The Villainess Hid Her Identity, and Now Everyone is Misunderstanding - Chapter 78

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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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The Villainess Hides Her Identity, and Everyone Misunderstands
Chapter 78

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“What…?”
The Chamberlain, who had been receiving a report in a corner of the marketplace, let out a small cry.
“What do you mean by that? You’re telling me all the Knights have been withdrawn?”
“That is… well…”
A man standing before him broke out in cold sweat.
He was told this was someone of high standing in the imperial court. The mere fact that a commoner like himself was having this conversation made him dizzy, and the thought of being reprimanded further made him feel as though he might faint.
Even though none of this was his fault.
As the man hesitated, the Chamberlain erupted in anger.
“Speak up! What happened!”
“That woman they call the Saint, sir…”
“That Woman? Why would she matter? Wasn’t she supposed to be arrested soon anyway?”
“That Woman was… she had a permit…”
“A permit?”
His voice dripped with disbelief.
“A… tent installation… permit, sir.”
“…!”
The Chamberlain’s eyes widened.
He grabbed the man’s shoulders with an expression of shock, and his belly jiggled in response.
“What nonsense is this? Where would such a permit even exist!”
In the first place, the crime of illegal tent installation didn’t actually exist. It was merely a pretext to create justification.
At the Chamberlain’s reaction, the man protested indignantly, his neck flushing red.
“But she really did have it! It was a genuine document, I tell you!”
“Ha, well. It must be forged. Do you really believe that?”
He let out a hollow laugh of exasperation.
“So you withdrew the Knights just because of that?”
It seemed he had misjudged his man after all.
He had sought out and hired an errand runner famous in the Capital City for clean, efficient work, but what came back was word that the task couldn’t proceed.
‘Tsk, this is why common folk are so useless.’
Seeing how easily they fell for a forged document, it appeared he would have no choice but to take matters into his own hands.
Even as he thought this, the man continued pouring out words, pounding his chest in frustration.
“I’m telling the truth! It’s not forged! Don’t you trust me? I can even appraise documents myself!”
“There’s no one to grant permission in the first place, so what permit are you talking about?”
When he stammered without responding, the Chamberlain clicked his tongue.
“Fine. Why would I entrust anything to such lowly creatures?”
I thought it would be over quickly since it was just dealing with one commoner, but he proved more stubborn than expected. It seemed I would need to take matters into my own hands.
The Chamberlain finally shoved the man’s shoulder hard as he passed by—a gesture that clearly meant he had no further business with him and should disappear.
A moment later.
As the Chamberlain disappeared with his waddling gait, the man spun around abruptly and cowered. His face, as he rubbed his hands together, wore an utterly servile expression.
“Hehe, how is it… are you satisfied…?”
His gaze was directed toward the deeper recesses of the alley, into the shadowed area.
From within, the Hooded Figure emerged slowly.
Soon her melodious voice rang out.
“Good work. You did well.”
Jingle.
Accompanied by the heavy sound of coins.

* * *

I scattered money everywhere.
I would do the same tomorrow.
I had never truly felt the wealth of the Rosenthal Estate until now. In my previous life, all I ever bought were jewels and dresses—mere trinkets.
But the money required to move people was incomparable to such decorations.
The man who received his payment from me was grinning widely, his mouth agape. His expression suggested he still couldn’t believe the money in his hands.
“Oh my, thank you so much. Such a generous amount…”
“Well, once you lose your fear, you can earn quite a bit of money. Think of it as hazard pay.”
Of course, buying this one man didn’t solve all my problems.
So I bought them all.
‘I’ve heard the Rosenthal Estate is wealthier than the imperial treasury, but I never thought it was actually true.’
After sending letters brimming with charm to the Duke and the young Duke, I was able to obtain an enormous sum of money.
I used that money for several things.
First, I would create a permit.
Upon investigation, there was indeed no crime of illegal installation. It had merely been an excuse.
‘Then this actually makes things easier.’
Once I made the permit, that would be that.
Worried about being caught? Simple—just slip money to everyone in the district to verify its authenticity.

—If you grant permission immediately, I’ll stuff money into your mouth.
—So, where exactly is the tent located?

Second, there was the matter of supplies.
The tools needed to prevent plague are consumables. So if supplies were cut off even for a single day, it would become problematic.
That’s why I purchased every item at double the price.

—Ah, I’m telling you it won’t work. There’s pressure from above….
—Then I’ll pay you double the price.
—D-double? Even so….
—Triple!
—….
—Quadruple!
—Welcome, customer!

