I’m a Villain, but I Want to Live a Long Life - Chapter 59

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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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Hover answered with his eyes and immediately retreated backward. Then he disappeared into the mist.

It was to bring Dosha.

Rin, confirming that Hover had safely escaped, faced Rubel directly.

“I’ll admit it. It’s certainly a coveted ability.”

She smiled leisurely.

“But sorry about that. We’re quite experienced in dealing with guys like you.”

Then she whispered quietly enough that the spectator stands couldn’t hear.

“Looks like you’ve done some research on us. Since we’ve both been exposed to each other, let’s be honest. You already know what kind of person I am, don’t you?”

Though they participated in the thanksgiving gladiator event as Carton’s army, they were actually an assassination squad.

One composed of loyal subordinates of the youngest prince, Dein Jed.

Among them, especially she and her younger sister Dosha had rather unique backgrounds.

They were originally orphans belonging to a beggar gang in the back alleys.

Their ability to join Dean’s ‘Shadow’ was purely by chance.

The previous leader, who had now passed away, discovered them on the street.

Perhaps taking pity on the sisters, he took them in and taught them skills.

Thanks to this, the sisters were naturally raised as Dean’s weapons.

Fortunately, if you could call it that, she as the older sister possessed quite decent beast transformation abilities.

It seemed to be because she had inherited thick southern tribal blood from her parents.

Based on her innate abilities, she quickly adapted to the new group.

Even though it was a dangerous place that traded in human lives, she had to survive first and foremost.

Rin was naturally bold and had excellent physical abilities, quickly monopolizing various achievements.

She seemed like someone born specifically for this work.

‘But Dosha was different from me.’

Her younger sister Dosha was neither as agile nor as bold as she was.

Rather, she was too fearful and belonged to the category that would have difficulty surviving in an assassination squad where all kinds of bloody battles took place.

‘Yet she’s managed to endure for 15 years until now.’

She hadn’t fallen out of Dein Jed’s favor, nor had she been cast out for incompetence.

Rather, not only had she firmly maintained her place within this bleak group, but she was even treated as quite a valuable talent.

The reason was simple.

‘Because she possessed another ability that nullifies abilities.’

Sometimes things would get troublesome while handling missions.

Right before cutting off a target’s breath.

Occasionally, there were moments when the opponent had protective or offensive abilities cast on them.

Even Rin would break into a cold sweat at such variables. Every minute and second was precious at mission sites.

There were countless cases where the entire situation would be reversed by one tiny mistake. Just like now.

As the current leader, Rin had to lead this match to victory. So she thoroughly analyzed Tigris’s past matches.

Uncharacteristically, she had lingered around taverns from early evening several times.

All to collect complete information about the Tigris Elite Knights.

She deliberately offered to be drinking companions for thoroughly drunk old men, picking up tales of the Tigris Knights’ heroic deeds from last year and the year before.

Thanks to this, she was able to learn.

That while each individual possessed excellent capabilities, the greatest strength of the Tigris Elite Knights was cooperation.

Formations as precise as if measured with a ruler. Tightly woven tactics.

They always moved as a group. They were skilled at minimizing damage and strengthening attacks.

So.

‘I thought there would be sufficient chance of victory if we disrupted their formation and then dragged them into individual combat.’

Those guys never let their guard down.

Not only did they know every single ability of all members including herself from one to ten, but they had even hidden such tremendous power.

Rin let out a hollow laugh and muttered.

“I wanted to let Dosha rest at least.”

The variable created by that monster-like guy was too great. Dosha was the only one who could step forward in this situation.

If she deployed her ability, the controlling ability binding her would also be broken.

Then ‘Shadow’ would smoothly claim victory.

It was the moment Rin’s eyes shone with fervor.

“Rin, Dosha is gone!”

Hover, who had rushed out of the mist urgently, shouted. Rin’s expression twisted strangely.

“What?”

“I said Dosha is gone!”

When Hover shouted once more, Rin whipped her head around.

Her gaze quickly swept over the members gathered in the Carton camp. But truly, Dosha was nowhere to be seen.

It was the moment Rin’s pupils trembled finely.

“Hey, you there. Looking for your cute little sister?”

At the cheeky voice from the opposite side, Rin’s gaze immediately turned there.

“Sister!”

Dosha, with both hands bound by the Tigris Elite Knights, was staring at Rin with terrified eyes.

“Wh-when did they bring her over?!”

Estelin shouted from beside me in disbelief.

“It was Casian. He brought Dosha while Rubel and Rin were facing off.”

At my calm answer, Estelin clicked her tongue.

“D-don’t tell me… this was all planned?”

At her question, I nodded.

“Well, it’s one of the plans. I thought of various contingencies in advance. Not many, just about ten or so…”

Estelin’s mouth fell wide open.

“Dosha!”

