A Third-Rate Villain Tries Her Best Today 123

Chapter 123: Fever and Promises

“But how does the Holy Demon Religion help Marquis Yuna?”

“Sue, you really… Sigh. You don’t understand the Holy Demon Religion at all.”

Melaine ran her fingers through her tangled hair, her face grim. She was frustrated by Sue’s lack of understanding. But she still persevered, trying to enlighten the clueless Sue.

“The High Priest chose me as a First. I’m so grateful. It means God hasn’t abandoned me yet. He recognized my worth. My worth as a First, my worth as the second daughter of the Vava family… My worth as my sister’s helper.”

“….”

“If I become the Saint of the Holy Demon Religion and expand its influence, I’ll gain political power. And that power will become my sister’s power.”

“Political…”

“Don’t misunderstand me. I truly love the Holy Demon Religion, and I worship God. I respect the high priest’s knowledge and experience.”

Sue didn’t misunderstand. In fact, she was surprised that Melaine was more rational than she had thought.

She had assumed Melaine was blindly praising the Holy Demon Religion, but she was actually thinking about the potential political gains.

‘Maybe she hasn’t been brainwashed after all?’

Melaine continued before Sue could even process the thought,

“…Grand Duke Reeves told me that this marriage would never help my sister.”

Melaine’s eyelids fluttered. She bit her lip, as if recalling an unpleasant memory.

“He said I wouldn’t be an asset to my family even if I married into the Acrea family. Then how am I supposed to help my sister? …I have no choice but to become the Saint of the Holy Demon Religion.”

Sue quickly retracted her previous thought.

Melaine was definitely delusional.

Saint? She doesn’t even have an ounce of holy power or magical power.

“I have to go now, I’ve run out of time. The children are waiting. Sue, you can cleanse your soul in the Holy Demon Religion too… We’re in the same boat.”

The wind continued to blow. Perhaps it was only blowing inside this abandoned building. Sue didn’t stop Melaine from leaving, she just clenched her fists.

‘We’re in the same boat.’

She knew what Melaine meant.

She heard footsteps coming up the basement stairs. She went outside and saw Acrea and the high priest coming up.

“Louis!”

Sue, momentarily forgetting about Melaine, rushed over to Acrea and anxiously checked his face. He looked fine on the outside, but she couldn’t help but worry.

The high priest glared at her.

“Hmm, an uninvited guest.”

“What?”

“It’s nothing.”

The high priest snorted and dismissed her. But Sue had clearly heard him say “uninvited guest.” She wasn’t planning to get angry, though.

“Anyway, follower Louis, I hope my persuasion wasn’t in vain.”

The high priest placed his hand on Acrea’s shoulder. His grip was tight, but Acrea just smiled.

“I understand, High Priest.”

What did they talk about in his office?

Sue’s face was filled with worry, her forehead beaded with sweat. The high priest glared back at her.

Acrea, caught between them, asked in a light tone,

“Marie, what are you going to do now?”

What was she going to do?

Sue was about to ask him with her eyes, then she realized what he was asking.

He was asking if she was going to continue the investigation.

‘Why is he asking me that?’

Sue swallowed her resentment towards Acrea.

If even Woo Acrea couldn’t find any evidence of wrongdoing, there was really nothing Sue Byron could do. So there was only one answer.

“I’m going to stop…”

A strong gust of wind suddenly blew. Stronger than before. It was so strong that she felt breathless.

Acrea grabbed her arm to steady her.

And so, he didn’t see it.

Sue was staring blankly beyond Acrea’s gaze. The wind died down. She mumbled,

“Trying…”

When the strong wind had hit them, she had seen a slender ankle through the swirling folds of the high priest’s gray robe.

And she had seen it.

A snake-shaped mark on the high priest’s ankle.

***

“We’re in trouble! We’re in big trouble!”

“Oh my god… What happened to you?”

