The Puppet Villainess’s Splendid Rebellion - Chapter 87

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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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Chapter 87

Carlos’s expression hardened stiffly.

“What do you mean by that.”

“The Archmage who was with her tried to stop her, but Her Highness insisted that she had to go herself…”

The knight said, biting his lips.

“She entered the barrier. Alone. Into the place where the magic energy is most concentrated.”

The color drained from Carlos’s face.

Thump, his heart felt like it stopped.

“That reckless girl.”

Carlos spat out short words like a low growl.

He gritted his teeth and urgently pulled the reins.

“Your Grace! It’s dangerous! The magic energy—”

“Get out of the way.”

Before the knight could finish speaking, Carlos urgently spurred his horse. Toward where the black energy was rising. Toward where that child was.

The horse galloped across the dry grassland. The cold winter wind struck his face. The faster he rode, the more suffocating his chest became. It was proof that the magic energy was growing thicker. His body, which had been stable thanks to the Jeongjesa, began to grow heavy again. Dizziness washed over him. He couldn’t breathe.

Still, he didn’t stop.

He had to get to that child.

The black energy grew closer and closer. The place where that child was.

* * *

As I emerged from the forest, my vision opened up completely.

I stopped in my tracks.

The blackly cracked earth. Black energy pouring out from those cracks. Magic energy was gushing up like a fountain from a place that was hollowed out like a pit. The black energy writhed as if alive, stretching up toward the sky.

It looked like the entrance to hell.

It was exactly the same as what I had seen at the Imperial Palace before my regression. Back then, I hadn’t gone inside. I had only watched from afar. I had seen them pour cartloads of Jeongjesa into it. Dozens of servants running around, the Emperor shouting, people collapsing.

But now it was different. There was no Jeongjesa. I had to go in myself.

Just being close made it hard to breathe. The magic energy seemed to cling to my skin and seep in. The air was heavy. Every breath burned my throat.

My legs trembled. I couldn’t take a single step forward.

I didn’t know what would happen if I went in there. I wasn’t even certain that bleeding would be able to stop it. I could die.

But.

‘I’m the only one.’

I was the only one who could stop this here. If I couldn’t stop it, the magic energy would spread throughout the entire Dukedom. People weak to magic energy like Countess Harper would lose their lives.

Most importantly, Carlos would be in danger.

I broke off a nearby dry branch and sharpened the end. Then without hesitation, I stabbed it into my arm.

Stab!

“Ugh!”

Sharp pain shot up my arm. The feeling of flesh tearing was vivid. Red blood flowed down. Red stains spread across the parched earth.

I walked toward the pit.

One step. Two steps. Three steps.

The thicker the magic energy became, the harder it was to breathe. My head throbbed painfully. It felt like the magic energy was burrowing into my body. Every cell in my body seemed to be screaming. It was like walking through water.

Still, I walked.

One more step. One more step.

Blood dripped steadily. I reached the edge of the pit. The black energy struck my face. It was hard to keep my eyes open. Every breath felt like my lungs were burning.

Blood flowed into the pit.

The magic energy wavered. A little. Just a little. The red blood collided with the black magic energy.

It was working.

My blood was acting like Jeongjesa. Just like what I had seen at the Imperial Palace before my regression. Just like when the Emperor had made Jeongjesa from my blood back then.

But it wasn’t enough. The hole was too big. Magic energy was still pouring out.

I squeezed the wound tightly. More blood flowed out. My fingertips began to tingle. I knew I was losing too much blood. My hands were turning pale white.

Still, I couldn’t stop.

Every time the bleeding tried to stop, I pressed the wound to make it bleed again. Even that wasn’t enough. I dug the branch deeper into the wound.

“Hah, ugh.”

A groan escaped involuntarily. I gritted my teeth.

I felt chills even though it wasn’t cold.

As more blood flowed into the pit, the black energy wavered. I could see the magic energy gradually being pushed back.

‘I’m dizzy.’

My knees buckled. I had no strength left to stand. I sank down and stretched my arm toward the pit.

The blood had to keep flowing. I couldn’t stop.

‘It’s still not enough.’

I bit my lips. Tears came. I didn’t know if it was from pain or fear. Tears just came. The flowing tears streamed down my cheeks.

‘Just a little more. Please. Just a little.’

How much time had passed?

Suddenly, my vision flashed.

A red light suddenly erupted from the pit. It was such an intense light that it was blinding. The entire world was dyed red.

‘What… is this?’

It was a sight I had never seen before.

I had witnessed Jeongjesa being poured into a magic energy pit and watched it being purified, but this kind of intense light was a first.

Before I could even grasp what was happening, the magic energy began to clear away like a lie. The black energy disappeared as if being sucked in. The pit slowly closed. The cracked earth seemed to be sealing itself.

“…Did it work?”

I muttered weakly without realizing it.

It was definitely different from what I had seen before my regression. Back then, there hadn’t been such intense light, and the pit where magic energy had been leaking hadn’t sealed itself like this either.

‘Certainly, something is different…’

While fumbling through my thoughts, the black energy completely disappeared. The sky cleared and the murky air became fresh.

‘I guess it worked.’

The moment that thought crossed my mind, everything I had been holding onto collapsed. I fell sideways just like that. My cheek touched the cold Dirt Floor. But even the feeling of cold was faint.

My hands wouldn’t move. My body wouldn’t move. I didn’t have the strength to move even a finger. I had lost too much. Blood. The thought crossed my mind that I might die like this.

Blood was still flowing from my arm. My vision was turning red. Warmth was leaving my body. I was getting cold.

‘…It’s okay.’

Because I stopped it. Because people are safe.

The plan I made wasn’t wrong. The House of the Duke will be fine.

That was enough.

My eyes felt heavy. My eyelids weighed a thousand pounds. I didn’t have the strength to keep my closing eyes open. My consciousness grew hazy.

I heard some sound from far away. The sound of hoofbeats. Someone seemed to be running toward me. The sound of stepping on snow. Sounds getting closer and closer.

Someone seemed to be calling a name.

Lorea. Lorea.

It seemed like a voice I had heard before. A familiar voice. Low and deep. Urgent and desperate.

…Carlos?

But my consciousness was too hazy to be certain.

My eyes kept closing.

The last thing I saw was the clear Winter Sky.

Blue, high, and beautiful.

‘…Ah, it’s pretty.’

And the world went dark.

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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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