NOVEL NEXT chapter 29
29. So, is it my fault then?
Valentina gazed resentfully at the faceless evil god before her, wishing she could hurl the snake’s head in her hand directly at him.
What the hell, that expression on the lower half of his face, as if he had seen a ghost—he must be deliberately putting on an exaggerated face to mock her for putting in so much effort, right?
What could she do? That giant snake, after realizing it couldn’t defeat her, had started to flee with all its might, leaving her to snap out of her brief daze and chase after it.
A dragon and a snake were staging an obstacle chase in the forest.
And just as she was about to catch up, she was hit by an attack that came from who knows where, presumably because this annoying evil god thought the challenge was still too easy for her.
As a result, she spent even more time than she had anticipated to deal with that giant snake.
Now, in her current predicament, she didn’t even know whether to praise or comfort herself.
Even a false compliment would do! Why did he have to act like he was deliberately trying to be annoying?
…No, false compliments were probably best avoided; they would only make her feel worse.
“Oh my, isn’t this the princess? I didn’t know you were still alive!”
“Hmph, thanks to that annoying god, I’m still kicking!”
Valentina turned her head away in a huff at Noah’s ‘knowingly concerned’ remark, trying to appear angry.
But her pure purple eyes didn’t move away from Noah, still fixated on his mysterious and infuriating figure.
“Ha ha! Seeing you still have the energy to complain means this game is a piece of cake for you! Next time, let’s just double the difficulty!”
“Ah!? Are you kidding me? If that happens, I really will die! I’d end up worse off than my foolish brother! Ah! Don’t run away! You sadistic evil god!”
Noah’s sudden irresponsible comment stirred Valentina’s emotions, and she quickly expressed her dissatisfaction with even more intensity. But just as she was halfway through her words, Noah vanished in the blink of an eye, prompting her to tilt her head back and shout at the world, venting her inner turmoil.
So why?!
Since he had been so familiar following her around, why did he plan to leave her alone on the way back?!
If it were Clyde or Mr. Allen, they would definitely accompany her back!
In a foul mood, the princess finally had to land on the ground when she saw that Noah had truly left.
The hard sensation of the earth beneath her feet eased some of her agitation, and feeling powerless, she let out a deep sigh, instinctively clenching her fists against her full chest, murmuring to herself:
“…What the hell, I was planning to find a way to expose his true self this time, but instead, I ended up being toyed with. And I didn’t even manage to surprise him; it seems I’m still too naive, thinking I could outsmart a god.”
Unlike when she was in front of Noah, the princess’s face was now filled with a sense of dejection, her half-closed eyelids and long eyelashes trembling slightly, making her look pitiful.
She didn’t actually think the fault lay entirely with Noah.
She felt she had to bear at least half the responsibility.
If she hadn’t actively provoked Noah in the first place, they wouldn’t have ended up in this situation.
—
If only she had more mature thoughts and stronger abilities now, she could surely make that oblivious evil god take her existence more seriously.
Unlike now, when she hasn’t even touched the body of the evil god once.
Though she is a strong princess, Valentina is also a beautiful young girl in her prime, and the continuous defeats still bring her spirits down.
“…But I won’t give up, you know? I will absolutely expose your true nature! If you’re truly a wicked god to the core, then you should be eliminated! And if you’re that kind of insincere deity… heh heh, I’ll have to think of a way to ‘thank’ you then~”
Yet, even when her emotions dip at times, she still manages to pick herself back up. After all, rather than getting lost in thoughts, it’s better to take action first; things can be dealt with once she gets moving.
Evil must be vanquished, and good must be acknowledged. Instead of hesitating and standing still, it’s better to charge forward and see what happens. This is the second princess of the kingdom, Valentina, born of a lesser branch.
Without needing anyone else, the princess picks herself up, holding onto the goal of ‘one day making the evil god pay!’ and sets off alone towards the royal capital.
Her silhouette radiates the vigor of youth, perhaps not fully mature yet, but she won’t stop her steps; she strives to move towards maturity.
Feeling quite the inspirational princess on her way back to the city, she unconsciously places a hand on her forehead, gazing into the distance, a confident smile gracing her lips.
“Ah! How did I subconsciously drag the snake head back with me! This isn’t something a normal human can do! It’ll expose the fact that I’m no longer human!”
…But soon enough, her natural clumsiness causes her to become flustered again.
Just after Valentina, brimming with mysterious confidence, drags the snake head away, Noah, who had originally left, suddenly returns to the scene.
At this moment, the half-human, half-snake monster that was Valentina has left no trace behind.
As if she had never appeared at all.
Noah gazes thoughtfully at the ground where Valentina’s upper body once lay.
When Valentina, with dragon traits, appeared before him, the Valentina with snake traits hadn’t completely vanished; normally, one wouldn’t overlook a monster that looked exactly like oneself on the ground.
But in reality, Valentina hadn’t noticed at all.
If it were an illusion… that seems unlikely, as Noah’s magical resistance is exceptionally high, even capable of magic immunity or reflection.
So, aside from an illusion, the only possibility left… is the rules of the world.
The same person in different forms, unobservable by others, disappearing to become pure magical particles…
“…Could it be that a parallel world’s Valentina, or some possibility differing from reality, was accidentally projected into this world due to my observation? So it’s my responsibility?”
Suddenly struck by the most likely option, Noah paused slightly.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the truth was probably this way, after all, the original story is a cycle of repeated deaths and restarts.
So, it’s not impossible for a protagonist from a parallel world experiencing defeat to appear in another world.
Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible, but if a divine being intervenes, it becomes very plausible. In fact, one of the skills Noah possesses is time-space traversal.
However, if that’s the case, then whether it was making the princess act like a lovesick fool towards him or giving her a good beating, the responsibility would fall squarely on him.
“Ah, not good, my conscience is starting to twinge. I’m sorry, Princess, I truly didn’t mean to.”
A true troublemaker wouldn’t reflect, but Noah, who is merely playing a part, feels a twinge of guilt and decides to properly apologize once Valentina has fallen into a state where she won’t be easily handled by the blonde.
But for now, he won’t stop, even if he encounters various other world’s failed protagonists in the future; he won’t cease to seize the opportunity to corrupt the female lead before the blonde does.
As for now, in any case, it’s best to head back to the city first.
—
“…Huh? Wait a minute, why did the princess specifically cut off the snake’s head? Was it to show it to me? Does she want my approval? …No, I must be overthinking it.”
Although Noah suddenly thought of a certain question on the way back, he quickly dismissed it, believing it was just his imagination.
He began to plan his next actions anew.
For instance… to go check on another troublesome nun protagonist.
—