The Villain Who Will Kill Me Is Too Handsome, It's Troublesome - Chapter 40

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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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Episode 40.
“Heh, Your Majesty is quite the wit. Where in the empire could such a lady be found?”
“I’m serious, though.”
“There is precedent. We need only follow the proper procedures.”
Artiele’s eyes narrowed. That precedent he mentioned—wasn’t it the story of the fifth emperor, the one called the Tyrant?
Taking multiple mistresses before even marrying was but a fraction of the atrocities he had committed. What he had done to claim his brother’s beloved seemed less like precedent and more like outright tyranny.
Why would anyone speak of following in the footsteps of such a man, let alone end the same way?
“Yes, Your Majesty. That said…….”
No. Surely not.
Watching Peter’s mouth curl further as his gaze found her, Artiele’s eyes widened.
So he meant to use her family as hostages. How cowardly.
But it wouldn’t work.
“Is there perhaps someone you have in mind?”
The nobles with daughters hung on the Emperor’s every word, clinging to a fragile hope.
“If there were, would you all assist me?”
At that moment, Kirien shot to his feet. And as if on cue, the Conference Hall doors swung shut again.
Exasperated enough to nearly point an accusing finger at the Emperor, Artiele could only click her tongue in frustration.
“Wait, let me—”
The attendant who had opened and closed the doors vanished swiftly down the corridor, terrified of facing Artiele’s wrath.
This was infuriating.
If she heightened her perception through her Aura, she could faintly make out voices beyond the wall. She chose not to listen, though—she had no intention of meddling in imperial affairs.
After all, she was entirely unrelated to the selection of an empress.
‘Is he trying to break the Primordial Covenant?’
One shall not take those who serve the divine. In exchange, the Holy Temple does not unilaterally carry out the sacred judgment of the imperial family, and the Emperor protects the people of Edelion.
It was a promise kept for ages untold.
Still, she wanted to believe he wasn’t fool enough to violate it. Mere spite, perhaps. A pointless infatuation.
“Tch.”line>
But then her right hand began to itch. A vexing, unpleasant sensation, as if a mosquito had bitten her.

