I’m a Villain, but I Want to Live a Long Life - Chapter 183
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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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“Are you surprised?”
Princess Anetresha smiled.
“I had a feeling, but it seems you knew we would attack after all? Judging by how you had several of these little rats hidden away.”
With those words, Roen, beaten to a pulp, collapsed to the ground.
Hanod’s expression hardened.
“Your Highness…”
Roen’s face was completely swollen, with only one eye barely open.
Around him, several of Hanod’s other subordinates lay scattered.
As Hanod clenched his fists, Princess Anetresha covered her mouth and laughed.
“Oh my, how frightening.”
Then she curved her eyes into crescents.
“So why did you drag things out for so long? Hiding in Rishion for two whole years…”
“…”
“If you had just died earlier, none of this would have happened.”
Hanod, who had been maintaining his silence, opened his mouth.
“You’re still the same, smiling while turning people’s stomachs inside out, Aunt.”
“You flatter me.”
“But didn’t you plan your strategy wrong?”
Princess Anetresha raised one eyebrow slightly.
Hanod leisurely glanced at the soldiers surrounding him.
“All you prepared were palace archers… Do you really think you can kill me with arrows? You seem to have forgotten what my ability is.”
Anetresha’s brow furrowed.
However, she soon burst into loud laughter.
“Ha, haha. I wondered what our dear nephew was talking about, so that was it.”
She looked back at the archers and the captain of the knights positioned behind her.
“Yes, that’s right. The royal descendant’s ability is quite troublesome, so I had many concerns.”
“…”
“Telekinesis, no less. You can easily deflect arrows, and you’re much more advantageous in close combat too.”
“…”
“So I thought about hiring manifesters with similar level abilities, but I found it quite inconvenient. After all, I’d have to kill them all once the job was done, and the personnel loss would be considerable.”
The princess chuckled and added.
“Besides, that’s not the only method.”
Hanod’s expression slowly hardened.
“I’ve been planning for a full two years to kill just you. Did you think I wouldn’t take your ability into account?”
“…”
“You’re the one who seems to have forgotten, Hanod. Before being a princess, I am a daughter of the Pail family and the owner of this heirloom.”
Anetresha waved one arm.
A mysteriously glowing bracelet dangled from her wrist.
At that moment, Hanod felt the mana circulating in his body falter.
“That’s the restriction, Hanod. From now on, you won’t be able to use your ability.”
“…”
“This is the power of an ancient treasure.”
The sound of archers drawing their bowstrings could be heard from all directions.
Tense anticipation hung in the air.
“Do you have any last words?”
“…”
“You dragged this out for so long, without any pride. Hiding like a rat in the Empire’s Academy.”
Anetresha shook her head disapprovingly.
“You have no idea how much our grand plan was delayed because of you. I should have killed you quickly and returned to the capital. So if you have something to say, say it now.”
Hanod quietly stared directly at Princess Anetresha.
Then he raised his gaze to check that the moon had risen in the center of the sky.
It was just past midnight.
He had no idea how hard he had worked to drag out the time until now.
He slowly opened his mouth.
“These days, it’s quite a season for monsters, isn’t it?”
Princess Anetresha frowned slightly.
“What did you say?”
“I said it’s quite a season for monsters these days.”
The princess, who had been staring at Hanod, let out a hollow laugh.
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
Then she began laughing as if amused, covering her mouth with her hand.
“I guess when you really think you’re going to die, you start spouting nonsense?”
Her expression turned cold as she nodded slightly.
“I was foolish to ask you. That’s enough.”
As she raised one hand, the archers drew their bowstrings again.
That was the moment.
Thud-
A heavy vibration shook the forest.
Birds flew up from various places.
Thud-
This time the earth’s axis trembled.
Dusty clouds rose from the ground.
Princess Anetresha’s brow slowly furrowed.
“What the…”
The archers’ gazes, which had been focused on Hanod, also scattered.
Thud- Thud-
The vibrations grew increasingly violent.
Sounds of trees being trampled and torn could be heard from all directions.
The next moment.
“Take cover, Your Highness the Princess-!!”
The captain of the knights, who had spotted something between the trees, shouted.
Something enormous burst out from the forest to their right.
A height reaching the third floor of any decent building.
Grayish-blue skin cracked like drought-stricken earth,
And yellow fangs pushing up the upper lip.
