I'm a Villainess, Can I Die?-Chapter 96

The man who asked for the forbidden book to be burned in the temple left after offering a prayer, and the high priest, driven by mere curiosity, opened the book.

The contents were fascinating.

It described magic that could potentially transcend human limits—indeed, magic that could surpass the very bounds of human capability.

The high priest quickly became absorbed in the book. It felt too precious to throw into the flames.

He immediately called for a wizard friend to discuss the contents of the book.

When his high-level wizard friend saw the book, his eyes glimmered with greed at the mention of "forbidden magic," and right before the high priest's eyes, he cast a spell.

The result was disastrous.

The friend was cruelly killed, his body unrecognizable.

Covered in his friend's blood, the high priest stared at the book in fear.

The entire area was drenched in blood, yet the book remained untouched.

With trembling hands, the high priest picked up the book that had fallen to the ground. Whether to burn it or do something else, he had to take it for now.

At that moment, his dead friend's magic began to flow into the high priest’s body.

It was a faint power, but in this world, weak magic was preferred over weak divine power.

As the sensation of power numbed his fingertips, the high priest's blue eyes began to shimmer with desire.

Yes, that was the day when everything truly began.

Having obtained magic, the high priest began to feel an increasing, overpowering greed.

A desire for more power—stronger power.

Coincidentally, the book also described a magic that could steal another's power and make it one’s own.

Having gained magic, the high priest began to use black magic. Despite witnessing his friend’s gruesome death, the thrill of accumulating power outweighed any fear.

Black magic had conditions for stealing another's power.

The condition was that the target must be an adult. Initially, the high priest killed the older priests in his temple to steal their power.

And the number grew.

One, two, then too many to count.

“This is for the future of the temple. All of this is in accordance with the will of Lady Ariana...”

While killing people and staining his hands with blood, every time he absorbed another’s power, the high priest rationalized his actions. The weakening authority of the temple, to raise the name of Lady Ariana, required power... His strange justification.

Under this bizarre justification, five years passed since the terrible deeds began.

That was when he met a boy.

The boy lived in an orphanage. With a stiff face, black hair, and dark eyes.

The high priest was instantly captivated by the boy. Not because of the boy’s striking appearance—no, it was the divine power flowing from him.

Yes, the boy would one day become a great offering.

The high priest decided to take the boy, named Ian, into the temple to raise him.

He gave Ian a secluded area in the temple. There was only one reason for this—there, priests rarely visited, and such a place... would be ideal for hiding a magic circle.

The magic within the circle was a form of brainwashing magic. Slowly eroding his confidence and gradually turning the people around him to hate him.

Every day, as the high priest laid Ian on the magic circle, he whispered to him.

“Your power is useless. You are a worthless person. Stupid, dull, and incapable, the only one who takes care of you is me. So, you must listen to me.”

“This is all for your benefit.”

After years of careful cultivation, it was almost time for Ian’s coming-of-age ceremony.

The high priest began making more serious plans before Ian reached adulthood.

After stealing Ian’s power, how would he elevate the temple’s authority?

Yes, how could he stand above all others and control people in accordance with the will of Lady Ariana?

Thus, the high priest left the temple for a while.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

He sought connections for the necessary funds, connections within the nobility, and people who could capture new priests and wizards to feed on. The first person who caught his eye was the Marquis.

The openly known leader of the anti-imperial faction, a snake with broken fangs. A dying family unable to forget its past glory.

The high priest’s eyes lit up.

Thus began the meeting between the two.

The high priest promised the Marquis to grant his wishes, and the Marquis nodded.

Soon, the two signed a contract.

They would work for each other, and if anyone revealed the other's name to a third party, they would die.

The contract burned with a red flame, leaving a mark on their bodies. A mark that would never disappear unless someone died.

The Marquis’s wish was to destroy the Duke's family.

To bring down the Duke's family and rise as the only true power in the empire.

The high priest willingly agreed to cooperate, but on the condition that the Marquis would grant the temple the corresponding power once he became the true power.

The wishes were similar, and it seemed like a satisfying agreement.

But the problem came afterward. When the high priest returned to the temple after achieving some results... his offering had disappeared.

The high priest wracked his brain.

Should he rush to capture him, or try to gently persuade him to return? He couldn't just stand by and let it slip away.

“Ian, you don't belong there. Come back. Come back to me!”

The letters he wrote were dozens.

In the end, he couldn’t deliver them to Ian’s mansion, instead throwing them into the trash.

Having spent so long raising such a valuable prey, the high priest was half-mad.

He had to steal Ian’s power and build the strength of the priests. He had to repay all the humiliation and rise above the nobles... But in the meantime, news of Jacob’s failure came.

Sending Jacob to the princess was the first mission the high priest had undertaken with the Marquis.

