How a Villain Defies Destiny Chapter 113

As I was feeling inexplicably gloomy and swallowing a bitter sigh inside, Endymion glanced at me and spoke in an indifferent voice.

 

“There’s no need to blame yourself so much. I only just realized it myself, but it seems a barrier has been set up around the Temple of Astarte.”

 

“Ah, no wonder it was strange that such a big commotion happened, yet His Holiness the Pope didn’t appear.”

 

Before I could ask Endymion what kind of barrier it was, Xenon cut in.

 

“The central authority must have been managing the barrier to prevent unnecessary chaos.”

 

“And they probably evacuated all the priests inside the Temple of Astarte.”

 

The conversation had many gaps, leaving me bewildered and struggling to understand. Endymion then elaborated.

 

“The seven high priests quickly noticed the anomaly and appeared, but the Pope never showed himself.”

 

He said the reason was likely that the central authority had reinforced the barrier here to prevent the ordinary priests from noticing the disturbance.

 

‘No wonder everyone seemed the same as usual.’

 

Only then did I realize it wasn’t my imagination that the faces of the people I passed while leaving the lodging showed no trace of tension.

 

‘At first, I thought I was just half-asleep and failed to read the mood properly.’

 

By the time I heard the full story from the two, we were already on the path from the Papal Office to the Temple of Astarte. Moreover, this area seemed to have already been placed under control—there wasn’t a single passerby in sight.

 

So, naturally, I had assumed I was the only one oblivious and carefree, and I blamed myself for it.

 

But fortunately, it was just a misunderstanding.

 

The reason people could remain calm was likely because Pope Atrahasis was exerting his power behind the scenes.

 

‘In other words, if both the Pope and the seven high priests have stepped in, does that mean the situation is serious enough to warrant it?’

 

I gently touched the bracelet woven like laurel leaves.

 

As we approached the rear of Astarte’s temple, the sense of unease grew stronger.

 

Soon, we arrived near the lake where Huluppu had originally been, but the surroundings were eerily quiet.

 

“There’s nothing here?”

 

I was already tense, but the unexpected scene made me blurt out the question in confusion. Xenon responded,

 

“It’s an illusion barrier, similar to the one Fenrir created last time.”

 

He added that while it was invisible from the outside, a strong impact could break through. 

 

Suddenly, he drew his sword and muttered to himself, “Should be about here?”

 

As the sharp blade sliced through the air, a transparent, soap-bubble-like film wobbled before revealing a shocking sight.

 

What in the world…

 

Once the illusion vanished, the first thing that caught my eye was the blue flames.

 

They blazed fiercely, like unquenchable hellfire.

 

It doesn’t feel hot, though…

 

While puzzled by the lack of heat, I belatedly noticed that Fenrir, who was usually as large as a big dog, had now grown to the size of a house.

 

Because of that, Selene, crouched nearby, seemed even smaller in comparison.

 

Wait, isn’t she too close?

 

As I observed the scene, it struck me that Fenrir, baring his sharp fangs at Selene, looked ready to devour her at any moment.

 

Endymion must have thought the same, because as soon as the barrier split, he rushed forward in a panic.

 

“Selene!”

 

Pale with fear, he pulled Selene into his arms and quickly backed away from Fenrir.

 

In response, Fenrir flexed his massive body, claws unsheathed, as if ready to tear the fleeing humans apart in an instant.

 

This is bad!

 

Even though I knew I had to intervene, the overwhelming bloodlust radiating from him froze me in place.

 

If this continues, both of them might die. Please, please move!

 

Struggling against my terror, I tried to force my frozen body to react—but thankfully, the worst didn’t happen.

 

Hidden beneath his white fur, chains suddenly coiled tighter around Fenrir’s body, restraining him just as he was about to lunge.

 

Thank goodness.

 

After confirming that Endymion and Selene were unharmed, I turned my gaze toward the chains. I wanted to figure out where such powerful restraints—strong enough to suppress Fenrir’s movements—had come from.

 

‘Are those relics?’

 

Soon, I spotted the High Priest holding a relic. In fact, there wasn’t just one. Upon closer inspection, all seven High Priests were each holding one.

 

Something resembling wooden vines bound Fenrir’s legs, and what looked like a barrier similar to the one I’d seen in Dilbat also caught my eye.

