A Strange But Effective Villainess Life - Chapter 10

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

Chapter 10
“You’ve crossed the line this time, Kiana. You’re not a child anymore. You need to know what’s right and what’s wrong.”
In truth, it was a justified reprimand. Pretending not to notice would have been even more negligent.
And in that moment, I suddenly gained clarity. I was falling apart. If I continued living in the Prelai Ducal Residence, tormented by everything I didn’t have, I would only remain unhappy. And to think I’d even resorted to such a repugnant, pointless act. As if changing Melissa’s eye color would change anything….
“Reflect and repent with humility.”
“Grandfather, then….”
When Grandfather mentioned “humility,” I answered calmly.
“While I’m reflecting, please send me to Riloni Academy. I want to go far away and humble myself there.”
I mentioned Riloni Academy because I’d heard it was famous for magical engineering. Initially, I’d started teaching myself magical engineering to torment Melissa, but the more I studied, the more I found it genuinely fascinating. If I were to leave far away, that seemed like the perfect place.
So I decided never to use that magical artifact on Melissa and to bury it forever. And as I left the Empire, I tucked that artifact into my pocket, fidgeting with it the entire journey to the Academy. It seemed useless now, yet I couldn’t bring myself to discard it immediately. After all, it was a masterpiece I’d devoted my entire childhood to creating.
As I continued westward toward Riloni Principality, I found myself traveling through a rather desolate forest that was supposedly a shortcut.
“Stop for a moment.”
I suddenly ordered the coachman with an embarrassed expression. I needed to use the restroom. Of course, there was no restroom deep in the forest.
“Pull over.”
“Yes.”
And everyone responded without any fuss. This was a normal part of traveling.
“Don’t go too far, and if anything happens, please call out.”
“Understood.”
Leaving my guards behind, I walked into the undergrowth. They’d told me not to go far, but embarrassment drove me to venture further with each step.
I wasn’t important enough to be deliberately targeted, and this forest itself didn’t seem like a place where anyone would be. So when I’d wandered quite far with a relaxed mind, a low voice suddenly came from the nearby bushes.
“Don’t come closer.”
I stifled a scream and stepped backward. Startled beyond measure, I clutched the hem of my skirt—embroidered with a gold thread checkered pattern—tightly, steadied my breathing, and barely managed to ask.
“W-what is it?”
A young man who appeared to be my age was crouched down, gasping in pain. A hood covered his head so completely that not a single strand of hair was visible.
I felt like I might faint, but I quickly composed myself, swallowed hard, and asked calmly.
“You said not to come closer? Is that what you just said?”
Even so, I maintained both courtesy and propriety. The hood he wore appeared quite expensive, so I used respectful language.
In any case, the young man took a deep breath at my question and spoke quietly.
“…Yes. It’s better if you don’t get involved with me.”
The young man’s voice was almost solemn. He continued in a strained voice.
“Just pass by and go. Hurry. You saw nothing. Understand?”
Hmm. He’s treating someone he’s just met far too casually. Then I should reciprocate with the same level of familiarity.
“Why should you care about my eyesight?”
“….”
The young man seemed momentarily flustered but quickly continued.
“Listen to me.”
His tone was very firm.
“I’ll be fine once time passes, and you might deeply regret lingering here out of misplaced sympathy.”
The young man even desperately tried to hide his face.
“Okay.”
In any case, since he said so, I simply agreed without much fuss. Honestly, my tender and kind heart found the situation quite uncomfortable, but I had to respect his wishes.
“Well then, take care.”
Without hesitation, I turned and walked away with long strides. The Young Man seemed to mutter something like “…you’re leaving so fast,” but I let it go in one ear and out the other.
When I had gone quite a distance, I suddenly remembered something and turned back, approaching the Young Man’s side. He sensed my presence and reacted sharply.
“Why did you come back?”
His sharp voice carried a subtle note of gladness.
“I told you not to get entangled, so why on earth are you—”
“You don’t need to say that. I’ll just leave on my own anyway.”
I cut off his words immediately.
“But you see.”
And I asked casually.
“I had something I was planning to discard. Would you like me to give it to you instead?”
“…What?”
