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‘This person is not the Crown Prince. But they seem oddly familiar, like from a memory that has become locked with time.’

“It’s been a while since we’ve last met, you’ve probably already forgotten,” they spoke with a sullen tone.

‘Were they from my past lives? Were they also not affected by their brainwashing?’

“I’m still going to believe that what you are doing now is for a good reason. I believe that deep down, you are still the same person who helped me as a child,” they turned to Corlissa so she could see the smile they held on their face unhidden by the hood of their cloak.

“I will follow you to the end of the world, I will forever be loyal to you, my lady.”

Corlissa let out a pained chuckle, “You don’t need to do that, I don’t even have the title of a noble. Not to mention the situation that we are in right now, I don’t think we have the time to be worrying about social class. We are equals to begin with, so nice to meet you, partner.”

“Hahahahaha, I expected you’d say that. I guess you really haven’t changed since childhood,” they spoke with a gentle smile.

“Ah- behind you-”

Before Corlissa could even finish her warning about the incoming attack at his back, he had already dispelled it. This surprised Corlissa since most normal people would be unable to stop an attack like that which was considered the epitome of magic education.

She was simply much too powerful for the world to handle, ‘demons’ had a chance but even they couldn’t grasp the characteristics of her magic attribute which is why her powers were restricted in her previous lives.

The unknown figure was still smiling innocently, standing mid-air opposite Corlissa.

“I’m sorry, I still don’t know who you are.”

“That’s to be expected, I can tell you later, we have a bomb ticking in our hands.”

Evie’s expression was growing darker by the second. She was furious that Corlissa would hold what appeared to be a joyful conversation with an unknown person in the midst of such an important battle.

Her mana took a while to replete itself, she could only turn to take the mana out of spell stones as mana could only be replenished with sleep.

On the other hand, Corlissa was recalculating with an incoming headache. There was now a new factor to be accounted for due to the presence of the unknown cloaked figure who had an alarming amount of strength.

Not to mention the fact that the unknown person was aware of Corlissa’s identity before she created a public spectacle by becoming the world’s villain. Yet despite the mental turmoil that the Veronique was in, it did not show on her face.

Evie locked eyes with Corlissa, her usual clear pale pink eyes that glistened in the sunlight were now darkened holding malicious intent.

The Luxiere began chanting under their breath, inaudible to the ears of Corlissa.

“In the name of the Blessed Child of God, I humbly request to thy Holy leader, rid this world of filth and return the world to its pure state. Rid this world of the villain that indiscriminately haunts the innocent, bring order to this humble world. Purify that which is unholy. Divine Purification: Call of Fair Justice.”

Light was being emitted from Evie as she began rising higher into the air, her eyes closed and hands clasped together. A scale was faintly created out of light behind the Luxiere.

‘This entire world is based on balance to begin with,’ Corlissa thought as she glanced at the image created behind Evie.

“Do you think this could kill us?” the cloaked person asked with a carefree tone.

Corlissa stepped forward, moving the unknown person behind her.

“Probably not, but just to be safe, stay behind me.”

The scale was tilting less and less until it finally reached even. But in an instant, Corlissa’s eyes widened quickly, in the blink of an eye Corlissa had pushed the cloaked figure to safety while barely dodging an attack of light.

Before she was given time to take a breath, without a sound nor a flash, Corlissa’s body was immediately littered with holes. It was like time had momentarily stopped, blood was seeping out of the circular wounds that appeared to go straight through her, a thick line of crimson dripped out of the corner of her agape mouth.

Her clothes were stained in a blanket of dark red as she was still frozen out of shock. Suddenly, when it felt like reality had caught up again, Corlissa coughed out more blood, causing a scarlet liquid to start spurting out of her open lacerations.

Her electric blue eyes were slowly dulling before she began to slowly let her eyelids drop, her body was falling forward, no longer maintaining the mana it took to keep her standing mid-air. The brown-haired cloaked person was quick to catch her before she started hurtling towards the ground.

People began cheering loudly, they were ‘smiling’ but they looked more like malicious grins than genuine smiles. The people that were unmoving on the ground began to rise, everyone else thought they were dead already so seeing them rise made them think that they were possessed.

However, as more people began waking up and quite clearly displaying that they were normal people and began conversing with their comrades to get caught up on what had happened, someone caused a rift.

“Corlissa Veronique is not a villain!!”

Seeing one person gain the courage to say something aloud, more people began chorusing and voicing their opinions.

“That’s right! If she was a villain then we would’ve had our heads rolling or wouldn’t have woken up in the first place!!”

“Corlissa Veronique was crying as she was fighting!! I saw it with my own eyes!”

“I also saw the tears!!! What kind of villain cries and apologizes to their victims?!?”

Evie Luxiere descended down near the ground where people were chorusing their voices to defend Corlissa.

“You dare to oppose the judgement of God?!? You all are probably brainwashed by her to become her supporters, like traitors!!”

Her voice and words boomed throughout the crowd, a momentary tense silence immediately followed before opposing voices began erupting.

The cloaked figure had left long ago with Corlissa in their arms.

“She’s right! What if you guys are the villains!”

“Yeah! You’re colluding with the villain which makes you villains too!!”

Another smirk was resting on Evie’s face underneath the shadows. She was anticipating the day where everything would come crashing down in Corlissa’s life. She was eagerly awaiting the day where Corlissa would lose everything.

She could finally be in the limelight as the hero, instead of the praise going to Corlissa, she would be the one applauded as the hero. She would make Corlissa’s name so vile that it becomes taboo to even utter such a word.

‘If only that day would come sooner.’