Disqualified as a Villainess - Chapter 30

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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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#30.

“Isn’t this already the third ceremony? The encroachment seems to be progressing more severely.”
“No matter how powerful a curse cast by someone opposing the Saint, there shouldn’t be such a lack of progress… I fear the Prince’s suffering will only intensify.”
After all the ceremonies concluded, those remaining in the chamber spoke in hushed tones.
A soft chime.
Saint Uriana tilted her head back, breathing heavily.
Her face had grown pale from pouring out nearly all her divine power, and cold sweat beaded across her skin.
The Priests carried the unconscious Prince Jeriel to the Healing Chamber of the Holy Temple.
Saint Uriana, her heavy footsteps echoing as she departed, walked through the Corridor while the Priests handed her holy water to cleanse her hands and rinse her mouth.
‘My divine power this time… has been completely defeated.’
Even the sacred force that had barely held back the encroachment’s progression was consumed by the power of Chaos.
‘What should I do? If this continues….’
Order losing to Chaos was something that could never happen.
Despair and a sense of crisis mingled in her eyes.
In the Healing Chamber, Saint Uriana gazed down at Prince Jeriel lying on the Bedroom, his breathing sharp and ragged.
“Saint.”
Recognizing the scent of sandalwood used by clergy, Prince Jeriel reached out his hand with a cold compress draped across his face. She carefully grasped it.
“Prince Jeriel. You’ve endured so much today, haven’t you?”
“Yes. Won’t Mother come see me?”
“She’ll visit once the situation improves a little.”
It was a lie.
They had informed her that the shadow might transfer or the Prince’s condition could worsen.
This was not merely a lie born from the Saint and the Holy Temple Society’s desire to conceal the results.
The royal family were cold-blooded creatures who cared more about blemishes on their authority than a suffering child.
Uriana held the child’s hand and offered a bitter smile.
“Do you miss your family?”
“I do miss Father in the Heavenly Kingdom, but you visit me every day, Saint. Thank you.”
At Prince Jeriel’s innocent smile, Uriana’s eyes wavered slightly.

“Our Holy Temple Society is the only branch among the six Kingdoms to possess a Saint, and the moment we receive aid from the Empire’s Saint, we will lose our administrative authority and appointment rights. The Kingdom’s honor and prestige are at stake as well.”
“Eventually they will question your qualifications as a Saint and remove you. When that happens, not only you, but the people you cherish will be sent to the Monastery.”

The elders’ warnings pierced through me like daggers.
‘Before the Prince becomes even more dangerous, I just need to restore his divine power somehow.’
But if that child dies, then I….
Saint Uriana, who had lit the sleep-inducing incense and was leaving the Healing Chamber, encountered someone standing in her path.
“Saint, it seems there were no results again this time.”
The person facing her with cold eyes was Chloe.
Chloe also knew that the Saint was hiding her condition and repeating futile healing attempts.
It was Chloe who had first raised doubts about the Saint’s divine abilities to the Holy Temple Society. She had gained some voice in matters after the Chaos Commander incident.
‘That damned inferior wretch.’
A human who couldn’t even reach her feet—from the Saint’s perspective, she was unbearably irritating.
Chloe approached her and continued speaking quietly.
“Isn’t that proof that the God of Order has withdrawn his gaze from you? It’s time to choose a new qualified candidate.”
The emergence of a new Saint and the decline of an existing one. Chloe touched upon the anxiety that constantly pressured Uriana.
“How arrogant. As if you yourself were becoming a new Saint….”
“If I came to you first before you step down, that’s being humble, isn’t it?”
Chloe smiled thinly and revealed her exclusive sacred ornament—a necklace. The sun-shaped golden necklace gleamed brilliantly.
“When I had my divine power measured anew, my sacred ability rose from Grade 9 to Grade 2.”
“Seven ranks in a single day? That’s absurd.”
Ranks 1 through 2 were one thing, but this was utterly unprecedented.
Even Dominic, whose rank had risen in the shortest time after awakening, had only advanced one rank.
“Could a brooch consecrated with Grade 9 ability really annihilate a high-ranking sorcerer like the Chaos Commander?”
Saint Uriana believed it was something Octavia, who had received the power of an apostle, had done in secret. In truth, she desperately wanted to believe that.
She could not accept losing her position to another.
“It means the gaze of Order is turning toward me. Soon, news of a new Saint candidate will spread throughout the realm.”
Saint Uriana bit her clenched lips. Chloe exhaled softly and continued.
“I only want to save the Prince. Please allow me to conduct the consecration ceremony under your supervision.”
“How dare you, insignificant creature, set foot upon the sacred Altar?”
“Grade 2 is qualification enough. If you refuse, I’ll have no choice but to expose you—weighing a life against your own greed.”
Her cool green eyes fixed upon Saint Uriana, burning with anger.
“Because a sinner’s corrupted sanctity cannot save the child.”
At the word ‘sinner,’ Saint Uriana’s face went pale.
“You, you… surely not.”
“You committed murder, didn’t you? Twisting one person’s fate to death and destroying order—the gravest sin in doctrine.”
“…It was unavoidable!”
Saint Uriana’s eyes reddened with fury.
“He deserved to die. Do you know how viciously he behaved? Not content with exploiting me for life, he destroyed my very human dignity. That was justice, nothing more.”
“Regardless of circumstances.”
Chloe’s face showed no empathy as she spoke firmly.
“Killing a person is a sin, isn’t it? If it had been righteous judgment, you wouldn’t have lost your sanctity.”
“The young priests under me will be sent to the Monastery as well.”
“I know what the Monastery of Night is. In the end, the misfortune those children suffer is because of you.”
At this response devoid of any warmth, Saint Uriana collapsed to the ground and began to weep.
“If you do as I say, I’ll give you time to put your affairs in order. If you work with me to save Prince Jeriel, I might be able to spare those under your command.”
Chloe left those words—whether they were kindness or deception, who could say—and turned to leave.

