I’m a Villain, but I Want to Live a Long Life - Chapter 135

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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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Everyone stared wide-eyed at the rectangular afterimage floating in the air.

The light from the magic device gradually became clearer as it slowly came into focus.

Before long, everyone’s eyes in the Grand Council Chamber widened.

In the screen, an unbelievably large number of Dearmants could be seen.

Count Sechille, who couldn’t take his eyes off that scene, whispered to another noble beside him.

“Wait, are Dearmants originally magical beasts that look like that?”

The other person answered in bewilderment.

“I don’t know either. Since they’re magical beasts, I expected them to look quite ferocious…”

“Lords, you mustn’t be fooled by their gentle appearance. Do you know how utterly vicious those magical beasts are?”

Viscount Wheeler, who had been watching their conversation, stepped forward. Count Sechille’s eyes widened.

“Utterly vicious? Have those things appeared in the Empire before?”

“Indeed they have! Though it was long ago. I understand those creatures inhabited the Haren Territory area for several thousand years, then suddenly disappeared about three hundred years ago.”

Count Sechille looked back and forth between the transmission screen floating in the air and Viscount Wheeler with a surprised expression.

“That can’t be… But where on earth do you get such information? This is the first I’m hearing of it.”

Viscount Wheeler whispered.

“Just once before. I had entered the Grand Cathedral, and that’s when I heard about it.”

“At the Grand Cathedral?”

“Yes. There was a statue of that creature in the inner courtyard, so when I asked about it, Cardinal Paul answered me. He said those creatures are extremely terrible and cruel magical beasts.”

Count Sechille unconsciously swallowed his saliva.

Viscount Wheeler’s face became somewhat proud as he continued talking.

“Well, this is something you could easily learn by searching through books a little. It’s not exactly classified information. But strangely, not many people seem to know about it.”

Count Sechille nodded and stared at the screen floating in the air.

The Dearmants visible beyond the magic mirror seemed truly endless in number.

“Isn’t it truly chilling? That creatures with such innocent appearances went around massacring civilians indiscriminately.”

“…They massacre?”

“Yes. They say those creatures can kill humans so easily if they set their minds to it. When they’re in groups, they become especially more violent, and the Cardinal said that if you provoke them wrongly, you won’t even be able to collect the bones.”

“Then, what was the Temple doing while such magical beasts multiplied into such large groups in Haren Territory?”

Viscount Wheeler whispered.

“Well, since those creatures recently began appearing again in Haren Territory, the Cardinal personally sent down a Creda Tree to Rishion.”

“What? A Creda Tree?”

“Yes. Because magical beasts avoid Creda Trees. Since they’re wicked creatures, it’s natural they’d react sensitively to sacred trees.”

Count Sechille nodded.

After hearing the explanation and looking at the magic mirror again, the magical creatures in the form of white deer no longer seemed purely innocent.

Then someone in a corner of the Grand Council Chamber muttered as if they had been waiting.

“This is our chance to wipe out the seed of those magical beasts from the Empire, Your Majesty!”

“That’s right! Today will be the last day for those cruel creatures.”

At the same time, tension began to build in the scene within the magic mirror.

Just then, the screen that had been showing dozens of Dearmants suddenly changed.

“Oh, that is…”

One noble who spotted something in the changed screen pointed his index finger toward the air.

Everyone’s gaze focused on that spot.

The magic mirror was transmitting the image of numerous soldiers in standoff, facing the Dearmants.

Here and there, people wearing Imperial Army uniforms could also be seen. That wasn’t all.

Among the soldiers.

Duke Haren, who hadn’t shown himself for over a decade, and the prisoner Sadina, who had been sentenced to death decades ago but was released when execution was postponed.

Finally, even Duke Tigris could be seen.

They were all remarkable individuals, but the nobles’ gazes weren’t directed at them.

They were looking at an entirely different place.

Within the Dearmant horde.

Separated from the other people, there was someone standing uniquely together with the magical beasts.

It was Selene, Lady Tigris.

“What… are you saying.”

Duke Haren’s complexion turned pale. Professor Sadina stiffened in place with her mouth half open.

I deliberately looked at the magic mirror filming us from above and spoke clearly.

“I said that the Dearmants might not be magical beasts, but sacred sprites.”

Murmuring erupted among the soldiers arranged in horizontal formation.

“Sacred sprites? Dearmants are sacred sprites?”

“Wh-what on earth are you saying, Lady…”

I slowly looked around at the people engulfed in shock.

Among them, only Father and Walter maintained their composure.

A voice rang in my head.

