I’m a Villain, but I Want to Live a Long Life - Chapter 142

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

‘My necklace, you said Miss Anita picked it up?’

The face that had waved the holy relic in front of my eyes was vivid in my mind.

‘Oh my, how did you manage to see and pick up this tiny necklace in that chaotic and dark forest? How curious.’

Even the words she added as if to provoke me.

‘Ah, I just said that because I was so curious. You understand my feelings, right?’

Duke Haren had looked at her meaningfully after hearing that woman’s words.

I was so furious that my fists naturally clenched with force.

‘…I should have confirmed with my own eyes that she died from the demon beasts back then.’

I had no idea what trick she used to handle those horrifying creatures.

‘Do you think I’ll just keep taking this lying down?’

I had no intention of losing to Seleneae Tigris anymore.

‘Who do you think I am.’

Since birth, I had always excelled at everything I did.

‘In every aspect, I’m more valuable than that woman…!’

Anita Solb clenched her fists tightly and her eyes gleamed. Then she quickly slipped out of the back yard of the administration building.

“Good heavens. What is all this?”

Rosette’s mouth fell open when she arrived at the location where the verification ceremony would be held.

“What happened in just a few days…”

The jurisdiction forest.

In the relatively flat area with fewer trees, dozens of people were moving about busily.

A huge, thick teal cloth was spread across the wide lawn, with luxurious chairs arranged in rows on top of it.

That wasn’t all.

Magic mirrors installed everywhere and imperial palace flags fluttering from every tree.

The scene where the verification ceremony would be held looked as if a palace had been transplanted directly into the forest.

“What’s with all this fuss? You just need to bring one Dearmant and extract its magic power for verification!”

Rosette sighed as if exasperated. I smiled slightly and answered.

“It’s because the Empress is included in the list of observers.”

Rosette’s eyes widened.

For such important verification ceremonies, an observer panel usually consisting of several people would be deployed.

This was to ensure the verification process was transparent.

However, in no previous verification ceremony had the Empress ever been deployed as an observer.

‘The Emperor’s intentions are truly unpredictable.’

But I soon nodded inwardly.

Regardless of the process.

This verification was being held again to confirm whether there were errors in the temple’s judgment.

So it wasn’t strange that the observer panel would be composed more strictly than usual.

‘The verification team too.’

The Emperor sent twenty appraisers to the academy for this verification.

He completely excluded the priests and composed the verification team solely of appraisers.

This was unusual since verification teams for such ceremonies were typically handled by priests.

‘It was quite an exceptional composition, so I was puzzled at first, but…’

As it turned out, there was a reason for this.

I recalled the story Walter had told me.

‘The Emperor and the religious order clashed over holding the verification ceremony. But the order was so stubborn that the Emperor eventually showed his anger.’

The Frater religious order must have known that Dearmant was a holy beast.

‘That’s why they opposed holding the verification ceremony again.’

If the verification ceremony were held again, their false testimony given to keep Fluma in check would be overturned.

Then the order’s reputation would be tarnished, and Fluma’s holy beast Dearmant would be revealed to the world.

‘To prevent that, they even rebelled against the Emperor and opposed holding the verification, but…’

The verification was forced through. The temple only earned the Emperor’s hatred.

I looked around at the people moving busily.

With the situation having reached this point, interest in this verification had already grown beyond control.

Everyone was curious about what exactly Dearmant was that made the temple struggle so desperately.

Then I heard Estelin’s voice beside me.

“Come to think of it, I heard Prince Xenon is also coming to the academy.”

“Prince Xenon? Then the prince is included in the observer panel too?”

Prince Xenon Albertein Ervia.

About to turn nine, he was the Emperor’s only son and the sole heir of the current imperial family.

If he really attended the verification ceremony, it would be the first time seeing him since briefly glimpsing him at the thanksgiving festival.

‘Even though he had the black hair and golden eyes that are characteristic of the imperial family, he felt quite different from Rubel.’

Prince Xenon had a youthful face, but often made expressions unbefitting a child.

That had left an impression, so I remembered observing the prince closely during the thanksgiving festival.

Rosette nodded.

“I see. That’s why they’re preparing to this extent.”

Then she turned her gaze to look at me.

“…By the way. How are you feeling? You have to testify later.”

I shrugged and smiled sheepishly.

“I feel good after resting well for a few days.”

Rosette looked skeptical but soon nodded.

What I said about feeling light was true.

The content of my testimony was already completely organized in my head.

The only problem was…

I quietly felt the energy of the pendant dangling under my clothes. There were no voices to be heard.

‘…I have so many things I want to ask.’

The problem was that no matter how hard I tried, Adam and Amon wouldn’t show themselves.

The verification began.

It was the largest-scale verification ceremony in the long history of the Empire, unprecedented in its grandeur.

