A Runaway Villainess, Now Healing In An Enemy Country - Chapter 55

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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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【Chapter 55】

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Noaren suddenly raised his head.

Dark clouds were gathering over the clear sky. It was as if even the heavens knew his complicated state of mind.

The Western Gate of the Domain under blockade order.

On what should have been a good day that ended peacefully, the Royal Guards summoned for emergency duty glanced at him and whispered among themselves.

“That villainess will finally get her proper punishment this time, right?”

“No matter how great her family’s power, she insulted the Imperial Court. His Majesty won’t let this slide. At the very least, it’ll be life imprisonment, won’t it?”

“I wonder if the Countess is alright. That woman definitely took her. To ruin the ceremony!”

“Baltres is finished now. The central power structure will change soon. Like Duke Elkan or something.”

“How much does His Majesty cherish the mage? Even if Baltres falls, that person won’t.”

What they thought were whispers were clearly audible to Noaren, whose hearing was more sensitive than others, even from a distance.

In the past, he would have cast a spell to make their tongues stick to the roof of their mouths, but now he wasn’t in the mood for such things.

It was partly because of the disappeared Irene and Lishie, but it wasn’t just for that reason alone.

Rather, it was for a more intimate reason.

Recently gaining momentum, there were his doubts that continued in an endless chain.

Why had Irene been such a thorn in his side?

Why had he fallen in love with Lishie of all people?

It was like an irresistible providence, and Noaren had never once questioned those feelings until now. He hadn’t even thought that any particular reason was necessary.

He fell in love with Lishie the moment he first saw her. That was all. And wasn’t love originally an emotion that started so suddenly and seized and shook a person?

Just like Irene had in their childhood days.

“You won’t take the heir examination? You?”

“You become the young duke. I’m going to stand by His Highness’s side.”

Noaren at that time was disappointed in Irene for changing her mind. She had tried so hard to become the head of the family, yet she was giving up because of one unclear emotion.

It was foolish.

He thought that he wouldn’t be easily swayed by emotions that were merely momentary. But after meeting Lishie, that conviction crumbled.

“…”

Suddenly, silence fell as if cold water had been poured over everything.

Noaren turned his head toward where he sensed a presence. Kalian approached him, heavily suppressed magical power leaking out like electric current.

And without greeting or calling out, he interrogated him.

“Did Irene seem close to those from Belmayer?”

A little while ago, Kalian had met Irene inside the clock tower but lost her right before his eyes due to some alien power.

It resembled teleportation magic, but he couldn’t sense even a trace of magical power. He speculated that the power was something other than magic, and furthermore, that Irene had an ally.

An external figure with alien power who could assist her. The place where Irene had escaped to.

All clues pointed to Belmayer. He couldn’t help but address this.

“…That might be possible.”

Noaren said, recalling Irene from that day when she had been unusually angry, worried that the maid with the sword might get hurt.

“Is Belmayer behind Irene now?”

“I can’t be certain yet.”

Kalian frowned.

He had barely managed to help her avoid his brother, yet she was causing such a major incident.

There were too many eyes watching. This couldn’t be quietly overlooked. Moreover, the Emperor wouldn’t tolerate the Countess going missing like this.

She was the first Countess to appear in a hundred years. Her symbolic value alone made Lishie’s worth far exceed that of the Prince.

The Emperor was considering declaring his nephew as heir and promoting a state marriage with Lishie if something happened to the Prince.

But a Countess could not be replaced. If things went wrong, even Baltres wouldn’t escape the Emperor’s wrath.

So before things went ‘wrong,’ he had to handle this with his own hands. While he could still protect Irene.

“Father, Irene is.”

“Irene will definitely appear again.”

Kalian was certain.

He didn’t know what Irene’s exact purpose was, but if kidnapping Lishie was everything, she would have disappeared immediately using that ‘power.’

The fact that she hadn’t meant there was unfinished business remaining. If she appeared once more, Kalian was confident he wouldn’t let Irene slip away.

He should have cast a tracking spell the moment he first saw her.

A mistake like earlier wouldn’t…

“I won’t go back.”

…Irene would return.

He had been certain of this since discovering Irene’s traces in the Duke’s mansion storage room.

That child was born to be a Baltres.

