A World Where You All Are The Villains - Chapter 109

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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109.

“What?!”
I couldn’t help but gasp at Nancy’s words.
It was utterly absurd.
“The Equinox Flower? Isn’t the custom that the champion courts the person they favor?”
With Ruellin dead for barely a day, there was no way Ethan would court me unless he’d lost his mind.
‘Since the Crown Prince isn’t here either, did he just find someone to pass it to without thinking?’
But then what about the gifts from all these other people who aren’t even the champion?
‘And there’s even a woman among them. Huh.’
As if reading my thoughts, Nancy whispered softly.
“Originally, it was a custom where the Knights of Each House would present spoils of war to their lord and pledge their loyalty. But about a hundred years ago, Count Carlen twisted it when he courted Princess Julia.”
I’d never heard of such an origin.
Yet Nancy wore an expression as dreamy and romantic as a girl lost in reverie.
“In that sense, wouldn’t you be the perfect embodiment of the true Equinox Flower?”
“Am I their lord?”
“It seems they were so impressed by you that they want to pledge their loyalty.”
“Loyalty, my foot. They just want to look good in front of The Purifier.”
“Still, though!”
Unlike my skepticism, Nancy answered with an excited voice.
“Most of them are probably expensive medicinal ingredients or rare gems… The Butler would absolutely faint if he saw them!”
Well, Nancy had a point. There was no need to think of it so negatively.
Of course, it was somewhat burdensome that people were already getting ahead of themselves and offering bribes, but…
‘I didn’t ask for any of this. They gave it willingly, so what can I do?’
In the original work, Ruellin sold everything she received from the male leads and lived in luxury.
‘Right. Since I don’t know what will happen next, let me start padding my pockets.’
Until now, I’d been posing as an Awakener and freeloading off the Duke’s Residence, but the situation had changed.
Now that my identity as The Purifier has been exposed to the world, was there any need to stay in that household, anxious and trembling?
Playing happy family games with the Duke now would be nothing short of ridiculous.
‘…Though Edith Blake might actually want that.’
Unfortunately, I wasn’t magnanimous enough to accept someone who abandoned their biological daughter because she failed to Awaken and adopted a son instead.
‘Right. If things go south, I’ll just leave. Simple as that.’
I’d already done it once, so it wouldn’t be difficult.
But to do that, I need a more detailed plan and a secret fund!
“Nancy, write down carefully who sent what. When we return, tell the Butler to send back everything that isn’t useful and keep only what has value.”
“S-send them back?”
“Yes. The criterion is simple—anything that won’t make money.”
“Ah…”
“And for anything you leave behind, be sure to send an appropriate gift in return. If needed, you can even select from among the items the Grand Duke gifted last time.”
“Yes, yes! I understand!”
Nancy nodded earnestly, committing my instructions to memory.
In other words, I wasn’t simply accepting gifts one-sidedly—I was orchestrating a form of exchange.
That way, there would be no unforeseen complications later.
‘Now that I think about it, among those ominous things Serge gave me, quite a few were just taking up space in storage….’
I couldn’t fathom why I’d left them gathering dust all this time.
I resolved that when I returned, I’d sell them all off.
“Oh! And Miss, this.”
Nancy fumbled in her bosom and produced something, handing it over.
It was a small cloth pouch.
“What is this?”
“Count Frederick gave it to me directly, and I’ve been keeping it separate because I was afraid it might get mixed in with the other things and lost.”
“…Directly?”
“Yes. That was all the Count gave me.”
I stared at the pouch for a moment, then untied the knot.
I turned the pouch upside down and shook out its contents.
A single pearl-like bead with a blue luminescence—the same shade as my eyes—rolled across my palm.
“It’s called the Tear of Queen Talos. Carrying it is said to provide protection against external dangers….”
“….”
“He said you should think of it as something to carry when you go out without an escort.”
Nancy’s added explanation stirred something peculiar in my chest.
Because, just as she said, I immediately understood what Dylan’s hint meant.

― Do you understand how dangerous Volner is?
― But what on earth were you thinking, venturing into the Slum without a single escort…!

‘So it bothered him that much.’
Well, after Tollen and now Volner.
I’d encountered him in dangerous moments so consistently that it left an impression.
But the real question was—why give this to me?
‘He said he didn’t want to run into me. That our paths shouldn’t cross. That we should stay out of each other’s minds. So why do this?’
I couldn’t fathom Dylan’s true intentions.
It certainly wasn’t a gesture toward reconciliation or getting along now.
When the Gate opened and I stumbled during a conversation with Ruellin.
There was no hint of such sentiment in his eyes when he found me….

― I intend to propose to Ruellin.

