How a Villain Defies Destiny – Chapter 85

Author: Nikss

“Of course, I don’t necessarily want to become an official priest, but as someone exiled from the Euphrates Kingdom, this is the safest and most comfortable place I can stay.”

If possible, I wanted to live peacefully within the sanctuary for as long as I could.

[Ah, if that’s the case, I’ll talk to Xenon about it. Come to the Babylonian Empire.]

“Huh?”

‘Why is Xenon’s name suddenly being brought up here?’

I reflexively questioned Fenrir, who had mentioned an unexpected person, and Yves, also startled by the sudden shift in topic, asked in a sharp voice,

“What do you mean by that?”

“Oh, I was just thinking to myself that there’s no place as comfortable and safe as the sanctuary, so I’d like to stay here as long as possible.”

I was explaining to help Yves understand, but for some reason, Fenrir interrupted.

[However, this place has its own rules. You might be relatively free now as a trainee priest, but as you become an official priest and time passes, there will be more and more rules to follow.]

I already knew that. That this peace wouldn’t last long.

‘After all, becoming an official priest is impossible in the first place.’

Originally, Enheduane brought me to the Holy Kingdom because the nobles of the Euphrates Kingdom doubted the divine mark I bore.

‘Doubt about the divine mark was akin to distrusting the sacred relics bestowed by the gods, which in turn was like denying the gods themselves.’

From her perspective, as someone deeply devout, this situation would have been utterly unacceptable.

So now that the Pope has verified the authenticity of the divine mark, there’s no real need for me to stay in the sanctuary anymore.

Nevertheless, I’m still here as a trainee priest because I was a candidate for sainthood, and it’s still unknown which god has granted me their blessing.

‘Once a saint is officially chosen or the identity of the god who blessed me is revealed, I’ll probably have to leave the sanctuary.’

Even though I already knew this, recalling the future I had been subconsciously avoiding suddenly made me feel gloomy.

And Yves, quick to notice the change, wrapped his arm around my shoulder and spoke up.

“Laura, you don’t look well.”

His pale silver eyes, looking down at me, were filled with concern.

At the same time, the weight pressing on my chest vanished in an instant.

‘It’s reassuring to know I have someone on my side.’

Even if the calm days of routine ended and an uncertain, anxious future loomed ahead, I felt that somehow, as long as I was with Yves, things would be okay.

To show that my heart had lightened, I smiled faintly and honestly shared the thoughts in my mind.

“I just felt a little lonely thinking that I’ll have to leave the sanctuary someday.”

Hearing this, Yves, perhaps thinking I was anxious, tightened his arm around my shoulder and spoke.

“I’ll always be by your side, Laura, so please don’t feel uneasy.”

I thought he was just trying to comfort me, but…

“…!”

Belatedly realizing his face was getting closer, I froze in place.

However, the soft, tender lips that briefly touched and then left were only on my forehead.

“Were you disappointed it wasn’t your lips?”

“Wh-what? N-no!”

“For a moment, it seemed like there was a hint of disappointment on your face. Was I mistaken?”

“Y-yes! I was just surprised, that’s all!”

It was a lie so obvious that even a naive child wouldn’t have been fooled.

Moreover, in this room were Fenrir, who could read thoughts, and Yves, who was far more perceptive than the average person.

‘I want to hide in a mouse hole.’

I could feel my face burning. Even without looking in a mirror, I could easily guess how red my face had become from the heat I felt.

Desperate to escape this embarrassing situation as quickly as possible, I changed the subject.

“Oh! By the way, why did you bring up Xenon earlier?”

[I’m not particularly fond of watching human displays of affection either, so I’ll play along with your tune.]

It would’ve been better if he hadn’t mentioned that part at all.

Fenrir deliberately pointed out the intention hidden in my heart, making me feel even more embarrassed, but I brazenly acted as if I hadn’t heard anything.

“Speaking of which, didn’t Xenon say he made a contract with a divine beast? Don’t tell me you’re that divine beast, Fenrir?”

[You didn’t know?]

Of course not.

‘No one told me!’

Besides, ever since yesterday, my mind had been completely preoccupied with Yves, so I had completely forgotten about Xenon’s existence until Fenrir brought it up.

“Did you know about this, Yves?”

“No. I only had vague suspicions after hearing about the divine beast.”

“Ah, I see…”

At that time, I was more focused on the fact that Fenrir knew Hulupu than on him being a divine beast.

It was because I was shocked that there had been a situation serious enough for Yves to draw his sword and be on guard within the sanctuary.

“By the way, what does Xenon do?”

[You don’t even know that?]

Fenrir’s eyes narrowed.

It was clear he was thinking, “What exactly does this kid know?”

But I had my reasons, ‘In the original work, Xenon was… Wait, hold on. Is Fenrir reading this too?’

I was about to recall information about Xenon from the original work when I suddenly remembered Fenrir’s ability and stopped myself.

Compared to my inability to control my expressions, having my thoughts read in such detail was on a whole different level. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was safe to think about such things in front of him.

‘Well, it’s not exactly a secret I have to hide…’

Since Selene had personally gone to the Babylonian Empire to bring Xenon here, it was likely that Fenrir had already met him.

Therefore, unlike Huluppu, Fenrir probably knew a lot about the current situation.

‘Still, it feels uncomfortable.’

Especially since it was a secret I hadn’t even shared with Yves yet.

Before I could finish that thought, a faint light flickered.

“Laura!”

“Was that light just now…?”

[It seems you used divine power.]

Oh no, it must’ve looked completely bizarre from the outside.

“Yves, did my mouth just glow?”

I asked because I knew that divine power caused the divine mark to emit light, but Fenrir’s answer was different from what I expected.

[No. A soft light flowed from your entire body.]

“Huh?”

[Hmm, but this… It seems less like you used divine power and more like you’ve just awakened.]

“Awakened?”

[Yes. I thought it was strange that your thoughts could be read even though you’ve received a god’s blessing.]

“Could you explain in more detail?”

[Didn’t Huluppu tell you? I heard you had a conversation with him about divine power.]

It was true that I had talked with him a lot, but at the time, I was too busy asking questions to satisfy my personal curiosity.

“Yes. I was mostly asking about things I was curious about, so I must’ve missed that part.”

[That’s surprising. He usually loves to talk…]

“Who is Huluppu?”

At that moment, Yves interrupted Fenrir’s words, his voice lower than usual. The atmosphere suddenly felt strangely serious.

‘What’s going on? Did something bad happen between Yves and Huluppu?’

Realizing that the energy coming from Yves was unusual, I cautiously spoke, “Ah, I forgot to mention this to you, Yves. Huluppu is the one I met last time…”

Just as I was about to start explaining about Huluppu, a new figure appeared.

“Fenrir, what’s the deal with running off like that?”

It was Xenon. He also seemed surprised to see Fenrir with us.

“Huh? Why are you all together? Wait, was it… Lily?”

“It’s Laura.”

“My bad. I’m not great at remembering names.”

“It’s fine.”

Honestly, I didn’t really care what Xenon called me, so I brushed it off and was about to move on when Fenrir chimed in.

[Right. That was the name. I heard it from Huluppu but forgot for a moment.]

Yves, who had been twitching his eyebrows at this, tightened his grip on my shoulder and asked again.

“So, Laura, who is Huluppu?”

“Huluppu is…”