Sue, after parting ways with Acrea at the chapel, rushed to the bushes where the carriage was hidden. She changed their destination from her Löhn townhouse to Apricot Tea Forest. She chewed on her lip the entire way to Jean’s workshop, her mouth turning red and swollen.

It was midnight. The crescent moon hanging in the night sky was sharp as a blade, yet fragile as a baby bird about to fall.

Jean Emilia was sipping his wine, enjoying the precarious beauty of the night, when Sue Byron suddenly barged into the barrier.

Jean was startled by her unexpected visit. Sue, without explaining anything, just kept repeating that they were in trouble, her hands frantically running through her blood-red hair. Jean was even more surprised by her disheveled appearance.

“Calm down, Sue!”

“How can I calm down? That Holy Demon Religion, they have…!”

She was so agitated that it seemed like Sue, not Jean, was the one who couldn’t cope with the situation.

Jean finally stepped towards her and gently pressed down on her shoulders, about to scold her. But then, he heard her say,

“There… There was a snake! A snake, I tell you!”

“What snake? There are no snakes here… What?”

Jean’s head throbbed at her high-pitched voice. He was about to get annoyed. No, he was already annoyed.

“Sue, what did you just say?”

But Sue’s single sentence instantly calmed him down.

“Ha… Ha…”

Sue’s shoulders heaved as she gasped for breath. It was summer, but the workshop wasn’t hot. But Sue was drenched in sweat, her heart pounding in her chest.

They exchanged a strange look for a brief moment. Jean’s large hand on her shoulder felt heavy.

Sue’s breathing gradually calmed down. Silence fell over the workshop.

It was a shallow, pleasant silence.

“Sue, slowly. Say it again.”

Jean, his thoughts organized, smiled gently, like a teacher looking at a bright student.

Sue finally noticed the faint scent of wine coming from Jean. It smelled delicious. She swallowed and said, her voice clear,

“The high priest of the Holy Demon Religion. He has a snake mark on his ankle.”

***

Two days later, at the academy.

Sue, who had just finished the summer evaluation, was still tense. She was on her way back to the classroom after completing the art appreciation evaluation in the small auditorium.

The sun was scorching hot that day. She tried to endure it, but her skin felt like it was burning, so she sought refuge in the shade of the hallway.

Sue, her hand on her waist, staggered and leaned against a pillar.

‘My mind is clear, but…’

Her whole body felt hot, as if she had a slight fever.

‘Okay, let’s capture him alive.’

On the day she had barged into the workshop, Jean’s conclusion had been simple, despite Sue’s frantic outburst. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that it hadn’t changed.

Capture him alive.

Sue Byron and Jean Emilia would kidnap the high priest of the Holy Demon Religion, who had a snake curse mark, alive.

Sue’s plan had changed, and changed, and changed again.

She hadn’t imagined it would turn out like this when she had first heard about Melaine Vava’s engagement.

‘Okay, this is a good opportunity. If we can get more samples, the research will progress faster. Khehehe…’

Jean, holding an empty wine glass under the precariously hanging crescent moon, smiled more sinisterly than ever.

The moment the intriguing topic of the snake mark had come up, Jean had become much more proactive, voicing his opinions.

It had been over six months since he had signed Sue’s contract. But he hadn’t made much progress and was still struggling to even understand the curse’s formula. So he didn’t want to miss this opportunity.

In the end, Sue had to go back to the chapel with Jean. She had asked him how he planned to capture the high priest alive when he couldn’t even use low-ranking magic outside the barrier, and he had said he wanted to meet the high priest first.

“…Sigh.”

Sue forced her wobbly legs to move. She regretted indulging Jean’s drunken rambling about magic and formulas the other night, when he had declared that “today is a celebration” and had been drinking wine all night. It wasn’t even hot, even though it was summer.

‘Is this good luck or bad luck?’

She hadn’t been able to rescue Ten or Melaine, but she had stumbled upon a clue about the curse. To think that even the high priest of the Holy Demon Religion had the snake curse mark.

Was it a coincidence? Or fate?