A Runaway Villainess, Now Healing In An Enemy Country - Chapter 52

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Episode 52】

Could they really control such a crowd?

It would be impossible. There were four or five times more people than those who had gathered for Lishie’s surprise volunteer service.

Declaring a grand, spectacular, and lengthy festival and drawing the attention of all the Empire’s citizens to the engagement ceremony was a mistake. Because I made it that way.

The streets instantly became a sea of people, all tangled up as they scrambled to pick up the gold coins that had fallen to the ground.

The Imperial Guard and escort forces, panicking at the unexpected situation and unable to respond properly.

In the midst of the chaos, someone muttered like an exclamation.

“The, the Golden Mage…”

A welcome nickname I hadn’t heard in a long time. Indeed, before being called a villainess, there was a time when I was known by that name.

“…Damn it, Irene.”

With new nicknames, “damn it” might get attached too.

Chessier spat out curses while running his hand through his hair.

From his voice that scraped against his vocal cords and his rigidly hardened expression, I could read his frozen rage.

I smiled brightly while checking my mana circuits that were starting to heat up.

“Do you like the gift?”

I got some ideas when fighting the World Tree.

That sky that had unnaturally turned black only in specific sections. While pondering that moment, I thought about what would happen if I scattered money like this.

I became a machine that ate meals and made gold for a while, but this was quite a successful and rewarding charitable activity.

…Though the size got a bit smaller to match the quantity.

“What do you intend to accomplish by causing this chaos?”

Chessier, who soon regained his composure, asked me instead of commanding the chaotic situation.

“I can’t believe there’s no intention or purpose. You’re Irene Baltres, after all.”

“Wow. Thank you for thinking so highly of me?”

“Whatever you want, this act won’t benefit your family.”

“…Baltres is.”

No longer related to me.

I fell silent without continuing the unnaturally cut-off sentence.

Around that time, Chessier stopped glaring at me and passed the command authority to Pelbarte as if dumping it on him.

The heavy shout of the rigid knight descended upon the street, but was quickly drowned out by the cries of people trying to pick up even one more gold coin.

And. Lishie was no longer here.

Jepi must have safely moved her as planned.

Since I had teleported the moment after pouring out the gold coins, it seemed no one had noticed the anomaly yet due to the sudden chaos.

Of course, it was only a matter of time.

‘I should slip away soon too.’

Having quickly finished my calculations, I snapped my fingers once more and struck the clock tower’s bell with a mana bullet.

As the slow, heavy bell sound rang out, gold coins poured from the sky once again.

Clang— Clang—

Crash!

“…Irene!”

Chessier, struck by the falling gold coins, shouted like thunder and finally approached me closely.

Standing right in front of me, he spoke through gritted teeth with cold rising anger.

“Don’t think you’ll get through this safely.”

“I have no intention of letting myself be caught either.”

Whoosh!

The moment I stepped back from him, my body was lifted with a swoosh and my vision changed rapidly.

With one blink, I was on the top floor of the clock tower, precisely on the internal stairs leading to it.

Looking around, I spoke to the person standing beside me.

“…Jepi.”

“Yeah.”

“Well done.”

I had acted tough and leisurely, but I almost touched Chessier and moved together with him. Jepi’s ability applied comprehensively not only to the person he contacted, but also to that contact person’s contacts.

Taking a breath, I plopped down on the stairs.

Indeed, it’s darkest under the lamp. We had promised to gather here once the initial plan was completed.

In other words, everyone including Jepi was here. Lishie as well.

“Oh, Older Sister…?”

Lishie, who had been moved here by Jepi before me, looked at me hesitantly.

“This is awkward since we said we’d never see each other again.”

Everything had gone according to plan so far.

From me causing a disturbance to steal people’s attention, to disappearing with Lishie in the midst of the chaos.

Now my double just needed to appear in that commotion. There wasn’t much left until the operation’s success.

“This might be sudden, but please follow my words for now. I won’t harm you, and I’ll explain later. You’ll do that, right?”

“…If, if I can be of help to Older Sister.”

I knew Lishie wouldn’t refuse.

This child had never failed to listen to my words.

An expression that looked like she’d cry at the slightest touch. A body so noticeably thin that even her dress couldn’t hide it. Shadowed eyes and pupils that kept blinking anxiously.

“What sin did you commit?”

“…”

“You’re being kidnapped by me right now. Don’t think about other complicated things and just empty your head instead.”

