The Villainess is a Millionaire Solver - Chapter 158
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 158
Zikren’s golden eyes were blazing with pupils narrowed to their limits.
Red energy crackled and glowed from his tightly clenched fists.
“Lord Morgan has too much pride to ever surrender to that scoundrel! But we can’t just let him get seriously injured either!”
He spoke through gritted teeth.
“To protect a knight’s honor, family or comrades can fight one proxy battle. You all know that regulation, right?”
In his extreme rage, he looked like a ferocious beast, leaving everyone stunned and momentarily dazed.
Zikren immediately pounced on his opponent.
Before anyone knew it, a sharp sword was in his hand.
According to regulations, he had drawn Lord Morgan’s sword as his fallen substitute.
The sound of the two swords clashing made the entire air in the outdoor arena seem to tremble.
‘Too fast…!’
My eyes were dizzy and it was hard to tell what was happening.
I could only tell that Zikren was unleashing completely unpredictable attacks at tremendous speed.
Even that fake thief who had easily defeated the Empire’s renowned knights to get this far seemed to be gradually getting pushed back.
‘Can he win?’
Not just me, but every spectator in the arena watched the battle with pounding hearts, barely able to breathe properly.
“Surrender!”
Zikren thrust his sword straight toward his opponent.
At the same time, he unleashed very powerful transcendent force through his left hand to strike his opponent.
But…
The moment that decisive blow landed squarely.
With a thud, sparks flew and everything turned brilliant white before my eyes.
Though I knew nothing about combat, I could instinctively feel that something had gone wrong.
“Ugh!”
Zikren’s body was flung at tremendous speed, crashed into the arena wall, then fell heavily to the ground.
He tried to get up immediately. But for some reason, he couldn’t move at all.
“Zikren!”
Aldensis, who was about to rush toward his brother, also suddenly stopped dead. He too seemed to have fallen into a paralyzed state.
The imperial family was shocked. The Emperor shot up from his seat.
“Aldensis! Zigfriedren!”
“Brother!”
Violet also stood up.
Then.
A pure white shadow shot out like lightning from the Emperor’s left side.
It was Ruellian.
Right now, two knights were dueling, so third parties couldn’t interfere. But he was different. As head of the Holy Order, he could intervene in this situation as a neutral party.
Ruellian created a sacred glowing light at his fingertips and carefully examined Aldensis and Zikren’s condition. Then he spoke to the imperial couple.
“There are no injuries. Both seem to have fallen into a temporary paralyzed state.”
“I knew this would happen!”
The Empress was horrified.
“Crown Prince! Just now you were secretly preparing to attack that person using transcendent power, weren’t you?”
“Yes, Mother.”
Aldensis answered without understanding.
“I judged him to be dangerous, but was I wrong?”
“That’s exactly why this happened!”
The Empress cried out in a trembling voice.
“Transcendent power doesn’t work on that person! Instead, it causes this kind of backlash!”
Her emotions so intense she was almost sobbing, she continued.
“We should be grateful it’s only this much! If that person had known in advance he would appear and prepared a massive trap like last time, it definitely wouldn’t have ended with just this! That person truly had no intention of harming those two! That’s why he warned me!”
At the disjointed stream of words, identical looks of confusion appeared on the brothers’ faces.
“A warning? What do you mean by that?”
“Mother! Did you know something?”
The Empress didn’t answer further and turned her gaze away.
“Let’s stop this. The match is already decided.”
Everyone followed her gaze down to the arena floor.
When Zikren was flung back earlier, Lord Morgan’s sword that he had been holding also fell to the ground.
When a knight drops his sword, it’s ruled a defeat. Besides, there was no way to continue fighting anyway.
“In the duel between the Knight of Retribution and Lord Morgan, the Knight of Retribution is victorious!”
The organizer announced in a trembling voice.
The mysterious knight wrapped entirely in a black cloak silently bowed his head toward the Emperor.
‘Glory to His Majesty the Emperor.’
It was a traditional silent bow with that meaning.
“…”
The people who had been chattering noisily began closing their mouths one by one. A heavy silence descended on the arena.
“Then we’ll continue with the Imperial Knight Tournament.”
The organizer tried to maintain a calm demeanor as he called the names of the next knights on the bracket.
However…
“Count Edvein versus Count Lencus!”
