I Reject the villain’s ending.

Episode 52.

Sierra asked him.

“Was she strong?”

“…….”

“I stand corrected. Were you strong for a ‘human’?”

“……!”

“Right.”

Iros’s eyes flickered with emotion.

He was afraid that the thumping of his heart would reach Sierra next to him at any moment.

‘For a human, ……. No, no, no.’

Why did Sierra have to say ‘human’? Her head swelled like it was going to explode.

The hand holding hers had never felt so tight and uncomfortable.

I wanted to throw my hands up in the air to hide the pounding of my heart.

“But she’ll suspect me if I do.

Smart Sierra, no one could match her brilliance, even if she’d lived like a fool. It’s in the blood.

“Are you this way by any chance?

I remembered the grey-haired woman who had asked.

‘By your silence, you know you’re a half-man, half-demon.

“Half-man, half-demon, half-trash. That’s what we are.

The words kept coming back to me.

“No, no. I’m human. I’ve never been human, not even once.

But is it true?

Doubt rolled in like a wave, engulfing Iros.

Touching the divine power heals great wounds, but instead, it causes pain, melting flesh and scarring him.

Like a double-edged sword, it cuts him and then saves him.

Sierra sees this.`

‘You’re a holy misfit,’ she says, ‘and there are many of them, but it’s not a good thing, so don’t tell anyone. Don’t tell anyone, ever.

…but my instincts were telling me.

‘The holy power is poison to me. I haven’t breathed easy since I came to the temple.

I always feel like the holy power is suffocating me. It’s like being submerged in water and being crushed by the pressure.

The more I use my divine power, the more I come into contact with the powerful Sierra, and the more I feel my life force draining away.

Like air escaping from your mouth.

‘My breath is tightening.

I wonder what I am, half-human, half-horse, or something else.

I want to believe Sierra, but my instincts keep whispering.

“You’re not human.

…

No Secrets Last Forever]

The return of the Imperial Chief Mage brought a brief period of peace.

But it was short-lived. Another emissary from the imperial court arrived.

This time, not just mages, but knights and courtiers, brought with them a cart full of gold and an invitation.

“A banquet?”

“An invitation for me, too.”

“But why isn’t it coming to me? I’m going to go and slap the emperor’s beard for making our saint suffer!”

“Whoa, whoa. Calm down, or you’ll blow your head off.”

I scratched my forehead, Iros looked shaken by his first invitation, and Mei looked indignant.

Outside the window, the dragon laughed hysterically, his reptilian eyes twinkling as he wrapped his tail around a gleaming gold and silver treasure.

The priests stared at the scene, not daring to approach.

“The dragon is so excited. He’s not a dragon, so why does he like to sparkle like that?”

“He may not be a dragon, but he’s a cousin.”

“Tsk. Anyway, what did your letter say?”

“It’s a formal apology and an invitation. The imperial court made a big deal about the poisoning attempt and raid this morning.”

“I saw the papers.”

Until a few days ago, rumors were rife that a holy woman, unable to cure herself of her natural tendencies, had dared to poison the Emperor and his family.

It shattered my reputation for beating up warlocks and helping the poor.

Those who had been helped by me said it could never happen, and those who watched from the sidelines were nervous.

My reputation among commoners and nobles I had never met in person was at an all-time low.

And now the imperial court itself was informed of my innocence.

“My reputation must be back up, I’m not going to go out and get beaten to death, I thought you were updating the list of the greatest villains of the Cyanine Empire.”

“You almost made it into the history books, but the public opinion is now in favor of her as a victim.”

“I’m glad to hear that. The imperial court has admitted culpability, and I am a victim.”

An indecisive emperor wouldn’t have moved things along so quickly, but the crown prince is a crown prince after all.

It’s a neat way of doing things.

It was announced immediately, without any other words being spoken, and the public was made aware of it, with a clear distinction between enemy and ally, perpetrator and victim.

All it took was one official announcement.

“The banquet is quite large. It’s being held in the Diamond Palace, which has the highest security. I’m not sure if the enemy is inside or outside.”

“One thing’s for sure, there are enemies in the temple.”

Mei’s words made me look up and chuckle.

“Did you find them?”

“Of course!”

Mei joined me in giggling. I felt like a little villain. Only Iros stared at us blankly.

“Before we left the temple, I assigned Mei to keep an eye on the key players.”

“Ah.”

Iros looked down at the squirrelly Mei with an exclamation.

“So, Mei, what did you find?”

“High Priestess Diego disappeared for a moment while you were at the palace, right before my eyes, as if by magic.”

“And there was no wizard?”

