Please Bully Me, Miss Villainess!

Chapter 213 : Raw Stone 3

"Fresh black dragon kidneys! Invigorating and strengthening, don't miss out as you pass by—"

"Soul-stealing beast eyeballs, freshly dug out, one silver coin for two, two silver coins for three, three silver coins for four!"

Coarse hawking voices, as if from a vegetable market, echoed around. However, unlike meat stalls, what hung from rusty and blood-stained sharp hooks on the shelves were parts of magical beasts, quite terrifying to behold.

This was the largest underground trading center in the main city, commonly known as the black market, where one could buy various rare items not available in regular markets.

The air was filled with the stench of blood and an indescribable odor reminiscent of fermented vomit and feces mixed together.

"I can't..."

Elsa, with a darkened face, staggered and steadied herself.

"I feel a bit nauseous."

"I'm sorry, this place is like this... Please bear with it for a while."

Wearing a black veil on her head, Yvonne put down the folding fan in her hand and patted Elsa, who was showing strong discomfort at the dismembered limbs.

"If you don't want to look, just don't. Just look at me."

"Evie~~~"

If she weren't dressed as a man, she would have hugged her as usual.

"But come to think of it... why am I the one disguised as a man?"

Speaking with a lowered voice like this felt quite awkward.

"We have no choice. Did you expect me to disguise myself instead?"

"Wouldn't Evie's height be more suitable?"

"But my figure isn't suitable."

"...And mine is?!"

Hmm...

Carefully examining Elsa, who looked completely natural in men's clothing after binding her chest, Yvonne nodded without hesitation:

"Very suitable, extremely suitable."

"Evie... aren't you getting more and more outrageous?"

Elsa's face reddened with anger as she protested through gritted teeth.

"If this continues, you might lose me!"

"My... could you really bear that?"

She smiled coyly and leaned over, hugging her right arm, her behavior intimate and natural.

This action drew envious and jealous glances from the surrounding men, but upon seeing the matching rings on their hands, they could only leave with sour expressions.

"Hmph, of course I can... not."

Even knowing it was intentional flattery, she willingly fell into the gentle world created for her.

According to intelligence, a batch of magic stones of unknown origin had flowed into this market. They were now investigating the source of the goods.

"Couldn't we just have subordinates handle this kind of thing?"

Unlike before, Yvonne was now a noble who had regained her title. Logically, for such matters, she would only need to give a signal, and numerous subordinates would eagerly compete to curry favor with the young duchess.

"That's true, but considering unnecessary troubles, it's better to handle it personally as much as possible."

Since being rejected by Michel, that Miss Bernalson seemed to hold a grudge against her, opposing the Smollett family at every turn, both openly and covertly.

If those sharp-nosed fellows thought they had caught her weakness, they would surely make a big fuss about it.

Just like how building teleportation gates was originally a beneficial thing for both herself and the people, but after public opinion, it became Smollett being eager for quick success and personal gain.

"Sigh..."

Thinking of this, Elsa couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

"What's wrong? Why the sighing?"

"Is the reputation value of the 'villain' really so low?"

She felt it was unfair for Yvonne. As a duchess who had 'come back to life', some questioned the legitimacy of her existence, while others fabricated a fictitious past full of misdeeds.

Although she had regained her title, her reputation in this country remained controversial.

Even when achieving merits, some would question the motives behind her actions.

Yvonne felt this was all part of the passive skill of being a villain like herself.

"Well, it's alright. Those comments don't bother me now—Let them say what they want. Of course, I won't let them influence me so easily either."

With a swish, she opened her bone fan, revealing the smile exclusive to villains.

No matter how hard one tries, villains cannot be whitewashed.

If that's the case, then it's better to do the opposite.

"Now I understand my role clearly! To be an elegant yet evil flower of evil—Even if I must wither, I'll certainly make a beautiful exit... Huh? Why are you patting my head?"

Elsa, with a serious face, touched Yvonne's forehead, then placed her other hand on her own head.

"Of course, I'm checking if our Evie's brain has overheated."

"I'm perfectly normal."

"No, no, it seems you're quite ill. This could be a big problem—We must do a full-body examination when we get back."

"...I think you're the one with the problem."

·

·

"This is..."

The two were deeply shocked by the scene before them.

"Big Sis hasn't been here before? This is the 'mining area'."

Rather than a 'well', it was more like a huge cavern extending downwards.

On crude wooden frames, small folk were working together to mine ore.

"1, 2—"

"1, 2, 3—"

"Put your back into it, put your back into it!"

"Left side, keep up!"

These agile small folk have always been the best choice for excavation work in narrow caves since ancient times.

However, this time, what they were digging had changed from traditional gold, silver, copper, and iron ores to magic ore stones.

"It's good we got a few sets of miner's clothes in advance. How about that~ I'm pretty clever, right?"

Ah Yellow was boasting about his resourcefulness.

"Thank you so much. We're fortunate to have you."

"Of course~~ There's nothing our resistance army can't do!"

Yuna patted Ah Yellow's head. One could almost see the tail wagging behind this fellow; give him a bit of wind, and he'd probably spiral up into the sky.

Brin gave this smug brat a side-eye, not wanting to let him get more carried away.

