Chapter 9: I Reincarnated as a Villainess…and Ended Up Stranded (8)

“Then, starting now, we’re launching Operation: Make Our Own Magic Staff!”

After testing every single magic staff our puppies brought back—and failing with every single one—I was not about to give up here.

Think about it.

What exactly is a magic staff?

Even those beefy meathead swordsmen treasure their blades and call them their “beloved swords.”

Would a mage be any different?

Exactly.

The very idea that I could properly wield someone else’s staff—that kind of arrogance and hubris was already a massive sin.

One of the seven deadly sins, even!

And I, alas, had fallen to it.

In short, if I crafted a personalized, hand-made staff tailored to me and me alone—tamed by my own hands—then surely the dormant power within me would erupt like a fountain!

“A great villainess deserves a great staff. I mean, the others weren’t bad, per se… but they were a bit beneath me, you know?”

Now that I thought about it, expecting a staff suitable for a genius villainess like me to just be lying around in some forest was absurd.

Ahem, ahem.

Haah, no choice, huh~?

I’ll just have to make one myself.

“…….”

“Achoo!”

The look Kiriel gave me when I dragged her out for magical wood gathering?

Absolutely priceless.

And as for the dogs who were practically crying with sympathy for me before?

Now they were sneezing disinterestedly like they couldn’t care less.

Kiriel’s eyes practically asked:

Do you even know how to make a magic staff?

…I mean, don’t you just… carve it into the shape of a staff?

Isn’t it one of those deals where the wood is already infused with mana or something, so it’s basically good to go as-is?

Most of the staffs we found before were just normal-looking branches anyway.

“…….”

Kiriel’s expression screamed Are you for real right now?

I don’t know if it’s the master-servant bond or if I’m just that easy to read, but she reads my thoughts way too well.

“Anyway! If you find any tree with lots of mana in it, just let me know, okay?”

“Snort!”

“Pant pant.”

“Yaaawn…”

Even with such a simple command, the damn dogs just yawned, scratched their ears, and shook out their fur like they didn’t even hear me.

…Why?

Weren’t they super obedient last time?

Why are they acting like their old selves again?

“…Kiriel.”

With no choice, I deployed a direct order on Kiriel.

Wait—Kiriel?

Why are you making that “I guess we have no choice” face!?

I could understand it from the beasts, but you should always be on my side…!

“Whine…”

Only when Kiriel gave them a pointed glance did the dogs reluctantly get up and start moving.

Some of them shot me a look like, Ugh, here she goes again, the same way a beleaguered dad would stare at the overbearing mom forcing the kids to do chores.

These little mutts… You wanna try me?

You need another smack with the pipe to remember who’s boss?

Before long, one of the dogs came trotting back, signalling for me to follow.

With nearly twenty of them working together—especially since they were born and raised in this forest—it was only natural they’d get the job done quickly.

Seriously, if they were going to find it this fast, they could’ve just done it without the attitude…

Following the half-hearted guide, I arrived at a towering tree.

Even at a glance, it was clear this wasn’t your average tree.

Tiny fairies fluttered about like fireflies, glowing with mana, while larger fairies flitted among the branches on delicate wings.

Even I, who knew nothing about magic, could tell this tree was absolutely brimming with magical energy.

“…A human?”

Just then, a fairy spotted me and flitted over with a bubbly voice.

“Wow, amazing! It’s been forever since a human made it this deep into the forest!”

Her voice and looks were exactly what you’d expect from a fairy.

…Though, she was a little much.

“And to think the human who made it here is such a tiny little girl! I smell a tragic backstory!”

Buzzing with excitement at finally meeting a human again, the fairy zipped around like crazy.

The glittering dust falling from her wings made my nose itchy.

“Actually, I came because I want to make a magic staff.”

“A magic staff?”

“Yeah. So, I was wondering… do you think I could maybe… break off one of the branches from this tree?”

“Aha ha ha! Humans sure say the weirdest things, huh?”

She laughed brightly, sounding genuinely amused.

I figured this was going well.

Next thing she’d say was—

“No way in hell.”

“Right, thank y—wait, what?”

…Huh?

That wasn’t it…

“This sacred tree is what keeps the forest full of mana. And you, a mere human brat, want to damage it just to make a stick?”

“I-I’m sorry…”

Yup, of course.

This wasn’t just any tree.

It was a vital part of the ecosystem.

And honestly?

She was right.

I was about to harm this sacred tree just to stroke my own ego…

I felt… ashamed.

