Became the Villainess’s Guardian

Freugne was hardly surprised by the traitorous businessman’s betrayal.

It was to be expected.
Even without hearing some braggart’s drunken ramblings at a tavern, she had already known long before such rumors.

“You aren’t planning to do anything about it?”

“Turning a blind eye would only make me a fool. Of course, I’ve prepared countermeasures.”

Ulr promptly relayed Freugne’s instructions throughout Londinium.
Under her well-devised plan, it didn’t take long for the loose-lipped businessman to find himself hanging upside down in the metropolitan police basement.

Having completed the assigned task, Ulr inquired later:

“You don’t seem too perturbed?”

“This was the intended plan from the outset.”

After all, he had been recruited as an exemplary case.
Serving as a cautionary tale to discourage the other members from blindly trusting the information alone, he had fulfilled his duty of fostering the organization’s health.

Needless to say, the source of his criminal records was the future – specifically, a future morning newspaper.
And the fact that his identity and criminal history were published meant he would eventually be apprehended by the police, with his crimes exposed in detail. Essentially, that businessman’s fate remained unaltered.

If any futures had changed, it was firstly that he had amassed a considerable fortune over the recent six months.
And secondly, the revelation that would have taken roughly another year had been expedited by her intervention.

But the critical aspect was the message.
Despite the boss’s seeming indifference, the message conveyed was that the members’ transgressions were being monitored through inexplicable means.

“Precedents are crucial, aren’t they? At the very least, a minimum level of discipline has now been established.”

“You’re more cold-blooded than I expected.”

However, even if Freugne could discern major future events with crystal clarity,
she did not obsessively collect every minor utterance from her daily life.

The next day’s morning weather.
Souvenirs Edan brought back for her from his business trips.
The encouragement and praise showered upon proudly showcasing her exam scores.

Such moments, whose joys could not be fully savored with prior knowledge, were what even Freugne could not relinquish.

Of course, a life devoid of such surprises and delights was hardly living at all.
What kind of person could maintain an inorganic, mechanical demeanor for every action – an NPC moving robotically?

Not that Edan was living a dull existence either.
While weekdays inevitably involved commuting to the palace, he didn’t remain consumed by work even on weekends.

-“There’s a magic demonstration at the university in the neighboring city. Care to join me?”

-“A human chess tournament is taking place in North Londinium tomorrow. Since you enjoyed the last one, I’ve assumed we’ll be attending this time too.”

-“Let’s take the carriage tour around Londinium’s outskirts, just you and me.”

For this reason.

“What do you wish to do once you’re grown?”

It was only natural for Freugne to be unprepared to answer such a question.

Her immediate objective was to establish an organization deeply embedded within Londinium.

Thus, unbeknownst to Edan himself, that inquiry was akin to asking, ‘Why do you seek to create an organization?’

‘Why did I decide on this path?’

Initially, it had been an attempt at doing something, anything.
She had detested her own powerlessness before fate.

Then, it became inertia. The more cards in one’s hand, the better, wasn’t it?
Above all, slamming on the brakes when pursuing wealth, power, and prestige would only invite challengers to overtake and subvert you.

For Freugne, the memory of being abandoned in a burning factory was a form of trauma.
That overwhelming helplessness, the lingering regret of ‘what if I had tried harder,’ and the resolve to seize the next opportunity – her current goal was a amalgamation of those emotions.

But she could not state it outright, so she opted for a slightly roundabout response.

“Freugne?”

“…This may sound rather selfish, but I wish to earn a lot of money later on, perhaps even attain power and fame.”

“Such desires are shared by all. As long as the process is legitimate, there’s no need to feel ashamed. Since you’ve made up your mind, give it your utmost effort.”

“You mean, my absolute best?”

She did possess the willingness to give her all, and was indeed doing so in actuality.
Suddenly realizing she had been the only one answering, Freugne addressed Edan.

“I have a question for you as well.”

“Go ahead.”

“Why do you engage in philanthropy and support me, Mister?”

After briefly stroking his chin in contemplation, Edan spoke.

“The reason I do so.”

“Yes.”

“Is because I believe the world can become an even better place than it currently is.”

It was a response brimming with conviction, as if he had witnessed it firsthand.

“And that even if a great crisis arises someday, it will have become a place worth someone willingly rising to defend.”

“…I see.”

“Was that too profound?”

“A little, yes.”

Despite being a magician, Edan unexpectedly possessed an idealistic streak.

Yet his words did not alter her goal.
The organization would be maintained, and she would strive wholeheartedly to expand its scale.

However, if she gained the assurance of personal safety and freedom from the dictates of fate,
then perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to assist in realizing Edan’s dream, even if only slightly, as a way of repaying his kindness.

With her dream affirmed before Edan and preparations underway for high school admission, Freugne was kept busy.

To be candid in her self-evaluation as the founder,
this organization still fell short of her standards, hardly an extraordinary assembly.

Even by imprisoning a single businessman, she had essentially mustered the maximum deployable forces at her immediate disposal.

