The Novel’s Villain

24. Villain (3)

High priest Alonso declared Guern village a sacred ground, but it wasn’t easy to grant such a status. At least three high-ranking priests had to be present to appoint a temporary sacred ground, and it had to be approved by the Order. In the case of saints, appointments were made only after the unanimous consent of the highest court of the Goddess Order.

Alonso insisted on the sacred ground and the saint, but the reaction of the other priests was lukewarm. Rather, they claimed that the blessing was bestowed upon them when they came. But Alonso knew because he was enlightened. He agreed to prove that the curse had nothing to do with Selena. No, even if there was any relation, he was going to take it to his grave.

Otherwise, everything would be burned to purify the curse. He couldn’t burn this place where he had a religious experience.

‘Everything must be God’s will.’

The villagers became healthy, the crops grew well overnight, and the nobles who moved to the village for treatment became very close to the villagers. This must be the Goddess’s will. This overflowing divine power was the proof.

“Lady, if you give up dark magic, I will officially report that you have nothing to do with the curse. You will soon be able to reclaim your estate.”

“I understand. Thank you for your consideration.”

“Haha, that’s okay. Everything must be God’s will.”

Alonso wasn’t the man he used to be. He treated the lords with the title of baron as if they were servants, but now he bowed his head to commoners. Selena’s dark magic skills weren’t that high. She was using dark magic as a medium through a book handed down from generation to generation, so destroying the book was all that was needed to give up her dark magic.

Selena brought the dark magic book that had been kept deep in the manor’s house.

“I can feel a very evil energy.”

Alonso looked at the dark magic book and nodded. The dark magic book shook as he focused on his divine power. The evil demon’s energy sprang out as if to resist.

“Umm…!”

It wasn’t easily destroyed. Alonso sprinkled consecrated holy water on the pages, causing black smoke to rise from the book. Alonso barely sealed it with the sacred chains he was carrying around him.

[Fuh-fufufuf, I will dedicate this land to the Emperor. Make a contract with me. I will give you power that no human can covet.]

A terrifying word came from the dark magic book. Selena knelt, holding onto her chest. Her mana was linked to that book.

“Haaagh….”

“A-are you okay?”

Alonso breathed in his divine power and took Selena out. Her complexion grew better as they went farther from the dark magic book. The priests flocked when they came out of the building, but Alonso ordered them all to step back.

“Ugh…it’s all because of me.”

The moment she heard the evil voice, Selena realized everything she thought was irrelevant was because of herself. Because of the dark magic book she possessed, all the mishaps in the estate, and the curse in the reservoir. Alonso comforted her as she wept.

“It must be an ordeal for a reason. That must be why the Goddess sent him to you, Lady Selena…”

“Are you talking…about the saint? Sob!”

“You have to hold on now. Let me help you.”

Alonso’s face darkened. That dark magic book was becoming a medium. The being who did such an evil thing…

‘The Emperor….’

It must be the one called Emperor, a being that transcended God. In ancient records, there were prophecies that an Emperor would rule Middle-World. Although the Order didn’t recognize it as a heresy, it was recorded as an evil existence that even the Goddess couldn’t handle. Alonso knew such a top-secret because he was a high priest.

Alonso continued to pray quietly, but Selena hadn’t slept since then. The evil words continued to tempt her. It whispered for her to obey the Emperor. It said that it would give her the power to take revenge if she obeyed them. The town was lively, but Selena wasn’t.

As weeks went by like that, someone finally arrived at the village.

* * *

In the end, Jin-woo couldn’t eat the freshwater fish. It looked delicious, but he couldn’t just handle it because of that little thing. The anomaly that occurred in the fish seemed to be due to the Emperor of Gold. There would be no such thing as what happened in Demon Realm. Although the Emperor of Gold was a nuisance like the Emperor of Greed, it wasn’t so evil. It was fortunate that the Incarnation of Evil grew quiet in Middle-World.

Jin-woo took the time to get things done and receive his subordinate’s reports. The Federation also asked for a meeting, which took up some time.

“How are Ella and my brother doing these days?”

“They send letters to each other. They might meet soon.”

“Meet?”

Jin-woo looked at Yoo-na.

“Yes, there will be a solo concert this time. Lee Min-woo gave me a lot of support on it.”

“I see. Well…”

The progress was moving slowly and surely. It was said that they were doing better, but wouldn’t it be a dead-end if they met? Anyway, love was a good thing.

Jin-woo packed things for the village and returned to Middle-World through the Sanctuary. The fishy smell that had permeated the village completely disappeared. Before heading to the village, he went to the reservoir and found that all the fish fluttering in the muddy water had disappeared.

