Taming The Villainesses - Chapter 515

(EP. 515) – The Story of the Little Imps # Conclusion

Special Episode – The Story of the Little Imps # Conclusion

This is a forest located near Monarch City.

It was one of the popular tourist forests called the Forest of Silence because it was quiet with many trees and woods.

“Comrade, over here, over here!”

Flutter.

Arriving at the Forest of Silence, Marmar moved very nimbly. She looked like a chipmunk that was born and raised in this forest.

“Come on quickly!”

“Wait, Marmar. It’s been an uphill climb since earlier, so I’m out of breath.”

“Come on quickly! Quickly! There’s not much left! You have to go now!”

I barely followed Marmar’s tail as it shook between the bushes and trees.

I wanted to tell her to wait a minute and let’s go, but Marmar was so excited that I couldn’t bring myself to tell her to stop.

Has Marmar ever been in such a good mood recently?

Marmar was always bright and cheerful, but today she was even more so.

“Over here, over here!”

“Yes.”

After following her for a long time, I was finally able to catch up to Marmar. I wondered why she brought me to this forest. She said she wanted to show me something.

Could it be her glowing tail?

Marmar’s tail twinkled like a star. I was really impressed when she first showed it to me. I was looking forward to seeing it again.

Flutter.

“Wow.”

Pushing through the bushes and approaching Marmar, I stopped talking and opened my mouth wide at the sight beyond the small imp’s shoulder.

The beautifully shining morning sun. Underneath it, the lush foliage and the leaves that sparkled were a beautiful sight to behold. It was a breathtaking view of the Forest of Silence from a hilltop.

Marmar said.

“It shines the best when it’s close to noon in the spring! Do you see the lake over there? Over there!”

I looked at the tip of Marmar’s slender finger. There, as Marmar had said, I could see a lake about half the size of a soccer field glistening in the sunlight.

“It’s beautiful. It’s a really beautiful view. Marmar, did you bring me to this forest today to show me this?”

“No.”

“…….”

Then what is it?

As I felt a little puzzled, Marmar raised her hand.

“My house is over there by the lake!”

It was a strange story.

“Marmar, your house?”

When I asked again, Marmar nodded her head vigorously.

“Yes, my house!”

“But Marmar, your house is on the top floor of the company headquarters. I heard it’s the highest and most beautiful room.”

The story of Marmar, who started from an old and shabby hut and came to live on the top floor of the tallest building in the kingdom, was one of the favorite success stories of the Angmar people.

There were even self-help books modeled after Marmar in bookstores all over the country. Marmar, an icon of self-made success, has a house on the lake?

Is she talking about a villa or something?

Yes, that must be it.

A villa.

The lake sparkling in the sunlight and the quiet forest were such a wonderful place that it would not be strange for a top imp like Marmar to have built a villa in such a wonderful place.

“Let’s go, grown-up!”

Flutter.

Marmar grabbed my hand and started to drag me somewhere.

I had just reached the top of the hill and was out of breath, but the thought of seeing Marmar’s villa made me forget the fatigue in my body.

* * *

Sniff, sniff.

As we walked for a long time, I could smell the wet, earthy smell of the lakeside through the scent of grass and flowers. As we parted the bushes, a small, cozy log house appeared before my eyes.

Should I call it a hut? Its size was unusually small, even considering the perspective. It looked like a guard post built at the entrance of a small village.

As I approached, it looked strangely crude and sloppy.

The logs used as building materials were not sanded enough, so the outer parts were sharp and rough, and the windows seemed to have been roughly cut with a saw and then curtains were hung on the inside.

“How is it…!?”

Marmar wagged her diamond tail from side to side. She seemed to be expecting a review from me.

“How is it….”

For a moment, I wondered if Marmar was trying to make fun of me. A shabby hut to show me and a hidden camera to see my reaction.

No, that can’t be it, right?

Marmarwouldn’tdothatkindofmischievoustome.SotheonlyreasonMarmar,themostsuccessfulImpIknow,wouldshowmethisshackis…

─NymphBiggy,stopguessing!

Pingpingping-.

Mybrain,whichIhadn’tusedmuchbecauseofapeacefulworldforawhile,feltlikeanoldgearspinningwithasqueal.

Aroughlymadehut.

But,itdidn’tseemlikeitwasdesertedforalongtime.

Itwasbuiltnotsolongago.

Atleastayear,atmost3years.Butwhatbuilderwouldbuildsuchasubtleshack?

Itwasahutthatlookedlikeitwasmadebyabeginner.

Beginner.

Thatmeans…

Spark.

Thelightofwisdomflashedinmyhead.

“Isee,Marmar.Youbuiltthisshackyourself?”

“Yes!”

Marmarraisedbothhandsandwasveryhappy.

Atthesametime,IwasgladIdidn’tsayanythingbadabouttheshack,likehowoldorroughitwas.

Marmar said.

“Icutdownthetreesnearbyandmadetheshack!Sawingwasabitdifficult,andsochoppingdownwithanaxewasalsodifficult.But,it’sokay,right?Bytheway,Gorgorgabroughtthelogs!”