Didn’t Dylan love Ruellin dearly enough to propose to her first?
I didn’t want to believe that even those feelings were entirely manipulated by Ruellin.
It seemed impossible to control not just memories, but also the primal emotions of human beings, and even if it were possible—
Then wouldn’t Edith Blake, who desperately yearned for and begged for that fabrication before dying, be…
Far too pitiful and wretched?
I would have preferred the narrative where they truly loved Ruellin and despised the villain who tormented her.
Otherwise…
“Since there’s only one, it would be difficult to use as an earring, but if you have it made into a ring or bracelet and carry it with you, that should work.”
Nancy’s bright voice cut through my gloomy thoughts at just the right moment.
I found myself asking suddenly.
“…You said it was Queen Talos’s Tear, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then this isn’t a subjugation spoil.”
I stubbornly denied it.
I didn’t want to think for even a moment that he had done anything remotely like a favor for me.
At my sudden words, Nancy’s eyes widened.
“Pardon?”
“Count Frederick entered the Gate alone and killed the leader, didn’t he? He must have obtained it then.”
“Then wouldn’t that make it far more precious than the things obtained from subjugation?”
I didn’t know about that. I didn’t particularly want to think so either.
At my silent response, Nancy tilted her head.
“…Dylan, or rather, why did the Count give that to you, miss?”
“Who knows.”
I gazed down at the blue orb with a displeased expression and muttered like a sigh.
“What does he expect from me, giving me something like this?”

***

The next day.
At last, the cursed morning to leave the island had arrived.
Thanks to packing my belongings the day before, I finished my preparations to depart earlier than anyone else in the early dawn.
Throughout my stay on the island, I’d suffered nothing but relentless misfortune.
Now that it was time to leave, my luck had finally turned around completely.
First, the closing ceremony scheduled for the final day was cancelled.
Despite Serge’s threats, the Crown Prince never returned.
And on top of that—

— Prince Ethan had departed early last night due to urgent matters in the Capital.

When I received word from the Servant that Ethan had left behind, I let out a cry of joy.
‘Yes! The journey back is freedom!’
I hadn’t been sleeping well anyway, dreading the thought of another long carriage ride alone with that suffocating man.
But now that wretch had left first—I could hardly contain the urge to dance!
Having risen at dawn, the Lobby was empty except for the night-watch Servants standing guard.
As I waited for the Carriage, breathing in the fresh sea breeze, Eston approached and asked.
“You seem to be in a better mood today?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
How could I not be happy when those wretches were out of sight!
“Did you complete what I asked?”
“…I did deliver it.”
“I told you to make sure he consumed all of it and to tell him what it was made from, didn’t I?”
“I did say it would only be effective if he did that… but I’m not sure if the Adjutant will actually follow through.”
That depends on his luck.
But since my fortune was turning, I had a strong premonition it would succeed.
Eston’s eyes grew hollow at my instructions.
Unlike her, I broke into a bright smile for the first time in ages.
She stared at me with a gloomy expression and muttered.
“I’m… a bit worried about my life.”
“Don’t worry. I have my reasons to trust this will work.”
“Not the Young Lady’s life, sir. My own.”
“Why?”
“I delivered a medicinal decoction made from a beast’s… reproductive organ as a token of gratitude, so if that gets out….”
“Hush!”
I quickly covered her mouth, afraid someone might overhear.
“Let’s keep the ingredients between just the two of us.”
“But you told me to say what the medicine was made from! All the nobles who know what that particular part is famous for will figure it out…!”
Eston’s face crumpled and she let out a whimper.
At her reaction, I simply laughed heartily.
‘Finally, revenge is complete!’
Among the gifts I’d received from the Awakeners who participated in yesterday’s subjugation, there was one particularly useful material.
The reproductive organ of a male Titano Turtle!
In other words, the testicles of a giant turtle had been quietly circulating among middle-aged noble men as an expensive aphrodisiac.
‘The person who gave it probably intended it for the Duke, not me….’
I had Eston carefully simmer it into a medicinal broth.
And I’d just delivered the remaining parts(?) with instructions to use them for soup stock.
To whom?
To Serge Belnak, of course!
“It’s not like I concocted some deadly poison—it’s supposed to be excellent for vitality, after all.”
“That’s why I’m worried about my life….”
“So let’s get out of here before they chase after us.”
The carriage arrived just in time.
Eston shook his head in disbelief as he watched me scramble aboard.
“Hyiiiiing―!”
Moments later, the carriage lurched forward with a powerful neigh from the horses.
The weather was magnificent.
I gazed wistfully at the beautiful Separate Palace receding into the distance, both hands raised high with middle fingers extended defiantly.
At last, the tedious Equinox Ceremony had come to an end.

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