Taming The Villainesses

Episode 223.1

Mirna said.

“Lady Lioness must be possessed by an evil spirit. Don’t you think so too, Sir Theo?”

“… Possessed?”

Hearing such words caused me to feel dizzy in a completely different way.

Elga was ‘possessed’ by an evil spirit.

Usually, if a woman conserved her body, refrained from drinking alcohol and smoking, and had another soul within her, wouldn’t pregnancy be the first thing to be suspected?

But Mirna was adamant.

“This is obviously the case. Lady Lioness is possessed by a demon. In necromancery terms, we call it ‘Possession’.”

Demonic possession.

I didn’t know why she had come to such a conclusion, but since Mirna was a smart woman, there must be a reason for it. 

My heart, which was ready to get interrogated about Elga’s pregnancy, calmed down a little.

No, it was not that.

On the contrary, I felt anxious because I couldn’t predict what kind of problems and incidents Mirna would cause, as she could make a fuss about Elga being possessed by some demon.

I asked.

“Could you please explain further why you’ve come to that conclusion? I’m not familiar with this area, so I don’t know….”

“Sure. This is the simplest rule for identifying a possessed person. Firstly, possessed individuals exhibit behaviors they wouldn’t normally engage in.”

“… Behaviors they wouldn’t normally engage in?”

“Like someone allergic to apples suddenly eating them. Or someone who never drank alcohol before suddenly drinking it.”

“Ah.”

“Sir Theo, haven’t you heard? There’s a story about the foolish second son of Count Tigris falling from a tree, slipping into a coma, and when he woke up, he was suddenly a different person overnight.”

“I don’t know….”

“The church deemed it to be a demonic possession, and sent exorcists and priests. However, the attempt was thwarted by the opposition from the Tigris Family.”

“Why did they object?”

“I don’t know. Perhaps the Count judged it differently as the once foolish son became docile and wise after being possessed by the demon… Anyway, I think it’s similar to Lady Lioness.”

… I didn’t know if I could agree with that.

Among the novels I’d read, there’d been possessed characters and things would go, “Ah-! The young master is no longer a bastard or recklessly abusing the maids…!” There was a change in how they acted in their everyday life.

In such stories, even if you were just acting normal, the original owner of the body was so trash that those around would think that you suddenly became a good person.

And here, it seemed to be called being possessed by a demon.

“…….”

When I thought about it, I realized that I was no different.

It was amazing that I was going through something a novel character would experience, but at the same time I had to wonder. Could it be that I was also experiencing a phenomenon like the demonic possession?

Seureureuk-. 

Then Mirna pulled something out of her arms. It was a bunch of garlic with a pungent, spicy scent.

“This is garlic I sneaked from the party. Lady Lioness didn’t even touch the garlic. Garlic is a food filled with yang ki. So demons avoid this—.”

“Euugh….”

“What’s wrong, Sir Theo?”

“No, my eyes sting….”

“Hmm, is this spicy?”

Seuk-.

Mirna held the garlic towards me.

“Guaaak-!”

Thanks to that, I couldn’t help but let out a loud scream.

If the nymph’s scream, “Hieeek-!” was a level one indication of pain, then “Guaaak-!” was a level two indication. It meant that both my body and mind were being struck by that massive bundle of garlic.

“Hey, get that away from me…!”

“Ah, my bad. It was just a joke.”

Seureuk-.

Mirna hid the garlic behind her back in response to my painful cry. Finally, I could open my eyes properly.

“Geuk, it’s too strong.”

“I heard that fairies like nymphs and elves hate the smell of garlic. I guess it’s true.”

“… Hm, is that so?”

“Fairies have incredibly sensitive senses, including taste, smell, and hearing, far beyond humans. Sir Theo seems to be a bit more sensitive than most.”

She was right. My senses were more than twice as sensitive as normal people. Could that be why I was experiencing so much pain from a bundle of garlic? Or was it because I got possessed?

“Or perhaps, Sir Theo is possessed by a demon?”

“Wh, what….”

Her words felt as sharp as a cutting blade.

When was the last time I felt so exposed?

Even when Aira handed me my prophecy book, I didn’t feel this flustered.

Currently, my heart felt cold like it had dropped all the way down to my stomach. 

But Mirna laughed as if it were just a joke.

“Of course, it’s just a jest. I know Sir Theo’s soul is pure and clear.”

“… I see. It was just a prank, then?”

“Anyway, I should keep an eye on Lady Lioness a little more. I’ve been pondering on my own, but it feels relieving to talk to someone about it.”

“I’m glad I could help. Is there anything else I can assist you with? Regarding possession, that is.”

It was true that I could use some advice or information from Mirna about possession. I asked, hoping to get some helpful information. 

“Um-.” The humming Mirna soon flicked her index finger.

“Well, in that case, you should take a look at Parma Draco’s book「Feast of Souls」, if you get the chance.”

“Feast of Souls?”

“It’s a book for identifying possessed individuals based on symptoms and exorcism techniques according to their type.”

“I see. Feast of Souls. I will keep that in mind.”

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