I’m a Villain, but I Want to Live a Long Life - Chapter 151

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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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“You absolutely cannot enroll in Rishion. If you want to study academics and abilities at an academy, you’d be better off going to another country…”

“No, it has to be Rishion.”

Luke Hallen closed his mouth.

By now he could tell. The fact that Rubel would never back down.

“I’m not saying I’ll immediately dig into my parents’ deaths.”

“…”

“I have no intention of going before the Emperor and demanding he produce their coffins.”

Luke Hallen’s hands trembled briefly. It was from instinctive fear. But Rubel was utterly calm.

“However, I’ve determined that I need to be prepared for that possibility at any time.”

“Prepared?”

“Grandfather. Are you certain that hiding my identity will keep me safe?”

Rubel looked directly at Duke Hallen.

“I will never be completely safe. The moment I show even the slightest opening, I’ll surely become a target again.”

“…But Rubel, to the world you’re already dead. If you just keep hiding your identity well…”

“No. Those who were involved in the past conspiracy will know.”

Rubel lowered his gaze briefly before continuing calmly.

“That I didn’t die and am still alive.”

Duke Hallen’s face stiffened with a start. He quietly stared at Rubel before finally hanging his head.

Rubel was right.

During the Former Emperor’s reign, there were many suspicious deaths of unknown cause.

If someone really had killed the Former Emperor then, and eliminated Sharlina, who was the Former Empress, disguising it as suicide.

‘They would also know that the Former Empress smuggled the Prince out of the palace.’

They were probably lying low because they didn’t know specifically where or how the Prince had escaped.

While he was thinking this, Rubel’s voice reached him.

“By hiding my eye color and creating a new identity as Prince Hallen, I could live safely for a few years.”

“…”

“But the threat won’t completely disappear. You know this too, don’t you, Grandfather? That this peace is nothing more than temporary deception.”

Duke Hallen maintained his silence. Rubel continued.

“The problem is that when that peace is broken, it won’t be just you and me who face ruin.”

Silence fell over the study. Duke Hallen nodded faintly.

“…Yes. You and I, Rishion and the countless people who work at Rishion. And even the Tigris Family would be in danger.”

“That’s exactly why, Grandfather.”

Duke Hallen finally let out a short breath and looked at Rubel.

“What specifically do you want to do?”

Rubel answered without even a second’s hesitation.

“I want to train my abilities at Rishion too.”

“Train your abilities.”

He already knew about Rubel’s ability from Aleon. The child was born with the founding Emperor’s ability.

How even his ability was of no help in hiding his identity – it had seemed hopeless at first.

But still. Rishion would certainly be able to refine and develop Rubel’s ability.

Abilities were fundamentally powers that began with manipulating mana.

And Rubel already possessed abundant and powerful mana, befitting the son of the previous Emperor.

If he could meet excellent teachers here and learn how to use mana more efficiently,

then transforming or developing his ability afterward would be easy.

“The same goes for swordsmanship.”

“…”

“I haven’t been negligent in my training. But it’s still insufficient. Please assign me a teacher for that as well.”

There was no hesitation in Rubel’s voice. As if he had prepared this beforehand.

Duke Hallen chuckled as if he had no choice.

“…You’re stubborn.”

Had Sharlina also had such a stubborn side like this child?

If so, then Sharlina must have taken after Riana, not him.

Unlike himself, who had lived by compromising with reality and sometimes submitting, Riana had always been strong.

Like Rubel now.

‘If only just once…’

It would have been good if both Riana and Sharlina had lived to see this child like this.

Duke Hallen smiled bitterly and said.

“…I’ll find you a swordsmanship teacher. I’ll tell Sadina to arrange ability training at Rishion. However, let’s proceed as discreetly as possible.”

“Thank you, Grandfather.”

Duke Hallen nodded as he watched Rubel bow respectfully.

But he could never completely shake off his uneasy feelings.

The decision he had just made was tantamount to allowing Rubel’s identity to be revealed.

‘But this is Rubel’s will.’

Then there wasn’t much he could do.

Just in case, as Rubel said, danger came in the future.

All he could do was help Rubel develop the strength to overcome it.

Duke Hallen looked at Rubel quietly with complicated feelings.

He couldn’t know what had made Rubel come to this decision.

“I won’t forget, Grandfather.”

Rubel spoke once more and bowed his head briefly. Duke Hallen watched him silently for a long while.

“Got it!”

Martina smiled brightly as she picked up the green sphere that had rolled toward her.

For someone who had just torn apart an artifact with her bare hands, she had a cheerful expression.

“So we’ve disabled all 20 low-grade ones now?”

Estelin asked with an excited voice.

Rosette nodded as she retracted the tree branches that had been wrapped around the artifact.

“Yeah, we’re done with low-grade. Should we move on to intermediate now?”

I answered calmly.

“Yes. Let’s go to intermediate. The faster the better.”

