Disqualified as a Villainess - Chapter 67

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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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#67.

The Bank President treated her with complete deference.
By rank, it should have been the opposite, but times had changed.
As someone deeply embedded in the financial world, he understood better than most the cold reality that the world moved not by status, but by capital.
“Please tell me anything you need, and I will assist you to the best of my ability.”
“You’re Count Mirabell’s cousin, aren’t you? He’s the Mayor of this city?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“There’s something among the Mayor’s possessions that I’d like to acquire. If you help me, I’ll open a numbered vault and establish a new corporate account at this bank.”
“Of course I’ll assist you. What item are we discussing?”
The Bank President’s face flushed with color as he asked with the fervor of one ready to pluck stars from the sky.
“Five sarcophagi in the basement of the Mirabell Estate.”
“I beg your pardon?”
The Bank President, who had expected her to request artwork or jewels, found himself sweating nervously once more.
“Your tastes in collecting are quite unusual, my lady. Those are said to be cursed coffins in which an ancestor sealed a demon centuries ago….”
“Have you ever actually seen a real demon, Bank President?”
“If you count the troublesome spirits demanding compensation because the lobby plants withered and put them in a foul mood, then no. In truth, it’s merely an unsettling legend.”
The demon of bank runs, Octavia, smiled knowingly.
“It’s simply a sarcophagus that’s grown mysterious from all manner of rumors attached to it over time. Tell him this is his last chance to sell off a relic that would otherwise gather dust in some future museum at an inflated price.”
The precise truth behind the whole demon-sealing affair was that the Mirabell Family, who once believed in demons, had sacrificed living human lives as offerings.
Unable to bear the innocent deaths, the Countess had hired an Alchemist, and those five sarcophagi were the false offerings created to deceive the demon.
‘The real legend lies elsewhere.’
What could truly be called legendary was the material of the sarcophagi themselves.
They were crafted from meteorite—a substance that could not be obtained in this world, fallen from the heavens.
‘The fact that they haven’t deteriorated or corroded despite centuries in the damp basement suggests they’re likely made from the rarest cosmic minerals among meteorites.’
Octavia was probably the only person who would grow excited treating something that would terrify others as a rare mineral specimen.
Octavia rose from her seat and issued instructions with crisp precision.
“Request emergency funding support from the Central Bank in advance. I’ll come collect the money later.”
“Yes….”
The Bank President forced a smile, relieved this was better than an unexpected withdrawal that would trigger a bank run.
Yet this was, in fact, invaluable advice that would save both the bank and the city in the future.
‘It’s better to stockpile funds in preparation for the crisis that’s about to unfold.’
If the wealthy hastily withdrew their money and fled, the city’s market would grind to a halt as well.

***

After Octavia left the bank, a woman sitting in the waiting area with a newspaper glanced toward the door.
It was Chloe, who had stopped by the city at Count Mirabell’s request for a consecration ceremony and had secretly followed Octavia after spotting her by chance.
She watched the Bank President return with a troubled expression, her mind turning over what she’d witnessed.
‘She must have coerced him. What did she demand?’
Chloe rose from her seat, approached the Bank President with a greeting, and asked with a worried expression.
“Is something the matter? You don’t look well.”
He was in the midst of a throbbing headache, uncertain how much money he should request from the Central Bank.
What Octavia had presented was less a conditional transaction than outright coercion.
The withdrawal amount that day would depend on whether he purchased the sarcophagi.
If hundreds of billions had been funneled in under false names, it would mean most of the bank’s deposits belonged to the Ludovisi Family.
The five sarcophagi were symbols of the ‘family that sealed away demons.’
A count who valued authority would sooner sacrifice profit for honor than hear whispers that he’d sold his family’s symbol for money.
“Are you certain you’re all right?”
As he brooded alone, the moment he heard Saint Chloe’s voice, a peculiar sense of calm washed over him.
“Consecration Practitioner—or rather, Saint Chloe now, I see. I owe you a debt from before.”
When her consecration ability had briefly risen to rank two, she had earned the Mayor’s favor through her Achievement of aiding plague victims and purifying the Contaminated Zone Outside City.
“I saw Lady Octavia leaving. Did she create some sort of difficulty?”
At Chloe’s opening, he laughed dryly and rubbed the back of his neck.
“Nothing serious—she simply expressed a desire to purchase a sarcophagus stored in the Mirabell Family Vault.”
“I’ve heard those sarcophagi seal away demons. Aren’t they dangerous objects?”
“Perhaps not. Seeing how the Count prospers, it doesn’t seem to carry a curse, but…”
“Do you know why she would purchase such an ominous object?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea. Perhaps she has a hobby of collecting inauspicious things.”
Chloe was troubled by the coincidence that the Chaos Realm would soon manifest with the same number of sarcophagi.
‘Could the Ludovisi Family be using the sarcophagi to help the Chaos Forces open a gate?’
Since Prince Jeriel’s illness, Chloe had harbored suspicions about Octavia and her family.
In her mind, they were already defined as villains and enemies deserving of judgment.
Chloe stepped closer to the Bank President, her expression growing grave.
“I have an ominous feeling about this. I’m scheduled to meet with the Mayor later, and I should examine the sarcophagi myself at that time.”
The Bank President’s face paled.
When someone of Saint Chloe’s standing spoke of something being ominous, one couldn’t help but feel uneasy, regardless of one’s beliefs about demons.
Moreover, during her previous visit for purification, Chloe had demonstrated remarkable acuity in uncovering the Chaos Entity hiding within the city.
“I’ll contact him to move up the appointment time.”
Chloe recalled Octavia’s artificial smile.
‘Whatever your intentions, your plans won’t come to pass.’
Even if she ultimately failed to prevent the catastrophe of the Chaos Gate, it would serve as sufficient evidence of the Ludovisi Family’s involvement.

