I’m a Villain, but I Want to Live a Long Life - Chapter 19

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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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The Grand Temple of the Creed.

“What the hell are you talking about-!!”

At the old man’s voice as he slammed the desk, the priests gathered in the conference room trembled and bowed their heads.

Across from them sat an old man, his eyes blazing with a fierce blue light.

“You couldn’t even get inside the prison!”

At his voice like an enraged beast, the already hunched backs of the priests shrank even more.

“Just how much did they look down on you! For priests of the Grand Cathedral to be kicked out like that!”

One of the trembling priests squeezed his eyes shut and stepped forward.

“We, we’re sorry! But the Princess still hadn’t opened her eyes, and the atmosphere at the Ducal Palace was completely unwelcoming to us…”

The old man who had been glaring at him fiercely clicked his tongue and turned his head. His brow was deeply furrowed.

He lifted his lips stiffened with anger and muttered lowly.

“You must think this Sanctuary is a pushover.”

The priests’ faces turned pale.

“You seem to think of this Calista Edelman as some toothless old tiger.”

“N-n-no! We, we were just…!!”

“Shut your mouth!”

At High Priest Calista’s roar, the priests quickly closed their mouths. A cold silence flowed through the conference room.

“Over the past three months, you have visited the Tigris Domain four times. But each time you couldn’t even cross the castle’s threshold.”

“H-High Priest, that was…!”

“I don’t know whether to see this as simple incompetence… or as defiance against the Temple.”

The priests’ faces were colored with shock.

Defiance against the Temple was a grave crime that could result in the highest form of disciplinary action.

‘This is terrible.’

Someone immediately prostrated themselves on the floor.

“D-d-defiance against the Temple! Please take back those words!”

Then Calista raised one eyebrow crookedly.

“Take them back? Isn’t that for God to judge?”

The priests’ lips turned white. For God to judge. Did he really mean to put them on trial?

What the hell was that Mayer worth!

One desperate priest shouted incoherently.

“P-please give us just a little more time! Then this time we’ll definitely persuade the Duke!”

Then another priest beside him chimed in.

“That’s right! A-actually, on our way back we heard news that the Princess had awakened. Now the Duke’s anger must have cooled somewhat…”

“What? Ha, haha-!!”

The priest shut his mouth as the High Priest burst into loud laughter.

Calista was looking at him with a contemptuous gaze as if viewing an insect.

“The Duke’s anger has cooled, you say?”

“…!”

“Since when have we been watching the Duke’s mood?”

The priest’s hands trembled.

“Th-th-that is…”

“Defiance against the Temple is defiance against God. And our God-!!”

Calista’s eyes blazed with a fierce blue light.

As if unable to contain his anger, he let out a short sigh and muttered lowly.

“…is the God served by the Imperial House, and the God that all citizens of the Empire will soon serve.”

The priest desperately pressed his head to the floor.

“I misspoke! P-please forgive me just this once…!!”

Calista, who had been looking at him pathetically, quietly rose from his seat.

“All of you, say nothing and prepare to depart for the Ducal Palace again. And this time.”

He ground his teeth as he spat out.

“I’m going with you.”

The priests’ eyes widened as they looked at the determined expression on Calista’s face.

But Calista simply finished speaking, turned around sharply, and left the conference room.

As soon as he left the conference room, he quickly moved his steps somewhere.

“Arrogant Tigris bastards…”

He muttered lowly. In truth, he didn’t care whether that tortured Father Mayer lived or died.

However, one thing was important…

‘You must take responsibility and retrieve it.’

The voice of that person who had personally held his hand with a gentle smile was vivid.

“I must retrieve it, I must.”

Even if he departed before sunset, it would take three days to reach the Ducal Palace.

Calista anxiously crossed the corridor of the Grand Cathedral.

Tigris Estate.

I doubted my ears and bolted upright in bed.

“Father Mayer has gone insane?”

When I asked with wide eyes, Walter nodded.

He had been visiting my room for several days now to check on my condition.

But only today had he brought this shocking news.

“He lost his mind less than a day after the torture began. Since then, interrogation has been completely useless.”

“…That’s impossible.”

I muttered with dismayed eyes.

Since it had already been three months since I collapsed, I thought the mastermind would have been somewhat identified.

I naturally assumed the identities of the voices I heard at the manor had already been completely exposed.

Are you saying there’s been no progress all this time because Mayer went insane?

