Isn’t Being A Wicked Woman Much Better? - Chapter 181

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 181
“Deborah! Watch out!”
Duke Simour rushed forward and pulled Deborah into his arms just as black flames erupted behind him.
I’m not sure why a fragment of that dream suddenly surfaced in my mind the moment Duke Simour shielded me with his entire body from the black fire aimed at me.
“If there is a next life, I wish you were my daughter.”
Duke Simour and Mirju Simour, the first patriarch, were undoubtedly different people.
“Even that pathetically soft-hearted nature of yours would be tempered somewhat by the cold serpent’s blood flowing through your veins.”
At Mirju Simour’s blunt words, Naila had smiled joyfully even in the face of death. Since she had no family, his words sounded all the more tender to her.
“If a father as thoughtful and considerate as the Archmage existed, surely his daughter would be happy.”
“You’re the only one who calls me considerate. Anyway… being so soft-hearted…”
‘You are considerate, Father.’
My stomach churned from the desperate grip of his arms around me. Surrounded by his warm embrace, I held Duke Simour’s body tightly and drew upon every ounce of holy power within me.
‘Please…’
Soon a pristine barrier materialized around me. In that fleeting moment, I desperately prayed that Father would emerge unharmed.
Boom!
“…Huh?!”
I had been clenching my teeth grimly, praying that Duke Simour’s body would withstand the toxic blessing, when I suddenly froze in confusion. My vision spun, and when I looked around, I realized that Duke Simour and I had been safely transported to the rear of the army.
“I-Isidore?”
In that brief moment, Isidore had embraced both Father and me simultaneously and used Blink—a short-range teleportation spell.
‘Ah, so Isidore was watching over me too.’
When the toxic blessing was fired in my direction, both Isidore and Duke Simour moved at the same time, and their timing had aligned perfectly.
“Duke Simour, are you all right?”
“Yes… I’m fine.”
Father’s expression was equally bewildered.
“Thank goodness.”
Isidore smiled with relief, though his expression remained somewhat blurred.
“Th-thank you, Duke Visconti. I find myself indebted to you time and again. Hmph!”
Still held in Isidore’s embrace, Father stiffened his shoulders and, unable to bring himself to push away his benefactor, rolled his eyes awkwardly as he muttered.
“Think nothing of it. I merely did what needed to be done.”
Even in this situation, Isidore responded with his characteristic courtesy, summoning a greatsword that gleamed with a pale blue sheen before vanishing in a flash before our eyes.
Behind the Fourth Empress, who was unleashing relentless attacks, Isidore suddenly reappeared. Like when he had faced the Grim Reaper wielding a scythe, he warped onto the dragon’s back and unleashed sword strikes so brilliant they were dazzling to behold.
“Truly remarkable…”
“Is this what a Dragon Slayer would look like if reincarnated?”
“It’s no wonder the Sword Mage is called the God of War.”
The mages supporting from the rear stared into the sky with vacant expressions, each muttering a comment.
“The Magic Tower Master must feel secure having the Sword Mage as a son-in-law.”
“…”
At Duke Simour’s cold gaze, the elder who had mentioned the son-in-law grew pale and hastily apologized.
“I… I was far too reckless in this urgent situation. My apologies.”
“That dragon will likely fall soon, so have the knights and Tower Battle Unit establish defensive barriers around the perimeter.”
“Yes, Tower Master.”
The battle unfolding in the sky was progressing one-sidedly. The left wing of the dragon beast fluttering in mid-air was instantly shredded like rags by Isidore’s blade, and the creature’s agonized shriek pierced the heavens.
Kyaaaagh!
The dragon beast twisted its long neck and writhed desperately. But Isidore paid no heed, slashing through the right wing as well.
“The beast is falling!”
Even as the Fourth Empress, transformed into a dragon beast, plummeted earthward, she unleashed a vicious killing intent and launched desperate attacks. But the mages maintaining defensive magic blocked her spells repeatedly.
Boom!
With a sound that shook the very earth, the dragon beast finally crashed to the ground. Smoke billowed upward, but a relentless barrage of offensive magic poured down upon the creature’s landing site.
“…It’s over.”
“With that much magic raining down, how could anything survive?”
‘No… It’s not finished yet.’
I know from my dreams just how tenacious and powerful this creature is.
“Deborah, don’t recklessly rush forward—stay back.”
As I quietly stepped to the front, Rozard’s brow furrowed.
“Don’t worry, I won’t cause trouble this time. I made a mistake before out of surprise.”
I cast one of the holy spells I had been practicing in my spare time.
