The Villainess Lives Twice

Chapter 296

Proofreader: somnium

She played countless games of probability with people’s minds and actions. As a result, it took life and brought about despair.

Still, Artizea did not particularly care. People are just numbers, and death is just the result of some part of the probability being executed or failed.

That was the error of the life she had lived.

Again, it was a bad thing.

When Artizea came to the hills, she had no particular intention of sacrificing herself.

She had two purposes.

The first was for her to watch what she had done. And the second was to make effective use of her escort.

Cedric left the hundred men of Artizea’s bodyguard intact. It was a waste of time to be in a safe rear with that number.

She did not know for sure whether Lawrence would really appear on the hill.

If she thinks about it in common sense, it would be a trap.

But Artizea wasn’t too concerned. Lawrence was leading the army with only a few hordes of bandits.

It was clear that there must have been more dispersed in the pursuit of the past two days. She would be able to deal with only her bodyguards alone.

There were no traps. Shortly after receiving the original letter, Cedric sent someone to go through it.

Rather, Lawrence should be concerned that he will be surrounded in reverse.

If Lawrence comes, he can be captured by the escort. Otherwise, if it was just a letter meant to go and witness the horrors, that was fine in its own way.

She’ll keep an eye on it, and in case of emergency, she can split her escort and send support.

And when she saw the wildfire spreading over the hill, Artizea realized that it was also a game of probability.

A game of probability that Artizea has been playing countless times.

As if laying a trap on the road where prey often travels, it traps people’s minds and creates situations.

It would be nice if the opponent moved and fell into the trap towards ruin. If they don’t, no evidence remains, so try another method.

To catch it someday.

And that wildfire was the probability that Lawrence ignited. It was Artizea’s way.

There was a wildfire but maybe it can reach the gunpowder.

Maybe the gunpowder wouldn’t explode, but maybe the wildfire could do a lot of damage.

Also, maybe she could contain the wildfire and keep the embankment safe, but she didn’t know if she had to give up on Lysia.

Whatever the outcome, Lawrence would laugh.

The magnitude of the damage was not important. What was important was the very fact that the probability was executed.

In the end, it was the same in that Cedric couldn’t stop it.

It was like in the past. And Lawrence, Cedric, Lysia, and herself knew that it was a victory.

The wind blew like crazy.

Artizea cut off her finger before her fire spread.

“Miss!”

Alice screamed. Owen ran.

Artizea didn’t care and drew the magic circle on the floor. She felt almost no pain.

Nothing like the wildfire shows with certainty that the cause and effect of this event begins with her.

If she can’t stop everything, it means nothing. Because it was an error that should not have been there originally, it started from her.

That is the oracle.

God did not endow her with a specific divine power.

Artizea has done many things. And she did a lot of things that someone who had learned their way could do.

So it must be that God gave her the ability to cast spells solely without any specific form.

KUANG!

The moment the explosives exploded, she placed her palms against the magic circle. At that moment, neither Lysia nor Cedric nor Lawrence thought.

Her life was transformed into the divine power, and from Artizea’s palm, it poured into the magic circle. The magic circle poured out a pure white light as if on fire.

“Kugh…… !”

Artizea bit her jaw to clench her teeth.

A barrier of light blocked the tidal wave that came pouring out.

The magic she used was different from the powers a real saint had manifested. Her magic demanded a price.

With her divine power, she paid the vitality required by the magic circle. However, the pouring water pressure was still a burden on Artizea.

The hem of her robe and hair flew like mad at the swelling power.

“Al, Alice. My hand…… !”

Artizea screamed. Alice ran and grabbed her wrist.

“Why Miss!”

As Alice bawled, she held Artizea’s palm tightly so that it wouldn’t bounce off the magic circle.

Artizea breathed heavily. Her internal organs were shaken. Blood dripped from her ears, sounds were muffled in her ears.

Owen ran and tried to separate her from the circle of magic. Alice stopped it.

“It’s for the Miss! The Miss is…… Because she is the Saintess!”

Having spit her resentment towards Artizea, Alice shouted so at Owen.

Artizea looked at Alice with blurry eyes.

Faithful Alice.

She said she wanted Artizea to be happy, but she never broke her will. She never stopped her from doing what she really thought she had to do.

It was her luck that this time she was able to finish without letting Alice go first.

Artizea pulled one of her hands out of the circle. Blood was still dripping from the index finger that was cut off.

She rewrote the magic circle with her hands.

