I’m a Villain, but I Want to Live a Long Life - Chapter 32

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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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Tigris Subjugation Force’s Campsite.

Aleon, who had been drinking wine from a bronze cup, raised his gaze.

“Is that true.”

“Yes! There aren’t as many monsters as we expected. For arriving later than usual, they’re also quite docile.”

Aleon stared at the vast forest spread across from them with a suspicious expression.

“That’s a bit strange.”

Winter was a time when the monster population increased tremendously. It was also the time of year when they became most ferocious.

‘But they’re docile.’

Unconsciously spinning the bronze cup in his hand, he spoke.

“You’re certain of this.”

The scout tensed his posture and nodded vigorously.

“Certain! We’re speculating that the reason might be that summer lasted longer than usual.”

Aleon nodded and gestured for him to go.

The wine swirled in the cup he held. Staring at it intently, Aleon muttered.

“…I’ll be able to return within the promised time.”

Then he turned his head to the side.

“Ansun. Are the enhancement potions and healing potions ready.”

But no answer came.

In front of the blazing campfire, Ansun was dozing off despite his lord’s question.

“…Ansun Daniel.”

“Yes?”

When Aleon called once more, Ansun finally raised his head.

“I asked if the weapon enhancement potions and healing potions for 30 men that I instructed you to prepare beforehand were ready.”

Ansun, who had been staring blankly with a half-awake expression, suddenly nodded.

“Ah… those are ready. They should be in the supply wagon. I can immediately make more if needed.”

“Well done.”

“Are you doing this to keep your promise with the Lady?”

Ansun asked after letting out a long yawn.

Aleon, who had tilted his cup to take a sip of wine, stared at Ansun with an annoyed expression.

This fellow always started with one word and then rattled on with about ten more, making him bothersome.

“I mean, using 30 weapon enhancement potions just to beat up some monsters, I would reconsider if it were me.”

“…”

“Of course, I know Your Grace is the richest man in the Empire, but still, you need to have some spirit of frugality…”

Ansun stopped speaking mid-sentence and closed his mouth.

The Duke’s eyes looking at him were as murderous as those of a monster.

“…Well, I was just giving my personal opinion.”

He coughed and turned his head to avoid the Duke’s gaze.

Soon the sight of knights drinking and chattering around them came into view.

It was a scene that made one’s head spin just by looking at it.

Ansun muttered.

“…How terribly noisy. Anyone would think they’re barbarians.”

At those words, a knight who had been tearing into roasted bird nearby immediately stood up.

“Hey, twig! What did you just say!”

Ansun frowned and waved his hand dismissively while turning his head.

“…I guess being a beast makes your hearing sharp too.”

However, the knight had already approached with large strides.

Despite his intimidating build, his face was full of mischief. He draped one arm over Ansun’s shoulder and drawled.

“Oh my, our potion maker’s expression looks a bit strange?”

Ansun stared at him like he was looking at a bug and shook his head.

“…Whether it’s twig or potion maker, just pick one, pig.”

“What, what!”

The knight’s face turned red as he shot up. His build was so large that when he planted one foot on the ground, a thudding vibration echoed.

Someone from across spoke indifferently.

“Kopel, stop bothering the potion maker and come here.”

“But this guy called me a pig!”

“Well, that’s because you are a pig.”

“Felix, you bastard! You’ve said enough!”

Ansun looked back and forth between Kopel and Felix with a pathetic expression.

Those two always stuck together, so people around called them by the strange nickname ‘Kopelix.’

“Captain! No, Your Grace! You should have brought Casian instead of this weakling! Even though he’s young, that guy would have been much more useful than this twig!”

When the fuming Kopel shouted, Aleon, who had been silently sipping wine, frowned.

Aleon had held the position of captain of the Tigris Knights for several years during the Empire’s past wars.

Kopel and other longtime members still occasionally called him captain out of habit from that time.

“Your Grace, I agree with that too. If we had excluded the potion maker and included Casian, we could have shortened the subjugation period by three days.”

When Felix joined in, Aleon slowly set down his empty cup on the ground.

“Quiet.”

Kopel and Felix closed their mouths.

“Without this fellow’s enhancement potions, it would actually be harder to shorten the time. And most of you have already benefited from his healing potions.”

The hesitating knights reluctantly nodded.

The monsters inhabiting the Cursed Land were all different in type and danger level.

If unlucky, they could encounter wyverns or large ogres.

When facing such creatures, even Tigris’s elite soldiers would occasionally get injured.

Each time, Ansun’s healing potions proved very useful.

He was supposedly a talent making a name for himself in the Empire, and those words weren’t entirely false.

When they drank the healing potions he made, even completely torn and tattered wounds would quickly improve.

Ansun, looking around at the sobered knights, spoke arrogantly.

“If you’ve realized this, then all of you should watch your words from now on. Otherwise, whether your throat or arm gets cut, there won’t be any healing potions.”

At his strangely sarcastic tone, Kopel’s face turned red and blue again.

But he only pursed his lips without opening his mouth to say more.

In fact, Aleon’s knights were just a bit playful, but they were generally favorable toward Ansun.

Above all, they had something in common.

There were quite a few commoners like Ansun among the Tigris elite soldiers.

