BJ Villainess

* * *

Stigmata was, simply put, a virus. A virus that had already deeply rooted itself in this world. To eradicate it, we had to corner it with a powerful cure and suppress it all at once. So, I decided to use the strongest forces available to prevent the terrible bad ending of human extinction.

However, Ilya seemed to be out of the human realm, as the paper plane I sent him didn’t respond.

I opened the newly appeared quest this morning with a hint of regret.

[Quest: Reduce the number of dungeons in the capital to less than 20]

▸

Reward: +50,000,000 coins

▸

Failure: Destruction of the human realm

※

Current number of dungeons: 152

If the number of dungeons reaches 200, the gates of hell will open

… There’s no time to be discouraged.

Damian with black hearts would never show mercy in my situation. However, I wasn’t particularly worried.

Before entering the dungeon, this quest would have been daunting, but for me now… well. It was just a matter of strategizing well.

At that moment, Raul’s worried voice cut through my thoughts. “Are you sure it’s alright to stay here?”

I remembered I had seen him off and smiled brightly to assure him. “I told you in the parlor earlier. This is the operations headquarters.”

“Why do you have to be involved in such dangerous work…

, never mind. You’re so stubborn, I wonder who you take after.” Raul clicked his tongue and adjusted the hat in his hand.

The Squire family carriage, engraved with the family crest, was approaching from the opposite side.

“I will handle Stigmata’s stronghold as you instructed.”

“Thank you, Father.”

“Be careful. Don’t get hurt, and contact me immediately if anything happens.”

I suddenly felt a lump in my throat. Raul gave me unconditional affection without expecting anything in return. The love without the pressure to reciprocate felt different, and my nose tingled. Maybe that’s why? Before I knew it, I found myself hugging Raul, who was about to get into the carriage.

“Don’t get hurt, Father.”

Raul seemed startled by my unexpected action but soon warmly embraced me. “Yes. I will. …Although I am worried, I am proud of you, Theresa, for taking on this task.”

“

.”

“Even so, it’s not good to keep getting involved in dangerous things. Think about your worried family.”

“Yes, I’ll be careful.”

Ding!

[The Constellation ‘Absolutely Protect Squire’ has sponsored 1,000,000 coins.]

[I really love this family]

With that farewell, Raul got into the carriage. I waved at the departing carriage and summoned the Squire butterfly for security.

After seeing him off, I hurried back to my private reception room. There was still a mountain of work to do. And more guests to meet.

“Welcome, everyone.”

The next guests were Libby, Reini, and Mimosa. They were the ones I sent paper planes to yesterday.

Libby shook me vigorously as soon as she saw me, demanding answers.

“Sister! Why didn’t you come home and stay here? Is something wrong? Father was here just now? Where did he go? Why isn’t he with you?”

“Wait a minute…

.”

Ding!

[The Constellation ‘Silly Libby for Her Sister’ has sponsored 1,000,000 coins.]

[Your sister is about to throw up; let go of her first;]

She was so strong that I felt like a paper doll being shaken around, about to get motion sickness.

Mimosa scanned the room with a haughty face and then looked at me. “Is His Majesty treating you well? Your face is glowing for someone who just came back from a dungeon. And the place you’re staying in looks nice. Are you becoming the empress soon?”

“That’s not it.”

Having been asked, ‘So, are you becoming the empress?’ countless times by Raul already, I was now sick of hearing about becoming the empress.

Meanwhile, Reini trembled like a helpless hamster in the jaws of a predator. “I-Is it really okay for me to be here…?” Having been invited to the imperial palace, a place where commoners would never set foot unless they had saved the country, seemed to have sent her into a panic.

“It’s fine. I got permission from His Majesty.”

“H-H-His Majesty?!”

My intention to reassure her nearly caused her to faint. I worried she might actually pass out if Euges suddenly walked in.

Mimosa sat on the sofa, crossing her legs arrogantly. “So, what exactly did you call us for? What do you mean by dealing with the dungeons?”

At her words, Libby and Reini also looked at me.

I explained to the three. “We will be clearing dungeons from now on. There’s a way to eliminate them from the outside without entering.”

Mimosa jumped up in surprise. “What?! Why did you decide that on your own!”

