The Novel’s Villain

30. Rainbow (1)

The village’s population surged, earning the new name Saint City. Not long ago, it was still the size of a village. However, the scale grew rapidly as more and more angels fell into the Diabolic Swamp and were wheeled to the village.

Several shops opened around the Golden Angel Hotel and then expanded quickly. This was because everyone’s money somehow increased when they hired the Golden Angels. Following the spread of word-of-mouth, several merchants came, and the Order allowed them to open the stores after joining. That was how it continued to grow. It was also convenient to trade because it was close to several other kingdoms, and as many people came and went, the road naturally widened.

People had to join the Saint Order to do business in Saint City, and once they joined the Order within the Sacred Ground, they couldn’t leave without Jin-woo’s permission. Although he did not suppress their free will, Jin-woo didn’t stop them because they couldn’t do anything to harm the Sacred Ground.

The Sacred Ground was now a place that couldn’t be interfered with by either the Altamia estate or the Raskan Kingdom. The nobility handed over the Sacred Ground’s land to the Saint. They declared it an independent zone, agreeing to be an area of superiority to the Raskan Kingdom since they were Jin-woo’s subordinates. Thanks to that, taxes were reduced to practically nothing if you donated to the Order and the city development fund.

It was truly the best environment to live in.

The angels worked in the hotel or helped in nearby stores. The warning signs in front of the swamp continued to be replenished by the angels, but none of them wanted to return to Heaven. The center of it all was Ariel.

Ariel looked at their prey with eagle-like eyes. They happened to notice a sloppy-looking adventurer.

“Adventurer Sister!”

“Y-Yeah?”

“By any chance, are you a noble?”

“No, why would you ask that?”

Ariel spoke to the adventurer, batting eyelashes innocently. The adventurer lifted her guard against Ariel’s cute appearance, but the angel continued to stare with big eyes. The effect was powerful. The adventurer’s heart pounded wildly until she lost her sense of reason slightly and hugged Ariel.

Ariel grinned in her arms. The adventurer couldn’t see that look.

“Oh! I’m sorry!”

“No problem! Sister, I thought you were an aristrocrat! You can’t hide your natural elegance! It’s like royal blood is flowing within you.”

“I-is that so? Well, I’m a little…”

“Yes! But it’s a pity to see your hair now.”

“Ah…because I was on an adventure….”

Ariel smiled broadly and took the adventurer’s hand. The adventurer felt a warmth exuding from that gesture and didn’t know what to do. Ariel was so cute that she almost wanted to take her home. Ariel put on a salesperson’s smile.

“Right now, Golden Angel Hotel offers a hair treatment for only two golds! You can also get skin treatment for free. If you add two gold to that, you can spend two days and one night in a luxury room!”

“I-is that so?”

“It’s special service only for an elegant sister! If you join the Order right now, you can receive a one gold discount!”

The adventurer unexpectedly nodded. When she came to her senses, she was signing an application for Order membership. She even paid for regular hotel tickets and the full-body treatment. The hotel was extremely large and pricy, but there were no vacancies. It was thanks to the sales queen Ariel and the angels.

Jin-woo nodded as he analyzed the income tables and the Urban Development Fund.

‘For now, the satisfaction level is quite high…’

Customer satisfaction was very high, so it couldn’t be called a scam. As a result of this situation, the number of Order members increased rapidly. Since the angels were here, Luna stayed in the Sanctuary with a steady peace of mind. The angels also got along well with the nobles in the city. The nobles received a comic book set, most of which were rated R, as a bounty whenever they threw a big ball. It was becoming a problem to put an entire comic bookstore in the subspace.

Jin-woo headed to Art Street.

“But Lady Luna isn’t like that…”

“Isn’t it natural that imagination surpasses reality?”

“But isn’t it fraud?”

The angels talked about such things while looking at the Goddess statue on Art Street. They were also seen having discussions with the nobles. They held each other by the neck and shouted while discussing which was better, cat ears or dog ears.

“Umm…”

The city had been corrupted.

