For the Young Villain’s Happy Ending - Chapter 86

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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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Chapter 86

A beast’s tremendous roar shook the Emperor’s Palace.
The cry of a tiger. Though surely no tiger had entered the Imperial Palace.
Kevenriak lifted his head.

“…Ban.”

The ceiling he gazed upon trembled in rhythm with the cry.

Thump, thump.
His heart still pounded heavily, warning of danger, yet the Emperor’s eyes were hollow.
Only his hand responded to that warning, clutching Raina Hart’s letter.
Kevenriak teleported instantly to the corridor where his chamber lay.

Grrrrr—!
Ban’s wail poured forth from the wide-open doorway.
A sound that pierced through every fiber of his being, rendering movement impossible. The people within and around the Emperor’s Palace were too consumed by terror to do anything but hide.
Yet it was a pitiful, anguished cry.
This was only the second time he had uttered such a sound—the first being that day when he faced his Master’s corpse.
Perhaps that was why.

….

Standing in the corridor, Kevenriak could not bring himself to step forward.
It felt as though something terrible awaited within.
Just as Raina Hart had lain that day, collapsed in a pool of blood.

‘Run, Kevenriak.’

His terrified unconscious whispered.
If he looked inside, everything they had desperately held back would crumble.

‘You must not feel.’

Did I not kill Raina because I yearned for my Master?
I had to abandon the emotions that killed Raina.
But whenever I feel joy, Raina comes to mind.
Whenever I feel sorrow, Raina comes to mind.
And so, at some point, I found myself loving Raina again.
Only by discarding every emotion can I keep my feelings for her from surfacing.
So I must become empty.

“….”

In that moment, Kevenriak walked toward the open door as though entranced.
Ban, who had just stepped into the corridor, spotted him and contorted her face.
She rushed toward him and seized his shoulder.

“Emperor! Did you know? That woman…!”
“Let go.”

Sensing something amiss, Ban hesitated and released her grip on Kevenriak’s shoulder.
As he stood before the wide-open door, the interior of the Emperor’s Chamber came into view.
Bright sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the living space.
The entire Emperor’s Chamber was divided into sections, each piled high with gifts.
Thirteen in total—the number of disciples Raina Hart had taken in.

“….”

Kevenriak walked toward the pile in the very center.
Within it lay an object that gleamed as it reflected the sunlight.
It was vivid in his memory.

“Raina, what is that?”
“It’s a cube infused with Keri’s magic. This way, I can keep it and admire it forever.”
“Oh, no! Raina. It’s not worth keeping…!”
“My goodness. Is my disciple thinking of stealing his Master’s treasure?”
“N-no, that’s not it….”
“I’m relieved you weren’t thinking that way. This treasure is something I have no intention of giving to anyone.”

Raina Hart had said this to me with a playful laugh when I was eight years old.
Cubes containing the clumsy first spells of a First Circle mage.
Beyond that, my first written words, my first folded paper airplane….
Even trivial things I could no longer remember. Raina Hart had been collecting my growth.
Kevenriak’s gaze fell upon a basket overflowing with white wildflowers.
It was the first gift he had ever given to Raina Hart.
White flowers that bloomed only in the back garden of the Fourth Prince’s Separate Palace each early winter.
Flowers that could never be obtained in late summer like now.

“Why don’t they wilt, you ask? Because I’ve cast a spell on them. So they’ll never wilt.”

Just as Raina Hart had said, the flowers bloomed exactly as they had then.

….
“My Master’s treasure was in that woman’s possession.”

Ban, who had entered the chamber, wept as she faced the Emperor’s silent, motionless back.
Around him were collections of growth from other disciples, including Kin, in addition to Kevenriak.
And before thirteen stacks, letters from Raina Hart left for each of her disciples.
Just moments ago, Ban had read the letter left for her and could not contain her sorrow.
The hand holding the letter was the same hand that had pressed down on Raina Hart and threatened her yesterday.

“I failed to recognize my Master even when she was right before my eyes!”

A cry mixed with anguish burst forth.
Every word and action she had directed at her yesterday now filled her with unbearable regret.
The letter said it was fine, but her heart could not accept it.