***

Meanwhile, after leaving the Bank, Octavia had purchased the necessary items at the City Shopping District when she noticed a brown puppy trailing after her.
It was the Admiral’s dog, named Dog.
“Woof.”
“Dog, how did you get here?”
Octavia scooped up the puppy in surprise, cradling it in her arms.
She glanced around, wondering if the Admiral had come to apprehend me, but there was no sign of that whatsoever.
Yet it was equally unlikely that the puppy had made its way here alone.
“Are you planning to keep it?”
Lothear asked with a somewhat anxious expression.
He was troubled by the prospect of his duties expanding to include another charge.
“No, I have no intention of keeping animals.”
At my words, the puppy’s face somehow drooped.
“You do not care for animals, then.”
“Liking something doesn’t mean I have the right to keep it.”
“Yet it would eat better food than I do—how can you say you lack the right to keep it?”
“For these little ones, a good environment isn’t everything. What they truly want is time spent together and affection.”
Lothear watched me in silence as I gazed down at the puppy, lost in thought.
The woman he knew was not one to speak of such mature responsibilities.
Octavia had transformed, as if into someone entirely different.
Not that this meant she had reformed, of course.
Perhaps it was more accurate to say she had evolved into a cunning being with a similar spiritual grain, yet possessed of selective sociability.
“Look at this adorable creature. With its small, warm, fluffy body and tiny paws like cotton balls, it followed me so diligently. Did it use its special talent to sneak into the carriage? It must be a genius dog. And look at that endlessly wagging, precious little tail. How could the Admiral give such a lovely being such a name? The man’s sensibilities are as barren as a desert.
She had never displayed such strange affection before.
Octavia, who had been making coquettish snuffling sounds at the puppy, suddenly turned to face Lothear with an expressionless countenance.
“Let us visit the Mayor’s residence and purchase a sarcophagus. Say it was introduced by the Bank President.”
“We have not yet received word from him.”
“He will contact us eventually anyway—does the order truly matter? If he speaks of his predecessor’s achievements and honor, simply offer more money. That should suffice.”
“You truly intend to purchase the ‘ominous coffin that sealed a demon and may carry a curse’?”
“Yes. I’ll have use for it later.”
With that indifferent reply, I climbed into the carriage, cradling the puppy.

***

The two of them and the dog arrived at the Mirabell Estate, where the Mayor resided.
“You damned commoner upstart, did you steal the sarcophagus to curse our family? I’ve already seen through your filthy schemes!”
And by the enraged Mayor’s command, all three were apprehended.
The white-haired Mayor swept his piercing gaze across the two of them.
The dog was held in his arms.
Unlike the puppy being stroked by the Count’s wrinkled hands, Octavia and Lothear stood side by side before the Mayor in custody.
‘Does the Young Lady have some vendetta against the Mayor?’
Lothear, feeling a sense of injustice, briefly harbored suspicion, but Octavia’s methods of revenge leaned toward capital, power, and physical force—nothing so unscientific as this.
And it was unlikely the Bank President would distort the truth in the middle of all this and choose to let the bank collapse.
Lothear stepped forward and attempted to persuade him.
“If I may speak frankly, the Ludovisi Family gains nothing from the Mirabell Family’s ruin. As the Mayor and a man of standing, you would actually suffer losses in terms of border defense and operations in the Precious Metal Territory. The Ludovisi Family intends to invest in and develop this city for future business ventures.”
The Mayor’s brow deepened.
‘That spectacled fellow is right. Being the city closest to both locations, it’s a vital strategic position, isn’t it?’
The Mayor made an effort not to show his understanding, lowering his tone of voice.
“There is a sacred teaching that if the sarcophagus is removed to the outside, a tremendous calamity will befall the city by the wrath of our ancestors.”
Octavia observed her surroundings while Lothear made his objections.
Talismans to ward off demons, a luminous stone ring on the Mayor’s finger, the faint lingering scent of burned sandalwood—the incense burned in the Holy Temple.
In conclusion, the Mayor had thin ears, blindly believed in unscientific and unrealistic statistics and information, and didn’t even put a leash on the dog, which meant he wasn’t a bad person at all. He had definitely been deceived by Chloe, who had noticed his intention to purchase the sarcophagus and moved first.
‘Now that I think about it, I caught a similar scent at the bank too. So they were in the same place.’
Octavia had grasped an important fact through the Mayor’s words.
Chloe hadn’t realized it only after the calamity struck, as in the original story. She had already foreseen everything.
After the calamity occurred, she planned to insist that it was ‘Octavia Ludovisi’ who had caused it all by purchasing the ominous sarcophagus.
‘And in terms of timing, Chloe is still here.’
Octavia’s sharp eyes turned toward the Reception Room connected to the Study.

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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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