Jin-woo walked over to Yoo-na, noticing her standing with Arcana. Even after her vacation, Yoo-na traveled back and forth between the Middle World and Earth as Jin-woo’s secretary. Jin-woo’s subordinates recognized her as the Middle Boss. The demons admired Yoo-na, who was much more cold-hearted than they were, and even Arcana asked for help from her.

Arcana looked at Yoo-na with her face flushed red.

“H-Hallo? T-the weather is nice.”

“Yes, that’s great. It’s much more natural than before.”

“D-do you want t-to have lunch…cough!”

Her imagination alone made her heartbeat exceed the limit, and she spat up blood.

“Still, it’s a lot better than it used to be. Let’s increase the intensity a little more.”

“Yes, Teacher!”

“Can you stand it?”

“Yes, I will endure it even if my dragon heart breaks! Please teach me…!”

Yoo-na strengthened the training while comforting her. Arcana burned her will out. Currently, Arcana’s goal was to talk normally with Jin-woo for twenty seconds.

Yoo-na nodded and pulled out a photo book. The Association made a photo book to commemorate their victory in the international competition. However, it was produced and released as Jin-woo’s photo book. It was so popular that it was sold out as soon as it arrived in stores. Many people were willing to pay several times the original price to buy it. It was a limited edition, so its value continued to rise.

Choi Hee-yeon was fully armed as she stood in line, but she failed to buy it. When Yoo-na sent her extra money from the Association, she came directly to her to return the favor. Of course, Yoo-na also had one.

“Ugh!”

As soon as she saw the cover, Arcana recoiled.

“You must see it.”

“I-I understand! Ah, ah, how come he is so holy…!”

Although embarrassed by the training intensity that went up several levels, she looked at the photo book with a grim look on her face. The photobook was full of Jin-woo in high-resolution. His smooth skin was visible, to the extent that she could even notice beads of sweat.

“Ah….”

Arcana’s eyes went wild, and her breathing became heavy. She managed to make it through the first few, but as soon as she saw one of the slightly overexposed photos…

Burst!

Blood gushed like a fountain from her nose and mouth, and she fainted. It wasn’t a stimulus she could handle.

“Oh! Boss Big Sis! Good morning.”

“Did Dragon Big Sis faint again?”

“We will move her.”

The angels, who were passing by, bowed to Yoo-na and greeted her. Then some of them grabbed Arcana and began to drag her away. They had grown fully used to it, bringing Arcana to her shop. Arcana was hugging the photo book dearly even as she lay fainted. Yoo-na recorded her condition and nodded.

‘Umm…’

After watching the scene, Jin-woo quietly left the city and headed for the swamp. Jin-woo was building a fence around the swamp with the Fishmen. He even put spikes around it, but the angels still often fell into the swamp. Seeing a small feather stuck in the fence, someone must have trespassed again.

The Diabolic Swamp was powerful. It could make the angels crawl into the swamp now, and the rank continued to rise as divine power was poured in.

‘It’s not a problem that the number of angels increases, but…’

Rather, they contributed greatly to the development of the Sacred Ground, so the more there were, the better. However, it was also a little daunting. He wondered if Heaven would work properly now they played around in the city like this.

Stroke!

Jin-woo patted the head of a giant Angel Fishman. Because of its sleek body, it looked more like a salamander than a fish. Yet, perhaps because of the influence of divine power, it looked quite cute.

“There you are. Long time no see, my Lord Emperor.”

Dopplo appeared from behind Jin-woo. He marveled at the fence and the swamp. Angels’ feathers hung in a mess on the thorns of the fence, so he assumed the swamp was a cruel trap.

‘I can’t believe he is attacking the Middle World and Heaven at the same time…’

It was to the point even the demons, who were keen on evil, felt horrified. He defiled the angels and corrupted them disgracefully. All the while, making the Goddess watch it directly. Wouldn’t the Goddess be thrown into despair? She might have regretted that she was even born. Cruelty, wickedness, and all executed in a thorough plan.

Dopplo trembled. He bowed his head toward Jin-woo as his respect rose.

“The Holy Empire has sent you a formal letter. They said they would verify the Saint in the name of the Goddess Order.”

