A World Where You All Are The Villains - Chapter 52

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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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52.

The Boy walked steadily down the narrow alleyway that wound along the slope.
I followed behind him, gasping for breath, terrified of losing sight of him.
‘Now I understand why the novel never described this part…’
Damn it all, I never expected the alleyway to be such a labyrinth.
Ramshackle shanties stretched endlessly in every direction, each one indistinguishable from the last.
By the third intersection, I gave up trying to memorize the route.
‘How am I supposed to find my way back?’
Without a guide, the structure of this place made it impossible to navigate.
‘They said it was a guild that grew alongside the female lead. So why is it tucked away in the depths of this slum…!’
This was exhausting.
My stamina was running dangerously low.
I was mentally cataloging my grievances and debating when to ask the Boy for directions back when he suddenly turned a corner.
I hurried after him in a panic.
I rushed around the corner.
The Boy had finally stopped—we must have reached our destination.
But instead of an inn serving as the guild’s headquarters, I found only a dead end.
And worse still.
“What’s up, One-Eye? What are you doing here?”
Three men covered in tattoos, clearly unsavory characters, stood smoking in the alleyway.
The Boy glanced back at me before speaking to them.
“You said to bring anyone looking for Blue Moon Guild.”
“Blue Moon…?”
The men’s eyes gleamed at his words.
A dangerous premonition washed over me.
“Is this the right place?”
“…Yes. These guys are Blue Moon Guild members.”
I tapped the Boy’s shoulder and asked; he hesitated before nodding.
“Anyway, I did what you asked!”
Patter-patter-patter!
Before I could even react, he bolted away with surprising speed!
“Hey, wait…!”
I could only stare helplessly as the Boy vanished around the corner.
“Why are you looking for Blue Moon?”
One of the Tattooed Men had stepped closer, blowing cigarette smoke directly into my face.
I grimaced in disgust before reluctantly speaking.
“Are you guys members of the Blue Moon Guild?”
“Well, that was the case back then.”
Tattooed Man 1 chuckled while glancing at his companions.
‘…Damn it. The novel said they’d guide me to an inn, not these tattooed thugs.’
It seemed I’d definitely come to the wrong place.
I turned to leave.
That is, until Tattooed Man 1 said something meaningful.
“Did you come after hearing the rumor that he’d make you an Awakener?”
“…Make me an Awakener?”
I’d never heard of that before.
I shook my head.
Tattooed Man 2, who had been leaning against the wall, snickered and asked.
“Then what are you looking for that place for?”
“I came to buy information.”
“Information? Puhaha! You’re buying information from those cultists?”
At my answer, they burst into laughter.
‘Cultists? What cultists?’
I wanted to dig deeper into that, but I wasn’t stupid enough to take such a risk.
“It seems I’ve come to the wrong place after all.”
I turned back without hesitation.
And just as I was about to slip out of here.
“Hey there! You should answer the question before you go~!”
Tattooed Man 1 quickly blocked my path.
I slipped my hand into my pocket, fingering the vial of perfume while responding calmly.
“What answer do you want?”
“Why you came looking for those cultists.”
“I just told you. I came to buy information.”
“That doesn’t make sense. If you wanted to find an information broker, you’d go to the Western District, not the Slum.”
“That’s why I said I came to the wrong place.”
“Ah, but you said you came looking for the Blue Moon Guild, so why are you changing your story~!”
“The way you keep trying to slip away—you’re not one of those cultists, are you?”
Another voice came from the left. It was Tattooed Man 2.
I suppressed the fear rising within me and shrugged my shoulders.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Come on, you crawled all the way here—don’t play dumb, buddy. Haven’t you heard the rumor that those bastards promised to make people Awakeners, then fleeced all the naive folks around here and disappeared?”
“No. I haven’t.”
I meant it sincerely.
