The Villainess’ Beloved Plan: The Struggles to Avoid a Doomed End

It took about four and a half hours by carriage from the town of Iones to the forest at the foot of the Magellan Mountains.

The Magellan Mountains are a series of high mountains, the highest of which is covered with an annual snowfall that does not melt throughout the year.

The forest at the base of the mountains is dense, and while tunnels have been carved in the northerly area, the area to the east, which the mayor of Iones had warned them about, remained untouched.

The forest was densely wooded and dimly lit with poor footholds. Johannes, who was now in his sixties, could not be made to walk through a forest so intricate that no one had ever set foot in it, so we asked him to wait for us in the carriage

It should probably be at the back of this ……

Paying attention to the roots of the trees crawling like snakes, Orion pointed to the far end of the forest.

In the game, of course, you don’t walk on your own feet, so she was honestly not sure if she was going in the right direction.

They marked the trees so that they would not lose their way if they got lost, and after a while, they came to an open area. There were no trees, just a hole in the ground, and amidst the short grass, countless small white flowers were blooming.

Orion was relieved, she picked a white flower blooming at his feet, wrapped it up in a half-sheath and put it in his pocket.

‘I don’t know if it’s the same as the game says, though…’

According to the story of the game, this flower is one of the impossible tasks that Marble gave Keira. It is a flower that blooms only in this area and has a very limited blooming time, which is used in a potion made by the witches. Marble told Keira to find this flower without telling her what it looked like or where it bloomed.

‘Then there were glowing mushrooms and the acorns with two halves.’

Orion, of course, knew where they were. ‘Let’s collect both of them as we continue towards the back of the mountains, where Marble’s house would be’.

Cyril and Randall looked at Orion strangely as he picked flowers, mushrooms, and acorns, but said nothing.

(TL: I WILL START USING “HE” FOR ORION NOW SINCE SOPHIA ISN’T HERE )

After Orion had obtained all three of the ingredients for the impossible task that Marble was originally going to pose in the game, they walked for a while and found a small waterfall.

“It’s near this waterfall.”

Relieved that he was going in the right direction, Orion walked further and further beyond the waterfall.

Then the dense forest suddenly ended, and he saw a small field and a small house that looked like a log cabin.

“Do people really live in a place like this? ……”

Cyril rolled his eyes and looked at the field crawling with pumpkin ivy. Three large orange pumpkins were waiting to be harvested.

As Orion and the others weaved their way through the fields to the house, the door opened automatically in front of them, as if it had known they were coming.

“What do you want?”

Standing behind the door was a girl of about ten years old, with black hair that curled like a screw and was tied in high twin-tails.

“…… Eh?”

Orion’s eyes involuntarily darted to the side.

The witch Marble should have been a young woman, How could such a child appear?

“Orion, is this child the witch you were referring to?”

Orion shook his head as Randall asked him quizzically.

“Th-it shouldn’t be. Maybe.”

No way, had the game story changed and Marble had become a child?　Stunned, the child put her hands on her hips and puffed out her flat chest.

“Do you guys have anything to do with my mother?”

“Mother? Are you Marble’s daughter?”

“That’s right! My name is Philia!”

Philia answered, then suddenly began to fidget. She glanced up at Cyril’s face and then her cheeks flushed.

“What’s handsome brother’s name, ……?”

“Me? I’m Cyril”.

“Who’s your brother over there?”

“Randall”.

“I’m Orio…”

You’re not a brother.”

Philia changed her expression and looked at him as if he was a fool.

‘Little shit.’

Orion’s forehead was furrowed, but he knew that if he complained at this point and upset Philia, he would not be able to find out where Marble was. Orion smiled a wry smile as he cursed in his mind, ‘You little shit, Masegaki’.

“So, Philia, where is your mother?”

But Philia tutted and averted her chin and didn’t answer.l

Cyril patted Orion on the shoulder as he was about to raise his voice in frustration.

He said, “Philia, we have some business with your mother, when do you think she’ll be home?”

Philia blushed and fumbled around with her skirt.

“I don’t know, dear. Mother, she’s fickle. I don’t know when she’ll be back, a month, six months, a year, or even longer……”

“What? In the meantime, is a little girl like you going to stay at home all by herself?”

“You’re being rude! I’m ten years old! I’m a grown-up! I don’t need to be monitored!　And I’m not alone, I have a friend with me. His name is Roger! Roger!”

Philia calls into the house, and a fat black cat slithers in. Roger stared up at Orion and his friends with topaz eyes and meowed softly.

Apparently, Philia was left alone with the black cat.

“I see, you’re already a fine lady. I’m sorry about this. But, isn’t it difficult to be alone with Roger?”

“Hmmm… But I’m fine! My brother, who is away at “Dekasegi”, comes back from time to time! He said the world is so “miserable” these days that witch medicines don’t sell as well as they used to. So, my mom says she’s going to find someone who is easy to fool and ‘offer’ them a good price!”

“Oh, really? That’s hard, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. That’s why mom won’t come home until she finds a good buyer and gets a lot of money!”

‘Marble, what words are you teaching my daughter?’

Orion was not the only one who was disappointed. Cyril and Randall both had indescribable expressions on their faces.

Philia spuned around on her heel.

“I don’t want to stand around talking, so why don’t you come inside? I can at least offer you some tea.”

Orion looked at Philia, who was moving towards the back of the house with small steps, and sighed, saying that she was really a very childish child.