I’m a Villain, but I Want to Live a Long Life - Chapter 100

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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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“Oh, right. When you collapsed, you kept calling out some name.”

Evening had fallen, making the surroundings dim.

I sat in front of the campfire lit using Amon’s ability and asked quietly.

The Old Man’s gaze, which had been looking outside the cave, turned toward me.

“Me?”

“Yes. Was it Shalina? Anyway, you seemed to be desperately searching for someone like that.”

The Old Man’s eyes widened slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he smiled bitterly.

“…Oh my, it seems I was looking for Shalina again.”

After muttering briefly, he immediately turned his gaze back outside the cave. I tilted my head.

It might have been my imagination, but I thought I glimpsed sadness in his eyes.

‘It sounded like a woman’s name. Is she his wife?’

Just then, Estelin sneezed softly beside me. Rosette, who had been lying on the ground, sat up.

“What’s wrong, Estelin. Are you cold?”

Estelin sniffled and nodded sheepishly.

“A little. It’s definitely gotten chilly now that evening has come.”

Rosette frowned.

“Hmm, should I make a door or something?”

I looked at Rosette with wide eyes.

‘How is she planning to make a door?’

The place we were in was a large cave formed by two massive rocks fitting together.

Since the interior space was wide, the entrance was also quite large.

Just then, the Old Man muttered while looking out at the distant forest.

“It is quite chilly. The cold seems to have come earlier than usual this year.”

Indeed, the air had been getting progressively colder since the sun began to set.

Especially with the wind hitting us directly from the front, it felt like my nose might start running.

Rosette, who had been nodding, stood up and dusted off her palms.

“I guess it would be better to make a door. We can’t let an injured old man shiver in the cold.”

Estelin’s eyes widened.

“How? The entrance is bigger than I thought… Should we look for some large leaves together?”

Rosette made Estelin, who was trying to get up, sit back down.

Then she walked cheerfully toward the cave entrance.

“Why bother with such trouble. I’m here.”

As Rosette extended her hand, fresh tree branches began sprouting from the cracks in the ground.

“Ooh, plant manipulation.”

The Old Man exclaimed in admiration.

I stared at the scene before me with my mouth agape, unable to look away.

The tree branches that had sprouted like green shoots were gradually growing thicker.

The blue stems turned brown and soon intertwined with each other, growing into sturdy, thick branches.

As I watched the scene with a dazed expression, Rosette asked leisurely.

“How about it? Should I make some pretty flowers bloom too?”

Estelin, who had been half-standing, nodded vigorously.

As Rosette smiled knowingly, dozens of flower buds appeared on the branches.

The vines that began sprouting from the floor as well as the walls had now covered more than half of the cave entrance.

Soon the plump flower buds began blooming one by one.

With each flower that bloomed, both Estelin’s and my mouths opened wider and wider.

What was rapidly decorating the branches were red roses that perfectly resembled Rosette’s hair color.

The flowers that bloomed while wrapping around the sturdy stems each emitted their own light.

Thanks to this, the cave was brightly illuminated in an instant.

The flower buds didn’t stop at just dozens.

“This is impossible…”

Estelin trailed off as she watched the purple lilacs and hyacinths that began blooming next.

She had completely stood up and was staring at the cave wall that had become a field of flowers.

The entire cave was filled with a gentle fragrance.

Even though the flowers covering the entrance blocked out the sun, the cave wasn’t dark at all.

The brilliantly sparkling flowers illuminated the surroundings like lighting.

The display was more magnificent than any noble family’s garden, and everyone’s gazes busily moved from flower to flower.

“This is the first time I’ve seen an incoming student demonstrate this level of ability.”

The Old Man chuckled and muttered.

Estelin jumped up from her seat and shouted in an excited voice.

“Rosette is incredibly hardworking! She trains for hours every day and has developed her ability this much. This is my first time seeing it directly too, my goodness…”

Estelin’s eyes were even glistening with tears. She gazed at the flowers filling the cave and murmured.

“It’s so, so beautiful!”

From red roses to lilacs, to beautifully bloomed lisianthus.

I think this was the first time in my life seeing so many flowers.

As I moved my lips in a daze, Rosette grinned and dusted off her hands.

“I made the entrance here.”

She gently pushed the center of the flower wall with her palm.

The branches moved softly, revealing a small space large enough for one person to pass through.

The scene of sunset light streaming through that gap was unbelievably beautiful.

I smiled admiringly and muttered.

“Why didn’t you show me this sooner?”

Rosette smiled sheepishly.

“It’s nothing that amazing.”

Then Estelin hurriedly approached Rosette and grabbed her hands.

“Not amazing? This was the most wonderful ability I’ve ever seen in my life! My goodness, I had no idea flowering could be this beautiful!”

