The Villainess is a Millionaire Solver - Chapter 177
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 177
I hadn’t heard wrong.
“Ruellian Lacroix and Aristina Rosen! These two secretly conspired to assassinate His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Second Prince! Since they’ve been spotted here, we must capture them!”
While a figure who seemed to hold higher rank than the original Captain of the Security Forces here shouted loudly, the security forces were posting wanted posters everywhere.
The posters had portraits of both of us along with the large text “300 Million Fer.”
It was truly absurd.
“What the hell is this supposed to mean? I tried to assassinate the Crown Prince and Second Prince?”
“That’s exactly what they’re talking about.”
Ruellian gestured with his chin toward a spot.
In an alley right next to the tavern, two or three security forces members were smoking and chattering noisily.
“Well, that villainess broke off her engagement on her own whim and ran away, causing a huge commotion!”
“His Highness the Second Prince calmed down His Highness the Crown Prince who was agitated over the incident, then gave his brother the sleeping medicine that the villainess had been manufacturing and supplying…!”
“There was poison in it! The villainess had hidden poison in the very last remaining sleeping medicine. Both of them are unconscious right now.”
What?
It felt like I’d been hit hard in the head.
There was poison in the last remaining ‘World Tree’s Lullaby’?
I truly had no idea. I hadn’t even seen those medicines since extracting them from the mine and supplying them to the Crown Prince and his brother.
“This is Tesseud’s doing!”
I gritted my teeth and exploded in anger.
“He plotted this conspiracy to kill both of us!”
Even so, to put the Crown Prince and Second Prince in danger too?
Aldensis had shown me kindness anyway, and Zikren had helped me escape even while opposing his brother.
My heart ached terribly to think they were innocently caught up in this and hovering between life and death.
“I never thought he’d even touch Aldensis and Zikren! They’re the sons left behind by the woman he loved!”
“As expected, our opponent is too strong. In many ways.”
Ruellian bit his lips tightly.
Given this situation, even if Aldensis and Zikren wake up safely, we won’t be able to escape execution, will we?
Outside, the security forces were making noise.
“Damn it, we almost caught them earlier!”
“If they show up again, we’ll capture them by any means necessary! Orders from above say we don’t necessarily need to take them alive, just capture them somehow!”
“Yes!”
Hearing those words sent chills throughout my body.
I looked at Ruellian.
“What do we do now?”
“There are two choices.”
He spoke without taking his eyes off the security forces.
“First, go back to that cave from earlier. Then we’ll be safe for a while. But we’ll have to hide completely cut off from the outside. We can forget about capturing that maid Grace.”
“Right.”
I picked up where Ruellian left off.
“Reinforcements will keep pouring into this place, so security will get tighter and tighter. Finding the secret cave is just a matter of time.”
“The second choice is to leave this village immediately. Since forces will gradually gather, escaping as quickly as possible would be most advantageous.”
“I think so too. With Ruellian’s abilities, you could get me out of here easily enough, right?”
“That’s not what I’m worried about.”
He shook his head.
“I didn’t expect treason charges to be added so quickly and reinforcements to come pouring in. If there were 20 or 30 opponents like earlier, I could get us out without harming anyone, but if there are more than that, I can’t guarantee it. There will definitely be casualties.”
So that was the problem.
The siege had grown too large, making it impossible to escape without injuring the security forces. Even if we somehow succeeded in clearing our names, it would be hard to handle if there were injuries or casualties among the security forces.
I frowned and fell into thought.
“Isn’t there some good way?”
“There is one thing…”
Ruellian muttered with a serious expression.
“If I use a certain very powerful divine magic, it’s possible to escape from here without causing any harm to the enemy. But the problem is that this is mental magic, so everyone except the caster is affected.”
“So I’d also be attacked by your magic? Is there no way to avoid that?”
“You could synchronize with the caster. For that, you’d need to receive my divine power…”
Ruellian’s face became even more serious.
“Since you’ve received divine power from me several times, an energy collision phenomenon occurred in your body.”
“Ah, right.”
Hearing that reminded me.
At the opening ceremony of the Imperial Tournament, when Aldensis saw me choke on champagne, he gave me that explanation. If someone not officially recognized through the Order keeps getting exposed to divine power, their balance breaks? He said it was even more dangerous because my body also had our family’s protective power.