"Tch, you call yourselves a resistance army, but you're just thieves stealing things."

"Y-you don't understand anything. Even uprisings need resources!"

She ignored Ah Yellow's protests and frowned at Yuna:

"Yuna, you're not a teacher now... Don't treat these people like your students. Spoiling them won't do any good."

"Robbing is not good, okay? Don't do such things anymore."

"Alright! We won't do it again!!"

...What's with this differential treatment?

Anyway, let's not worry about that now... Let's get samples first.

Undoubtedly, this land was producing a large quantity of high-quality magic stones.

According to the first-hand information Yvonne had given her, the amount transported into the interior from here didn't match at all with the scale of mining she was now witnessing.

So... where had such a vast quantity of magic stones gone?

If her guess was correct, the Floris family was really doing quite a business.

How could they expect to have it both ways, operating in both legal and illegal spheres?

If the charges were confirmed, this would be a very serious act of betrayal.

To prove that illegal collection was taking place here in violation of Oz Kingdom's ban, physical evidence would be necessary.

"I'm going down."

"Hey... that's the core area over there. It's very dangerous."

Ah Yellow kindly warned. The surroundings were full of sheer cliffs with no footholds. Even skilled miners with agile movements couldn't reach it.

"It's fine."

Problems that can be solved with magic aren't really problems.

Brin opened her hand, pressed it against the rock wall, and silently recited a spell. Soon, neat stone bricks sprouted out of nowhere like bamboo shoots after rain, forming many stepping stones.

This series of smooth operations left the followers dumbfounded.

"...Be careful."

Yuna handed over a rope with some concern.

"Don't worry."

Although she said this, as Brin descended deeper and deeper, Yuna's eyes followed her closely.

Fortunately, the process of collecting samples went smoothly. Brin, holding a small pickaxe, chipped off a small piece of translucent amber-colored magic stone and put it in her pocket.

"Alright, that's enough."

Brin tugged on the rope, signaling to those above that she could be pulled up.

"Alright—Hold on tight!"

...What's that sound?

During the ascent, a grating rustling sound from not far away alerted Brin.

It was the sound of a large magic stone amplifier starting up.

"B-B-Big Sis, it's bad!!"

One of Ah Yellow's followers rushed over, looking panicked.

"What's wrong?"

"L-L-Lord Zolid has come with his guards!"

"...What??"

Disregarding her image, Brin quickly climbed up using both hands and feet.

Seeing the scene before her, her heart instantly chilled.

All around, dark shadows were approaching continuously. The sound of orderly footsteps made everyone's hair stand on end.

This number... there must be at least several thousand.

Unlike those greenhorns who called themselves a resistance army, these guards were well-equipped and numerous. They should be the local regular army.

Even though an excellent magic user could fight a hundred enemies alone, facing hundreds or thousands of troops would still be stretched thin.

This number was not something the two of them alone could handle.

A shrill voice came from the large magic stone amplifier that had started operating:

"All miners, attention—Now pause your work, take off your hats, and line up one by one to exit the checkpoint!!"

"—Lord Zolid is here for an inspection!! We have received reports that several foreign rats have sneaked in—Now is your chance to prove your loyalty to the Floris family!! There will be heavy rewards for informants! Resisters and those who harbor them—will be killed without mercy!!"

When... when did this happen??

They should have been very careful...

"I advise you not to harbor any false hopes—Half an hour later, we will close the barrier! If you don't want to die, move quickly and efficiently!!"

In such a high magical radiation area, normal work is only possible because of protective barriers in between.

If they close the barrier, those left in the mine will certainly die from organ failure and bleeding from seven orifices due to the high concentration of magical power disorder.

"Ah... Lord Zolid, do you have anything to add?"

Hum... Someone seemed to have taken over the amplifier. The originally shrill voice in the broadcaster switched to a low, aged voice.

"—If any red-haired rats are found, they are allowed to be shot on sight."

The final death order was issued.

Brin's hair stood on end as she looked at the pale-faced Yuna, her mind blank.

What to do??

To get out of the barrier, there was only one exit.

No matter what they did, they would be discovered.

"Wait... what are you doing?!"

Just as she was at a loss, she noticed Yuna gripping a sickle used for cutting ropes nearby.

"If this continues, everyone will be in danger. If I cut off my hair... I won't endanger everyone."

"Wait a moment!!"

Brin wanted to stop her, but it was too late. Yuna, holding the sharpened, gleaming sickle blade, very decisively cut off her flame-like red hair with a snip.

After severing the connection with its owner, like a flame being extinguished, it immediately became dull. Soon, the remaining short hair and loose strands turned into a brownish-yellow color, indistinguishable from other small folk.

"There... finally."

She breathed a sigh of relief, but when she turned her head, she found Brin behind her, holding her fallen hair fragments, with large tears falling down.

"Don't cry... It's my hair that fell, not yours."

She wanted to wipe the tears from her face, but her hands were covered in dust, leaving smudges on the other's face. For a moment, a sense of déjà vu washed over her, and she realized it had been a long time since she had seen her cry.

She choked, unable to speak, just shaking her head as tears flowed.

She would rather it had been her own hair cut than to see her make such a choice.

"...I'm sorry."