A World Where You All Are The Villains - Chapter 194

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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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194.

I widened my eyes at the sudden apology.
“What do you mean?”
“I should have conducted a more thorough inspection… Even if it was Ethan, I should have arranged for subsequent escort, or rather—”
“….”
“Regardless of what the National Director says, I should have opposed the Young Lady’s attendance today and never brought her to this place.”
“….”
“It is entirely my negligence.”
Dylan’s face was contorted with regret and self-recrimination, as if he genuinely believed himself at fault.
I regarded him with a peculiar sense of wonder.
‘Certainly… it seems the brainwashing has been undone.’
A man who once cared nothing whether Edith Blake lived or died now bowed his head in apology.
All because he had brought me to this place.
The battle had been quite fierce for Dylan as well—his appearance was in terrible condition.
The monster from before was fundamentally composed of stone, making it fundamentally incompatible with his flame ability.
In other circumstances, he would have recklessly generated massive fireballs without concern for others’ deaths, just as Ethan would have.
But he had not.
I found myself wondering if perhaps he was being mindful of me—a thought that felt like excessive self-consciousness.
“…This isn’t your fault. The one who committed the crime is someone else. Besides,”
“….”
“You’re injured.”
I gestured toward his right shoulder.
His once-pristine uniform was stained with blood, as if shrapnel had grazed him.
“…Ah.”
He reacted a beat too late, as if only just noticing the wound.
Unlike Serge, whose injury was merely a surface laceration, this was quite severe.
Yet surprisingly, I felt no particular emotion about it.
Perhaps it was because I had seen him remain unharmed even after Sephiroth drained buckets of blood from me days ago.

57%

Fortunately, we’d thoroughly purified the Blue Moon Building just days ago, so the Magi readings were quite stable.
“You should get treatment soon.”
As I added this casually, he suddenly licked his lips.
“…The article’s content.”
“….”
“Is the rumor between the Grand Duke and you true?”
Out of nowhere?
It was a truly unexpected question.
‘Just how far has that blasted article spread?’
I reflexively furrowed my brow and denied it firmly.
“That’s impossible.”
“Then why are you like that with him….”
Rummmble―!
That was when it happened.
Suddenly, a heavy noise shook the ground beneath us.
Startled, I lifted my head to see the entrance had completely collapsed.
“Damn it!”
Serge, standing before it, cursed roughly and stomped his feet.
I’d thought he was trying to carve a path alone, but it seemed he’d caused an accident instead.
Then abruptly, his gaze snapped toward me.
Confirming Dylan still standing before me, his eyes gleamed ominously before he rushed over in a single bound.
“Count, are you leisurely lounging about right now? Find us a way out instead of flirting with someone else’s woman.”
He caused the accident himself, yet why was he blaming an innocent person?
I ignored his nonsense and asked.
“What happened?”
“I miscalculated. I tried to break some debris to clear a path, but as you can see, if I touch anything else, the entire building will collapse.”
What kind of shoddy design was this?
He grumbled endlessly, blaming the hapless architect.
Even he, who wielded telekinesis, was at a loss, so there was no way Dylan would have a clear solution.
Yet Dylan obediently retreated at his command.
After a light bow, as I watched him withdraw, the inevitable question returned.
“What were you talking about?”
Just as he’d done when I spoke with Vincent in that strange conversation.
It seemed he’d decided today would be the day he became a broken record asking ‘What were you talking about?’
“Why won’t you answer? What could you possibly have to discuss with that bastard? Weren’t you his attendant? What, are you going to serve him again now?”
Serving—what nonsense.
I wore an expression of exasperation.
“What are you saying? I was just asking how he was.”
“Then why was that bastard looking at you with such a sickening expression?”
“….”
“Rumor has it that merely being in the same place as you causes people to feel uneasy… Regardless, men truly lack conviction, don’t they?”
When had this man become so talkative?
I shook my head and continued walking, leaving him to his endless muttering.
“Where are you going? What did you say?”
Like a dog, he stubbornly followed at my heels.
I parted the Magi and stood in the center of the Underground Space.
As I raised both hands, Serge’s eyes widened in bewilderment.
“What are you….”
Ignoring him, I whispered ‘Purification’ softly within myself.
Whoooosh—
In that instant, a green radiance erupted from my palms.
Purifying the Magi that had accumulated up to my waist was not difficult.
In the first place, it was far less in quantity compared to a Gate manifestation.
I increased my ability’s output further.
Since I was already doing this, I intended to purify all the dozens of Awakeners present here as well.
Most of their readings were in good condition, but I noticed several approaching eighty percent.
I had seen an Awakener’s rampage once before, and that was more than enough.
‘It’s my role anyway.’
I felt a twinge of guilt for doing nothing while everyone else fought the Monsters.
“Ah, I feel like I can breathe again.”
“Breathing has become so much easier.”
“As expected of the Purifier…! Thank you, thank you!”
As the purification finished, the Awakeners’ expressions brightened considerably.
Instead of the foul, stale stench of Monsters, fresh air circulated, and my mood improved as well.
“I said there’s no need for thanks. Honestly, you people really don’t listen.”
Only one person voiced their displeasure.

