Don’t Look for the Resurrected Villainess - Chapter 14
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 14
“Do you know what comes up if you keep going past the village?”
“Gelben.”
“You seem to have memorized the map. You know how big a city that is, right? With such crude dyeing, it’ll be hard to hide your identity.”
“Decent magic tool shops are only in big cities anyway, so I’d have to visit one eventually. Gelben was selected as a research and investment hub for magical technology, so I’ll be able to get the best magic tools in the Empire there.”
Gelben was quite an important city, even having a Magic Research Institute established in partnership with the Mage Tower for magical technology research.
Particularly, the Great Library, one of its affiliated buildings, held the largest collection of books in the Empire.
At the Great Library, I should be able to gather some information. I nodded with that thought.
“You’ll get caught at the entrance before even reaching a magic tool shop.”
“I’ll wait outside the city for now.”
“Pardon?”
At that moment, Jeon, who had been chewing meat, looked at me with wide eyes.
“Going in first to buy things will be your job.”
“Why should I?”
“Well, Gelben would sell appearance-changing magic tools. If you buy something suitable, I’ll be able to enter and exit comfortably using that magic tool.”
“No, it’s troublesome to make people work like this…”
“Of course, I’m planning to pay appropriate compensation too.”
At my words, Jeon closed his mouth. However, his expression still looked reluctant.
“Money must flow like an endless spring for you.”
“In this situation, I should at least have plenty of money.”
Actually, it wasn’t quite an endless spring, but it was true that I had plenty. The precious metals stored in my subspace were collected from Roam.
That alone was sufficient, but with the money from the Temple added on top, even without calculating the exact amount, it was certainly enough to spend freely on escape funds and then settle at some distant foreign frontier.
At my assertion, Jeon muttered in a soulless voice.
“Oh God. Please forgive this foolish agent who covets wealth.”
“God doesn’t listen to prayers from non-believers. If you don’t want to, tell me quickly. I need to hire someone else.”
“Is there even anyone to hire in these mountains?”
At his cynical retort, this time I was at a loss for words. Of course, if push came to shove, I could somehow manage by coaxing animals… but I couldn’t ask animals to steal magic tools for me.
And stopping by the village to find someone wasn’t very trustworthy either.
“You’re right.”
I readily nodded in acknowledgment. At my calm response, Jeon raised his eyebrows as if surprised.
Gazing at him steadily, I continued in a deliberately gentle voice.
“It’s hard to find someone who knows my identity but wouldn’t be interested in me. So you’re a special person to me. In that sense, I’d like you to help me. The reason I mention money is because that’s all I have.”
I slightly turned my head and lowered my gaze. I could feel Jeon’s eyes following me, but I pretended not to notice and concluded with a bitter expression.
“If that hurt your feelings, I apologize.”
“If you suddenly come out so honestly like this, what am I supposed to do?”
[Heartless male. I’ll apologize on his behalf. This guy is just very timid.]
Seeing Nesi say such things after Jeon’s flustered reaction, my expression must have looked pitiful indeed.
“I, I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it. Since I’m temporarily employed anyway, well, I can think of it as an extension of work! There’s no need to say such things! About being special and such! Ahem.”
…This wouldn’t have worked at all in Roam or the Imperial Palace.
The saying that Mage Tower graduates are always cooped up in gloomy towers doing research and don’t know how to think about anything else must be true.
“You mean you’ll buy the magic tools?”
“Yes, yes. I’ll buy them for you, so don’t look so dejected…”
“Good.”
Having reached an excellent agreement, I stood up first. Jeon, who had been waving his hands with a flustered face, froze and looked at me.
“Wait, were you. Acting just now?”
“Acting? I honestly opened up about my situation.”
When I replied expressionlessly, this time his mouth fell wide open.
If he opens his mouth that wide in these mountains, won’t bugs fly in? Having such idle thoughts, I turned around indifferently.
“It’s fortunate that we resolved things well through conversation.”
“Why do I feel like I’ve been tricked?”
“Why ask me about your personal impressions? More importantly, since we’ve finished eating, let’s clean up and depart quickly.”
[Skillful attitude change. This male should watch and learn too.]
Nesi muttered with a sigh. Unfortunately, I was the only one who could hear Nesi’s muttering.
While Nesi found Jeon pathetic, she often showed concern like this. It would indeed be hard to find another wolf like her.
…No, obtaining someone who truly worries about me is too difficult for me in the first place. I erased the thought that came to mind without lingering on it.