“Yes.”

“Then perhaps Archdeacon Diego knows how to use magic, or maybe he used a scroll or something.

Or maybe he had a wizard helping him.

We should always keep the possibilities open.

“So when did Archdeacon Diego come in?”

“The news of the Saint’s attempt to poison the Emperor reached the temple just as he arrived, perhaps a few minutes before the Saint returned to the temple.”

“And you weren’t caught?”

“I claimed to have gotten lost while wandering around, and when the High Priestess asked me how I suddenly appeared, I avoided answering. Suspicious, isn’t it?!”

It was award-winning. And the timing is exquisite.

My head quickly spun. Where the hell had Diego been?

Why had he disappeared at that moment, and why had he returned to the temple after the raiders were gone?

What could High Priest Diego have to do with the white-haired maid?

‘Maybe…….’

If High Priest Diego is related to the grey-haired raider…….

“Mei, what about the other priests besides High Priest Diego?”

“Hmm. That dusty priest. No matter how hard I looked, they said there was no such priest in the temple.”

“What?”

This is an unexpected turn of events.

“That’s suspicious, isn’t it?”

“Are you sure you’ve looked hard enough?”

“Of course I have, I’ve looked everywhere, but they say there is no such priest.”

You say he cleaned the warehouse with High Priest Diego, but he’s not in the temple?

“Besides, he said, the day he rode the dragon, there was no broken warehouse.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

That meant that High Priest Diego was lying. I can smell something fishy in the air.

“Diego and the mysterious priest are in cahoots, and the fact that he came into the temple dressed as a priest when he’s not, means he’s already known to the High Priest.”

I’ve also seen him in a few meetings.

Even if you’re a high-ranking priest, if you don’t have much weight, you sit in the back row, so if you don’t look closely, you might not recognize him.

But I have a good memory.

“The sense of betrayal is palpable. I expected it.”

“I’ll go and kill him.”

“Wait.”

At my words, Iros stood still. But his hand rested on the hilt of his sword.

“Why are you stopping me? They must be the ones who tampered with Eldrakis’s robes, and perhaps they are the ones who tried to kill the Saint!”

“I know, that’s why I’m telling you to wait.”

I calmly soothed Iros. Then he cried out in frustration.

“I don’t understand, how can you be so cold, Saint, when you’ve been threatened.”

“Pink, do I look cold to you?”

“…….”

I may be the least cold-hearted person in the room right now.

I’m the one who saw Eldrakis’ chest pierced and his heart explode.

We didn’t even find his body.

On top of that, I was falsely accused, imprisoned, attacked, and nearly killed, and Iros was badly injured.

How can I be calm, I ask, biting the flesh in my mouth to keep from being consumed by my burning rage.

“The High Priestess has more power in the temple than I do. A long-trusted High Priestess, and I’m barely out of the shadows. If we were to clash in the temple, who would have the advantage?”

“That’s…….”

Unable to find the words to retort, Iros loosened his grip on the hilt of his sword with a grunt.

“The grey-haired raider and the High Priestess would be in league.”

“……!”

“You don’t think it’s just the High Priest, the Fake Priest, and the grey-haired raider that’s out to get me, do you?”

And this time they were trying to kill me, I was sure of it.

“I died once and came back to life. Maybe it was them.”

The first time I remembered my past life, the first time I opened my eyes, the first time I woke up in a coffin, they were the ones who killed me.

Iros’s eyes flared red and bloodshot as he spoke.

“I’m not sure how, but my death will have something to do with them.”

“They tried to poison the emperor, the royal family, and a holy woman, so they must have a large group behind them.”

“Exactly, and it’s more likely that there are warlocks and demons involved, which means there will be more and more attempts to kill me in the future.”

I looked up when I couldn’t hear him reasoning, and saw that Iros had tears streaming down his face.

Ouch. I must have touched his tear ducts again.

I smiled sheepishly and patted his head.

“Don’t die.”

“No.”

“I’ll protect you, and you must never, ever die.”

“If I die, I’ll come back to life again and again. I promise.”

I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye, only to have another fall over it, and another, and another.

“My pinkie, what can I do, you like me so much, you’ve become a crybaby.”

“Saint, me too…….”

“Yeah. Mei cries too, crybaby.”

It was strange and heartwarming to have so many people who cared about me.

Some so many people will be sad if I die, I thought…….

“It’s funny to say this, but I’m really happy because I feel loved. I’m glad you guys love and care about me so much.”

“You are loved enough.”

“Yes, I am! I love you, saint!”

“Hahaha.”

These two cute little guys make me smile these days.