NOVEL NEXT chapter 7
7. That’s right, hate me! Princess!
In the already eerie and dilapidated temple, a statue several meters high had suddenly appeared. If it were just that, Valentina wouldn’t have been so shocked.
But the problem was, no matter how she looked at it, the person depicted in the statue was undeniably her!
No matter her figure or appearance, she resembled her strikingly, and like the current her, she too bore the abnormal form of wings and a tail.
If there was any difference, it was that, unlike her who could not accept becoming a monster, the ‘her’ in the sculpture seemed to have fully embraced her identity as an evil dragon.
She looked like a dragon queen radiating an aura of wickedness and power, not only dressed provocatively but also wearing a mocking smile on her stunning face, gazing down at the world with a contemptuous glare.
Though a man-made object carved from stone, the lifelike expression seemed so vivid that it felt as if it could spring to life at any moment.
The aura of that figure was even more intense than that of Valentina’s siblings vying for the throne, or even the current king.
The character depicted in the sculpture was undoubtedly a commanding and charismatic woman.
Only, she was the leader of an evil force.
When such a thing suddenly appeared before Valentina, she naturally felt even more confused, unsure of what this ghastly thing truly meant.
However, unlike Valentina, who was increasingly shaken and unable to tear her gaze away from the statue, Noah, who had used the powers of the evil god to create this ‘completely fallen Valentina’ statue, felt quite pleased.
He looked at the dumbfounded princess and said with a mocking tone:
“No, this is exactly what you’ve been longing for. This statue is a reflection of your inner self; deep down, you’ve always desired a future like this, to become someone who no longer needs to consider the feelings of others.”
Of course, Noah was speaking nonsense; the statue was merely a manifestation of his fantasy of a darkened, fallen Valentina, not a true reflection of her inner thoughts.
Yet, when a mysterious shadow whose true form was completely obscured said such things, a normal person would surely waver.
Especially someone like Valentina, who was already mentally unstable due to Noah’s influence.
“How… how could this be… is that really the ideal version of myself in my heart?”
Valentina shifted her gaze from the statue’s face to her own hands, her delicate and pure face filled with uncertainty.
Could it be that she truly believed becoming a dragon who no longer needed to care for others would be better than her current self?
Was it possible that deep down, when she was preparing to act, she thought that since crime was rampant anyway, it would be better to simply eliminate all evildoers in a physical sense?
Wouldn’t that make her just like a tyrant?
…No! Impossible! Such a thing could never happen! I never thought that way! I won’t become like that! Absolutely not!
Just as she was on the verge of self-doubt, Valentina remembered the people who believed in her.
Her gentle and caring private tutor, Allen; her somewhat shy but kind childhood friend, Clyde; and those maids who were willing to stand by her side.
Valentina shook her head vigorously, as if trying to throw out all the dark thoughts from her mind.
This must be the evil god’s scheme! If she truly thought that way, she would have fallen into their trap!
Though she had indeed been momentarily deceived, she was still the protagonist, and it was impossible for her to be defeated so easily.
When Valentina looked at Noah again, her eyes had regained their brightness, filled with anger that sparkled like amethyst.
She glared furiously at the terrifying evil god who tried to lead her to ruin.
“No! Those are your lies! Despicable evil god! Why would you do such a terrible thing to me!”
Valentina had never encountered such blatant evil before; even the mockery of her siblings felt gentler than the evil god, leaving her utterly bewildered.
What had she done to deserve such treatment?
“Ah, what an interesting question. Why? It’s simply because I can’t stand it.”
“What?!”
Valentina couldn’t believe that the evil god would answer so honestly, nor could she fathom that this would be the answer. She instinctively let out a surprised sound.
She didn’t quite understand what he meant.
What does “can’t stand it” mean? As an evil god, does he disapprove of her seeking justice in the name of the goddess?!
He truly is an evil god! So rotten to the core!
“Because I can’t stand it, I have to take action. It’s that simple. What, are you unconvinced?”
At this moment, Noah, who was deliberately provoking Valentina’s hatred towards him, spoke in the most infuriating tone, striking the most irritating pose to stir the emotions of the silver-haired princess.
After all, it would be better for Valentina to witness evil early on, so she wouldn’t remain naive in the future. There were indeed many instances in the original story where her naivety led to her downfall.
And Noah wasn’t lying; he truly couldn’t stand it.
He couldn’t stand that the victim was always the good woman protagonist, couldn’t stand the arrogant blonde who faced no punishment, couldn’t stand the tormented souls filled with regret but lacking action.
Since he couldn’t become a righteous deity to protect the protagonist, at least he could make her less gullible from the perspective of a villain.
“You… you are truly the worst person ever!”
Valentina, her breath unsteady and her ample chest heaving with anger at Noah’s wicked demeanor, gritted her teeth and said.
The look in her eyes at that moment was filled with pure disgust.
“Ha, after all, in your records, I’m the evil god. What, if you’re unconvinced, why don’t you show me some color?”
Unfortunately, even though he was hated by the protagonist he favored, Noah was completely unfazed; in fact, it felt unexpectedly good?
Noah might have awakened a new XP; he suddenly found it quite nice to be treated with disdain and disgust by a beautiful girl, especially a silver-haired dragon princess.
Thus, rather than holding back, Noah continued to provoke Valentina’s emotions, persistently stirring her inner turmoil.
His words indeed struck a nerve with Valentina, as she had personally experienced Noah’s unfathomable power and knew she couldn’t retaliate against him.
…But what if she targeted someone else?
Looking at the arrogant Noah… and then at her own sculpture behind him, Valentina suddenly sprang into action, wrapping an even stronger surge of magic around her hands, attempting to destroy that annoying sculpture.
“Haha! There’s no way I’m letting you destroy it!”
But Noah, who had long anticipated Valentina’s move, effortlessly lifted the several-meter-high sculpture with one hand, dodging her sudden attack without a word. He even managed to mock her while protecting the sculpture.
Noah could have stood still to protect the sculpture, but he deliberately chose this more provocative method to irritate Valentina.
“I absolutely must destroy it!!!”
Unaware that even her anger and disgust were part of Noah’s calculations, Valentina was indeed getting worked up.
She was becoming increasingly agile and familiar with her half-dragon body, rapidly growing stronger against a hidden BOSS far above her level.
“What a pity! You were so close to destroying it~”
At that moment, Noah was training Valentina through villainous means, enjoying every moment of it.
In the not-so-distant future, it was no longer Valentina who desperately wanted to destroy the statue, but him.