Taming The Villainesses

(EP-319.1) Destined Rivals #5

319 – The Twins Are Destined Rivals #5

I like games.

Because of this, I often use games as examples when explaining things.

Let’s take the current situation and try explaining it in gaming terms.

We’ve explored a dungeon filled with all kinds of mazes and mysteries, before finally facing the boss monster.

Defeating it granted us a key that opens a hidden passageway.

When considering what lies beyond such a path, there’s usually two options.

The first was a treasure room.

A room where the brave heroes who defeated the boss were rewarded with rest and fitting rewards for their efforts.

A place filled with gold, magical scrolls no one has ever discovered, or a holy sword resting on a pedestal bathed in mystical rays of sunlight.

A quintessential conclusion.

“Our family’s finances haven’t been great lately. I hope we find piles of gold or silver bars! Maybe even a golden idol! We could melt it down and sell it!”

Narmi seemed utterly convinced that a treasure room awaited beyond this narrow and winding passage.

She seemed sure that the maze-like terrain and guardian were all to protect the treasures within. But Mirna had a different perspective.

“There might be an even more terrifying monster waiting, Narmi. Don’t get too excited.”

What Mirna considered was the second possibility after the boss room. That the key we obtained might, in fact, lead to something far worse.

Perhaps what we’d defeated was just the mid-boss.

And that, the true terror lay ahead beyond this ominous path. Such scenarios were also common in games.

As I calmly weighed which of their predictions might be correct, we walked step by step through the dark cavern.

Finally.

The narrow passage ended, and a relatively spacious area appeared before us.

The ceiling stretched several meters high, and the sheer width was hard to gauge, creating an endless echo chamber. I felt a moment of tension, overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the place.

“Unnie, look!”

Narmi’s hair stood on end as she pointed at something with her finger.

“… Bones?”

As Mirna asked, there were bones.

Bleached white bones…. What stood out, however, was the shiny plate armor on its frame.

Eerie.

Though Mirna and Narmi didn’t seem particularly fazed by the bones. Especially Narmi, who approached without hesitation and began examining the armor’s design up close.

What would she do if the skeleton suddenly moved? How could Narmi be so bold? Soon enough, she provided a somewhat reassuring explanation.

“These remains are way too old. Not even necromancy could make use of them. There’s not even a fragment of a soul left. I don’t think we need to worry about this thing suddenly moving!”

Only then did both Mirna and I feel at ease. We followed Narmi and approached the skeleton. As we got closer, we noticed something peculiar.

In the skeleton’s bony hand was an object, which now came in to view.

A teapot?

It was a teapot with a long spout, a handle on the back, and a lid on top. Narmi seemed to think so too, exclaiming, “Why is there a teapot here?!” Mirna corrected her.

“It’s not a teapot. It’s a lamp. One where you pour oil into and light a flame. It looks really old. But why is there a lamp in a skeleton’s hand in a place like this…?”

“Unnie, there’s something written near its feet!”

At Narmi’s remark, Mirna and I both bent down to take a closer look. Sure enough, as she said, there were words etched into the ground, as though someone had carved them with a knife.

The text was in an ancient language that I couldn’t read. Even Mirna seemed to struggled to interpret it.

“Instrument of desire… fairy… grants wishes… price… root of evil… sealed as a magic tool… simultaneous activation of two lights and two incantations required to release…”

Mirna’s attempt ended ambiguously. The writing was too worn and damaged by time, making it impossible to fully decipher. At that moment, Narmi’s imagination sprang to life.

“Could it be that there’s a wish-granting fairy sealed inside this lamp?”

She then reached for the lamp. And her reckless action prompted Mirna to shout, “Narmi, don’t touch it carelessly!”

And then it happened.

Click. Crash!

The skeleton, which had been holding the lamp, collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

The armor and bones crumbled into dust, leaving only the ivory-colored lamp. At the same time, something unusual happened at the entrance where we came in.

Rumble. Bang!

Wurr.

A boulder rolled in from somewhere, sealing off the entrance. Then, a sound of something collapsing echoed through the air. While I couldn’t be entirely sure of what had just happened, it was clear enough—we were now trapped inside.

Mirna was shocked.

“This was a trap! Narmi, this happened because you recklessly touched the lamp!”

“I swear on everything, I didn’t touch it! It fell because you were yelling so loudly. The skeleton lost its balance and crumbled!”

* * *

━Kyuuiing.

The cloudling Yingying, which had been flitting around for some time, landed on my head. It seemed tired after moving around looking for gaps in this space.

“……”

“……”

Even Narmi and Mirna, who had been bickering moments ago, had fallen silent as if they were worn out.

Sensing an opportunity, I slowly opened my mouth.

“Let’s save the blame game for later. Right now, we need to figure out how to get out of here. We don’t know how long this space will remain stable.”

Escape—that was our top priority. I made that clear, and the twins nodded in agreement. Then, Mirna spoke up with a question.

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