“I see.”

Jin-woo nodded. It was originally a country where the most splendid culture of the Middle World blossomed. It had now become a closed and abstinent country. The emperor was a puppet, and the Pope took over his rule. The army of religious fanatics made the surrounding kingdoms tremble in fear.

‘It must be an Emperor’s power.’

The Emperor of Corruption, an Emperor that existed in the form of an artifact. It corrupted Heaven and made the angels look hideous. It was an Emperor who preyed on the destruction caused by corruption. It wandered around while gulping down dimensions. The reason that Luna’s eyes and ears were covered was because of the corrupted Order. It was also the Order that stole the rich divine power of Heaven.

“If you refuse, it is said that a holy war will break out. The neighboring kingdoms also agree.”

It was to check the rapidly developing Raskan Kingdom and expand their power again, weakened by the Saint Order. War wasn’t a big deal, but the Emperor of Corruption should be caught. In the original novel, it corrupted soldiers of other kingdoms and turned them into puppets. Human suffering and despair were the sources of its energy. Moreover, the destruction left by the Emperor of Disease turned the land into good prey, and as a result, the Middle World and Heaven were shattered.

‘There were quite a few good supporting characters and heroines, though…’

Jin-woo remembered that about eight of princesses, nobles, adventurers, and merchants. Luna became the main heroine because the protagonist only brought Luna to Earth when the Middle World disappeared.

‘In the end, they all died.’

The story of the Middle-World was about two hundred chapters. However, the heroines disappeared alongside the supporting characters.

“Tell them to come.”

“Understood.”

It was clear that something was going on if Jin-woo was going to check himself. It was also an Emperor, so he needed to test it in many ways. The protagonist won in the original story, but it was a pyrrhic victory as the Middle World and Heaven disappeared.

“Aaaargh!”

“Kyaaaaa!”

The angels fell into the swamp when he turned his eyes away. Jin-woo sighed while Dopplo imagined what the Holy Empire would be like. His heart was already pounding.

* * *

The Kingdom of Raskan and the Holy Empire were situated quite close to each other. The Goddess Order was in all kingdoms, but only high priests were stationed there, and cardinals and Pope were present only in the Holy Empire. As the brainwashed high priests were set up in other kingdoms, the Holy Empire boasted a powerful influence on the continent.

But it was only until the Saint appeared. Cardinal Cardron was a greedy pig. He was notorious, but no one could speak ill of him. He had the power of corruption bestowed upon him by the Pope. That power resided in the staff, which symbolized the cardinal.

‘If we make the Goddess fall and corrupt her…’

The Pope could gain enormous divine power and became a god. With the Goddess as his servant, he would be able to rule beyond Middle World and even Heaven, and the Cardinal himself, who was his faithful servant, could also ascend to the throne of God.

‘Heheh…’

The Cardinal was a Goddess nerd.

“Hargh… Haaa.”

His carriage was full of books confiscated by the Holy Kingdom that had been designated as forbidden books. They were comic books imported from the Raskan Kingdom, specifically in Saint City. It was a pity that they were only copies and aspects of the Goddess revealed within, and his favorite was the Goddess with an explosive body and cat ears.

It was the truth.

‘That is the most sacred of all.’

He was looking forward to the day he would corrupt the Goddess. He thought of putting on cat ears himself. Cardinal Cardron intended to corrupt the Saint and make him his servant. Then he would make the Saint’s Sacred Ground his own. However, the Staff of Corruption wasn’t omnipotent and had to be charged with wealth.

“The people of the Raskan Kingdom have no manners.”

“The Cardinal is passing by, but they’re so arrogant…!”

Everyone just glanced past the carriage that symbolized the cardinal. All blatantly disregarded it and praised only the Saint. Cardron was angry, but he managed to put up with it. He intended to turn the Saint into a puppet and humiliate him.

He finally arrived in the beautiful Saint City.

“That Saint is so cocky, huh?”

“We should teach him a lesson.”

The priests said so cheekily, as no one came out to meet them. A priest with silver hair was running in the distance while little kids followed behind her. Cardron clicked his tongue.