What revealed itself was an ogre of tremendous size.
“Kyaaaah—!”
Anita let out a piercing scream.
The captain of the knights urgently pressed down on Anita’s and the princess’s backs, making them crouch to the ground.
A massive tree was swung whole through the space where their heads had been.
Several knights who couldn’t dodge in time were sent flying far and tumbled to the ground.
“What, what is this!!”
The princess, who had risen with a pale face, turned her head to the opposite side.
“Hanod-!!”
Hanod was gone. His other subordinates, including Roen, were the same.
“Gruuuu-“
This time a new ogre burst out from the left forest.
Its size was slightly smaller than the one that had appeared earlier, but it held two coniferous trees with sharply protruding branches in each hand.
“Ev… Everyone dodge-!!”
The knights scattered in all directions at the sudden attack.
“Save me! Save me…!”
Anita, who had collapsed on the ground, crawled toward the nearest carriage while sobbing.
That was when it happened.
“Get a hold of yourself!”
Someone roughly grabbed her by the back of the neck.
Princess Antoinette’s steely blue eyes flickered.
“Deploy a barrier immediately.”
“A, a barrier…?”
Slap-
Before she could finish asking, a sharp hand flew across her cheek.
Anita stared at the Princess with a dumbfounded expression.
Around them, knights were desperately fighting against the ogres.
“Your ability, deploy a barrier, I said. Anita.”
Reason slowly returned to Anita’s dazed eyes.
As she hurriedly stretched out both hands, a barrier formed around them.
After letting out a short breath, the Princess spoke to the Captain of the Knights.
“…Guide us to where the other party members are.”
The Captain of the Knights hurriedly bowed his head and began moving quickly.
Anita stayed close behind the Captain of the Knights, maintaining the barrier.
Behind them, two ogres were still rampaging.
It was an unbelievable sight even while seeing it with their own eyes.
This mountain range crossing the border between Sorad and Erbia was connected to the Cursed Land.
Because of that, monsters did occasionally appear,
but for them to be such massive monsters…
Princess Antoinette asked the Captain of the Knights.
“What happened? Ogres all of a sudden.”
“I, I don’t understand either. There are often wyverns or nephas in this area, but ogres…”
Ogres.
They were hybrids of rare monsters called giants and ogres.
Their appearance was more similar to ogres, but their large size made them much more difficult to deal with.
“Exactly! This place isn’t even a region with that many monsters to begin with. But encountering two ogres doesn’t make sense, which is why I’m asking.”
The Princess’s eyes sharpened fiercely.
The Captain of the Knights fidgeted restlessly and lowered his head.
“I, I’m sorry. I should have investigated beforehand…”
That was when it happened.
“You speak as if investigating beforehand could have prevented this. How amusing.”
The Captain of the Knights stopped in place.
Anita and Princess Antoinette, who had been following behind, did the same.
When they raised their gaze, they saw the silhouettes of several people blocking the path they intended to take.
Dozens of armed knights standing in formation.
At the very front and center stood a magnificent steed.
On the saddle were two people.
A man with jet-black hair, and positioned in front of him…
“You, you! You are…!!”
Anita, recognizing the woman’s face, trembled with quivering lips.
Thud-
At the same time, a heavy vibration echoed right in front of them.
Dense trees snapped from far away. Finally, the last ogre revealed itself.
It was much larger than the previous two.
“Uuu-!”
The ogre let out a short roar and stopped right behind the army blocking their path.
Then it plunged the massive rusted iron sword it was holding deep into the ground and looked down at Antoinette’s party.
At that appearance, which seemed to possess perfect intelligence, Princess Antoinette staggered in place.
Anita remained frozen stiff in place, unable to take her eyes off the woman on horseback.
Someone slowly walked out from among the knights.
“…I told you, didn’t I? To be careful of monsters.”
It was Hanod.
With coldly sunken purple eyes, he raised one arm.
A bow was gripped in his hand.
Princess Antoinette hesitantly stepped back.
“…Prince. W, wait a moment.”
“I’m not the one caught in a trap, you are.”
The bowstring was drawn slowly and tautly.
“You killed our father, and my brother. And countless other people.”
Hanod’s expression hardened fiercely.
“Don’t you have any, aunt? Last words to say.”
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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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