I Reject the villain’s ending.

Episode 46.

The Last Supper

An old room in the dark.

Various people in black robes gathered around a round table.

The dampness and frosty air gave away the fact that the room was underground.

A dark-skinned warrior asked, watching a man reading by flickering candlelight from a book whose title was worn and faded.

“How long is the chief going to be reading that old tattered book when our plan is!”

“Oh, shut up. Chief, why don’t we just dump him? He’s got a nasty temper, and he’s no help. What the hell is he doing?”

“What! He’s done talking. He’s not even a hundred years old.”

“He’s proud to be old!”

“Hey! Chief, don’t stop me today. I’ll fix that bastard’s hair.”

“You’re not good enough for that!”

The little robe boy drew his dagger and readied himself for battle as the black man slammed his arms down on the desk.

The man called the Chief, who had been sitting and reading, closed his book and spoke in a deep, cavernous voice.

“Stop it, both of you.”

“Chet. You’re in luck, kid.”

“Who’s to say, you’re old and forgetful now, aren’t you?”

“Raki, Jess, can’t you hear me telling you both to stop?”

“…….”

“…….”

Raki and Jess froze at the turbid, saccharine air the chief exhaled.

After a silence that could have been heard over an ant sneeze, the last woman at the round table, a woman in black robes, spoke.

A soft voice, tinged with affection, slipped from her crimson lips beneath her robe.

“Chief, don’t frighten the children like that, Raki, Jess. I’m sure I told you not to disturb the Chief when she’s reading, didn’t I?”

“Damned old woman.”

“Hmph.”

Moringa sighed, watching the two of them shake their heads in disbelief.

How could they not grow up after all these years?

“Moringa.”

“Yes, Chief.”

“The Empress went to the palace this morning. I assume you’ve made all the preparations?”

“Of course, I’ve planted people and induced her to join us for lunch.”

Looking at Moringa, who was smiling pleasantly, the chief said sourly.

“That’s not very reliable information. I thought I told you to get out of the habit of predicting things.”

“Oh, my God, don’t look at me so scared.”

Moringa’s jaw clenched in a gesture of defiance, his red eyes narrowing as he tried to wipe away tears.

Even at over six hundred years old, Moringa had the appearance of a young woman and laughed girlishly.

“This can’t fail,” she said, “because I set up the board myself.”

“You sound confident.”

“Yes. So don’t worry, Diego. The Saint will not make it out of the palace alive.”

With a gentle gesture, Moringa untucked the chief’s black robes.

The robe fell away, revealing long grey hair, a set jaw, a straight bridge of the nose, and golden eyes.

The man who was after the saint was none other than High Priest Diego.

“I told you to watch your tongue, Moringa,” he said, “and don’t you dare use my name.”

“Is it worn out? Or because ‘He’ gave it to you?”

As soon as Moringa put the word ‘him’ in her mouth, Diego, his golden eyes bright red reached for her throat.

“Kuck, kuck, Sue, chief, let go, huh!”

“I thought I told you to watch your mouth.”

“Ha, just this once, cuck, cuck, let go, chief. Kolokolok!”

Diego, who had been choking Moringa with his large hands, let go of her and sat back down.

“The Saint has changed, so be as careful as you can with this. I do not tolerate variables.”

“Kollok, yes, yes. Don’t worry.”

“…….”

“She’s scary as hell, anyway.”

Moringa waved her hand, illuminating the interior of the palace.

Amongst the countless maids, a noticeably pale face loomed large as she ducked towards the kitchen.

“That child is the puppet I have prepared.”

“It looks like a corpse.”

“It is a corpse, and it’s dead, so it’s perfect for me to use and put away.”

Moringa laughed at the cruelty of it all and then stared at the screen.

White and dazed, the maid slipped away from the crowd and into the kitchen to poison the food for the feast.

Then she disappeared outside as if nothing had happened.

“It takes effect gradually, but once consumed, the poison is so potent that there is no escaping death.”

“Poison doesn’t work on saints.”

“Don’t you think I don’t know that? Of course, it works on saints. Nivas personally procured the poisonous herb from the Demon Realm.”

“The Demon Realm is not under the jurisdiction of the Lord, so it could kill a saint.”

“You’ve seen the poison, right? They’re going to drink it when the feast starts, and then we’ll all go to the other side. It’s the last supper.”

Moringa chuckled at the idea of sending the royal family and the holy woman away en masse, with a gesture that made me want to slit my throat.

“I look forward to it, the death of the saint and the world heading for ruin.”

