The Villainous Lady Doesn't Speak Chapter 106

Liliana, having finished the dinner amid an uncomfortable atmosphere, returned to her room. Ajulite was lounging on the sofa, seemingly having been asleep. Blinking awake, he looked up at Liliana. She informed him of her return and voiced her concerns.

“Have you had your meal?”

“There is no need for me to eat.”

“How convenient.”

Smiling, Liliana approached Ajulite and sat at the end of the sofa where the black lion was lying. She then got straight to the point.

“I followed your advice and checked if any strange spells were cast on my grandfather's corpse or the coffin.”

“Oh? And what did you find?”

Ajulite’s eyes lit up as he shifted his position, facing Liliana and urging her to continue. It seemed from his demeanor that he was merely speculating and did not have any certainty. But instead of asking why he thought that, Liliana proceeded to share the facts.

“The result was that there was nothing unusual.”

“Well, that’s good.”

“However, there is one thing that bothers me.”

Liliana lowered her voice, speaking to the black lion, who seemed to be uninterested and resting his head on his front paws. Noticing her concern, Ajulite’s ears twitched slightly.

“What is it?”

“When the priest began the prayers, a black mist drifted around my grandfather's body. It disappeared once the prayers were over.”

Immediately, Ajulite narrowed his eyes. His gaze took on a peculiar light as if he were contemplating something. Liliana focused intently on any slight change in the lion’s expression and continued speaking.

“I suspect that magic had already been applied to my grandfather’s body. What do you think?”

Ajulite remained silent for a moment, his face serious as he pondered. Eventually, he looked at Liliana and asked a question in return.

“You’re planning to check it out, right? If so, I’ll come with you.”

“Oh? You?”

Liliana was surprised by Ajulite’s offer. She widened her eyes in astonishment, but Ajulite’s gaze remained fixed and serious.

Of course, Liliana intended to go to the church alone that night. Normally, she wouldn’t be able to teleport inside due to the church's barrier, but she had left a ring of hers at the chair in the catacombs. Although it was not an official magical artifact, it was a suitable marker for teleportation. Liliana planned to use the ring to enter the church.

“Yes, I don’t mind. I was planning to use teleportation magic, but—is that alright with you?”

“Yeah, I have no problem with it.”

The black lion grinned. Liliana tilted her head.

“Ajulite, are you knowledgeable about such matters?”

Ajulite, the black lion, was not a character from the game in Liliana’s previous life, nor was his name familiar. Yet, from their conversation, it seemed he had some knowledge of magic and curses. Being a non-human entity, he could potentially be a valuable ally, even if he might influence the game’s scenario.

“To a certain extent. I know more than most humans.”

As expected, the black lion confirmed Liliana’s suspicion. It meant that while Liliana and others understood magic and curses within a structured framework, Ajulite likely had a more intuitive grasp of them, not bound by conventional systems.

Liliana then voiced another question. In both the stories she had read in her previous life and the books she had come across in this life, intelligent non-human beings were often depicted as having very long lifespans.

“How old are you?”

The question seemed unexpected to Ajulite. He blinked in surprise and tilted his head.

“Age—when you put it that way, it’s complicated. Our sense of time is different from that of humans.”

“Well—”

Liliana fell silent, pondering if it was similar to the concept that time progresses differently in space compared to on Earth. Noticing her confusion, Ajulite added further explanation.

“The time we perceive as a moment might be hundreds or thousands of years for humans. Sometimes, it’s the other way around. So, it’s hard to define an exact age.”

“I see.”

Finally understanding, Liliana nodded. Ajulite seemed unwilling to elaborate further. He hopped off the sofa and used his tail to tap the seat, as if urging her to hurry.

Liliana glanced out the window. The day was fading, and darkness was about to envelop the world. There was still some time before the bath, and Marianne would likely be occupied with repairing the dress Liliana had requested. Using teleportation magic, she should have time to do some work at the church.

“Shall we go?”

As Liliana stood up, Ajulite seemed to smile, or at least gave the impression of doing so.

*****

Liliana and Ajulite teleported instantly to the catacombs beneath the church. The place, shrouded in darkness due to the extinguished candles, felt chilly and was completely unseen. Liliana cast a light spell to illuminate the surroundings.

“This is indeed a church, but the barrier isn’t that strong,” Ajulite murmured. Liliana nodded and retrieved the ring she had hidden between the chair’s seat and backrest. Tomorrow night, Duke Clarke would also be attending the funeral. Although retrieving it then would not be a problem, it was better to avoid any potential trouble if someone were to find it during the day.

Ajulite quickly noticed Liliana’s action and seemed to acknowledge it with a knowing smile.

“So, you used the ring as a marker?”

“Yes. I thought the barrier might be stronger depending on the time of day.”

The fact that Ajulite understood the ring was used as a marker for teleportation proved his knowledge of curses and magic. It affirmed that his claim of knowing more than humans was indeed true.

Liliana put the ring on her left hand and approached the coffin that contained her grandfather’s body. The coffin’s lid was closed and, naturally, could not be lifted by Liliana’s slender arms alone. She had no intention of attempting it manually and instead used magic to lift the lid. A distinctive preservative odor emanated from the coffin, which was not pleasant.

“Is this your grandfather?” Ajulite inquired.

“Yes.”

