The Villain Who Will Kill Me Is Too Handsome, It's Troublesome - Chapter 9

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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 9.
Artiella threw herself toward her father and brother without hesitation. Unlike the youngest knight, the two men—unable to defend themselves—barely managed to stumble clear of the debris.
Pieter likewise escaped safely from beneath the eaves with Pursell’s assistance.
Crash! A deafening roar erupted, and dust billowed into the air.
“Father, brother—are you both all right?”
“Y-yes, we’re fine. Are you unhurt?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Your Majesty, are you injured?”
“I am well…”
Meanwhile, the Holy Paladin Order knights, thinking an earthquake had struck, rushed from the building in a panic—some leaping through windows, others bursting out the entrance only to find the way half-blocked, their companions dragging the panicked ones toward a rear exit.
The brief chaos was swiftly brought under control by Artiella’s command.
“You four, bring a cart. The rest of you, take shovels and load the debris into it. Frail, find the priests and request emergency repairs. The main entrance to the quarters will remain sealed for the time being.”
“Yes, Captain!”
“Check whether there are any other cracks or tilted sections.”
“Should we venture inside?”
“If you’re uncertain, wait for the priests to arrive. They’ll have architects among them.”
“Understood!”
Soltis and his son watched Artiella command with fond eyes, their gaze brimming with love. Yet worry filled them too.
They respected the difficult path their daughter had chosen, but remained perpetually anxious. Evil could sometimes prove stronger than justice.
“She’s grown into quite the woman.”
“She’s already twenty.”
“So she is.”
“I had no idea the Holy Paladin Order’s quarters were in such disrepair. We must increase our patronage. I won’t have our youngest living in such a dangerous place.”
Count Soltis nodded at his son’s words.
“If I recall correctly, this building was constructed less than five years ago.”
At that moment, Pieter interjected in a casual tone.
“What? Then are you saying some ruffians built the Holy Paladin Order’s quarters so shoddily? They should be arrested and disciplined.”
“All buildings in Edelion were constructed by those of devout faith. Shoddy work is impossible.”
“Then some other problem exists?”
At Bleo’s question, Pieter turned his gaze quietly toward a single figure.
Kirien Lupel—dazed, staring blankly at nothing but Artiella.
“Haven’t you experienced this yourself a few times at the nobles’ councils, Count?”
Count Soltis raised his brows briefly, then lowered them. He nodded quietly.
“That one has my pity. Even within sacred ground, misfortune finds no rest.”
“Count, do you truly believe this to be mere misfortune?”
Count Soltis turned his head toward Pieter.
“Is there another explanation?”
“With a Saint and a Holy Paladin in your family, you must know the myths better than I. I speak of beings that carry calamity and disaster in their wake. How else could such misfortune befall him at every turn?”
At Pieter’s observation, the Count let out a displeased sound.
Yet Bleo was regarding Duke Lupel with rather curious eyes.
The man had striking features—black hair and crimson eyes. At social gatherings, he’d often heard young noblewomen compare him and the Duke as to who was the most handsome in the Empire.
But the air they gave off was entirely different.
Bleo had always been bright and cheerful, whereas the Duke always seemed gloomy and anxious. With such a face, he could live with confidence like Bleo did.
For a Duke to be so timid was hardly fitting. The Emperor could gossip from his side, and he should at least squirm—he was someone meant to be useful.
“Duke, are you unwell?”
Bleo stepped closer to Duke Lupel.
“My presence is dangerous. Do not approach me.”
“There seems nothing left to collapse.”
“However—”
“What, will the ground cave in now?”
It was meant as a jest. Yet Duke Lupel startled visibly and stepped back.
“Brother! Mind your tongue!”
His younger sister suddenly rushed over and threw her arm around his neck.
“Sister, my delicate neck bruises easily, you know.”
“What are you talking about? Are you proud of being so weak?”
Artiella rolled her eyes and released him.
Bleo staggered toward the Duke. Kirien retreated again, maintaining distance. Bleo looked aggrieved, but he quickly wilted under his sister’s lethal glare.
“Your Grace came to Edelion to resolve the misfortune that clings to you.”
Artiella stepped closer to the Emperor.
“I have already confirmed the commission you entrusted to me, Your Majesty.”
