The Villain Who Will Kill Me Is Too Handsome, It's Troublesome - Chapter 107

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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 107.
Artiela glanced at Kirien through the doorway.
Bertia then shifted her body subtly to block him from view, as if to say it had nothing to do with her son.
“Though I failed to become the Bearer of the Holy Sword, I understand that a sense of partiality has no place in the Holy Trial.”
“That is… well…”
“Surely you don’t mean you won’t punish me because I am Kirien’s mother?”
That’s exactly what you mean, isn’t it?
How could you speak such cruelty—asking me to judge the mother of the man I love?
As Artiela stood speechless, her mouth opening and closing, Bertia’s expression grew more severe.
“Have I misunderstood you, Commander of the Holy Knight Order? The mission of the Bearer of the Holy Sword should be to punish the guilty without personal interest in the name of justice, and to protect this land.”
Her tone carried such disappointment that Artiela’s hands trembled.
“I gave birth to my child knowing full well that the one in my womb was the Source of Evil, all so my son could live. Moreover, we even made a bargain. So shouldn’t I be a criminal deserving of judgment? After all, I am the one who released the Source of Evil into this world when I had the chance to eliminate it.”
Artiela stood still, searching Bertia’s eyes.
Within them was a gaze she knew well—the warmth of the gentle maid-commander Bailey, who had cherished her above all others, and the conviction of the respected senior knight she so admired.
In that moment, certainty bloomed within her.
How could she not recognize it? Bertia had conducted the Holy Trial countless times before.
“I understand.”
Artiela nodded.
At her answer, Kirien’s eyes widened in shock.
“My presence beside you might become a weakness. The Source of Evil might find another way to exploit it.”
That was why leaving was the right thing to do—for Divine Providence. Yet Artiela could not send her away like this.
Her mother’s soul might be dragged down to hell. And it would all stem from her desperate attempt to save him.
“Arti, wait!”
“Hush, my lord. Please, just a moment.”
Then Ushiel appeared at Kirien’s side, gently gripping his shoulder. She pointed toward Artiela and spoke.
“Have faith.”
In your mother. In your beloved.
Soon after, Artiela channeled a pale green Aura into the Bardo. Now the golden Holy Power flowed naturally alongside it into the blade.
Sacred patterns bloomed across the sword’s surface.
Ushiel fell silent and prayed upon seeing it.
It was not the prayer for the dead that holy knights spoke. It was a prayer of gratitude and blessing.
“Bertia, by Divine Providence, I render judgment upon you.”
And with that, Artiela’s resolute declaration.
Bertia calmly closed her eyes, awaiting the Bardo’s verdict in patient silence.
Yet no matter how long she waited, the blade never fell.
“What is the meaning of this…?”
“If I swing the Sword of Justice against one who is righteous, the recoil strikes rather severely.”
At Artiela’s quiet explanation, Bertia’s eyes opened.
“That cannot be.”
“Shall we verify? The weight of all the good deeds you’ve accumulated is extraordinarily heavy, senior. How many times have you saved another’s child? If I were to wield this blade now, I fear I would lose my qualification as the Bearer of the Holy Sword. So how could I possibly swing it?”
Artiela smiled softly.
There was not a shred of falsehood in her words.
Bertia’s soul was beautiful, just like her son’s. The lives she had saved until now became, in this moment, a shield for her own spirit.
The God even reckoned with her efforts to minimize harm to the world while saving her son.
So perhaps that was why He had not yet called her soul away?
“Seeing that the God does not claim you now, it seems you still have much work to do here.”
Ushiel nodded in agreement.
Artiela also inclined her head.
“The party at the Lufel Duchy was originally under Bailey’s purview. And I intend to entrust my betrothal ceremony and wedding to my mother-in-law as well.”
Artiela spoke with quiet confidence.
“I am a working, busy daughter-in-law, after all.”
So the affairs of the Duchy household should continue to rest with you, as they do now.
“And since I cannot attend social gatherings either, I must ask you to handle those as well.”
