I Will Create a Good Ending for the Yandere Villainess

Chapter 135: First Layer of the Forest of Disruption? [4]

”Yep! So... whatʼs with the whip? That thing new?” Lillian asked, glancing down at the root-like whip in Marionetteʼs hand.

The Assassin stared down at the whip as well before saying:

”A Shard. An item I received after killing the Parasitic Evergrower.”

”Eh? You got an item from the tree? Sick!” Lillian leaned down, staring at the whip with keen interest. ”So what can it do? I saw it wiggling around back there.”

Marionette stared down at her before holding the whip up, ”Would you like to see?”

”I can?”

She nodded, ”Mhm. But you will have to let me read your odachi.” Said Marionette, who held out her other hand, curling her fingers in repetition.

”Hm? Did I not let you do that before?” At her words, Marionette shook her head, causing Lillian to rub the side of her head sheepishly, ”Ah... sorry about that.”

She handed over the Black Maw and took the whip, gazing into its description with an impatient curiosity.

[Item Name: Lively Root]

[Item Type: Weapon]

[Item Rank: 3]

[Description: Morbasker, germinating from a mysterious seed planted by a mysterious Archer, survived in the dark and lonely space of the Catacomb—where it grew into a beautiful tree that soon bloomed into a rose due to outside influences.

But before that, it was known to prey upon nearby Catacomb Hunters, who would stumble too far into the light it was nurtured by, and steal their bodies.

After the bodies had become too rotted and incapable of any other functions, they would repurpose into something more useful, thus creating the hill it once sat on.]

[Enchantments: Poisonous Excrement, Liveliness]

[Poisonous Excrement: Inject the whip with mana to excrete a nerve-paralysing toxin.]

[Liveliness: Once this whip has detected hostility to its wielder, the whip would automatically react to get rid of the threat.]

Lillianʼs mouth shaped an ʼoʼ as she read over its description. Her face then wrinkled at the fact that the dirt hill they slept on was actually the decomposed remains of the Beetleʼs family members.

ʼThatʼs not disturbing in the least at all...ʼ

Her eyes then went back to the beginning of it. She then raised an eyebrow.

ʼArcher...?ʼ

”Germinating from a mysterious seed planted by a mysterious Archer” Who could this mysterious Archer be? And what was the reason for him planting it there?

Lillian scratched her cheek. She then remembered about a book that was held loosely in one of Morbaskerʼs vines. Could that give her some idea?

As she thought about it more, she felt that the term ”Mysterious Archer” felt somewhat familiar to her.

ʼI might actually know who it is...ʼ She rubbed her chin before noticing something in the corner of her eyes. It was the black Odachi being brought back to her.

She turned to Marionette and saw that she had finished. And it seemed she looked quite satisfied with its description.

”I can see why you favour this weapon a bit. It had quite a formidable set of enchantments.”

”I know, right? Kind of upsetting that yours only have two, though...” She gave back the whip.

Marionette shrugged as she took it off her hands before returning it to her Mana Realm. ”It all depends on luck. I wasnʼt expecting to be given a Shard, especially from a rank-C Maw. Fortunately, it happened, since this feature of the Jester is now unlocked to me.”

”I guess... Anyway, we should get going now. We already wasted enough times on these guys.” Lillian pointed back with her thumb at the bear.

Marionette nodded before walking up to the snake, ”Youʼre right.” and causing it to disappear into her spacial storage. ”We should get going.”

She paused and then turned back to Lillian with a subtle smile, ”But at our own pace, of course...” before going stoic again.

”Huh? I think we should do so quickly.” Lillian tilted her head, ”Weʼre racing the other classes, yʼknow. Itʼd be pretty embarrassing if the supposed ”best” class were to come last.”

”Hm... I suppose. But we wonʼt earn much from this trip besides some combat experience.” She walked past Lillian and stored the bear in her storage.

She had been doing this to most monsters on the way—mainly the ones in the Savage/D-rank. The monster that Lillian had killed had only around a single Mana Shell, so it wasnʼt too dangerous.