‘Well, it’s still fish…’

Could it have been used for food? It could be since it was close to Ehorce’s estate. But if the fish ran away on their feet…

‘Umm…’

Jin-woo shook his head. He walked slowly and returned to the village. Near the buildings, there was a field for growing herbs and fruits. The landscape had changed a lot so quickly.

‘I expected this.’

However, It was the result he expected when the golden power was mixed into the water. The tree had borne giant fruits, and the herbs soared like reeds. It was thanks to the power of the Emperor of Gold. Considering the situation in the village, it was a good thing.

Whoosh! Kwoong!

A large tree fell. When Jin-woo turned his head, he saw an old man cutting the tree with an ax. He was an old man with a small stature and a bent back. He moved the ax like a staff as he lifted it. Then, the tendons in his arm grew, and his muscles swelled.

Paang!

The part that touched the ax exploded, and the tree fell. The old man skillfully tied a rope to the tree and dragged it along behind him.

“Haah, hah…my whole body aches.”

[-E] Blessed Village Old Man

He drank the water of life and regained his energy. He regained too much.

Jin-woo nodded. It seemed that their physical abilities also increased. Jin-woo didn’t know that the strength improvement would be that much, but it was within the expected range. Yet, an unexpected scene unfolded as he went near the village. People were moving about, some of whom looked like the nobles rescued during the reservoir crisis. There were strange sights, such as exchanging affectionate glances with the villagers or taking a walk hand in hand.

They looked so happy in this small town.

Could noblemen do that? Middle-World was famous for being overpowered by the authority of the nobility. There were plenty of ignorant nobles who appeared in the story, or at least that was what the original novel said. However, such aristocrats were spending a very pleasant and affectionate afternoon with commoners.

‘Well, they must like each other.’

After all, love was a good thing. As Jin-woo approached the entrance to the village, he saw the security guards. They were startled as soon as they saw him approaching.

“Can I come in?”

“Yes! O-of course. Please go inside.”

He could get right into the village. The atmosphere of the village had changed drastically. Despite the bad situation, it was full of vitality. Women were carrying huge loads, and children were jumping on the trees in play.

He could see the priests and villagers gathered together in the center. Selena was there, but a priest was preaching to her. It was the old priest saved by Jin-woo.

“The Goddess created a miracle…”

He was speaking in praise of the Goddess. He explained that this was also a mercy from the Goddess, but he thought it would be good to move on to that. Although this had happened, the Goddess would understand it in her way since it had been settled.

Jin-woo looked at Selena. Her expression darkened for some reason. Was it because she didn’t get along with the priests? The original didn’t explain it, but Selena did seem to have a bad relationship with the Order’s corrupted faction.

As Jin-woo approached, everyone looked toward him. Selena approached first.

“I-I’m sorry for not introducing myself before. I am Selena Vladi Altamia.”

“Nice to meet you.”

The high priest immediately finished his sermon and approached Jin-woo.

“Nice to meet you. I’m the high priest of the Goddess Order…no; I’m Alonso, an old man who serves the Goddess.”

Alonso was exceedingly polite, perhaps because he helped him before. Jin-woo decided to use this place as his base. There was also Selena, a villain he wanted to keep an eye on, and it was perfect for retrieving the dungeons in the estate.

First, he wanted to find an inn where he could stay. He also brought jewels so that he wouldn’t run out of money, though he also hoped to sell things to the village through Selena. Jin-woo looked at her, noticing her troubled expression.

“By any chance, does this place…”

When Jin-woo started talking, Alonso and Selena’s heads turned at the same time. They looked very serious.

“Haha! You recognize it right away.”

“… I…”

It was when Jin-woo was about to ask what they meant.

Boom!

There was a sound of something exploding.

“La-Lady! A-at the church…”

“The black smoke!”

Thick smoke was rising from the church. The statue of the Goddess fell forward, its head crashing to the floor. It wasn’t just a fire.

‘Demon energy?’

It wasn’t ordinary smoke but made of demon energy. Jin-woo didn’t expect to sense any in the Middle-World.

‘I should go.’

He wondered what was going on. As Selena and Alonso entered the building, they saw a book floating in the air. Surrounded by chains, it was exhaling demon energy. It didn’t look that high in rank, but it was fatal to humans.

[D+] Selena’s Summoning Magic Book

A dark magic book passed down from generation to generation in Selena’s family.

You can learn basic dark magic, but to advance to a higher level, you must make a contract with demons. It is strengthened by the water of life and is fully connected with the Demon Realm in response to the Emperor’s mana.

