I’m a Villain, but I Want to Live a Long Life - Chapter 34

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Rubel’s eyes widened.

Without him noticing when she had arrived, Selene was right beside him, looking at him.

She smiled, then seemed to think deeply about something before speaking.

“But publicly, you’ll have to keep using the name Tatio. That would be more convenient for protecting you.”

Rubel asked quietly.

“…Protecting.”

“Yes. As soon as we return to the estate, I plan to find a way to hide you.”

Her voice was calm. A look of bewilderment appeared on Rubel’s face.

“…That can’t be easily possible.”

But Selene smiled brightly and shrugged her shoulders.

“We’ll find a way if we look for one. They say there’s always a way out even when the sky falls.”

Selene speaking like this had a truly carefree expression. As if it wasn’t something to be too serious about.

She patted Rubel’s back playfully and said.

“So don’t worry too much. Our situation isn’t that bad. At least I found you.”

When her blue eyes curved beautifully once more, Rubel’s face was colored with deep bewilderment.

Monster blood was clotted in her hair, and her face was grimy with soot from who knows where.

But in Rubel’s eyes, she looked somehow different.

The shabby temple he had visited with his mother as a child. The beautiful face he had looked up at standing on the central platform.

Yes, she seemed to resemble that nameless goddess statue.

Rubel frowned, then raised one hand to rub around his eyes.

Selene comfortably placed her hand on his shoulder.

“Just trust me. You’ve suffered so much until now, but from now on I’ll never let anyone lay a finger on you.”

Rubel froze for a few seconds, then quickly turned his head. And he began to move his steps rapidly.

“What, why are you suddenly walking so fast?”

Instead of answering, Rubel picked up his pace.

His heart was beating so loudly that his ears felt muffled. Right now he felt he needed to hide his expression somehow.

His brow furrowed at this strange sensation he was feeling for the first time.

That girl surely didn’t know exactly what her words meant.

Protecting him. It couldn’t be easily possible to protect him of all people.

If not, why would he have been hiding in this place teeming with monsters until now?

‘…Strange woman.’

With a reddened face, Rubel shook his head vigorously.

Come to think of it, everything was strange.

From the moment they first met at the market, to the moment they unexpectedly met again in the Cursed Land.

And then she said she had actually come looking for him.

That she came to protect him.

He recalled the moment she called his name in the cottage.

Rubel Albertine. It was a name that felt like it belonged to someone else.

But the moment he heard it from her lips again, he felt as if his heart was sinking into the ground.

Like someone who had been dead for a long time and came back to life.

‘…She said she would only call me that when we’re alone together?’

His face heated up uncontrollably again.

Selene’s voice saying ‘I’m on your side’ while knowing his identity echoed in his ears like an echo.

Far from calming down, his reddened face kept getting hotter.

“Let’s go together!”

Selene shouted from behind.

But Rubel continued walking almost at a run.

Without realizing that all his senses were already on high alert behind him.

“Gasp…!!”

I bolted upright from the bedding that had become soaked with cold sweat.

When I turned my head, I could see the yellow-tinted sky outside the window.

‘…Don’t tell me I slept all day?’

I had definitely returned to the inn with Rubel and given Ansun’s potion to Casian.

And after washing up roughly, I think I was nursing Casian who was groaning in pain from his wounds…

‘I must have fallen asleep without realizing it.’

I shook my head. It was probably Rubel who brought me to my room while I was sleeping.

Dragging my heavy legs, I got up from the bed and moistened my throat with the water glass on the nightstand.

I felt the tense muscles relax slightly.

‘To have that dream again.’

Since collapsing after being attacked by Father Mayer, I had been having nightmares frequently.

In my dreams, mostly events from my past life unfolded. Particularly the very painful and agonizing ones.

I glared at the stern wall, then let out a shallow sigh.

I didn’t have time to worry about restless dreams when there were so many other things to think about.

‘I’m already worried about how to hide Rubel.’

I put down the empty glass on the nightstand and began pacing around the room.

‘First, I need to tell Father the truth.’

Hiding Rubel’s identity by myself would be beyond my capabilities, and I couldn’t repeat what happened with Father Mayer again.

Then how much should I reveal?

Moreover, Rubel thought I had the ability to see the future.

‘Ability my ass. This body is completely unrevealed to the bone.’

“Hah…”

A deep sigh rose from my core.

