A Runaway Villainess, Now Healing In An Enemy Country - Chapter 77

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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 77】

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Whoosh!

“…Hah!”

Jepi inhaled as if gasping for air like someone who had been pulled out from deep underwater.

The childhood nightmare disappeared as suddenly as it had come. The harsh whipping, the smell of the stables, and his uncle’s voice no longer existed.

This was his reality.

A pure white snowy plain where a blizzard raged.

The pale sunlight of dawn was visible.

―Are you coming to your senses? A whole day has passed.

Giselle’s telepathic message rang out as if on cue.

Instead of responding, Jepi lifted his head and focused on the sensation of snow touching his face. That sensation was warm, so he couldn’t help it.

Why is it warm? Shouldn’t snow be cold?

…More than that, this place isn’t the castle. Irene’s magic circle wouldn’t function here, so I shouldn’t be able to feel such sensations.

―Jepi, uncle is dead.

Giselle spoke to her dazed younger brother as if seeking confirmation.

―You and I made it so. We eliminated him with our own hands.

The Clemente Countship in the northern part of the Empire.

A peaceful and affluent family environment like something out of a painting. The happiness they thought would last forever was shattered to pieces when the Count and his wife died in a carriage accident.

At that time, their uncle, who took on the temporary role of family head in place of the young noble children, became the siblings’ eternal nightmare.

―So that thing is nothing at all.

Giselle declared.

It was the same voice as when she had grabbed her younger brother’s hand in childhood and fled the family to head to the Mage Tower.

She was merely a rare and exceptional magic power holder; Clemente was a knight family, not a mage bloodline. Naturally, Jepi had no magic power either.

What he possessed was a truly genius-level talent with the sword.

However, due to the abuse from his uncle aimed at crushing that budding talent, he had never once had a moment when he liked swords.

―If the same situation comes again next time, then you’ll stand up on your own. Don’t lose to hallucinations. Got it?

“…Yeah.”

Even after becoming an adult and taking revenge on their uncle, Giselle didn’t tell her younger brother to return to the family and inherit the head position.

The family fell into ruin with no successor, but it didn’t matter. The two siblings had a family that shared similar pain, even if not connected by blood.

That was the current Winter Castle.

Jepi’s loyalty to Belmayer came from that familial love. It was also the reason he wielded a sword he didn’t even like.

“Sorry for getting caught by the enemy attack right away.”

He quickly retraced the situation with his slow mind.

He was attacked by Vermin. He fell into a hallucination and then came to his senses. Right now, he couldn’t think of anything other than listening to orders.

“What should I do now? I need orders, Giselle.”

―It seems like you don’t need to do anything right now?

Giselle laughed lightly.

―Look, it’s being purified. The entire mountain range.

“…Ah. This blizzard.”

Jepi let out a monotone exclamation and focused on the scene that had been continuously captivating his attention.

Snow falling heavily as if to embroider the entire world.

White crystals sparkling like jewels.

The gentlest blizzard he had seen in his entire life.

It was Irene’s sanctity mixed with the snow covering the snow-capped mountains in storm-like winds, scattering roughly. Or it could be magic, or perhaps both.

He could feel the Vermin and magi that had inhabited the mountain range slowly disappearing as they were swept away by it.

He didn’t know much about sanctity or magic.

But there was something Jepi could say with certainty. Irene’s magic always surprised him, us, everyone.

It made them feel cozy.

It made them feel alive.

That’s why she became a beloved family member of Winter Castle in such a short time, surpassing even the bonds formed by a hundred years of time and memories.

―Spring will come soon.

He knew that the spring Giselle spoke of didn’t simply mean the season. Jepi responded with a small smile.

“Yeah, it will come.”

For some reason, while thinking that we seemed to have been waiting for Irene for a very long time.

* * *

Right after casting the sanctity magic.

Along with the sensation of blood draining from my entire body all at once, all sensory information from outside my body immediately flooded in.

Skin burning from the brutal cold. The sound of wind roaring in my ears. The fading stench of Vermin.

I couldn’t focus at all due to that commotion.

‘I did pray earnestly for things to become clean.’

It’s too white.

I couldn’t see even an inch ahead due to the blizzard, making it difficult to properly assess the situation. Since the magi was disappearing from the mountain range, I hoped everyone was safe.

