I’m a Villain, but I Want to Live a Long Life - Chapter 29

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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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‘Well, I don’t know either. But he seemed to go in and out of the Cursed Land sometimes. He looks normal enough, but he must be crazy.’

I pondered the old man’s answer as I closed the cottage door and came out. The surroundings had already become quite dark.

“My Lady, are you alright?”

Casian approached with a worried expression and looked me over. I slowly nodded and gazed toward the forest.

He said he went in and out of the forest.

“Could it be…?”

Suddenly, I had an ominous feeling.

But then.

As I kept my gaze fixed on the forest where darkness was descending, I slowly opened my mouth.

Someone was walking at the distant boundary of the forest.

Without realizing it, I took a step in that direction.

“Lady Selene!”

Casian called out to me, but I couldn’t stop. I had already started running.

‘It’s that person I encountered this morning!’

The brown robe that hung down to his feet, which I had seen once before and was familiar with, was fluttering in the wind in the distance.

During the day, I couldn’t see clearly because he had his hood pulled down deep, but now I could see for certain.

Jet-black hair.

‘So that boy really was the Prince!’

I recalled his vivid golden eyes that I had seen beneath the hood and took large strides forward.

My steps running down the hill were gaining more and more speed.

At this uncontrollable pace, I couldn’t stop even if I wanted to.

But the Prince was already entering between the shadows of the giant trees.

“My Lady!”

Casian’s voice came from behind me once more. But it was completely drowned out by the strong wind that happened to blow at that moment.

In the freezing cold that felt like it would freeze my nose, I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again as I continued running.

How much time had passed?

The slope gradually became gentler. Before I knew it, the forest landscape spread out right in front of me.

I slowly came to a stop.

Between the tall birch trees, I could see a human figure very faintly moving away.

“Hey, wait!!”

I shouted with all my might, but he didn’t seem to hear me. It seemed the wind was too strong.

I stamped my feet and turned my gaze upward.

The sun had already completely set beyond the hill. The sky was taking on a red hue just before becoming dark.

The even colder wind swept past with a loud sound that seemed to tear at my ears.

Looking at the shadow moving away with a troubled expression, I had no choice but to hurriedly take steps forward.

And a few minutes later.

I would soon come to deeply regret that choice.

“I’m screwed.”

I muttered quietly, keeping my voice as low as possible.

In the forest where darkness covered everything on all sides, with my back pressed tightly against a large tree.

‘I’m crazy, crazy! Really!’

Deep regret welled up inside me. I squeezed my eyes shut.

After the sun had completely set, not a single point of light remained in the forest. It was difficult to gauge even an inch ahead.

What was even more chilling was that strange beast cries of unknown origin could be heard from time to time.

‘It’s definitely not the sound of ordinary animals…’

With an ominous premonition, I shook my head. This place was the Cursed Land.

The place where Father went on subjugation missions every winter.

And the reason for that was…

‘To reduce the number of monsters that multiplied during winter.’

In other words, by now this forest would be crawling with monsters.

‘I can’t find Father, can I?’

I soon bit my lips tightly.

No matter how I thought about it, finding Father seemed nearly impossible.

How on earth could I find Father in this vast forest?

And even if I did find him, I didn’t know how severe a scolding I would receive.

After all, I had followed along on this monster subjugation under the condition that I wouldn’t set foot in the Cursed Land.

‘No, why does the Prince walk so fast!’

I ran thinking I could catch up, but he disappeared somewhere in an instant.

“Sigh…”

Who could I blame in this damned situation? I could only blame my impatient self.

No matter how hard I racked my brain, I couldn’t think of anything hopeful.

‘Adam?’

Since Adam was the only one I could rely on at this moment, I called out to him inwardly, but as expected, there was no answer.

It seemed communication was difficult because his stamina was depleted after lending me his eyes.

‘I really am…’

The problem started when I began running as if enchanted by just a glimpse of his back.

I should have just waited one day, no, just a few hours and come back during the day.

It was then, as I was sighing deeply.

“Eek-!!”

Someone suddenly grabbed my shoulder, making me jump in surprise as I turned around.

“…Lady Selene.”

But the person standing before me had a familiar face.

Under the soft moonlight, Casian was looking down at me with a tense expression.

I slowly lowered the hand that had covered my mouth.

“Come here.”

But Casian muttered quietly without greeting and suddenly grabbed my hand. I couldn’t hide my surprised eyes as I staggered and was pulled along by him.

His back, which had only looked childlike, was somehow rigidly tense.

“We need to get out of the forest immediately.”

At his incoherent words, I nodded for now.