I had kidnapped her, but it wasn’t a threat. Yet it felt strange, as if I had threatened her. Lishie was also acting particularly severely like a sinner.

Well, she had always felt sorry toward me, but…

‘Isn’t this too much? Is it because of the engagement ceremony?’

I had many things I wanted to ask Lishie, but I was holding back since now wasn’t the time. Anyway, once today passed safely, time would be all we had left.

Lishie asked in a terribly trembling voice.

“Do, do you… Do I… not seem hateful to you?”

“No.”

Her golden eyes widened in surprise at my immediate answer.

To think that was the very first question she asked. Was that the most important and curious thing even in this situation?

It was absurd, yet this appearance was exactly the Lishie I knew. Flustered, reading the room, and yet quite direct despite all that.

I was truly relieved that she seemed unchanged. It lessened some of the worry that had deepened due to her recent behavior.

Of course, Lishie was someone I could easily hate, calling her the culprit who ruined my life, and she was always a hindrance rather than help in everything she did.

But I didn’t hate her. I couldn’t.

“You like me, don’t you.”

It’s very difficult to hate someone who likes you.

“Of course, you’re tactless, a bit stupid, and a pure fool who doesn’t suspect others well.”

Even if she was loved by the object of my ten-year unrequited love, even if she naturally enjoyed what I had never received in my lifetime.

“You’re honest without lies, and good without pretense.”

“…”

“Most of all, you like me very much.”

That very clumsy and blind emotion.

That feeling that made it impossible for me to like this child back, but also impossible to hate her completely.

“I, I didn’t mean for this to happen… Everyone said it was for Older Sister’s sake…”

“Did I help Older Sister this time?”

“I want to become real family. That’s all. I actually don’t care about being a Countess or anything…”

From the moment we first met, Lishie had been saying with her whole body that she liked me. I don’t know what the reason for that affection was.

I just wanted to like her back if possible. It was just quite difficult situationally.

“So I don’t hate you, Lishie.”

Through the open door on the upper floor leading outside, sunlight and noise were coming in together. Lishie, glowing particularly white in the bright sunlight, shed tears drop by drop.

Oh dear….

“I didn’t tell you to cry.”

“Sniff, I, I think I ruined everything again this time…. I chose. I tried to help. I’m sorry….”

As Lishie threw herself into my arms, I didn’t continue speaking and just patted her with a sigh.

I don’t have any talent for comforting people. Why do people who cry keep appearing in front of me?

It’s truly incomprehensible.

“Sob….”

It took an extremely long time for Lishie’s crying, or rather wailing, to stop.

So I had no choice but to stay in an uncomfortable position holding her. Ally glared at Lishie with her bright blue eyes flashing.

“That girl….”

Since the assassin maid’s aura was becoming quite ominous, I quickly changed the subject before she could cause trouble.

“Ally. Where’s Nereni?”

“She’s ready.”

Then Nereni, who was standing behind Ally with her robe covering her from head to toe, waved her hand as if greeting.

Nereni looked exactly like me, perfectly so. But this body had no mana circuits in its heart.

“Come closer. I need to put some mana in.”

While it’s possible to mimic human form, copying unique abilities is difficult, they say. Especially if it’s a power that Ally doesn’t possess.

So I had to infuse my mana into that empty body. Even though it couldn’t be used and would disappear quickly once stored, that much was sufficient.

Nereni approached me and bowed at the waist. As I was about to place my hand on her chest area, Davuer, who had been observing until now, spoke up.

“Is there no problem?”

“Of course. Now when Nereni appears in my place, the plan will—”

“Not that.”

His elegant finger pointed toward the heart area.

Ah. I answered with an awkward smile.

“It’s fine. I’ll only put in enough to deceive the eye. If I had really overdone it, you would have noticed long ago, right?”

Whether my words made sense, he didn’t try to stop me further.

It was when I released the mana from within my body outward.

“…!”

As if it had been waiting, I sensed a massive flow of mana from close by. It was the precursor to spatial transfer magic.

I jumped up almost instinctively and pushed Nereni and Lishie toward Jepi while giving him a look.

Even though not a single word was exchanged, he seemed to understand well, as everyone in this space except me vanished with the wind in an instant.

Whoosh!

Immediately after, a familiar silhouette appeared from the top of the clock tower. The sunlight streaming through the open door was blocked.

The pitch-black man backlit against the light said.

“So you were hiding here, Irene.”

I frowned and only lifted the corners of my mouth.

“…I didn’t expect Father to move so soon.”

I really didn’t want to see him.

Damn it.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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