? uqwt65

Whatever this prize might have been, Leonel was unmoved, scoffing heavily at her suggestion. “I’ve risked my neck to get you out of Fauster and now you want to go back in? You know what, if I really wanted to, I could just return to Fauster after things have quelled and retrieve the journal myself. You should know that too, girl.”

The girl flinched, her eyes growing dewy despite holding back her tears. “B-But Anderina would die! J-Jordan didn’t want to return to Fauster either because he thought it was too dangerous b-but I have to! They’re going to hang her!”

“Anderina gave her life for you,” Leonel spat cruelly. “And so did Jordan, by the looks of it. To think you’ve led the hunters this far south.”

“…!” The girl hiccuped. Her bottom lip trembled and—

Ah, here it comes, Julian thought.

The tears rolled free, little muffled sobs left her lips. “I-I— You…!” But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t articulate her thoughts, little sniffles escaping between each stutter.

Julian supposed that this was his cue to act. He cleared his throat and stepped up. He ensured that his act was immaculate, appearing genuinely concerned when he put a hand on the crying girl’s shoulder. “There now lassie. Don’t listen to what Sir Leonard has to say—“

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

“Qtja vlv sbe pera mjii wf?” kdye4A

Aeiljc mbcalcefv jr lo Ofbcfi kjrc’a rajcvlcu gluta atfgf cfza ab atfw, “Jgs bea sbeg ilaaif tfjga jcv ujatfg sbeg atbeutar, ws ubbv ijrrlf. Coafg sbe’nf mjiwfv vbkc P kjca sbe ab afii wf ktja fzjmais sbeg rlaejalbc lr. Ktbeut P mjc qgbyjyis cba yf bo wemt tfiq, P’ii rff ktja P mjc vb, tbk lr atja?”

“…” Illysa sniffled, but no matter how hard she chewed her bottom lip, she couldn’t stop herself from crying. She hung her head in shame, but ultimately found the courage to give a small nod. Julian helped her sit by the flame.

The way that Leonel glared holes into Julian’s back was not lost on him. Though he made a pointed effort to pretend that the inquisitor didn’t exist while he took his time to soothe Illysa’s weariness. “Just talk to me whenever you are ready, alright my dear?”

Again, she gave him a weak nod. Satisfied with his own act of compassion and coddling, Julian gave her a warm smile before backing away. It only took him two steps back before a heavy hand came down on his shoulder. SUYyWn

Leonel’s expression was dark, if not peeved. “A word.”

Julian sneered. “I was just about to say the same to you.”

They strode over to the side of the hut, next to Julian’s pathetic little garden. Just a few paces away, they still had a good view of Illysa’s hunched little figure by the fireplace but were thankfully out of earshot, so long as they kept their voices hushed.

Leonel started the conversation with a pointed hiss. “What was that about? I thought you weren’t a charity.” 3nv58M

Julian rolled his eyes. He wasn’t about to admit to the fact that half his kindness was only to see Leonel squirm. “Well, no. But I also don’t exactly enjoy making a habit of making little girls cry, you know?”

“She’s hardly little. She has to face reality. Do not give her false promises.” Leonel narrowed his eyes suspiciously. No doubt, Julian was being scrutinized for his offer to help the girl, though Julian himself was well aware there was probably little within his realm of capabilities.

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Still, that did not deter the doctor from spewing out, “Who said I was giving false promises? Do you think so little of me, good inquisitor?” Leonel made a complicated expression, but Julian did not bother deciphering its hidden meaning. In reality, he had no care for whether or not Leonel thought well of it. “Frankly, since the two of you have both come to my doorstep and disrupted my life, it would be plenty helpful if I actually knew what was going on.”

“…” Leonel grimaced, for it was hard to refute the doctor’s words. In the end, both he and Illysa were trespassers. It was the doctor who would have to suffer consequences, despite being wholly uninvolved. Begrudgingly, he summarized the events that happened at Fauster. “It all began with an embezzlement investigation, of all things…” yNxcWf

Leonel recalled his arrival in Fauster. It had to be more than a week ago, but time sure passed frighteningly fast.

“Welcome to Fauster!” the viscount had said with a grinning smile and boisterous fervor. Even Leonel thought the man was lacking in tact, for no one welcomed an inquisitor into their midst with a smile so grand. Not unless they were wanting something in return. Or, they were just hiding something.

