The Abandoned Saint I Picked Up is a Side Character in an Otome Game and Turns Out to Be the World's Strongest Mage. I Plan to Rescue the Heroine Who Couldn't Achieve Her Happy Ending in a Dungeon. - Chapter 16

Back at the hideout, I buried my head in my hands.

In the heat of the moment, I had abducted Angelica—the princess of the Andarencia Kingdom.

“W-What do I do, Ariel? I’ve officially become a criminal. No, wait, I was already a criminal since I’m a mage!”

“Don’t worry. Things will work out somehow.”

“R-Really?”

Ariel didn’t seem particularly concerned.

“Of course! The real culprit here is that crown prince. Let’s wait for Lady Angelica to wake up and explain everything to her!”

“Says the person who did the abducting.”

Christiana puffed out her chest confidently as she spoke.

The efficiency with which she handled the abduction was unsettling. For a moment, I couldn’t help but wonder if she had experience in such matters. I wanted to believe it was just my imagination.

And just then…

“Hm? Where… am I?”

Angelica, who had been unconscious, finally woke up.

The moment her eyes landed on us, her shoulders trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes.

“If you try to hurt me, my father and brother won’t let you get away with it!”

She was clearly trying to sound brave, but it only made her seem more vulnerable.

Feeling guilty for scaring her, Ariel crouched down to meet Angelica’s gaze and spoke gently to calm her.

“I apologize for our rough treatment. But I promise we won’t harm you, so please don’t be afraid.”

“Uh, Ariel? You don’t need to worry about that—Lady Angelica is just acting.”

“Huh?”

“…Christiana, could you not say unnecessary things?”

The frightened expression on Angelica’s face vanished in an instant. Instead, she pouted, her demeanor shifting completely.

Oh, right.

I’d forgotten that this was exactly the kind of person Angelica was.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Ariel. And you as well, Endo, the ‘Iron Mage.’”

“…Even you know about me?”

“You’re famous among mages. As someone who dabbles in magic myself, it’s only natural that I’d know of you.”

“Wait, what? Magic? You, a princess?”

Ariel, still trying to process the situation, turned to Christiana for clarification.

“Lady Angelica has always struggled with magic. Ice magic, while not as rare as light magic, is still uncommon in the kingdom, so there haven’t been many capable of teaching her.”

“That’s when she met the ‘Frozen Mage’ and became his apprentice.”

“Oh my! Endo, do you know my mentor?”

“Of course I do. I fought him once but failed to take him down. He’s annoyingly good at running away.”

Angelica wasn’t just a simple, brother-obsessed princess.

In truth, she was a major antagonist second only to the Demon King.

Determined to make her brother Roland hers, she schemed tirelessly in the shadows.

Her sweet, charming demeanor was merely a façade—inside, she was as dark as they come.

In truth, the Demon King was little more than a disposable antagonist. If anything, Angelica was arguably the true final boss of Roland’s route.

Christiana began explaining Ariel’s current predicament to Angelica.

“My brother ordered the royal shadow division to assassinate Lady Ariel?”

“That’s right! I want to find a way to make him apologize to Ariel! Do you have any good ideas?”

Angelica tilted her head thoughtfully before offering a chilling suggestion.

“Hmm… If I could convince Father to acknowledge the incident and have my brother disinherited, wouldn’t that mean I could keep him by my side forever?”

It was a terrifying statement, casually delivered.

“That sounds like a splendid idea. Lady Ariel, I shall lend you my wisdom!”

“Uh… thank you?”

“Oh my, what a lackluster response. Show a bit more gratitude, won’t you?”

“I’m satisfied as long as I can annoy him with a chili cannon.”

I wasn’t sure if that was entirely appropriate either.

At that moment, someone entered the living room where we were gathered. It seemed that Kon, who had been napping in the bedroom, had just woken up.

“Nyaa~ yawn… That was a good nap… Hm? Who is that!?”

The moment Kon saw Angelica, she bristled, hissing like a fox.

Even though Kon hadn’t shown any shyness toward Ariel, she was clearly wary of Angelica. Perhaps her instincts could sense Angelica’s inner darkness.

Ariel and Christiana quickly restrained Kon, who looked ready to pounce, and took her to another room.

And that’s when it happened.

“Wh-what’s going on?”

“Oh my, is something the matter?”

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Suddenly, my heart began pounding unnaturally fast, and an intense heat surged through my lower body.

It was the same sensation I’d felt before—when Christiana had tricked me into drinking a potion that boosted stamina at the cost of my reason.

“Huff… huff… hisssshh…”

“E-Endo? Are you alright?”

It all happened in an instant.

Before I could stop myself, I approached Angelica, who was defenseless due to her magic-sealing restraints.

The faint voice of reason inside me tried to resist, but it was no use.

“S-stop this at once! Christiana! Hurry and come back—”

I silenced Angelica with a forceful kiss, pressing my lips against hers.

After a while, as she quieted down, I let my frenzied instincts take over completely.

It wasn’t until everything was over that I finally regained my senses.