I don’t expect it anyway.
* * *
As ladies typically do when they come of age, I too selected my knight around that time.
Becoming the knight of the Roam young lady was every knight’s dream, so many volunteered. They were all knights with outstanding skills.
Among those who admired me lined up, my choice went against everyone’s expectations. I chose the only one among them who didn’t admire me.
He, Arin Toson who became my knight, was a long-time retainer who had cared for me and Prisian Sister since childhood. He was someone I regarded quite intimately, excluding family, and had even volunteered to be Sister’s knight but was rejected.
I designated him as my knight with quite pure good intentions. And only after some more time passed did I learn of his unrequited love for Sister.
I discovered this fact when I accidentally picked up a love letter Arin had written to Sister but never sent.
The letter contained his desire to become Sister’s knight, and after that failed, his dream of belonging to the direct knight order of Sister, who would become the family head.
He probably carried that unsendable love letter with him, savoring his dreams.
Seeing that he continued this even after becoming my knight, he still couldn’t let go of his attachment to Sister.
He, who could have become a member of Sister’s knight order, ended up being chosen at a position he had volunteered for merely out of courtesy.
Even so, he always performed his duties faithfully. He often seemed to think of me in comparison to his younger sister.
Frequently encountering Sister while escorting me probably increased his job satisfaction as well.
Regardless of his personal motives, he was an excellent guard knight. I entrusted my back to him. I considered him my right hand, and occasionally entrusted him with somewhat unofficial duties.
At first, he performed all of that without complaint. Even after Lilia appeared, he did so. He worried about me as I grew increasingly ill, supported me, and cared for me. What was the end result of all that?
“I, I had a secret meeting with the Princess!”
When someone spread rumors about my scandal, claiming he and I had secret meetings. When the family members, worried that word might reach the Imperial Palace, interrogated him anxiously.
“The person I have feelings for is someone else!”
“Lies! There’s a witness who saw you leaving the Princess’s room late at night!”
Seeing Prisian Sister’s cold face, he babbled desperately to avoid being misunderstood by the woman he loved.
“That can’t be! It, it wasn’t me but another man!”
“Another man?”
I trusted Arin and often summoned him at night.
To obtain vicious drugs to feed Lilia, or for meetings with underworld contacts, I needed to send someone trustworthy.
When I went to meetings myself, Arin volunteered as escort, and when I gasped for breath during the journey, he even prepared medicine for me.
He was the knight who stayed by my side as I was dying. The only person who prepared medicine when I was sick. I sought out my escort more often than the servants.
Not knowing that the person in question found this bothersome.
“I cannot speak carelessly of my master’s indiscretions. However… the Princess is very lonely.”
The trust I showed Arin became merely the excessive obsession of a lonely master.
“You’d better give up on escaping with clumsy lies, Arin Toson. How dare you covet your master?”
Arin, who had been hesitating and fumbling, was startled by Sister’s threat.
It was natural, since this wasn’t just about falling out of favor with the woman he loved, but could result in complete expulsion from the Roam Family.
“I delivered letters! To men!”
“What?”
“I’m sorry, you gave me orders and I couldn’t refuse. But I swear it wasn’t me entering and leaving the Princess’s bedroom!”
“Men?”
“I’m, I’m certain! They were men of low status, easy to silence. Sometimes I escorted her when she went to meet them directly. I can tell you the locations too.”
“Sir Arin! How could you say such things!”
I screamed, turning pale as a sheet, but no one paid attention to my voice.
It was because everyone knew I often summoned him.
“Good heavens, for Roam’s Princess to do such filthy things!”
Thinking about it now, Prisian Sister probably wasn’t trying to verify the truth of the rumors.
Sister already believed it was true. That day’s interrogation was just work to confirm what could be managed.
“I remember the men’s faces. I’ll quit being the Princess’s escort immediately and find them right away to kill them all.”
Arin desperately spoke the words his sister wanted to hear. And so he gained his opportunity.
By making me into a princess of Roam who had disgracefully debased herself.
A few days later, he brought me the heads of men I didn’t even know, presenting them as those who had played with me.
My closest confidant had personally delivered the killing blow, confirming the scandal was true.
I learned later.
That it was Lilia who claimed to have seen a man leaving my room late at night. Since Lilia, who possessed prophetic abilities, had spoken, the truth was already decided.
Even so, the person who fabricated the nonexistent evidence was Arin.
So how ridiculous it is, Arin Toson.
“To think you’re the captain of the House of Roam Search Party.”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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