Kirien had said he didn’t mind, but it was something that had weighed on him nonetheless. For a noble house, standing in society mattered greatly.
Yet Heaven had dropped a Duchess into their laps. A gift, surely, that the God had sent to Artiela in recognition of her earnest life well-lived.
Artiela reached for Bertia’s hand.
Bertia quietly withdrew it.
“That simply won’t do…”
“What? No—don’t you dare say such things about returning to God’s embrace. Not until He calls for you. You must live long, a thousand years, ten thousand years together with us…”
“I have absolutely no talent for managing high society…”
Ah, she’d forgotten. They were in the same predicament.
Both had taken up the sword to escape the tedium of salon gatherings.
“We should just send Kirien alone to social events, Artiela.”
“Yes, his face is weapon enough anyway. And please, call me Ati, Mother.”
They seemed to get along better than expected for a future mother and daughter-in-law.
Ushiel, watching from the sidelines, felt something like his chest might burst.
* * *
Lillian reunited with Bertia and caught up on all that had passed between them.
Ushiel departed with several Holy Knights to verify something, then returned, and after Bertia spent a few days at the Temple confirming there were no lingering complications, she went home.
On the surface, the world seemed nothing but peaceful. The Source of Evil had gone silent since then, and even Piter had been behaving himself these past few days.
“How long has it been since we’ve attended a gathering like this?”
“Ah, today’s a day off!”
The Holy Knight Order was in high spirits at the small party held at the Lufel Duchy. Never mind that they’d arrived in shifts and were wearing their armor the whole time.
“Is this Lord Kirien’s residence?”
“Wow, it’s spacious and nice.”
Artiela was absorbed in taking in the Duchy she hadn’t seen in some time.
“Oh, there it is—the balcony I broke.”
More precisely, the one Kirien’s Aura had destroyed.
The marble railing of the balcony had been replaced with an iron one. The ornament that had hung from Kirien’s office ceiling had been cleanly finished into a simple dome shape, with nothing left to fall.
The traces of damage on the staircase were no longer visible.
It looked like a truly wealthy house now. And most of all, what had changed was……
“Welcome home, sir.”
“It’s been a while, Duke.”
The smell of people living here.
While Kirien had been away, many of the servants who’d gone down to the Territory had returned. They were all people of deep loyalty to the Duchy, and following the late Duke’s wishes, they now served Kirien with the same unwavering devotion.
There had been hesitation about whether to stay after the monster attack a few days ago, but once they saw Kirien bringing back the head maidservant, they all remained.
Certain that their master would protect his people, no matter what.
“It’s good to see everyone again.”
“Mother……is she……?”
Kirien asked carefully, having only just arrived with the Holy Knight Order. Even since Bertia returned home, they’d been in daily contact, yet he always felt uneasy.
Wondering when she might receive the call of the divine.
He’d come today in a state of anxious agitation, since Bertia had been too busy preparing for the banquet since morning to send a reply.
“She is in the dining hall overseeing the final preparations.”
Kirien relaxed and smiled faintly.
At which point all the servants of the Duchy froze in stunned silence.
Was that a smile from their lord? We always knew he was handsome, but since when did he smile so beautifully?
Then a woman entered the servants’ line of sight.
“Kirien! So where is your room?”
Yes, that was the change that had arrived since the day she flew into this Duchy.
To them, Artiela was already as good as the Duchess of Lufel. A precious person to be honored alongside their master.
“It’s the room that had the balcony back then.”
“Ah, that one!”
“Captain, are you already checking the newlyweds’ chamber?”
“Shut it!”
The atmosphere was far different from the solemn Duchy of old, but it was good. As long as things remained this peaceful.
‘Good, the party atmosphere is really coming together, isn’t it?’
Artiela gazed around the lively Duchy with eyes bright with laughter. Soon her family would arrive, and Sernia too.
Then it would truly be time to discuss the matter at hand.
Before the Source of Evil reared its head again, they needed to set the Empire in order first. To protect this land and its people from an Emperor who had already stepped down the path of tyranny.
『In preparation for border invasions, we shall double this year’s tax rate from last year.』

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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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