Don’t Look for the Resurrected Villainess - Chapter 205
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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 205
The location of the missing Reviver had been discovered. It was Montel Territory.
More precisely, she had suddenly appeared there to catch the Dura’han that had emerged in that area.
Lilia, who had submitted false reports claiming that Dura’han had appeared when none actually had in order to discover Anelli’s whereabouts, wanted to send assassins to Anelli immediately.
However, the circumstances were not particularly favorable. First, Maxel’s condition was poor after his failed expedition.
“A Dura’han has appeared right under our noses! If I catch it, I’ll finally be able to overturn all my past failures!”
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, please make a rational judgment.”
Count of Ruewark had subtly changed his attitude since his eldest son’s accident. While he still bowed his head to the Crown Prince, the previous warmth was gone.
Rather, these days he seemed to regard them as unwelcome guests. Maxel appeared too distracted by news of the suddenly appeared Dura’han to notice, but Lilia could clearly tell.
Moreover, for some reason, news from the Imperial Palace had been cut off.
‘Has something happened to Count Hason?’
By the Emperor’s side, Count Hason, left behind by Preshi, had firmly established his position. Lilia had barely managed to join hands with Count Hason by mentioning her connection with Preshi.
Fortunately, Count Hason had been quite consumed with rage after learning that Anelli was the one who killed Preshi.
Having a common enemy was truly a good thing.
But there had been no contact from that Count Hason for several days now. The same was true from Roam.
It seemed Count of Ruewark had noticed something, but he wouldn’t tell Maxel or Lilia anything.
“How can the Count not think to care for his own people who are suffering such hardships!”
“The Reviver has arrived in the territory. Dealing with the rampant evil is the duty the Creator has bestowed upon her.”
“While the Count speaks such frustrating words, innocent people are being massacred by Dura’han!”
“Speaking of massacre, didn’t that already happen once?”
“What?”
“Have you forgotten what state you returned in after setting out to subjugate the Lizardmen?”
At Count of Ruewark’s words, Maxel’s face flushed red.
These days he often became emotional like this. Lilia found it extremely frustrating.
She hadn’t known when everything was comfortable and going well. That he was such an emotional person with short-sighted thinking.
‘…Could it be because he’s never properly experienced adversity?’
Lilia knew that Maxel would become Crown Prince anyway. That’s why she had helped him.
She didn’t want to waste time taking the difficult path she knew about and waiting. It wasn’t just Maxel who would suffer, but Lilia who would stand by his side would have to suffer together.
That’s why she had created smooth victories for Maxel.
But seeing things reach this point, she began to have doubts. Whether the easy victories he had gained without needing to properly fight had actually hindered Maxel’s growth.
“Count of Ruewark, please refrain from reckless remarks!”
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, I must go check on my son’s condition now.”
Count of Ruewark drew a line somewhat coldly.
Maxel seemed to want to get angry at Count of Ruewark, but since he still needed the border count’s power to organize an expedition force, he didn’t show it.
If he was short on troops, he couldn’t afford to clash with Count of Ruewark. Since Maxel couldn’t be unaware of what Lilia knew, he eventually backed down while gritting his teeth.
On the way back to the guest room, Maxel, who had been striding along, asked in an irritated voice.
“Lilia, what about your prophecy?”
“What I told you before is everything.”
“Not about failure, something hopeful! You said before that I would lead an expedition and achieve victory!”
“…The expedition’s victory I saw before wasn’t achieved in Montel Territory. You need to go to the Trebi Mountains.”
“Are you telling me to enter mountains crawling with monsters with no troops, just my bare body?”
Maxel glared at Lilia with a fiercely distorted face.
Lilia was equally irritated. Having prophesied failure for the first time in her life, she was also on edge. Of course she would be, wouldn’t she?
“I want to make prophecies more than anyone.”
Lilia, who had retorted in a stiff voice, took a deep breath.
“Or Your Highness, what do you think about moving unofficial forces?”
“Unofficial?”
“Didn’t I tell you I had cultivated a trading company for Your Highness?”
She hadn’t intended to use the trading company this way. But what choice did she have?
Lilia recalled the trading company head’s message that ‘perhaps because of the name Monster Hunters, they were receiving subtle looks from the Temple.’
The justification that the Crown Prince, who happened to be in Montel Territory, was so worried about the Empire’s citizens’ safety that he hired mercenaries with his own money seemed plausible.
“The trading company manages mercenaries. Publicly, they’re just small-scale operators.”
They were people who would have moved for Maxel to some extent anyway.
It seemed the quick-witted Temple had moved swiftly, worried about losing their rice bowl of monster hunting, but what could they do when royalty was concerned about their people?
“They’re called Monster Hunters in society. Thanks to going around saving people from danger, their name has gradually become known.”
“Monster Hunters?”
“Of course, they probably don’t have the power to face Dura’han. But if you hire mercenaries and focus on protecting the Empire’s citizens, won’t those moved by Your Highness’s mercy voluntarily take up swords and gather?”