[I didn’t expect it, but I can’t help feeling bitter. They seem to find it quite difficult to believe that we are sacred sprites.]

Kerus’s blue-green eyes gazed emotionlessly toward the human camp. The voices of other Dearmants lined up behind also began to be heard one by one.

[In any case. It’s certain they mistook us for magical beasts.]

[Then all this time, we had to lose dozens of our kind due to such an absurd misunderstanding.]

[I wonder if it’s true that we can get our sacred stones back…]

The Dearmants’ voices were uniformly melancholy.

I clenched my fists under my clothes and raised my previously lowered gaze.

“It may be hard to believe, but it’s all true. Haven’t you found it strange all this time?”

Professor Sadina looked at me with a dazed gaze. Duke Haren couldn’t take his eyes off me.

“I know that you subjugated the adults in advance to set Dearmant subjugation as an entrance exam task.”

Sadina’s pupils dilated. The soldiers watched the Dearmants on my side with serious faces.

“But every time you proceeded with subjugation, the Dearmants never fought back at all. So you must have thought they’d be suitable as a task for prospective students.”

“…”

“Today was the first time Dearmants attacked humans. Isn’t that right?”

Sadina closed her previously open mouth. Large and small murmurs erupted from the group of soldiers.

“Come to think of it, it was strange. Even lowly minor magical beasts fight back when cornered.”

“Those creatures possessed such magical power yet never once counterattacked…”

“Right. Even while subjugating them, I kept thinking whether these really were ancient magical beasts.”

The soldiers’ words were correct.

Even at this very moment, the magical power emanating from the Dearmants was tremendous.

The sky was cloudy and moonlight was almost blocked, yet the forest appeared bright due to the light they emitted.

The soldiers continued murmuring.

“The more I think about it, the stranger it becomes.”

“Exactly. They could have counterattacked as much as they wanted, so why all this time…”

The commotion soon slowly subsided, and silence followed.

Then Duke Haren, who had kept his mouth shut the entire time, spoke.

“Selene.”

I quickly turned my gaze to look at him. Duke Haren was staring at me intently with a quite grave expression.

“This is by no means a light matter. Dearmants being sacred sprites… How could these magical beasts possibly be sacred sprites?”

I could immediately sense the hidden meaning in his words.

‘In a situation where the Temple has already long ago declared Dearmants to be magical beasts, it would be difficult to suddenly correct them as sacred sprites.’

That would be no different from treating the Temple’s certification like a folding screen.

However, if I couldn’t prove this, I wouldn’t have started this matter in the first place.

I took a short deep breath and then answered.

“Your Grace is right. We cannot instantly recognize Dearmants, which have been classified as ancient magical beasts for decades, as sacred sprites.”

“…”

“And we shouldn’t do such a thing either.”

Duke Haren frowned. His expression asked what exactly I wanted then.

I met his gaze directly and continued speaking.

“So, how about we proceed with the verification again? As a public verification.”

Duke Haren’s eyes widened greatly. The people watching the situation did the same.

“In front of His Majesty and the citizens of the Empire. I’m suggesting we verify again whether the Dearmant’s power is closer to divine power or magical power.”

Duke Haren looked at me with a shocked expression.

Verifying the Dearmant’s magical power wasn’t that difficult a task.

It could be done quickly with just specialized personnel and a few materials.

However, the problem was that the Temple’s pride was at stake in this verification.

Proceeding with re-verification when the Dearmant had already been declared a magical beast was tantamount to saying the Temple’s past verification couldn’t be trusted.

Though not as powerful as before, Frater was still the most influential religion within the Empire.

To challenge the verification issued by the Order, we had to present conditions worthy of such a challenge.

I glanced sideways at the magic mirror still recording the situation here and spoke.

“If, even after re-verification, the Dearmant turns out not to be a sacred sprite, I will take full responsibility for the results.”

I looked once toward Father and Walter, then stared directly at the magic mirror and continued with the words I had prepared in advance.

“If the Dearmant is not a sacred sprite, then I will become one who insulted the Temple’s verification with false suspicions.”

I could hear Duke Haren’s sharp intake of breath. The murmuring around us grew louder.

“Then I, Seleneae Tigris, will renounce all inheritance rights to the family’s assets.”

The surroundings erupted into chaos.

“M-My Lady, what are you saying right now…?”

“Renounce inheritance? The, the family inheritance?”

Duke Haren was staring at me with a completely pale face, and Sadina’s eyes had grown so large they looked ready to pop out.

But I didn’t stop there.

“That’s not all. Including the Main Street of the District, the business I’m currently running, and all other assets under my name.”

“…”

“I’ll return everything to the Frater Order as an apology.”

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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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