I Am a Villain, So What?-Chapter 188: Rosary of the Weeping Saintess
[Purchased: Rosary of the Weeping Saintess]
[Points Deducted: 25,000]
A burst of warm light manifested around my neck. The Rosary of the Weeping Saintess materialized—a heavy chain of pure, unblemished silver, carrying a teardrop-shaped crystal that glowed with a brilliant, liquid-gold luminescence.
Inside the teardrop crystal, pure Divine Force was boiling, as if it were ready to explode. Unlike my standard holy bullets, which only contained traces of blessed energy, this relic was emanating the raw, unfiltered radiance of a true saint. It aggressively pushed back the evil filling the space.
Knowledge of the item flooded into my mind instantly.
’This is...!’
The demonic despair clouding my thoughts vanished entirely, replaced by a refreshing, absolute clarity. Hundreds of tactical thoughts combined, and a plan formed in a fraction of a second.
[You little gunslinger, I’ll capture you and extract every piece of information about the survivors. But first... let’s deal with the annoying archer!]
The demon tore through space, bypassing me entirely, and reappeared directly in front of Elisha.
Elisha, pale and suffocating from the dense Magi filling the hall, was completely paralyzed.
’Flash!’
I triggered my spatial footwork, reappearing squarely between the High-Ranking Demon and Elisha.
[If you want to die first—no, wait, what is that?!]
Clear shock and profound disbelief crossed the demon’s horrifying face. Its burning eyes locked onto the glowing crystal hanging from my neck.
[Why does a mortal possess a Supreme Holy Relic?!]
Facing a high-tier demon, the Rosary of the Weeping Saintess recognized the threat and unleashed its true power.
[First Condition Met: The opponent is classified as ’Absolute Evil.’]
[Second Condition Met: The user possesses the ’Belief in Protection’ to shield others.]
[Third Condition Met: The user is capable of wielding ’Divine Force.’]
[All conditions met! Unleashing the true power of the Rosary of the Weeping Saintess!]
[A temporary Sanctuary is declared! Unlimited Divine Force is supplied to the user’s body and equipment!]
[Achievement Unlocked: ’Master of the Weeping Saintess’. Divine Force usage gains a permanent 50% output multiplier!]
A shockwave of blinding golden light erupted from the rosary, instantly burning away the corrosive Magi melting the ruins. It didn’t stop there. The light flooded the entire cavernous hall, overriding the ancient Aethelgard magic and turning the room into a localized holy sanctuary.
[Argh...!]
The High-Ranking Demon shrieked in agony. The dense Magi covering its body violently shrank. Its sturdy obsidian scales and jagged horns lost their sinister luster, crumbling like dry clay. Its massive membranous wings shriveled up and shattered into ash.
Yet, cornered and furious, it didn’t retreat. The weakened demon reached for me with a desperate resolve to kill me before it died.
[You bastard!]
I stood my ground, leveling the Reaver shotgun directly at the demon’s chest. I channeled the infinite supply of golden Divine Force directly into the chamber, overcharging the low-grade holy bullet inside until it glowed like a miniature sun.
"Amen," I muttered.
BOOM!
A blinding flash of white light illuminated the sanctuary.
The overcharged slug pierced the dark space between us. It struck the High-Ranking Demon’s upper body at point-blank range. Lodged against the obsidian armor that had been drastically softened by the Rosary’s Sanctuary, the divine bullet effortlessly pierced straight through its chest and exited out its back, leaving a massive, burning hole.
[Kuh...!]
The demon staggered, looked down at the gaping, light-filled hole in its torso, and collapsed heavily onto the stone floor.
The sight was so abrupt it almost felt anticlimactic.
’Hah. Really.’
I looked down at the glowing teardrop crystal resting against my chest.
’A supreme demon-hunting relic through and through.’ No wonder the demon had completely mistaken me for an elite Executioner.
I stepped forward, lifted my heavy combat boot, and stomped down on the dying demon’s head. Just to be absolutely sure, I infused my leg with Divine Force and crushed, crushed, and crushed until its skull burst like a rotten watermelon, turning the remaining demonic flesh to ash.
The extra, brutal effort was mostly because the Reaver’s barrel had completely overheated from firing that overcharged holy bullet; I couldn’t shoot it again if I tried.
I couldn’t let my guard down until the System confirmed the kill.
[You have defeated Leon Herman, a soul blinded by jealousy and corrupted by a High-Ranking Demon!] [Professor Valerius will never forget the events of this day for many reasons.] [Elisha Ravenscroft has overcome her core trauma. Her perception of you has reached ’Deep Trust.’] [You earned 5,000 Points.]
It was truly over.
I sighed, feeling the adrenaline crash, and holstered my smoking shotgun.
’Still, it’s a bit of a pity.’
I looked at the ash remains of Leon’s corpse. I had originally planned to loot the Herman family’s heirloom wrist guard he was wearing—an artifact that provided a massive buff to shooting accuracy.
’It got completely destroyed during his demonic mutation. Tch.’
What a shame. It wasn’t strictly necessary, considering my Firearm Proficiency (Lv. 7) combined with Sixth Sense and Detection gave me near-perfect aim anyway, but it was still a bit regrettable to lose high-tier loot.
[Warning: A peerless powerhouse has sensed the unsealing of the Rosary of the Weeping Saintess. They will eventually come looking for you.]