“Gorgor brought them.”

Ithought of Ogre Gorgor, who was preparing for his doctorate at the Arc. I also got to know Ogre Gorgor when I was taking a lecture, thanks to Marmar. It’s a new feeling when I think about that time.

“Then,Gorgorbuiltthisshack?”

“No!Imadeitmyself!ThisisthefirstshackI’vemade,but,it’sokay,right?Honestly,theoutsideisawkward,but,if you go inside, it’s okay!”

Creak.

Marmaropenedthedoorandwentinside.Thehingesonthedoorwerelubricatedwell,sotheymadeagoodsound.

AfterMarmar,Iwentinsidetheshack.ThefirstthingIcouldseewasabed.Thebedwasspreadwithragsandanimalfurwasputonthetop.Deerfur?

I think so. The trophy of antlers hanging on the wall and the fur on the bed must be from the same one.

“I hunted it myself! Amazing, right! It was huge!”

I was surprised at Marmar’s story.

“That’s amazing. How did you hunt it?”

“With a modified crossbow! It’s an item sold at the Belhock store, and it’s suitable for Imps like me!”

When I looked at the corner, I could see a crossbow that reached my waist. There was a fishing rod near it, and there were cups and bowls for storing small knives or utensils.

It was a very cozy space. It was the moment I felt that Marmar didn’t just make this place and leave it alone, but that he decorated it and lived in it as his own space.

Thud.

There was a carpet on the floor. In this small and cute space, the carpet was woven with wool yarn, and I think it might be a wool yarn carpet that Marmar made himself.

“It’s cool because it’s like a secret base.”

Marmar was very happy with my compliment.

“Secret base! As expected, my comrade understands! This is my secret base! I told you, my comrade, for the first time! No, this is not the time! Wait!”

Marmar moved quickly and rummaged through the shelves. Soon, Marmar took out a kettle and started to boil water from a nearby water bottle into a simple lamp.

“It’s a flower tea made from flowers picked in the forest!”

“Oh.”

It was very fragrant. So, of course, I thought it would be sweet like sugar, but the taste was a little bitter. Still, it was refreshing enough to drink.

When I received tea from Marmar in the hut like this, I was reminded of the time when I was in the Arc. When Marmar was camping in the forest of the Arc, something similar happened.

Is Marmar also doing this kind of life by remembering what happened at that time?

When I asked about it, Marmar nodded.

“That’s right! At that time, when I think about it now, it was a very busy and difficult time, but it was quite fun. I was excited to do this and that on my own.”

“Is that so.”

“Now, I’ve become the owner of a large building. But, in fact, I don’t really feel like I made it with my own power. So, when I’m among things that I made myself, my heart feels a little warm!”

Marmar was a more independent friend than I had thought. Marmar had become the First Imp, so it would be okay for her to be a little more proud of her abilities.

However, I could understand Marmar’s feelings a little bit. I had also lived a luxurious life in the royal palace, but I hadn’t built anything with my own two hands.

“It seems great to be able to survive on your own, no matter where you are.”

“Right!”

Marmar said that she often came here when the weather was warm.

She made rabbit traps on her own, wove nets out of vines to catch fish in the lake, and collected mushrooms and herbs. I also tried various things myself, following Marmar’s lead.

“Buddy, look! Fish! I caught a lot!”

“The fish are bigger than I thought.”

There was no magic, no Nymph’s Rain. I just fought nature with my own strength and survived, and I felt a great sense of fulfillment.

As we lived like that, evening came.

The moon rose in the sky and over the lake, and countless stars twinkled. We built a bonfire in front of the hut and grilled fish.

“Like this, take out the guts and put it on a stick to grill it. Sprinkle some of the salt I got from the salt mine earlier.”

“Marmar, you’re a pro.”

“Hehe, right? I learned from Professor Stella!”

The fish I caught myself and the mushrooms and berries I collected myself tasted even better. I had sweated a lot for the first time in a long time, so the salt I sprinkled on my tongue tasted bitter.

After such a leisurely meal, Marmar added more dry firewood to the bonfire. The flames, which devoured the branches, felt like they were alive.

Swoosh-. Crackle-.

The wind blew and the trees on the shore shook, their branches hitting each other.

When I drank warm flower tea while feeling a little chilly and warmed myself by the fire, I felt like the fatigue that had clung to me like wet mud was melting away.

At the same time.

I felt a little lonely.

“Marmar, are you thinking of leaving the kingdom?”

The words slipped out of my mouth without thinking. It was something I had wanted to ask all day, but I hadn’t been able to bring myself to ask.

Marmar replied.

“Huh? Why do you think that?”

“No, it’s just. You’re practicing how to live on your own without the help of others. I felt like you were going to go on a journey all alone soon.”

She must have been planning to go far away on her own.

It would be a journey without anyone’s help.

There was also a chance that I wouldn’t be able to contact her. Otherwise, there would be no reason for her to practice surviving on her own like this. When would she come back?

I don’t know.

Suddenly, I thought about my daily life without Marmar. These days, it was a peaceful everyday life that everyone took for granted. But if Marmar left, my life might become brighter than it was now.

