Don’t Look for the Resurrected Villainess - Chapter 193
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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 193
“Do you want the world to end?”
When I looked at Jeon with an incredulous expression, he protested with a very aggrieved look.
“It was Anelli who said you’d watch the world perish while eating snacks.”
“Ah, I suppose I did say that.”
I didn’t know he’d keep that in mind.
I nodded without much feeling and turned my gaze away. Of course, back then I hated everything, found everything meaningless, and didn’t care what happened to anything.
‘It’s not like I’ve developed some righteous sense of mission to save the world now either.’
Certainly, my attitude had changed somewhat from then to now. It was something I myself felt most clearly, more than anyone else.
I still hated all the humans who made my death into entertainment, and never wanted to see them again. However, I didn’t want to give up on everything for that reason.
At least I wanted to find the Dura’han’s heads for them.
Not because I wanted to play the role of God’s unwanted agent, but purely for the Dura’han’s peace.
‘If the Dura’han who regain their peace leave my side…’
Of course, if such a situation arose, I would feel melancholy and sad.
Since meeting Nadab, I had never been completely separated from the Dura’han.
Even when I couldn’t summon them, the Dura’han were always waiting inside the bracelet. I don’t know how much unconscious comfort that provided.
So when I tried to imagine life without them anew, what I felt most was emptiness.
Nevertheless, I had come to care for them enough to want to find their heads, which led to the current situation.
“Yes, it wasn’t me who had no attachment to the world, it was you, Anelli.”
I emerged from my thoughts and looked around. Jeon was watching me with an ambiguous expression that made it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
It seemed he had been looking at me the whole time.
“Would you still not care if tomorrow didn’t come?”
Those were words I had once said to Jeon.
‘We were camping like this back then too.’
Jeon had asked me if I wanted to die, and I had asked back whether I needed to make an effort to die.
That’s when I had said it. That I wouldn’t care if tomorrow didn’t come.
“…Well.”
When I murmured quietly, wrinkles formed on Jeon’s brow.
“I’ll try harder.”
“At what?”
“Making you curious about tomorrow.”
“How?”
After pausing for a moment, he suddenly raised his hand.
The gesture of lightly stirring the air was unfamiliar, but I could guess what he was trying to do.
It was probably magic.
As soon as I thought that, his fingertips glowed blue.
Following the light emanating from his fingertips with my eyes, I unconsciously let out an exclamation.
“Oh.”
The sparkling blue light created some kind of form. It was a beautifully glowing blue carp.
The carp swam through the air, moving its fins as if swimming. After circling in front of me, it gradually moved to trace a semicircle to more distant places.
Its range of movement expanded. Everywhere the carp passed looked like it was underwater.
“I once had this thought while looking at the sky. That deep blue color looked just like a lake.”
Controlling the carp’s movement with his fingertips, Jeon began to speak.
“So I thought it would be wonderful if there were fish that suited that deep blue sky.”
“Is this the result?”
“Yes.”
Jeon nodded and moved his hand widely with a mischievous smile. A school of small fish appeared around the carp.
Every time Jeon moved his fingers, various kinds of fish multiplied in the air.
“It’s a slight modification of illusion magic. It’s magic that has no use other than looking pretty, but I’ve done quite a lot of research on such useless magic.”
The reason Jeon researched this kind of magic was probably because of his mother, who he said was ill. Jeon’s mother had a chronic illness.
If his mother had to lie in bed for long periods, he would have wanted to show her beautiful sights with his magic since she couldn’t move around easily.
Jeon was a man with that kind of heart.
“I won’t show you everything at once, but one by one.”
The fish that had been swimming around, brilliantly illuminating the surroundings, began to disappear one by one.
Where the fish disappeared, particles of magical power scattered like final traces, leaving afterimages.
“I hope this magic becomes a reason why tomorrow should come.”
I stared intently at Jeon. He was smiling quite innocently.
He was such a strange man. Until my execution, I had never met anyone like Jeon.
Perhaps because of that, I sometimes felt confused about how to treat him.
The surroundings, which had brightened for a moment, began to sink back into darkness. Even the last carp that had been circling above my head disappeared, and only blue light particles scattered in its place.
Looking at those glowing afterimages, I slowly parted my lips.
“Jeon.”
“Yes?”
The distance between him and me wasn’t far. Just by leaning forward while supporting myself on the rock with my hand, our lips could touch.
With a cute sound of “smack,” our lips touched and separated. It was a very light kiss, but Jeon was startled as if touched by fire and opened his eyes wide.
