The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 296

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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 296

She had played countless games of probability with people’s hearts and actions. As a result, she had taken lives and brought despair.

Still, Artizea had not particularly minded. People were nothing more than numbers, and death was merely the result of some part of probability being executed or failing.

That was the error of the life she had lived.

It was also her evil deed.

When Artizea came to the hill, she had not particularly thought that she should sacrifice herself.

She had two purposes.

The first was to witness what she had caused. And the second was to use her retinue effectively.

Cedric had left all one hundred members of Artizea’s retinue intact. It would be wasteful to stay in the safe rear with those numbers.

She could not be certain whether Lawrence would really appear on that hill.

Common sense would suggest it was a trap.

However, Artizea was not particularly worried. The forces Lawrence was leading were merely a few groups of bandits.

They must have scattered even more during the two days of pursuit. Her retinue alone would be sufficient to handle them.

There was no trap either. Right after receiving the letter, Cedric had sent people to thoroughly investigate.

So rather, Lawrence should be the one worried about being surrounded in reverse.

If Lawrence came, she could capture him with her retinue. If he didn’t come and had merely sent the letter meaning for her to go and witness the carnage, that would be fine in its own way too.

She could watch and send support by splitting her retinue if necessary.

And when she saw the wildfire spreading on that hill, Artizea realized that this too was a game of probability.

The game of probability that Artizea had played countless times.

Like laying snares here and there on paths frequently traveled by prey, she had trapped people’s hearts and created situations.

If the opponent moved and fell into the trap leading to destruction, that was good. If not, no evidence would remain, so she would try another method again.

Until they would eventually be caught.

And that wildfire was the probability Lawrence had invoked. It was Artizea’s method.

Perhaps it might be contained, but perhaps it would reach the explosives.

Perhaps the explosives might not detonate, but perhaps the wildfire could cause massive damage.

Or perhaps, they could contain the wildfire and keep the levee safe, but might have to abandon Lisia.

Whatever the outcome, Lawrence would laugh.

The scale of damage was not important. What mattered was the very fact that probability had been executed.

In the end, it was the same in that Cedric had failed to prevent it.

Just like in the past. And Lawrence, Cedric, Lisia, and she herself all knew that this was victory.

The wind blew like mad.

Artizea cut off her finger before the fire could spread greatly.

“My lady!”

Alice screamed. Owen came running.

Artizea paid no heed and drew a magic circle on the ground. She barely felt any pain.

Nothing showed more clearly that the causality of this matter began with her than that wildfire.

If she could not prevent everything, it would be meaningless. It was an error that should never have existed, one that began from herself.

That was the divine oracle.

The Divine had not granted her any specific holy power.

Artizea had done very many things. And there were very many things that those who learned her methods could do.

Therefore, The Divine must have given her the ability to activate magic without any other form.

Boom!

The moment the explosives detonated, she placed her palm on the magic circle. In that moment, she thought of neither Lisia, nor Cedric, nor Lawrence.

Life transformed into holy power and poured into the magic circle through Artizea’s palm. The magic circle burst forth with brilliant white light as if burning.

“Ugh…!”

Artizea clenched her teeth hard enough to shatter her jaw joint.

A barrier of light blocked the torrent pouring like a tsunami.

The magic she used was different from the holy power that true saints had manifested. Magic demanded a price.

She paid the life force demanded by the magic circle with holy power. But the pouring water pressure still weighed on Artizea as a burden.

Her clothes and hair fluttered explosively in the surging holy power.

“A-Alice. My hand…!”

Artizea screamed. Alice ran over and grabbed her wrist.

“Why must you, my lady!”

Alice held Artizea’s hand firmly in place, half-crying, so that her palm wouldn’t be repelled from the magic circle.

Artizea gasped for breath. Her internal organs were shaken. Blood flowed from her ears, making sounds muffled.

Owen ran over and tried to pull her away from the magic circle. Alice blocked him.

“It’s my lady’s will! My lady is… my lady is the Saintess!”

While she had spoken words of resentment to Artizea, Alice shouted this at Owen.

Artizea looked at Alice with blurred eyes.

Faithful Alice.

Even while telling her to be happy, she never went against her will. She had never stopped her from doing what she truly thought needed to be done.

This time, she was glad she could finish without sending her away first.

Artizea pulled one hand from the magic circle. Blood was still flowing from her index finger where she had cut off a joint.

With that hand, she rewrote the magic circle.

Just blocking the water was not enough. At most, she could hold out for about 20 minutes.

The moment the holy power barrier disappeared, the water would sweep everything away. So the restoration of the levee had to come first.

