The Villain is Being Suspiciously Kind - Chapter 107

Chapter 107

At that same time, Citrina and Aaron were still at the Flang mansion. They had just finished a light tea and luncheon.
Shortly afterward, they managed to knock on the curse master’s door.
‘I’m nervous.’
It was a strangely tense feeling.
The woman appeared at the door a short while after they knocked.

“Do you mind if I come in for a minute?”
“Um, if it’s just for a little bit…it’s okay.”
The curse master spoke politely and opened the door.
Citrina and Aaron stepped inside. Citrina looked around the room as she went inside.
The dark room was lit only by a crystal ball on the table.
This woman seemed to be living like a rat in Citrina’s mansion.
She had wondered what the curse master was doing but hadn’t asked until now.
That’s because Citrina trusted the woman.
‘Now is the time to ask.’
Citrina looked her straight in the eye. The nameless curse master spoke first.
“What is it?”
Her face was as blank as ever, with a demeanor that was not too friendly.
But to Citrina’s uneasy mind, it was a welcome sight. Relieving the anxiety in the back of her mind, Citrina smiled.

As she smiled, Aaron tapped her on the table.
“We came here to ask you about something.”
“…Yes, that’s correct. I’m curious about Elaina’s situation.”
“There was nothing odd yesterday, which was the last time I checked. There was nothing ominous…but I’ll have to check again.”
Citrina looked at the crystal ball before her. Inside the large black sphere that resembled a peach pit, several sparkling constellations floated.
“Stars appear in here. Studying the stars can be helpful sometimes.”
It was kind of her to explain it
“I see.”

As Citrina stared at her, the woman pulled the hood of her black cloak down a bit further. Her voice lowered to a whisper.
“Let’s take a look. Tonight…an ominous star will appear.’
“What’s an ominous star?”
Aaron asked first. The woman’s gaze seemed to shift towards him, her body moving to face him.

“An ominous star doesn’t mean there will be one case of bad luck or another. It could also mean a disaster or the end of the world. So, it’s not often that we see a star like this……. Unless there’s a meteor shower like what happened a few years ago.”
The woman ran her fingertips gently over the surface of the orb.
“This reminds me of that meteor shower when Toloji and the others in the order went on a rampage.”
…a night when the members of the religious order went on a rampage.
Citrina didn’t know about the night of the meteor shower. The woman in front of her continued to speak lightly.
“It was about four or five years ago, something uncanny flowed into this world and they were all talking about how they could completely master destruction magic.”
Citrina bit her lip hard.
“And they were going to use this uncanny substance to destroy the world.”
Citrina’s jaw tightened.
The scale of this was bigger than she had anticipated.
Citrina tried to pick her next words carefully, but the situation called for a more direct question.

“What does that mean?”
Citrina asked. The woman answered quietly.
“I also don’t know what this uncanny substance is and how it could assist in the destruction of the world.”
“I’m curious about something.”
Aaron interrupted her. He gave her a suspicious look.
“How do you know so much about this?”
“I am also a victim in their plan. That’s why I’m telling you what I’ve heard since then.”
It was a smooth answer.
But her eyes were hidden, so Citrina couldn’t tell what the curse master’s expression looked like.

‘She’s someone with similar circumstances to…Desian.’
Citrina cautiously guessed.
Thus, the conversation was cut short. The first to cut through the brief, uncomfortable silence was the curse master.
“… That’s not important. The point is that there is a disturbing star in the sky”
“Oh…?”
Citrina swallowed hard.
“It seems they’re trying to do something other than curse us, though I don’t know exactly what. Perhaps I should speak to Duke Pietro…..it seems like that would be for the best.”
Aaron clenched his hands together on the table in confusion.

“I heard she is going to be imprisoned after today. So they’re going to try and kill Citrina again in two days?””They’re not just trying to kill Citrina-nim. I understand all of their plans.”
-They’re trying to kill all of the non-humans because those people think they’re an eyesore.
Gemma, who had been listening to the whole conversation through the pendant, spoke. Citrina looked at the pendant sympathetically.
‘I’m sure they’re trying to slaughter all of the non-humans.’
It looked like the curse master was unable to hear Gemma’s words. Nevertheless, she tilted her head in Citrina’s direction, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.
“…For that reason, you’re going to be facing a pretty big test today or tomorrow.”
There was nothing Citrina could do to prepare for it.
Citrina clenched her hands tightly.

