A World Where You All Are The Villains - Chapter 147

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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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147.

Keeeeeeng, craaaash!
Rummmmmble—.
With a piercing screech that shook the very earth, the width of the open Gate entrance gradually began to narrow.
I stood frozen, my mouth agape at the extraordinary sight unfolding before my eyes.
An already-opened Gate closing again?
How was such a thing even possible?
Even watching it with my own eyes, I could scarcely believe it.
Keeeeeeng—!
As if gaining momentum, the Gate entrance began closing in earnest.
The wide fissure that had been gaping shut in an instant, just as it had when I first discovered Ruellin cradled in Dylan’s arms.
In a daze, I watched this spectacle unfold before turning to glance at the figure beside me.
Unlike before, I could see the whites of the man’s eyes and his temples were suffused with blood vessels.
His expression of concentration made it abundantly clear who was orchestrating this astounding feat.
“…Is His Majesty doing that right now?”
“Can’t you see?”
He answered flatly without taking his gaze from the Gate.
“If I just press down like this for about ten minutes, it will disappear on its own.”
“Hah….”
A hollow laugh escaped me at his confident tone.
As if he were literally pressing down with brute force, the smooth elliptical shape of the fissure twisted and warped this way and that.
And then, finally.
Kuuuuuung….
The Gate truly closed completely.
Only faint beams of pale light seeping through minute gaps remained as evidence that a Gate had ever existed there.
But even those were swiftly stitched shut, as if being ruthlessly seized and extinguished.
Soon, perfect darkness enveloped the night sky.
“…Hah, this is utterly absurd….”
“Is this the ability of Grand Duke Belnac?”
“To close a Gate with telekinesis—truly, this is something unheard of….”
The Awakeners, who had been standing in stunned awe at the overwhelming spectacle, finally regained their senses and let out gasps of amazement.
After approximately ten minutes had passed in that state, even the strange roaring sounds that had been emanating ceased.
Just as Serge had said, the Gate had truly vanished.
Forcibly sealed shut beneath the weight of his power.
All that remained was the tranquil starlit night sky as if nothing had happened, and the residual Magi lingering on the garden floor.
It felt like I was dreaming.
I kept reaching up to touch the sky, uncertain whether the Gate had truly disappeared.
Tap—
Something brushed against my cheek.
I reflexively lowered my head, and the man who’d poked my cheek with his index finger wore a petulant expression.
“Why are you staring at me like you’ve lost your mind? Is this your first time seeing a Gate close?”
Serge seemed utterly unbothered.
By how shocking what he’d just done truly was.
By the magnitude of the upheaval it would cause.

