Don’t Look for the Resurrected Villainess - Chapter 146

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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 146

“Unfortunately, that’s correct. It was damaged when we were attacked by the monster.”

At Heinrih’s words, a dark shadow fell across Anelli’s face.

Anelli, who had been thinking about something with troubled eyes, asked with a stiff expression.

“What exactly happened? An attack by a monster?”

“Ah, that’s…”

What should he say? It really happened in an instant.

The scene from that day unfolded in Heinrih’s mind.

That day… the clear weather was bright and cloudless.

When they first departed from the Imperial Palace, the atmosphere wasn’t bad. The Empress seemed excited about her rare outing, and the accompanying Imperial Guards were all people with tremendous spirit.

At the back of the group, Jeon followed on Nadab. Jeon, who seemed to have been bothered by the Imperial Palace mages for several days, had suddenly mentioned his friendship with a mage from the Imperial Guards and joined the group.

Jeon’s presence seemed to arouse the wariness of the Imperial Guards, but it wasn’t to a severe degree.

Looking back, everything was really good when they departed.

The problem with the peaceful journey occurred when they arrived at the riverside.

“There were unusually many ducks on the river.”

“…Ducks?”

“Yes. We began crossing the bridge without much concern, and someone threw stones at the gathered ducks.”

He couldn’t remember who it was. Perhaps it was one of the attendants following them?

“The ducks, startled by the stone throwing, all flew up at once. But from among those ducks, something emerged.”

“What was it?”

“A monster.”

Anelli pressed her lips tightly together with a rigid face.

“Something black and huge charged at us. The Imperial Guards immediately swung their swords, but…”

They certainly swung their swords accurately. However, the blades slipped as if cutting through empty air, and the black thing attacked the group.

“What exactly happened, I honestly can’t know for certain. I just know that our vision darkened briefly, the horses went wild, and Her Majesty the Empress collapsed.”

“That can’t be definitively called a monster.”

Anelli, who had been listening to Heinrih’s explanation, frowned and spoke in a firm tone.

“And it’s definitely not a Dura’han.”

“I know that.”

At Heinrih’s calm words, Anelli raised her eyebrows.

“The important thing is that too many people saw that strange spectacle. They believe it was a monster.”

“But His Majesty doesn’t seem to think so.”

At Anelli’s accurate observation, Heinrih unconsciously closed his mouth. Perhaps because Heinrih’s sudden silence seemed suspicious, Anelli narrowed her eyes.

“What are you suspicious of?”

“His Majesty… thinks it might have been magic.”

“Magic?”

“Yes. And he harbors suspicions about the mages of the Magic Tower.”

Seeing Anelli’s complexion change dramatically, Heinrih smiled bitterly.

“He believes the Magic Tower is scheming to intervene in the Empire’s succession struggle.”

* * *

Jeon let out a sigh.

How did things end up like this? Finding the source would be meaningless, but…

If he had to trace it, it would probably be from when he started taking interest in things he had never cared about in his life.

“Well, really.”

He had never once thought in his life that he would become entangled with the royal family. The royal family? He hadn’t even been interested in the capital.

Much less a situation like being confined in the Imperial Palace, which he had never, not even slightly, imagined.

“Actually, it’s not really confinement.”

People had been assigned to watch him, his range of movement had suddenly become restricted, and the Imperial Palace mages who had been persistently clinging to him had completely stopped coming, but it was insufficient to definitively call it confinement.

In the first place, they had no justification to confine Jeon. Apart from his joining the Empress’s outing with a flimsy excuse, there would be no suspicious circumstances.

Nevertheless, he was in this situation because the Emperor’s nerves were extremely sharp right now.

While the Crown Prince he had established was humiliated for supposedly incurring divine wrath, ominous events kept occurring in the royal family, and after opening even the tombs of royal ancestors to an outsider, the Empress had collapsed as well.

Given that Dekin had previously interfered in the succession struggle by declaring support for Heinrih, the Emperor seemed to accept that this time the Magic Tower had stepped forward to place Heinrih on the throne.

In other words, that the Magic Tower was trying to control the royal family.

If he concluded that was true, the Emperor would absolutely never try to choose Heinrih as his successor.

“Dekin, that bastard is the problem.”

I told him not to interfere recklessly. Thanks to him, it seemed he would be half-forcibly dragged into political fights that weren’t in his destiny.

Jeon glanced at the door with somewhat anxious eyes.

Outside that door were guards the Emperor had stubbornly stationed. Since everyone was startled by the monster’s sudden attack, it was under the pretext of protecting guests as their host.

Setting up a magic nullification barrier inside the room while claiming to protect him was probably because they didn’t trust him.

It seemed they planned to buy time like this and investigate the incident more thoroughly.

‘I don’t have time to be doing this.’

