A World Where You All Are The Villains - Chapter 33

—————

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

—————

33.

Despite the considerable distance between us, those jet-black eyes fixed upon me with absolute precision.
Then, ever so slowly, he lifted one eyebrow and tilted his head.
I froze in place, my breath catching in my throat.
‘…Could he possibly recognize me?’
Even as I instinctively denied it, I found myself unable to look away.
The moment I did, I feared he would pounce like a predator and seize me by the throat.
In the novel, Edith Blake and Serge had no personal connection whatsoever.
As the Northern Grand Duke, he rarely frequented the Capital.
We might have crossed paths once or twice at a ball, but not nearly enough for him to recognize me at a glance….
‘But he suspects me of kidnapping The Purifier!’
There was nothing I could be certain of anymore.
The novel’s plot had long since spiraled into complete chaos….
It was then.
“My lord, what shall we do with this one?”
A knight approached the Grand Duke.
Snap!
That suffocating, paralyzing gaze vanished as if it had never existed.
“A Sephiroth Sect devotee. Take him to the basement.”
“Yes, sir!”
The knights dragged the limp Middle-aged Man away and disappeared.
Mercifully, it seemed they hadn’t killed him.
“The Sephiroth Sect….”
“Then the Crown Prince was in contact with heretics?!”
“Good heavens, no matter how desperate one is to awaken….”
The nobles who overheard Serge’s words stirred with unease.
Strangely, their reaction was even more shocked than when he’d confronted the Crown Prince.
I listened intently to their whispers while keeping Serge under close watch.
Fortunately, he did not turn his gaze toward me again.
‘…It must have been a mistake.’
Perhaps he had been looking at Vincent instead of me.
I glanced sideways at Vincent standing beside me and chose to believe that explanation.
Unlike his frenzied behavior toward the Crown Prince, the Grand Duke commanded the situation with remarkable composure.
In moments, the creature’s corpse was cleared away and the ballroom restored to order.
“My sincerest apologies for the disturbance. As you all know, His Highness’s health has been rather delicate of late…so please, think nothing of it and continue to enjoy yourselves.”
Serge wiped his hands on a cloth offered by an attendant, speaking with unhurried ease.
With those words, the music resumed once more.
The ballroom resumed as though nothing had happened.
“Wow… that was quite the intense confrontation.”
Whistle—
Vincent suddenly turned to me with a whistle on his lips.
“See? I told you the Crown Prince wasn’t to be underestimated. Looks like he really landed a solid blow on the Grand Duke this time.”
Only then did my tension snap loose like a taut string suddenly released.
I realized I’d been holding my breath, watching the male lead intently without even noticing.
I forced my rapidly beating heart to calm and opened my mouth.
“…What is the Sephiroth Sect?”
Vincent’s expression shifted to one of surprise at my question.
“It’s a pseudo-religious cult led by some lunatic who claims to be the god who created the world.”
“A pseudo-religious…?”
“You don’t need to know the details.”
Well. I’d have to look into it thoroughly once I returned.
Having made that decision in response to his dismissal, I soon turned to leave.
The moment I took a step, my shoulder was seized as if he’d been waiting for it.
“Where are you going?”
Vincent asked with a frown.
I replied as though it were obvious.
“I’m done being useful now.”
“Not yet. Ruellin hasn’t arrived.”
“If she hasn’t shown up by now, she’s not attending.”
“Still, just in case—stay by my side.”
At his unreasonable demand, I furrowed my brow.
Just as I was about to ignore him and leave, his grip tightened with sudden force.
“Hey.”
“It hurts.”
Crack!
I wrenched my shoulder free from his grasp and spoke sharply.
“Stop it. Are you going to follow me to the restroom too?”
“…W-well, you should have just said so…”
At my irritated tone, Vincent withdrew his hovering hand with a startled expression.
I glared at him in annoyance before turning away abruptly.
‘…Ugh, what a troublesome bastard. I knew the drawbacks outweighed the benefits.’
Regretting it now wouldn’t help—the milk was already spilled.
All I could do was extricate myself.
After asking a passing attendant for the restroom’s location, I quickly left the ballroom.
The corridor was empty.
Everyone was likely too busy gossiping about the rare spectacle of the Grand Duke materializing from thin air and hurling a demon corpse at the Crown Prince.
It was fortunate, really.
Click, click.
As I hurried through the Corridor, my thoughts drifted back to what had just transpired.
‘So… while I was away suppressing the Gate, the female lead disappeared from the Imperial Palace. When I asked the Crown Prince where she’d gone, I fell into a trap.’
I condensed the convoluted explanation from Male Lead 4 into a single sentence.
Yet unanswered questions still swirled through my mind.
