I’m a Villain, but I Want to Live a Long Life - Chapter 198

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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 scene changed.

“Jeanne!”

“…My lady?”

Jeanne, who had been crossing the forest behind the ducal palace, stopped in her tracks.

When she turned her wet body around, Hemera was gasping for breath, covered in blood.

“My lady!!”

Jeanne, who had turned pale, approached Hemera. And she supported her as she gasped for breath.

Hemera urgently grabbed Jeanne’s clothes and spoke.

“I, Jeanne, I…”

Jeanne listened anxiously to Hemera’s voice, unable to stay still.

She had been on her way to deliver a message to Aleon on Hemera’s orders.

Little did she know that it contained a request to take good care of Selene and not lose focus even if something happened to her.

But before she could even leave the forest, Hemera had personally stopped her.

Hemera lifted her face, streaming with rainwater, to look at Jeanne.

And she carefully took out the message that had been clutched tightly in her hand.

“This isn’t it.”

And she handed over a damp, torn piece of parchment instead.

“Go back to the castle. When you return and Aleon comes… I want you to give him this.”

Jeanne looked at Hemera with bewildered eyes for a moment.

Her face was infinitely serious.

“And… I’m being shameless, but I have one more favor to ask.”

Tears welled up in Hemera’s eyes.

“Protect Seleneae, protect Seleneae.”

“…”

“Someone needs to be by that child’s side. Someone who can watch over her to see if she’s okay…”

Hemera squeezed Jeanne’s hand tightly.

“I’m sorry, Jeanne. You’re the only one I can ask such a favor of, so…”

Jeanne’s eyes trembled finely.

Hemera hugged her tightly and then let her go.

“…Go quickly. Don’t look back.”

Jeanne couldn’t give any answer. She just slowly turned her body toward the castle.

The falling rain grew increasingly fierce.

Just before taking a step, Jeanne looked back at Hemera.

“My lady… we can meet again, right?”

Instead of answering, Hemera smiled sadly.

Jeanne bit her lips tightly and then moved her feet.

Eventually, she began running with all her might.

She could clearly feel that Hemera, left behind, was watching her.

When she arrived back at the castle interior like that.

Her small master, Seleneae, had collapsed unconscious in the room.

Her younger sister Anna was there too.

As she stared at the rattling window, she sensed assassins quietly approaching from the corridor outside the door.

They were the ones who had noticed that Hemera’s corpse had disappeared.

Jeanne first hid the note Hemera had given her in the deepest part of her bosom.

And she picked up the two longswords that had fallen on the floor.

When she went outside the door, she could see assassins approaching from the end of the corridor.

She firmly locked the door to the room where Seleneae and Anna lay unconscious, then stuck a longsword in to fix the handle.

And she gripped the remaining sword tightly with both hands.

She didn’t know how much longer she would have to endure until the Duke returned.

Her fingertips trembled, but she steadied her breathing.

She stood guard firmly in front of the door like that.

Until the assassins collected all their comrades’ corpses and withdrew.

“The note…”

Jeanne, kneeling on the floor, muttered.

She had lost so much blood that she felt like she might lose consciousness at any moment.

She had to deliver the note.

That was the only thing weighing on her mind.

Hemera walked the forest path.

The future Sharlina had foreseen had gone awry.

According to the plan, she should have died in the castle.

Everything was supposed to flow as predetermined only if she lost her life.

She steadied her breathing while recalling that strange scene where someone had dwelt within Seleneae.

That mysterious voice that had called her Saira.

‘Run away.’

Hemera knew too. The fact that she had to follow those words.

The future Sharlina had foreseen earlier was based on the premise that she had died.

‘My survival is a variable.’

So she had to be cautious. Rash actions were forbidden.

She bit her lips tightly and moved her steps one by one, deeper into the forest.

Thinking of those who had left first for today’s plan made her heart ache painfully even now.

However, her legs kept losing strength.

Having used her magic power to its limit, her consciousness felt like it was cutting out intermittently.

She staggered and slowly sat down on the ground. Her body, cold from the rain, trembled violently.

“I… can’t.”

A thin moan flowed from her mouth.

Her eyelids drooped heavily.

Only the sound of rain fiercely beating the leaves echoed in her ears.

How much time had passed like that.

Someone wearing a black robe approached her side as she lay motionless.

“My, my. How is Grace’s target in such a place.”

Pector’s lips curved up as if amused.

He muttered to himself in a gentle voice.

“Should I take you to Grace and hold her accountable?”

“…”

“Or would it be better to kill you here and eliminate future troubles.”

The falling rain gradually subsided.

Finally, only the sound of water drops falling remained.

“If not that either…”

Pector’s eyes gleamed with a twisted expression.

“It wouldn’t be bad to have some fun while we’re at it.”

“It was quite an entertaining game indeed.”

“…”

My fists trembled at the sight of Pector’s vile smile.

