Chapter 17

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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: The Future Villain
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As I came out after finishing my negotiations with Gail, I saw Airic with some man.

The suit he wore was clearly a luxury item at a glance, so he definitely wasn't one of the Kiris cronies Gail had surrounded himself with like a fortress wall.

The suit, which revealed shoulders and a broad back as wide as Seth's, as well as a narrow waist, was impeccably neat.

But the aura the man exuded was far from neat.

His jet-black hair was tied back carelessly, half of it falling loose, and glasses were perched haphazardly on the bridge of his nose as if they were an afterthought.

However, the sharp, silver-gray eyes visible behind the glasses looked anything but easy to deal with.

With a presence that rivaled the male leads, Seth or Airic, and a radiant beauty, he was clearly no ordinary extra...

Was there a decadent, handsome man with black hair and silver-gray eyes in the original novel?

No matter how much I wracked my brain, I couldn't recall.

And one more thing.

The man was surrounded by splotches of gold and black that looked anything but normal.

Just what kind of person was he, walking around with something like mold clinging to him?

“This is Duke Lute Ciel. He said he has come to the Grand Temple on business.”

But what was this?

Why is *he*, of all people, here?

Lute Ciel.

A man who wasn't a male lead, yet had made an impression as strong as, if not stronger than, any of them.

The merciless villain who obstructed the female and male leads at every turn, proving more troublesome than any other foe.

And yet, a character so captivatingly charming that he remained immensely popular right up until his downfall.

So why in the world was *that* Lute Ciel here?!

Besides, in the original novel, he didn't wear glasses, his hair was short, and most importantly, his eyes were black, not silver-gray!

Could it be that I'm misremembering?

【The AI system scans the novel . Searching for the requested passage.】

【His jet-black eyes, so dark they were ominous, held not a single spark of light. They were like darkness and chaos given form. Those eyes, which seemed to inspire despair with a single glance, were a perfect fit for a man who had sold his soul to absolute evil.】

That's right! I remembered it perfectly!

It even tells me content from the original novel. Now this is a real AI-like feature.

“And you are?”

Ha, is this really happening? Meeting the villain so suddenly?

Revealing my name to the future villain is practically a death flag... But what can I do? A powerless saintess can't defy a duke.

“...A pleasure to meet you. I am Ordel, the Saintess of the Sun God's Grand Temple.”

“Ah, the Saintess. I see. The Saintess of the Sun God's Grand Temple. It's a pleasure to meet you.”

He just said ‘Saintess’ twice.

A shiver ran down my spine.

“And next to you... was it Baron Grill?”

Lute's gaze turned to Gail.

Gail, who was already flustered upon recognizing the duke, turned bright red at Lute's remark.

“It is Baron Gail, my lord. He is a vassal of the Kiris County.”

The man with impressive blue hair standing behind Lute corrected him.

That must be Lute Ciel's aide, Yuri Polten.

“Come to think of it, I heard that Count Kiris's adopted daughter is the Saintess. Perhaps this Saintess is indeed the young lady of the Kiris household.”

“Aha.”

You really didn't need to explain that so kindly...

The only saving grace was that Lute didn't seem to be paying much attention to his aide's words.

“The Duke said he came on important business. We were just about to hear it when you arrived, Saintess.”

Airic's explanation left me puzzled.

Lute Ciel, of all people—the one who appeared as an enemy of the Sun God's Grand Temple in the original story—has business here?

...It's not business like burning this place down right now instead of waiting a year, is it?

The Lute I saw in the novel was more than capable of it!

“Please, come inside. High Priest, Captain, you come too.”

When I made it clear I had no intention of being alone with him, Airic and Seth thankfully nodded.

Leaving Gail, who was now openly staring at me, behind, I returned to the reception room.

It must have been truly urgent, because Lute got straight to the point the moment he sat down, as if not a second could be wasted.

“I heard that the Holy Relic of Light is here. Is that true?”

...But what is he talking about? Why is that coming up now...?

In the original novel, wasn't that something Lute had from the very beginning...?

Why is he looking for it here?

“The relic in question is indeed in the possession of our temple, but...”

But Airic just said it's really here.

What is going on?