“No, well… it’s not quite that much.”

Rosette scratched the back of her head while watching Estelin bounce around. I blinked with fresh realization.

I suddenly remembered the day I first met Rosette.

Her appearance that seemed sharp on the outside but somehow precarious. That look had bothered me, so I had extended my hand.

I thought it was indeed good that I had done so.

‘In the original story, both Rosette and I were destined to be executed…’

Who would have thought we’d both be alive like this, coming to take the Academy entrance exam.

I really felt how my efforts had changed the original story’s content.

Moreover, Rosette had developed her ability this much – the ability her parents had ignored and looked down upon.

Making an ability that would have shone anyway even warmer and more beautiful.

‘…She has quite a temper, but she’s really an amazing kid.’

My heart swelled with emotion for no reason.

My feelings seemed to have intensified from witnessing such an unbelievably beautiful sight.

‘In my previous life, I was always alone, but in this world, such an amazing kid is my friend.’

It was at that moment when I was dabbing at my moistened eyes with the back of my hand.

“What’s wrong, Selene? Are you crying?”

Rosette tilted her head and approached me. I shook my head vigorously and opened my eyes wide.

“Wh-what are you talking about? Why would I be crying?”

“What do you mean ‘what’? Your eyes are all moist.”

Rosette held my cheeks with both hands and peered closely into my eyes as she spoke.

“Why are you suddenly crying? Is something wrong?”

I shook my head back and forth.

“It’s not that, it’s just that your ability is so amazing. I felt proud for no reason and it also reminded me of old times…”

But then Estelin’s eyes suddenly started glistening with tears too.

“Selene, what’s wrong with you? Now you’re making me feel strange too!”

Rosette let out a sigh and placed her hands on her hips.

“Why are you guys really acting like this, making me feel embarrassed! If you keep doing that, I don’t know how I’m supposed to react.”

But as I looked at Rosette, I soon opened my eyes wide. Despite her tone, Rosette’s eyes were also slightly moist.

A voice that sounded exasperated came from beside us.

“I really can’t keep up with kids’ emotions at this age.”

The Old Man was gazing at the three of us with a pleased expression.

He added in a playful voice.

“So, should I cry too?”

Rosette burst into laughter and sat down in front of the campfire with Estelin, replying.

“You’re a patient, so don’t cry. You need to save your energy so you can walk a little tomorrow, right?”

The Old Man nodded with a smiling face. He turned his gaze to look at the flowers brightly illuminating the cave wall.

“Blooming, huh. It’s really been a long time since I’ve seen that ability. I’m having all sorts of amazing experiences today. Slipping off a cliff, meeting you guys in the forest.”

I was looking at the blazing campfire when I asked.

“Come to think of it, how did you end up on that cliff? You wouldn’t have needed to patrol all the way up there.”

The Old Man turned his gaze to me and smiled sheepishly.

“Ah, I was looking for something.”

“What were you looking for?”

“A flower I saw before, it seemed to bloom exactly around this time.”

I stared at the Old Man with wide eyes.

When I turned my head, I saw Rosette and Estelin making equally puzzled expressions.

“When the weather is this chilly, do flowers bloom at this time of year? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Right. Where are there flowers that bloom in winter?”

The Old Man answered with a smile.

“They exist. I definitely saw it. That flower was blooming so brightly even in the snow.”

I tilted my head and asked.

“What did it look like?”

“I don’t remember its appearance well. It was a flower I saw by moonlight. Of course, it was also a very long time ago.”

Estelin, who had been listening intently to the Old Man’s words, muttered with sparkling eyes.

“Just hearing about it sounds somehow romantic. Looking for a flower you saw long ago, and Under the Moonlight at that.”

The Old Man nodded with a faint smile.

“Romance… Yes. I suppose it was like that back then. If I had known that those times would never come again, I wouldn’t have just let them slip by.”

It was a voice filled with deep nostalgia. I moved closer to the campfire and asked.

“What do you mean by that? Please tell us in detail.”

The Old Man smiled silently. He broke through the silence that had settled for a moment and opened his mouth.

“I called out Shalina earlier, didn’t I?”

My eyes widened. The Old Man took a short breath with somehow wistful eyes.

Soon the Old Man’s thick eyelashes lowered, creating faint wrinkles beneath his eyes.

He smiled faintly.

“I’m originally someone who’s very shy around strangers.”

“…”

“But when I see kids like you, I feel inexplicably happy and my heart becomes peaceful.”

Rosette, Estelin, and I exchanged glances.

We couldn’t understand what the Old Man was suddenly talking about.

As I tilted my head in confusion, the Old Man’s bitter voice continued.

“When I look at kids like you, I keep thinking of… the daughter I lost when she was young.”

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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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