When the Villainess Died, the Male Lead Went Crazy - Chapter 124.1

“It would be best to take a short rest.”

“Ugh…!”

Lewarren exerted power over Anais. Her vision faded to darkness once more, and she felt all strength drain from her body.

Lewarren surrounded Anais’s body, leaving the High Priest of Death and Lilith behind.

“Where are you going?”

“Since we won’t be able to use this body until tomorrow anyway, it’s better to keep her under my watch.”

“Right.”

At Lilith’s cheery response, Lewarren carried Anais toward the hideout where he had been. He knew that a priest of death was monitoring him. However, the priests of death followed the High Priest of Death, and Leviathan, who mediated between them, was currently on a ship accompanying the Emperor.

Thus, among the priests of death in the palace, no one would dare speak against the High Priest of Destruction. They were strict adherents to the rules of power.

As expected, there were no priests of death to interfere with Lewarren as he moved with Anais. He laid the unconscious Anais on the bed where he had been staying.

Once he fully closed the door, he let out a quiet sigh. Then he quietly gazed at Anais, waiting for time to pass while lost in thought.

* * *

The first time Lewarren met Anais wasn’t when he was eighteen.

She was the Young Duke from the Percival family and often involved in the city’s security on behalf of her father. He first saw her when he was about ten years old, as she maintained a close relationship with the city guards.

“Bow your heads.”

Lewarren was lowering his head to observe the procession of the Percival family. The Duke had decided to stay in the capital to work for the imperial family, and the Emperor was pleased, leading the procession through the town like a triumphant march. This was meant to highlight the Duke’s dignity and demonstrate that the capital was stable.

That was when Lewarren first saw Anais.

“I don’t like it when people bow their heads.”

“Why is that?”

“There’s no reason to bow. If they bow, they won’t remember who we are, right? What’s the point of marching among people with bowed heads?”

Lewarren found it quite impressive how boldly she spoke while riding alongside his father.

“You’re right. My wise daughter.”

Duke Percival raised his hand, and at the guards’ commanding voice of “Lift your heads!” everyone hesitated before looking up.

That was how he first laid eyes on Anais Percival. With her platinum hair and blue eyes, she possessed a certain dignity for such a young girl.

It felt like witnessing a procession of gods.

Lewarren didn’t know his parents. He had lived in a workhouse and was forcibly expelled around the age of ten. The divine power he exuded was ominous, even if he couldn’t harness it due to not being initiated.

It was no surprise that the power of the goddess of destruction would often manifest uncontrollably even before initiation.

While it was unusual for power to emerge before initiation, for Lewarren, it was a curse.

“Monster!”

Lewarren first became aware of his ability in the workhouse.

In a fit of rage at a child who was twice his size trying to steal his meal, he slapped the boy. However, the eyes of the child, upon being struck, turned and rolled back, as if his mind had shattered. Shortly thereafter, he died.

No one directly blamed Lewarren for what happened. Yet, no one was unaware that he was the cause.

After that incident, Lewarren was forced to leave the workhouse and fell in with a gang of petty thieves.

From the age of ten to eighteen, he remained in the same environment. The group was already notorious in the capital, and Lewarren was one of the most skilled among them.

Smack!

“Sorry about that.”

“Keep your eyes open when you walk.”

He nodded apologetically to the man he bumped into and took off. He snatched the silver pocket watch the man was holding and made his way to the leader of the thieves’ group that had taken him in.

“Today’s haul is impressive. That’s our Lewarren!”

Lewarren handed the pocket watch to the guild leader, who then sorted out a few silver coins and handed them to him. Having been with the guild for a while, Lewarren typically received fair compensation.

“Things are getting a bit tense, huh?”

“Are you talking about Young Duke Percival?”

“Yeah.”

On Lewarren’s eighteenth birthday, he was well aware of how Young Duke Percival was making waves.

She had dismantled most of the unsavory groups in the capital. Moreover, she forced the captured individuals into labor, sending those who disobeyed to frontier regions and then bringing them back again.

Interestingly, despite her cruel methods, those who returned from labor began to receive fair wages and started new lives.

This made everyone even more fearful, as they couldn’t understand what had happened to those who returned completely changed.

“I’ve heard they’re looking for you.”

“For me? Why?”

“Because you’re famous. Capturing you would make a good example.”

“Then I’ll just do some labor, and that’ll be it.”

Lewarren scoffed at the idea. It oddly reminded him of the procession of gods he had seen when he was younger.