92%

I could see his runaway index spike dramatically.
It had never been particularly low to begin with, and having recklessly unleashed his ability like that made it inevitable.
I stared blankly at the space above his head before responding slowly.
“…I’ve never seen a Gate close using such a crude method before.”
“Crude?”
His brow furrowed sharply as he spoke with irritation.
“It’s efficient.”
“How exactly did you…?”
How had he managed it, was this truly acceptable, what were the limits of its scale, were there any side effects?
I had far too many questions.
After deliberating, I resigned myself to asking one thing at a time.
“Since when have you known how to use this method?”
“Since I was falsely accused of something ridiculous and shoved into a Gate Wave.”
But the answer that came left me momentarily speechless.
“I was already struggling against hordes of monsters, and these tiny things kept opening in multiples, which was annoying.”
“…”
“So I tried it on a whim, and surprisingly, it worked.”
A method born from desperate struggle for survival—a fortunate accident.
I looked up at him with slightly stunned eyes.
“Then why haven’t you used it at Gate Sites until now?”
As if reading my thoughts, he continued without hesitation.
“There are limits depending on the scale. With a large-scale Gate, it’s obviously impossible. I can’t afford to act recklessly trying to play hero and end up going berserk and dying pathetically.”
“…”
“And besides, why would I reveal anything impressive to people who are constantly scheming to kill me?”
A straightforward reason.
Had I been in his position, I wouldn’t have risked overextending myself either.
Not unless my own life hung in the balance.
It made sense not to reveal to the Imperial Family and others that he possessed such a tremendous ability—the power to close Gates with telekinesis.
Just as I had hidden being the Purifier immediately after possessing this body and awakening to my ability.
He too likely had no desire to be swayed by the tedious expectations and applause of meaningless humans.
Even as I thought this, my doubts weren’t entirely resolved.
“Then… why now?”
“What?”
“Why did you go out of your way to close the Gate now?”
A small Gate, completely unlike the typical signs of emergence.
Whether it was Sephiroth’s doing or something else, it was ultimately just a performance announcing Ruellin’s return.
If the situation had truly been dangerous, monsters would have poured through the opening long ago.
Yet lives weren’t hanging in the balance, and there were so many eyes watching.
I couldn’t quite understand why he would go through the trouble of exposing secrets he’d kept hidden all this time—and for people from the Imperial Palace, no less, who were practically his enemies.
“….”
He, who had been speaking without hesitation as if reading my thoughts, suddenly fell silent, as though caught off guard.
For a long moment he stared at me with a rigid expression, then let out a hollow laugh.
“…I don’t know.”
“….”
“Maybe I wanted to boost my partner’s spirits since they’ve completely wilted.”
As always, his face carried that irritating blend of playfulness and malice.
Yet the moment I met his eyes—those abyssal, mirthless pupils that contradicted his expression—
Thump—
A strange, heavy resonance echoed through my chest.
I knew he was teasing me as he always did.
It was undoubtedly meaningless, crude mockery.
So why was my chest—
Why was my heart….
I forced myself to ignore the unpleasant sensation churning in my depths and opened my mouth.
“What do you….”
“Or maybe I’ve just gotten caught up in playing the hero a bit late.”
Fortunately, Serge added another comment as if it were nothing, moving right past it.
As I’d suspected, it was indeed the same meaningless rambling as always.
My racing heart settled immediately, and a confusing mix of relief and displeasure surged up.
“Let’s head back.”
Then he turned away from me without hesitation.
I was startled and hurriedly grabbed him.
“What about the Magi?”
He glanced back toward the Garden with an annoyed expression.
“It’ll disappear on its own in two or three days.”
Of course, in any other region, it would be within the acceptable range to let it naturally dissipate without wasting purification.
The range wasn’t that large, and there was no concern about contact with non-Awakeners.
But this was inside the Imperial Palace, after all.
To my hesitation, he added coolly:
“If you’re really bothered by it, why not use that resurrected commoner? Now that there are two Purifiers, what’s the problem?”
“But…”
“What? Your body’s not feeling well, so you want me to carry you in a carriage like that commoner from earlier?”
He suddenly raised his voice and leaned his body toward me.
I was startled by his hand reaching out as if he were about to scoop me up into his arms.
“Ah, no! Your Majesty, I meant—!”
I stumbled backward and cried out urgently.
“You’re experiencing a runaway transition. You need immediate purification.”
“Me?”
“Yes. Your Majesty.”
At my words, Serge tilted his head quizzically.
“I’m fine.”
Truth be told, it wasn’t urgent enough to require immediate purification.
With that monstrous temperament of his, he could easily withstand 92% without issue.
And yet…
“Still. Just in case…”
I reached out and gently grasped the tip of Serge’s finger, which still hung suspended in the air.
At that moment, he trembled slightly.
But as if nothing had happened, his large hand suddenly covered mine in return.
And in a low, murmured voice, he said:
“Don’t overexert yourself.”
“…”
“You haven’t fully recovered yet.”
This time, it was I who trembled.
‘How did he know?’
The aftereffects from using vast power in Acarna still lingered.
I could move about normally, but I tired easily.
According to Eston, I still needed more time to recuperate.
‘So that’s why… he closed the Gate with telekinesis?’
Sudden realization struck without warning.
The reason Serge had revealed that special ability he’d kept hidden all this time before everyone.
‘If we’d followed proper procedure, my burden of purification would have only increased.’
It was excessive self-consciousness on my part.
He had no reason to go that far.
No reason to consider and help me to that extent…
Yet I couldn’t stop the uncomfortable, unsettling sensation churning in my chest once more.
I clenched my teeth and forced myself to ignore it.
“I’ll handle it well.”
“The person who says they’ll handle it well—are you really threatening me that you won’t purify me again if I leave?”
How much longer would he milk that threat?
I grimaced and hastily activated my ability.
‘Purification.’
Whoooosh―!
Our clasped palms ignited with searing heat as verdant light erupted between us.

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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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