A Runaway Villainess, Now Healing In An Enemy Country - Chapter 88

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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 88】

Whoosh!

Flames spread across the azure sea without any fuse. In the blink of an eye, fire that had seized control of the entire space writhed as if it would devour him.

Ezekiel squinted one eye while maintaining his smiling expression.

“…I told you that using divine power against me here would be meaningless, Princess.”

“I heard you. But it might not be true.”

Saying it’s meaningless can be done after trying it. I unleashed fierce flames throughout the space, just as I had done in the library before.

Then he clicked his tongue somewhat comically.

“Do you really not trust my guarantee that much?”

“I originally only trust myself.”

Though things have changed a bit lately, anyway.

I couldn’t do anything about this bastard right now. My guess was that when I opened my eyes again outside, this man might have disappeared without a trace.

If that’s the case, at least.

I hope these flames become an obstacle in their path. I hope everything they do from now on fails. And.

“This makes me feel like I’m losing somehow, which pisses me off. I’m putting a curse on you, so you’d better not try to mess with Belmayer.”

The reason they’re troublesomely calling me to the Citadel. It’s just a guess, but it might be because the evil god’s influence diminishes within Belmayer. Just as the Contaminated Region doesn’t expand well in this direction, perhaps some great unwritten law is at work.

Then this place, called the demon’s country by the world, is actually… it wouldn’t be wrong to consider it the most sacred land in the world.

“This is a sanctuary.”

“…You’re being quite unreasonable. Since when has Belmayer been a sanctuary?”

I ignored Ezekiel’s constantly wriggling retort.

“From now on.”

If I dye such a place with my divine power, it’s wishful thinking, but it might become the continent’s greatest inviolable sacred territory.

Contaminated things might never be able to enter this land.

“I’m going to declare it a sanctuary that I’ve established.”

“…Wait,”

“Think I’ll wait for you? Too late.”

Flash!

The bright red flames instantly transformed into dazzling pure white light and covered the entire space.

My vision became sharply bright as if I’d been hit by a flash grenade at close range, so unfortunately, I couldn’t tell what expression Ezekiel was making.

‘Ugh. My head… I’m dizzy.’

I deeply lowered my eyelids.

* * *

It all happened within dozens of seconds.

Both the Imperial people who set foot on Drens’ land suddenly being tainted by demonic energy, and that demonic energy being purified along with the storm.

Davuer frowned as he watched the Imperial forces who couldn’t grasp the situation and were in confusion. Nishe, standing behind him, asked with certainty.

“My lord, this is definitely that weakling doing something again, right? Can’t she stay still for even a day without causing trouble?”

“He’s disappeared.”

“Pardon?”

The Minister had suddenly vanished without a trace. His whereabouts could easily be deduced from the magical traces left there. He had disappeared using a magical tool containing teleportation magic.

Davuer grasped that much and gave a brief order.

“Don’t move rashly and maintain the standoff. I’ll entrust you with command authority.”

If they started swinging swords here, the ceasefire agreement would be broken from that moment. If that happened, Belmayer would be at a disadvantage.

The reason they pursued a ceasefire in the first place was close to making a deal with the Imperial Court because they found it difficult to handle external enemies with small numbers. It was an agreement obtained by threatening to wipe out the royal bloodline if they didn’t recognize autonomy and continued the war, so the other side probably didn’t consider it a deal.

Anyway, being called a demon, he couldn’t properly digest the Empire even if he swallowed it. If the aftermath led to war breeding more war, there would be no benefit.

Therefore, it was best for the lull of the past ninety-odd years to continue. However.

“Where are you going?”

“To the weakling you mentioned.”

If it involved the evil god’s intervention, the situation was different.

The Empire’s Minister was presumed to be the evil god’s new vessel. He must have been at the center of this situation.

If they stirred up this place in such a way, they would have no choice but to wage war again as the lesser evil… he thought. At least until a few seconds ago.

“Just now, what happened…”

Flash!

The moment someone unknown muttered, a dazzling flash covered the entire area and then disappeared as if nothing had happened.

From that moment’s flash, Davuer was certain that Irene had done something again, something utterly outrageous.