“That… crazy magic also seems to have stopped…”

How fortunate that it stopped on its own. In my current state, I couldn’t even go find Davuer, let alone stop him.

The fuel for the crazy magic he had cast was undoubtedly magi. However, unlike the past when he directly emitted magi, this time he used it through his ‘heart.’

If my prediction is correct, that would be…

Since the heart is the center that seals and suppresses magi, he probably judged that using it as a circuit would greatly reduce the burden from using magi.

In other words, he used the precious heart as a filter.

‘Crazy man. How does he think of such things.’

It’s a heart that’s already been used for a hundred years, so it might be consumed quickly. Isn’t he worried?

Still, well… as long as he’s safe for now, that’s what matters.

I lost strength in my legs and sat down right there.

Sanctity poured down from the dawn sky like heavy snow. Perhaps because the sensation of it touching my skin was warm, my consciousness quickly became hazy.

“…”

“…”

Davuer appeared just as I was about to fall asleep.

He was already on the pale side, but now there wasn’t a trace of color in his face, making him look more like wax. Kneeling down to meet my gaze, he silently and carefully held my face.

I didn’t even have the energy to stop him or ask what he was doing, so I lifted my heavy eyelids to look at him.

‘Why isn’t he saying anything. He doesn’t seem to be hurt.’

If magic formulas are puzzles, then mental magic is an intricate puzzle made of over ten thousand pieces.

Even the simplest level of cognitive interference magic requires intense concentration, and if even slightly wrong, it causes a great backlash to the caster’s mind.

In other words, having used such domination magic, he could have suffered brain damage if things went wrong. From his current appearance, it seems he got through it safely without mistakes.

Since his silence was long, I spoke first.

“…Is the heart beating well?”

That’s mine and you used it carelessly. I swallowed such words.

“Don’t… speak. Blood…”

‘Blood? What blood.’

I could feel trembling from both his hands. When I unconsciously lowered my gaze, I could see his hands and sleeves were dark red as if painted.

“Cough!”

Only after coughing due to the tickling in my throat did I realize that blood was streaming from my mouth.

Wow. What kind of horror is this.

“It was a bit sharp, cough! You see. Cough!”

I hurriedly pushed his hands away and turned my head, and blood fell like rain onto the snow.

I couldn’t feel much pain, but it was suffocating as if my lungs were filled with water. Come to think of it, I was breathing with great difficulty too.

Did a pulmonary blood vessel burst?

After all, I did grow my sanctity at ultra-high speed. Since I expanded my vessel by mindlessly mining experience points, my body must have endured quite a lot of strain.

“…Please, Irene.”

It was a call that sounded almost like a groan.

“There was no need to go this far. Even if I couldn’t kill myself, I could have at least bought you more time.”

“From the, beginning…? You had that, cough! intention…?”

I understand that he couldn’t kill directly. The vermin’s magi would be absorbed into him.

But still, resorting to crude domination magic.

If I had grown my sanctity at a ‘normal’ speed, he would have endured for quite a long time without any promise. I couldn’t help but be amazed.

“Why, cough! such a thing that might, kill you…?”

“That’s the question I want to ask, Irene.”

“…”

“When will you stop being prepared to die?”

His expression and voice were frozen like never before.

I was startled by that reaction and hurriedly made excuses.

“Cough! No, I, cough, wasn’t trying to die, gasp, I’m really fine!”

“Your heart.”

“It’s beating, cough, properly!”

It really is.

‘Does it sound unconvincing because I’m in this state…?’

It’s just slightly damaged because the sanctity tore through my blood vessels, and this wound will naturally heal before long.

If my guess is right, having awakened sanctity, as long as my soul is intact, I should be able to recover even if I lost limbs.

“That… Ah.”

But he pressed his ear directly against my left chest as if he couldn’t believe it. As if he couldn’t feel at ease without doing so.

A slightly fast heartbeat. A body hot as if it had swallowed fire. The sensation of hair tickling my cheek.

I trembled slightly like someone with chills. And I called to him while trying to prevent the blood I coughed up from falling on him.

“D-Davuer? Are you alri—”

“I told you… not to do this…”

Muttering incomprehensible words, he embraced me. His strength was so weak that I could have pushed him away easily, but only his hands held strong force.

“Just once… you could listen to me.”

…Ah.

He’s fallen into that past that only he remembers again. Because my current appearance triggered his trauma.

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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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