Becoming the Villain’s Family - Chapter 365
Chapter 365
“My money too, you took it…!”
No, she would save this interrogation after ensuring the child’s safety.
Maya gritted her teeth and swallowed her anger.
But when her gaze met the elder’s, his expression was one of disbelief.
As if he had just seen a monster that should never have existed.
‘Ah.’
Maya realized her hood had been knocked off in the chaos.
Though it was too late to put it back on now, since her face had already been fully exposed.
“I never expected it to be you. So that’s what it was.”
The elder mumbled to himself as if losing his mind, then began to chuckle darkly.
“It’s too late to stop it now! The ritual started a long time ago!”
What was he suddenly rambling about?
She had suspected he was senile, but this was beyond her comprehension.
“A pure priestess, who will come to judge us on the day of judgment. Who decided that? Today will be recorded in history as the resurrection day, the day our protector, the deity, will rise again. According to that woman’s prophecy… ahh.”
“What are you even saying? Just get out of the way, old man.”
There was no time for irrelevant ramblings.
Maya sprinkled the sleeping powder again. The elder seemed like he wanted to say something more, but he immediately collapsed.
She had heard enough of the nonsense about their self-made religious beliefs from the zealots for one lifetime.
Finally, when she placed her hand on the temple door, it happened.
Crackle―!!
“Oh!”
What was that?
It was beyond just static electricity.
The bright flash of light, like a lightning strike on a rainy day, caught Maya off guard as she looked down at her hand in surprise.
‘Is it magic? Could it be magic?’
Maya’s expression, which had been dazed from being swept up in the situation, suddenly stiffened.
“Ha.”
Not only had they brainwashed the child and forced them into this cult ritual, but they were now using such brutal methods to lock them up in this tiny temple?
When did it start?
Did they even give them regular meals?
And what about warmth in this weather? There was no heating or a chimney in sight.
“This…”
Maya’s clenched fist trembled in fury.
Seeing her in despair, the village chief, with his eyes half-closed, let out a chuckle.
“Kuh, kukuk, I told you. It’s too late. That is a divine artifact created by God to control the power when God descends into the human world. Once activated, not even God can stop it. You can’t do anything… powerless…”
Chik chik chik chik―
“St, stop…”
Maya quickly sprayed more sleeping powder, silencing the chief completely.
“Maya! I’ll do it!”
“Astin, stay back.”
“I’ll do it! I’ll do it!”
Maya turned to look at Astin, who was waddling toward her in disbelief.
What was this kid saying?
She had heard that this divine artifact only worked on those with divine power.
Perhaps with Astin’s help, they might be able to open the door.
But what would happen if he had even a tiny bit of divine power?
Not only could he be seriously injured, but he might even die from shock.
Maya had no intention of testing that slim possibility.
“Hey, wolf! Don’t just stand there. Take Astin and move him as far away as possible. As far as you can!”
“Woof!”
“Maya! No!”
“Tch, if you don’t listen to me now, I’ll never see you again, so remember that!”
Though the wolf was not one to obey commands easily, luckily, this time it grabbed Astin by the scruff and backed away.
“I’ll save your sister, somehow!”
Maya shouted back to Astin before returning to the door.
Crackle―!!!
“Kuh.”
Maya looked down at her blackened hand.
No amount of pushing through could change this.
‘The artifact created by God to control the power, huh?’
What could Maya, a mere human, possibly do against such a foolish artifact?
But…
Children were fragile.
In just a moment of carelessness, a life could be lost.
She didn’t have the luxury of considering all the possible methods or strategies.
“I’ll have to go with a brute force approach.”
She took a deep breath, then exhaled, rolling up her sleeves.
The fluttering fabric of her clothes kept getting in her way, so she threw her hood aside.
“Whoo.”
Alright, let’s do this.
Maya pulled out all the healing potions she had brought and drank them down in one go.
Then, gritting her teeth, she grasped the temple door tightly.
Crackle, crackle―!!!
Her hands were burned, the skin blistering and peeling, the bones almost visible before it miraculously healed.
The intense heat from the burn sent a foul odor through the air as it sizzled, and the skin knitted together again in an instant.
There was no time to check if the potions were working or if her hands were healing properly.
She couldn’t retreat.
A faint light was beginning to seep through the cracks in the door, and if she let go even for a second, she feared the door would snap shut, and the opportunity would be lost forever.
“Huuh.”
Taking a short, sharp breath, she clenched her teeth hard enough to draw blood.
She couldn’t push further.
Using just her hands was insufficient.
If she used her whole body, maybe she could push the door open… but…
‘I’m probably going to die.’
No, she definitely would.
What she drank was a healing potion, not a resurrection potion.
Her hands were already sacrificed.
Looking at her condition, it was clear she wouldn’t be able to move freely like before.
So, what about her life? Could she give it up?
What were the chances of surviving miraculously, being the one chosen by God?
She’d never received help from God. She didn’t even know if God existed.
God had only left a mark on her and ruined her life in the process.
‘Damn it…’
She didn’t have the time or the luxury to think it through.
‘When did I ever think things through before?’
In that fleeting moment, Maya made her decision and squeezed her eyes shut.
Then, using all the strength in her legs, she pressed against the door.
It happened then.
The door, which had only a small gap before, suddenly flung open, and golden sunlight poured down onto her from above.
‘Huh?’
Losing her balance, Maya fell forward into the temple.
More specifically, into the arms of the man standing by the door.
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