The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 291

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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 291

Following Artizea’s orders, one corps of the Western Army was dispatched urgently.

The Aba River region was not an area that would be directly hit by monster waves. Therefore, there were no military forces stationed there normally.

It was also not yet a place where administrative power was concentrated for epidemic prevention.

Although they had called in the army for now, even Artizea was not certain what could be accomplished with it.

It would be helpful for post-disaster cleanup after the Aba River flooded.

But it wouldn’t be of much help in defending the Aba River levees right now.

It was impossible to scour this vast plain to find dozens of bandits.

There were 9 important levees along the Aba River alone. Each levee was also quite large in scale.

Even if they searched all the levees, the bandits would have already moved by then.

Evacuating Kader City was also impossible.

The permanent population alone was 90,000. Considering it was a transportation hub, the floating population would be much larger.

Moreover, the entire region where Kader City was located had low elevation.

If the 9th levee, built to prevent flooding during the rainy season, burst, not only Kader City but the entire surrounding area would become a sea of water.

The Aba River region was one of the largest granaries in the west. The damage from destroying that granary would be immeasurable.

However, an even bigger problem than those two issues was the epidemic.

If large-scale flooding occurred, waterborne diseases would inevitably follow.

With an epidemic caused by parasitic monsters already spreading, if new infectious diseases also spread, it would become an unmanageable situation.

And if she were Lawrence, she would throw several people infected with parasitic monsters into that water.

Those parasitic monsters could survive longer in humid places even without hosts.

If several types of epidemics mixed and began spreading throughout the western regions instead of occurring sporadically like now, prevention would be impossible.

It was best to prevent the situation before it occurred. If they failed, they might have to make the extreme choice of abandoning other areas to protect the safe regions.

“There are 9 major levees along the Aba River.”

Artizea marked the locations on the map and looked at Benia.

Benia hesitated. Artizea asked.

“You said you came down the river, right? While escaping, did you pass by the levees?”

“Yes. I think so.”

Benia answered confusedly. In fact, her memory was unclear because she had only thought about finding places to hide while escaping, and it had been too difficult.

She only vaguely remembered hearing the sound of water pouring like a waterfall.

“How were the travel preparations? Were there spare horses?”

“Oh, yes. There were more than 20 additional horses. They carried luggage too, but it was light cargo.”

Benia could answer that with certainty.

She had been dragged along as Lisia’s maid. But there was no reason not to use available labor.

She had to help with feeding the horses.

Artizea nodded.

Benia looked at Artizea with a strange expression. Everything was incomprehensible.

Lisia had bestowed blessings upon her. Benia had seen Lisia’s blessing completely heal an injured horse’s leg and make it stand up.

Benia believed without doubt that she was a saintess. Lawrence also called her a saintess and made the bandits call her that too.

Now she knew that the saintess the temple had announced so grandly was Artizea, and that she was the Crown Princess.

But despite that, Benia still believed that Lisia was the real saintess.

Alice and Owen didn’t look favorably upon this. But since Artizea accepted it without saying anything, they couldn’t scold her.

Benia still didn’t know why Lisia and Artizea knew her name.

She also didn’t know why Lawrence had specifically targeted and taken her.

And she couldn’t understand why such a high-ranking person as the Crown Princess was keeping her nearby while doing something important.

Not only Benia, but the other two also found many things strange.

They couldn’t understand what was being done. They were following unconditionally, but they couldn’t even guess on what basis or for what purpose Artizea was moving.

The fact that Artizea was using honorifics with Lisia was also puzzling. Even Alice, who knew how much Artizea cherished Lisia, couldn’t understand it.

Artizea paid no attention to such things at all.

“There are 9 important dikes along the Aba River. If numbers 7, 8, and 9 are destroyed, Kader will definitely be submerged.”

“How do you know?”

Hailey or Freil would never have questioned her in such a manner. However, Benia knew nothing, so she asked carelessly.

At that question, Artizea looked at Benia.

Her face had turned pale.

“My lady…?”

Benia called to her questioningly.

Soon Artizea’s expression sank beneath a mask.

She turned her gaze back to the map.

What she knew was because she had calculated many times in the past to ensure damage wouldn’t reach Kader City.

What she had destroyed then was the 6th levee.

The water that poured out when the levee collapsed overflowed the 7th levee and flooded the surrounding area. However, the damage stopped there.

Conversely, this meant that to submerge Kader City, the 8th and 9th levees would have to be destroyed for certain.

But she couldn’t tell others such things.

“Earl Owen, starting from the 9th levee and going upstream, investigate the bandits.”