Whether it was because I was a noble or because this was a world inside a novel, my surroundings were full of revealed people.

It was actually harder to find an unrevealed person.

But why was I the only unrevealed one?

‘I’ve already talked about Adam’s ability as if it were mine.’

Biting my lip in worry, I finally came to a conclusion.

“…I don’t know. For now, let’s just pretend it’s all my ability.”

At least to Rubel.

It would be terrible if he found out I was unrevealed and went back to the Cursed Land thinking I was unreliable.

I could leave the cleanup to my future self.

‘And isn’t seeing the future somewhat true?’

Thanks to reading the novel in my past life, I knew about the major events that would happen in the future.

Right, thinking about it again, it wasn’t entirely wrong.

This self-rationalization made me feel much more at ease. I thought with a slightly brighter face.

‘Then, back to square one, the key is where and how to hide Rubel…’

I was gnawing on my thumbnail when I shook my head vigorously.

That seemed like something I could think about gradually. There was still some time left until Father returned anyway.

He said he’d return within 5 days, so at the earliest I could see him in 3 days.

That would be enough time to think.

Just as I thought that and opened the door wide to go see Casian.

I came face to face with someone who was about to enter the room and froze with my eyes wide open.

“Rubel?”

In front of the door, Rubel was looking at me with a slightly surprised face, holding a tray with food.

Perhaps obtained from Casian, he was dressed in comfortable casual clothes.

The atmosphere was somehow a little different from when he was wearing the thick robe.

“…You seemed to be sleeping all day without eating anything.”

He looked me over carefully and trailed off. I quickly stepped aside next to the door and asked.

“Ah, thank you. When did I fall asleep?”

“That knight fell fast asleep as soon as he dozed off. He looked uncomfortable, so I brought him here.”

I followed him to the table with a slightly embarrassed expression and asked.

“Have you eaten anything?”

Rubel shook his head.

“I’m not really one to eat regular meals.”

“I see….”

So that’s why his body is so lean and solid without an ounce of fat.

While I swallowed my words, Rubel wiped the table once with a dry cloth from the nightstand and skillfully placed the plate of food on top.

Then he neatly arranged a spoon and fork beside the plate before looking at me.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and sit.”

“Oh, oh! Right, I should.”

I sat down hurriedly.

As I picked up my fork while avoiding his piercing gaze on the top of my head, Rubel spoke.

“When are you leaving?”

I looked up from picking berries out of the salad with tangy sauce.

“Probably in about three days?”

Then I put the berries I had gathered into my mouth. As I chewed with a satisfied expression, I heard Rubel’s voice.

“You’re waiting until your father returns from the subjugation.”

“Right. First I’ll go to Tigris Castle. I’ll think about where to hide you after that.”

Rubel remained silent. He just quietly watched me eat.

A moment of silence passed, then he opened his mouth.

“…It probably won’t take long.”

“What won’t?”

“Your father’s return.”

I tilted my head.

But I was soon able to understand his words.

The next morning, standing in front of my room door was Father, who had returned from the subjugation in just two days, exactly as Rubel had said.

“So… there were so few monsters that there wasn’t anything to subjugate?”

“That’s right. So it ended in half a day.”

An incredulous exclamation escaped me. Ansun, who was beside me, spoke up.

“Originally, what we subjugate are large-class monsters like wyverns, ghouls, and golems. But this winter, strangely, their numbers were low.”

“….”

“At most there were just small fry here and there, but we used 30 stamina enhancement potions on top of that… so the job ended too early.”

He shrugged and slurped his steaming hot tea.

His composure was so striking that I reflexively stiffened. I remembered the night before last when Casian and I nearly died.

Even if their numbers were low, they finished them off and came running back in just half a day?

Perhaps noticing my pale expression, Father spoke to me again.

“You don’t look well. Did something happen in those two days?”

…Even if someone were ghost-like, they couldn’t be this ghost-like.

“I definitely ordered Casian not to leave your side for even a moment.”

I smiled awkwardly and quietly got up from my seat. I planned to escape by pretending to go to the bathroom.

However.

“Captain! No, Your Excellency!!”

Suddenly there was a bang! and the door fell away like paper.

When I turned my head with wide eyes, a burly knight was standing on the fallen door.

“That bastard Casian is injured!!!”

At those words, Father and Ansun’s gazes slowly turned toward me.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————