Great. More problems for later.
"Cadet Lucien."
Wait. Why was my vision suddenly tilting? Was I just overheated from the adrenaline crash?
"Cadet Lucien...?"
The stone floor rushed up to meet me. My knees hit the ground hard, but I barely felt it.
"Stay with me, Lucien!"
[Warning: A cataclysmic level of Divine Force, far beyond your mortal vessel’s current capacity, was channeled through your body. Severe mana exhaustion and physical recoil detected.]
Channeling the infinite power of a Supreme Relic had a massive hidden cost. The last thing I saw before the darkness took over was Elisha, her face pale with shock, sprinting toward me.
*****
When I finally opened my eyes, the smell of ancient dust and demonic ash had been replaced by the sharp, sterile scent of antiseptic. I was staring at a pristine white ceiling.
I was in the Imperial Academy’s affiliated VIP hospital wing.
Despite my immediate protests, an overwhelming number of high-ranking medical staff swarmed my bed. They were acting incredibly frantic, clearly under intense pressure from the Ravenscroft Ducal family to ensure my absolute recovery.
Eventually, a senior healer confirmed what I already knew: there was no residual Magi corruption in my bloodstream, and the jagged puncture wound in my left shoulder was already knitting itself back together at a terrifying speed.
"This isn’t standard human healing... What is this natural recovery rate?" the senior healer muttered, hovering a glowing diagnostic crystal over my shoulder.
"Some foreign, hyper-regenerative energy is enveloping the Cadet’s cellular structure," an assistant noted, scribbling furiously on a clipboard.
Seeing the medical staff’s growing confusion, I resolved to leave immediately. The Rune of Vitality etched into my chest wasn’t something I could afford to reveal carelessly to Academy doctors. If they looked too closely, they would realize my body was heavily modified.
I threw off the crisp white sheets and swung my legs over the side of the bed.
"I’m discharging myself."
"What? No, Cadet Ashborne, you absolutely cannot!" the healer gasped, stepping in front of the door. "You suffered a catastrophic mana drain!"
"Why not? Is there an issue with the billing?" I asked, pulling my dark coat off a nearby chair.
"No, the medical bill was already fully covered by the Ravenscroft estate," the healer stammered. "But, uh, Lady Elisha is currently on her way here to check on you..."
Hearing that Elisha was coming solidified my resolve entirely. I did not want to deal with her complicated gratitude or a barrage of questions about the Rosary.
I bypassed the protesting doctors, signed the discharge papers with my good hand, and walked straight out of the hospital.
That was my biggest tactical mistake of the week.
I had successfully avoided the Empire’s premier archer, only to walk blindly into a much greater threat waiting for me at home. I should have known what was coming.
****
The moment I stepped through the heavy iron doors of the Ashborne mansion, the atmosphere was suffocatingly tense.
"Lucien."
"Uh... hi."
"Is that all? You have nothing else to say for yourself?"
"..."
Standing in the grand foyer was Ariana. Her hands were planted firmly on her hips, and she was glaring at me with a piercing intensity that unlocked a brand new kind of fear in my chest.
A cute terror, perhaps. But completely irresistible.
She must have gotten the news from the Academy’s emergency broadcast.
"...I’m sorry," I offered weakly.
"Haa."
Normally, an apology would lift the heavy air between us. But I was mistaken. Today’s Ariana wasn’t just angry—she was far beyond that.
Ariana let out a heavy sigh, as if she were carrying the weight of the entire world’s burdens on her shoulders. Her fierce glare melted into sorrowful, exhausted eyes as she looked at my left shoulder, which was still heavily bandaged beneath my coat.
"Why...?" her voice trembled slightly. "Was my one plea—to just come back without getting injured—so unreasonable? Every time you go out... you return either unconscious, bloodied, or dragged in by the guards. How many times has this been, Lucien?"
"...I’m sorry," I offered weakly.
"Haa."
Normally, an apology would lift the heavy air between us. But I was mistaken. Today’s Ariana wasn’t just angry—she was far beyond that.
Ariana let out a heavy sigh, as if she were carrying the weight of the entire world’s burdens on her shoulders. Her fierce glare melted into sorrowful, exhausted eyes as she looked at my left shoulder, which was still heavily bandaged beneath my coat.
"Why...?" her voice trembled slightly. "Was my one plea—to just come back without getting injured—so unreasonable? Every time you go out... you return either unconscious, bloodied, or dragged in by the guards. How many times has this been, Lucien?"
"I’m sorry," I repeated, looking down.
"..."
From the corner of the hallway, I heard someone swallow hard.
Merle, Irina, Nero, Lily, and Alicia were all present. Every single one of them kept their mouths firmly shut. They were aggressively pretending to be busy dusting vases or inspecting the floorboards, carefully watching Ariana’s mood. They clearly didn’t want to get caught in the crossfire of the genius alchemist’s wrath, but they absolutely didn’t want to miss a good show, either.
I shot Lily a desperate look for help. She quickly averted her gaze and scrubbed a perfectly clean window with intense dedication. Traitors.
Ariana bowed her head deeply, her golden bangs hiding her eyes.
"Lucien. Let’s go to your room."
"Yeah. Let’s do that," I said downcast, walking past the peanut gallery.
The rest of this conversation needed to happen in private. I followed Ariana up the grand staircase to my room on the second floor.
