Fated to Be Loved by Villains

Contrary to what was known to the public, the relationship between Chancellor Sullivan and the Empress wasn’t the one where they’d growl to each other whenever they made eye contact.

Rather, it would be more accurate to say that they had no interaction with each other to begin with.

Unlike their subordinates, who kept growling as if they were about to pounce on each other, those two’s stance toward each other had never changed.

Indifference.

‘If you don’t mess with me, I won’t mess with you.’ Sometimes, if they were forced to clash with each other, they’d solve the matter quickly and fairly so that it wouldn’t spiral out of control.

Their attitude as the head of their own respective factions played a significant role in preventing any rebellion or big fight from happening despite them effectively splitting the power structure in the Empire into two.

That was why…

Their current confrontation was a very unusual situation.

“...”

Even the highly competent bodyguards, who were present because this was essentially the gathering of two high-ranking state guests, gulped dryly at the tension.

The source of this tense atmosphere was probably Chancellor Sullivan, who was sitting in the center, not even bothering to hide her hostility.

Her eyes, which had been closed for a while, were slowly opened.

“Your Imperial Majesty, why did you do that?”

Her voice was so sharp that it felt as if it could cut through the flesh of the listeners.

One of the people around, feeling the pressure emanating from her, couldn’t help but gulp dryly.

“I heard that you ordered the Sword Saint to create a Nullifying Shroud.”

Cecilia the 11th quietly looked at her over the veil hanging around her.

Sullivan also looked at her over the veil with a cold stare.

Her hostility was clear as she seemed ready to start a fight.

Just when everyone in the surroundings thought that the tension-filled silence was going to last longer…

“Though the Nullifying Shroud looks omnipotent at a glance,it isn’t a complicated skill to counter.”

A clear voice, as clear as a glass, without any hint of emotion.

“...”

In that instant, Chancellor Sullivan furrowed her brows.

Her eyes turned to the giant who uttered such words.

The Empress' Personal Guard.

A huge sword strapped to his back. The middle-aged man exuded gentlemanly elegance from every inch of his body—contrasting his massive build, two to three heads taller than adult men.

Radu Alexander Varphon.

The Sword Saint of the current era.

He was the most powerful combatant the Empire had. Even Duke Tristan and Margrave Kendride were inferior to him.

His prowess was known even outside the Empire, as one of the strongest even among individuals who had gained the title of a Saint, the powerhouses who were regarded as people who had reached the pinnacle of their respective fields.

In the current time when the Fist Saint had lost most of her power due to her limbs getting cut off, it was safe to say that no humans were comparable to him, unless they were at the level of the Master of the Magic Tower or the Pope.

“...I am not asking you, Sir Radu.”

Though the Chancellor responded with a subdued voice, there was no hesitation in his next reply.

“They only need to walk out of the range of effect. Nothing is preventing them from doing so.”

“...”

Of course she already knew that.

This was the clear reason why despite it being a powerful piece of technology, it had never been used openly in actual battles.

However…

“...As far as I know, they will be disqualified from the ordeal once they get out of the range of the effect. Are you sure you didn’t purposely set it up this way?”

“Those who do not want to die will do it. Is there any problem with that?”

“...”

“If anything, it would be strange if the Hero title doesn’t carry such weight. Other countries’ higher-ups have acknowledged this as well.”

The Sword Saint calmly said while letting out a gentle smile.

“...But this is still too harsh for the participants. They’re literally risking their life to face such a—”

“Chancellor Sullivan.”

The Sword Saint cut her off with a soft voice.

“You are being very emotional. That’s so uncharacteristic of you.”

“...”

“Indeed, in regards to how humane this method is, I admit that it’s flawed, but in regards to how suitable it is for the ordeal, it’s beyond impeccable. In the first place, if this method was considered problematic, the other countries’ higher-ups would have prevented it from happening.”

“...”

Obviously,

Her words lacked any persuasive power.

Not only that, she was also getting too emotional over it, not befitting her reputation as the ‘Iron-Blooded Chancellor’.