Just as everyone was about to move quickly.

The green sphere Martina was holding emitted a faint light, then decomposed and scattered into the air.

Ding-

At the same time, the flashing numbers on the ceiling were updated.

3rd Division Group 2 (Seleneae Tigris) – 1000 points

We had just finished disabling all 20 artifacts worth 50 points each. The total points accumulated so far was one thousand.

It was equivalent to one supreme-grade artifact.

“Being low-grade makes them easy.”

“That’s right. Since Rosette blocks the sensors, no mana spheres come out either.”

Verain and Estelin exchanged conversation with excited voices.

As they said, the difficulty of disabling low-grade artifacts was easy.

It was because the principle of how artifacts operated was simple to begin with.

‘I had no idea that “disabling” meant breaking them.’

When the front sensor detected movement, condensed mana spheres would be fired from the outlets.

We first blocked the artifact’s sensors with Rosette’s ability.

Then it was Martina’s turn.

Martina simply smashed the artifact’s body, which was made of soft material.

Then we could extract the green sphere that counted points from inside.

“It’s fortunate that Martina’s ability is superhuman strength.”

When I said this in passing, Martina smiled shyly.

“It’s a common ability… but I’m glad it was helpful!”

The atmosphere was warm. We exchanged various conversations as we headed toward the space with the intermediate artifacts.

The interior of the examination hall was complex like a maze, but it was fine.

Verain was surprisingly good at finding the way.

She quickly figured out which direction to go even at unfamiliar intersections.

‘She memorized all those complex paths in the Academy forest too, what an amazing sense.’

I was inwardly admiring this when a voice came from ahead.

“Found it! Come this way, everyone!”

Following Verain’s gesture, we arrived at the place where we first started the test.

The room with four doors.

Updated scores were still twinkling on the ceiling.

“So this time we’re going intermediate?”

Verain pointed to the door with the blue sign and asked. And when everyone nodded, she grabbed the handle and turned it without hesitation.

Another unfamiliar space unfolded before our eyes.

Janet, who had been concentrating as if trying to listen to surrounding sounds, spoke.

“For now, Anita’s group isn’t here either.”

Estelin answered with a surprised tone.

“Oh my, they really must have gone to disable the highest grade first.”

“That’s right. Of course, I provoked them aiming for that, but I can’t believe such a simple method actually worked…”

“Well, considering Anita’s personality, it makes sense.”

Verain and Rosette clicked their tongues. I looked around the interior of the examination hall and said.

“Well, whatever the case, our goal is to monopolize the rest while they’re tied up with the highest grade artifacts. Let’s move quickly.”

My teammates nodded with enthusiastic faces.

We entered following the connected pathway.

As we turned the corner, an intermediate artifact that was slightly larger than the basic artifacts immediately appeared.

“There don’t seem to be any visible sensors. What principle does it operate on?”

“Shouldn’t we first figure out what kind of device it has?”

I looked at my teammates and smiled slightly to myself.

At first, as soon as I explained the operating principle of basic artifacts, my teammates each quickly grasped the situation.

Then later, they found ways to disable them on their own without me having to step forward. Just like now.

“Maybe it only reacts when you enter within a certain distance?”

At Estelin’s words, Rosette quickly created something. It was a ball mixed with green and brown, as if something had been condensed.

“We can check and see.”

Rosette threw that ball toward the artifact.

With a bang, blue energy rippled greatly around the artifact.

“Right! It seems to be a method that attacks when you enter within a certain distance.”

“The power itself seems to be just slightly stronger than basic grade?”

“Yeah. But since we can’t get close, it’ll be difficult for Martina to step forward.”

Rosette made a groaning sound and looked at me.

“Selene, can you do it?”

I readily nodded.

Among us, I was the only one who could launch long-range attacks.

“I’ll give it a try.”

After saying that, I took a short deep breath. As I concentrated, I could feel mana gathering at my fingertips.

After the relic had fully absorbed Estelin’s divine power, I had been handling Adam and Amon’s abilities relatively freely.

‘Before, it felt like I had no control at all, but is this also thanks to Estelin’s divine power?’

Once again admiring the original female protagonist’s abilities, I controlled my mana exactly the same way I had when disabling several basic artifacts.

Then a fireball of appropriate size appeared above my palm.

And after aiming the direction, I launched it toward the artifact.

The sphere was slow but had tremendous power.

As soon as the fireball touched the artifact, a bang echoed in my ears.

Black smoke billowed up from the artifact.

“Did it work?”

Rosette asked in a tense voice.

As the smoke cleared, the half-distorted form of the artifact was revealed.

Soon a blue sphere rolled and fell from somewhere within the hazy smoke.

“Wow! Amazing, Miss Selene!”

Verain jumped up from her spot with an excited face. Janet was the same.

“W-we can disable other artifacts the same way!”

I smiled awkwardly, then quickly moved deeper inside with my teammates.

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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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