I Became the Assistant of a Romance Villainess

Chapter 7. Lizardman’s Extract

***

“An item, you say. What kind of item could the Minister of Magic need?”

Ymir—no, now Emily—bowed her head.

“It’s nothing extraordinary. As a magical merchant, it’s something you should be able to procure.”

She looked at me quietly.

“The Core of a Golem, the Breath of a Cat, the Flame of a Forge…”

“And lastly, the Mistletoe of the World Tree, found in the Elven Forest, I presume.”

“You’re well-informed.”

“None of these are easy to obtain,” Emily said, clicking her tongue.

“Can you get them?”

“It will be difficult, but not impossible. But why do you need these things?”

“I’m going to use them.”

“For the esteemed Minister, known as the Maestro of Torture and the Greatest Magician, to create something – what kind of item could it be? It’s intriguing.”

“Don’t dig too deep.”

“My apologies.”

“How long will it take?”

“I’ll deliver it to you as soon as I’m finished.”

“The sooner the better.”

“Will tomorrow be enough?”

“Of course.”

“Is this by any chance related to the gift you received recently?”

She meant Seria.

Emily’s eyes flashed sharply as she spoke.

Seria – the one who had relentlessly tormented the heroine who had now become the Empress.

For Ymir, or rather for Emily, there was no way that she could harbor any good feelings towards Seria.

Even now, after her complete transformation into a woman.

“Do I really need to explain myself so much?”

“No, you don’t.”

“Just make sure you deliver the items I requested.”

“Understood. Oh, and, Minister.”

“Is there anything else?”

“Not really. It’s just that your name has come up a lot in legal discussions lately.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, I think it’s time you started looking for a mate.”

Maurice was now 22 – an age considered prime for marriage in this world.

“I’ve heard there’s been someone arranging marriages lately. Was that you?”

“I used to be a man and now I’m a woman. I can understand the feelings of both men and women.”

Emily had already been a well-known socialite when she was Ymir, famous in court circles.

“Ridiculous.”

“Regardless, many young ladies have their eyes on you, Minister. If you want a list, I could probably fill five volumes for you.”

“I’m not interested.”

Emily gave a sultry smile, her eyes full of allure.

Her blue hair shimmered as she swayed.

Who would believe that just a few months ago this woman had been a man?

Even the way she stood, emphasising her ample breasts, was calculated.

“If you’re trying to seduce me, you’re far from convincing.”

“Tch.”

Emily clicked her tongue.

I wasn’t someone easily swayed by a woman who had once been a man.

“Am I really that unattractive?”

“That’s not the issue.”

“So the problem is that I used to be a man?”

“If you know that, leave before I have to throw you out myself.”

“Before you kick me out, let me say this: you might really need to settle down with someone. There’s been a rumour going around lately that you prefer men.”

I snapped my fingers.

“Kyaaah!”

Emily’s body was lifted off the ground and sent flying out the door.

‘Her personality has completely changed.’

Since becoming a woman, her behaviour had changed in a strange way.

How deep must her grief have been, the loss of love, to go so far as to change her gender?

Only she would know.

‘Stupid idiot.’

I turned to Jane, who was watching the scene with a look of great interest.

“Can you handle my workload today?”

“Me? But I don’t have any real skills.”

“It’s a simple job. Just sit here and stamp the documents as they come in.”

“Just stamp them? Whatever I like?”

“Of course, I’ll do the final check myself.”

I had no intention of letting the mischievous Jane have her way.

Her eyes, which had been sparkling with excitement, quickly turned dejected.

“That’s disappointing.”

Her red hair swayed slightly as she spoke.

“Then may I ask just one thing?”

“What is it?”

“Should I also take care of that pile of documents over there?”

“Are you in such an unstable state that you need to create such an object?” 

Telepathy reached me along with her voice.

“This is none of your business.”

I replied calmly, cutting off her question as I stood up.

“Don’t worry! I’ll handle the Acting Minister’s duties perfectly!”

“Don’t mess things up unnecessarily.”

“Don’t worry. I’m the Mage Tower mascot, remember!”

Jane winked playfully and I sighed before leaving the office.

I activated a portal and transported myself to the southern region of the realm.

“Ugh.”

I pressed my forehead together as the dizziness from travelling through the mana-laden portal hit me.

“Still not used to it.”

Still, the ability to instantly travel hundreds of miles made it a tolerable discomfort.

“Hah…”

I let out a deep, dark blue breath and took in my surroundings.