The good-looking, empty-headed man had ended up fleeing from the princess after being too much of a coward.

The only consolation was that the ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ contract had taken effect, and that fool had become a complete idiot, with the mark of the contract burning away, disappearing entirely.

Although the Duke's family was secretly investigating, they would never uncover the fact that the Marquis and the high priest were behind everything.

Still, the growing sense of unease was unavoidable.

The precious treasure he had cherished was now in someone else's hands, and the plan had failed from the very beginning.

The faint unease that began to stir within him soon became a storm, swirling and dizzying his mind.

In the end, the high priest, after much contemplation, wrote a letter to Ian.

The days spent waiting for a reply were the most excruciating. It had been a while since he left the temple, and the magic circle’s effect was surely fading.

When the reply finally came, it was a letter from the princess inviting Ian to meet her.

The high priest saw this as a good opportunity.

He would persuade Ian face to face, appeal to his emotions, and perhaps that foolish princess would send Ian back to him.

However, reality was different.

The princess wanted Ian to stay and persuaded him to remain. The timid fool, the offering, assured her that he would stay.

The high priest was perceptive. He quickly realized that the situation was irreversible.

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He had lost his offering, and Ian’s magic had nearly worn off.

If he stubbornly forced Ian to come back now... once Ian died, the suspicion would undoubtedly fall on him.

The high priest retreated quickly.

Instead, he shifted the goal of his visit to leave a good impression on the princess.

A good impression would make people drop their guard. It would certainly help him someday.

Inside the carriage returning to the temple, the high priest panted with anger.

“It’s all because of that woman...”

All the fury over losing his long-cultivated prey was directed solely at Selina.

“Jacob’s failure, Ian’s departure from the temple, and his decision to stay with the Duke’s family... It’s all because of that woman!”

The high priest’s eyes went wild.

Yes, it was exactly the right expression to say his eyes had turned mad. He was already planning to destroy the Duke’s family, even if it meant using extreme methods.

With bloodshot eyes, the high priest flipped through the black magic book. Suddenly, his hand froze on a certain page.

Monsters. Magic to revive dead monsters and control them at will. Yes... If he used this, he could bring down the Duke’s family... and perhaps strangle that woman as well.

Additionally, in the midst of the chaos, he could reshape the temple’s image. Historically, people had been fervently devoted to religion during times of national turmoil and danger.

He immediately went to find the Marquis and shared his plan involving the monsters.

He would control the monsters himself, and all he needed was for the Marquis to prepare wizards to serve as the sacrifices for the magic. If that was done, the Duke’s family would fall in an instant.

The Marquis gladly agreed to the plan.

At first, the high priest struggled to control the monsters and only managed to create an atmosphere of fear.

Once the fear was instilled, the religious influence spread more easily, and slowly the damage increased. By then, the Duke’s family had begun to kill the monsters.

The moment the first monster died, the high priest felt excruciating pain as though his body was about to split.

He realized then that controlling the monsters meant that if they died, he would also suffer damage.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t give up.

Was it because of his promise to the Marquis? No. It was because the high priest was already half-mad.

Thus, the monster incident continued to this day.

His once bloodshot eyes began to return to their usual state.

His round, wild eyes gradually softened, and soon he wore his usual serene expression.

“Heh, what good would it do for us to raise our voices? Isn’t everything going quite well? We’ve successfully infiltrated the Duke’s mansion, and we’ve even planted a maid to deliver information about the Duke’s family. And most importantly...”

The high priest held a bottle of blood-red wine in his hand and poured it into his glass.

The wine quickly filled the glass, but the high priest did not stop pouring. The wine stained the glass red and even soaked the table.

After making a mess, the high priest took the glass and drank it down.

“I’ve planted the seed of the black flower in the princess. She will die within half a year. Everything is going according to our plan.”

The Marquis hated the princess just as much.

She was the one who had sabotaged his efforts time and again. She had insulted his daughter. Yet, the Duke’s family cherished her so much that they would undoubtedly cause even more chaos if she were to die.

The thought of the Duke’s twisted face made the high priest feel satisfied.

“Ha ha ha, yes. Exactly. And when the hunt begins, let’s send someone to chop off the necks of that arrogant knight and the Duke. Everything is... going according to plan.”

The Marquis muttered to himself, reveling in his joy. The high priest, looking at him with a mocking gaze, set his empty wine glass on the table.

“Actually... this plan was a bit rushed, so it’s not perfect... but that fool doesn’t seem to have any worries. Well, I have the power, so if worse comes to worst, I can frame him and hide for a while, waiting for another opportunity. And...”

Even if every other attack fails, the princess’s death will succeed.

With a calm face, the high priest nodded in satisfaction as he faced the Marquis.