I thought I had tamed the villain - chapter 17

I thought I tamed the villain Chapter 17

What Frey told me wasn’t much different from what I knew.

The goddesses of the temple were the ones who inherited the name of Lilia who are living people who took over the role of the goddess. They appeared once every few decades or once every few hundred years, and they were believed to have divine power and lived under the veneration of priests.

It seemed that there was a guide who would discover the existence of such a goddess and lead them to live as a living goddess.

[Iris]: I already knew that, but listening about it is interesting indeed.

I shrugged. But once again, Frey said something I didn’t expect.

[Frey]: Can I tell you something more interesting?

[Iris]: More interesting?

Frey said with an inexplicable smile.

[Frey]: The day the goddess is born, it’s also the day the devil was born.
[Iris]: ….
[Frey]: No one knows if the goddess appears to protect people because the devil was born, or if the devil appears to avenge her when the goddess is born. But they keep running into each other. As if fate.

As Frey said, this was clearly a little-known story.

[Frey]: Where there is a demon, there is a goddess, and near where there is a goddess, there is also a demon.

But why would Frey tell me this? Frey’s story was far removed from the academic aspect. Besides, the things he told me were probably things that should not be revealed to the general public.

[Frey]: How was that? Was it enough to interest history?

[Iris]: Yes?

At Frey’s words, I asked with a dumb face.

‘What. Was it just small talk?’

I stopped thinking and sighed secretly.

That night, I had another dream.

‘You are at a crossroads.’

Hearing a dreamy voice, I knew instinctively. On January 1st, I realized that it was the same dream I had forgotten.

‘Don’t reject your name.’

[Iris]: Who are you?

I asked, trying to clear my mind, turning to the voice coming to me. But the voice didn’t answer. Just like then, a warm breeze blew past me. Unlike last time, I opened my eyes and stood up. But as I hurriedly looked around, all I could see was a wide plain.

[Iris]: Tell me. Who are you, and my name…

I said, looking around. However, since no one was visible except me, my voice became weaker and smaller.

[Iris]: What the hell was this dream……..

I tousled my hair and started walking haphazardly with no destination. The wind was peaceful. The sun was warm, and it didn’t feel bad that the grass touching my bare feet tickled my ankles. After how long I had walked, something finally came into my sight.

In the distance, a beautiful tree stood tall.

[Iris]: A person?

And beneath it sat something that looked like a human. I saw it and started jumping in a hurry. For some reason, it seemed that if I reached that person, all the riddles would be solved.

[Iris]: Huh, gasp….

But no matter how hard I ran, I couldn’t get close to him. Like a mirage, it seemed to be grasped but could never be reached.

[Iris]: What the hell….

After running for a long time, I had to wake up without reaching my destination, as is the law of many dreams.

[Theo]: Are you okay, Iris?

[Iris]: Huh? What?

When I came back to my senses, I found myself sitting in the common room with a book open. I had been in a daze all day today.

[Theo]: If you’re not feeling well, why don’t you take a day off today?

Theo said in a worried voice.

[Iris]: Nope. Sorry for worrying. It’s a little nerve-wracking.

[Theo]: What bothers you?

[Iris]: I’ve been having weird dreams lately.

I sighed and clenched my jaw. I can’t even concentrate on my studies today.

[Theo]: What kind of dream were you dreaming of?

I finally put down my quills and explained to Theo the details of my dream. Theo, like me, kept his chin up and listened to my story silently. The quill, sandwiched between the fingers that supported his chin, swayed with Theo’s movements. After I finished explaining, I watched him anxiously, who seemed to be lost in thought.

[Theo]: So what you’re saying is that you keep hearing voices from the sky, but you just keep hearing things that are very vague?

[Iris]: Yes, that’s right. Exactly.

[Theo]: And when you opened your eyes, you saw that it was a normal wide plain, and quite symbolically a large tree. Underneath stood a man who looked like the owner of the voice.

[Iris]: ……That’s right.

I nodded. Theo looked at me with a smirk.

[Theo]: That’s like a revelation.

[Iris]: What?

But the words that came out of Theo’s mouth surprised me more than any dream. I wanted to reject such outrageous and religious remarks. I think my reaction was too extreme as Theo raised his eyebrows and spoke again.

[Theo]: I was not saying I’m sure of it, but it sounds so sacred.

[Iris] If you say that, it bothers me more!

I stomped, whining, and Theo laughed out loud.

[Theo]: Was it a revelation from God to Iris, that meant she should be more adult?

[Iris]: Theo!

[Theo]: I’m kidding. Is there such a thing as God in the first place?

Theo was sarcastic as he said that. Theo’s attitude toward not believing in God seemed to tell him that there would never be a change in the future.

[Iris]: After all, it’s just a meaningless dream, isn’t it?

[Theo]: yes, that’s right

Theo said that and turned his attention back to the book. The book we are looking at was a history book that Frey had recommended some time ago. I pondered for a moment as I looked at it.

‘Frey is a bad guy, but he seems to have good skills as a teacher.’

[Iris]: You know, Theo.

[Theo]: Huh?

[Iris]: Shouldn’t we need a teacher too?

This time, Theo put everything in his hands down and faced me.

[Theo]: What did you mean?

[Iris]: I didn’t mean anything, I’m just thinking of it.

Theo squinted a little as to what he was thinking. Then he spoke, as if urging me.

[Theo]: I hate that adult kept getting in between the two of us.

[Iris]: Even if it’s an important exam study for us, I also want to work it out on our own. But…

No matter how much time passed and Theo had grown, it didn’t seem to disappear that he was still a wild animal wary of strangers.

[Theo]: Hmm….

But that was troubling to me. No matter how hard I and Theo study by ourselves, it will be very difficult for us to pass the academy entrance exam. It’s not just ‘difficult’, it’s about successfully finding a needle in the haystack (tl/n: something that is impossible or extremely difficult to find). So until now, I had thought about the challenge as a matter of great importance.

But what if you have an educator?

Our admission to the academy was not going to bubble but is a realistic goal. Even compared to borrowing from my previous life’s experience, Frey was not bad. No, apart from my personal feelings, to be honest, he was a pretty good teacher. Besides, he said that he was willing to help me with my studies, so I didn’t know if I could get help from other priests if I did well. I bit my lip and pondered.

‘I don’t want to upset Theo… I don’t even want to argue.’

But it’s too much to give up. I don’t know about Theo, but I was pretty serious about the academy entrance exam. I thought it was probably the only way we could live as smoothly

as everyone else.

The mind moved to and fro like a seesaw that was unbalanced. That was then.

“……”
“….”

Suddenly Theo turned his head to me and put his hand on my lips.

[Theo]: Stop biting your lip.

The sudden action left me speechless.

‘What was I thinking?’

Theo looked at me like that and sighed.

[Theo]: What else are you thinking? Don’t get angry on your lips and tell me.

I stared blankly at Theo’s face and smiled wryly at that. Now Theo’s words, no matter how absurd and embarrassing they were, meant that he would eventually do me a favor.

I replied fearfully before Theo’s words fell. To keep Theo from refusing, I had a smile that seemed as harmless and kind as possible.

[Iris]: Let’s get tutored.