Reborn As The Villain-Chapter 332: SS - 17 Part 2

"N...No way... How could you possibly know that?" Mian's pupils shook.

She said it herself: due to the strength of the spiritual connection between humans and Yokai, the latter is able to tell if their feelings and thoughts are genuine.

There was no deception in his words. In those few moments of stunned silence, she bound her spiritual consciousness with his several times but each time there was no fluctuation to determine if his words were a lie.

"If that were true... I could command one thing of the Spirit King..."

His name alone carries that much worth. Of course, it would be an exchange and not a one-sided demand. She could command him to do something for her and in return make an oath to never utter his name to anyone else, for doing so will have dire consequences—which she couldn't bring herself to think about.

But how could this man in front of her tell her the name and not have his entire existence subjected to unending torture and misery?

"I won't tell you how I know and why I can tell you in the first place," he shot her down before she could even ask. He's even aware of the consequences...

He is clearly not an ordinary human. Or maybe he could be a demigod? Whichever the case, simply knowing this name makes you one of the most powerful individuals in the entire nine realms. The Spirit King is supposedly just as powerful as the Death God and the latter is considered the most powerful being in existence aside from the Timeline Gods. But this cannot be proven since their battle could destroy a whole realm.

"I might be a fast learner but I have some other business to attend to. I just wanted your answer."

"W-Wait, no! You can't just leave after telling me you know the Spirit King's name! I'm going to be thinking about it all night!"

It was already difficult getting used to sleeping as Yokais don't need sleep. What he just revealed will keep her up all night.

"Where do you live?"

"I'm renting a room at the Hungry Owlbear Inn." She looked at him in confusion, her face asking why he would ask that.

"I'll come find you later then."

"Why are you in such a hurry!?" she pulled on his arm but he barely budged an inch.

"You're drunk so you won't be able to focus clearly anyway and I have to be somewhere else. Take a nap and drink plenty of water. We're pulling an all-nighter when I get back." He pried off her fingers and jumped down, disappearing into the crowd below.

"You!" Mian pulled at her hair.

How could she possibly fall asleep after what he just told her!?

**

Ruria arrived back at the palace with the empress and princess. Emperor Ko had other business so he didn't accompany them and they came back the same way they left. The sun was about to set, painting the sky with an orange hue.

The tables for the banquet were already being prepared for tomorrow. For now, anyone not employed by the palace isn't allowed on the palace grounds until tomorrow, with consideration to the lockdown.

Looking around the palace grounds, it seems even more guards showed up while the three of them were away. Seeing Ruria, they greeted her with nods. All of them were informed that the princess has a new servant by the name of "Lily". If Zhoming or Ko approves then there's no need to harbour suspicion towards her.

'I'm not surprised Ko is going this far for one doctor.' Ruria has been coming back to this world for two years now so she was bound to hear about Lian throughout her mission. People called her a divine messenger who could heal people by only touching them. She could make the pain from childbirth go away just by placing her hand on the mother's belly, which led to thousands of pregnant women requesting her services throughout these two years. Many even travelled from faraway nations just to have her oversee the birth of their children. Most of the time it wasn't just about making the pain go away but also to ensure the safety of their children.

Medical technology in this world is very primitive compared to the Eulia Empire. These people haven't even invented High-Tier healing potions yet, which are capable of restoring organs and limbs. Maybe it's their priorities that aren't set straight. But Ruria wondered to herself why Lian wasn't researching to make new potions that are better for the general populace than whatever they make now.

Maybe she could make better potions but chooses not to because of how hated she is. Not by the citizens or her clients but the nobles in the empire.

If they found out Lian is part of the "Revolution", that would finally give them a valid reason to hate her.

Speaking of the revolution...

Ruria looked down at the young girl who was holding her hand. Sing was going to meet with friends later today so Ruria was tasked with helping her change and freshen up.

What will become of this girl and her mother if the revolution—its whole point being to kill Ko and Funiji—were to happen? In the history she read back home, when a ruler is overthrown and replaced, the new leader turns the previous ruler's family into slaves or make them do hard labour. If a woman, a meat toilet for the men of the aristocracy. If a man, a labourer or death.

It would leave a bitter taste in Ruria's mouth if the same were to happen to the princess and her mother.

'Her hand feels so cold, as if I'm holding a corpse's hand.'

Just when Ruria and Sing reached the second floor and turned a corner, Lian appeared and addressed the two.

"Good morning, Your Highness and you too, cousin Lily." She bent down to the princess, "Would it be possible for me to borrow her for the moment? I have something urgent to discuss with her."