“Yes. If their cargo was light, they probably solved supply issues through plunder.”

“Do what you can.”

Hearing Artizea’s words, Owen saluted and went out to relay the orders.

Artizea looked at Benia. Then she let out a long sigh with tired lips.

She still couldn’t think of individuals.

She shouldn’t. She shouldn’t have the heart to seek forgiveness by saying she did her best after saving 9 lives out of 90,000.

Instead of rescuing people one by one, she had to reduce the numbers.

But with Benia right in front of her, she couldn’t ignore her.

“Benia.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll assign someone to you, so it would be better to return home first. Make sure to go somewhere safe with your family.”

These weren’t words spoken with the intention of atonement. To atone, she couldn’t do it for just one person.

This was rather repaying Benia’s faithfulness to Lisia.

Benia spoke carefully.

“Could I send a letter instead?”

“A letter?”

“Yes. You’re going to rescue the Saintess, aren’t you?”

Artizea nodded.

“And you’ll save our village too, won’t you?”

“I’ll send the Western Army. The threat from bandits will disappear.”

“Then please let me stay here. If it’s alright to let them know I’m safe.”

Benia said. She was worried that her family would be concerned. But if she returned like this, with her status, she had no idea how things would turn out.

She wouldn’t be able to know whether Lisia was safe or not either.

In that case, it seemed better to just stay. Even if she returned, it wasn’t as if she could protect her family with her own hands.

Artizea nodded.

Benia fingered the bullet in her pocket. It didn’t have any particular meaning for Benia.

It was the first thing Lisia had told her to hide. There were a couple of people in the village who owned hunting rifles, but Benia had touched a bullet for the first time then.

That bullet seemed like a sign that she had come to live a completely different life from not long ago.

Water poured down with a roar.

Lisia stood in front of the levee.

Though it was hot weather, perhaps because of the strong river wind, it was rather a bit cold. Her hair flew wildly in the wind.

“Shall I tie it up?”

Lawrence said. He held a ribbon embroidered with gold thread in his hand.

“Give it here.”

“I thought we agreed you’d be obedient in exchange for sparing Benia’s life.”

“How can I believe that you truly spared Benia’s life?”

Lawrence smiled.

“You’ve changed. In the old days, you would have believed me.”

“….”

“I spared her at least once, didn’t I? I could have killed her right before your eyes as soon as I brought you here.”

Lisia turned her head away without answering.

“We made a deal too. While you were in my arms, I agreed to pretend not to see.”

That was true.

Benia’s escape was discovered about two hours later.

Lisia had made a deal with Lawrence. While she embraced and kissed Lawrence first, no kill order was issued.

But in the end, Lawrence would have given the order to hunt down and kill Benia.

Lisia didn’t trust him. If she could have stopped Lawrence by being affectionate, she would have been able to change him long ago.

Sure enough, the kill order was eventually issued.

He even sent her off with Cedric’s pistol to make her go. Lisia sincerely prayed that Benia had escaped safely.

Lawrence laughed pleasantly and pulled Lisia’s waist toward him.

A soft kiss touched the corner of Lisia’s mouth. Lisia turned her head away.

His lips brushed down her cheek and persistently sought out Lisia’s lips.

“Stop it.”

Lisia pushed his face away with her hand. She didn’t struggle or resist violently. It would only drain her strength anyway.

“Be more affectionate, Lisia.”

Lawrence whispered sweetly.

“You like duty, don’t you?”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“Fulfill your duty to me. The Divine gave you the duty to change me through love, didn’t they?”

“…I’m no longer a Saintess. Ah!”

The moment those words fell, Lawrence grabbed her hair and jerked her head back.

And he bit her lips until they bled.

The metallic taste of blood flowed between Lisia’s lips. Lawrence kissed her as if intoxicated, then thrust his tongue tip into the wound.

Lisia frowned. She didn’t want to show that it hurt.

She wanted to show him that she felt nothing.

In the past, even when she tried to keep loving, she had become unable to feel anything. And now she was rejecting it with her own heart.

Neither joy nor pain.

Lawrence could no longer make her despair.

“Even without The Divine’s command, loving one’s husband is a wife’s duty, isn’t it?”

Lawrence said with an enchanting smile.

“So you should love me.”

“Don’t blame me for your wickedness.”

Lisia spat out. Though she had married Lawrence with a sense of duty, among all those duties and responsibilities, the romantic feelings she had once felt for Lawrence had not originated from that.

“Because of you, I learned for the first time that people cannot change.”

Even saying that, Lawrence still didn’t care.

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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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