How a Villain Defies Destiny – Chapter 122

Author: Nikss

“Hmm? Wait, a woman with an appearance similar to Yves Leblanc…”

Before my surprise could even fade, a being that fit all the conditions suddenly came to mind.

It was none other than Astarte, the goddess of abundance and beauty. But since I never imagined I would actually meet her in person, I asked with a hesitant expression.

‘Could you be Lady Astarte?’

It seemed the words didn’t leave my mouth, staying only in my thoughts, but fortunately, my intent must have gotten through.

After all, an affirmative answer came from her.

[That’s right.]

As her voice echoed in my mind, the light radiating from her grew even brighter.

Thanks to that, the surrounding darkness lifted, and I could now perceive my own semi-transparent body.

‘So this really is that strange space I saw in the vision.’

I was thinking this as I looked around the pitch-black place, illuminated only by the light from Goddess Astarte, when she spoke again.

[This is all I can do for you. I’m sorry.]

Caught off guard by the sudden apology without further explanation, I blinked in surprise and asked back.

‘Huh?’

But instead of responding, she simply stroked my forehead with a gentle touch. Then, a familiar yet tender warmth began to flow into me.

‘But Lady Astarte, there’s something I wanted to ask… Huh? The light seems to be fading—are you alright?’

I had many questions—about this space, the relationship between Nanna and the gods, their intentions—but noticing her form gradually growing fainter, I panicked and asked about her condition.

[There’s no need to worry. My time is simply up.]

Her tone was calm, but I grew frantic at the mention of time running out.

Since there was no telling when I’d get another chance to face a god, and countless unanswered questions still remained.

“Wait a moment! I still have—”

[It’s alright.]

She cut me off, soothing me as if she already knew everything.

[He will tell you everything you wish to know. Go find him.]

The dazzling light, bright as a reflected glare, gradually faded, and her form slowly melted into the darkness.

A wave of unease washed over me—I couldn’t let such an invaluable opportunity slip away like this!

To solve the mountain of problems piling up, I absolutely needed divine help. Growing impatient, I instinctively reached out, even though I knew I couldn’t hold on.

“Who is he? Please, tell me his name.”

[—]

Goddess Astarte’s reply was drowned out by a sharp, crackling noise in my head.

“That strange static just now— No, you said time is running out. Please, say it again!”

Deciding that the identity of the one who could answer my questions was more important than the sudden noise, I pressed her again.

[Hmm…]

But the fading Goddess Astarte only wore a troubled expression, hesitating in silence.

“What’s wrong?”

[Nanna has noticed our meeting.]

“…!”

A chill ran down my spine, freezing me in place. I had vaguely suspected that Nanna was the final mastermind—that if I kept helping Selene, I’d eventually face him.

But I wasn’t mentally prepared yet.

Perhaps sensing my fear, Goddess Astarte spoke again in a gentle, reassuring voice.

[Still, you’ll be safe for now. Even he won’t be able to interfere beyond this.]

“That’s a relief.”

[But it seems he’s blocked me from mentioning him directly.]

“Then what should I do? It doesn’t look like we have much time left…”

Unable to hide my unease, I trailed off mid-sentence.

My translucent body had already been swallowed by darkness, and the light emanating from her flickered precariously, like a candle in the wind.

[What should we do… Ah!]

She muttered in a troubled tone before suddenly letting out a short exclamation.

As if a good idea had just struck her.

[The dragon you know.]

‘What does that…’

The moment the word registered in my mind, the light surrounding her vanished.

The space we stood in was instantly plunged into darkness, as if nothing had ever existed there in the first place.

💫

“…!”

My eyes flew open, and I gasped for air like someone who had nearly drowned and was just rescued.

As oxygen filled my lungs, my stiffened thoughts began to function normally again.

‘This ceiling is unfamiliar.’

I remembered losing consciousness while absorbing divine power and encountering the goddess Astarte in that strange space, but the stained-glass-adorned ceiling above me was something I had never seen before.

‘Where in the world am I?’

I lay still, blinking as I tried to make sense of my surroundings—

“Laura! Are you awake?”

A familiar voice reached me, followed by an immensely reassuring face entering my field of vision.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

It was Yves, his expression full of worry as he studied my face. His eyes, however, were glistening, as if he might burst into tears at any moment.

“Ah…”

I opened my mouth to reassure him, but no sound came out.

Noticing this immediately, Yves carefully brought a cup of water—where he got it, I had no idea—to my lips.

A sip of lukewarm water touched my mouth, and I drank it in small gulps, like a baby bird, before clearing my throat with a light cough.

“Ahem, ahem… Ah.”

As I did, I also checked the state of my body.

Fortunately, there were no sore spots or any particularly strange sensations.

Before losing consciousness, I had worried that the excessive divine power—far beyond what the body could handle—might cause some side effects, but now, that concern seemed unnecessary, as everything felt perfectly fine.

Moreover, though I no longer had Huluppu’s divine power, Selene’s divine power still remained within me.

‘It seems most of the divine power Selene possessed has transferred to me… I hope she’s alright.’

While I was observing the divine power in my body, my delayed response darkened Yves Leblanc’s expression as he stood up from his seat.

“So there is something wrong with your body. I’ll call a physician immediately.”

“I’m fine!”

I tried to sit up and grab his wrist, but perhaps because I had just regained consciousness, my body refused to cooperate.

My outstretched arm flailed in the air, and with no strength left to support my upper body, I began tilting over the edge of the bed.

“Ah—!”

“Laura!”

The only saving grace was that Yves, with his quick reflexes, caught me before I could fall.

“Yves, really, I’m okay.”

“You can’t even hold yourself up properly—how is that ‘okay’?!”

His hands, which had been carefully guiding me back to bed, suddenly trembled with anger.

Of course, I knew it stemmed from worry, so I quickly tried to explain while gauging his reaction.

“I-it’s just that I got up too suddenly, so my body didn’t respond! Nothing actually hurts or anything…”

“…Sigh. I apologize for raising my voice.”

Yves pressed a hand to his forehead, exhaled deeply, and apologized. It seemed he had been badly startled when I nearly collapsed.

To calm him down—and to change the subject—I asked, “More importantly, how long was I unconscious?”

“…A week.”

“That long?!”

I was stunned.

It seemed like the conversation with the goddess Astarte in the pitch-black space had lasted only about ten minutes.

‘Perhaps that place, like Huluppu’s space, flows differently from reality and time.’

After silently making her assumption, Laura turned to Yves Leblanc with the next question.

“Then, where is this place? It doesn’t seem like a temple…”

The seven great temples within the Pantheon generally had similar structures.

‘I’ve only lived in the temple for about half a year, but I’ve been to most of the important areas.’

So he was certain this unfamiliar room was not one of the seven great temples.

However, the place where I had collapsed was Astarte’s private prayer chamber, and it didn’t seem likely that they would have moved my unconscious body outside the Pantheon.

Puzzled, I asked—but Yves answered calmly.

“This is inside the Papal Residence.”

Had there ever been a place in the Papal Residence with such an extravagantly decorated ceiling?

That doubt flickered briefly through my mind, but he was far more curious about what had happened during the week I had been unconscious.

“Ah, right—what happened to Selene and Huluppu?”

“…”

But suddenly, Yves’s expression twisted, and he fell silent.

“Yves?”

“Why do you…”

“Huh?”

“Care about others before your own well-being?”

My head tilted slightly on its own. It was because I didn’t understand why Yves was asking something so obvious.