41 - Marquis Maron
Episode 41
"Just stay still for a bit."
Seeing the protagonist of my favorite novel up close like this made my dormant curiosity surge.
Before reading Hayley's version of the side story, Asta was actually my favorite. I liked the female lead more than the four male leads.
Was it because of an instinctive desire to be loved like her? Throughout the novel, I imagined myself as Asta, wishing that he would love me, she would love me, and everybody would love me.
"Pretty."
My voice echoed softly in the desolate stone chamber.
"So pretty..."
Hair as soft as cotton candy, a mix of warm beige and lovely pink. Her peach-like cheeks were free of blemishes or freckles.
Her lips were small and plump, and her fair, delicate hands had clean, pink nails like her hair.
"How can I be as pretty as you?"
Is it just because the author set you as the protagonist?
Lucky you. Being the protagonist.
I should have possessed you instead. Why did I become the evil Sorceress Hayley? Was it because I cried so much while reading the side story? Was I being punished for deleting all the files I had downloaded, saying the main characters were annoying?
I may not have said it, but I was so desperate at first. I would have been happy with a role like 'Passing Extra Farmer 1' or 'Happy Maid 1, who received a gold coin from the princess'!
Or possessed a man!
The male leads are great! A young master from a Marquis family like Cyril Vandision, or a patricidal king like Mikelan Holt wouldn't be bad! Eugene's appearance was my type! After Hayley was abandoned, they all lived well anyway!
Still, I hate Reikart.
"Sorry."
"For what?"
"Nothing."
I smiled foolishly, lost in trivial thoughts.
Asta's eyelashes fluttered. It was time for our protagonist to wake up. Not wanting to miss a single second of that moment, I stood close to Asta, staring down at her face with wide eyes.
When else would I get to observe the protagonist this closely? Right?
Reikart grimaced and moved away from me.
"Ah..."
A jewel-like tear trickled down Asta's eye. She was waking up from being unconscious, but I don't know why she was crying. And so beautifully, with just one drop.
Asta asked in a warbling voice.
"Who... who are you?"
"I am your..."
What should I say?
While I was pondering what nonsense to spout, Reikart spoke instead.
"We won't hurt you. Just don't let the Spirit come out."
"Yes, yes?"
"If that bird pops out again, we'll have no choice but to hurt you."
"Ah..."
Asta looked confused. Ventus, who had tried to come out earlier but was grabbed by the hair and pulled back in, had been furious as soon as he recognized my presence. She seemed to have just remembered that fact.
"Who exactly are you?"
This time, she asked directly. Her eyes were clear.
I had no idea how to introduce myself to her, so I just said what I always said.
"Marron."
"Marron? A Marquis? Which country are you from? Nieve? I've never heard of such a Marquis family..."
"You should be asking why you were kidnapped at a time like this."
You idiot.
"Why did you kidnap me?"
"I have something to say."
Saying that her crazy bird suddenly popped out and tried to kill me, so I did it on a whim, would be a problem for my reputation as a Marquis, so let's make up a reason.
Anyway, I did have something to say to her.
"You shouldn't be here right now."
"Yes?"
"At the beginning of autumn, a Demon will appear in the Kasnatura Forest of Water. If you're late, it could become complete and manifest, so run at full speed from now on. You have to defeat it to prevent the poor villagers in your kingdom from being massacred, and more importantly, you have to defeat it to get a proposal from Michelan and become a Saintess."
"Pardon?"
Asta widened her big eyes even more. Before she could ask me what nonsense I was talking, I said solemnly.
"I told you. I know what you're going to do."
She couldn't be active in Grandis because of me, and she couldn't be active in Selbon because of me either.
According to the original story, Asta should have been a princess who wisely prevented the war between Nieve and Holt, and a hugely popular woman who defeated the Demon that appeared in the Contaminated Zone with a powerful Spirit.
I prevented her from doing all that, so I had to force her to carry out the next episode at least.
You're the protagonist, after all.
You catch the Demon.
I said confidently.
"Save the world. That's what you have to do."
I'll eat Boeuf Bourguignon while you protect the peace.
* * *
"Wait! Please wait!"
Asta could only helplessly watch the back of Marquis Marron, who disappeared like the wind.
Actually, she was very scared.
When she came to her senses, she was lying on a coffin in a stone chamber, and all there was in this dark and cold place was an old wall-mounted torch.
Before her was a woman with black hair who was looking down at her and muttering that she was pretty in a sinister voice, and a man she couldn't identify threatened to kill her if she summoned her Spirit.
Should she summon Ventus?
Asta knew that it was a life-threatening choice. Would Ventus come out and defeat them faster, or would that incredibly skilled man cut her throat faster?
But that scary woman said something strange.
She told her to defeat the Demon that would appear in the Kasnatura Forest of Water, and that she had to do so to save the people of her kingdom. To become a Saintess and save the world.
Were they not villains?
Asta was confused. She had so many questions. Marquis Marron. By the time she realized what that name meant, they had already disappeared out of the stone chamber.
"Ah..."
Who is she?
Who could she be?
Hair as soft as a night cat, mysterious eyes, a childlike way of speaking like a fairy in a fairy tale, and eyes that were too indifferent to be a vicious kidnapper.
She was scared, but at the same time, she was curious. Her arms were covered in goosebumps, but her heart was pounding wildly.
'I have to find out.'
Asta was about to climb the stairs to get out of the stone chamber when the door opened and a priest came in.
"Oh... who are you?"
He was a young priest. He was wearing a white robe with a red hood, which was mainly worn by the clergy, but his clothes were so old that they were almost worn out.
"No, I am."
"This is an abandoned cemetery. It's not a place for a lady like you to come and go as you please. It's dangerous, so please go back."
"An abandoned cemetery?"
"Yes, it's mainly what priests who have been excommunicated like me do. We manage the graves of those who have no relatives."
The young priest didn't ask Asta why she had come all the way here. As was often the case with people with stories, it was as if they didn't have the energy to care about other people's stories.
A strong curiosity raised its head once again. Asta paid attention to the fact that this young priest had been excommunicated and that he was managing an abandoned cemetery.
"I was kidnapped. When I came to my senses, I was in this cemetery, and the kidnappers were gone. Priest, I'm sorry, but could you please take me out of the cemetery?"
"Oh? Those noisy people... they were the ones who kidnapped you?"
The priest nodded and took the wall-mounted torch down and held it in his hand. Then he took Asta out of the stone chamber.
"It's dark because the sun has set. I'll take you to the entrance of the cemetery."
"Thank you so much."
"It's nothing. I'm still serving in the name of God, even though I've been excommunicated. It's only natural."
"Um... excuse me, but may I ask why you were excommunicated?"
"Haha. It's nothing that a lady like you would want to know."
The priest stubbornly refused to reveal his story. Even so, he subtly lamented the church's decision to seal off the city.
"I don't know when it started. The faithful live a life of hiding in the shadows and praying, while those who are not take the lead and seize power and authority."