She had always fought back and seized what she wanted, so running away didn’t suit her. And everything that child wanted was here.

Whether she had really conspired with Belmayer, or whatever scheme had caused such an incident, ultimately it must be because she wanted something from Baltres, from the Empire.

It had to be so.

“…!”

Just at that moment, a black figure bent over appeared in front of the gate station without any sign or warning. No one noticed the appearance until the figure became visible.

The gate station, which had been quiet as mice while watching Duke Baltres’s mood, erupted in loud murmurs.

“That’s…”

“Ma, Magi…?”

A murky aura that shouldn’t be felt from a person.

That being was human, but soon to be vermin.

No one considered those tainted by Magi to be human. The sound of sharp weapons clashing rang through the air along with tension.

“Damn it, at a time like this!”

“Report to the higher-ups immediately…”

Kalian cut through the confusion with a razor-sharp voice.

“Enough.”

Just last month, there had been a similar incident.

A knight from some count’s family had suddenly appeared in the Domain’s plaza, tainted by Magi.

Afterward, just before being struck down by the Royal Guard’s sword, that person showed strange movements and fled toward the Contaminated Region, leading to Noaren being ordered by imperial command to pursue him.

And at the place he reached, Noaren found Irene.

“…Irene?”

Why was that? He unconsciously called out that name.

Soon, as if responding to the call, the crouched figure stopped walking and slowly straightened up.

When the figure’s face was revealed under the cloudy daytime sky, everyone gasped in shock.

Only Kalian wasn’t surprised upon seeing the face. He had intuited the identity from the moment he recognized the appearance.

The figure that appeared before them, stained with thick Magi, was Irene. It had her face.

“How could this. No, that can’t be…”

Noaren stammered, doubting his eyes.

“Lishie.”

Unlike him, Kalian was very calm. Sharp magical power like small lightning bolts was rippling outward, but only his voice and expression remained so.

“It’s not too late yet. If we find Lishie.”

“Your Grace! Surely you don’t mean to. That’s… vermin! We must kill it immediately!”

Among those gathered at the gate station, the Royal Guard who regained her senses first cut off Kalian’s words.

She was a rough-looking woman with a scar across her eye. She drew the sword from her waist and shouted.

“Those who have become vermin must be killed on sight. This is the solemn law of the Empire and His Majesty the Emperor’s will! Even Duke Baltres cannot ignore this!”

“If we find Lishie, we can purify the Magi. Since her face isn’t completely black yet, we can’t say she’s fully become vermin.”

“It’s imminent! With this much Magi being felt, how can that still be human? Do you think it will last until we safely find the Countess—”

Bang!

A crimson lightning bolt struck where no one stood.

It was ferocious magical power that couldn’t be contained in time. Kalian, who had loosened his strangling tie like tearing it off, announced.

“I will take responsibility for what follows. No one is to step forward, stand by. Remember that my command authority here is the highest.”

“…Your Grace!”

Kalian didn’t reply and turned around. Then he spoke to Noaren, who had frozen as if seeing a ghost.

“Use binding magic on Irene.”

“…”

“Noaren.”

His gaze was fixed on Irene.

Her pupils were black all the way to the whites. Though she showed no threatening vermin-like behavior, she was unfocused as if lacking reason and moved sluggishly.

Most importantly, she was already injured.

Drip, drip…

Thick black liquid was flowing from around Irene’s chest. No one would disagree that it was blood.

Once he became aware of it, the stench pierced his nose.

“…Father. Irene is already.”

In fact, as that knight said, there wasn’t even a need to cut her down immediately. It was only a matter of time before she stopped breathing as she was.

So, Irene was.

Noaren couldn’t continue his words and bit his lips.

Tinnitus spread through his head, which had been causing frequent headaches lately. His thoughts moved slowly.

Irene had become a vermin. Suddenly. Why?

He still hadn’t figured out how Eshe Karte had suddenly become a vermin in the middle of the Citadel. Was it the same reason?

…He couldn’t know.

There were too many unknowns, and he was experiencing the most foolish moment of his life.

“I know. So Noaren, go and get Lishie.”

Kalian was probably the same.

He approached Irene without even realizing he was spouting contradictory words.

It was then that ‘Irene’s’ divine form collapsed.

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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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