"Okay!"

Sing didn't object and soon left their side. Lian turned towards Ruria.

"I've mapped everything I've found on the aboveground floors so far. That leaves the underground levels for you." after saying so, she handed over several pages that had rough maps drawn on them, "Kohana's map came in handy so I didn't need to waste time since I knew where every room was."

"How did you manage to do that with all the surveillance on you?" Ruria took the pages.

As someone who had to map out several properties during her training, this tedious map reading won't be so difficult.

"Under the guise of "protection", I told the soldiers that it's wiser to place talismans on all the rooms in the palace. These talismans are actually useless and the runes have no meaning but no one should know that. I just hope a Shaman doesn't end up paying attention to them."

Shamans are the "hand-sign mages" (as Ruria calls them), who created that arena barrier and summoned the Mystic Scroll.

"I told the guards that you will double check the runes tonight and since you're part my family and 'received the same training in this sort of stuff', they accepted that you're the only person who can help me. Maids stay up late at night anyway."

"Her Highness is sleeping over at a friend's house later so I should be free of my duties so I can start after I help her freshen up."

Lian nodded, "It's good to do this sooner than our agreed time. The banquet is our only chance to do this unnoticed before all hell breaks loose."

"Once you're in position tomorrow, stick close to Sing, wait for the signal before you swipe the necklace. With all that chaos, she'll be too disoriented to realize it's gone."

"Signal?"

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

"There are going to be several explosions in designated areas that should be deserted due to the banquet starting early tomorrow morning. That will kickstart the plan."

"Is that so... What happens after Nova gets the martial arts book? Your precious prince and princess will be the first suspects on the list."

'He still hasn't told her his real name yet?' If he didn't then there must be a good reason so she won't bring it up.

"Well, Nova is going to help Princess Kohana get an army to face Ko and Funiji. Rasuke can take care of himself while his sister is away to bring the army here. Chief Soryu said he wanted to accompany her after hearing of this news but she was stubborn and said she can convince that person herself."

"That person?"

"I do not know who it is." Lian truly did not know. Arnold wasn't exactly keen to share who it was. They have no choice but to trust him, despite what kind of person will end up providing them an army.

It all depends on Kohana to convince that personage to lend her an army and not forcibly take this empire from her.

"Hmm, I wonder if he'll let me go with the princess. I'd like to see what kind of person this is who possesses an army that Nova is confident can defeat both Funiji and Ko. Even the most prominent sect leaders fell to the two of them."

If there were that powerful, there's no doubt they're ruthless soldiers.

"Miss Doctor, there's something I'd like to know."

"Can it not wait until after we figured out the location of the secret room?" noticing the difficult expression on her face, Lian sighed softly, "Go ahead."

"The Empress and princess... Do you think Princess Kohana can ensure their safety? The two of them are non-combatants and don't have a chance of survival if that army comes here to burn down the city while killing Ko's allies."

"We share the same concern but I would not worry about the two of them."

"Why are you so confident about that...?"

"I've known Kohana since she was very young. She's compassionate, stubborn and headstrong. Even if it means throwing away her dignity, she will do what she must to save lives. I can tell you right now that she will drop to her knees and beg the leader to spare the princess and empress, for the only sin is that of the father and husband."

"Even though she doesn't know what kind of person this leader is, she'll still demand that from him?"

"Well, I just said she's stubborn and headstrong so yes." Lian smiled, "People oftentimes found that annoying about her but I think it's part of her charm. She's a natural-born leader. But what worries me is how she cannot make certain difficult decisions.

"How do you mean?"

"Well, if you asked her who she'd save when one person is stricken with an incurable, deadly, and contagious disease that threatens thousands, she wouldn't be able to sacrifice the afflicted for the greater good. It pains me to admit it, but she's at odds with herself."

"It sounds to me like you don't support her taking over the empire."

"You are correct in thinking so." Lian sighed again, "She's just like her father, after all."

"Eh? How did he rule this empire for 50 years if he's just like her?"

"His wife, the late empress."

"...."

As if she remembered something bitter, Lian's smile vanished as she looked down, "Sometimes we need another person to help us make difficult choices, just like the emperor had his wife. She was a powerful martial artist who did whatever was necessary to protect the dignity of the imperial family. Hailed as a flower in the courts and a powerful warrior across the lands, she showed no mercy to our enemies.