“What about the Temple?”

“They visited a total of four times just while you were lying unconscious. Of course, priests from the Grand Cathedral came directly.”

I calmly rolled my eyes.

“Coming directly from the Grand Cathedral, that’s understandable. What were their demands?”

“Naturally, they wanted Mayer returned. They said The Order would conduct a trial directly and impose their own disciplinary measures…”

“What?! That’s ridiculous.”

When I was shocked, Walter nodded.

“Exactly. So His Grace didn’t even let them into the castle from the beginning. Then later the Temple’s demands changed.”

I frowned in thought, then raised my head to look at Walter.

“The demands changed?”

“If they couldn’t release Mayer, they asked to at least visit the prison to see his face once.”

I tilted my head.

‘Not asking for his release, but specifically asking to see his face just once?’

Walter, noticing my expression was unusual, asked.

“Is there something that bothers you about this?”

I shook my head for now. I needed time to organize my thoughts.

That’s when it happened.

Knock knock knock-

The sound of someone knocking on the door came from outside.

‘Is there someone else coming?’

Tilting my head, I said.

“Come in.”

Then the door opened and someone entered. I opened my eyes wide at the face that appeared.

“I came as soon as I heard you had awakened. Finally, I get to meet you!”

The man who laughed heartily slowly took heavy steps toward me.

“Do you remember me?”

An incredibly tall stature and broad shoulders.

Sharp eyes that remained keen even while smiling, and the vivid experience that showed through them.

He placed his pot-lid-sized hand on his chest and bowed to me in greeting.

“Muller Bastien pays his respects to the young master of House of Tigris.”

I blinked at the bold dignity I felt from him.

“I couldn’t visit you before as I was busy protecting the territory. But now I’ll be able to see you often!”

That was my first meeting with Count Bastin, known as the ‘Old General of Tigris.’

I looked with interested eyes at Count Bastin, who had squeezed his body into a chair that didn’t match his size.

Every time he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, the chair creaked and swayed.

I was wondering if the chair legs might actually break.

“Children really do grow up so fast, now as always.”

When I showed a puzzled expression at his sudden remark, he smiled and said,

“Don’t you remember? It feels like just yesterday when you came all the way to the Training Grounds begging me to catch rabbits for you.”

I gave an awkward smile.

“D-did I really do that?”

“Yes, you did. You used to run around the Training Grounds like it was your playground. His Grace would just watch, and the soldiers would be flustered…”

Count Bastin chuckled as if he still found it amusing.

“In the end, we could only resume training after the Duchess came to get you. Back then, that was so…”

But then he stopped mid-sentence and closed his mouth with a “Hup.” Then he glanced at me and muttered carefully,

“…Oh my, this old man made a mistake.”

He seemed worried that the story about the late Duchess might have dampened my mood.

I quickly shook my head.

“No, it’s okay.”

Instead of answering, the Count showed me a kind smile. As I stared at him, I inwardly reflected on what he had said.

‘So Selene was just a lively child when her mother was still alive.’

I suddenly felt strange.

When I was reading the original novel, I had only thought of Selene as a simple villain.

But the story I heard from Duke’s own mouth a few days ago, and this too…

‘Her mother’s name was Hemera, wasn’t it.’

I never would have dreamed that Selene had such a background and story.

‘So in the end, Selene not only lost her mother at a young age, but also had her relationship with Father ruined because she got involved with some strange person…’

Her life even felt somewhat tragic. I slightly furrowed my brow.

‘If this is the case, then Selene killing Eria in the original work, and all her evil deeds…’

Perhaps it might not have been her own will after all.

In the end, she was essentially a victim too.

‘Just who, and for what purpose, brainwashed Selene to commit such acts.’

That was something I absolutely had to find out.

But of all times, Father Mayer had lost his mind, making interrogation impossible.

After hesitating, I finally made up my mind about something and spoke with a somewhat hardened expression.

“I heard that you took charge of Father Mayer’s interrogation.”

Perhaps surprised by the unexpected question, he looked at me with slightly widened eyes and nodded.

“That’s correct. Though shamefully, there were no results.”

I looked straight at him and said,

“Actually, I’d like to visit the Prison once myself.”

Walter beside me turned to look at me in surprise. But I continued with a very serious expression.

“Could you guide me to where Father Mayer is?”

Count Bastin’s eyes widened.

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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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