The others, unaware of the conspiracy in the darkness, were carefree.

The imperial palace, unable to foresee the future, was still peaceful.

“Uh.”

No. It was not peaceful.

* * *

“Woof, woof, woof. Uweh-eh-eh.”

“Saint, shouldn’t you be calling an imperial physician or something?”

Iros patted my back restlessly.

I groaned, looking like I was dying.

“Nope. I’m a healing saint, and I’m calling a counselor. Do I need to advertise my incompetence?”

“Since when are you a healing saint? You’re a warlock-bashing saint. Stop being stubborn and call someone, and we’ll get a real one.”

“No, you’ll just be here longer. Oof! Woof! Woof!”

“Ha.”

Iris let out a long sigh, grabbed the bucket, and patted my wobbly back.

I gripped the bucket tighter, shaking my head and muttering.

“Damn it. I can’t keep using my holy power to heal myself, like this, ugh, ugh, ugh. I’m stressed and sick to my stomach in real-time.”

I never thought I’d have to face this kind of confirmation that Holy Power is not a one-size-fits-all.

Ding, ding, ding.

“Excuse me, sir. It’s almost time for the feast, so you’ll have to get ready and leave.”

“…….”

“…….”

For a moment, Iros and I stood in silence, looking at the door.

“Am I allowed to leave in this state?”

“I know you’re not a pushover, but you have to go, and I’ll be right out.”

“Okay. I’ll wait for you outside.”

After a short time inside, the chamberlain escorted us to the dining room where the banquet was to be held.

We met the crown prince right at the door.

“Saint, here we are…….”

“…….”

“No, what’s wrong with him?”

The crown prince’s golden eyes shook violently.

Haha, who wouldn’t be surprised to see a man who had been fine an hour ago appear in two halves?

“Could you please not be so surprised……? It hurts me.”

“Sorry. There’s something about your appearance that’s a little off-putting.”

She sounded surprised at me in a very classy way.

As I stare at him with cold eyes, he reaches out to touch my forehead.

I flinched slightly at the sudden contact and stiffened.

“If your face is so white and you’re breaking out in a cold sweat, you might as well rest.”

I felt an inexplicable shiver run down my spine at the sight of a large hand stealing across my forehead.

“When did I ever do this with the crown prince?

A faint memory of a red-haired man wiping my forehead flashed in and out of my mind.

The chamberlain opened the door to the dining room while I stared blankly at the crown prince.

The crown prince held out his hand to me.

“Come in.”

“Yes.”

Oh, I don’t want to go in.

I cried and ate mustard, and when I entered the dining room, the emperor sat in the center of the long table, flanked by the empress and the first empress dowager.

And next to the First Empress was…….

“Riviere, Second Emperor.

The second prince blinked his big green eyes, mild and gentle in the same bright, intense catch as the crown prince.

Riviere el cianin lugar.

Riviere, meaning deer, had clear eyes and long, neat lashes.

‘He’s the second emperor, playing into my hands as a puppet emperor.

He’s young.

Only sixteen years old, naive, and unconcerned with power.

“The poor boy who loses his entire family to Sierra in Crazy Saint is destroyed by her, unaware that the beast is Sierra.

“The child I destroyed in Crazy Saint, who smiles at me when she sees me.

“Hello, Saint!”

“Rivier, you startle the saint by greeting her so suddenly.”

“I’m sorry, mamma mamma.”

“I beg your pardon, Saint. My son is so free-spirited that he is not very polite.”

“No, Nida. It’s good to see you so energetic.”

I barely lifted the corners of my mouth to smile at the First Empress’s apology, which, unlike her next-door neighbor, had an imperial nobility.

“You may sit as you please, saint. Please make yourself comfortable, Protector.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“Hehehe. What kind of consideration is this? It’s not much, but I hope you like it.”

Unlike royalty in other countries, who are always taking their lunch breaks, the royals are unpretentious and friendly.

I’m feeling all the guilt I’ve ever felt because of them.

I wonder how I could have killed all of these peaceful people.

The end of an empire.

What is it about inferiority and revenge that makes such cozy people…….

“Saint? Are you crying?”

“Ah.”

My cheeks were tickling, and I felt something foreign, and my vision was blurry.

I was crying.

A slightly startled crown prince hastily took out a handkerchief, and the last thing I could see was the imperial family scrambling out of their seats with worried faces.

“Sierra, don’t cry.”

“Pinkie.”

Iros covered my eyes with his hand. His soothing voice rumbled in my ear like a child’s.