I'm a Villainess, Can I Die?-Chapter 112

“How’s the surveillance on the marquess’ household progressing?”

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Aaron asked. Alogen, who had just been laughing moments ago, sipped on his cold tea and answered coolly.

“We’ve planted a few mages to monitor the area. There haven’t been any suspicious individuals going in or out. But since the mastermind is using magic, watching entrances is practically useless.”

The Tower was handling surveillance on the collaborator. They were good at concealment and could observe from afar.

They could also sense magical activity.

They began seriously watching the marquess’ estate about ten days ago... after they found a mage’s corpse near the woods surrounding it.

The body looked like it had been killed by a monster.

It was too decomposed to make out the face, but the torn clothes—ripped as if by some large beast’s claws—and the oddly broken ribs bore clear marks of monster attacks.

The discovery itself had been suspicious.

They’d passed through that forest several times before while monitoring the estate, and they’d never come across a corpse like that.

It looked at least four months old, yet it suddenly appeared in a tree ten days ago.

As if someone wanted it to be found.

It was so blatantly planted [N O V E L I G H T] that it reeked of manipulation, but even spoon-fed evidence couldn’t be ignored. They couldn’t rule out the possibility that the marquess had been collaborating with the mastermind.

So, while narrowing down the list of suspect families, they doubled the number of watchers stationed near the marquess’ estate.

“It’s a mess.”

The Marquis Lascelle was like a snake.

Aaron recalled his glowing red eyes and slowly closed his own.

“If the High Priest is truly behind this, there may already be eyes watching the temple. They could destroy the evidence once they notice we’re investigating. Even if it’s a bit rushed, I’ll make arrangements so we can begin visiting the suspect families as early as tomorrow. I’d also like the Tower to secure more personnel.”

“Of course.”

Aaron closed his eyes, going over the procedure for conducting noble house inspections.

First, I’ll need to submit a request to the imperial family.

It wouldn’t be processed in just a few days, but considering the weight of the situation, they’d likely fast-track it. The nobles might resist if they were suddenly raided, but that didn’t matter.

The innocent might be uneasy, but they’d still comply—especially if they knew what it meant to be suspected in a monster case.

A monster incident wasn’t just about endangering the empire. It directly threatened the imperial authority itself.

In other words, it was tantamount to treason.

And the punishment for treason... was death.

“Khak.”

Somewhere in the dark, a ragged doll coughed violently. The hand covering his mouth came away soaked in blood.

The man’s fingers trembled as he rubbed them desperately against his clothes, leaving bloody smears wherever he touched.

“Damn it... damn it all...”

The High Priest muttered, staring at the blood smeared all over his hands and robes. A choked, bitter groan slipped between clenched teeth.

He’d started coughing up blood about ten days ago. The day he resolved to eliminate everyone who stood in his way.

First, he dumped a corpse near the marquess’ estate—either to frame the marquess or to buy himself time to escape.

Even if they think it’s strange at first, once the investigation starts, something will come to light. I just need enough time to get away.

He and the marquess had made a pact—a magical contract—to prevent either of them from revealing the other’s identity.

Even if the marquess was captured, he wouldn’t be able to speak about the High Priest.

That was the whole point of making the contract in the first place.

The fool never even considered turning that contract against him.

Then the High Priest moved out to the outskirts and unleashed monsters. His goal was to kill Lukas.

Twelve in total. Releasing so many at once was a huge burden, but if it meant killing that Lukas... it was worth the cost.

But that, too, had been arrogance.

He had watched as Lukas beheaded the snake’s head that he’d created. Watched as Lukas, poisoned by venom, gritted his teeth and butchered the beasts with his sword.

Even with his left arm paralyzed, using only his right, breath ragged and limbs heavy, Lukas stood firm and kept swinging.

The High Priest had to endure twelve cracking sounds that day.

Twelve magical marbles shattered in one day—it was a much greater loss than he’d expected.

The moment the twelfth one broke, he coughed up blood.

From that day forward, his health rapidly declined. He began to waste away, his hair fell out... and then, to make things worse, a deafening explosion shook his ears a few days later.

A sound unlike anything he’d ever experienced. Like a building collapsing right in front of him.

The shock left him barely able to open his eyes.

With a pounding head, he fumbled for his book and flipped through the pages until he found the section on red marbles.

“When used on humans, red marbles have a high failure rate. The most common side effect is internal detonation. When that happens, the caster receives more than double the backlash.”

Since that day, he’d lost hearing in his right ear.

He kept coughing blood. His body grew weaker. He was going deaf.

Could it get any worse?

The High Priest was in despair. How had it come to this?

How many people had knelt before him? He once dreamed of becoming a god. But now, the shadow of death loomed over him.

