I'm in Love with the Villainess!-Chapter 71: Intervening in a Canon Event...?

Julius and Lillian crept around the alley, both dressed and draped in black; they were prepared, very prepared.

As expected of protagonists, but since they were still in a story... all that preparation didn’t matter when the plot had to happen.

"Get behind me..."

Julius stopped Lillian from advancing further, silently telling her to support him from the back.

He had sensed something that she didn’t.

"Got it..."

click...

click...

click...

Multiple metal balls suddenly rolled out of the darkness that was the alley, a maze of unbridled proportion that equalled that of the Cold Iron District’s own slums and dark market.

"What the—" Lillian peered over Julius’s shoulder, seeing the metal contraptions, her eyes widening in concern the moment she did.

"It’s a smoke—"

Too late.

BOOM!

A wave of smoke filled the alley they were standing on, further obscuring their vision alongside the darkness.

But Julius was a light mage; if he were to have any problem, sight issues would definitely be dead last on the list.

[Light Guardian]

Wings bloomed from his back, lighting up a small radius around him, and not only that, it allowed him to protect Lillian passively without even needing to intervene.

The biggest advantage the attacker had was now null; if they wanted to approach, they’d have to step out of the smoke first and into Julius’s light.

Range spells wouldn’t work as well; Light Guardian made sure almost no spell would pierce it unless you were stronger than Julius itself.

Which was unlikely at best.

CLAP!

CLAP!

CLAP!

"You outdid yourself, Bastard of the lionbrights..."

An ominous voice stepped out from the smoke and into Julius’s range of attack.

The figure wore a smiling mask, his body cloaked in a dark fabric, an adept at dark magic, and the main antagonist of this small arc.

The Owl.

"What’s your goal? Why did you have to kill innocent civilians!?"

Lillian yelled out in outrage from behind, reaching her hand out as multiple ice spikes emerged from all around her, primed and ready to strike when commanded.

"My goal...? I simply just wanted to have fun, Lady Lillian."

"Have fun?" Julius repeated his words with disdain.

"Yes, did you really think I did all this to bait you two out?" The figure laughed, a rapier sliding out of his long sleeves and into his hands. "Both of you are too full of yourselves."

"And I’m not about to have some stuck-up nobles ruin my fun..."

***

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

Fighting rang out from below as Evelina and I continued to watch from above, our skill at dark magic more than enough to pierce through the darkness and smoke, allowing us a perfect view of the entire show.

"This is far better than the tomb’s theatrics..." She chuckled, resting her head on my shoulders as she watched with interest.

"The way both of them used their weapons is horrible, though."

"Oh...? Is that so?"

I pointed at the figure and Julius, who were engaged in a tight clash with their blades.

"Despite using a rapier, he’s closing distance too much, and as for Julius, he’s too rigid with his techniques, horrible for the type of opponent he’s handling."

FWOOSH!

FWOOSH!

FWOOSH!

A barrage of ice spikes was unleashed behind Julius, offering him support to make sure the figure didn’t have time to rest.

It was a battle of attrition, one that Julius and Lillian were sure to win.

"What about her?"

"I don’t have any complaints, she’s providing decent cover."

Evelina scowled at my observation. Complimenting another woman was something, but for it to be her rival? That left a bad taste in her mouth.

’I know I asked for his opinion... but...’ Evelina refused to finish her thought, she was being way too unreasonable. ’I swear to the gods... I’m being way too emotionally irrational recently.’

She covered her face with her hands, letting out a frustrated exhale.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Yes... I’m much more prone to jealousy than I initially thought."

Evelina wasn’t even sure what she was saying; she already knew she was far stronger than Lillian, and she sure as hell knew that I knew it as well.

But... rationality usually tends to be disregarded when personal feelings come into play.

Evelina lowered her hands slowly, eyes still fixed on the fight below.

"...Annoying," she muttered. "I don’t like feeling this way."

"You’re allowed to. You’re human... mostly." I replied playfully.

She shot me a look, grinning. "What’s that supposed to mean? Are you calling me a demon?"

"A goddess, more like it."

"Flattery will get you everywhere with me."

I smiled and turned my attention back to the alley just in time to see the tempo shift.

Down below, Julius took a step too far forward.

It was subtle, barely noticeable, but it was there. His footing was perfect, his posture clean, his magic stable... and yet he committed just a fraction of a second too much.

The Owl noticed.

CLANG—SKREE!

The rapier slid past Julius’s blade at an impossible angle, scraping along his Light Guardian barrier and sending sparks spiralling into the smoke.

"—Tch!"

Julius retreated a step, wings flaring as he reinforced the spell.

"Careful!" Lillian shouted, ice forming faster now, sharper, less measured.

The Owl laughed, the sound echoing unnaturally through the alley.

"There it is," I said quietly. "Horrible mistake."

"Mm," Evelina agreed. "I’m not a master at close-range, but even I could tell that was a mistake."

Their life-or-death battle had now completely turned into our version of a movie night.

And as if on cue, the darkness thickened.

Not smoke.

Shadow.

The Owl snapped his fingers, and the metal balls that lay harmlessly on the ground began to glow with faint, violet runes. They had a second function than just being smoke bombs.

Lillian’s eyes widened. "Julius! those aren’t just smokescreens!"

[Shadow Labyrinth]

The alley warped.

Walls stretched. Corners bent inward. The ground twisted into overlapping paths that shouldn’t exist. Light Guardian still shone, but now it illuminated too much, angles that hurt to look at, shadows that moved independently of their sources.

Julius clenched his teeth. "Illusion magic...!?"

"Well spotted," the Owl said, bowing theatrically. "But too late."

He launched himself forward, but for both Julius and Lillian, it felt like hundreds of him were charging all at once.

Undodgeable, and even Light Guardian couldn’t catch up with it, Julius was way too confused to continue to maintain his spell.

"Lillian—" Julius immediately turned backward, wrapping his arms around Lillian as his wings covered them.

In the novel, this would have led to another wild goose chase where the Owl would kidnap Lillian, causing the arc to last for a few more Chapters.

But...

[Abyssal Spear]

[Profaned Serpent] 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Not anymore.