Taming The Villainesses

(EP-356.2) #1

356 – Protagonist #1

“Yeah, you really take after him. So, is your father coming to the festival? Or is it too risky for him to leave the royal palace unattended?”

“No idea. I don’t know that either.”

It wouldn’t be strange if he came, nor if he didn’t. The person Elga was worried about wasn’t her father, but another man. That guy should be here by now, but he wasn’t.

Paaang-!

Just then, the sound of fireworks echoed noisily beyond the coliseum’s ceiling. That meant only one thing. The opening ceremony had begun.

Was it already noon?

“……”

Waaaah—!

Just then, loud cheers and shouts from the crowd could be heard. A woman’s voice was amplified and mumbled something—Aira was probably giving a speech through the crystal microphone.

Thinking of that pale face acting aloof while receiving people’s attention, Elga suddenly became angry.

‘That damn girl, would it kill her to just give in and play along? Why does she have to act so high and mighty? Does she think I don’t know how to play hard to get too?’

To Elga, Aira had become the most insufferable cousin. First, she stole the half-fairy from her, and now she was pushing him away as if she didn’t care?

A part of Elga wanted to see her abandoned and sobbing in regret.

‘More importantly, why isn’t he here yet?’

Her legs bounced even more from impatience.

‘I should’ve gone with him after all.’

With that regret, she tightly gripped the fake ID card in her hand.

‘Just you wait. Once you're here, I’m going to beat you up!’

But as time dragged on, that feeling gradually turned into a desperate compromise.

‘Please just come. I’ll grant whatever wish you want, anything. Just hurry. We’re running out of time…’

There really wasn't much time left for the first match.

It was a survival round where all participants entered the stage and grabbed a limited number of flags. Therefore, all participants had to be present.

There were about five minutes left.

If the half-fairy didn’t show up within five minutes, he’d be disqualified by default.

‘Hurry up!’

Elga was far from a devout person. She often dozed off during the worship services she attended for events, and she couldn’t even recite a single line of a common prayer.

But today—for the first time in her life—she found herself praying of her own volition. If the half-fairy arrived within these five minutes, she’d donate a large sum in gratitude.

Just as she was glaring at the clock tick, footsteps echoed in the distance.

A spectator who hadn’t found their seat yet?

Or maybe a participant who had gone to take care of something? Or perhaps…

Lifting her head with hope, Elga saw a man walking down the hallway.

He wore a black robe, and his face was hidden behind a plain wooden mask. But Elga could tell he was a man because of his broad shoulders and tall stature.

“ID.”

The man extended his hand toward her, his palm was large enough to easily cover hers. Elga was also startled by his sudden demand. An ID?

At that moment, Stella, who had been leisurely sipping tea, furrowed her brow.

“… And you are?”

Elga was struggling to process the situation. But soon enough, she realized what she had to do. She handed over the fake ID in her hand to the man’s large palm.

“… If you lose, you're dead. I bet my entire fortune—my whole damn life—on you.”

The man replied.

“I know.”

“You know? You know that and you still come this late!?”

Elga grumbled.

But the masked man responded casually.

“Elga, the protagonist always makes a late entrance.”

Protagonist, huh.

What a joke.

Instead of saying anything else, Elga smacked the man’s back hard with her palm.

Pang—!

Normally, he would have let out an unsightly scream, but perhaps because he was taller now, or had become an adult, he was as steady as a firmly rooted tree.

And just like that, the man crossed the long hallway and entered the arena where everyone was cheering loudly. Elga also got up from her seat and headed for the specially prepared VIP area.

Stella nudged her in the side.

“What’s going on? That guy… how do I put this… He seemed like someone I know, but at the same time, not at all. I don’t know how to explain it…”

“No idea. We’ll find out soon enough.”

* * *

Haaa, haa.

Maybe it was because of the mask, but I couldn’t exhale properly. Every breath sounded louder than usual. My heart thudded in my chest like an engine ready to explode.

━Donatello! You’ve got this!

━Ah, as commentators, if there’s one to watch this time, it’s participant no. 12, Punchinoi…

The arena buzzed with the cheers of the crowd and the chatter of the commentators. How many people were there? Ten thousand? A hundred thousand? I couldn’t tell.

The stadium had been expanded to accommodate up to 100,000 people, but more people came than expected and it was crowded even outside the stadium.

━Hiiioooong…!

I knew.

The number of spectators didn’t matter.

They were just that—spectators.

Extras.

I used to be one of them.

I was originally just a spectator of this story, but now it was different.

Suk-.

“You.”

Just as I was finally stepping into the arena, someone called out to me. A man wearing glasses—probably a staff member from the Sandora City Hall in charge of the event.

“Who are you? If you're a participant, please show me your ID.”

‘ID.’

At those words, I handed him the piece of paper I’d been holding. He read it over for a while, then asked.

“Participant number 1432──Player.”

Maybe he thought my name was strange, or maybe he didn’t like my outfit. He glanced me up and down, then opened the gate.

“The first match is about to begin, so please hurry up to the stage.”

Suk-.

He stuck a number sticker on my back. And with that, I went up on stage and stood in front of a large number of participants and spectators.

The ground-shaking cheers and shouts.

The glaring lights installed all around, and the intense midday sun.

Everything blurred together in a dizzying blaze of light.

Edit by: faker