“This... can’t be happening...”

Cough, cough.

Another burst of blood splattered out with his breath. In this condition, there was no way he could escape.

He might not last a month. He bit his lip hard.

His lips were already cracked and crusted with blood. Now they had a fresh wound.

Once a kindly looking man in his prime, he now looked closer to an old man—emaciated and hollow. Yet the malice in his eyes burned on, undiminished.

“I won’t die alone...”

The High Priest muttered. His withered throat rasped with a sinister metallic tone.

That night, I couldn’t sleep.

Too many thoughts were racing. Too many revelations to accept.

Honestly, I’d always thought of the High Priest as a kind-looking man. Realizing he was the mastermind... yeah, that one hit hard.

If I was this shaken... what about Ian?

Poor Ian.

I’d been lying on my back, but I turned to my side. Maybe I just couldn’t sleep because of my position.

Save me.

Lying beside me was the girl—Belle.

Her face was still blurry. Her voice unclear. A hallucination, obviously.

I stared at her face. At the tears running down it.

Even in my imagination, she was crying her eyes out.

Save me.

The voice echoed again—low or high, I couldn’t even tell.

I wondered vaguely what her real voice must’ve sounded like. Reaching out, my hand passed through empty air.

There was nothing to touch.

Watching my own hand drift aimlessly through space, I whispered,

“I did my best. You know that. It wasn’t my fault. The one who’s wrong... is the High Priest.”

It was just a quiet murmur.

Maybe she couldn’t hear it. But it was what I wanted to hear.

The kind of small comfort no one else could give me. The kind only I could offer myself.

The hallucination slowly faded.

Like mist dissipating into the air.

I watched it vanish, then closed my heavy eyes and let my hand fall to the empty space beside me.

The blanket touched by the night air was ice cold.

Would her tears be that cold too?

“Still... I’m sorry.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

At the very least, I hoped that apology would reach her.

The next day, my brother told me he’d send people to the temple to investigate the High Priest.

And those people were Aiden and Sir Alogen. Two trustworthy men.

In the original story, Aiden and his mentor possessed terrifying power. With the two of them together, what could go wrong? And yet... my heart felt heavy.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone was leaving me.

In the end, I sent Aiden back to his room that night. I couldn’t face him. Every time I looked at him, fear started creeping up again.

“You’re leaving?”

But still, I didn’t want him to leave without saying anything.

So I called him over and suggested dessert. Aiden smiled and said—

If that’s what I wanted, then of course.

“You make it sound like I’m going somewhere far away. We’ll be using magic to go back and forth. I’ll be back in a day. Besides, my mentor is coming too—it’ll be easier.”

I nodded at the awkward little laugh in his voice.

Even if it were just a quick trip, the thought of him leaving—even if it was just down the street—felt far away to me. But I couldn’t say that.

Aiden would be leaving tomorrow. A kind of one-day field mission, really. But what did it matter how I worded it? The fact remained: he was going straight into the enemy’s den.

“Wherever you go, just come back safe.”

“I will. I promise.”

After hearing Aiden’s answer, I asked Jane to bring three slices of cake.

I wanted to give him his favorite thing—something comforting before he went somewhere dangerous.

“Thank you.”

Aiden didn’t hesitate.

He probably knew that was the best I could do for him.

God, he’s so quick on the uptake. That’s what I like about him.

“If the High Priest really is the mastermind... will the subjugation end quickly?”

“If it turns out he is, then yes. We’d issue a warrant and arrest him...”

Aiden’s eyes flicked to me and fell silent. I knew what that silence meant.

Because the next word after arrest him... would be execute him.

At times like this, I really wonder how the people around me see me.

I’m not as pure as they think. I’m not the type to cry over the death of a villain.

Still, I didn’t feel like correcting him. I just nodded quietly.

“I hope so. I’m sorry for Priest Ian, but... I just hope the High Priest is the real culprit. I hope that way... everything can go back to how it was.”

“It will. I promise, my lady.”

Aiden said, stirring his teacup with a spoon. The soft clinking sound filled the room. I closed my eyes and turned my head. When I opened them again, I was facing the window.

A restless autumn wind tapped against the glass. I wished it were blue skies, but gray clouds loomed overhead. I stared at them.

Blankly.

Listening to the gentle clinks of the spoon. The whisper of the wind.

“I’m scared.”

I murmured quietly.

That autumn wind, that autumn sky... everything scared me. I missed the bright summer days. The memories by the lake.

“I’m scared, Aiden.”

I turned to look at him. He was frozen in place, spoon still in hand, green eyes fixed on me—as if time itself had stopped.

Idiot. You really are an idiot.