Thoroughly scolded, I was about to leave, reflecting on the foolishness of mankind, when—

“Buuut… if you really want it, maybe I could let you take one branch?”

Her generous offer pierced my ears.

“R-Really…!?”

“Yup! I’m not like those other mean fairies, you see!”

She beamed at me sweetly, as if to say, Aren’t I nice?

The way she emphasized unlike the others was a bit suspicious, but hey—I was about to get my very own staff material, so who cared?

In the original novel Four Gods of Romfan, fairies were only briefly mentioned when talking about spirits.

They never actually appeared.

But come on, this was a fairy!

They’re always good guys in fairy tales, right?

See?

She was being so nice to me!

“The thing is, there’s this really bad goblin horde nearby… The other fairies and spirits are super stressed out.”

“Goblins…”

“Yup! So, if you could just take out the goblin leader and bring me its head, I’ll let you have that branch!”

Apparently the goblins had been terrorizing the forest, including this tree and its fairy inhabitants.

Even low-tier monsters like goblins get dangerous in large numbers—especially if there’s a shaman leading them.

“Aaand don’t worry! Kiriel will take care of all those nasty goblins!”

“Wow! Thanks, Kiriel! You’re so kind and heroic!”

‘Pfft, what a dumb human. Guess I’ll sneak along and watch her get wrecked by goblins for laughs’

‘That’s awful… Forget the branch. We should help just because it’s the right thing to do. Don’t worry, everyone! Kiriel and our puppies will handle those evil goblins!’

Just then, one of the dogs tugged at my skirt.

I tried to wave them off, not wanting to ruin the touching moment, but instead they bit my hand.

“…!”

I yanked it back in shock.

Luckily, it was fine.

But if not for my amazing reflexes, I could’ve lost a finger!

Monsters are monsters after all. No matter how tame they seem, they could bite at any moment.

“Wh-what’s wrong?”

“Bark!”

And suddenly—wait, what?

We already killed that goblin shaman!?

As if confirming my suspicion, the dogs took off, only to return moments later with a large green goblin head in one of their mouths.

They dropped it at my feet with a thud.

“T-This is…”

“Pant pant…”

The fairy stared in shock at the goblin head on the ground.

Judging by her reaction, it was definitely the one who’d been bothering them.

“When… when did we even kill that?”

“Woof!”

“Ohh, right, during that turf war under the last goblin boss…?”

Yeah, makes sense.

Monsters always want to expand their territory when their leader gets stronger.

Anyway, lucky us. We solved the problem super easily.

Fairies got rid of their pest, and I got staff material.

Win-win!

“So, I can take it now, right?”

“H-Huh…?”

“The branch. For the magic staff.”

Grinning proudly, I pointed to the tree.

But instead of answering, the fairy clenched her little fists, trembling with frustration.

She’d planned to shove me into the goblin den as a prank.

Now that her scheme had flopped, she was salty.

Truth is, fairies are way worse than they look.

They love pranks, messing with humans and weaker monsters, often with deadly consequences.

“…Ah, yeah! I did say that, didn’t I? But now that I think about it there might be some other bad monsters…”

“Other ones? Again?”

She clearly wanted to prank me again.

But Kiriel, who had been side-eyeing her this whole time, now shot her a deadly glare.

Just like spirits, fairies are highly sensitive to mana.

Feeling the murderous intent radiating from Kiriel, the fairy broke into a sweat.

“N-No! Never mind! I just remembered those other ones were taken care of too!”

“Phew, thank goodness.”

“Y-Yep… As promised, go ahead and take all the branches you want…!”

“Thanks. I’m sorry, Tree… I’ll just take one.”

“…You’re… apologizing to the tree? You’re such a weird human girl…”

Gently, I broke off a single branch from the massive tree—well, Kiriel did, since the thing was way too thick for me.

“Take care, okay! If any bad monsters show up again, let me know! I’ll help anytime!”

‘Please never come back…!’

Clutching the sacred, premium-grade staff material to my chest, I waved cheerfully.

Little did I know she’d tried to get me killed.

“Eep…!”

Behind me, Kiriel raised two fingers, pointing from her eyes to the fairy’s.

The universal I’m watching you gesture.

It was a clear warning:

Try to prank my master again, and I’ll kill you next time.

Terrified, the fairy trembled from the sheer malice rolling off Kiriel.

She silently swore to never mess with that girl again.

And then…

Poof…!

“WHY!?”

Even with her handcrafted, high-end, custom-made magic staff…

Lin still produced the same tiny little flame.