The Drake’s Forest.

A place filled with the poison of drakes, so strong that ordinary people could get respiratory distress just by breathing the air.

I covered my mouth with a handkerchief and waved my hand.

Whoooosh.

A gust of wind dispersed the green mist.

“Krrrk?”

I caught sight of a lizardman stomping through the swamp.

“Long time no see.”

“Krrrk?”

It tilted its head, flicking its tongue as if in confusion.

Had it been too long since my last visit?

The creature just stared at me blankly.

“I’m here to hunt you.”

Fwoosh! 

Sparks crackled on my fingertips.

Sensing hostility, the lizardman bristled and raised its scales in defence.

In its hand was a crude spear.

I hurled the swirling fireball from my hand directly at the lizardman.

Fireball. 

A spell as simple as it was devastating.

Before the creature could react, the fiery ball engulfed its body.

Boom!

“Kiieeek!”

After a short, shrill scream, the lizardman collapsed lifelessly.

Then the bushes around me began to rustle.

‘Good, come quickly.’

I had deliberately used an attention-getting spell.

Searching for lizardmen one by one was far too inefficient, so I made sure they would come to me instead.

Lizardmen, resembling the first one I had killed, rushed towards me, spears in hand.

“You didn’t waste any time, did you?”

Poisoned arrows were fired.

Numerous spears flew through the air, all aimed at me.

Thunk! 

None of them reached me, losing their momentum before making contact.

It was thanks to the **Magic Shield** I had cast before entering the portal.

There wasn’t a single monster here that could break that shield.

I began to cast an attack spell.

As far as lizardmen were concerned, the only magic more effective than fire was electricity.

Crackle!

The best spell to deal with dozens of lizardmen at once was, of course, **Chain Lightning**.

“Let’s finish this quickly.”

Crackle, sizzle! 

The current shot out of my hand, spreading across the swamp and engulfing the group of lizardmen.

“Krrrk!”

“Kieek!”

The monsters convulsed for a moment before collapsing one by one.

“Hmm. Not here.”

I examined the fallen lizardmen carefully.

The one I was looking for wasn’t among them.

I walked past the bodies and ventured deeper into the forest.

‘When will he show up?’

The lizardman I was looking for had a distinctive white pattern on his chest.

The essence of the white-patterned lizardman was a high-level ingredient capable of concentrating mana – essential for crafting the item I had in mind.

Its rarity and the difficulty of obtaining it were the reasons I had come to Drake’s Forest in person.

‘There aren’t many who can penetrate the poisonous mist of this forest.’

I conjured a breeze to make sure the poisonous mist didn’t touch me as I moved forward.

How far had I walked?

At last I spotted a lone lizard man.

I’ve found him. 

It was the one with the white pattern on its chest.

“Hey.”

I called, addressing the cautious creature.

Its eyes trembled violently as they met mine.

“You better not run.”

Crackle! 

The sound of electricity sparked as a current crackled in front of its face.

“Kieek!”

Frozen in place, the lizardman couldn’t move a step, his body shaking uncontrollably.

“If you give me your essence, I’ll go peacefully.”

The lizardman, apparently understanding my words, nodded vigorously.

He began to secrete the essence from the pattern on his chest.

I collected the thick, green liquid into a prepared vial.

When the vial was half full, the creature’s face turned pale.

“That should be enough.”

I had no intention of taking more.

How could I kill a creature that willingly provided such valuable material?

“If I need more, I’ll come back for you.”

I added, tucking the vial into my cloak.

The lizardman’s face grew even paler, as if he understood my parting words.

***

Having collected the essence, I returned to the manor.

‘At least I won’t have to listen to Jane’s chatter.’

I was exhausted enough as it was.

As I entered the manor, Sebastian greeted me.

“Master, the merchant has sent the items.”

“Already?”

“Yes, I had someone deliver them to your laboratory.”

“Good work. How is Seria?”

“She’s being educated about everything, step by step.”

“Is she cooperating?”

“She was a bit rebellious at first, but thanks to you it wasn’t too serious.”

“I’m counting on you to take care of her until tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry, Master. I’ll make sure she learns the basics.”

I went to the lab and carefully examined the items Emily had sent.

The core of a golem, the breath of a cat, the flame of a forge and the mistletoe of the World Tree.

“Everything is in order.”

Finally, I added the essence of the lizardman that I had collected.

After checking all the materials, I closed the door to the laboratory.

***