His steps toward her, who could only be seen from behind at this position, became a bit more urgent.

At the same time.

“…Your Highness! Please give us orders!”

Chessier stared at only one place without moving despite his loyal knight’s call. His attitude was as if he were cut off from the world.

Even though he should have escaped from the brief transformation into a Vermin, his eyes were clouded like someone intoxicated.

He didn’t even seem to think of calming the confusion of those who followed him. Well, if he had such reason, he wouldn’t have invaded Drens in the first place.

Pelbarte, the Prince’s closest aide, had long grown tired of his lord’s recent eccentric behavior. Instead of pleading more desperately, he handled his subordinates’ confusion.

From the sudden attack order to the Minister who created chaos disappearing, he couldn’t understand what was going on.

Pelbarte didn’t want to think about what would happen if today’s events, caused by the Prince’s arbitrary decision, reached the Emperor’s ears.

“Your Highness, the Minister seems to be…”

If he was involved in the transformation into Vermin, they needed to send a telegram to the Emperor immediately. Of course, about the storm that instantly drove away the demonic energy and its master too.

Around that time, Chessier finally opened his mouth.

“…I’ll make the report to His Majesty myself.”

He rubbed his face roughly with his hands and muttered.

“If it’s not a damn hallucination…”

The silhouette of the woman standing within his line of sight was definitely Irene. He had recognized her from the moment she entered his field of vision.

Yet he couldn’t approach because he feared she might not be real. He couldn’t trust his own senses, and confirming them to gain certainty was also terrifying.

However, if it was really the existing Irene.

He could even be glad that he had been played by the Minister who borrowed God’s name.

* * *

“…”

When I opened my eyes again, as expected, Ezekiel had disappeared without a trace. However, his traces could be read.

‘What, he used a magical tool.’

Perhaps because he lost his divine authority, he vanished using quite human methods. Setting aside that magical tools containing teleportation magic are extremely rare.

Fortunately, not much time seemed to have passed. At most, maybe dozens of seconds?

I could guess this because the scenery right after purifying the search party and the current moment were almost identical.

“Irene.”

“…Ah.”

Davuer, who came to me silently, cupped my face with both hands. Only after seeing his distorted expression did I feel a warm sensation near my nose.

‘A nosebleed. It doesn’t even hurt, so why is it bleeding.’

At least it wasn’t from both nostrils…

As I was having such carefree thoughts while covering my nose with my sleeve, he asked in a voice like frost.

“Tell me. What did you do again in those few seconds.”

“It’s, nothing much…”

“Your divine light momentarily covered this entire area. It might have been even wider.”

That meant the sanctuary declaration I made in my consciousness also affected the outside. Is the boundary between consciousness and reality quite ambiguous?

Though I declared it boldly, it was somewhat for show, so I didn’t know it would be reflected in reality as is. And for good reason.

“For actually sprinkling divine power across all of Belmayer, my condition is too fine…”

The moment I muttered, blood dripped from my mouth.

What, what’s this. I was more flustered because there was no pain that should have been felt if I had internal injuries.

For now, I covered my mouth while looking at his chilly face that seemed ready to summon trauma at any moment.

Davuer responded in a flat tone.

“You do something like that and then say it’s nothing.”

“Haha… I didn’t intend for this to happen.”

It’s just, well, annoying. The way they brazenly caused the vermin transformation, threatened with war, and made it impossible to ignore such obvious bait.

So I just told them to get lost.

As I nervously wiped away cold sweat and read the situation, he soon spoke with a short, heavy sigh.

“Let’s return to the castle for now.”

“…”

Honestly, I’m tempted, but leaving this chaos without sorting out the situation would be wrong.

With the Imperial Maiden Search Party, their sudden vermin transformation incident, and all the tangled affairs and matters that need handling piling up like a mountain.

‘Most importantly, there’s the reunion that needs to be dealt with…’

Even now, I could feel gazes boring into the sides and back of my head. I couldn’t not know where those intense stares were coming from.

“Later.”

Having erased the bloodstains with magic, I slowly pulled down Davuer’s hands that were cupping both my cheeks.

As if sensing what words would follow, his body stiffened. I could feel it through the hands that touched mine.

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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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