‘What can I do?’
They were after her life, plus they had divine power on their side.
“First, I’ll talk to my older brother and see if we can help.”
Aaron was looking at her uneasily, and it was easy to see why.
Citrina turned to the curse master.
“A test….. I get it. Then can I take a look at the crystal ball?”
-What are you up to, Citrina?
‘An uncanny star.’
Perhaps she could examine and study the star on her own.
For the time being, she needed to look for clues.

“Yes. You can take a look.”
As Citrina’s hand moved toward the crystal ball, the woman spoke playfully.
“Did you know? This crystal ball was made by elves. They say it’s a miniature version of the real sky. But I don’t believe them”
Her lips which were visible from beneath the robe, turned up at the corners.
Citrina cautiously stroked the crystal ball. It felt like the warmth of a star was burning her fingertips.

“What do you think? Do you feel like you’re really touching a star?”
The star’s warmth certainly didn’t feel like an illusion. Citrina ran her tongue over her lips.
“…I’m not sure because I’ve never touched a real star.”
She could feel Aaron’s bright eyes burning a hole in her face. Feeling a bit overwhelmed, she smiled.
‘This must be what it feels like to touch a real star.’
Hot, burning fingertips.
Slowly, Citrina closed her eyes.

***

At that moment, Elaina was looking at the blocked passage and taking a deep breath when Tanin, glancing at her, urged her on.
“I can only keep this up for so long. Maybe for an hour tops.”
Elaina spoke dryly after listening to Tanin.
“Before we go, I have a question: What was that you were talking about earlier?”
Tanin paused at Elaina’s words.
“It’s a foreign substance from another world. Finally…I realized what it was. It’s going to take us on the perfect path.”
His voice sounded ecstatic, and Elaina looked at him in bewilderment.

“…What?”
“Elaina-nim, didn’t you notice something strange about your sister, like her attitude suddenly changed one day?”
Something strange, a change in attitude?
Elaina searched her memory. There was definitely a definite change in her sister’s attitude at some point.
But there was no reason to bring it up now.
“What does that have to do with what we’re doing now? Perhaps…”
Did her sister have something to do with this ‘preparation’ thing, this ‘foreign object’ thing?
But before Elaina could get the question out of her mouth, Tanin interrupted her.

“Don’t ask. As you wish, we will kill your sister.”
“…”
“Kill and destroy the otherworldly matter, and with its blood, the world will be purified. The world will return to its source. It will be your victory.”
Elaina listened to his words.
‘It looks like there is a connection between the otherworldly substance and Citrina.’
She glared at him and smirked.

“So in the end, you’re saying we’re going to kill Citrina?”
Elaina laughed.
If she didn’t kill Citrina, Elaina would die.
Or worse, live a life worse than death.

“I like it. What do you want from me?”
Tanin chuckled. Then he grabbed Elaina’s wrist roughly.
She could feel the pressure of his finger bones pressing into her arm.
Goosebumps broke out over every inch of her arm. But there was no turning back.
And also…
They soon opened their eyes to a bleak darkness.
It was a dark, empty space.
There were no props, no decorations.

“This is…”
On the floor was a summoning circle with geometric shapes drawn around it. Above the summoning circle, a mysterious cluster of lights shimmered constantly. They were clustered like stars.
It was spectacular.
It was enough to make her forget the circumstances in her admiration.
It was Tanin’s voice that brought Elaina back to her senses.

“I’ve already arranged everything.”
Elaina gritted her teeth as she looked at the summoning circle.
This, then, was her last chance. Her only chance to turn her miserable situation around.
Elaina had no intention of letting it slip by.
If only she could look carefully at the past now.
How she came to be so angry with Citrina, and the life she lived to get revenge on her sister.
But she was in complete denial.

“Good. What do I do now?”
“Now…we have to conduct the summoning.”
The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a cold dagger. Elaina looked at the dagger and gritted her teeth.
It would take more than a drop of blood to bring about the summoning.

“Are you ready to offer all the power in your blood to God, including your divine power?”
“…If I’m not ready, what are you going to do?”
She raised her head boldly. Elaina was prepared for the momentary pain.
“Alright then. Let’s get started.”
The man’s dagger brushed against her forearm.
Elaina gritted her teeth as a dull pain shot through her arm.
When this was all over, she would turn the clock, and she would be in her place of honor once more.