I’m a Villain, but I Want to Live a Long Life - Chapter 104
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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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“What’s so great about it anyway? Obviously she must have taken some strange drug like those tears or whatever. Does it even make sense for an unmarried lady past adolescence who’s never manifested abilities to suddenly develop two abilities in such a short time?”
Joseph awkwardly nodded his head.
“That’s right. I heard that drinking God’s tears makes abilities tremendously powerful. Maybe it’s even possible to create abilities that never existed before. But that’s just a trick after all.”
The other group members also nodded one by one.
“R-right. I think so too.”
However, Hanod remained silent with a strange expression. Anita, who glanced at him, asked as if urging him.
“Right, Hanod? You should really compete with your own abilities. Using false power by abusing such drugs is unfair.”
Hanod shrugged his shoulders.
“She didn’t seem to have used any drugs though.”
“…What?”
“Didn’t you see the Lady’s eyes?”
Hanod laughed as if amused.
“I really like that Lady. Her reaction speed was amazing. Her angry face was interesting too.”
He slightly frowned and added.
“…Well, I couldn’t understand why she smiled at the salon attendant though.”
Anita blinked rapidly. Her brow was deeply furrowed without her realizing it.
She couldn’t understand Hanod’s attitude of defending Seleneae Tigris.
But then.
“…So, I’m thinking of proposing a marriage arrangement to House of Tigris soon. What do you think, Anita?”
The group members’ eyes widened. Anita stiffened in her seat.
Hanod continued languidly.
“Wouldn’t it be interesting if such a woman became queen later? You know me well, so you can probably guess.”
Hanod’s purple eyes sparkled with anticipation. Anita stared at Hanod with a dumbfounded face before barely parting her lips.
“W-well. That doesn’t seem like… a very good idea.”
Hanod tilted his head.
“Really? Why? I thought the Lady would suit me well. Don’t you think so?”
Anita avoided Hanod’s gaze and stammered.
“R-rather than that, your marriage proposal is a national celebration… Shouldn’t you think about it a bit more carefully…? You should see if she’s really compatible with you…”
“…”
“…And wouldn’t someone you’ve known for a long time be better than a Lady you just met recently… I think.”
Hanod’s expression brightened.
“I suppose that’s true? As expected, you’re wise, Anita. Good, once the entrance ceremony is over, I should formally invite the Lady. We’ll need to spend a lot of time together first to get to know each other.”
“…You’re going to formally invite her?”
“Yes. Oh, it wouldn’t be bad to make the Lady my partner at the freshman welcome party either.”
Anita closed her mouth. Hanod looked around with a satisfied face.
He could see other groups scattered around their central position.
Several groups had already given up on the exam and were boarding carriages back to the Empire.
Yeongshik, who had collapsed from Joseph’s poison on the first day, also left the Garden without lasting even a full day.
Anita was pleased that they had reduced the competition, and the other group members felt the same way.
However, Hanod, who had been scanning the Garden with a puzzled look, tilted his head.
“Come to think of it, the Lady is nowhere to be seen. Estelin Laurence and that noisy red-haired woman have disappeared together too.”
At those words, Anita’s complexion, who had been keeping her mouth tightly shut while thinking about something, brightened slightly.
“Maybe… they gave up?”
Hanod turned his head.
“Are you saying the Lady ran away?”
Anita nodded vigorously.
“Yes! Think about it, what happened yesterday!”
“Hmm…”
“Wasn’t the situation a bit brutal? Everyone was using their abilities and it was complete chaos.”
She was right.
Throughout last night, the Garden was no different from a battlefield. Students’ screams echoed everywhere, and there were places where bloodshed occurred.
Students with healing abilities collapsed from mana exhaustion after overusing their powers and had to be carried away.
“After faking abilities with those strange drugs, she must have been scared seeing real strong people fighting! She definitely ran away.”
A group member nearby tilted their head.
“Then does that mean Estelin Laurence gave up together with her? That’s strange. She was considered the biggest prospect of this class, so there’s no way she would have run away so anticlimactically…”
Anita interrupted with an excited voice.
“Estelin is famous for being mentally and physically weak. She has such a tender heart that she can’t even kill a single bug. So she must have been overwhelmed and frightened by yesterday’s brutal battle scene.”
“I-is that so…?”
“Of course! And who was the other one, Rosette? That person is obviously just an unremarkable lady from House of Grimaldi.”
The group members reluctantly nodded.
Only Hanod continued to scan the Garden thoroughly with puzzled eyes.
“We’re in trouble—!”
While making a fuss, I accidentally hit Rosette’s arm, causing the note to flutter down to the ground.
Estelin picked up the note again in shock.
“What do you mean trouble? No, more than that, this…!”
Rosette, who silently met eyes with Estelin, trembled her lips.
