The Villainess Returns with a System-Chapter 131: Sufferance

The Moore palace was flipped upside down upon hearing the news of Vivian’s return to the house in a bad state. Unable to hide their shock, Voros and Esmeralda claimed that she had worked for a very long time and that it seemed to have affected her, as they had found her passed out.

The physician was summoned, and after many tests, it was concluded that she might have suffered some acute trauma. Vivian said that she might have collapsed from overworking, an opinion the physician did not support, since the Lord had always made sure to test everyone in the mansion for symptoms of Blackthorn, and some of the best results were always Vivian’s, who was as healthy as a horse, following a balanced diet and exercising daily.

So what could have happened? Everybody started wondering, but only Vivian knew that she was the victim of a vicious torturing spell.

The question is, who would launch such an attack on her?

Was it the Kabal?

They might do so, since she stole from them, but Vivian’s reasoning for taking the Automaton from their hand was sound, since she had something they wanted, and they knew a few secrets of hers. With that, they would rather negotiate than attack.

However, the Kabal did nothing and said nothing. No one had contacted Vivian yet, but there was still time.

But if not the Kabal, then who?

Could it be Prince Liam? Since she is the Black Swan, could it be that he hired some sorcerer to attack her psychologically?

But how would he know she is the Swan?

Unless there is a magic that can see under masks. However, many still use regular masks to this day in masquerade parties and criminal activities, so it is not some common magic. However, it is possible.

But Prince Liam would not act like that. Rather than torturing her from a distance, he would have sent the Royal Knights to arrest her and the Count, pin it on them, and end the thorn in his side by giving House Moore to Robert.

Since that was not happening, her identity was still safe.

This kept her baffled, and she could not tell heads from tails regarding this situation. However, she purchased Panacea from the System Shop and used it to treat herself and remove all damage.

Later in the afternoon, as she was standing by the window, it happened again.

≪ You are under a psychic attack! ≫

≪ You are being subjected to the Curse of Pain through an unnatural link! ≫

Vivian felt the pain growing in her head, causing her to run immediately towards her bed and consume another bottle of Panacea in advance.

And then, pain struck!

Her body shivered as if it was tearing itself from inside, so painful, so agonizing. She held onto the sheets of her bed and tried to resist, but the Curse was running through her like knives, and the Panacea seemed to be doing nothing for the pain.

But after a minute of agony, with the maids rushing in, and Esmeralda holding onto the bedposts as she was about to injure herself by digging her toenails into her calf, a message flashed in front of her eyes.

≪ New Trait: [Common Sufferance] ≫

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[ Sufferance ] < Trait >

— Common: You remain composed under steady pain. Painful effects impose reduced penalties, and you can sleep through discomfort.

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With a new trait glaring at her face, Vivian was finally able to breathe and grit through the pain. However, her consciousness started to fade.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Two days had passed since the situation turned sour during the raid on a Kabal hideout. The situation in Archester was never darker.

The commoners could now feel how the ruling class of their city was slipping, chasing ghosts, hunting each other like mortal enemies, and making the city their battlefield. On the other hand, people were dropping from the plague like flies, and the death toll had surpassed a thousand souls in the city alone.

To the upper classes, the largest city in the world was now a ticking bomb that would explode at any moment, and those who could move out did so without thinking. Most nobles had land holdings all across the Empire, so they could leave their posts and positions to their lower-class assistants, claiming that their territories demanded their attention with all sorts of excuses.

One night, an angry mob surrounded the house of a noble official who was responsible for delivering medicine to the beleaguered districts and the afflicted families, but the official seemed to have distributed the medicines to private organizations that oversaw the process and started to demand ridiculous prices for the medicine.

Once the situation was investigated, House Moore’s name came up, as most of these companies were associated with its pharmaceutical factories; however, once the situation was investigated, all these companies testified that they were acting under "guidance" from their business advisor and investment firm, a business called Crownmark Consulting.

This revelation sent shivers down the spines of the city, as that firm was the one established by Robert Moore when Vivian started ViTech in order to gain as many merits as possible compared to her.

The name of House Moore was dragged through the mud overnight, and no matter what Deputy Director Tristan Moore did, there was no mitigating the damage done; thus, he had to write a letter to the press under the name of Count Moore and announce that the consulting firm would be suspended and seized by the main conglomerate.

During that night, Count Moore was so enraged that he spat blood and could not stand up on his own. Seeing his grave condition, the tight feeling in Vivian’s chest could not be dispelled, just like the Curse that kept forcing her onto her knees every time it kicked in.

≪ Trait Level Up: Common Sufferance → Uncommon Sufferance ≫

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[ Sufferance ] < Uncommon Trait >

— Common: You can endure steady pain. Painful effects impose fewer restrictions, and you can sleep through discomfort.

— Uncommon: Your body resists severe pain. You no longer flinch or react to non-lethal injury, and torture is ineffective without magic.

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Vivian was almost happy to see that, but seeing the last words, she felt like it was still a long shot.

She knew exactly how hard it is to level up a trait and how long it would take to advance it from one rank to the next. Two days ago, she had gained that Sufferance trait, and almost forty-eight hours later, it leveled up.

If anything, it would display how adamant the one casting that curse was, almost to the point of them casting it every two to three hours now.

Vivian had lost a lot of weight and vomited up her stomach’s contents every time she ate the past couple of days, and with that, all the members of the main Family of House Moore were all indisposed.

The smartest move made by the House management was to issue a gag order all over the house and allow no one to speak of Vivian’s state, most of all. If news traveled that she was not well, panic would spread through the conglomerate, especially since the opinion of the directors regarding her was very high, and there was no need to cause another drop in investment rates after they were barely recovering from the Count’s situation.

As for Vivian herself, she seemed to have improved significantly on the third day of the curse, being able to withstand an episode without losing consciousness or spasming as if she had epilepsy.

But on that third day, Edith Black appeared at Vivian’s door, and it seemed like she had a lot to offload.

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