Disqualified as a Villainess - Chapter 76

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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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#76.

The Sixth Interrogation
The Sixth Sin

“Soul Domination.”
As Keldi’s voice filled the space around me, a piercing ringing erupted in my ears and my consciousness drifted into a hazy distance.
My body went limp like a puppet, suspended in his arms.
He gazed down at my helpless form with a satisfied expression.
“If you’ve incurred a debt, you must repay it.”
This man was no emotional guarantor—he was a loan shark.
“What are you going to do to me?”
I protested weakly, but his face held not a trace of malice.
Rather, he carried himself like someone taking extreme measures for my own good.
“Are you worried I might do something terrible? You’re the one who’s terrible.”
That mad Savior’s perpetually kind expression terrified me—I couldn’t begin to imagine what he might do next.
‘From now on, you’ll be my dog, wearing a leash and walking on all fours. I’ll feed you from a dog bowl.’
Anything but that…
“Bia, hold me.”
Contrary to my fears of some sordid captive-debtor scenario, he made a surprisingly innocent request.
He even nestled his head against my chest like a petulant child.
It was simpler than expected, which made it all the more suspicious, but it wasn’t particularly difficult.
I pushed myself up, gripping the sheets with my hands.
Despite his boyish, serene expression, his body was like an impenetrable fortress—even visually, I could sense the firmness beneath his shirt.
Uncertain whether it was my own choice or the effect of his domination, I wrapped my arms around his large frame.
His ears flushed crimson as he reciprocated, enfolding me in his embrace.
‘My feelings…’
Whether from the domination or simply time, my resentment toward the man who had forcibly bound me began to fade.
My mood lifted, and my pulse quickened.
Caught off guard by the unexpected sensation, he pressed my back with one hand, drawing our bodies closer.
My chest, pressed against his firm torso, shifted shape with each breath he took.
I held my breath, terrified he might hear my racing heartbeat, but holding one’s breath doesn’t stop such things.
Apparently caught, he laughed with amusement.
“Are you actually excited?”
In this situation? Me? I shook my head coyly, denying it.
“No. I haven’t done anything yet…”
“That’s what we’re about to do.”
He pressed a light kiss to my lips, then brushed his lips against my cheek and ear.
“You can refuse if you want.”
That arrogant gaze—confident he could make me desperate without even using his domination ability, certain I wouldn’t resist anyway.
Honestly, if he deliberately seduced me with that youthful, alluring face, I don’t think I could resist him either.
“Why did you use your power of dominion on me? Frankly, against someone as fragile as I am, such a formidable ability seems unnecessary.”
Didn’t he have an abundance of tools at his disposal—force, money, threats, charm?
“Suicide prevention.”
He offered a simple answer. To the eyes of the strongest, every action I took must have appeared like a suicide attempt, given how pathetically weak I was.
Suddenly, his lips—which had been tracing marks down my neck and shoulders—touched my collarbone.
Only after he pressed his heated lips against my upper chest did I realize I was wearing nothing but a thin chemise.
Unlike the restrained Admiral I knew, Keldi’s personality was uninhibited.
“Ah?”
Each time his practiced fingertips brushed against sensitive areas, I felt myself melting away.
It was a sensation that shattered reason itself.
The visual stimulus of his crimson tongue tracing my skin, eyes half-lidded, only intensified the effect.
“Mm, wait a moment.”
He who had been delivering such overwhelmingly intense sensations lifted his head slightly.
“Why.”
“It tickles so much I’m going mad.”
“Mm.”
He answered dismissively, then swallowed the hardened peak as if biting it.
“Ah!”
My head fell back at the exquisite sensation concentrated in one place.
Heat rose gradually from below, burning all the way to my eyes.
As my body tilted and I tumbled onto the bedsheet, I found myself completely pinned beneath him.
“Show me your face.”
He seized my arm that was covering my face and pressed it down against the sheet.
“Your expression is what excites me most.”
I couldn’t quite tell what expression I was making.
But I wasn’t shameless enough to display it proudly.
“Crying or being angry—it’s all beautiful.”
His wet lips drew closer, sucking my lower lip into his mouth. A cool, sweet taste spread across my tongue.
How is he so skilled at making someone feel good?
Like a man who had experienced this hundreds of times.
Or… is he familiar to me?

Favorability Increase [+10,000]

But still, I really do hate this, don’t I?
Seeing affection gleaming in his eyes—so contrary to his disdain—left me somewhat bewildered.
‘I have no idea.’
While my reason lay severed and I clung only to sensation, his firm shoulders trembled slightly.
He pulled his lips away urgently, his expression one of startled alarm.
The transparent thread of connection, unfinished, stretched and then snapped.
His chest heaved visibly with each breath that filled his lungs.
His darkened pupils swept across me from top to bottom, and then his lips—marked with traces—parted slightly.
“Admiral?”
It seemed Kelsedny Admiral had returned to himself.
With an expression of denial, he exhaled deeply and ran his fingers through his disheveled hair.
“Hah, hah.”
His throat bobbed heavily with each ragged breath.
Unlike me, thoroughly undone, he remained impeccably dressed in his formal vest, his eyes gleaming with desire and his flushed face exuding an almost unbearable sensuality.
For a moment, subtle glances passed between us.
Soon, his barely recovered reason crumbled again, and he closed the distance once more, pressing his lips to mine.
His tongue, wrapped around the nape of my neck, grazed my lips with urgency.
Unlike Keldi’s practiced ease, he now ravaged the inside of my mouth as though quenching a burning thirst, his movements desperate.
Watching this man, who had always feigned such composure, surrender to pleasure—I felt a strange sense of victory.
“Why do you keep affecting me like this?”
He asked in a roughened voice, his wet lips parting from mine.
Resentment edged out his concern.
“When you’re a person like me—incapable of loving anything.”
The Admiral seemed to have figured me out, at least in part.
He and I could share nothing but pleasure born of necessity.
I steadied my racing breath and turned my head away.
Facing him again, I traced my reddened lips with my fingertip.
“Perhaps because of the possibility that I could become like that.”
Family, friends, perhaps even someone to love.
For a very long time, I have coveted the things given to those who live ordinary lives.

