A Villainess Should Be Strong

Chapter 69: Troubling Thoughts

Estelle rushed back to the hectic area the moment she recovered from her moment of shock.

There, she was able to find the silhouette of a fae that fought desperately against the ongoing storm.

His expression looked troubled, and his arms trembled as he continued using magic to suppress the storm.

"Heine!" Estelle shouted out the fae's name, successfully catching his attention during the intense defense.

"Estelle... You're back? How.. was it?" Heine wiped a trail of sweat that formed on his forehead as he diverted his gaze back to the storm.

He was trying hard to contain it, but there seemed to be something that kept fanning it up, not letting it die.

In order to find out what this external catalyst is, Yulia was sent to investigate.

And such, the disaster was now being fought back by Heine.

"Like your data said, it really was Elias," Estelle manipulated her mana to support Heine and recharge his mana bank back to full.

She casted multiple spells.

One that subdued the storm, one that restricted its movements, and one that slowed it down.

Out of the three, only the restrictions worked. The other failed and did not show any difference.

Alas, with Estelle's help, the storm now stayed in place. Their conjoined efforts finally showed some differences in the situation.

"And.. what did he say?" Heine asked, curious.

"Lots of things. Ambiguous, just like the entire plan he sorted out. That's not important right now, how is the city progressing?" Estelle looked up to the storm and decided to help out a little.

She didn't exactly know how to make the storm itself subside, but she was able to completely restrain it in place.

She focused on the restrictions, thinking that although the storm will still be there, the disastrous effects it caused would be lessened. She placed magic strings that held and bound the turbulent typhoon together, not allowing it to move around and wreck the place even further.

Her current identity was anonymous, and there were not much people in the vicinity because most of them had been evacuated during the first wave since it was the nearest to the storm site. She was not afraid to mobilize her magic.

In fact, most of the servants inside the Dukedom has figured out what was going on.

Her appearance in front of the Knights confirmed their deductions even further, so what she had to hide from now is the citizens.

The Dukedom's people took it better than what she expected.

"The Knights are holding up pretty well, but there are some casualties. This storm is unnatural. Artificially created. I must say that in terms of affinity with Wind Magic, I'm much better than the likes of you, but.. this storm doesn't comply with the rules of Wind Magic at all," Heine heaved a tired sigh, dropping his hands for a quick rest.

Thankfully, Estelle came here to offer her aid. If not, he wasn't sure how much longer he was going to hold up.

"..I see," Estelle was still caught deep in thoughts from her conversation with Elias.

His words were very frontal, and she couldn't help but doubt herself.

What is it that she wanted?

The third path she chose to follow, the third option other than 'good' and 'evil'.

She was indeed a bit hypocritical with the way she did things.

Estelle also began to sigh.

"Elias fled from here, but his existence is a bit worrying. I honestly suspect that he's not who I think he is. Maybe even Arayle got fooled by him. Arayle was awfully honest, but someone like Elias, who has a thousand faces to him is.."

Estelle rubbed her thumb and index finger together as she controlled her mana to disperse the broken down remains scattered on the ground.

"...Scary," Estelle swiped her hand and the debris were all collected into one place and moved to an open place.

Heine nodded in agreement. Elias was a competent and clever enemy.

Was he even an enemy?

His intentions were twisted, but it was in line with bettering the world's development. Not to say that the way he approached it was correct, but Elias was standing in the gray line of being a friend and an enemy of the world.

Some might say that the selection is needed, and others might argue that all lives were important.

Elias simply viewed the world as an object, something that trickles down to the simplest theory that is 'more quality, less quantity'.

If morals weren't considered, then technically what he was doing benefited the world.

It provided the existence of a challenge, a threat for the world to overcome and triumph over.

Out of this entire ordeal, a lot of people will die. Some will be sacrificed, will the others would get away and stay safe.

The weak will eventually be at risk of dying at all times as the monsters' evolution progressed.

A harsh truth, but what if Elias' plan was needed?

Estelle felt quite inferior to the Underworld.

The Underworld and the Surface was so similar, but one prevailed over the other. The gap was as clear as day.

Not to mention, the difference in time flow.

To make up for the stark difference, the existence of monsters in the Surface could pose a division between the two realms.

The Underworld did not have monsters, but Estelle clearly saw their potential.

On the other hand, monsters were quite undefined. Everything about them was uncertain.

At first, they weren't that dangerous, but constant evolution was possible.

[If we made these monsters into our weapons- or allies who we can communicate with...!] Estelle considered the choice.

Not only will their value skyrocket, it was also a chance to get back at Elias.

What would he do if his monsters were turned into Estelle's minions?

[Even so, the way he spoke sounded like he knew me.. He knows something that even Arayle doesn't. That's certain.]

Estelle thought if it might be related to the previous ruler. If she recalled correctly, Elias was active back then, too.

The Underworld's Rulers had shorter lifespans than their subjects, possibly because of the power they held.

Even so, it was still a long lifetime.

Elias... how much had he learned?

Estelle pursed her lips.

"I'm going to try and deal with the monsters. You stay here and watch over the storm. If Yulia comes back and manages to pull off a discovery, or if anything dangerous happens, call me and I'll be here immediately. My spell should last... unless something bad happens,"

"I would've preferred it if you didn't say the last sentence. Sounds like a jinx!" Heine complained, teasing her in a cheery manner as if there wasn't a gigantic typhoon brewing in front of him.

"What was said has been said~ Anyway, I'll check up on the Knights! See ya!" Estelle flew up to a suitable distance before taking off to the place where most monsters crowded in.

Heine grumbled as he watched the storm with listless eyes, trying to spot the blonde Witch Yulia amidst all the chaos.

He jumped up to one of the roofs that still stayed intact, as he sat down and materialized a lustrous pearl, which grew larger in size upon being supplied with mana.

On the pearl's surface, Estelle's hurried figure could be seen.

A recording device that could be implanted into a moving object and track them without notifying them.

A new invention.