Rin’s sharp cry echoed from the gladiator arena.

She was staring at Dosha with her face completely contorted.

‘That sister is an idiot.’

I knew she would show such a reaction if Dosha was captured.

Rin glared at Rubel with menacing eyes.

“You bastard! When did you!!”

“S-sister…! Help me!”

Dosha cried out with tears welling in her eyes.

“Dosha! Wait just a moment, I’ll…!”

But the next moment, with a ripping sound, the navy blue sash hanging on Dosha’s shoulder was cut.

“Dosha!!”

Dismay appeared on Rin’s face.

Soon the referee’s voice, amplified by a sound-enhancing ability, echoed through the gladiator arena.

“Carton’s 20th soldier, eliminated! Please retreat to the edge of the arena.”

Dosha looked around with her body now empty without the sash, then hung her head low and headed toward the edge of the arena.

“Damn it…”

Rin let out a short sigh while watching Dosha leave the arena. Meanwhile, murmurs erupted from the spectator stands.

“Finally someone has been eliminated!”

“Unbelievable… Even Carton’s Rin Anosha can’t move an inch before Tigris’s 17th.”

“But about that 17th. He looks like a knight I’m seeing for the first time, who could he be?”

“More than that, wouldn’t the match be over at this point?”

The spectator stands’ reaction was perhaps natural.

Carton’s camp was already completely in disarray.

Rin, who led the group, was caught by Rubel’s ability and couldn’t move at all, and Dosha, who was their ultimate weapon, had lost her sash.

So the Carton soldiers would instinctively know as well.

That the situation was flowing unfavorably for them.

I looked at Dein Jed across from me, secretly hoping for a surrender declaration.

He wore a rather unexpected expression. An amused smile had appeared on his face.

‘He’s more composed than I thought.’

I stared at him with slightly furrowed brows.

‘Isn’t he curious about how the Tigris Knights knew of Dosha’s abilities?’

That’s when it happened.

“Truly impressive.”

Dein Jed’s languid voice echoed from not far away.

It was a quiet but piercing voice. The nobles who had been chattering noisily fell silent.

“Did you devise the tactics yourself?”

Breaking through the silence that had settled around us, Dein Jed looked straight at me and asked.

“To my eyes, it looks exactly like the young lady analyzed her opponents and read the flow of the match.”

He chuckled softly after finishing his words. After maintaining silence for a moment, I opened my mouth.

“Yes, I did.”

As I smiled brightly, the surrounding nobles’ gazes focused on me. The Emperor also watched me with an interested expression.

“But it wasn’t that difficult. Since these are men directly led by Father, each elite soldier’s individual capabilities were already too excellent. I simply served as a guide.”

When I lightly grasped Father’s arm and smiled, the nobles’ faces were colored with shock.

However, they soon muttered as if convinced.

“…Duke Tigris is indeed remarkable.”

“Of course! Have you forgotten what kind of performance those monsters of Tigris showed in the last war?”

“How could I forget that. Without the Tigris army, the war might have lasted 10 more years.”

I smiled proudly.

Dein Jed’s navy blue eyes seemed to shine before turning toward the Emperor.

“Your Majesty must be pleased. To have such a powerful house as the Empire’s shield.”

The Emperor chuckled “hehe” while stroking his chin.

A faint smile appeared on his face along with a strange sense of relief.

It seemed he had been quite worried that the gladiator event’s laurel crown might be taken by Carton.

Then Dean’s gaze turned to his soldiers who were looking up at this side from the arena.

“This match is Carton’s defeat. An army whose leader wavers is bound to crumble.”

He stared at Rin, who was keeping her head down with her gaze fixed on the sandy floor, and added like driving in a nail.

“If this were a battlefield, it wouldn’t have been just a sash but her head that would have flown off long ago.”

It was an utterly cold voice.

After a brief silence, the referee who had been watching his mood cautiously shouted.

“Ma, match over! With Carton’s surrender declaration, Tigris wins!”

“Wo, woooah—!!”

Starting with applause that burst from one corner of the arena, the gladiator arena filled with thunderous cheers.

The crowd quickly heated up with excitement.

Not only fireworks could be heard from here and there, but also the sound of trumpets being blown.

“Young lady, congratulations! Tigris has won after all!”

Estelin shouted beside me in an extremely excited voice.

I turned to look at her and smiled awkwardly. But my gaze kept turning elsewhere.

‘Rin’s expression doesn’t look good.’

The image of Rin hanging her head deeply at Dean’s cold words stuck in my mind.

Looking down at the arena, I finally made up my mind about something and rose from my seat.

Just as I was about to descend the stairs leading to the arena with hurried steps.

“Aleon.”

A familiar voice pierced my ears from behind.

When I turned my head, the Emperor stood there approaching with an extremely excited expression.

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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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