Ajulite extended his front paws to the edge of the coffin and peered inside, wrinkling his nose as he observed.

“I can’t tell just by looking.”

“I was thinking of performing a decryption spell. Do you have a better method in mind?”

Originally, Liliana intended to come alone. Although she studied curses, their systemization lags behind magic, making progress slower than she hoped. Despite having more experience than most, she planned to use reliable magic. However, with Ajulite unexpectedly present, she was open to using any more reliable method he might know, given that Ajulite was the one who had suggested the possibility of magic being involved.

Ajulite considered the question for a moment, his eyes reflecting an enigmatic light as he scrutinized the body from head to toe.

“No—try the decryption spell first.”

“Understood.”

Liliana placed the lid back on the coffin and drew a decryption circle around the coffin with magic. Typically, such circles are drawn by hand, but using magic to draw them is more effective. Additionally, this method eliminates the need for magical stones at the points of a hexagram. However, it depletes a significant amount of magical power, so few would choose to do it. Few people can even manage it.

“<I command you by my name, reveal your true form.>”

Upon chanting the incantation, the various patterns in the circle began to emit a mysterious light. A mist of gold and purple spread through the air, forming characters. The floating characters vanished, only for new ones to appear, repeating the process.

“As expected,” Liliana sighed. The circle’s movement and the appearance of characters indicated that her grandfather’s body had indeed been tainted by magic. Ajulite, observing the scene, gasped but soon followed with an appreciative remark.

“It’s quite beautiful.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Liliana elegantly acknowledged the praise while keeping her gaze fixed on the floating characters. Her expression gradually vanished as she grew increasingly pale. Ajulite also frowned as he read the same characters as Liliana.

Eventually, the spell concluded, and the glowing mist dissipated. Silence fell over the catacombs for a while. Liliana let out a deep sigh, replaced the lid on the coffin using magic, and turned to Ajulite.

“I hope I’m mistaken.”

“Funny, I’m starting to think the same thing.”

Ajulite’s voice matched Liliana’s in its bitterness.

Both—rather, one human and one creature—needed a moment to calm down. Deciding to return to the mansion, Liliana used a teleportation spell. Despite the significant amount of magical power consumed, she remained composed. If she felt any fatigue, it was because the spell cast on her grandfather was unexpectedly malevolent.

Back in her room, Liliana sat on the sofa. No matter how tired she was, her manners, honed by her training as a princess, remained graceful. Ajulite leaped onto the opposite sofa and settled down. After a while, Liliana, who had been deep in thought, turned to Ajulite.

“May we align our understanding?”

“Sure.”

Ajulite nodded gravely. Liliana relaxed slightly, feeling reassured. Though she did not think she was mistaken, there was still a chance of misinterpretation or differing perspectives.

“Is my interpretation correct that someone attempted to use my grandfather’s body as a medium to summon a demon?”

Ajulite fell silent for a moment but then nodded.

“Not just any demon, but something not quite human—if you use your terms, a demon.”

“—Yes.”

Liliana tilted her head at Ajulite’s cryptic way of speaking but continued with her questions, as confirming the facts was necessary.

“I gathered that the spell failed. Do you agree?”

“Indeed. If it had succeeded, the body wouldn’t have remained so pristine, and from the patterns that emerged, it’s clear that only miasma was summoned.”

Despite knowing it was unbecoming for a lady, Liliana couldn’t suppress a heavy sigh and rubbed her aching temples.

“While we avoided the worst-case scenario, the troubling part is that we can’t be certain it won’t happen again.”

Liliana had described it as a “demon,” but the scale and nature of the spell suggested the caster had aimed to summon something beyond a mere demon—perhaps a demon lord or a high-ranking demon serving one. Either way, if the summoning had succeeded, it would have severely disturbed the peace of the Kingdom of Slibegrad. There was a risk that the three centuries of demonic influence could return.

Suddenly, Liliana voiced a lingering question.

“But why did the spell fail? From the patterns, it didn’t seem like it should have.”

There was no immediate answer. When Liliana looked back at Ajulite, the black lion blinked slowly on the sofa. After a moment, Ajulite began to speak.

“Do you know why summoning high-ranking demons is so difficult?”

Liliana pondered for a moment. There weren’t many books on summoning magic in the Kingdom of Slibegrad. The royal library had only one or two volumes, and Liliana had gathered her knowledge from the mansion’s collection near the capital and Petra’s lectures.

“Is it because only demons willing to be summoned can be called?”

As she derived her own answer, Ajulite nodded solemnly.

“That’s right. Being high-ranking implies high intelligence. Low-ranking demons, which possess almost no will of their own, are easily summoned, but high-ranking demons are much less likely to respond to a summoning. They refuse to be used by a practitioner of questionable skill, as their pride won’t allow it.”

“I can understand that.”

Liliana nodded sincerely. In blunt terms, it meant they did not want to work under someone less competent than themselves. While it would be acceptable to work under someone who listens humbly despite lacking knowledge or power, it made sense that high-ranking demons would refuse to respond to someone who might issue unreasonable or reckless commands.

Ajulite looked at Liliana with amusement.

“Ah, you understand.”

“Yes. It’s true what they say ‘when those above are foolish, those below suffer’.”

Ajulite’s eyes widened momentarily. After a pause, the black lion threw his head back and laughed heartily.

—-

ToC 

Chapter 107