Leonel had thought it both. The viscount was way too eager to show him around. “I understand that our little town has not the splendors of the capital, but I quite like it here, you see?”

Leonel remembered the viscount’s wide and confident strides and the way he held his hands behind his back. Back then, Leonel wondered if the man was just that overconfident, or did he seriously believe he’d be able to hide his schemes. yr89Gz

The viscount had spoken to Leonel with that sickeningly persistent smile. “But we do plan on making plenty of improvements, Lord Inquisitor. Listen, I have suspicions that a witch is the cause of this humble town’s misfortunes. I will make great haste into executing her. Surely, the Divine Light must understand our struggles with the magekind.”

That was how Leonel learned that the man planned to execute his own daughter, apparently after finding out her nature as an innate mage.

Back then, Leonel had no plans to rescue the girl. “The Divine Light will be pleased of your contributions,” he had said impassively.

Later he was secretly approached by the viscount’s wife. The woman had even gone through the trouble of finding him on the streets. She veiled herself in a cloak and thick overhanging hood, hiding her dark auburn locks, and introduced herself as Anderina, wife of lord viscount. She looked nothing like Illysa, which was to be expected, for she was the viscount’s second wife, and not the girl’s birth mother. YUe3y0

Which was why Leonel found it weird when she pulled the inquisitor into a quiet alley and begged him to save her step-daughter’s life. “I know what you seek, blue-eyed inquisitor,” she had said bravely despite the tremble in her hands. “You’re the one that hunts the Astrum Magi, are you not?”

When she first spoke such words, Leonel had assumed that she caught wind of rumors about him; the inquisitor that seeks relics of the past. It was a rumor that he himself perpetuated, in hopes of aiding his search while he traveled.

Looking back, he should have questioned her further to find out where exactly she heard such a rumor.

For she did not offer him any clues about a living Astrum Magi, but instead, the journals of the deceased late viscountess. dLNHky

Leonel shouldn’t have been so blinded.

For he knew the late viscountess had a special relationship with Amari the Crimson. Stupidly, he had agreed to her request. He wondered if his spitefulness towards the High Oracle was also a contributing factor to his betrayal.

Either way, it didn’t matter anymore. The deed had already been done.

Leonel naively believed that he could easily sneak the girl out of her prison cell and escort her to safety through skill and stealth. He didn’t know that Anderina was so untrusting of him, that she had also requested aid from the Fallen Embers Alliance behind his back. Wxmvn6

Ultimately, things went south.

Leonel blamed the foolishness of the Fallen Embers Alliance, and the mage that was sent to aid in Illysa’s rescue. For it was that mage’s blunder that ended up getting them caught. Jordan might have been a capable mage, but he was not nearly as stealthy as he believed himself to be.

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Long story short, Leonel was forced to turn on his own to allow Illysa and Jordan to escape. He wouldn’t be surprised he was made a fugitive, with a hefty bounty on his head. Anderina was arrested and due for execution. And it seemed that not even Jordan could escape with his life. In the end, Leonel wasn’t even able to retrieve those damned journals.

“So that’s what happened,” Julian hummed while rubbing his chin. “I suppose that does explain why you’re so intent on leaving as soon as possible.” He nodded with understanding. If Illysa was being chased, then she would have led Leonel’s old pals right here to Gotsven. In other words, they were screwed. iMJRHk

“You’re coming with me,” Leonel stated boldly, catching Julian off guard.

The doctor hid his surprise behind a playful grin. “Oh? And do you suppose I’ll manage that?” As if on cue, howling dogs could be heard amidst the wind, barking and snarling in the distance. Illysa jumped, eyes going wide at the sound, while Leonel seemed to straighten, secretly on edge.

It was no secret that the doctor’s condition wasn’t good. He was already frail, to begin with, with little physical prowess to hold any claim to. With a lame leg and a fever to boot, Julian wasn’t going to be outrunning any hunting dogs, or defending himself from any murderous inquisitors.

Without even batting a lash, Leonel said with all seriousness, “I’ll carry you.” C8Fdec

“….Pft!” Despite the cold winds and the ominous howls, Julian could not help but break out into laughter.

Author: Hello everyone? How are youuu ; u ; I’m still in the midst of real life chaos xD But I’m hoping that things will have settled in about a week’s time…if not then surely in two weeks I’ll be free from all this madness. I hope you’re doing well!!