Though Maxel made a reluctant expression, he couldn’t easily dismiss her words.
Lilia watched Maxel’s complexion, then carefully reached out to stroke his arm.
“Your Highness. Having experienced Dura’han once, you know. They are evil and cruel creatures. Do you think it’s possible to face them alone? My sister is deceiving everyone right now.”
In the past, Maxel would have immediately rebuked her, saying “What nonsense are you spouting about the Creator’s Reviver?”
However, having directly experienced Dura’han and returned, he no longer said such things.
From the beginning, Maxel had occasionally expressed doubts to Lilia after returning from the expedition in tatters. Wondering how exactly Anelli had managed those vicious Dura’han.
Moreover, Anelli had even lived with Dura’han in the backyard of her assigned pavilion.
At the time, he had just accepted it, but only after seeing Dura’han rampage did he realize how abnormal Anelli’s life at the Imperial Palace had been.
“You said my sister entered Montel Territory to catch Dura’han? If she subdues that Dura’han this time too, we won’t be able to stop her anymore.”
It was almost like talking to herself. This was an issue that didn’t even require prophecy.
“If my sister solves the Dura’han problem in Montel Territory, the whole world will revere the Reviver as a sacred being.”
It was something she couldn’t help but know would happen.
So it had to be stopped.
* * *
Though I had publicly said I would stop Dasha, I hadn’t intended for this to happen.
“Reviver!”
Hearing the cry filled with emotion, I swallowed the rising sigh. After roughly closing the curtains on the window, I looked back at Soana, who was sitting with her wings folded in front of me.
“Dasha must have heard news of the Reviver like you, right? Will she guess it’s me?”
[She won’t know without meeting face to face. That child is… a bit simple and short-sighted.]
“…So you’re saying it’s completely pointless for me to go around showing my face like this?”
At my deflated muttering, Jeon, who was sitting beside me, slipped into the conversation.
“It’s not entirely pointless. Thanks to that, didn’t you stop the righteous Holy Knights who were about to rush over saying they’d kill the Dura’han immediately? If you hadn’t gone around openly threatening them not to interfere and ruin things, those guys would have been rampaging everywhere long ago.”
Jeon shrugged and glanced at Samuel sitting in front of him.
“You were supposed to be good at blocking the Temple, but you’re no help at all.”
“The Temple cannot control the activities of individual Holy Knights based on their personal convictions.”
Yes, that was exactly the problem. Activities based on conviction.
Holy Knights who were fundamentally overflowing with faith and good hearts had taken up their swords to help the Reviver and stop the Dura’han, despite the Temple’s official guidelines.
The reason I ended up showing my face so brazenly was entirely because of those persistent Holy Knights!
“Holy Knights are all alike…”
As I unconsciously muttered while holding my forehead, Samuel spoke somewhat defensively.
“You shouldn’t judge all of them by a few Holy Knights. Not everyone acts so rigidly.”
“At least you shouldn’t be saying that.”
“I don’t insist on principles.”
“Isn’t that dangerous talk in its own way?”
At my retort, Samuel hesitated. Glancing at him as he pressed his lips shut as if at a loss for words, I sighed again.
Jigol, who was sitting on my lap, looked around cautiously before carefully chirping.
[Should I go scout around again?]
“Will you?”
I lifted the curtain and opened the carriage window. Jigol, in the form of a black sparrow, flapped his wings and flew out of the carriage.
Among the Dura’han, Jigol was the best at sensing his companions’ presence, which is why he had taken on this role.
There weren’t many ways to find a Dura’han that appeared randomly without any pattern, destroyed everything, and then disappeared, so Jigol was going around sensing the presence in the surrounding area one by one.
‘If it’s not just my imagination, it seems like the Dura’han has been hiding more cunningly since I revealed myself.’
I hoped it was a mistake, but somehow it seemed right, making my head throb.
At first, I visited the destroyed places, but it seemed like if I just kept chasing behind like that, I’d have to follow their tail forever.
Moreover, from what I could see, they never returned to the places they had destroyed. If anything, they were moving further away.
“We’ll have to wait for a moment.”
Even before I could give the order, Palides slowly brought the carriage to a stop. He must have seen Jigol flying up into the sky.
As soon as the carriage stopped, someone carefully knocked on the carriage door.
“R-Reviver, sir.”
When I opened the window only halfway, I could see several people standing there in simple but neat attire.
They were probably the village chief of this place. Or perhaps the manager who administers the city.
They must have been chasing after us until the carriage stopped, then rushed over as soon as we came to a halt. I don’t know how many times I’ve experienced this already.
“You are the Reviver!”
Upon seeing my silver hair and violet eyes, the person clasped both hands together with tears welling up in their eyes.
Somehow, I felt like I knew what words would come next.
“Please allow us to at least serve you a meal!”
Yes, exactly this.
I don’t understand why everyone is so desperate to put something in my mouth.
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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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