Chereads / Etiquette of a Villain / Chapter 44 - Devil's Luck or Devil's Curse?

Chapter 44 - Devil's Luck or Devil's Curse?

The breeze carried the scent of flowers and grass into the vehicle, filling it with a subtle floral fragrance. The sonata played intertwined with the sound of the engine and the gentle wind rushing in. It was a fine afternoon as they drive by the seemingly endless road towards the heart of the Eastern region.

" Master, you should sleep. I'll wake you when we reach a town. " Judas cast a glance on Eve, who was watching the scenery outside the window. There was a noticeable dark hue beneath her eyes that rendered her flawless face with a look of fatigue. He thought she might be uncomfortable traveling for days continuously.

Despite the mixture of sounds in the car, he still heard her soft assent.

Eve didn't move from her original position. She remained still as she views the boundless meadow on both sides of the road.

They have reached the Eastern Region's countryside, and the route they are presently in is devoid of any sign of humanity. There was nothing but endless greenery and scattered islands of flowers here and there. She appreciates the Eastern grassland's delicate fragrance of flowers more than the Southern Region's sea of trees with the faint scent of wood in the air.

The open fields under the bright sunlight hypnotized her into watching the lovely scenery all throughout.

"Host, don't be sad. Even if you can't mess with emotions, life and materialize things out of thin air, your golden finger is still powerful." Halfsie consoled the Host, who seems to be dejected, ever since determining her power limits.

Eve was quiet for a while. She's contemplating which eye the furball had seen her being sad.

Last night, Halfsie exhausted its persuasion skills and successfully convinced Eve into determining the limits of her wishing ability. They have stayed up all night like diligent students burning the midnight oil.

Their investigation wasn't for naught, for they had ascertained at least three significant limits so far.

First, Eve can't wish to gain anything out of nothing.

The proof was evident when they sought how great she can wish for.

She tried wishing for a tremendous amount of cash. Then out of the blue, she was notified of a transaction. The exact amount of what she had hoped for has been transferred to her. Later on, the news of a bank reporting an anomaly in their system became a hot topic. They announced losing an enormous sum of funds, causing them to become insolvent.

Noticing the timing of events, Eve considered the possibility of acquiring that lost money. To validate her thoughts, she wished once again.

This time, she hoped to have a vast barren land to her name. She then ordered Halfsie to monitor any news regarding those keywords. Hours later, the furball detected a piece of local news in their Xia country. A forest fire had burned an extensive part of the mountain ranges located in the rural district. Not surprisingly, that land was property under Tang's.

Based on those two events, Eve concluded that she can not attain something out of thin air. It is likely essential to have an unfortunate event occurring for her to realize her wish.

It may not transpire to her, but it must happen to something or someone.

After that, she directed Halfsie to do its black magic and return the stolen money. She didn't feel bad for losing them since she had a shit ton of money in her account.

The second restriction is, she can't manipulate life.

Carrying that research was easier for them. She simply watched a live broadcast of a pedophile's sensational court hearing from a country located in a different time zone.

The accused, a son of a high-ranking politician, was acting smug, for the evidence was inconclusive. Knowing he'll get away with it, he acted like an unbridled bastard. His flagrant behavior provoked the victims and their parent's rage. Everyone came to execrate his vile conduct.

In addition to his annoying ugly face, Eve learned of his abysmal record from Halfsie. Grasping the scum might be a demon on the loose, she didn't hesitate to send the low life back to his homeland. Nevertheless, several hours had passed, and a verdict has already been made, but the trash still breathes.

She could only compromise and wish him ill luck.

Fortunately, news of his freak accident was published early in the morning.

Presumably, he was drunk after celebrating his "freedom" and slipped on his way home. Gruesome pictures of his impaled butt have circulated on the internet, causing a celebration for everyone he owes. They have also called it retribution for his atrocious acts. It's a pity, though, since he did not perish. Afterwards, the victims were pacified when they heard he had become paralyzed from the waist down.

Lastly, she can not mess with emotions.

Halfsie could still recall how enthusiastic the host was when she wished for Hemiura to fall in love with a dog.

She even miraculously felt a pang of guilt for the unlucky hound, promising to feed it loads of first-class dog food, bones, and meat throughout its lifetime. Also, she swore to burn plenty of it as an offering when it dies. The furball jokingly suggested she make a monument to commemorate since she was acting so reverent.

The proposal backfired, for the host affirmed she would. It almost couldn't believe its ears.

When the furball questioned why not just pardon the poor soul, she responded that it was for a cause. She swore to cherish and never waste its noble sacrifice.

For a moment, the furball truly sympathized with the pitiful dog.

Unfortunately, it didn't work.

A few hours ago, they obtained a report stating that Hemiura didn't show signs of falling in love or forming affection towards the furry creature. The people they have commissioned even flooded her house with packs of canines with different breeds. They also made various encounters for the subject and a prospective dog to meet. Despite the request being odd, they whole-heartedly enacted it. The reward, after all, was too handsome to pass.

Obtaining the negative outcome, Eve let it be.

It wasn't an empty harvest in any case, for they have determined some restrictions on her cheat. That would suffice, for now.

***

( I am not sad. ) Her passive voice answered Halfsie.

Last night was a long night, yet after, she couldn't get a wink of sleep. Nonetheless, she was not perturbed by the results of their investigation but of something else.

Despite not being able to wish for other's life and death, she can still cause them ill-fate. Though it would be nice to gain power akin to a God, she knew damn well that she can't have it all. What if divine intervention takes something from her in exchange for that? It would be troublesome, she meditated. Eve doesn't want to gamble what she currently has for uncertain possibility. In addition to not having enough enjoyment in her new life yet, she doesn't know how to.

[ But to think I have this ability.]

She failed to recognize for so long.

Eve has not considered it earlier but had she paid attention to the bizarre occurrences around her, she'll perceive the peculiarity of many things.

For example, her rapid recovery, that moment when Sarien brought her food, her Dad's sudden hospitalization, and her encounter with the villain- Xaphael, they all answered her prayers.

It's a good thing she discovered it that day when she watched Judas's fight and wished for his charming self to remain intact.

[ This cheat, is truly something.]

She raised her palm towards her face and examined it.

Halfsie's question kept ringing in her head. She can't help it. Once her inquisitive spirit is triggered, she'll keep at it until it is satisfied.

[ Indeed, why did I get this kind of power?]

A particular scene played back in her mind.

A sight of flowing red hair, impassive obsidian eyes, and the sound of a languid low voice telling her,

" Your ultimate cheat is the manifestation of what your heart desires the most. Its power is directly proportional to the price you have to pay. "

A chuckle escaped from her lips.

" Huo-er, the payment was worth it."

Her virtue in exchange for fate's favor.

Not only did she escaped from the shackles of her eternal tragic fate. She also gained the ability to somehow control it.

"Master? Are you okay? " Judas wanted to make sure that Eve is alright. Her appearance just now was different. The frost in her eyes and smirk was a new sight to him.

[ And Huo-er? Who is that?] He has to take an opportunity to study his lady's acquaintances. What if they take advantage of her kindness? She's so gentle and benevolent; she'll surely find it hard to say no to them.

Judas has completely turned a blind eye to the fact that a gentle lady would never set foot in an arena of life of death.

Eve's gaze finally landed on his worried face.

" I am more than okay." She giggled in response and closed her eyes to sleep.

[ Rest well, Master.] He focused back on driving while making up his mind to serve his Master to the fullest. He wants to protect that beautiful smile.

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