The Baby Villain Dreams of Conquering the World

Chapter 50

Episode 50

Hiss!

The cat bared its teeth and rejected his hand.

"Wow, it's mean."

"It seems it doesn't like me."

Flora, who had been laughing delightedly at the novelty, turned her head slightly at Basilian's dejected voice.

Seeing his deflated expression, she clicked her tongue inwardly.

'Why does he keep making me feel concerned like this?'

Honestly, she didn't know why she was surrounded by such bothersome people.

Flora let out a sigh and rested her head against Basilian's chest.

When she lifted her chin, her eyes met his closely as he was looking down.

"I like you, Basi. You know that, right?"

"……You really like me?"

Seeing his trembling green eyes, Flora reached out and grabbed his face.

"Yep, I like you. You're my 'Bepu'."

"Bepu?"

"Best Friend. Bestie."

"Bestie?"

"Best friend! You don't even know that?"

She was generously giving him a position the older siblings at the orphanage had wanted, a position she hadn't even given to Rosaria, and his reaction was underwhelming.

Just as Flora was about to open her mouth to retract it.

"Shh."

Suddenly, Basilian covered her mouth.

'What is it?'

Despite Flora's displeased look, Basilian didn't remove his hand.

The reason became clear not long after.

Because behind Elena, who was searching for Flora, appeared a suspicious man wearing a robe.

Elena was desperately calling Flora's name, shouting for her to come out, when she soon started arguing loudly with the man.

As expected, the conversation they could hear was full of unpleasant talk about Flora.

"……Are you okay hearing things like that?"

Worried about Flora, who was quietly watching the two confront each other, Basilian whispered softly.

"Yep, I expected it."

Of course, she hadn't thought she would actually call an assassin.

"……But she still hasn't called 'peek-a-boo' yet."

Yes, Elena was desperately searching for Flora with a frantic face, but she wasn't shouting the promised phrase, 'peek-a-boo', which they had even sealed with a pinky swear.

As if telling her never to come out.

And soon, the man couldn't stand it and drew his sword. Simultaneously, he pointed the sword at Elena's neck, but her intensity didn't diminish.

When Flora tried to rise as if to jump in at any moment, Basilian urgently grabbed her.

"Let me go."

"No. I can't."

Flora struggled, but Basilian didn't loosen his grip.

"I won't let you go. I can't let you go to a dangerous place."

At his firm words, Flora's insides began to burn with frustration.

Flora wasn't even that angry about the fact that Elena had infiltrated to kill her, to cause pain to the Lucifers.

Because she expected it? Because she understood her sorrow?

No, it was because she knew that no matter what ill intentions she harbored, it was just the desperate flailing of someone weak, incapable of touching a single hair on Flora's head.

That's why Flora had no intention of dismissing her first if Elena didn't cause trouble.

She had even thought lightly that if Elena did wrong, she would just receive a fitting punishment.

"Even if you threaten me like that, you won't be able to lay a finger on a single hair of the Young Lady."

But she had never imagined that Elena would turn around and step forward to protect her.

'I didn't expect this kind of situation.'

While the two were quietly holding their breath, the man raised his sword high.

And in the blink of an eye, he swung it without hesitation toward the traitor.

"No!"

At Flora's horrified cry, Elena turned around, startled.

Thanks to Flora's shout causing Elena to suddenly twist her body, the sword missed its fatal mark, but unfortunately, it deeply slashed her shoulder blade.

"Aagh!"

At her pained groan, Flora's eyes widened.

Elena collapsed on the spot but struggled to lift her head and looked up at the tree.

She saw Basilian, his face completely contorted, and Flora, looking as if she was about to cry, reaching a hand out toward her.

'Why is the Young Lady here?'

She had thought Flora had surely left the garden; it must not have been easy for a child's body to escape.

"So you were hiding there. You little rats."

The man shook the blood off his sword and began slowly approaching the tree.

"No!"

Then Elena stepped forward and unhesitatingly grabbed the ankle of the departing man.

Even though blood was streaming from her wound, she desperately held onto him as if she didn't know pain.

"You can't go any further! If you intend to harm the Young Lady, you'll have to kill me first!"

"Tch, what a nuisance!"

The man shook his foot as if annoyed, but Elena gritted her teeth and, with superhuman strength, refused to let go.

"Hurry, hurry and run away, Young Lady."

The man, enraged, kicked her with his foot.

Elena, who had collapsed near the base of the tree where Flora and Basilian were hiding, coughed roughly but didn't stop speaking.

"You must run away. Hurry……"

Even as her voice grew weaker, her words telling them to flee didn't stop.

"Tch, lucky you. Throwing away your spared life like this."

Elena blinked her eyes with difficulty.

Something was wrong; breathing was excruciatingly painful.

Seeing the man approaching her again to kill her in this state, she unknowingly let out a sorrowful laugh.

'I'm not afraid of dying.'

She had resolved it when she first entered the ducal castle. After succeeding in killing Flora and seeing the Duke in despair, she would end her own life too.

'I'm sorry, Lisa. I'm finally coming to your side. I'm sorry, my dear. I'll come to meet you soon.'

Tears rolled down from her eyes. Seeing her resigned expression, accepting death, the man sneered as if finding it boring.

"What a pitiful, wretched sight."

And the moment he tried to raise his sword again.

"Urk!"

A powerful, albeit small, kick to his forehead from Flora sent him stumbling backward and falling.

"Dammit, Flora!"

Flora, who had forcibly broken free from Basilian's embrace and jumped down from the tree in one go, had kicked him in the head.

"Elena is not pitiful! You're the fool!"

Flora glared at him with a furious face and shouted.

"No, Young Lady. No."

She could hear the trembling voice calling her, but Flora didn't look back.

Because she felt if she looked back, she might lose her reason.

'My stomach is churning.'

A desire to erase this man from this world began to boil inside her.

She tried to calm her anger somehow, but these efforts were largely useless.

Soon, she saw the ground beneath her feet being stained with blackish-red blood. It was the blood flowing from Elena's wound.

Forgetting her earlier resolve, Flora swiftly turned around and faced Elena, who was on the verge of losing consciousness in a wretched state.

"......"

Basilian, who had quickly climbed down the tree after Flora, picked up the sword the man had dropped and stood in front of Flora and Elena, shielding them.

"You damned little rats. I'll kill you all."

The man, having regained his senses, stood up, furiously angry at his own disgraceful fall.

He pulled a dagger from his robe and began slowly approaching.

"Do you think you can protect two people with a large sword that doesn't even suit your body?"

Despite the clear mockery, Basilian didn't let go of the sword.

'I have to do this.'

He was the only one who could protect the two in this situation.

Basilian steadied his trembling heart and glared at the man with the determination to somehow succeed.

When Basilian held the sword in the basic stance he had only recently learned, the man burst out laughing.

"What a complete novice. Pathetic!"

The man's dagger and Basilian's long sword clashed. After a few exchanges, the man opened his eyes wide in surprise.

"Run away now, Flora!"

Basilian desperately parried the blows while shouting.

But Flora didn't run.

She stared blankly at the pooled blood at her feet, then went to Elena's side, who looked like she could die at any moment.