“What is that?”
As I pressed both hands to the ground, Rozard’s eyes widened.
“It’s closer to magic.”
White light surged from the earth, transforming into vine-like tendrils that stretched outward, beginning to bind the massive dragon beast’s body seamlessly like ropes.
“The dragon beast’s scales are so hard that magic doesn’t penetrate well. We need to exploit the moment when its movement is sealed to cut deep into its vital points with sword energy.”
“It seems we’ll finally be earning our keep.”
At Isidore’s nod, the White Knight Order knights, having regrouped, charged toward the restrained creature. The dragon beast thrashed and shrieked, desperately trying to escape the vines of light coiling around it. Not a trace of imperial dignity remained in the Fourth Empress.
‘She’s completely lost her mind.’
Like the Black Mage who had transformed into a spider before, this savage monster could no longer be called the Fourth Empress. Those who had made pacts with demons, mortgaging their souls, almost always met such an end. Their sense of self rapidly faded, leaving behind only a monster clinging to scraps of desire and greed.
The knights’ attacks landed true, and the murky magical energy that had filled the air gradually dissipated.
Once the situation had settled somewhat, everyone who had doubted my identity as a saint stared at me with vacant expressions.
The look of cognitive dissonance.
‘I can’t blame them—a reckless, troublemaking noble lady as a saint? I wouldn’t believe it either.’
What was once unthinkable had become reality.
I was aware that rumors of Miya Binoshu, who had been volunteering in the Slum District, being a saint were gaining traction in High Society.
‘But it’s all a lie, so it won’t last long anyway.’
Yet… where exactly is Miya?
Even though I had defeated the Fourth Empress, whom I suspected was behind all this, an ominous unease gripped me.
The reason I froze in shock upon seeing the Empress transformed into a dragon beast wasn’t because it was threatening—it was because it was underwhelming. The fact that what I thought was the mastermind behind everything had only a mere pet demon possessing her body felt deeply unsettling.
‘A dragon beast wouldn’t have the power to cause a fracture in the Barrier….’
Dawn was breaking, but the forest remained shrouded in darkness due to thick clouds. As sleet began to fall gently, a group in Imperial Court uniforms approached from the distance. It seemed the Imperial Court had dispatched an investigation team upon learning that the Black Mages’ headquarters was located within the Sky Forest.
“I’ve arrived too late.”
The investigation team’s representative was the Crown Prince.
“Since everyone wanted to lead the investigation team given the certain merit of this achievement, there was considerable internal discord that delayed our arrival considerably.”
The Crown Prince dismounted from his horse and continued speaking.
“I’ve heard that there was a Black Mage among the Imperial Family, and that the apostles’ headquarters lies within the Sky Forest under Imperial jurisdiction. Could you guide me there?”
“There, the small cave formed between the tree roots is presumed to be the entrance leading to the Dark Mages’ Headquarters.”
As I squeezed my body through and entered, a labyrinthine passage twisted before me, and at its end lay a horrifying sight. Flayed skins and entrails were piled high—some of the investigators retched at the gruesome spectacle. I swallowed my rising nausea and quickly lowered my head, when something caught my eye on the blood-stained floor.
‘The Hexagram of Ruin….’
The symbol of a great demon. So the Fourth Empress hadn’t contracted with some mere dragon after all.
“There—someone is here.”
Shortly after, the investigation team dragged out Miya from a corner behind the Altar, her body trembling with terror etched across her face.
“Miya Binoshu!”
The discovery of the woman who had claimed to be the incarnation of a saint in the Dark Mages’ Headquarters sent shockwaves through the group.
“Sob… uhhh,”
Miya hunched her small shoulders, her expression pitiful as tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Sob, thank you so much for saving me. Thank you.”
Even as she was being led away, she wept sorrowfully and bowed her head repeatedly, and I raised my eyebrows sharply.
‘What is she saying right now.’
* * *
-Miya. Stall for time until the crimson moon rises. When the connection between the demon realm and the mortal world solidifies, nothing will be able to threaten you.
Listening to the eerie voice that echoed ceaselessly in her mind, Miya began to weep sorrowfully as if possessed.
‘In the end, it wasn’t the Empress who summoned the great demon—it was me.’
As an exquisite sense of elation swelled within her, Miya wept all the louder, delivering a masterful performance.
-Yes, you. Your blood, which carries the sacred essence, called out to me.
Sacred blood imbued with demonic power, created through the sacrifice of thousands upon thousands of corpses. It all flowed into Miya’s body.
A vessel perfectly suited for the descent of a great demon had been completed.

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