Casian was holding my hand and moving quickly somewhere.

“Casian, do you know the way?”

When I asked with some hope, he looked back at me and shook his head.

“…No. This was my first expedition.”

I closed my mouth. I had somewhat expected this. Casian was such a young boy.

Soon he muttered as if frustrated.

“But I did make marks on trees with my sword as we came in, just in case… but looking now, it seems useless.”

Following his gaze, I stiffened my face in shock.

Looking closely, all the surrounding trees had scratches that seemed to be made by something sharp.

“This is Nephas’s doing. It’s a demi-human monster with steel-like claws that marks its territory on surrounding trees and stones like this.”

“Th-then…”

Casian nodded with a pale expression.

“Yes, it means this is Nephas’s territory. We need to get out as quickly as possible. We have no choice but to find a safe place and wait for dawn.”

I hardened my expression without saying anything.

My heart grew heavy thinking I had dragged Casian into danger too.

I bit my lips tightly and muttered in a voice that was barely audible.

“Casian, I’m really sorry. Because of me…”

“No. I should have caught up to you faster. It’s my fault.”

Casian smiled as if trying to reassure me as he spoke.

“Please don’t worry too much. I promised His Excellency that I would safely escort My Lady under any circumstances.”

“Well, we couldn’t have known something like this would happen…”

I let out a deep sigh as I looked at him maintaining his calm expression.

Just then, fierce winds swept through once again. Mixed within them was a somehow chilling sound.

The strange sound, whether human or beast, seemed like both a scream and a roar.

Sensing my body stiffen, Casian pulled me close and muttered.

“It’s alright. It’s a Banshee.”

“A Banshee?”

He nodded. I already knew what a Banshee was.

Previously, when researching the Tears of God at the Library, I had read a book about monsters out of curiosity.

And the first page of that book was about Banshees.

“The ones that curse humans…”

“That’s right. In terms of combat ability alone, they’re not that difficult to deal with, but…”

Casian muttered as he pulled me through the trees.

“If they appear in a chaotic battle situation, they become quite troublesome. A Banshee’s curse slows movement and causes mana depletion.”

I swallowed hard. It seemed this Forest didn’t contain just one or two types of monsters.

Looking around, I saw straight, densely packed trees without any small branches.

‘Climbing up the trees would be impossible.’

I could hardly see any large stones or rocks either. In short, there was no suitable space to hide. Cold sweat began seeping from my palms.

But then, Casian, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped. Because of that, I bumped my face into his back.

As I rubbed my throbbing nose and looked up, I saw something glowing red beyond Casian’s rigidly stiffened figure.

“…My Lady, please step back.”

Before I could properly assess the situation.

Casian released my hand and placed his hand on his sword hilt as he spoke. Terrified, I hesitantly stepped backward.

Over his shoulder, something with blazing red eyes was approaching us step by step.

“Grrrr…”

A strange sound flowed from between razor-sharp teeth.

As it tilted back its head covered with pointed spikes, wings as large as its body spread out behind it.

“Wy, Wyvern…?”

I muttered in disbelief. The Wyvern wasn’t particularly large, but it was a monster that belonged to the dragon family.

“Kieeeek-!!”

The Wyvern, eyes flashing, instantly flew toward Casian.

Its appearance was chillingly identical to the illustrations I had seen in books.

I felt my hair stand on end from the wind created by the monster’s wingbeats and collapsed to the ground.

“Casian!!”

When I called out to him urgently, he nimbly ducked as if he had anticipated it.

The monster’s claws barely grazed over his back as they passed.

Casian immediately stood up and drew a sharp dagger from the belt at his waist, throwing it at the monster.

My face turned pale as the dagger passed over my head at the speed of light.

A few seconds later, the Wyvern’s scream erupted from behind me.

“Kieeeek!!”

When I turned my head, I saw the Wyvern with the dagger embedded in its right shoulder blade.

The monster was screaming with its head raised to the sky.

Dark red blood flowed down like a lie from where the dagger was lodged.

Intense fear struck like lightning at the unbelievable sight before my eyes.

My whole body began trembling uncontrollably. My mind was filled with a single thought.

‘I could die here if I’m not careful.’

Still sitting on the ground, I frantically searched through the fallen leaves and soon found something to grip tightly.

It was a fairly thick tree branch.

Though thorns protruding here and there quickly cut my hands, I didn’t care and gripped it even tighter.

‘Absolutely, absolutely cannot die here.’

“Kieeeeeeek!!”

The Wyvern let out another roar and turned its head grotesquely.

Its needle-like pupils rolled around, then this time turned toward me.

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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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