Lillian tapped her chin, ʼItʼll still win against a Catacomb Dweller, though.ʼ She thought to herself. Those cockroaches had nothing besides a little bit of speed and defences to them.

ʼOh, I guess they were pretty strong physically. Well... compared to me.ʼ While Lillian was deep in her thoughts, Marionette was off to the side, holding out her phone with the camera turned to the white-haired girl.

Marionette snapped a picture of Lillianʼs thinking posture before putting away her phone and snapping her awake with a tap on the shoulder.

”Anyway, if you wish to win the race, then letʼs keep on going.”

”Ah, right.” Lillian then froze and turned to her, ”I thought you hate losing. Isnʼt this out of the ordinary for you to act?”

Marionette, who had already begun walking, glanced back at her, ”I do. But Iʼm not losing in the way that you think.”

Lillian followed and walked beside her, ”Huh? What is that supposed to mean?” She then watched as the edges of Marionetteʼs lips curved upwards into a smile, albeit slightly.

”Being with you is considered winning, Lillian...”

Marionette then watched as Lillianʼs right fist gently punched her. She raised an eyebrow and looked at her, finding her shielding her face with her left hand.

”... Whatʼs with you lately...” Lillian quietly asked in a timid voice. ”You keep popping up with these left and right and giving me no room to think up one...”

Click...

Her ears then twitched as she heard the sounds of a... camera clicking? The sound that would be made when someone was taking a photo on their... phone.

Lillian pulled her hand away from her face and turned to look at her, finding her with her phone up and with an eyebrow raised.

Marionette then awkwardly said:

”Ah... why did the sound go off?”

”W-why are you taking pictures of me!?”

***

Reph scratched the back of his head as he stared at the group, who were setting up their tent. It had been an hour or two since they last saw Lillian and Marionette.

”Were behind schedule...” He gave an exasperated sigh, ”Did the Roselleʼs awful sense of direction rub off on Lillian?” He softly facepalmed, rubbing the sides of his temple with his middle and thumb, ”She said she would hold her hand or something... what happened?”

He then felt someone slap his back, repeatedly.

Smack. Smack. Smack.

”Yo, bro!” Millis greeted him, in a boisterous and casual manner, ”We campinʼ here for tonight?”

Reph sighed, looking up and past the canopies. He stared into the sky that had turned a warm orange. He sighed again, ”If they donʼt arrive soon, then weʼll have to.”

Millis wrapped her arms around the back of her head with a mischievous grin, ”It might take awhile~... Theyʼre all alone in the woods with no one around~... They might have the stamina to go all nigh—”

”Please stop...” Reph said in a tired tone, ”Since youʼre my acting Vice, have you gotten someone on the campfire yet?”

”Ya bet! I got that guy Xander on it.” She pointed back with her thumb.

Reph tilted his body to the side and looked past her, seeing two men rolling around in the dirt with a roaring campfire in the back. He then grimaced.

”Those two are at it again?”

”Uh-huh! Ya know how theyʼre.”

The people they were referring to were Xander and Gram. They were infamously known to into a lot of fights in their class and out.

This was mainly due to Gramʼs insistent taunts towards him, while he had his anger-inducing earring activated.

”I still find that earring a dumb investment.” Millis shrugged, ”Ya couldʼve gotten like a bunch of cool things with the money he paid for it.”

”And how much did he pay?”

”Dunno... I just heard he paid a lot.”

Reph sighed. He was beginning to feel he was going to be doing this a lot on this trip. ”At least heʼs responsible to start the fire before getting into the fight.”

”Arenʼt ya going to break them up?”

Reph shook his head, ”Those two enjoy it. And Gram had the liberty of going hunting for us.” He gestured his head to a small corpse hill of wolves.

”I think thatʼll last us for the entire race plus the monsters we killed along the way.”

”Totally...”

Reph noticed Millisʼs gaze looking somewhere else. He trailed her eyes and saw her staring at a group of girls. He raised an eyebrow, ”Seriously...? Now?”

”Dude! Donʼt cockblock me!”

”Iʼm sure you can just do this after the trip.”

”Bruh. I got another reason for doing this, ya know...”

”... And that would be?”

”Eh... Iʼll tell ya later.”