The Villainess Hid Her Identity, and Now Everyone is Misunderstanding - Chapter 80

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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 80

“Belief is heaven, disbelief is hell!”
“Follow the Saint’s words and cover your nose and mouth!”
“Let us prevent the plague!”
The fervent shouts continued as they campaigned zealously.

[Followers +1]

On one side, I could see prospective followers signing up.
‘What on earth is this….’
I shuddered, my body trembling. If this wasn’t a scene of cult evangelism, then what in the world was it?
The funny part was that they were strictly adhering to social distancing rules throughout all of this.
“Afternoon shift change!”
“Thank you for your hard work!”
I couldn’t shake the feeling that things were spiraling out of control.
‘Am I actually going to become a real cult leader at this rate?’
I knew the title of Saint was no trivial matter in the Empire, but I never imagined things would escalate to this degree.
To truly become a Saint, one needed recognition from both Empires.
Therefore, I was merely a fake Saint. In other words, I was a fraud!
‘No, wait! This wasn’t my intention!’
Even if I were arrested for fraud, I’d have no excuse, but I felt deeply wronged. I felt like I might die from this injustice.
“Ahem, hem!”
“…?”
At the sudden, unexpected cough, I turned my head to find a man with a thick, unkempt beard trying to catch my attention.
Judging by his expensive-looking clothes and the several servants following behind him, he appeared to be a nobleman.
‘What is this, some kind of lunatic.’
I turned my head away again. I needed to focus on finding a way to disband that deranged group.
“Ahem, you there.”
“….”
“Hey, you! You there, woman!”
“….”
“Tsk, don’t ignore me! You there, the woman in the hood!”
“Oh, so he was talking to me.”
Only then did I realize, and I took another look at that nobleman from before.
I wondered if perhaps I knew this person, but surprisingly, we had never met before.
“Who are you?”
“Ahem, well asked.”
He cleared his throat once more for no particular reason and thrust his chin up proudly. His soft jowls wobbled with the motion.
“I am Baron Andréang, who resides in these parts. Surely you’ve heard the name?”
“I’m hearing it for the first time.”
“…Hmm, I suppose that’s possible if you’re from the countryside.”
He brushed past the matter casually and raked his eyes over me from head to toe. It was an overt, appraising gaze.
What is this….
“Are you that woman they call the Saint?”
“Well, I have much to say about that.”
“Never mind, excuses aren’t necessary. I’ve heard the rumors. You mimic various miracles and gather crowds, is that right? I’ll give you credit—a commoner building such an operation is impressive. You have talent.”
I frowned.
Now even these nuisances are swarming around me?
The reason these people with such undignified titles were seeking me out was obvious. They wanted to somehow get a piece of the action.
As the higher nobility began moving to recruit me, these lesser sorts stretched out their hands one by one, hoping for scraps to fall their way. Even those who normally looked down on commoners.
“So accept my generosity. Come stay at my manor.”
But this was crossing a line.
“I’ll provide you with food and lodging, and treat you far better than you ever lived as a commoner.”
“Stop spouting nonsense and leave. While I’m still being gracious about it.”
“What…?”
I waved my hand dismissively, as if swatting away a fly. The man’s face flushed red, and trembling, he spoke.
“Y-you wench, do you know who I am….”
The man, his face alternating between red and purple as he huffed indignantly, even began pointing at me in anger, but….
“Protect the Saint!”
“How dare you harm the Saint!”
“W-what are these people?!”
It was over in an instant.
You might wonder how commoners could subdue a nobleman, but the Baron was hardly worthy of being called nobility in the first place.
While he bore a title, that was all—he was merely a commoner with a bit more wealth.
Ding!

[Followers surpassed 200!]