Marmar said.

“No! Why would I leave here!”

“….”

I guess not.

“It’s just fun to be here! It reminds me of when I used to live in the monastery. Buddy, you said you grew up in a place called an orphanage?”

“Yes.”

“If we had grown up in such a facility, it would have been fun to spend our childhood together. If I had been in that orphanage, or if Buddy had been in the monastery where I grew up!”

Marmar’s words reminded me of the old days. What would it have been like if Marmar had been there when I was growing up in the orphanage?

━Buddy! What are you doing! Come out and look at this! A glowing tail!

The time I spent looking out the window alone and feeling lonely would have been much shorter. No matter what, I think there would have been more fun and enjoyable times.

━Buddy, look! I’ve grown 5cm this year!

━Me too. We’re still about the same. But I’ll be taller soon? I’m a boy.

━Agh-! How can you say that! You were smaller than me until recently!

I wonder if we measured our height to see how much we had both grown? I felt really good thinking about it. Did Marmar feel the same way?

Marmar’s tail curled into a question mark shape. I now knew well that when Imps were lost in thought, the end of their tails would curl up like that.

I asked.

“So, Marmar, how was today? Do you think the fire in the Imps’ hearts has grown a little?”

“Well, I don’t know! It does feel a little warmer. Would you like to check by placing your hand on my chest? To see if my flame has grown!”

“Me? Ah.”

Thwack! Marmar grabbed my hand and placed it on her chest. I could feel the warmth through the thin nun’s habit that Marmar often wore. It was like a small bonfire.

I felt embarrassed for some reason and quickly removed my hand.

“What, what is it all of a sudden? You startled me.”

“Huh? What are you so embarrassed about?”

“…Well, because you pulled my hand towards your chest.”

I almost whispered the last part. Somehow, I felt very awkward and embarrassed talking about this with Marmar. But Marmar seemed to find it very funny.

“Oh, come on, you’re married and have kids. Are you still embarrassed by something like this? Now that I think about it, you’re quite a prude, my friend!”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Pru-de!”

“Th-that’s not what I meant!”

It was the first time Marmar had teased me, so I was very flustered. I was wondering what to say when Marmar suddenly started laughing.

I suddenly found it funny too and just laughed out loud.

The stars twinkled and the fireflies flickered.

“Look, my friend! The second stage of the glowing tail, the Shining Tail…! If you swing it from side to side, it can glow in five different colors!”

“Wow. It’s like a Christmas tree.”

Marmar’s tail was also sparkling. The lakeside at night was very quiet and still, but if you listened closely, you could hear the tiny creatures stirring and rustling in the bushes.

“Grrrrowl~!”

Just then, Marmar stretched out with a yawn.

“I’m getting sleepy now. I’m going to sleep near the bonfire here. What are you going to do?”

“Me? I’ll sleep a little later.”

“Okay! It might be because of my mood, but I think I’ll be 5 cm taller tomorrow morning! My face is all flushed!”

“Really?”

I looked at Marmar’s face. Her face, flushed from teasing me, looked like a bonfire that had been fed plenty of firewood.

“Are you just saying that because it’s fun to tease me?”

“Well…”

Marmar opened her thin eyes at my question. Under the moonlight, Marmar’s slightly shaded face had a mischievous corner, like a little devil.

I guess that’s not entirely wrong, since Marmar is a little devil.

“That’s a secret! I won’t tell you!”

“What secret could there be between you and me? That’s too much.”

“Hehe, then I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll tell you why when I wake up tomorrow morning if I’m in a good mood!”

Thud.

Marmar wrapped herself in a deerskin she had brought from the hut and fell asleep, leaving only her tail outside.

As I listened to Marmar’s steady breathing, I started to feel sleepy too. Suddenly, I remembered that I hadn’t decided what to do tomorrow.

I wondered if it would be better to wake up Marmar, who had just fallen asleep, and decide on tomorrow’s schedule, but I decided to let it go, thinking that it might be fun to spend the day without any plans.

“There’s still a lot in the world that I don’t know.”

Sometimes, it’s okay to leave things as question marks.

What will I do tomorrow?

Will I really grow 5 cm taller tomorrow, as Marmar said?

What exactly happened today that made the bonfire in Marmar’s heart burn so brightly?

Maybe I can leave it as a question mark and let tomorrow’s me handle it. Then, I’ll slowly end today’s day.

“Marmar, move over for a bit.”

“Mmmfff…”

I pushed the strangely sleeping Marmar aside and crawled under the large deerskin as well. As I lay down and covered myself with the blanket, the warmth of the bonfire melted away my fatigue.

“Tomorrow will be an even better day than today.”

I thought so, even though I had no evidence or reason. Maybe I’ll grow 5 cm taller too. Maybe I’ll be more mature than I am today…

No, maybe something unimaginable will happen.

I felt happy for no reason when I thought about it. I’m glad that the days full of question marks, like Marmar’s curled tail, will continue tomorrow.

I can’t wait for tomorrow to come.

Soon…

SPECIAL – The Story of the Little Imps # Conclusion

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