The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 295

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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 295

Alwin was a timid schemer who had never directly stepped into politics. He didn’t even know what was happening in the capital.

He only had the basic concept that the western regions were Cedric’s important support base, so collapsing it would damage Cedric.

However, even from his perspective, the collapse of the Aba River levee was going too far. Not because he was worried about villages being flooded and casualties occurring.

Even he could see that this crossed the line of what Emperor Gregor could tolerate.

Still, until three or four days ago, Alwin hadn’t been so desperate.

He thought Lawrence must have had some plan in mind.

Moreover, it seemed like they could avoid being caught by anyone.

Artizea treated what she was searching for as classified. This was because she was concerned about unrest spreading among residents and the entire area being thrown into chaos.

Because of this, the nearby residents, who already had fear and aversion toward soldiers, completely refused to cooperate.

But from two days ago, the movement of the pursuit troops changed completely. Not only did they become more bold and organized than before, but once the residents began cooperating fully, any way of escape became distant.

What would happen if they were caught? Cedric was the Crown Prince. Alwin was only now realizing this.

“Lawrence, Lawrence, do you really have any intention of becoming emperor?”

Alwin asked while panting. Lawrence completely wiped away the smile that had been on his lips.

Then he chuckled again.

“Fool.”

“Lawrence!”

“Did you really want to make me emperor? Truly?”

Lawrence asked mockingly. Alwin asked back what he meant by that.

“Would you speak so carelessly to someone you want to make emperor? What exactly do you think an emperor is?”

Alwin’s face hardened.

Lawrence sneered.

“Is power the ability to control people at will? Even if that were true, in the end you’re just someone living inside the imperial palace. What pleasure could there be in ordering the execution of someone at the far end of the empire whom you can’t even see, and having it carried out?”

“Lawrence…”

“You could already do whatever you wanted within your own manor anyway.”

Alwin broke out in cold sweat. Lawrence said in a humming tone.

“Even if you become second only to one and above ten thousand, your neck can be blown away with one command from the emperor. But even if you become emperor, you can’t live without watching others’ reactions.”

Ironically, after those who nagged him with advice and such disappeared, nothing was fun anymore.

Lawrence lowered his head to kiss the nape of Lisia’s neck and said.

“You can’t control people’s hearts either. Well, if you could, the world would have been even more boring.”

The sound of dogs barking came from all directions. The pursuit was now right behind them.

“Why don’t you run over and kneel before him in apology, Alwin. He’s soft-hearted, so he might spare you.”

Alwin remained pale and didn’t answer.

About 20 minutes later, Alwin had broken away from the group and disappeared. Lawrence didn’t pay much attention to it.

When they first entered the Aba River region, the bandits he had brought numbered in the three digits.

Even after splitting them up for various tasks, three days ago they still numbered fifty.

But now there were only about ten or so left. Even those were just the idiots who couldn’t escape in time.

When Lawrence looked to the side, the bandit whose eyes met his flinched. He desperately wanted to run away, but was afraid of being killed by Lawrence’s hand if he tried.

Lawrence chuckled.

“You’re lucky.”

“Pardon?”

“You can only properly run away when you know what you’re doing.”

Saying that, Lawrence threw one of the gunpowder pouches hanging from his waist to the ground.

Then he shot it with his pistol.

The gunpowder caused a small explosion. Then fire quickly caught in the grass.

He had sprinkled oil beforehand.

Due to the rain the previous day, the fire spread slowly. However, because the oil roughly poured here and there had flowed with the rainwater, no one knew how the flames would spread.

The bandit’s face turned pale.

“Nothing to worry about. It wasn’t a storm last night, so the water couldn’t have risen to high ground.”

Saying that, Lawrence leisurely turned his horse’s head toward the hills.

Artizea was focused on the levee and concentrated on tracking people. Cedric was basically the same.

It wasn’t just for the practical reason that they couldn’t search a wide area.

They thought that if explosives were hidden, there would be someone to manage them and set them off.

This was because both of them always thought about controlling the situation.

It was also because they thought Lawrence would move efficiently.

Lawrence had no such intention.

Why would he bother trying to kill as many as possible? He could sufficiently break Lisia and Cedric’s hearts without doing that.

He had no intention of deliberately sending someone to detonate the explosives. If the flames spread that far, the explosives would explode.

“Well, the firefighting efforts might succeed before the fire spreads to the levee.”

If they were lucky, it would just be a wildfire and nothing more.

If they were even luckier, it might rain.

Lawrence said to Lisia.

“Have you tried praying to the divine to let you use sacred power other than healing?”

Lisia didn’t answer. Lawrence smiled broadly.

“Right, what you desperately needed was healing power. What you wanted to heal was my heart, wasn’t it?”