***

The first trial condition of the Gate—annihilating Chaos entities—was completed through the brilliant efforts of the Northeast Squadron, equipped with Octavia’s enhanced weapons.
The five Heart Gates that had summoned the Gate vanished without a trace.
Trial cycles typically lasted at most a week, or as little as three days.
We would have to repeat this until the Chaos Gate disappeared.
Since the Chaos Gate was a domain manifested by the descendants of the traitorous Ginesa Apostle, destroying it through force alone was no simple task.
“Octavia, you’re safe!”

Favorability increased [+2,000]

“Would you mind stepping away?”
Octavia found herself in quite the predicament, forced to evade Febrien who came rushing at her with overwhelming affection.
Moreover, she noticed that Logan’s gaze had taken on a peculiar quality.
“You… no, never mind.”
He seemed reluctant to speak, perhaps fearing he’d be branded a lunatic.
“Lady Octavia, thanks to you, we were all able to survive. From now on, as your blade…”
“What are you talking about? I’m a contemptible coward who fled first, before the Gate even opened.”
She also had to avoid Ewain’s flattering remarks.
“Woof!”
“Goodness, you adorable thing. Could you be a spirit creature? How did you appear in my dream?”
Of course, the Admiral’s dog was merely a phantom.
The immediate problem at hand was that the blockade had cut off material supplies.
In response, Octavia gathered all the squadron personnel and made an announcement in a stern tone.
“I’ll say this only once. From now on, all squadron provisions will be drastically reduced, excluding military supplies. Any food shortages must be procured independently by each squadron. Medicine will be distributed only to squadrons that meet mandatory allocation requirements, and luxury items like alcohol or chocolate will be awarded based on each squadron’s performance. That’s all.”
Then someone from the Chloe Squadron raised their hand and asked.
“We’ve recently taken in lower-tier ability users, so our personnel numbers are higher than other squadrons. Will food provisions be distributed based on headcount?”
“No. All squadrons receive equal distribution. Of course, my squadron is exempt.”
“What?! How is that fair?”
“You have more workers, so you’ll have an advantage in procuring food compared to others.”
At Octavia’s words, Ethan stepped forward with a deeply furrowed brow.
“After dumping those worthless insects on us, what are you going on about?”
“They’re not so useless they can’t even forage. How you extract efficiency from them is entirely up to the discretion of the Chloe Squadron commander who accepted them.”
Starting with Ethan, other Northern Squadron members began voicing their complaints one by one.
“In the end, we’re the ones feeding those parasites!”
“And only the Northeast Squadron gets free provisions? This is blatant discrimination!”
“Discrimination?”
Octavia’s expression turned cold as she raised her eyes sharply.
“The sector is blockaded and the Prince, who bears ultimate responsibility, has fled. And you still speak of fairness? You’ve mistaken kindness for a right. This is me sharing what’s mine with you.”
She gestured to Julia.
“Would you open the supply warehouse doors?”
Julia quickly ran and opened the supply warehouse doors.
Beyond the open doors, the food and supplies that had been packed tightly were now empty, save for one week’s worth of provisions.
“This is what should have been distributed among you originally. The rest I’ve stockpiled with my own personal funds.”
Prince Dominic had opposed Octavia’s suggestion to prepare sufficient supplies, arguing that the nearby western city of Mirabel made it unnecessary, and had stocked only one week’s worth of provisions.

“If you really want to indulge in such luxuries, don’t include them in operational budgets. Procure them privately on your own.”

Strapped for funds due to operating the Ability Division, he had planned to stretch the budget supported by the Ludovisi Family as far as possible and pocket whatever remained.
“Divide the rest fairly among the remaining squadrons. We’ll manage on our own. No problem, right? Oh, and one more thing.”
She lifted her chin with aristocratic grace as she added her final point.
“The water you wash and drink with, the electricity that lights your fires—all of it runs on the emergency generator I built.”
The members of the Chloe Squadron and Ethan fell silent, their faces flushed with indignation.
Power, in the end, belongs to whoever possesses the most of it.
“A 5% survival rate at the Domain Erosion Gate. Only those who monopolize resources survive—an extremely efficient calculation, wouldn’t you say?”
Octavia’s weighted tone sent a chill through the surrounding air.
For Octavia, who proclaimed that even 1% was entirely possible, it was an acceptable probability—but for most, it meant nearly everyone would die.
Then, the quick-witted commanders and members of the other squadrons cried out.
“That’s merely her opinion—it has nothing to do with us!”
“Our squadron is confident we can secure the necessary materials and achieve excellent results in combat against Chaos entities!”
‘That’s right. That’s how it should be.’
The road to virtue is paved with hell, and trusting in human goodness while walking it is an endless cycle of betrayal.
Goodness and justice demanded such extraordinary patience that they bordered on enlightenment itself.
‘I cannot be the righteous one who trusts those who wield blades and turns my back. So instead, I will hold the blade to theirs.’
To assume the role of villain and thereby increase others’ chances of survival.
This was her order alone, and it was her justice.

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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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