However,

...That man definitely.

Would risk his life to give the person called Iliya Krisanax the Hero title.

That was what he had always done.

From the outside, he looked like a trashy playboy, but when one got to know him better, they’d notice how dedicated he was to people around him. His devotion was so intense that one might find it stupid.

In her memory of the past, he was also like that.

“...”

Sullivan clenched her fists under the table.

She hated how he was thrown into unexpected ‘variables’.

How his life was being threatened in situations that were beyond her expectations.

Because what she could do in the ordeal became very limited.

The Empress was chosen as the host of the ordeal, so she couldn’t just intervene with it willy-nilly.

...I let my guard down.

She didn’t expect the Empress to dirty her hand directly like this.

The Empress and that man had nothing to do with each other, so she should have no interest whatsoever with that man.

This kind of thing never happened in the ‘previous round’ she went through too.

Why is she doing this?

It had become the norm for them to read the room and avoid each other as possible whenever they ran into each other.

Probably because they both shared the same interest, to not turn the Empire into a mess through a power struggle. She also knew that the Empress never tried to stand out.

That was why she never expected her to do something like this all of a sudden.

“Is this because of that man, Chancellor?”

“...Excuse me?”

“Dowd Campbell.”

The Sword Saint said that out of nowhere, prompting Sullivan to narrow her eyes.

Her head cooled down.

Since they had already known about that, she was able to roughly summative how the situation came to be.

“...Your Imperial Majesty.”

She said in a flat tone.

“So, you did it on purpose.”

There was a faint hint of anger in her voice.

“Were you thinking of using that man as an excuse to put pressure on me?”

“You are wrong, Sullivan.”

This time, it wasn’t the Sword Saint who replied.

The voice sounded so weak and faint, one needed to concentrate to even hear it.

But undoubtedly, this was the voice of the Empress.

“I did not do this to put pressure on you as there is no reason for me to ruin our relationship. Although, it is true that the reason I came to know about that man is because of how much interest you have towards him.”

“...”

The corners of Sullivan’s eyes twitched.

It had been so long since she heard the Empress speak in her own ‘voice’.

Considering the curse the woman had, such an occasion was a rarity.

The Curse of Dragonblood.

It was a rare disease that, with an extremely low chance, affected people who inherited the ‘Dragon’ Factor, which was known to be passed down in the Imperial Family.

There was a high chance that the current Empress' insides must have rotted so badly that just by talking with her own voice had already put too much strain on her body.

In other words…

She was serious. And to show that seriousness, she went out of her way to use her own voice to speak despite her being in such a condition.

“The reason I did it is to get a little bit more information about him, as I am in the middle of observing him closely. I will not let anything that you are worried about happen, so you don’t need to worry.”

“...What do you mean by watching him closely, Your Imperial Majesty?”

Sullivan asked, her eyes were narrowed still.

Why would the Empress have interest in him?

While it was true that considering what he had done so far, he was a promising talent, even on a continental scale. However, the Empress was already surrounded with competent people. She didn’t need to put him in her sight at all.

As Sullivan thought so.

“It is nothing big. I am just doing it for fun.”

The Empress said jokingly with a smile..

However…

When Sullivan felt the ‘mood’ mixed in her words.

And the faint ‘presence’underneath them…

“...I feel a connection with him. Fate, you can call it that. I’m doing this for such a lame reason.”

Sullivan’s eyes opened wide in horror.

“...”

She unconsciously covered her mouth.

That was the best she could do to prevent herself from losing her self-control.

Though the feeling was very faint.

Like a weak hunch that she’d normally be able to forget in a second.

The sensation she felt wasn’t something she could forget.

Because it was the same one who had given her the nightmare that made her suffer countless times before.

“...”

She was barely able to suppress the shock that was about to appear in expression as she tried to calm her breathing.

“What’s wrong, Sullivan?”

“...Nothing, Your Imperial Majesty.”

She could sense it strongly since she could handle the ‘Devil’s Aura herself.

Brown.

She blurted out that word as she clenched her trembling fists tightly.