Could it be an issue with her right hand after all?
She’d need to consult with Yusiel soon. If she was no longer fit to wield the Holy Sword, she would have to return it, regrettable as that was.
Then a greater commotion erupted from within.
“T-the Imperial Guard! Protect His Majesty!”
“We’re under attack! Everyone, flee—ahhhhh!”
Artiele’s mind flashed back to the moment just before the Conference Hall doors had shut.
Kirien had risen from his seat. Had there been a large chandelier hanging conveniently above him?
“This won’t do.”
The Conference Hall doors burst open as nobles came spilling out in panic.
Artiele rushed inside reflexively, reaching for Bardo with her right hand.
“Blast.”
The hall was in chaos. Chairs lay overturned, dust hung thick in the air, and people scrambled backward in terror.
And at its center—
“What… what is that?”
A sphere of black, radiating malice and dread, hung suspended in the air.
“Demonic Energy?”
The miasma, which had appeared without warning, was beginning to extend its vile influence toward the people.
“Contact Edelion!”
“We must summon the Holy Maiden!”
“O divine one, how comes such an abomination to the very heart of the Imperial Palace!”
“Dark Wizards! It must be them—they’ve returned!”
No. This wasn’t the work of Dark Wizards.
Artiele examined where the black sphere hovered. Directly above where Kirien had been standing. That distinctive darkness, reeking of malice, was the same as what the shadow had emanated.
Had it come after Kirien again?
Artiele quickly located Kirien. His face twisted in pain from what seemed to be his usual headache, he was pressed against one wall.
Admirably, he shielded Count Soltis behind his own body.
‘The pearl’s color……’
The tip of the usually serene pink pearl had taken on a sickly gray hue. Its boundary with Kirien’s Aura wavered—expanding and contracting in fierce combat.
There was no time to waste. But could they hold out until Yusiel arrived? Especially while she couldn’t use the Holy Sword?
“This is bad.”
Artiele muttered to herself, despair creeping in.
But to those who heard her voice, she alone was their last hope.
“Oh! The owner of the Holy Sword happens to be here.”
“Thank heavens!”
“I’ve heard that the Holy Sword Bardo doesn’t merely defend justice—it repels wickedness itself.”
Yes, that much is true.
That creature was born unjust by nature; it’s a fitting target for judgment in the name of God, much like Divine Judgment itself.
If only the Holy Sword could be wielded.
“Everyone, please retreat as far as possible. It hasn’t fully activated yet.”
At Artiele’s cry, the people quickly withdrew toward the conference hall entrance. But Kirien could not.
He seemed to understand his own predicament. Perhaps the intense headache left him unable to move. He appeared to be in a state of panic.
And Peter.
The Emperor, despite being able to slip away through a secret passage, remained seated at the high table.
“Holy Knight Order Commander of Edelion, I grant you leave to draw your blade. I trust you will quell this chaos.”
What manner of trust was this? An emperor without an heir should naturally possess the instinct to distance himself from anything dangerous.
He settled into his seat with a composed expression, even tilting his jaw slightly as if preparing to watch a performance.
“Arti, summon Yusiel. Call for the Holy Maiden.”
It was then that Count Soltis cried out loudly.
But Artiele shook her head. There was no need.
“Arti, you could be in danger alone.”
“No. I must resolve this myself.”
Yes, this was his test.
The same creature that had already reduced her to this state.
The source of all evil surely possessed some twisted pleasure in watching her despair and tremble with anxiety.
Artiele took a deep breath. There was nowhere left to retreat to. So she chose to place her hope in the one remaining possibility.
She wrapped an Aura around her left hand. She did not forget to amplify her Holy Power using the Goddess’s Bracelet. And she added a fervent prayer besides.
‘Divine One, grant that I may yet prove myself master of Bardo.’
If all else failed, she’d strike with her bare fists.
“Receive Divine Judgment.”
Artiele drew Bardo with all her might in her left hand. Then she charged lightly toward the black sphere.
Bardo carved a pale-green wind trail as it shot toward the black mass. The moment the blade touched that dark lump, a thunderous crack split the air, and an enormous shockwave erupted.
“Ahhh!”
“Help me!”
Everyone threw themselves down and trembled. But what fell upon their heads was not filthy Miasma.
A holy, purifying wind.
It was nothing but Artiele’s Holy Power.
“Arti!”
“Commander Arti!”
Ah, but that creature was draining her Holy Power far too greedily.
The black sphere scattered downward, now tinged with fresh pale green. Behind it came Kirien, rushing forward with worry etched across his face, and beyond him, Peter’s expression—oddly filled with disappointment. These were her last memories before darkness took her.
* * *
Artiele was carried to somewhere within the Imperial Palace.
There was some minor friction between Kirien and Peter over who should carry her, but the Holy Knights who soon arrived resolved the matter. They had a stretcher.
As Peter watched Artiele sleeping, thoroughly exhausted, he asked Count Soltis a question.
“Something seems wrong with Artiele?”
“Pardon? What do you mean, Your Majesty?”
“Surely you, of all people, would have noticed something amiss with your daughter?”
……
“Artiele is right-handed, isn’t she?”
“This one uses both hands. I believe she trained in ambidexterity to prepare for situations where combat incapacity might prevent her from wielding the sword in her right hand.”
Bleo, who had rushed to his sister upon hearing the news, interjected.
“Which means her right arm has been damaged.”
“Well, yes, I suppose that would be the case.”
“Can she continue as a knight even with one arm injured?”
“As you witnessed, she fights well enough even without it…….”
Then Kirien, who had been in the corner, cut in.
“Does Your Majesty hope that Commander Arti can no longer serve as a knight?”
His voice was sharp and cutting—wholly unlike his usual manner.
Bleo glanced at his father. What had happened in the conference hall to make the Duke speak like that?
Count Soltis gave no answer—merely a long, weary sigh.
“Ah, so that’s why you proclaimed the Marriage Prohibition Edict for every noblewoman in the empire until an empress is chosen?”
“And what’s wrong with that? It’s an imperial prerogative!”
Bleo stared at the two of them with a bewildered expression.
“If you’re going to fight, please take it outside.”
Yusiel answered with irritation threading through her voice.
“If anything happens to Artiele, I’ll kill you both in the name of God.”
The saintess, always so compassionate, was angry.

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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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