I asked Ruellian.
“Then what do we do?”
“If I transmit the divine power in a slightly different way, I think I could prevent the collision…”
He trailed off.
“How?”
“Not through indirect methods like through air or objects…”
“Hold hands?”
“More direct… contact…”
More direct contact than holding hands?
Wait. Then could it be…?
“…”
I hadn’t noticed because it was relatively dim inside the tavern, but Ruellian’s face had turned red.
“Traditionally… through direct transmission via breathing…”
Though the explanation came in fragments, I could roughly understand what he meant.
Transmitting divine power through artificial respiration.
That’s what he was talking about!
We’d have to touch lips and share breath.
I wasn’t mentally prepared for something like that yet…
But this was a matter of life and death.
Where’s mental preparation when survival is at stake?
I took a deep breath and said.
“It can’t be helped.”
“Right. It can’t be helped.”
Ruellian replied like that and turned around.
Though the situation was reaching extremes, there was at least one fortunate thing.
Because of all the commotion about traitors and such, the security forces could no longer pay attention to the villagers.
Ruellian wrote a note telling them not to worry and left it on the counter.
Then he immediately activated his divine power.
His stigmata opened and more brilliant light than ever burst forth.
Within that light, we stood facing each other.
“But…”
Before starting, I asked carefully.
“We’ve unavoidably held hands or hugged before, but touching lips is on another level entirely. It seems like we’re crossing a lot of lines – are you really okay with this? You said you shouldn’t have too much contact with women since you’re an Agent of the Divine?”
“Ah…”
A deep blush spread across Ruellian’s face.
His expression was aloof and indifferent as always, but his complexion always exposed his thoughts and feelings first like that.
When would he realize that fact?
‘Well, I’m never going to tell him because it’s too amusing…’
All those miscellaneous thoughts that had popped into my head were instantly erased because of what Ruellian said next.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m only going to do this kind of thing with one person for my entire life anyway.”
“…?”
I was startled.
This time my face turned bright red.
The next moment, he gently caught my chin and pressed his lips against mine.
I was so flustered that I kept my mouth tightly shut, but then I couldn’t breathe and ended up parting my lips slightly.
Then through my breath, sacred light seeped into my body.
Indeed, it was completely different divine power from what I had received indirectly. It was much more intense yet felt as natural as if it were my own power.
I deliberately made such analysis while squeezing my eyes shut.
After a moment, our lips parted.
My face burned as if it were on fire.
When I couldn’t bring myself to look at Ruellian’s face and looked elsewhere, I felt a powerful gaze directed at the side of my face.
So when I looked at him, this time he quickly turned his head away.
I spoke loudly to hide the sound of my pounding heart.
“We should hurry. Before the divine power’s effect wears off.”
“…Right.”
Ruellian shook his head once vigorously, then came to stand beside me.
I counted at the entrance.
“One, two, three.”
Then I flung the door wide open.
The Security Forces who happened to be on patrol spotted us and were startled.
“It’s the traitor!”
A booming shout echoed through the air.
At the same time, Ruellian raised one hand high.
-Submit!
The powerful and beautiful voices of angels spread in all directions. Pillars of pure white light rose up surrounding where we stood. They spun round and round as they spread outward.
“Capture the traitor…!”
The Security Forces members who had been running toward us shouting to arrest us stopped in their tracks as weapons dropped from their hands. One by one they began kneeling and even bowed their heads low.
-Submit!
The angels cried out.
We walked hand in hand, surrounded by pillars of light.
Everywhere we passed, people dropped their weapons with thuds. Everyone knelt without being able to say a word and bowed their heads.
“How, how can this be…!”
The Old Man from the Chapel and the villagers who came running late were amazed at this sight. They too were caught up in the influence of the sacred magic and knelt down with a thud, staring at us with dazed faces.
‘It’s okay. It will be okay.’
I nodded to them.
A formidable enemy was waiting for us, but at this very moment I felt thrilled. Bathed in the light of pillars exploding outward behind us, we were now walking with our arms stretched out, holding each other tightly.
‘You’ve seriously messed with the wrong people.’
Looking up at Ruellian’s face wrapped in light, I bit my lips hard.
‘I’ll definitely make you regret it.’
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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