Disqualified as a Villainess - Chapter 56

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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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#56.

Chloe stood frozen, her gaze fixed on Octavia and Ewain.
‘She’s taking even my person from me?’
Ewain, the commander of the Holy Knight Order, was the man who had extended his hand first when she was at her lowest, crawling through the Contaminated Zone and Plague Zone—practically her first and only friend.

“Are you all right? Please let me know if you need any assistance.”

He was probably just being kind because I was pitiful.
He was compassionate and gentle to everyone, after all.
‘But she… she’s never once been an object of his pity.’

“What is this filthy thing?”

A radiant, beautiful girl she had seen in childhood, returning from bread rations on the same path.
She had instinctively understood that they inhabited different worlds.
Cheeks full of vitality, untouched by hunger; a massive bear doll adorned with jeweled ribbons; hair meticulously braided and dressed in a princess gown; shoes designed purely for beauty, for those who would never know want.
‘If only I could have lived like that child.’
A life where one could eat sweet cake on their birthday.
Her unfulfilled childhood dreams had twisted into self-pity and rage.
For Chloe, Octavia was an object of longing she desperately wanted to destroy.
“Sigh.”
Chloe turned away desolately, shaking her head to pull herself from the grip of emotion.
‘Sorrow is the perfect emotion for starving to death.’

***

I sat by the lakeside alongside Ewain, the Holy Knight Commander, dressed in his pristine white knight’s uniform.
I watched his gray-tinged, composed golden hair flutter in the breeze as I posed my question.
“Why didn’t you say anything? You saw me steal the Admiral’s car. You had every reason to suspect my involvement in the Fallen Saint’s escape incident.”
Subnam had been quite the nuisance, so I’d intended to dispose of him quickly—but he’d become an unexpected variable, choosing to keep silent about what he’d witnessed.
Ewain gazed at the lake, whose waters mirrored his own eyes, before speaking.
“It’s not mere suspicion. I’m certain you’re responsible for spiriting away the clergy members scheduled for execution, destroying the Monastery of Night, and enabling their escape.”
“Then why didn’t you report me? You’re such a righteous man.”
“Righteousness and cold logic are fundamentally different in nature.”
He plucked a long blade of grass and began working it between his hands as he continued.
“The difference lies in whether one judges right and wrong through experience or settles the matter by rigid rules. I am simply a man of the former disposition.”
“So you exercised flexibility born of empathy.”
Saint Uriana alone has striven to break the Temple’s long-standing corrupt practices. I shared in that purpose.”
A grass star had taken shape in Ewain’s palm. Had he turned a blind eye based on his observations and affection for the Saint all this time?
“Someone with the heart to save another doesn’t seem like such a bad person after all.”
It didn’t appear he was flattering Chloe or playing the spy for her sake.

Affinity Increased [+20]

With affinity levels, I could distinguish truth from falsehood well enough.
‘A man of empathy and romantic sensibility—confirmed.’
He seemed to sense something, tilting his chin to indicate someone was approaching.
“I’m not really talking about compensation. I wanted to make a request of you.”
I smoothly steered the conversation forward. This was the real purpose.
“Would you volunteer for the Western Border mission? I desperately need you, Commander.”
As a Grade 2 Esper and seasoned Holy Knight Commander, Ewain possessed not only exceptional skill but also flexible judgment and leadership—essential qualities to maintain discipline within a group.
“Are you asking me to become the Lady’s blade?”
“Yes. Become my temporary blade. With your mastery of provocation and counterattack techniques, and your unique self-enhancement ability that converts minimal magical power into trained physical energy for maximum effect, Commander, you’re truly outstanding….”
An outstanding experimental subject number four.
For reference, number one was Kelsedny Admiral, number two was the former Saint Uriana, now Febrien, and number three was Logan Ortega Duke.
And subject zero, Cedric, had been disposed of.
“Lady, why are you saying such things now…? When did you stop mocking sword-wielding men, telling them to go peel potatoes in the kitchen?”
He still seemed bothered by the original Octavia’s caustic remarks.
Perhaps my research fervor and the mad gleam in my eyes unsettled him—Ewain subtly shifted some distance away.
“And do you understand what it means to ask a blade to serve you?”
“I have no interest in knights’ codes. I simply want you to become a useful biological slave, so think of it as a group project and don’t burden yourself with it.”
“A biological slave, you say. That’s quite burdensome and unseemly.”
“So, what’s your answer?”
Though Ewain appeared lost in thought, his attention seemed focused elsewhere. After a brief pause, he continued fidgeting with the grass star before nodding.
“Understood.”
Surprisingly, he didn’t pout or act difficult—he answered straightforwardly.
Having successfully recruited this talent, I rose with a radiant smile.
“I’ll have a custom Holy Sword crafted just for you, Commander.”
Ewain, who had been staring with an expressionless face, extended his hand toward me.
He placed a paper star folded with glue into my outstretched palm, then abruptly turned his head away.
‘…?’
As I looked back and forth between the green star and Ewain with a bewildered expression, he cleared his throat awkwardly and spoke.
“Perhaps we might become friends after all.”
A token of friendship?
I had no idea what kind of sentiment this was supposed to be….

