Reincarnated as the Final Villain's Vessel

Chapter 230: Medirin

I felt the soft hands on my cheeks, holding my face like a little child, while my heart lost control, every beat becoming so loud it was as if someone had placed a drum beside my ear.

At the same time, the woman before me spoke, her red eyes fixed on my face.

"They call me... the Pillar of Blood."

"Medirin."

The air escaped my lungs as a lump formed in my throat.

So this was the Pillar of Blood... one of the Seven Pillars and one of the leaders of the Void system.

I didn’t know their faces or their names, only descriptions from my memories... and although they were one of my targets, I never imagined I would meet one this soon.

"Why are you so nervous?" the Pillar of Blood’s voice brought me back to my current state.

She smiled as her thumb brushed across my cheek, while the blood in my body calmed and my heartbeat slowed back to normal.

"Isn’t this better?"

Only then did I realize she was the reason for all of this.

Her thumb continued to stroke my cheek. "You have a wonderful face. You even look better than in the pictures."

"So stealing you from him wasn’t the wrong decision after all."

With my heartbeat returning to normal, I was finally able to think clearly again, freeing myself from the emotions that had surged inside me.

But I didn’t understand what this woman was talking about. My face?... Stealing me from someone else... who was it... another Pillar?

But looking at her beautiful face, a certain thought crossed my mind, and I opened my mouth to ask, only to realize my throat had already gone dry.

"..."

She tilted her head. "Do you need a glass of water?"

I closed my mouth, letting out a light cough to clear my throat. "Are you an Asterval?"

The moment I said that, her smile widened as she finally let go of my face.

"It seems you’re quite aware of what’s going on around you. Yes, I’m an Asterval... Medirin Asterval."

She fell silent for a moment as the sound of her heels echoed while she walked over and sat across from me, crossing one leg over the other, her hands resting on her knee as she looked at me with the same smile... like someone looking at a well-behaved little child.

I hesitated for a moment before asking, "But I’ve never heard that name before."

"Of course you haven’t, because my younger brother did his best to erase everything that connected me to him."

I frowned when she mentioned her younger brother. To me, she looked like she was in her late twenties or early thirties... but she was Rank 7, so who knew how old this woman really was?

She tilted her head, a strand of hair falling from her shoulder. "He’s the current Emperor, Arkanos Asterval... you don’t actually think I’m an old woman who’s hundreds of years old, do you?"

Well... I actually did.

I let out a breath as that feeling disappeared completely and the weight on my chest was lifted.

"Of course not, my Lady. Now, please... I don’t understand any of this... why I’m here, or why someone like you is sitting in front of me..."

Medirin blinked at me. "They didn’t tell you?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Tell me what?... All I heard was that someone wanted to become my backer... and now here I am before you, my Lady."

Medirin covered her mouth in an exaggerated gesture.

"What awful treatment from Valimont... well, I can’t blame him for those above him."

"You’re lucky I decided to see you today. Otherwise, you’d be sitting in front of someone else right now... and trust me, you wouldn’t like him."

Believe me, my Lady, I don’t like any of you... no matter how kind you seem, it’s all just a lie.

Of course, I wasn’t about to say that.

"Who is it?"

She waved her hand through the air as if brushing something aside.

"Just a hot-tempered colleague... to be more precise, they call him the Pillar of Destruction, and after seeing your face now, I’ll never let him have you."

"What’s his name? And is he someone unknown like you, or is there a chance I know him?" I asked, putting as much genuine curiosity into my voice as I could.

"Forget about his name. Why do you want to know something like that?... And no, he isn’t someone well known." She spoke indifferently, as though her world was free of worries.

I looked around the room and its white walls. "Then where exactly am I?"

Medirin rested her hand beneath her chin as she glanced upward before looking back at me.

"Why do you want to know that?... But that’s fine. We’re still inside my brother’s empire."

What a clear answer... at least tell me something useful, you forgotten princess.

Silence filled the room for a few moments as I looked at Medirin, her hand resting beneath her slender chin... honestly, I had never expected something like this.

Sitting down and talking to one of the Pillars so casually... but what came after this?... I had no idea whether I was in danger or not.

I pressed the small sphere in my pocket as I felt some of the tension returning after Medirin had somehow removed it. "What will happen to me now?"

Ignoring my question, she let out a breath and stood up, smiling at me gently.

"Come on, let’s not just sit here. Let’s take a walk around."

With every passing moment, this woman became stranger. I frowned as though I knew nothing.

"Take a walk?... Where?"

She raised her hand, gesturing for me to stand up and follow her.

At that moment, my muscles responded, and I rose from my seat, taking a step toward her... not because I wanted to, but because she wanted me to.

She could control me like a puppet, and I had no choice but to obey. However, the strange influence over my body only lasted for a few moments as I stood before her, before she reached out and placed her hand against the side of my face.

She was almost my height... no, a little shorter.

"Calm down, Caius. There’s no need to be nervous here. You won’t be harmed as long as you understand what you need to do."

Honestly, those words only made me feel more afraid instead of calmer.

The next moment, she withdrew her hand and turned toward the closed door.

"Come now. I don’t like staying in one place."

As for me, I could only follow behind her. Only then did I realize that the Envoy had disappeared from the room, and I had completely forgotten about his presence.

As Medirin reached the door, the most logical question a simple student like me could ask after being invited into a secret organization came to mind.

So, looking at the woman’s back, I spoke.

"What is your goal, Lady Medirin?"

She stopped with her hand on the door, then looked back at me over her shoulder, a gentle smile on her face.

"To preserve humanity."