He fumbled at his own lips with an unbelieving expression, which was amusing, so I faintly lifted the corners of my mouth.
“It’s payment for the eye candy.”
“…This is?”
“I think it’ll be adequate payment.”
Jeon’s face was bright red. He was obviously wide awake now, and seemed completely flustered from embarrassment and surprise.
It definitely wasn’t a negative reaction. Though I hadn’t thought he would dislike my kiss, the reaction he was showing now was more intense than I had expected.
What was certain was that Jeon was so happy he didn’t know what to do with himself. It was obvious his heart was beating fast without needing to check.
“This way, I’ll be waiting for tomorrow more than you, Anelli.”
Jeon, who had been frozen with his hand covering his mouth, muttered with a distorted expression. It was a small voice, but clear enough to understand.
I chuckled and replied.
“Do that.”
Straightening my body that had been leaning toward him, I looked up at the sky calmly.
“I don’t want to harm your tomorrow.”
Would I not care if tomorrow didn’t come? Actually, I wasn’t sure.
I wanted to fulfill the Dura’han’s wishes, and I enjoyed these times with Jeon.
But if asked whether these things made me dream of a hopeful future, I could only think that I wasn’t sure.
My tomorrow and such things… I still didn’t really care about them. What moved me now wasn’t embarrassing words like dreams or hopes for the future.
‘Diearis said the final power would give me peace as well.’
What would happen to me if I completed the final power with this kind of heart?
“So you should look forward to tomorrow.”
Would my peace be death? Would the Goddess leave a proxy who had outlived her usefulness alone?
I couldn’t be certain. When I couldn’t even die as I wished, could I really live as I wanted even if I said I wanted to live now?
Even though I had become aware of my feelings for Jeon, the reason I didn’t promise any particular future was because I couldn’t ignore these concerns.
“I’ll look forward to the reward Anelli will give me tomorrow.”
Jeon, who had been silent for a moment, seemed to have finally collected himself and spoke in a much calmer voice.
I nodded while still keeping my gaze on the sky.
“Alright.”
“Do you understand what that means?”
His voice carried some force. When I glanced at Jeon, I saw his face still hadn’t lost its redness.
Though the flush remained on his cheeks, I couldn’t see any shyness in his firmly set lips or his settled golden eyes.
“I’m saying that you must be in my tomorrow.”
I didn’t answer. Jeon didn’t try to force an answer either.
We quietly looked up at the sky and then returned to our respective tents.
I went back to bed embracing the cold air. When I lay down and covered myself with the blanket, an unbelievably strong drowsiness came over me.
In my fading consciousness, I dimly realized.
The fact that even if all the Dura’han leave, I won’t be left alone.
* * *
On the way to the Lizardman Habitat, we passed through several villages.
There, I heard news about Maxel. It seemed there was some organized group intentionally spreading word of the Crown Prince’s exploits.
However, despite their efforts, it appeared unlikely that Maxel would become a hero among the Empire’s citizens.
That’s because there was already someone else widely rumored among the Empire’s people as a hero who defeats monsters.
Namely, me.
“It would be difficult to gain trust through ordinary subjugation.”
Jeon, who had visited several shops to replenish supplies in the village, clicked his tongue as he reported back.
According to him, while the Reviver subdues monsters single-handedly, the Crown Prince leading hundreds of soldiers to subjugate monsters actually appears ridiculous to the Empire’s citizens.
“I also heard something about monster hunters.”
The current atmosphere was that monsters had become more rampant than before, making it difficult to respond to each one just by requesting help from the Temple.
Since there was a limit to the number of Holy Knights the Temple could dispatch, villages in harsh conditions ultimately needed other solutions.
“They supposedly hunt monsters at quite reasonable prices. Small villages mainly hire them.”
“It can’t be charity work, so do we know their affiliation?”
“They’re known as mercenaries who freely take requests without affiliation, but among merchants, the name Yusgel Guild is being whispered about.”
Merchants were people who reacted sensitively to the flow of money. So they seemed to be keeping an eye on the business potential of monster hunting that had suddenly emerged.
Until the Yusgel Guild stepped in, monster hunting had been the responsibility of the Temple, Imperial Army, or feudal retainers. That was because they alone were sufficient to deal with monsters.
The Temple especially had taken on monster hunting as if it were their exclusive domain.
“Does this mean monsters have increased to the point where mercenaries need to step in?”
As I muttered to myself, Samuel interjected with a sighing voice.
“It’s true that reports coming into the Temple have increased. But the High Priest doesn’t want problems solved this way either.”
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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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