Needless to say, she hated all Devils without exception.

Because in all her encounters, she had never met a Devil who did not harm Dowd Campbell out of their selfishness.

The frequencies were different, but Dowd Campbell was likely to be killed by every Devil at least once.

At least that was what she ‘had seen’.

“...”

However…

Brown was the biggest… ‘exception’.

In a sense, even more so than the Grey Devil.

...So the Empress is the Brown Devil’s Vessel.

This was something she didn’t want to even imagine.

Unlike other vessels whom he could endure, avoid, or ‘handle’ whenever they approached him out of their selfishness.

This person was the most powerful person in the Empire alongside Sullivan herself.

In other words, she had the strength to destroy everything that he possessed if she willed it.

And…

If it was really the Brown Devil…

The last master of the Six Thrones that ruled Pandemonium…

The Brown Devil.

The illegitimate child of Angels. The most lowly of the Devils…

It was the one who had killed Dowd Campbell the most times ‘in all the wordlines’.

“...”

Once again, she was reminded of that sight.

When Dowd Campbell begged her to kill him.

As the horrific scene flashed across her mind, the Chancellor lowered her face,

Because she did not want to show the other person her pale face.

“...Sullivan? Are you okay?”

Everything…

Had ‘happened’ because of the Devil inside that woman.

“...”

Sullivan barely managed to repress the killing intent that was about to emerge from her expression.

Right now.

She really wanted to tear that woman apart. To kill her. Break her soul and scatter it everywhere.

However…

It was not the time.

Not yet.

Based on the sign, it would take quite a long time before the first Fragment would be awakened.

Devil Fragments were sensitive to the Vessel’s mental state, so there was no need for her to provoke it and awaken it early.

Since the Devils were immortal, it was impossible to kill them in the first place.

If anything, the one thing she should do first was to ‘delay’ that awakening as much as possible.

“...Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. I am okay.”

Sullivan calmly answered, without letting out any expression.

Various plans, countermeasures, and schemes ran through her head.

But she didn’t need to show that in her face.

Only idiots would ever reveal their true intentions to someone who’d later become their ‘enemy’ after all.

However…

“...But, Your Imperial Majesty. If you did it knowing I am coveting him, you need to take responsibility.”

She thought that it would be fine if she were to express this much displeasure.

“Responsibility?”

“If that man gets hurt even a bit,”

Sullivan’s golden eyes shone.

“You will have to pay the price, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“...”

As a Chancellor, saying those words to the Empress was beyond mutiny.

But no one in the room stepped in to stop her.

Because they were excellent enough to read the room.

They clearly realized that those two were people who had ‘bisected’ the Empire into two.

In other words…

If anyone recklessly stepped in and worsened the situation…

Chances were, a huge disaster that could mess up the entire continent would happen.

That was how important the positions those two women possessed.

The wisest thing for them to do was act as if they didn’t exist. As long as neither of them got violent, they wouldn’t move.

...Who the hell is that punk called Dowd Campbell…?!

Though, they were cursing under their breath that these women created such an atmosphere because of a man.

“...I’ve told you, haven't I? You do not have to worry.”

As the people around them were sweating profusely due to the tension…

The Empress only waved her hand while letting out a bitter smile.

Seeing her gesture, one of the servants who was waiting nearby quickly came with a crystal ball.

“This is the screen that shows the location of the ordeal. From now on, I will be observing the ordeal through this. If that man gets into any kind of danger, I will dispatch Radu immediately.”

The Empress said so while making another hand gesture. While bowing their head, the servant activated the crystal ball.

Soon after, a real-time video was transmitted inside.

And on the screen…

“Kill me gently, you bastards—!”

In the middle of where the Nullifying Shroud was set up.

Where every kind of ability was nullified.

Dowd Campbell could be seen, rushing into a group of large Demonic Creatures with his bare body.

Yes. Bare body. He took off all his clothes, only wearing his underwear.

“...”

“...”

“...”

Everyone fell into silence.

Nobody could say a word.

Not a single person.

***

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