***

Following that, there was a simple lunch banquet with those who had gathered for the meeting, so Octavia made her way to the Garden at the appointed time.
Ewain couldn’t attend as he had a public security patrol schedule.
The Autumn Rose Garden, their designated meeting place, was arranged like a garden party, with fallen leaves creating a picturesque landscape and tables laden with appetizing food.
Prince Dominic and Chloe sat together with the commanders of each Esper Division.
Octavia took a seat apart from the others and leisurely surveyed her surroundings.
‘When will the Admiral return? He doesn’t even know that I’m leaving for the Western Border soon.’
He was currently back in the Imperial Capital.
Though there was no need to report his schedule, he had summoned Octavia separately and said this to her.

“I’ll be going to the Imperial Capital for an interim report and to attend a diplomatic conference.”
“Why are you telling me? You could have just gone and come back without saying anything.”
“Because I’m your official lover. I understand that lovers should share their schedules with each other.”

I had been accumulating Dislike System points steadily through recent major incidents, and my reserves were already sufficient.
Besides, I wasn’t staying at the Main House but heading to a mission zone fraught with conflict, so there was no danger from Dislike System points unless I faced death from Chaos Space itself.
‘Anyway, if a death crisis arrives, I’ll be summoned automatically.’
Wasn’t this also an opportunity to test whether I could arrive instantly from such a distance?
As I sat alone, lost in thought while cutting my steak, someone approached me.
“Why are you always alone?”
It was Logan Ortega Duke, impeccably dressed in formal attire yet unable to conceal his roguish charm.
“I prefer being alone.”
“Then let me make it a little inconvenient for you.”
His words suggested I should be left alone, yet he deliberately sat across from me and crossed his legs.
“My custom weapon broke again during the mission. Why does it always shatter the moment the warranty expires? Is it designed that way on purpose?”
I barely suppressed the words rising to my throat: ‘Then use weapons from other companies with replacement cycles measured in hours.’
Other weapons were practically disposable—even Grade 1 mana capacity couldn’t last an hour.
Ludovisi Corporation’s weapons possessed the best durability, which was why we monopolized custom weapon manufacturing for high-ranking Espers.
“It’s because you’re too strong. Would you visit sometime? I’ll replace it for free.”
I happened to need a Grade 1 Esper to test the new special alloy. Logan, who constantly destroyed custom weapons with his dimensional-stage power, would be the perfect tester.
Since he wasn’t subject to the Dislike System, perhaps that’s why I wasn’t sharpening my edges against him.
“Yeah, sure.”
Logan, unaware that I was exploiting the Dislike System, scratched his head at my kindness.
His eyes, which had been sharp as a veil, softened slightly as they fixed on me with a subtle smile.
‘His true nature seems genuinely good, so why does he keep getting criticized?’
No matter how I thought about it, something seemed off.
I leaned my face closer to him.
“There are things I want to discuss privately, just the two of us.”
“What could be so secretive about it?”
Logan leaned back slightly, asking the question.
In the past, I would have recalled myself bound and cruelly tortured, but now it was different.
“I have time tomorrow evening.”
“Come to Baron Ravishi’s Estate where I’m staying. We’ll have dinner together.”
I called it the Baron’s Estate to exploit Camilla’s desires—she was an enthusiastic fan of Logan. Since little Noel was also his fan, I could use Logan as a test subject while recruiting talent.
Logan’s face stiffened slightly with tension, unaware he was actually the experimental subject.
‘Since I’m seeing the Admiral, this isn’t a date proposal.’
He fell into a peculiar state—still suspicious yet with his guard crumbling on another front.
In any case, since his weapon was broken, he had to go anyway, and this rationalization ended his internal conflict.

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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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