I stepped back to avoid the Tattooed Men who were gradually closing the distance.
Then, with a soft thud—
Something damp touched my back.
When I whipped my head around, Tattooed Man 3, the stockiest of the three, was standing right behind me, having appeared without me noticing.
The man grinned wickedly, his foul breath reeking as he spoke.
“But why does your voice sound so… feminine?”
“Hup!”
In that instant, his rough hand yanked my hood clean away.
My face, which I’d been concealing, was laid bare before I could even react.
“There it is! That’s the one! Damn, you’re quite the beauty.”
“If you were a noblewoman, you should’ve said so from the start! Then we would’ve, you know, been gentler with you, right?”
“Gentle, you idiot!”
Tattooed Man 2 and Tattooed Man 3, now seeing my face, let their eyes gleam with hunger.
I calmly weighed whether it would be better to spray the perfume or shatter the bottle.
At that moment, Tattooed Man 1 said something that made my ears perk up.
“Wait a minute. Wasn’t there some woman from the Capital—The Purifier or something—who came every month and did reconnaissance work for the Cult?”
My eyes widened.
It was a story I knew all too well.
‘The heroine… did reconnaissance for the Cult? She wasn’t here to gather information?’
My mind flooded with confusion.
But I had no time to sort through my thoughts.
All three tattooed men had suddenly stopped smiling and were staring at me with strange eyes.
“Miss… could you be… The Purifier?”
“No.”
I denied it immediately.
“If you’d seen The Purifier, you’d know she looks nothing like me.”
“We never saw her face either. She always came bundled up tight, just like you.”
Damn it. Nothing was going according to plan.
I adjusted my grip on the perfume bottle for easy spraying and spoke softly.
“Let me go now, and I’ll let this slide.”
They laughed mockingly, as if they’d been waiting for this.
“Oh, how scary! You must think you’re some high-and-mighty noble.”
“Then why did such a distinguished lady come with only One-Eye as an escort? Seems rather suspicious, doesn’t it?”
“Miss. Anyway, if you came from the Capital, you must have some coin. Why not donate it to us?”
I could have thrown money at them without hesitation.
But if I handed over all my coin so easily, they’d inevitably demand my life next.
“I don’t have any money.”
“Then you’ll have to pay with your body.”
As expected.
The men broke into vile laughter, as if they’d been waiting for this moment.
“Hehehehe… what a plump little golden duck, walking right into our hands.”
“Mmm~ your hair smells nice too. When else would we ever get to touch a noblewoman’s hand?”
Snap.
At that moment, Tattooed Man 2 from behind seized my free hand with a predatory grip.
A shudder ran through me as filthy hands caressed the back of my hand.
I couldn’t endure it any longer.
I immediately pulled out the perfume bottle and sprayed it directly into his face.
Sizzle—!
“Ah, ahhhhh! My eyes!”
Just as Eston had promised, the effect was instantaneous.
He shrieked like a pig, clutching at his face and writhing on the ground.
The sudden turn of events left the others in shock.
“What, what is—!”
“Jackson!”
My original plan was to smash the perfume bottle immediately after.
But then.
“Is this bitch insane!”
The moment Tattooed Man 1 raised his hand high, my body froze solid.
Despite the urgency of the situation, the figure of the large man overlapped with someone from my past.
Stupidly, I reflexively squeezed my eyes shut.
‘I’m going to be hit…!’
I remained rigid, my neck tensed in anticipation of the pain to come.
Whoosh—!
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
Suddenly, a wave of searing heat washed over me, accompanied by a horrific scream.
My eyes snapped open.
What I saw was Tattooed Man 1 thrashing about with flames engulfing his hands, and Tattooed Man 3 lying on the ground, having lost control of his bladder.
And.
Thump, thump—
Heavy footsteps cutting through the chaos, drawing closer.
“As I thought, my instincts were right.”
“…”
“What exactly are you doing here?”
Like raging flames, Dylan Frederick stared down at me with a menacing expression.

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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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