From beggars to foreigners, to those like Ansun who had done odd jobs in provincial mercenary groups.

The reason such people could join the knight order of the Tigris family, one of the Four Dukes, was singular.

The Duke’s iron rule of evaluating people based solely on ability. It was entirely thanks to that.

Duke Aleon Tigris was famous for not discriminating against people based on social status.

He didn’t belittle or find it unpleasant when non-nobles possessed abilities.

This was completely opposite to the Ervia Empire’s custom of not even calling commoners’ abilities ‘abilities.’

Ansun was also a commoner, and though he seemed too frail to properly hold a sword, he never became a burden to the knight order.

This was proof that the Duke’s judgment was accurate.

“…Come to think of it, Casian lacks experience, so it might have been more troublesome instead. At least the potion maker has been here several times, so we don’t need to teach him the subjugation work step by step.”

Kopel muttered in a softened voice.

“Right, besides, Casian stayed behind to protect the Lady. Even though he’s young, he works hard at his assigned duties, so there’s no worry.”

Jackson chimed in too. Felix nodded and picked up his wine cup again.

Watching this, Aleon spoke.

“There are fewer monsters than expected. Their condition isn’t particularly ferocious either. We’ll finish as quickly as possible and return to the castle.”

The knights bowed their heads in unison.

“Yes! Let’s have fun beating them up starting tomorrow!”

Starting with Kopel’s excited voice, another boisterous drinking session began.

Aleon filled his cup with wine and gazed at the sky.

The sky viewed from the Cursed Land was so beautiful, densely packed with stars, that it was hard to believe this was truly that cursed place.

In a forest not far from there.

“My name is Tatio.”

“….”

“…Not Rubel.”

Rubel muttered coldly.

We had come outside and were facing each other with an old wooden table between us.

I met his eyes full of wariness and quickly nodded my head.

“R-right, you’re Tatio.”

And I added with a trembling voice.

“…But I came here knowing that you’re the missing Prince.”

Rubel’s expression slowly hardened again. I continued speaking.

“I also know that you plan to go to the Estate in a few years.”

At that, his eyes widened slightly this time.

A timely breeze blew past, ruffling our hair. I shivered slightly in the cool chill.

In the original novel, Rubel was definitely at the Estate.

Even though he had prepared a secret dwelling in the Cursed Land that no one knew about, he didn’t hide there but revealed himself at the Estate.

Thanks to that, even though he was exposed to all kinds of dangers and became hunted by assassins, he continued to stay at the Estate.

‘What reason could Rubel have had for making such a choice.’

Someone so sensitive about survival wouldn’t have come to the Estate without knowing the danger.

‘There must have been a reason he had to come to the Estate, even risking the danger.’

My eyes gleamed calmly. His hidden identity was ‘the missing Prince.’

Then there was only one answer.

‘He must be trying to reclaim the stolen throne.’

If not that, it wouldn’t make sense.

Even in the novel, though he didn’t say it outright, hadn’t he moved together with Estelin with that goal in mind?

I looked straight at him with confident eyes, then spoke the words I had prepared in advance, though a bit late.

“And also… I know that you’re going to get hurt. Dangerously enough to threaten your life.”

Bewilderment flashed in Rubel’s eyes. I held out both hands as calmly as possible and continued.

“Don’t worry. I’ll explain everything from now on. How I know this is….”

“….”

…Where was I planning to start explaining from?

From the background of how I came to possess this body?

Even though I had prepared in advance, when it came time to actually explain, the situation felt quite complicated. As I was organizing what to say in my head.

Suddenly, a stiffly hardened voice reached my ears.

“You can see the future.”

My thoughts came to an abrupt halt. I opened my eyes wide.

Rubel, who had muttered this out of nowhere, was looking at me with a strange gaze.

“Huh?”

“That’s your ability. Seeing the future.”

For having said something so absurd, his expression showed not a hint of wavering.

I blinked blankly, forgetting to respond.

‘What is he talking about right now?’

…I had been planning to confess everything truthfully from start to finish.

I thought the best way to persuade him would be to reveal all my secrets.

So I was going to first explain that I had possessed this body, then reveal my honest purpose afterward.

But I couldn’t quite understand why Rubel was suddenly saying such things.

“…No. Why do you think that?”

He, who had been keeping silent, opened his mouth.

“Because I already know. Someone like that.”

He frowned as if troubled and rubbed his temples. Then he muttered to himself.

“So that’s how you knew my identity.”

“….”

“That’s also how you knew I was the Prince.”

A hint of anguish could be seen beyond his clear golden eyes.

Silence continued for quite a while.

As I could only blink, unable to find words to say, his lips slowly opened again.

“…But you said you came to protect me.”

Just then, the moon emerged from behind the clouds. Rubel’s face, bathed in light, shone beautifully.

It was the moment I was staring at those eyes as if entranced.

“Then are you on my side?”

Once again. An unexpected question came from his mouth. My lips parted slightly involuntarily.

‘In this situation, whether I’m on his side matters more to him than my identity or purpose?’

But I soon nodded inwardly.

‘…Right. When there’s an easy path, there’s no need to take the difficult detour.’

“Yes. I’m on your side.”

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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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