There were twenty appraisers in total to verify Dearmant’s energy.

All were researchers belonging to the imperial palace, personally selected by the Emperor, not affiliated with the temple.

That wasn’t all.

The observer panel that would witness the verification ceremony consisted of fifteen people in total.

Considering that typical observer panels consisted of about three or four people, this was truly a tremendous scale.

And two members of the imperial family were included among them.

The Empress and the Prince, no less.

Michael frowned, lost in deep thought.

‘This means the imperial family has tremendous interest in this verification.’

He was sitting in a chair relatively close to the platform where the verification ceremony would take place.

Behind him sat twenty high priests from the temple. Their expressions were uniformly gloomy.

Sure enough, sighing sounds soon came from behind.

“To think His Majesty would turn his back on the religious order like this…”

“Truly, I have no face to show before God. What is the country coming to…”

Michael pretended not to hear and fixed his gaze forward.

Suddenly, he recalled what had happened just before departing for this place.

Cardinal Paul’s face, who had engaged in heated arguments with the Emperor for three days, remained flushed red and blue even until the moment Michael left the Grand Cathedral.

It seemed he had tried desperately to prevent the verification assembly from taking place, but such a thing was impossible from the start.

Michael silently turned his gaze to observe Lady Tigris, who was seated a short distance away.

‘Truly a clever one.’

He could give no other assessment than that.

‘…And a mysterious one.’

Cardinal Michael clearly remembered how she had freely commanded Pinchel, the Temple’s sacred beast, during the last harvest festival.

When asked why she could handle the sacred beast, she had spouted nonsense.

Something about helping an injured Pinchel, or that Pinchel had followed her well from the beginning.

It was absurd. But he had no choice but to believe those words.

There was no other way to explain that incident besides the Lady’s testimony.

Michael furrowed his brow and fell deep into thought.

‘I need to verify whether the Lady’s magical power might be divine power, however.’

Even if the Lady’s mana was determined to be divine power, it wouldn’t solve all the mysteries.

There were many in the Temple who possessed high-purity divine power. He himself was the same.

But sacred beasts never followed them.

‘The Lady is different from others. She possesses something special that only she has.’

Then there remained only one theory.

The one he had already suspected during the last harvest festival.

That the Lady might perhaps be connected to the folklore of an indigenous faith whose related materials had now been almost entirely lost.

Before the Empire’s founding.

Among the tribal nations of the continent, there was an indigenous faith that had flourished quite extensively at the time.

The priests who served that indigenous god were said to have mysteriously handled sacred beasts with complete freedom.

This was a story passed down through folklore and several records, but currently most of the relevant documents had been lost.

At that time, Michael had devoted himself to investigation for a while to discover related information.

In the end, he had even examined materials dealing with the ancient Sorad tribal people, but there was no particular harvest.

‘If only I could know what that religion worshipped, or who those who followed it were, it would be more than satisfactory.’

For now, there was no method, which was frustrating.

It was the moment when he found himself unconsciously staring intently at Lady Tigris.

“Greetings to all. It has been quite a long time.”

A deep voice resonated through the amplification magical device.

Everyone, including Michael, turned their gaze toward the dais.

Duke Haren, his hair neatly combed back, was looking down at them while dressed in Rishion’s uniform.

At the sight of him after so long, people whispered among themselves and focused their attention.

Duke Haren coughed awkwardly, then immediately began speaking.

“As you know, this gathering today was convened to verify the magical power of the Diermant residing in the forest under the Academy’s jurisdiction.”

The murmuring sounds slowly subsided. People held their breath and stared at Duke Haren.

“Before we begin, I must convey my deep gratitude to His Majesty the Emperor for assembling such a luxurious verification panel.”

At those words, the magical mirrors installed throughout the area emitted red light and clearly illuminated Duke Haren.

“Glory to the great Imperial House and the sole sun that leads the Empire.”

Duke Haren spoke respectfully with a brief bow toward the largest and brightest magical mirror among them.

The situation here was being broadcast throughout the entire Empire.

This meant that the Emperor was also watching the verification assembly from the capital.

Having finished his bow, Duke Haren now turned his gaze to the Imperial Palace Pavilion at a fairly close distance.

“I express my deepest gratitude for gracing this distant place with your presence, Your Majesty the Empress. And Your Highness the Prince.”

Below the pavilion.

Grace, who was seated leaning back in a luxurious chair, nodded with a gentle smile.

Beside her sat Prince Xenon, who had grown considerably taller in just a few months.

Then. Michael, who was watching them, tilted his head slightly.

Prince Xenon had his gaze fixed toward the seats where the attendees were sitting.

His vivid golden eyes sparkled clearly visible even from a distance.

‘Who exactly is he looking at?’

And with such a strange expression at that.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————