Is this some kind of notification system like a social media app, or am I just imagining that the system itself seems excited?
I shook my head and moved away from my seat. If I stayed here any longer, they’d probably ask me to give a speech. Of course, that would be impossible until this plague crisis was resolved.
“Ta-da.”
Something was suddenly thrust in front of me as I took a step forward.
Startled, I tilted my head back and focused on the object before my eyes.
‘Did someone draw a picture on a badge?’
It was crudely made by hand, but the drawing inside was more intricate than expected. It depicted a single figure with their face hidden, and it was a peculiar image with a sacred-looking light emanating from within the hood.
So from inside the hood….
Whoosh!
I snatched it away and threw it to the ground, then kicked it hard as if venting my frustration.
“For heaven’s sake, who carries around something like this!”
“No! That’s my special gift for my 100th membership!”
“Your Highness, please come to your senses!”
It seemed Rakiel had gone ahead and joined after all. And I had warned him so strongly against it!
Even though it had been quite some time since I’d seen his face, shock overwhelmed any sense of joy at the reunion.
He wore a distressed expression as he picked up that dreadful badge again, now covered in dirt.
“You clearly don’t understand—this is a limited edition that only those with special membership numbers like 100th or 200th can receive. It seems there’s quite a talented painter among the followers?”
“Damn it….”
That meant someone else had just received this horrible badge. The 200th member!
Regardless of who that person was, I resolved that someday I would secretly steal it and burn it to ashes.
“Your Highness, as a prince, you should be more aware of this. This is a cult, a cult! Shouldn’t you have some vigilance as a member of the Royal Court?”
“Why should I?”
He tilted his head and asked in confusion.
“The emergence of religion is quite a natural phenomenon. Moreover, the appearance of a woman whom the people voluntarily call a Saint is something to celebrate. It signifies that the Empire’s future will be prosperous.”
“…Just because a Saint has appeared? And she’s not even a real Saint—it’s merely something people casually attached to her?”
“There is no such thing as a false Saint in this world. That is an unwritten law.”
“That makes no sense….”
As I stared at him in disbelief, Rakiel spoke with conviction.
“All things unfold according to God’s will. That you are called a Saint is also something that was already destined.”
“…Your Highness, if you were to fail to become Emperor and die miserably, would you say that was also God’s will?”
I was startled by my own words. They had come out more harshly than intended.
‘I should have been more careful with my words, no matter how frustrated I was.’
I quickly tried to soften my statement with an apologetic expression.
“What I meant was, by that logic, isn’t Your Highness’s future also entirely predetermined?”
Fortunately, Rakiel seemed unbothered and shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s not a matter of whether things are predetermined or not.”
“…Is that so?”
“God merely shows the path. Whether one walks that path or turns away is ultimately a matter of human choice.”
“Then being called a Saint is also my choice?”
“No.”
He drew the line firmly.
“Your becoming known as the ‘Saint’ is predetermined. That’s simply what a Saint is. But how you use that name….”
Rakiel looked down at me with a faint smile.
“That is entirely your responsibility. I too will walk the path the divine has shown me, but the future will be determined by what method you choose.”
…It was quite a cruel thing to say.
And yet, throughout ninety-nine cycles, I had never once received the title of ‘Saint’.
Rakiel too had never succeeded in seizing the throne during all that time.
If it truly was my destiny to be called a Saint, why had nothing like that happened before? Why had no one ever freed me from being ‘Evelyn Rosenthal’?
Ding!

[Believers +1]

Damn it.
“Speaking of which, the tents keep multiplying.”
Rakiel spoke while surveying the surroundings.
I followed his gaze and confirmed the tents that had now grown too numerous to count. It hadn’t even been a full month since the plague broke out, yet the infection rate remained quite rapid.

[Current Empire Population Survival Rate – 95.8%]

Well, this much could still be considered quite manageable.
According to Yan, he would devote all available manpower within the Empire to finding that herb, so it was only a matter of time. As long as the herb truly existed, there was no way they wouldn’t find it.
‘Though something does feel off.’
The herb Ludwig had brought in the previous cycle.
Ding!

[Due to the Player’s 【Memory】 being MAX, analysis of the previous cycle is possible.]

According to the rumors circulating in previous accounts, that medicinal herb supposedly bore rare blue leaves. It was said to be a fragment of sky that fell to earth, earning it the epithet “Blue Miracle.”
Yet strangely, throughout the entire Empire, I could not find a single herb with leaves of such a deep blue hue.
‘What kind of herb could it possibly be?’
And how did Ludwig manage to discover it?
While I was lost in thought, Rakiel called out to me.
“Isn’t that woman approaching us one of the Duke’s maids?”
Hmm?
I lifted my head, and in the distance I could see a woman running toward us.
‘Ah, it’s Genie.’
Even from afar, I could tell.
Something urgent must have happened. There’s no other reason she would come seeking me out first.
Genie came running toward me, but then stumbled and collapsed right there on the ground.
“My, did she fall?”
Rakiel muttered with a furrowed brow. I too narrowed my eyes as I examined her.
Yet she did not rise for some time. Not until I cried out and rushed toward her.

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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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