‘What is a Gate Wave? And here… even monsters have names. Their forms are intricate.’
The monsters in the modern era where I’d lived bore no such defined shapes.
They resembled nothing so much as filthy refuse or corpses clumped together—grotesque and indescribable abominations.
Some had no eyes, nose, or mouth, while others sprouted dozens of them.
Since their forms differed with each Gate, assigning them individual names proved nearly impossible.
That’s why the modern era classified monsters by their attack patterns.
For instance, ‘fire-attribute beasts’ or ‘poison-attribute beasts,’ and so forth.
Of course, *How to Save the Forsaken World* did mention monster names.
‘But I figured that was just fiction, written prose—the author simply assigned arbitrary names for readability.’
I should have read more carefully if I’d known it would come to this.
Clicking my tongue in regret, I finally emerged from the Corridor and reached the adjacent building.
The Guest Quarters.
Since she hadn’t yet become the Emperor’s adopted daughter, Ruellin would be staying here.
True to Eston’s word, four or so guards stood watch before the entrance.
Since I needed to slip inside undetected, I made my way around to the rear of the building.
Fortunately, no one was stationed at the back door where servants came and went.
I opened the rear entrance and stepped inside, then casually walked deeper as though I were a visiting noble.
The interior was quiet, likely because the Ballroom was in full swing.
I occasionally passed servants cleaning, but they merely bowed their heads and moved aside—no one found my presence suspicious.
‘Third floor, first door on the left.’
I repeated my destination silently and climbed the Staircase quickly.
Eston’s usefulness shone through—he’d once worked in the Imperial Palace.
I’d asked him just in case, and it proved to be a hundred times worth it.
I was heading out now to find the female lead, who hadn’t appeared at the Ballroom.
‘What is she doing to stay so quiet? If she’s not in the Imperial Palace, where did she go? I need to find some clue.’
Ever since locking eyes with Male Lead 4, whose rampage meter was climbing toward ninety-five percent, I couldn’t sit still.
I could accept that the novel’s events differed from what was actually happening.
After all, the moment I possessed this body, Edith Blake—who should have died—came back to life. That was already an error.
‘But if she’s the female lead, shouldn’t she at least act like one?’
Why disappear without a word to the male leads and make them look like fools?
If she’s going somewhere, please, for heaven’s sake, take all those maniacs with her!
“Huff, huff…”
I finally reached the third floor and hurried to stand before the first door.
Then I paused for a moment to steady my ragged breathing.
Honestly, I was a bit nervous.
I’d thought we’d cross paths someday, but I never imagined I’d come searching for the female lead with my own two feet.
Having steeled myself mentally, I raised my hand and knocked lightly on the door.
Knock, knock.
“Ruellin, are you in there? It’s me.”
“….”
“Ruellin?”
Knock, knock.
I rapped on the door again, but no answer came.
‘Is she really not in the Imperial Palace either?’
Biting my lip in deliberation, I gently grasped the door handle.
If it was locked, I’d simply turn back.
Coming all the way here on impulse was already reckless enough.
‘It would be far more efficient to hire someone from an information broker and pay them….’
My thoughts couldn’t continue further.
Click, creak—
With the cheerful sound of hinges turning, the door swung open with almost laughable ease.
‘…Damn it.’
Now I had no choice but to enter.
I stepped inside, barely suppressing my frustration.
“…Ruellin, are you in here?”
The dark chamber was shrouded in shadow.
Moonlight seeped faintly through the window cracks, but my eyes hadn’t yet adjusted to the darkness, so I couldn’t move about carelessly.
Standing in the doorway, I stretched my hand and felt along the small table beside the door.
For convenience, a candle is usually placed somewhere near the entrance.
‘As expected.’
Fortunately, my fingers found a table candelabra.
After lighting the candle, I glanced down the Corridor to ensure no one was watching, then stepped fully into the Room.
I left the door slightly ajar behind me.
Should I hear footsteps approaching, I’d need to hide or escape immediately.
The moment I turned around, candelabra in hand.
“…What?”
I froze solid at the sight before me.
The Imperial Palace certainly lived up to its name—even the Guest Quarters’ bedroom was spacious and lavishly appointed.
But that wasn’t why I was shocked.
Ruellin’s bedroom was in complete disarray.
Rumpled bedsheets strewn about.
The balcony’s glass doors shattered into fragments.
Whoooosh….
Cold night wind whistled through the gaps.
“…Abduction?”
Circumstances so obvious that anyone would draw the same conclusion.
That’s right.
One month after the possession.
The female lead was kidnapped.

—————

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

—————