The names of the two knights who should fight in the quarterfinals echoed and the gates opened wide, but it remained strangely quiet.
As everyone waited, the knights from both sides finally appeared.
Seeing their appearance caused a small commotion.
The two knights weren’t wearing their swords at their waists, but were holding them in their hands, sheaths and all.
When they reached the center of the arena, they dismounted their horses. Then they knelt on the ground and raised their swords high toward the Emperor.
It meant requesting permission not to fight this duel. In other words, a sign of forfeit.
“Hmm…”
The Emperor nodded with a bitter expression.
Even the transcendent ones had already been defeated. Earlier, Lord Morgan had avoided becoming disabled thanks to the Second Prince stepping in, but there wouldn’t be a second stroke of luck.
This wasn’t war, just entertainment. Who would risk their life for entertainment?
“…”
I could see Ruellian biting his lips tightly.
If another knight had to face that fake thief, he must have been thinking of fighting as a proxy.
But everyone had already given up on fighting.
Thus, an unprecedented situation occurred where everyone forfeited.
The organizer had no choice but to declare.
“The winner of this Imperial Knight Tournament is the Knight of Retribution.”
After a solemn silence, applause began to spread one by one in the subdued atmosphere.
“According to tradition, the winner should come forward and go to Princess Aristina Bianca Rosen to receive the Windfairer.”
At the organizer’s words, the fake thief who had been standing silently began to move slowly.
‘So you’re really going to go through with this?’
I gripped my sword tightly and glared at him.
Right now in this arena, magic, divine power, physical force, and the power of spirits were all gathered together.
If necessary, it would be possible to unleash a total assault on that suspicious figure.
“…”
The Empress watched the situation keenly while checking on her two sons’ condition.
Ruellian, Serene, Violet… everyone present was watching me and that fake thief without taking their eyes away.
‘Well now. This isn’t the situation I had expected…’
Even while busy tracking the mysterious figure, I couldn’t miss this opportunity with everyone’s attention focused.
So I had prepared diligently to do indirect advertising. I had covered myself from head to toe with new products our department store would soon be selling.
‘But right now, those people probably can’t even see these indirect advertisements.’
With such bitter thoughts, I hardened my face toward the fake thief.
“Then I’ll hand over the Windfairer, so you should remove your helmet and reveal your name.”
This was what I had to say according to custom.
But would that person really remove their helmet and reveal their name?
Only silence flowed through the hall.
Then…
Suddenly a booming sound echoed throughout.
⌜There is a deceiver in this place who has falsely misled the people!⌟
It was a strange sound that was neither male nor female, as if several people were shouting simultaneously.
Everyone cried out in surprise.
“A revelation!”
“It’s divine judgment!”
At that moment.
Benjamin, who had been sitting in the press section over there, suddenly stood up and shouted.
“Master!”
Almost simultaneously, shouts rang out from the other side as well.
“Young Lady!”
It was my advisors.
Like meerkats detecting danger faster than anyone and giving warnings, they shouted toward me with all their might.
“Get away!”
Indeed, my survival instincts were remarkable.
My body moved faster than my mind could comprehend the words.
When I came to my senses with a gasp, I was already moving away from that spot. My reflexes were at least praiseworthy.
The problem was, no matter how much warning the meerkats gave, it wasn’t the kind of danger that could be avoided.
With a ‘whoosh’ sound, flames suddenly erupted from the floor.
Like setting fire to an oil-soaked rope, it instantly surrounded me and blazed up.
Only me. As if trying to burn me at the stake.
‘Wait, so those words were directed at me?’
I thought they were speaking to Ruellian, but it was me instead?
Are they targeting me for being a possessor right now?
It was absurd.
Divine judgment? That’s the real deception. If that’s the case, they shouldn’t have sent me to a place like this in the first place.
Besides, that person isn’t even an Agent of the Divine like Ruellian. They’re just a fake thief.
So…
“Don’t make me laugh!”
I shouted that while swinging my hand toward the flames.
Powerful force surged from the gauntlets of superhuman strength, and the flames that were about to engulf me flickered out weakly and disappeared.
“Aristina!”
Beyond the flames, I could see the people who had been running toward me stop in surprise.
Actually, I was surprised too.
‘This actually works?’
I used my superhuman strength once more to sweep away the flames. Then I shouted with all my might.
“Everyone! This is all fake! It’s all a scam!”
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————