Ah right, it was quadruple.
I’d spent so much money I got confused.
I gazed up at the now-repaired sign with satisfaction.
Over these past few days, I’d received so many threats to tear it down that the sign had been taken down, but now that I’d cleaned everything up, I’d put it back just recently.
Since I was putting it back anyway, I had it completely renovated and it gleamed brilliantly.
“Saint, the preparations are complete!”
“All necessary supplies have been procured. Now we can accommodate many more people.”
The people’s eyes sparkled as they rubbed their hands together eagerly.
Ding!

[Emerging Religion (Name Undecided) Followers: 152]
[Would you like to designate a name for the religion?]

…The rate at which followers are increasing is far from ordinary.
In any case, I was grateful things were working out. For now, I should be thankful this was still something money could resolve.
But I had no idea what would happen if Ludwig intervened any further.
“How are the people? Things were quite chaotic, so I imagine many have left the tent.”
“Well….”
One of the followers—no, a woman scratched her head.
“Actually, not a single person has left.”
“Huh?”
“They said if they left, they’d be shunned for being sick. So they figured it’s better to just stay here, get treated, and then leave.”
The tents were merely simple divisions based on the severity of illness. I had “suggested” they stay, but I had no authority to force them.
It seemed better to gather the sick together and treat them all in one place, so that’s what I did….
“Besides, everyone adores you. The Saint, I mean.”
“Why me?”
“Why? Well, everyone was quick to push away the sick, saying they had a disease. But you actually let them receive treatment, gave them food, and cared for them. Regardless of their status, too.”
Just as I was about to object that this was nonsense, the woman suddenly leaned in close. Startled, I tried to pull back, but it seemed her intention wasn’t to see my face—she whispered urgently instead.
“That said, there are some groups showing suspicious movements.”
“…Suspicious movements?”
“Well, it’s probably just ridiculous rumors anyway, so it’ll die down soon. You’re the Saint, after all!”
As if swapping faces in an instant, the woman suddenly threw both arms up and shouted.
“Everyone, revere the Saint!”
“What, what?”
She shouted something loudly and ran off to the others.
No matter how I thought about it, she seemed like someone whose mind was slightly off.
‘Hmm, so if that matter is somewhat resolved, what remains is the cure.’
I had given some thought to the medicinal herbs that would serve as the cure.
Those herbs were difficult to obtain, and truthfully, I didn’t even know where they came from. In my previous loop, I’d only ever encountered the refined cure itself, never the actual herb. All I knew was a simple description I’d heard in rumors.
So here, I needed to rely on the power of a “professional organization.”

* * *

“So… you’re saying this is the cure for the plague?”
“That’s what I’m telling you.”
“Even the Imperial research team hasn’t figured it out. And you want me to believe this?”
Yan let out a hollow laugh.
I replied calmly.
“What will you do if you don’t believe me? This is a commission. I’ll pay you for it.”
“If I don’t believe you…”
He shrugged his shoulders.
“Then there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m just curious about something.”
“What is it?”
“I’m starting to get curious about your true identity.”
“…”
I clamped my mouth shut.
Of course, I hadn’t thought I could avoid this forever.
I’d grown too close to Rakiel, and with all the things I’d stirred up, I figured at least one or two people might grow suspicious.
The ‘Perception Reduction Effect’ only severed the connection between Eve and Evelyn—it didn’t erase suspicions about my true identity itself.
That’s why I’d deliberately avoided meetings with Yan, but it seemed I’d been caught red-handed.
“…Is that really so important?”
“It is.”
He nodded.
“I’m curious how long you’ll keep helping Rakiel. And those rumors about Rakiel from before—you spread those, didn’t you?”
“…”
“And…”
Yan’s pupils slowly darkened. He was deliberately showing his wariness.
“…you seem quite close to Duke Cashen Lupenbain.”
“…!”
“More than anything else, that fact bothers me quite a bit. You’re well aware that the Duke sides with the Crown Prince, aren’t you?”
“That’s…”
Since when had he known?
I didn’t meet with Cashen often.
Sometimes he watched over me, but aside from the system window appearing briefly, I hadn’t had many conversations with him in this form.
A chill suddenly ran down my spine.
I hadn’t thought much of it until now, but Twilight was an information organization. How much information must be flowing to him as its leader?
And if he were to compile all that information, he might just reach the truth about me.
“So here’s the thing…”
He slowly drew out his words.
I tightened my grip on the table, ready to flip it and escape if necessary.
As if he knew exactly what I was thinking, he chuckled and continued.
“Evelyn Rosenthal—that’s your true identity, isn’t it?”

[Your identity has been exposed.]
[Forced consumption of 【Autonomous Action】.]

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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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