‘That’s frivolous.’

The priest, who made an effort to resemble the Goddess, acted frivolously rather than resembling the Goddess herself. There was only one Goddess to him, the one drawn by the best painter on his blanket.

‘This city is now mine.’

It would all work out as planned! The Cardinal headed to the place where the Saint was staying with his priests. A fishy smile was etched onto his face.

Jin-woo could see that the people from the Holy Empire had come. It was because the information came to his mind that the Sacred Ground was invaded.

[The corrupt Cardinal and his priests have invaded.]

He didn’t go out to meet them. It was unnecessary since there was no reason to look good. The Cardinal and the priests came on their own, making a fuss. When he went outside, he could see Cardinal Cardron, who looked like a big tub of fat, waddling by. He held a splendid staff in his hand, exuding the Emperor’s energy from it.

Alonso and the others had also gathered. The look on Cardron’s face was arrogant as he met them.

“Are you the one who is called the Saint? I come here to interrogate you for demeaning the Pope and insulting the Goddess.”

Luna and the angels came out to see what was going on, and Luna tilted her head. After all, she had never been insulted. Arcana, who was watching from the corner, seemed to be ready to tear Cardron apart at any moment, but Yoo-na was calming her. Most of them reacted so-so. There were so many bizarre things happening in Saint City, so this was nothing special.

Jin-woo looked at Cardron’s information.

LV.32

[E] Cardinal Cardron

Affiliation: False Goddess Order (Emperor of Corruption)

Title: [B] Goddess Nerd

Age: 48 Years Old

Possessed Technique: [C] Goddess and Dirty Thoughts, [E] Goddess and Imagination Date, [F+] Divine Power

Special Technique

[B] Be Corrupted!

Corrupt an opponent using the Staff of Corruption.

*Requires Staff of Corruption

He was also a character that appeared in the original novel.

‘So he was that trash, huh?’

He was the one who kidnapped Luna, controlling her to attack the protagonist. In his hands, Luna became a villain called Dark Luna.

‘That’s ridiculous.’

Jin-woo could never imagine it at all. After that, it was a typical development. The protagonist couldn’t attack Luna, but he brought her back to her senses by saying, ‘Remember our memories!’ as he was hit by her sword.

[B] Staff of Corruption

A staff imbued with the Emperor’s energy. It can look into the opponents’ darkness and corrupt them to control them. You cannot escape the effects of the corruption unless you are eviler than the Emperor of Corruption, who has devoured dozens of dimensions.

As expected, the Emperor of Corruption was dangerous. As Jin-woo was just looking at him, Cardron flinched. People around them also looked at the cardinal with apathetic eyes.

Cardron didn’t like this situation. The lowest-class people should always follow and bow to him.

“You’re arrogant!”

As Cardron raised his staff, the priests who were following him fell to their knees. They raised their heads and stretched their hands to welcome the holy spectacle. Cardron smiled evilly and raised his staff.

“Be corrupted!”

A light flashed from the staff and extended to Jin-woo. It looked like divine power, but behind it was the Emperor’s energy. Jin-woo faced the energy. He was thinking of finding out himself how powerful it was. He didn’t even think that he could be corrupted.

[The Emperor of Corruption opens his eyes and looks at the Emperor of Gold. It’s trying to figure out the source of the soul and corrupt it.]

[The evil sleeping in Lee Jin-woo greets the Emperor of Corruption.]

[‘Argh! My eyes!’ The Emperor of Corruption suffers.]

“Huh? W-what’s wrong with it?”

Cardron was perplexed because his staff trembled as if frightened. The Emperor of Gold, who had been sleeping because of Arcana, looked up. It spread out in all directions, generating beautiful energy. A rainbow that felt sacred rose around Jin-woo. The rainbow was so dazzling that even Cardron was mesmerized.

[It has been reflected.]

It was reflected. All of the Emperor’s Energy emanating from the staff was reflected. It wasn’t just a reflection, either, but the Emperor of Gold added its energy to it.

It was a rainbow reflection.