《Receiving the holy power of Artizea Rosan, time is turned back as the price.》

Writing the sentence for the second time was much more skillful.

Since holy power was blocking the water, she could designate the coordinates to the range where that holy power was exerting its influence.

While modifying the magic circle, her power was dispersed and the holy power barrier wavered.

“Ah!”

Seeing that scene, Benia screamed.

Artizea squeezed her eyes shut. The holy power pouring from her two hands and the barrier surrounding the tsunami had now changed to a green light.

“My lady!”

Alice cried out while holding Artizea’s wrist. Owen looked back and forth between Artizea and the holy power barrier, not knowing what to do.

The hair that had fallen across Artizea’s profile had turned white.

However, no matter what, time would not rewind. The torrent remained suspended in mid-air, unable to advance or retreat.

Artizea realized that she had wasted too much life.

Unlike the great magic that turned back everyone’s time, turning back the time of the levee and water by designating coordinates was something she had to pay the price for entirely by herself.

And Artizea’s spirit and body were too damaged to pay that entire price.

The holy power was weak. With only partial cutting, the magic circle would not operate properly.

“Ah…”

Artizea already knew the perfect way to solve this problem.

It was the perfect moment to remove the error, pay the price for her sins, and disappear from the world.

However, Artizea hesitated.

She couldn’t breathe. It would be done if she just threw herself in.

Then, as she had secretly wished from the depths of her heart, not even a trace would remain.

Neither the painful life nor the life that had caused others pain. Neither grudges, nor sins, nor greed.

Alice held her arm.

The next moment, Benia rushed in and grabbed her by the scruff from behind.

“Benia!”

Owen shouted and tried to hold her back, but Artizea had already been pushed into the magic circle.

‘Ah…’

Artizea felt her consciousness collapse before her body did.

A bullet dropped with a thud beside her face.

The light of the magic circle surrounding her blazed like blue flames.

On the other side was Benia’s distorted face. The corners of her mouth were turned up. Like someone who had released decades of accumulated resentment.

“See you in hell, you demon!”

“What, what is this madness!”

Alice lunged at Benia like a madwoman. Owen reached out his hand toward her.

Artizea watched the scene with dazed eyes. Suddenly all the pain disappeared and she felt at ease.

Soon a large flame flared up in front of her, obscuring even that from view.

Sedric gripped Lawrence’s throat and pinned him to the ground while staring blankly up at that barrier of divine power.

Artizea had never told him about the operating principles of divine power. But unlike Lisia, she had collapsed in illness after using divine power just once.

At that time, it seemed as if her strength had drained away to the bone marrow, and her sickly appearance showed no signs of improvement.

Yet there was no way she could use such tremendous power and be unaffected.

“Lord Sedric!”

Lisia struck his cheeks with both fists. The knight who had followed Sedric came to his senses and ran over to untie Lisia’s wrists.

Sedric opened his eyes and looked up at her, then looked down below. Lawrence was still pinned down, giggling continuously.

“Go quickly, before it’s too late!”

Lisia said as she drew the pistol from Sedric’s waist and pressed it against Lawrence’s head.

“It’s still okay. Go quickly.”

Then the light of divine power changed to green, and the next moment transformed into blue flames.

The barrier of light became like a burning sphere. Inside it, time flowed backward.

The scattered stones returned to their places and the collapsed levee regained its original form.

The water that had been shooting skyward and frozen in place fell lightly downward like a dropped silk handkerchief.

The tsunami that had been pouring downward changed direction and retreated back into the levee as if walking backward.

And that light was more familiar to Sedric than even to Lisia.

“Tia!”

He sprang to his feet.

“Go now!”

Lisia shouted.

Sedric had no presence of mind to mount his horse. He ran up the hill like a madman.

The knights followed him and threw him the reins. Sedric leaped onto the empty saddle and spurred his horse.

Lisia kept the pistol aimed at Lawrence’s head while gesturing for the remaining knights to stay back.

This was a matter between her and Lawrence.

Lawrence didn’t even think to sit up and just giggled mockingly.

“Are you sure there’s a bullet in the chamber? That pistol.”

“Shall we test your luck?”

“….”

“This is something you often made me do. Why? Are you afraid when it’s your turn to be tested?”

Lisia spat out. Lawrence tried to grab her wrist.

Bang!

At that moment Lisia pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced through Lawrence’s collarbone.

“Guh, urgh…!”

A scream burst from Lawrence’s mouth.

“How fortunate. There was a bullet in it.”

Lisia said.

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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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