“It’s a very rare magical artifact.”
There was a magical artifact I’d been fidgeting with in my pocket the whole time. It was difficult to dispose of anyway.
“It can change eye color, but I have no use for it. If you need money, you can secretly sell it somewhere. There’s only one of these in the entire world.”
After finishing my words, I rolled the magical artifact toward the Young Man.
“…What? Really?”
The Young Man’s breathing became slightly rougher, and he suddenly asked in a serious voice.
“Where did you get this?”
“Someone I knew made it. That person is no longer in this world.”
It wasn’t entirely a lie. After experiencing that sense of emptiness once, I had definitely changed from before. I would no longer cling to appearances, and I planned to live freely, doing what I wanted in a new place.
I continued speaking calmly.
“Only you and I know that something like this exists. So you can even use it to pull off a scam somewhere if you need to.”
“…”
“Activate it by feeding it the user’s blood, then hold it against your eyes for about an hour while thinking of the desired color. It’s single-use, so you can only use it once. But it will be extremely painful. Your eyes might feel like they’re burning? Still, you have to endure it to the end.”
Honestly, the method of use was so agonizing that it seemed difficult to commercialize. The Young Man hesitated at my words before asking.
“Why are you showing me such kindness?”
“Well, obviously to ease my own conscience.”
I answered immediately.
“I can’t feel good about leaving you here alone. But since you’re telling me to go, I’m not the type to force my way in and meddle.”
“Hmm…”
“So I’m giving you something I have that’s very valuable but unnecessary to me, and relieving myself of the burden on my heart.”
“…You’re honest.”
“It’s rational.”
Despite seeming quite painful, he let out a soft laugh. And as he took the magical artifact and immediately put it in his pocket, it seemed he wasn’t actually that seriously injured.
“Surprisingly… this magical artifact is truly like a miracle to me. Thank you.”
“I’d appreciate it if you sold it in a back alley where purchase records won’t be traced. I’d rather not deal with the hassle.”
“You’ll never have anything to be tired about. I promise.”
The Young Man spoke slowly in a hoarse voice.
I quietly observed the Young Man’s silhouette, shrouded by his hood. It was peculiar—there were no body parts I could properly see, yet his refined accent and articulate pronunciation inspired an inexplicable sense of trust.
“…How did things come to this?”
“I was betrayed. That’s all.”
“What should we do….”
“I survived, so I’ll take my revenge. Don’t worry too much.”
I was moved by his thoughtful response and opened my heart honestly.
“Right. Truth be told, I wasn’t particularly worried. It’s not like we know each other.”
“….”
I shrugged my shoulders once and slowly turned around. As I did, the Young Man called out to me once more.
“Don’t tell anyone you met me anywhere. It’s for your sake.”
Truthfully, I had no one to tell anyway.
Whether it was for my sake or not, he never even looked at my face or asked about my identity. He seemed to be restraining himself as well.
“That’s your business. But if I may ask one thing—please don’t die.”
I said this with a sly tone.
“If you were to die, I’d feel terribly unsettled having turned away so quickly like this.”
And just as I was about to leave for real, the Young Man whispered.
“Imperial Capital Post Box 1135.”
“…What?”
“After a very long time has passed, secretly write a letter and place it in that box. Since it’s dangerous, you should create a secret post box of your own as well. When I’m able to hide myself completely, I’ll send word of whether I’m alive or dead. Then you won’t feel unsettled, right?”
“Hmm. Honestly, it’s not really necessary to go that far… and creating a secret post box just to know whether you’re alive or dead is a bit bothersome, but I’ll think about it anyway.”
“Do as you please. Just promise me one thing—never tell anyone about today. Not even your closest person.”
The Young Man warned me with a firm voice.
“I’m saying this truly for your sake. You mustn’t be discovered.”
“I understand.”
Honestly, since I had no one close to me, there was no room for hesitation.
The Young Man asked urgently.
“The post box number… you don’t need to write it down? You can remember it?”
“It’s an easy number to remember.”
“1135 is easy to remember?”
“Yeah. 1+1+3=5, right?”
“….”
And with that conversation as our farewell, I truly turned around and disappeared down another path. To be honest, I had urgent business to attend to.

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