 

‘But why isn’t Yves visible?’

 

He had clearly said he was restraining Fenrir alongside the seven High Priests, yet for some reason, he was nowhere to be seen. 

 

Just as I was about to ask about his whereabouts, Fenrir, still bound, let out a furious, beastly roar—as if declaring he would not forgive his fleeing prey.

 

It was a far cry from his usual demeanor, where he communicated directly through telepathy.

 

‘Now I understand why Xenon said he was uncontrollable. No—more than that, if the situation was this urgent, they should’ve rushed me here instead of wasting time arguing.’

 

I swallowed my frustration toward Endymion and Xenon as I stared at Fenrir, whose eyes had completely darkened.

 

Sure, some explanation of the situation was necessary, but there clearly hadn’t been enough leeway for pointless bickering. In fact, it felt miraculous that there had been no casualties so far—things were that precarious.

 

Honestly, even the dragon that had recklessly fired off spells in Dilbat seemed preferable by comparison.

 

‘If not for the relics the High Priests were holding just now, things could’ve gone really badly.’

 

While I silently cursed Endymion and Xenon for wasting time squabbling instead of hurrying me along, Xenon’s face, unexpectedly nearby, suddenly twisted in horror.

 

‘Has the situation gotten worse?’

 

Indeed, the moment Endymion entered the barrier, he was so startled that he rushed to save Selene.

 

Fenrir’s rampage must have grown even more severe than before he came looking for me.

 

‘Sigh, right. For now, let’s just put out the immediate fire.’

 

Rather than debating right and wrong, I decided that stopping Fenrir took priority. With great effort, I forced my stiff lips to part.

 

“F-Fenrir, sir.”

 

A trembling voice slipped through the small gap between my lips, but it didn’t reach him—he seemed to have lost all reason.

 

‘This won’t do.’

 

I pressed my ice-cold hands together and shouted louder.

 

“Fenrir, sir!”

 

I couldn’t tell whether he recognized his name or simply reacted to the loud noise, but Fenrir’s head, which had been fixed on Selene, slowly turned.

 

“…!”

 

The moment our eyes met—his pale blue ones—a wave of terror crashed over me, the fear that I might be devoured.

 

My survival instincts screamed at me to turn and run, but I clenched my hands together and held my ground.

 

The last means to stop Fenrir here was the bracelet I carried.

 

“Fenrir, calm down. Huluppu is still alive!”

 

After steadying my breathing, I spoke in a calmer voice, insisting that Huluppu lived. But unfortunately, the blue flames engulfing Fenrir only grew fiercer.

 

“Look! This is Huluppu’s branch!”

 

I kept throwing out words that might bring him back to his senses, but the flames showed no sign of subsiding.

 

‘I thought he’d calm down the moment he heard Huluppu was alive.’

 

My expectations had missed the mark spectacularly.

 

Perhaps, in his frenzied state, he couldn’t sense Huluppu’s faint divine energy.

 

‘What now?’

 

I bit my lower lip, but no suitable alternative came to mind.

 

Still, I couldn’t just stand by and watch, so I concluded that moving closer to Fenrir to show him the bracelet might be the best course of action.

 

If only I hadn’t heard the voice stopping me.

 

“Laura, don’t go any closer. It’s dangerous.”

 

I recognized it immediately.

 

The owner of the voice was someone my subconscious had been searching for all along.

 

At the same time, the fear that had paralyzed my body began to gradually fade.

 

As the tension in my frozen limbs melted away, I regained the ability to move at will.

 

“Yves Leblanc!”

 

I turned my head with a voice far too cheerful for the situation, but the moment my eyes met Yves’, I couldn’t hold back my shock.

 

“Yves Leblanc? No, what in the world are you doing there?!”

 

I couldn’t hide my disbelief.

 

The very person who had stopped me—Yves—looked more perilous than anyone else present.

 

“He’s preventing Fenrir from approaching the Saintess.”

 

“Just… with that?”

 

Unlike the high priests, each holding a sacred relic, all Yves had in his grasp was the sword he always carried—an ordinary, mass-produced weapon standard for holy knights.

 

And yet, with an eerily calm tone, he stood there, having driven that plain blade straight into Fenrir’s tail.