“I-i-it’s the exam question, right?”
I nodded vigorously. The note that Duke Haren had handed over and left contained several very concise and short sentences.
Rishion entrance exam assignment for preliminary class 497.
‘Diermant’
-S.
I was excitedly stomping my feet when suddenly Rosette shook her head vigorously.
“No, no! Where’s the guarantee that this is real? It’s definitely a trap. If we carelessly believe this and end up ruining the exam instead…”
“But the person who gave this was Duke Haren! The chancellor of Rishion!”
At Estelin’s exclamation, Rosette closed her mouth. I also chimed in with a bright face.
“Did you forget what the Duke said? He definitely said ‘Who would have thought I’d end up overlooking Sadina’s mischief.’ Look, the initial written below is S too. It must be Professor Sadina’s initial!”
Considering that Sadina was a legendary lunatic in the original work, this wasn’t even that strange.
Rosette, who had been trembling, finally gripped the note tightly and sobbed.
“Then… We really got the exam question? That exam question that no one else knows?”
“Yes, that’s what I’m saying!”
We held each other’s hands and jumped up and down in place. Estelin exclaimed with a happy face.
“I thought this exam would be a treasure hunt! But I guess not. Diermant!”
Rosette also came forward with an extremely excited voice.
“Exactly! I thought it would be mock combat! But what is Diermant?”
I stopped jumping and tilted my head.
Diermant.
It seemed like I had heard it somewhere before, but I couldn’t remember where I had heard this name.
“…I’m sure I heard this name before.”
“Me too. It sounds familiar somehow.”
“Diermant, Diermant…”
We were all squinting and frowning when.
[Diermant? Did you just say Diermant?]
Suddenly Amon appeared, making me step back in surprise.
Rosette and Estelin looked at me as if asking what was wrong, but I pretended to cough as if something went down the wrong way and put on a nonchalant expression.
Amon shouted angrily in the air.
[Where is Diermant! I’ll make that crazy beast taste bitterness this time for sure!]
I frowned. A muttered comment reflexively slipped out.
“Crazy beast?”
Rosette suddenly lifted her head and clapped her hands.
“That’s right! Speaking of beasts, I remember! What Diermant is!”
As I stared at Rosette with wide eyes, she continued with a brightened face.
“That thing is an animal-type magical beast!”
At the same time, Amon roared menacingly.
[Damn horned bastards! Those guys have been unlucky since ancient times!]
‘Horned bastards, huh.’
I was blinking in confusion when Adam appeared this time.
[Child, you must understand. Amon was badly beaten by Diermant a very long time ago…]
[Beaten? That was a duel! A very highly skilled one at that!]
Adam gazed at Amon with a subtle smile.
[Oh my, Amon. I know it’s embarrassing, but speak truthfully. A duel? Anyone could see it was a situation where you were getting one-sidedly beaten…]
But Adam soon had to shut his mouth. Amon had rushed at him with an enraged expression.
I was frozen with a dumbfounded face watching the two when Rosette muttered.
“But why suddenly Diermant? It’s way too unfamiliar. In the first place, Diermant should be a reclusive magical beast that rarely shows itself.”
Adam, who had hidden behind my back, nodded his head. He whispered something in my ear.
After hearing that story to the end, I looked at Estelin and Rosette and said.
“These days they only show themselves when the dark energy is at its strongest?”
Estelin tilted her head.
“Huh? Who does?”
I blinked blankly for a moment then hurriedly added.
“Ah, a book. I saw it in a book. I once thoroughly read a book about rare magical beasts.”
Estelin made an “Ahh—” sound.
“I see. When the dark energy is strong… that would probably mean the day when the second moon rises, right?”
Rosette nodded beside her.
The moon called the ‘second moon’ was a rare moon that rose only 8 times a year, and the second moon that rose at the end of the year was the largest and brightest.
I said carefully.
“I think that’s right. There aren’t many other days you could call having strong dark energy.”
“Then it’s tomorrow night.”
At Estelin’s serious voice, I opened my eyes wide.
“Tomorrow… wait, the exam is also tomorrow.”
The three of us exchanged glances and nodded. Rosette muttered in a serious voice.
“It’s certain that the exam is related to Diermant. But why Diermant of all those countless magical beasts? It’s a rare magical beast with way too little information available.”
Then Adam poked his head out above Rosette’s head.
[Child, shall I give you some information?]
Glancing at him, I naturally turned to Rosette and Estelin and said.
“Um… I’m going to get some fresh air for a bit. I feel like some thought is about to come to me.”
Rosette nodded. Estelin was absorbed in pondering something.
I hurriedly rushed out of the cave and hid behind a rock not far away.
And I whispered quietly to Adam who had followed me.
“What is it? Tell me right now.”
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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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