It wasn’t enough for her to stop the water. She will be able to hold it for at most 20 minutes.

The moment the barrier of power disappears, the water will pour out. Therefore, restoration of the embankment had to be preceded.

〚With the power or Artizea Rosan, time will return.〛

The second sentence she wrote was much more proficient.

Since her divine power was blocking the water, she was able to designate the coordinates as the range in which the divine power was influencing.

While repairing the magic circle, her power was dispersed, and the barrier of power wobbled.

“Ack!”

Seeing the sight, Venia screamed.

Artizea closed her eyes tightly. The barrier surrounding the tsunami and the divine power pouring from her two hands had now turned into a green light.

“Miss!”

Alice grabbed Artizea’s wrist and cried. Owen didn’t know what to do, and looked at Artizea and the barrier of power alternately.

The hair, which poured down the side of Artizea’s face, became white.

But no matter what, time did not rewind. The flood was suspended in the air, neither moving forward nor retreating.

Artizea realized that she had wasted too much of her life.

Unlike the great magic that turns everyone’s time back, specifying the coordinates to turn the time of the embankment and water would only cost her.

And Artizea’s spirit and body were too damaged to pay the full price.

Her stamina was weak. Just by paying it partially, the magic circle doesn’t work properly.

“Ah…….”

Artizea already knew the perfect way to solve this problem.

It was the perfect moment for her to remove error, pay the price of sin, and disappear from the world.

But Artizea hesitated.

She was suffocated. She was supposed to just throw her body away.

Then, she won’t even leave a trace as she had secretly prayed from the depths of her heart.

She had a painful life, and a life that made others pained. No grace, no sin, no greed.

Alice grabbed her arm.

The next moment, Venia ran up to her and grabbed her from behind.

“Venia!”

Owen screamed and grabbed her, but Artizea had already been pushed into the circle.

‘Ah…….’

Artizea felt her consciousness sinking first before her body fell.

A bullet fell next to her face.

The light of the magic circle around her burned like a blue flame.

On the other side of it was Venia’s distorted face. The corners of her lips were raised. Like one who was unleashing a grudge that had been accumulated for decades.

“See you in hell, you devil!”

“What, what is this!”

Alice rushed at Venia like a madman. Owen reached out to her.

Artizea watched the scene with dazed eyes. All of a sudden all the pain was gone and she felt comfortable.

Soon in front of her, a large flame erupted, making it invisible.

＊＊＊

Cedric grabbed Lawrence’s neck and pressed it to the ground, staring blankly at the barrier of power.

Artizea had never told him about how her divine powers worked. But unlike Lysia, she used her powers only once, and then fell ill.

At that time, her energy seemed to have drained her to her bones, and her condition was not relieved at all.

So it couldn’t have been okay to do anything with such a huge power.

“Lord Cedric!”

Lysia slapped him in the cheek with her two fists. The knight who followed Cedric came to his senses and ran to free Lysia’s wrist.

Cedric opened his eyes, looked up and down. Lawrence was still giggling and smiling, crushed.

“Go quickly, before it’s too late!”

As Lysia spoke, she pulled the pistol from Cedric’s waist and pointed it at Lawrence’s head.

“I’m still fine. Go quickly.”

At that moment, the light of the divine energy changed to green, and then to blue flames the next moment.

The barrier of light turned into a fiery sphere. Time went backwards inside.

The poured stones returned to their original places, and the collapsed embankment regained its original shape.

The water that had stopped while soaring into the sky fell lightly like a silk handkerchief.

The tsunami that was pouring down changed its direction and went back into the embankment as if backtracking.

And the light was more familiar to Cedric than to Lysia.

“Tia!”

He jumped up.

“Hurry!”

Lysia shouted.

Cedric wasn’t even in the mood to climb on his horse. He ran up the hill like crazy.

A knight followed him and threw him the reins. Cedric jumped over the empty saddle and spurred.

Lysia still pointed her pistol at Lawrence’s head, beckoning the knights to not approach her.

This was her and Lawrence’s problem.

Lawrence chuckled, not even thinking of getting up.

“Are you sure there are bullets in the chamber? That pistol.”

“Would you like to try your luck?”

“…….”

“This is something you often do to me. Why? Are you afraid to test it?”

Lysia exhaled. Lawrence tried to grab her wrist.

Bang!

At that moment, Lysia pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced Lawrence’s collarbone.

“Kuu, ugh……!”

A scream escaped Lawrence’s mouth.

“That’s a relief. It has bullets in it.”

said Lysia.