The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 121

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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 121

“I told you I would do it.”

“This is more comfortable.”

Artizea said with a slightly grimacing face.

Every time she drew blood from her finger for the few experiments, Alice insisted it would be better for her to cut her own arm instead.

But Artizea also preferred pricking her own fingertip rather than cutting Alice’s arm to draw blood.

She couldn’t say she had good recovery even as empty words. But this way resulted in the smallest wounds.

Fortunately, Artizea was good at enduring physical pain. She drew magic circles on the cloth while reopening her wounds several times.

Then Artizea stopped the bleeding on her finger. She carefully wiped around the wound with a cloth soaked in water and sprinkled hemostatic powder.

“The hemostatic powder from Mount Evron seems very effective. It might be worth commercializing. Would it be difficult to secure the medicinal materials?”

“This isn’t the time to say such things. Miss, please show me your finger.”

Alice said in a distressed voice.

“It’s fine. But I’ll have to say I’ve taken up embroidery as a hobby.”

“Who gets their hands injured so much from embroidery?”

“I said this was the most efficient way.”

“I would heal much faster.”

“You have to do water work and use your hands a lot. I’m better. I can just keep wearing gloves.”

“It’s unthinkable for my lady to injure herself. What will you do if the master finds out?”

“Are you going to listen to Lord Sedric over me?”

At those words, Alice couldn’t argue back and closed her mouth. Artizea said gently.

“Just this once.”

Alice shook her head in disbelief.

“Really?”

Since she couldn’t think of any other places it might be used, Artizea’s words were sincere.

Alice finally closed her mouth.

Though she worried about Artizea, she never opposed anything she said was necessary. Artizea’s will was always the most important thing.

Artizea placed the magic circle over Mielle’s face.

Even if the temple learned that Artizea had revived Mielle with magic, she wouldn’t immediately face attack from the temple.

Because she was a saint. Mielle would be equally safe.

But if that happened, she would have to reveal the truth. Artizea had no intention of doing so.

She placed her hand on the center of the magic circle.

Whoosh――!

Green light arose and flowed along the edges of the magic circle like spreading fire.

All magic requires human life force. But normally there’s no way to extract life force separately.

At most, the method of spilling blood was all there was. But if you pour in large amounts of blood, the magic circle drawn in blood gets smudged and the content becomes unclear.

So unless it’s magic that only glows for about 5 seconds, blood is impossible. In practice, you’d have no choice but to kill someone and offer them as sacrifice.

But Artizea could cut away her own life force and convert it to holy power.

Using that as the price, she revives Mielle.

She had already confirmed through several experiments that this was possible. She couldn’t heal others, but by paying the price with her own body instead, she could extend life.

In other words, it could be seen as an ability to take on the target’s pain or disease.

Her ability had equivalent exchange between price and reward. Including the small amount of life force used to activate the magic, the price to pay was slightly higher.

In a way, it was truly fitting for the divine oracle to “turn back.”

But there was no big problem. Didn’t they say the sick live to eighty? Artizea didn’t have a healthy body, but she had never been so weak as to nearly die. She lived fine until forty. If Lawrence hadn’t discarded her after using her, she would have lived longer.

Even cutting away about 10 years from that, there was more than enough time left to work. She didn’t regret it at all.

If she could get Henry Kishower with that, it was a bargain.

The plan was long but execution was instantaneous.

Even after removing the cloth, Mielle’s complexion didn’t immediately improve. She would gradually get better over several days.

Artizea hadn’t healed her, but merely postponed death for 10 years.

Artizea wiped the blood from her finger once more and put her gloves back on.

And she had Alice gather up the magic circle and used cloths. She planned to burn them when she got home.

After opening the curtains and windows for ventilation and opening the door, Henry Kishower was standing there with a restless expression.

“Milaire will be fine. I believe she’ll shake it off and get up within a few days.”

Artizea said calmly.

“To pray for Milaire’s recovery, I brought the statue of Saint Olga that I received as a gift from Her Majesty the Empress. Please place it at the head of her bed. I had it loaded in the carriage, so the servants should have brought it to the lobby by now.”

“I don’t know how to express my gratitude…”

At Henry Kishower’s words, Artizea smiled.

“I’m lending it to you, so you shouldn’t say such things. Milaire will definitely get up.

“Yes, definitely…”

“I’ll be going back now. Please tell your wife not to harm her body and mind too much with worry.”

Henry Kishower followed her out to see Artizea off to outside the manor.

However, he couldn’t see her off to the end. Before Artizea got into the carriage, a maid came running out shouting.

“Lord Henry Kishower! Lord Henry Kishower! Please come this way! The young lady has opened her eyes!”

Henry Kishower’s eyes widened. Artizea whispered quietly.

“Go see. It seems the statue of Saint Olga has brought back a miracle.”

Henry Kishower understood what she meant.

Though they were keeping Mielle’s condition secret for now, once she got up from her sickbed, word might spread from the doctors or nurses.