‘The Holy Relic of Light.’

It was one of the key items in , and the one most deeply connected to Lute Ciel.

In fact, that item was the very reason he was forced to become an enemy of the Sun God's Grand Temple.

But that same item was here, in the Sun God's Grand Temple, before the original story even began?

Wow, what a twist. They were all connected from the start. I can't believe I didn't know this.

“...”

Oh, wait a minute. Then, isn't this an opportunity?

If I can stop Lute from getting it, won't that completely eliminate the possibility of him becoming an enemy?

“What a relief. I was worried this would be another dead end.”

I was startled by the expression on Lute's face.

In the novel, he was always irritable, harsh, and violent... But right now, I couldn't sense a trace of that from him.

I see. A Lute who doesn't yet possess the relic is capable of making an expression like that.

“Is there any chance you would be willing to hand that relic over to me? I know it is a difficult request, but if you grant it, I will swear on my name as Lord of the West to give you anything you desire.”

“Hand it over? A holy relic, no less. I'm afraid that's a bit...”

Airic looked troubled.

And for good reason, since a holy relic is directly tied to the temple's authority.

But Lute, apparently in a great hurry, looked straight at me and continued urgently.

“I swear, I do not intend to use it for anything wicked. The authority of the Sun God's Grand Temple will in no way be tarnished.”

I knew.

Lute would not be able to keep that promise.

Because once he had the relic, he would, against his own will, become the most vicious enemy of the Sun God's Grand Temple.

So, there was only one way for Lute to be happy and for me to be happy without an enemy.

Don't hand over the relic!

And to do that, a little lie was necessary.

“Since you've put it that way, Duke, it's difficult for us to refuse outright.”

“Wait, Saintess...”

*Don't try to stop me, Airic. This is for all of us.*

“However, even for a duke, we cannot carelessly hand over a holy relic to a non-believer. So, first...”

“...First?”

“I recommend you register as a believer.”

*I can't possibly miss this precious opportunity for proselytizing.*

*Come now, little lamb. For the low, low price of one holy relic, we'll register you as a believer right now.*

“Registering as a believer won't mean the Grand Temple will bother a busy man such as yourself, Duke. Simply sending a small donation from time to time will be more than enough.”

*This isn't extortion. It's definitely not.*

Lute was so flustered he couldn't speak.

*But he won't be able to refuse my offer, will he?*

Because the reason he needs the relic is the mysterious illness that's tormenting him.

That terrible illness was the biggest reason he was reduced to a villain in the original novel.

Lute believes the Holy Relic of Light is the only cure for that illness, so he will never give up.

“...Very well. I will do so.”

*Of course! I knew it!*

I immediately ordered Airic to bring the believers' registry.

Airic seemed a bit taken aback by how things were proceeding at lightning speed, but he moved immediately without objection.

Even if the relic symbolized the Grand Temple's authority, it was a waste to just let it sit there, unused.

He, too, would know it was better to give it to the Duke and receive donations in return.

Soon, Airic returned with the thick believers' registry he had been keeping under strict care.

On the pure white cover of the registry, letters of gold and black were elegantly written.

This was the divine language.

Letters that no human in this world could read, usable only by the gods.

Therefore, the moment a name was added to this registry, that person would be officially recognized as a believer of the Sun God.

Airic, Seth, and I sprinkled divine power over the name Lute had written.

As the name of the believer—acknowledged by the three highest-ranking people in the Grand Temple—was dyed in golden light, a system message appeared before my eyes.

【A new believer has been registered under the Sun God.
Believer Name: Lute Ciel
Fame: S-Rank
Wealth: SSS+-Rank
Ability: SS-Rank
Special Note: Future Villain
Overall Evaluation: SS-Rank】

【You have persuaded the future villain to become a believer. Additional achievement points will be awarded. The registration of an SS-Rank believer has further strengthened the Sun God's power. Your divine power has increased.】

【Current Divine Power: 8%】

“...”

Holy crap, jackpot, absolute jackpot!

My divine power jumped by 3% just from registering one believer!

I covered my mouth with both hands.

“Welcome, new believer. We love you, new believer.”

*Welcome, oh believer worth a whole 300 million, acknowledged by the god himself!*