I glared at Pector as if I would kill him.

“When I learned that this woman’s soul belonged to Saira, you can’t imagine how delighted I was. It was so interesting, so very interesting that I thought my heart would burst.”

Pector giggled as he stroked Mother’s hair with his hand.

“If you hadn’t temporarily unleashed your power that day. If your mother had inevitably met her end. How could I have enjoyed this amusement?”

“…”

“It’s all thanks to you.”

Pector released his grip on Mother’s shoulder.

Mother took a step closer to me. She still held the sword in her hand.

“Isn’t it amazing? My ability is to strip away reason. It’s an interesting power that scrapes out everything in the mind, leaving it in a state of complete ignorance.”

“….”

“So for the past 12 years, every single day. I used my ability on your mother twice a day.”

“You bastard—!!!”

Bastin, who had been lying down, couldn’t contain his rage and charged at Pector.

However, with just one light gesture from Pector, he was sent flying far away and rolled on the dirt ground.

“That’s not all. After receiving power from my master, I even carved a curse.”

The black pattern on Mother’s forehead flashed with light.

“Your mother can never escape. Even if she kills me!”

“….”

“She’ll have to live her entire life as an idiot. And whenever she gets the chance, she’ll try to kill you. Because that’s how I programmed her.”

Pector raised one corner of his mouth in a smirk.

Drop. Drop.

Hot tears flowed down from my eyes.

“I’m curious. How long will you be able to continue this meaningless fight with the mother who gave birth to you.”

Pector gave Mother’s back a light push.

In the blink of an eye, like a spring bouncing, Mother rushed quickly toward me.

The body of a cursed human possessed strength that exceeded its limits.

Mother, who had leaped into the air, brought her sword down vertically toward me.

“Miss!!!”

“Selene!!!”

I heard voices calling my name.

But my feet stuck to the ground wouldn’t readily lift.

If I blocked this attack, then again.

If I blocked it again, then once more.

The attacks would continue.

Until one of us died—Mother or me.

Because of that fact, my body wouldn’t move at all.

But at that moment, someone blocked my path.

Thud. The chilling sound of flesh being torn came from right in front of me.

“Ah….”

Father was holding Mother, who had charged diagonally, tightly in his arms.

Bright red blood began to drip drop by drop between them.

“…Hera.”

Father’s faint voice, as if about to fade away, reached me.

“Look at me, Hemera.”

His cold hand cupped Mother’s cheek.

“You said you were just going away for a while….”

“….”

“You said you would come back.”

Tears finally streamed down from his eyes.

Each time he continued speaking, red blood gushed out of his mouth.

“To my side… you said you would come back… you promised you would.”

Father, who had been gasping for breath, collapsed heavily to the ground.

Naturally, Mother’s body also tilted toward the ground.

Then I could see the sword that had pierced through the center of Father’s chest.

“Your Grace—!!”

Walter screamed and came running this way.

I staggered toward the two of them.

“…F-Father, Father….”

As soon as I grabbed Father’s arm, his body lost its balance and collapsed toward me.

His complexion was as pale as a corpse. Someone pulled me back.

“It’s dangerous. You mustn’t touch him.”

It was Casian.

Kopel approached and supported Father while shouting something.

An unnamed priest tore his white robes and handed them over, and Kopel firmly grasped the handle of the sword embedded in Father’s chest.

With a hissing sound, Kopel’s palm burned red.

“…Ugh.”

However, Kopel didn’t let go of the dagger until the end.

When the sword was finally pulled out, the terrible wound on his chest was revealed.

The torn skin was completely blackened and rotting away.

“…It’s a fatal wound.”

Casian couldn’t continue his words all at once.

Only then did I stare again at the dagger that had been pulled from Father’s chest.

A black seal was carved into the blade.

Pector’s curse that had stolen Mother’s reason was so powerful that it had even tainted the dagger.

I caught sight of Mother sitting blankly across from Father.

An expressionless face.

The pattern carved on her forehead was still vivid, but tears were flowing down her pale cheeks.

“Duke Tigris has fallen.”

When Grace entered the inner chamber and spoke calmly, Simon’s expression brightened.

“Really? How on earth did they manage to defeat that monster!”

“It seems Pector took care of it.”

“What a relief!”

It was when Simon exclaimed with joy.

Crash—!!

The window of the room they were in shattered.

Simon’s eyes widened as he turned his head.

Outside the window, an unfamiliar woman was looking at him as if he were pathetic.

However, this was the top room of the Empress’s Palace.

It was a height that no person could possibly climb.

Simon’s confused eyes slowly moved downward.

And finally he discovered the wyvern carrying the woman.

“Wh-what…!!”

But before he could even be surprised, this time the massive main door was completely destroyed.

“It’s been a while, Your Majesty.”

White hair.

Deep gray eyes.

Luc Hallen, having retrieved the explosive magical device, gazed at Simon with a chilling stare.

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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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