It was the magic book that Selena possessed. In the original novel, she contracted the demons through that magic book and awakened as a villain. Alonso was startled, cold sweat dripping off him. A summoning circle was drawn on the floor, and the chain was fully smashed.

“I-it’s summoning something! This powerful demon energy…don’t tell me, is it a high-ranking demon?”

As Alonso said, it was a high-ranking demon who broke through the demon’s energy. It was also someone that Jin-woo knew. He was a high-ranking demon who burst into tears when he heard what Jin-woo said when presenting his business plan, called the ‘Dark Magic Book Sales Strategy.’ As soon as Jin-woo saw the plan, he immediately disposed of it.

Jin-woo remembered him as a high-ranking demon who was overflowing with passion.

“Fu, fuahahahaha!”

The high-ranking demon raised his head and laughed. It was obvious that he had come on his own. The high-ranking demon spread his cape, covered his face with his hands, and twisted his upper body a little. His eyes glared between his fingers.

“Cough!”

Alonso staggered as he looked at the high-ranking demon, as did the other priests. It was such an evil pose. A violent cough escaped Alonso’s mouth. For some reason, both his hands were trembling with terror.

“…”

Jin-woo was speechless for a moment and had no choice but to stay still.

“You finally called me out. I will sacrifice the Middle World for the Emperor!”

Selena and the priests looked at the demon with frightened eyes. Alonso responded by unleashing his divine power. However, the high-ranking demon raised his demon energy and lightly deflected the divine power. Selena’s was still, her face filled with despair.

It was the worst. All of this was because of herself. She wanted to prevent this situation, even if it required sacrificing herself. However, her body couldn’t move because of the demon’s energy.

‘P-please….’

She would give her everything if someone could stop that evil being.

“You fool. Do you believe in a Goddess who, at best, is nothing more than a Demon King? I will show you the great power that the Emperor has bestowed upon me.”

Divine power didn’t work on the high-ranking demon. He tried to gather his demon energy. His power was extremely weak in the Middle-World, but that was enough. The high-ranking demon held his pose and stretched his right hand to the side. Everyone held their breath under the pressure he emanated as Jin-woo sighed.

The high-ranking demon found someone standing next to them as he tried to unfold his demon energy. That person was looking at himself with very inexperienced eyes.

‘How dare you look at me like that…’

The high-ranking demon frowned and looked at him closer.

“Huh?”

“…”

“Oh?”

“…”

He rubbed his eyes and looked at Jin-woo once more. Then he smiled, shook his head, and looked at Jin-woo again. He was startled.

He took out a large pair of glasses from a pocket and turned his head toward Jin-woo again.

“Ah….”

“…”

The high-ranking demon’s body had completely hardened, cold sweat dripping down his spine. Both his eyes fluttered wildly.

“E-E-Em…”

He had to cover the demon’s mouth. Jin-woo quickly raised his left hand in a gesture to never say anything. Then the high-ranking demon closed his mouth and nodded wildly.

Alonso stared blankly at the scene. When the saint raised his holy left hand, the body of the high-ranking demon was paralyzed.

“The demon…i-is he in pain?”

“Let’s concentrate our divine power more! Brothers and sisters! The saint is with us!”

At Alonso’s words, the priests poured out their holy power with all their might. Jin-woo secretly waved his hand to tell the demon to return to the Demon Realm quickly. The gesture looked very elegant and holy. The Emperor of Gold was active, even creating a faint golden trajectory.

It was a holy command. Alonso immediately began to imitate the gesture alongside the priests.

“It works!”

“Ooh!”

The high-ranking demon was somehow pushed back.

“…Go away.”

When Jin-woo said so very quietly, he immediately understood and nodded quickly.

“E-excuse me!”

Saying so, he bowed his head and disappeared. As the high-ranking demon returned to the Demon Realm, the demon energy soared, piercing the roof. The light of the sun came down through the hole to shine brightly on Jin-woo. At the same time, sparks flickered in the Summon Magic Book as it began to burn fiercely.

“Ah….”

Selena sat down and stared blankly at Jin-woo. Everything that kept her from sleeping vanished, her body and mind growing lighter.

[Selena has awakened as a Golden Believer.]

[Selena’s Dark Magic is replaced with Golden Dark Magic.]

[Selena’s Job has been changed.]

[B] Believer of Gold and Evil

Selena, the prospective villain, was fully awakened.

*Special Technique

[B] Malicious Luck

[The Golden Sacred Ground was created.]

The silence had subsided. Alonso, the priests, and the villagers outside the building were looking at Jin-woo.

“…There must have been something urgent.”

Jin-woo was at a loss.