Jeon, glancing down at his now-useless ring, made a troubled expression.

Honestly, really honestly.

Jeon could easily break through and escape from this room’s barrier. Not just escape?

He wasn’t weak enough to be confined in this room in the first place.

Nevertheless, the reason he was obediently following their orders like this was purely because of Anelli.

He was afraid that causing unnecessary commotion might disrupt Anelli’s plans.

‘I wonder if she’s roughly grasped the situation by now.’

Jeon wasn’t particularly interested in succession struggles or anything else. Even if the Emperor suspected and was wary of the Magic Tower, he wasn’t afraid.

Originally, mages of the Magic Tower were such beings. Beings who set aside worldly status and were evaluated solely on ability.

Jeon was the Mage Tower Lord’s only successor and would soon become the owner of the Magic Tower’s top floor.

Considering that the Magic Tower’s full power, when concentrated, surpassed most nations, the Emperor would ultimately be unable to treat him carelessly.

So why would he fear the royal family or the Emperor?

‘She asked me to contact her…’

He was only worried about Anelli, who must have been surprised by the communication being cut off.

Also, Jeon had something very important to tell her. Jeon fell into thought with a worried expression.

‘Ha, she’ll definitely be angry.’

When they were suddenly attacked by something unidentified on the bridge, the horses were startled and went wild.

It was Nadab who caused that commotion.

To be precise, Jeon suspected that Nadab was the culprit. Because Nadab was the first to rear up on his hind legs as if startled.

‘It was as if he was telling me to get off.’

Jeon staggered but managed to dismount well without falling. And as soon as Jeon dismounted, Nadab jumped around wildly among the horses before running off to the other side of the bridge.

Of course, several other knights also lost their horses due to this commotion. Someone was said to have broken their arm from falling off their horse.

Thanks to several horses disappearing, Nadab’s deviation didn’t stand out. Nadab probably aimed for such an effect.

‘Why on earth did that guy suddenly run off like that?’

And what should he tell Anelli?

Jeon, who had been dry-washing his face with both hands in his troubled mood, suddenly raised his head. He heard quiet conversation from outside the door.

“But…!”

“…interrogation…”

“Wait… Prince…”

“The Temple’s…”

The sounds were quiet, and he could barely make out a few unpleasant words.

Jeon glared at the door with a displeased expression. It seemed someone had come to see him.

‘They used safety as an excuse to prevent even Prince Heinrih from meeting me.’

He wanted to observe the situation quietly and move cautiously if possible, but if it really came to it, he would just have to use force.

Having made that resolution, Jeon kept a close watch on the door. The argument outside soon subsided and became quiet again.

However, Jeon didn’t relax his vigilance. Since he didn’t hear sounds like departing footsteps, the visitors seemed to be standing outside that door.

Knock knock.

Breaking the silence, a small knocking sound echoed through the room.

When Jeon didn’t answer, they waited a moment outside before knocking once more.

Knock knock.

Without releasing his suspicious expression, Jeon slowly parted his lips.

“Who is it?”

There was no answer from outside. Instead, the door handle turned quietly.

Seeing that movement, Jeon stepped back and carefully channeled his mana. The moment strength entered his fingertips, the door opened and someone revealed themselves.

“Huh?”

A brown head of hair that peeked in stealthily transformed into dazzling silver hair the moment it entered the room.

As soon as he saw that change, Jeon quickly approached, pulled them into his embrace, and twisted his body. Hiding the other person within his arms, Jeon turned his head toward the open door and spotted a large man.

The man scowled fiercely the moment his eyes met Jeon’s.

“What are you doing…”

“Close the door first.”

Samuel, who had been speaking sharply, hesitated at Jeon’s sharp retort. Seeming to grasp the situation, he quickly entered the room and closed the door.

Fortunately, Samuel’s large build seemed to have blocked the people outside from properly seeing inside.

As Jeon confirmed the door was closed and let out a sigh of relief, a quiet question came from within his arms.

“I think you can let go now.”

“Huh? Oh, yes!”

It seemed he had unconsciously tightened his grip. As Jeon released his strength in surprise, the person who had been quietly nestled in his embrace stepped away.

Jeon’s expression became dazed as he confirmed it was Anelli tidying her disheveled hair.

Though he had moved instinctively upon seeing the silver hair, actually facing the real Anelli like this felt strange.

He was happy and glad, but also surprised that she had thought to come all the way here, and worried at the same time.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

Anelli, who had roughly arranged her hair, asked abruptly.

As Jeon, who had been blankly staring at Anelli’s face, missed his timing to answer and fumbled, Anelli frowned and looked him over from head to toe.

With her arms crossed, Anelli had become quite sharp and sensitive in the time they hadn’t seen each other.

“Are they starving you at the Imperial Palace?”

“What? No?”

“You seem to have lost some weight.”

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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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