***

Uriana, who had been lying on the cold floor weeping alone, lifted her head at the sound of footsteps.
“Did you drop something on the floor?”
It was Octavia, laughing playfully.
Saint Uriana wiped her wet face hastily and rose to her feet.
“Why are you here?”
“I had reason to be, so I came in.”
Octavia helped her up and whispered tenderly.
“You’re afraid Chloe will take your position as Saint, aren’t you?”
Octavia, who had been heading to the Healing Chamber to meet Prince Jeriel, had happened to overhear their entire conversation.
“…You heard everything. What, are you going to drive me out first?”
Saint Uriana’s expression was one of resignation.
But what came in return was not bitter words or mockery—it was her warm touch.
“Saint, you must have suffered greatly all this time. To be tormented enough to want someone dead. I understand that feeling completely.”
“What?”
“Regardless of good or evil, everything has its reason. Everyone carries in their heart at least one person deserving of death.”
People like those who exploited me my entire life, murdered my family, and tried to kill me.
Saint Uriana had killed her uncle, who sent her to the Holy Temple as an orphan and exploited her throughout her life.
Honestly, he deserved death, but she had committed another sin of chaos in the process.
‘After killing my uncle, I borrowed the power of chaos to maintain my sacred abilities.’
She had made a deal with an entity called the “Chaos Demon” that suddenly appeared before her.
Judging by how her sanctity was fading, she had fallen for the cunning demon’s honeyed words.
Octavia stared at the Saint on the verge of breaking down.
‘Because of the “Chaos Demon” you made a deal with, I’ll end up taking the blame later. I absolutely cannot let this be discovered.’
For now it ends as the Saint’s sin, but eventually it will all come down to ‘Actually, Octavia used the Chaos Forces to corrupt the Saint.’
And the Saint will die not long after going to the Monastery of Night.
Octavia spoke to her, who wore an expression of finally being understood in her pain.
“Between wanting to save the child and your own safety, it’s only natural that the latter weighs more heavily.”
The Saint saw Octavia’s benevolent smile glinting under the bright corridor lights. Despite coming from someone infamous as a villainess and spoiled rich girl, somehow it felt sincere.
“If you wish to live, save Prince Jeriel first. That is something only you can do.”
Saint Uriana grasped Octavia’s hand and asked desperately.
“I can save him? How? My sacred power has already weakened beyond recovery.”
But there was something else only she could do.
“Use your authority as Saint to summon the Imperial Saint.”
“But if I do that, the children who served me might suffer first. And Dekima Crown Princess, who dislikes the Imperial Church, won’t stay quiet either.”
“No, you could just summon her for reasons other than assistance, couldn’t you?”
‘In the original story, Chloe never chose to summon the Imperial Saints until the very end.’
She despised risk, after all.
By allowing Chloe to continue presiding over the ceremony without expelling the Saint, she would claim the glory of success for herself while shifting responsibility for failure onto others.
The most crucial point was that Chloe lacked the ability to save the child.
In truth, her surge in sacred power was merely a temporary effect.
‘Since the enhancement occurred unconsciously without meeting the conditions, it’s imperfect.’
I gazed down at my bracelet. Then, recalling the sacred relic that Chloe always wore around her neck, I began to speak.
“Inform the Empire’s Saint of Mercury about the Ludovisi Family’s new technology. Discreetly.”
“New technology?”
Seeing Saint Uriana’s eyes widen, I continued smoothly.
“Ability enhancement synthesis. It’s forbidden.”
It was the technique for crafting equipment that amplified an ability user’s power—the very secret behind Dominic’s rise from third-class to second-class.
Long ago, I had informed Dominic of the equipment enhancement technology I was developing in utmost secrecy, stolen my bracelet, and used it for him.
Whether the development team had been bribed or through some other means, the conclusion was clear: Dominic was an ungrateful wretch.
‘The worst part is that it was made into bound equipment materialized through mana, making recovery nearly impossible.’
Afterward, Dominic even changed the output restriction laws for magitech equipment to designate it as forbidden, ensuring I couldn’t expose him.
The Prince would slip away easily after changing the law itself, while only I would face trial for violating the prohibition.
It was all to conceal the fact that he had received my assistance and monopolize the technology.
“Saint. First, comply with Chloe’s request, and hold the ceremony three days from now.”
‘Chloe’s temple debut stage. The timing is perfect for recovery as well.’
I gazed down at the tiny golden fragment within the mana stone of my bracelet.
It had appeared after resonating with the Admiral, shimmering gold before gradually fading like the morning star.
It meant the accidental force that had elevated Chloe’s sacred power was disappearing.
“If you comply, I’ll have our family’s enhancement technology applied to modify your sacred relic. At the very least, you won’t be expelled to the monastery.”
At my proposal, Saint Uriana rose from her seat with resolve.
“…I understand.”
There was no other choice, after all.

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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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