“Emperor! Say something!”

Ban cried out toward the Emperor. She resented his silence.
Had the Emperor known? That that woman was my Master.
If only you had known.

“I should never have let my Master leave…!”

The woman carrying my Master’s soul had departed from the Imperial Palace.
Ban, who had been pouring out her feelings, froze in place.
The moment she witnessed the Emperor’s actions before her, she could say nothing to him.

You didn’t know either.
Ban murmured in a daze.

“How could you not know….”

The Emperor cried out before the traces of his Master.

***

“Vivian.”
“….”
“Vivian.”
“Oh, yes. You called? Nox?”

I tore my gaze from the carriage window as it raced along the Mountain Road and looked ahead.

“I called several times.”

The silver-haired handsome man sitting across from me.
At first glance, he looked like the male lead from a novel.
Tiernan Fargan was watching me with worried green eyes.

“You keep staring out the window. Are you still worried about your acquaintances at the Imperial Palace?”

I nodded with a bitter smile.

“Yes.”

This morning at dawn.
I was finishing the final letter when I returned to my room.
Person knocked on my door.

“You have a visitor.”

Two people appeared behind Person as he opened the door.
It was Tiernan Fargan and Director Daisy.
Tiernan Fargan, having seen the flag hanging on the City Walls, had come to the Imperial Palace with Maverick.

“Nox, you came quickly.”
“A flag was suddenly raised at night, so I thought it might be urgent.”

Maverick, dressed as a Director, yawned repeatedly beneath his tousled hair.
The customer-exclusive call bell that had been given to Tiernan rang from early dawn.
As a result, his sleep time fell short by four hours compared to usual.

“Our Detective Agency operates year-round, but you should at least respect our right to sleep….”
“Vivian, did I come too early?”
“No. You came at just the right time.”

Raina Hart sealed the letter and placed it on the desk along with the bracelet she had already unlocked.
Then the three of them left the Imperial Palace through Maverick’s teleportation.
Since they had to travel to a region several cities away from Jenia, Maverick had to expend a considerable amount of mana four times in succession.

“With this, the contract is complete. Thank you for using our services, customer.”

Maverick, now visibly gaunt, burned the contract with Tiernan.
After fulfilling the contract, it was the final step according to the confidentiality oath.
Maverick returned without hesitation to his bed at the Marquis Residence.
Tiernan entered a nearby farmhouse and soon returned with a carriage.
The fact that he had secured a means of transportation before dawn suggested it was an area connected to the Rebel Forces.

“Where are we going now?”

Tiernan’s neck flushed as he asked about Raina Hart’s destination.
It seemed he had indeed lost his heart to Vivian, the original female protagonist.

“Can I go with you?”

Upon hearing those words, Tiernan was startled himself, then hesitated before nodding.
Perhaps it was because he was hiding his true identity.
I felt uneasy about not asking Vivian’s opinion and simply following Tiernan.
Returning to Asperada Duke’s Castle was not a favorable option for her.
The Duke would continue to use Vivian as his political tool.
As for Simona Asperada….
Raina Hart turned her gaze back to the window.
The carriage had already entered deep into the mountains.

‘There’s something dangerous about Simona.’

The sachet in the Escape Tunnel. The timing of her illness coinciding with when I died.
They weren’t conclusive evidence, but my instincts screamed danger.
I’d already handed over all the information I’d gathered about the suspect to Person, so I could only hope that Kevenriak’s faction wouldn’t fall victim to the mastermind.

“Keri, I hope you’ll live. It’s my teacher’s final wish.”

I recalled the words from the letter I’d left for Kevenriak.

‘A final wish, no less. I used a rather underhanded method, though.’

I’d left everything I could for Kevenriak and my disciples.
I could only hope it would bring them some measure of comfort.

“…Nox.”

My gaze fixed on the window, I suddenly widened my eyes in alarm.
I called out to Tiernan, who sat across from me.

“…Vivian, duck!”

Hearing the ominous sound at that very moment, Tiernan wrapped his arm around Vivian’s head and pulled her down.
Whoosh—! Thud! Whinny!
The horse reared up in fright at the sudden arrow, and the carriage lurched violently.

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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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