Her tone carried a hint of aggression. As she held his gaze, Pieter’s brow furrowed slightly.
“You verified it? Truly?”
“Yes. The Holy Sword Bardo confirmed the soul.”
Artiella delivered this without hesitation.
At her unwavering answer, Pieter dragged a hand across his face. Each time his palm crossed his skin, bewilderment flickered deeper in his eyes.
“Impossible. I saw it myself—with these eyes.”
“Even so, I cannot accuse the Duke of a crime. Bardo does not draw its blade against the innocent.”
Artiella’s voice turned decidedly cold.
“So you don’t trust me.”
“Your Majesty doesn’t trust the Holy Sword or the Temple either.”
As the chill between them settled, Count Soltis interjected.
“Artiella, why has someone who needs to solve this Misfortune come to the Holy Paladin Order’s quarters?”
“I thought Edelion would be safe. There was nowhere else suitable to stay, so I meant to offer him my own room.”
“Your room?”
The Count looked flustered, stealing a glance at the Emperor.
“But I was mistaken.”
“True enough—one doesn’t lodge an unrelated man in a lady’s chamber, no matter the circumstances.”
“The accidents weren’t caused by Misfortune or a Curse at all. I should speak with the Holy Maiden again.”
Artiella’s face brimmed with certainty. She turned toward Duke Lupel with visible joy.
“Duke!”
The Duke was in poor condition.
He seemed not to have heard the Emperor and Artiella’s exchange at all. He only twisted with anguish and confusion. As his anxiety rippled outward, his Aura flared wild and erratic around him.
“It’s hopeless. I should return home. Even after I dealt with that strange shadow, accidents still occur…….”
Yes, this was the problem.
“Duke, please stop. Trust me—I’ll take responsibility.”
Artiella smiled brightly and grasped the Duke’s hand.
Kirien’s eyes widened and his body went rigid.
The others’ reactions were no less startling. Bleo’s mouth fell slightly open, Pieter’s eye twitched at the corner, and Count Soltis stepped forward to separate his daughter from the dangerous Duke.
But Artiella’s face remained serene with conviction.
“Yes, that’s it.”
“That’s what, pray tell?”
Artiella scrutinized the area around the Duke’s face.
It had vanished.
“I found it. The true source of the Misfortune circling the Duke.”
The pale radiance that had been shining.
* * *
Seven people gathered in the Holy Maiden’s parlor.
All attention fixed upon Artiella’s hand—or rather, the hand gripping Kirien’s.
“So the Duke possesses an Aura, and the root cause of all these misfortunes is that Aura?”
At Usiiel’s question, Artiella nodded with vigor.
“Exactly. He didn’t know he had an Aura, and without his control, it erupts like a defense mechanism whenever he grows tense, destroying everything around him.”
“Pursell.”
Pursell, standing behind the Emperor, stepped forward at once.
“Is this true?”
“It stood out today, certainly, but the control and quantity seem barely above a novice’s. I question whether it could cause such destruction.”
“Try holding the Duke’s hand.”
At Artiella’s suggestion, Pursell took Kirien’s hand with a skeptical look. A knight skilled in Aura manipulation could verify such things through direct contact.
As expected, two colors of Aura sparked where their hands touched.
“There—there is an Aura. A considerable amount at that…….”
“How did you not notice this yourself?”
Pursell posed the question, but Artiella answered it.
“Well, the Duke’s appearance is rather radiant, don’t you think?”
…….
Everyone fell silent. And yet it was true.
“Ordinary people can’t distinguish an Aura. Since the Duke is so beautiful, everyone likely took it for a radiance around him. The knights, finding no malice, probably mistook it for natural Mana.”
They never observed him properly, too wary of an inauspicious presence.
“Your explanation makes sense. I’m often told I too possess a certain radiance.”
At Bleo’s nonsense, both sisters’ faces soured for a moment.
“Is there a solution?”
At Usiiel’s question, Artiella nodded again, her expression brightening with hope.
“Yes, it’s quite simple.”
“Truly, my lady?”
Kirien looked at her with desperate eyes.
Artiella answered with a bright smile.
“Of course. You need only learn from me—how to wield the Aura.”
Just as hope began to bloom across Kirien’s face, the men rose from their seats as one.
“I oppose it.”
“Artiella, wouldn’t you reconsider?”

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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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