So to prevent rumors from spreading, she meant to say that miracle was due to Saint Olga’s protection.

“I’ll have to make a new saint statue and dedicate it to the temple.”

Henry Kishower said quickly.

“I’m sorry. I’ll go see.”

Artizea told him to go ahead. Henry Kishower hurriedly turned around and ran inside.

Soon the sound of a man’s wailing cry came through the open window. Artizea had the carriage depart.

Alice said with a somewhat moved expression.

“Count Henry Kishower is a good person. My father wouldn’t cry like that even if he heard news of my death.”

“He might cry if you died and came back to life.”

Artizea smiled faintly. She felt dizzy from anemia. When the carriage swayed, she also felt motion sick, so she soon closed her eyes and lay down on Alice’s lap.

* * *

In early summer, when Artizea gave Deary Ford the disguised identity of Countess Lexen, what she requested was as follows:

“If possible, try to gain the duchess’s trust. It would be even better if you could become a maid, but if not, you should at least become friends with the maids.”

To summarize that in one phrase, it could be said she was telling her to infiltrate House of Liagan.

What Artizea prepared for that purpose wasn’t just marriage certificates.

There was a considerable amount of operating funds and a small trading company operating under Countess Lexen’s name. That company included a fairly large fabric shop, a small dress shop, and three substantial sericulture farms.

Deary only realized the value of the trading company Artizea had given her after coming to the south.

The south was a very threatening region due to pirates, but it was also a region where so many goods traveled by sea routes that pirates could run rampant.

Besides the Kingdom of Aemel and Kingdom of Ients, several small kingdoms existed in the empire’s southern region.

The south had good climate and was free. In a different sense from the east, the south was a place where commerce developed. There were no predatory large landowners and trading companies baring their teeth. There was no oppression from conservative temples or the imperial government.

In the south, those with brilliant ideas moved day and night to make money. Commerce and trade moved the south. Foreign merchants and spies trying to enter the enormous market called the Cratese Empire came and went countless times. There were also many travelers.

Deary quickly became accustomed to handling information. The few pieces of information and action guidelines Artizea gave were very effective.

Moreover, owning sericulture farms at this time was treated almost like having gold mines. Merchants desperately trying to obtain quality silk thread due to new fabrics developed in the Kingdom of Ients were running around frantically.

Learning that Deary had recently bought sericulture farms, people enviously sighed, wondering how she knew such important information.

Deary humbly said she had originally been in the fabric business so just bought them as an investment. However, people hardly believed those words.

Countess Lexen was a legendary figure who earned money herself at a young age and finally acquired a title.

In the capital, they would say it was impressive while subtly keeping their distance, and in the conservative east, they wouldn’t even let her enter social circles, dismissing her as just a nouveau riche.

But it was different in the south.

Thanks to this, Deary could easily approach the Duchess Liagan.

“Her Majesty the Empress is like our seventh cousin.”

The deliberate effort to refer to the Empress as her niece was palpable.

Duchess Riagan tried to maintain her dignity and act arrogant like a high-ranking noble. However, unfortunately, her temperament was not naturally inclined toward arrogance or self-centeredness.

Her inferiority complex was embarrassingly obvious on the surface. Duchess Riagan would speak about their status as if making excuses.

And she gathered many newly risen nobles of ambiguous status like Deary around her. Within that circle, even a bloodline that was merely a distant branch of House Riagan could act like old nobility.

In any case, it was a grateful situation for Deary.

Her friendship with the Duchess helped her business. Merchant guilds from the Kingdom of Ients and traders dealing mainly in textiles gathered around Deary.

Deary had never known until now that she had a talent for business. The business of Countess Lexen that Artizea had arranged for her was quite conservative, something that could maintain the status quo.

But Deary had achieved considerable success within half a year. This deepened the Duchess’s trust, creating a virtuous cycle that made her business even more advantageous.

And finally, she had now come to the Kingdom of Eimel with a letter of introduction from Duchess Riagan.

“Countess Lexen.”

The Queen’s lady-in-waiting called out in a respectful voice.

Deary steeled her resolve and rose from her seat. She wore a bright smile on her lips. She had grown accustomed to such hypocritical smiles.

Deary had quickly become accustomed to living as Countess Lexen.

Coming here, Deary had become free from money. She also received people’s respect.

For the first time, Deary learned that these two things could completely change a person’s life.

‘Enjoy the present, but don’t become happy.’

So that her resolution wouldn’t be buried.

If she completely became Countess Lexen, she wouldn’t be able to fulfill her function.

Despite constantly reminding herself of this, when she received the letter envelope sealed tightly with wax, she had felt suffocated.

What if she just pretended not to know and continued living as Countess Lexen?

Having discovered her talent for the first time, what if she ran away and started anew somewhere else?

But in the endless nights, she would remember that she still hadn’t forgotten her resolve.

Deary hid her trembling. And with a brightly smiling face, she went to meet Queen Eimel.

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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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