He said teasingly.

That’s when it happened.

Mixed with the barking of dogs, something like a whistling sound could be heard.

Lisia recognized that sound. That sound like winter wind was the sound of signal arrows used for wolf drives in Evron.

The sound came from right behind them. Lawrence clicked his tongue above Lisia’s head.

Lisia glanced around to assess the situation.

There were 9 left.

Could she shake off 9 men or buy time? With her wrists bound? Would Lawrence really not kill her?

As she was thinking, Lawrence’s arm gently covered her eyes.

“Don’t think foolish thoughts, Lisia.”

Lisia didn’t hesitate at that moment.

She stepped hard on Lawrence’s foot in the stirrup and shot up with her body.

Lawrence tightly grabbed Lisia’s waist with one arm, but he was a step too late.

The back of Lisia’s head struck Lawrence’s jaw. Lawrence let out a pained groan but didn’t let go of his grip on Lisia.

Lisia’s body rolled down under the horse, dragging Lawrence down with her.

Kicking his foot caught in the stirrup into the air, Lawrence fell completely off the horse while embracing Lisia.

The bandits following behind hesitated. Gunshots rang out from behind.

“Ugh, argh!”

It was a warning shot, but one unlucky guy got hit by the bullet and fell to the ground.

Lisia lowered her body and lay flat on the ground. Lawrence covered her with his body.

Lisia struggled beneath him to free her hands. She wanted to at least remove the pouch covering her hands.

“Lisia!”

Cedric’s shouting voice could be heard.

Lawrence quickly pulled Lisia toward him and held a blade to her throat. Lisia held her breath.

Cedric pulled on his reins. The knights who had followed him hastily stopped.

The sound of hoofbeats scattered chaotically over the muddy ground.

Lawrence sighed and grabbed the back of Lisia’s neck.

“Haa. Haa.”

Lisia panted.

Cedric dismounted from his horse. Lawrence said.

“Remove your subordinates.”

“Let Lisia go, Lawrence.”

Cedric said in a low voice.

“Then let me get away from this place safely.”

“You seem to be under some misunderstanding.”

Saying that, Lawrence tilted Lisia’s neck back. A thin red line was drawn across her white neck.

“I don’t mind killing Lisia here. Rather than give her back to you, I’ll just kill her.”

“You crazy bastard. She was your wife.”

“That’s right. So rather than give her to you, I’d kill her.”

Cedric gritted his teeth and glared at Lawrence. Lawrence smirked.

“Well, I’m fine with it. It would be quite entertaining for all of us to stand here and watch the Aba River overflow. Or you could shoot me dead along with Lisia.”

Lawrence sneered. He knew Cedric wouldn’t be able to do that.

It wasn’t a matter of practical benefit.

And if he actually went through with it, that would be quite amusing for Lawrence as well.

Cedric hesitated. Lisia looked at him with painful feelings.

That was the moment.

Bang!

An explosive sound tore through their eardrums. The vibration shook the earth’s axis.

Cedric, Lisia, and everyone else reflexively turned to look in that direction.

Even from the middle of the hill, they could see the levee collapsing. The wildfire had spread and finally ignited the gunpowder.

“Ha, hahaha!”

Lawrence burst into laughter.

“You’re frozen, Lisia. What’s so special about that? If Cedric had done his job well, that one thing might have ended it all, right?”

“Lawrence!”

Cedric burst with indignation and rushed at Lawrence.

Lisia shouted.

“It’s not over yet!”

The water that had surged up with the explosion over the levee wasn’t pouring down below.

A barrier of pure white light was blocking it.

On the day she received the divine oracle, Father Colton had said.

「You may not understand the meaning of the oracle now. You may think you shouldn’t follow it.」

Artizea remembered that day’s conversation clearly.

「Someday you will understand what has been arranged for you.」

It seemed like that day would never come.

《Turn it back!》

That oracle was too abstract.

There were too many things that needed to be turned back. Conversely, there were too many things that had been turned back.

Among them, what exactly did the Divine judge should be ‘turned back’?

Time? Or the history that Artizea had once overturned?

Or perhaps legitimacy? The Saintess’s future? The people who were sacrificed due to her own evil deeds?

But standing on that hill and looking down at the levee, Artizea realized what she needed to turn back as if struck by lightning.

It was the error that occurred when she executed the incomplete grand magic.

Though the Divine’s words would be different, Artizea understood the reality before her in that way.

Originally, her very existence should have been annihilated at the same time as executing the grand magic.

However, the traces she left in the past did not disappear. Someone with those memories did things they wouldn’t have done themselves, or couldn’t have done.

In other words, her own evil deeds.

Under Artizea’s hands, the magic circle drawn in blood spun madly and emitted light.

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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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