38%

Since I hadn’t exerted myself to the fullest as I did when purifying Sephirot and the Erosion Infected, Serge’s magical reserves hadn’t dropped dramatically.
I hadn’t checked each person individually, but Dylan and the other Awakeners were likely in similar states.
Regardless, I’d fulfilled my quota.
The moment I thought it was finally over, exhaustion crashed over me like a tidal wave.
I turned to face the man who was regarding me with obvious displeasure.
“Your Highness.”
“What is it?”
“I’m… drowsy. Please stay beside me until we leave this place.”
“Are you bleeding again? Do you feel like you might collapse?”
His expression shifted instantly, and he rushed toward me in alarm.
“Bleeding? What do you mean?”
I asked in confusion, but he suddenly lifted me into his arms without warning.
I startled and struggled, so he tightened the arm supporting my back.
“Put me down, please!”
“Stay still.”
He replied curtly and walked swiftly toward the White Room while holding me.
“Last time, on the way back home from Voller, you had a nosebleed. Do you know how shocked I was when you wouldn’t even stir despite my attempts to stop the bleeding?”
I tried to recall when that was.
It seemed he was referring to when I returned from Voller as the Grand Duke.
“I did push myself too hard that time.”
After all, I’d purified all those Erosion Infected…
Compared to that, what I did today was nothing.
Yet the exhaustion I felt now must have been from the shock.
It was my first time witnessing a person dissolve right before my eyes.
As we passed near the entrance, despite my request to be put down, I buried my face deep into Serge’s embrace.
The monster’s corrosive venom had nearly dissolved everything, leaving no intact corpse, but I had no desire to see those remains.
His embrace carried a heavy yet refreshing scent.
It didn’t seem to be cologne, but rather his natural scent, and it wasn’t unpleasant.
The fabric of his clothes was soft, and sleep threatened to overtake me.
I nestled my face against his chest like a spoiled child, breathing deeply, when a sigh descended from above my head.
“I’ve allowed you to develop bad habits.”
“…”
“The moment I realized you’d awakened, I should have taught you how to control your abilities instead of hiding them.”
“…”
“Without knowing your limits, you recklessly abuse your power whenever you please, and that’s why you collapse every time. Does the Duke just allow this?”
He didn’t allow it.
He’d already made a fuss, even gifting me a house to quit being a Purifier.
“If it were me, I’d have you bent over and beaten until your backside was black and blue.”
“…”
“Me as the Princess’s father—just imagining it seems rather amusing, doesn’t it?”
“Stop spouting such perverted nonsense.”
I grimaced and pulled my face away from his embrace.
Serge chuckled mischievously like a mischievous child and entered the White Room.
Click.
Though the glass wall made it pointless, he locked the door carefully and then dragged two chairs over with his foot, settling into them while still cradling me.
Still holding me close.
Too exhausted to argue further about being put down, I remained silent.
“Your eyes are heavy with sleep.”
“I’m not passing out. I’m genuinely tired.”
“Yes, I see. Rest well then, my lady.”
At those words, I jolted awake, goosebumps prickling my skin.
He was deliberately doing this with Dylan in mind.
‘This won’t do.’
This man’s mouth was truly the problem.
After checking the closed door to ensure no one was listening, I suddenly sat up.
Then he quickly said, “Alright, alright. I won’t do it again,” pulling me back down by the waist and laying me back.
Not satisfied with that, he began swaying side to side like one would rock a baby.
‘All that’ll do is make his arms sore.’
Of course, that wasn’t likely.
He could use telekinesis, so my weight was nothing he couldn’t easily support.
Half-resigned, I shifted and found a comfortable position.
Annoying as it was, it was honestly comfortable.
His body was warm, too.
Sleeping in his arms was far more comfortable than lying on a cold, hard chair.
‘Everyone will see anyway….’
The transparent glass wall meant the inside would be clearly visible from outside.
It was already adding fuel to the already raging rumors, but with exhaustion overwhelming my senses, I made excuses and closed my eyes.
The man pulled me even closer and whispered.
“…I’ll do anything for you, whether as a servant or otherwise.”
“….”
“Only with me.”
“….”
“Don’t associate with ungrateful bastards like that dog who abandoned his benefactor the moment he found his own bloodline.”
Even in those brief words, there was a clear implication that he understood the relationship between me and Dylan.
‘It’s not even something I experienced, so why is he worried about it?’
He knows I’m not really Edith Blake.
So he must also know there’s no real bond between Dylan and me.
Such curiosity flickered through my mind, but I had truly reached my limit.
Until I finally fell into unconsciousness, he repeated it obsessively, dozens of times over.
He grew indignant, then lamented, then laughed softly, but it all culminated in coercion and threats that I only be with him.
The way it felt just like a lullaby to me….
Suddenly, I found myself thinking how truly hopeless I was.

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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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