“Because you have the best instincts.”             

Mimosa squinted at me. “…What instincts? Be more specific.”

“Libby and I are particularly dull to demonic magic due to our lineage. But Mimosa, you have an extraordinary sense that allows you to identify demon contractors instinctively.”

“That’s true.”

We couldn’t just storm into a noble’s house because we had identified the location of a puppet. Doing so would cause the desperate demon contractor to open a dungeon. So, we needed to approach under another pretext and then eliminate the puppet.

“Although those who have already contracted with demons can’t be helped, distancing them from the puppet significantly reduces their impulse to open a dungeon. It’s a necessary task.”

I handed Mimosa a crystal pendulum, a magical tool I had made.

“This will vibrate when there is a puppet with a Stigmata mark nearby.”

Mimosa inspected the crystal with a discontented look and asked bluntly. “But why should I do it? Are you giving me the most annoying task on purpose?”

“His Majesty believes you are the most suitable for this task.”

That wasn’t true. But I shamelessly used Euges as a pretext.

“His Majesty…?

. Of course, I always intended to do it from the start.”

Mentioning Euges, whom Mimosa feared more than demons, had an immediate effect.

“Make sure to tell His Majesty clearly. Mimosa Bruni, as an imperial family member, gladly accepted this mission.”

“Of course. I will ensure your bravery is known to everyone.”

Only then did Mimosa nod in satisfaction.

Alright, let’s move on to the next topic. I turned my gaze to Libby, who seemed a bit tense.

“The key to this mission is Libby’s white magic. Right now, she is the only one capable of eliminating dungeons from the outside.”

Given more time, research might find a way for ordinary wizards to eliminate dungeons from the outside, but for now, there was no other method.

“Me?” Libby was surprised to find herself a key player but quickly regained her composure. “What should I do?”

She’s truly the protagonist of this world. As a character with the potential to save the world, it was to be expected.

We were still only halfway through the game scenario. Although Libby was steadily growing, she was not yet capable of handling the ‘Stigmata Annihilation’ episode that would come in the later stages. So, I planned to awaken her latent abilities early.

I extended my palm towards Libby. “Trust me and place your palm on mine.”

Libby, without asking what I was going to do, placed her palm on mine without hesitation. I wondered if this trust could push Libby beyond her original settings.

Starting from our touching palms, a small circle was drawn. It didn’t take long for the circle to become a large magic circle filled with complex shapes and runes.

“

…”

Reini, who was next to us, let out a low exclamation, seemingly overwhelmed. Mimosa, with her already large eyes wide open, swallowed nervously.

Ding!

[The Constellation ‘Let’s Speedrun’ has sponsored 1,000,000 coins.]

[Wow, forcing an awakening event

ㄷㄷ

.]

Due to the influence of the magic circle, Libby and I stared at each other, our hair fluttering.

“Remember the sensation.”

“Yes.”

Libby’s pure magic flowed into the magic circle. Initially, the magic circle, which had been golden due to being formed entirely of my magic, gradually turned silver-white.

At that moment, a white butterfly, which seemed to have been hiding somewhere, appeared. Libby also noticed the white butterfly and became captivated by it.

“

?”

And then, the magic circle started being absorbed by the white butterfly.

“Si-Sister,” Libby called out to me in confusion.

“It’s okay, keep going.” I instinctively realized that this was a means to significantly enhance Libby’s abilities.

Soon, golden patterns appeared on the wings of the white butterfly. The butterfly, having absorbed the entire magic circle, flapped its wings, scattering golden dust, and was absorbed into Libby’s forehead.

Ding!

[The Constellation ‘Silent Attention Seeker’ has sponsored 1,000,000 coins.]

[

, was the butterfly with healing power completely absorbed by Libby? Looks like it will have a buff effect

ㅋㅋ

.]

Mimosa and Reini, who couldn’t see the butterfly, seemed completely unaware of what had just happened.

“What? Is it over already?”

“

, I felt a tremendous magic power just now. It must have been from Libby.”

I watched the golden butterfly mark that had appeared on Libby’s forehead.

The mark glowed brightly and gradually faded as it was absorbed into the skin.