Despite sowing various seeds in Londinium over the past two years, realistically, she lacked the capability to erase entire families with a snap of her fingers as a true purge machine secretary.

Moreover, the apprehended party had offered no resistance when the police came calling with guns – a typical reaction for third-rate politicians, businessmen, and capitalists.

At the second tier, they would have demanded a fair one-on-one duel, intent on thrashing the opponent regardless of identity.
The first-rate would respond with a casual ‘Oh, is that so?’ upon being threatened with disembowelment, employing every means to engage in a vicious, mutual slaughter.

And at her current level, the notion of the police daring to barge into one’s home should have been unthinkable.
Mister had advised dreaming big, so she had aimed high – wrongly encouraged by the very Edan who had created her thus.

“That’s right. From now on, I’ll be the-”

-Creak

“Freugne, what are you up to?”

“I’ll just lie down on the floor.”

In the midst of scribbling blueprints for seizing Londinium, Freugne immediately sprawled atop them to conceal the contents upon Edan’s entry.

Outside, she might be a big sister figure, but within these walls, she could only be a girl prone to such prickly behavior.
Yet she disliked the notion of independence. She knew it would undoubtedly hinder her plans, but she disliked it nonetheless.

The reason she chose to remain instead of becoming independent was…
Certainly…

‘…Familial love!’

Lying on the floor, Freugne arrived at this (non)realization.

A bond exceeding the typical patron-beneficiary dynamic to the extent of being unrecognizable as such.
Upon grasping this explanation, the lingering doubts that had filled her mind finally dissipated.

She recalled the distinct emotion vividly etched on the faces of children rushing to embrace their waiting parents in front of the school, whenever she witnessed such scenes.
That sentiment adequately explained by the mere fact of being parent and child, without any particular rationale required.

Freugne recounted her graduation day from East Public School.

When her friends mentioned going out for meals with their families, or perhaps returning home since it could be their last chance to play, Freugne had opted to head back early instead.
This was because the businessman’s transgression had occurred the previous evening, necessitating prompt preparations for the impending arrest.

And as Freugne had been mentally rehearsing her purge performance, she abruptly halted upon recognizing a familiar face near the school gates.
That familiar figure waved in her direction. Approaching at a slightly quickened pace, Freugne asked him:

“Eh? Shouldn’t you be at the palace at this hour?”

“But it’s your graduation day today.”

“So?”

“Which means someone should be here for you.”

Would Freyja or Professor Magni attend such an occasion?
If pressed to name someone, even Edan himself acknowledged that as the self-appointed patron and guardian, only he remained.

Having concluded the palace’s winter performance review and emerged victorious from the WWE matches out front, he had no urgent pending matters.
So he had boldly taken this opportunity by assigning a few thesis papers to his research team with the remark, ‘That should cover everything,’ before dashing off.

How infuriating had those taunts of ‘having a family meeting’ been whenever he studied alone during his university days.
And on his graduation day, barring Professor Magni’s attempted hypnosis routine, how desolate it had felt with no one else in attendance.

As someone acquainted with such loneliness, Edan deemed feigning ignorance as unbecoming of a guardian, and thus readily obliged.

“Let’s go.”

“…Yes.”

Consequently, the execution of her plans had to be postponed until the following day, but leaving behind a joyful memory was undoubtedly a worthwhile trade.

What expression had she worn at that moment?

Certainly, she must have been surprised initially, followed by a slight sense of happiness, and perhaps then.

A few tears might have welled up too.

From a beneficiary’s perspective, entertaining such notions might be presumptuous, but who knew what the future held?
Perhaps one day, she would be the one supporting Edan instead.

Family, family.
The mere imagination brought a bright smile to Freugne’s face.

I’ve been continuously pondering this lately.
Freugne has been acting rather peculiarly somehow.

“What were you doing, Freugne?”

“Ah, ah, nothing!”

“Well, if you say so……”

Frequently getting caught engaging in secret activities behind her patron’s back.

“I’ll be heading out for a bit, Mister.”

“When will you be back?”

“Probably before dinnertime.”

“Alright. If it gets late, I’ll prepare the meal in advance.”

“No, I absolutely won’t be out past 7 PM.”

Frequently going out despite not attending school.

“Freugne, those people you’ve been hanging around with lately……”

“…They’re my friends!”

“They seemed a bit older, though.”

“Age is merely a number in the face of friendship! And the children from the charitable foundation are included too.”

Instantly befriending complete strangers.

I cannot fathom why Freugne is behaving this way…

…No, in reality, I had simply averted my gaze slightly, for I was aware of it all along.
As the one observing her from the closest vantage point, how could I not know?

This is.

“Clearly puberty…?!”

“…Well, listening to the details, it does sound like that.”

“Indeed!”

While Freugne seemed to be gradually distancing herself from me at home, the eagerly awaiting Professor Magni at the clubhouse I had stumbled into was more than willing to validate my speculation.

I had known this day would eventually come, yet.
To think it would actually arrive.