There was only one time throughout their reign as imperial family that she listened to her husband's request to spare an invading army's leaders so that the two nations can form a sort of alliance since it would benefit both. Not long after, his life was on the line because they ambushed the emperor's party on the way back from the battlefield. Fortunately, the empress predicted this betrayal so she was quick to act and had everyone involved slaughtered.

Since that day, he never put himself between his wife and the enemy ever again. That was... until she fell ill and he had to do exactly what he promised to never to do again. He had two choices: choose to keep her alive a little while longer, clinging to the possibility that someone more skilled than me in medicine could show up or I could make a breakthrough (which I have still not been able to do sadly). The other option was simply to kill her and seal her away using one of the empire's royal treasures. In this world, where Ki comes from the world around us and settles within our dantians and flows through our meridians, diseases that result from impure Ki spread fast among the populace. Some are incurable, which I am hoping to change in the next century. To be able to eradicate these diseases, one must know dantians and meridian network like the gods themselves, which is an impossible task currently. I've been unable to study a victim of this disease long enough before their meridians rotted away after death."

"Since the empire is still standing, he must've killed her in the end, didn't he?"

"Mm. Since her death by her husband's hands, he was never the same man since. I've never seen a more powerful ruler. Unfortunately, he fell to Ko in the war while leading numerous sects into battle."

"If Kohana cannot become like her father before she sits on the throne, I fear she may dig a hole for herself with her choices. Will she pardon the nobles who voluntarily joined Ko even when their lives were not threatened by him? Will she allow them to work in her family's noble court again? They will see her as a weak girl who can easily be manipulated through emotion and empathy. Maybe she stops her carriage in the middle of the night after coming from a party and notice slum children begging on the street but when she gets out to take out coin for them, she gets stabbed in the throat."

Ruria has seen this happen a couple of times. She also knew the methods to control someone like Kohana to her advantage.

"I'd like to think Suesei would be there for her but what if they use assassination? Rasuke will not like a life as a personal guard since he's a man whose favourite pastime is fighting for fun. In addition, the populace will expect him to fight in future wars, not just for his strength but also for morale. I truly hope whoever Nova expects to help the Zhurosan Empire will form an alliance with us that ensure the new empress' protection."

"The problem is that her kindness paints a target on her back. Can't you just ask her to change how she acts in front of the people?"

"Change? She's never been a good actor. She's always spoken from the heart and never intends to manipulate others. Her lies are very easy to see through as well."

"Geez, the empress needs a lot of handholding despite being the hope of the empire."

Lian suddenly laughed hearing her say that. It was an elegant laugh from the nose while one finger was in front of her lips.

"Quite right. All humans have flaws. She knows this as well and might, well, ask for Nova's hand in marriage."

"W-What? Seriously?"

"You've seen what he can do. The people not only fear him but admire his strength. He crippled several martials with his ruthlessness and only let them go after beating them to near death. There's a possibility he would kill someone for so much as look at him the wrong way. This is the sort of fear this empire needs to balance out the hope Kohana has to offer. Of course, we can't expect something like that of him since he isn't from this land."

"Yeah, he's from another world."

"Eh? You knew?"

"He told me when he took my artifact and we formed our little alliance to scratch each other's backs. There's no point hiding it but I'm from the same world. Bastard wants me to steal artifacts for him and in exchange he'll keep me protected in his city like I'm a caged rat."

'As expected, there's no way someone like that is a commoner. He must be from a lineage of powerful noble warriors.'

"R-Really? What do his people think of him?"

"Uh, I don't know. He didn't tell me what city he rules. But I know what the empire I'm from thinks of him."

Lian looked at her, expectant of an answer.

"He's a very powerful adventurer who fought demon Imps, which elevated his ranking in the guilds. Not long after that incident, he fought with the other adventurers to stop a monster wave, fighting three (I think?) Frost Giants all on his own. Last I heard, his party's vice leader, is swamped with requests to join his now established Misteltein Guild. In short, the people love him but the other adventurers hate him."

'Frost Giants were mostly in the mountains several centuries ago. Maybe they moved closer to human territories after so long?' she didn't exactly know what the S-ranking is supposed to mean since monsters weren't graded back in her era.

'Maybe I will get to hear more stories of him once I go to that world.'

Lian dreads the possibility of them separating this soon. What else could a man like him know that sets him apart from ordinary humans? No, he shouldn't be compared to humans. He looks at the world and others as if he knew everything about them, their cultures, traditions, etc... The longer she's not near him, the more she yearns to be close to him.

His wives must be so lucky.

Pitter-pattering snapped her out of her daze.

"Lady Lian!" Kairi's voice came from the end of the hall.