[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-m-in-love-with-the-villainess":3,"chapter-i-m-in-love-with-the-villainess-i-m-in-love-with-the-villainess-chapter-229":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I'm in Love with the Villainess!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},895389,1171,"Chapter 229: Annoying Probing...","i-m-in-love-with-the-villainess-chapter-229",229,"\u003Cp>The whole factory was in motion. Workers rushed back and forth, loading the finished G-32 units into the trucks. It wasn’t even the full army yet, but it was still enough to fill three trucks with units and two more with their weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took a seat at the front, in a vehicle Benedict had prepared for me—a \"car,\" though it looked more like a bunch of different machines smashed together than anything coherent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Metal, pipes, gears, runes—if you could imagine it in a VIP transport, Benedict had crammed it in there somewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Safe trip, my lord.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Benedict tapped on the backseat window where I sat, then moved around to the driver’s seat and signaled that everything was ready.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was finally time for things to move forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first few minutes of the ride, nothing really happened. Even when we passed through the shadier parts of the inner district, no one tried anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon enough, we crossed into the outer district. Even with Julius’s old rebels still not fully rooted out, they didn’t dare touch this convoy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone here knew the name Fvien Mechanical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as much as it annoyed me to admit it, that name was more feared than the titles Evelina and I carried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Benedict had really made a name for himself...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We turned a corner, almost at the mansion, when I finally saw the first sign of trouble on this little escort mission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An inquisitor, standing dead center in the road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What the hell is wrong with him?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tapped Benedict on the shoulder and had him bring the convoy to a stop. The trucks behind us halted as I stepped out of the car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is there a problem?\" I asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I wish to inspect the convoy,\" he said flatly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His white robes, golden mask, and that completely neutral tone made it impossible to read him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did you really have to stand in the middle of the road for that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elion’s commands must be obeyed efficiently. I deemed it necessary. Do I need to remind you of my order’s immunity to the law?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Photographic Memory]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right. God’s chosen mercenaries or whatever they liked to call themselves. Of course they had special privileges, the kind that could rival some nobles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I still had no idea what they were looking for, but it definitely wasn’t a bunch of robotic units.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Letting them inspect wouldn’t be too risky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I’d rather not fight them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mostly out of self-preservation...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were still dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then go ahead. I’m on a tight schedule,\" I said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elion’s wisdom guides you. Thank you for not making this harder than it has to be.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah, yeah... just get on with it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The inquisitor nodded and formed a spear out of thin air, then walked past me and the car, heading straight for the nearest truck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t even wait for the workers to open it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He just—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CRACK!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Broke the lock and forced the doors open with raw strength...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll pay for the lock. I’m also on a tight schedule, you see,\" the inquisitor said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I watched from behind as he climbed into the truck and began tapping each robot with the tip of his spear, like he was waiting for something to react.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This one seems clear,\" he said at last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He jumped down and moved on to the next truck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What are you searching for, exactly?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"An aberration. An existence that has sinned against the gods themselves.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harsh. That’s one way to put it...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In short, you’re looking for a monster?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Perhaps...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps? Why is this bastard being so damn secretive?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Whatever you’re looking for, I’m not stuffing it into a truck for you. But if you really want to search for something, I’d check the abandoned mining company.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t want to stand around while he inspected every truck one by one. Better to feed him a half-truth and get this over with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, I had no connection to the mining company in the first place. If I led him there and he saw the mess, it should be enough to satisfy him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no way he could trace what happened there back to me anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The abandoned mining company?\" he repeated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah. Weird place. If there’s something you’re looking for, best bet it’s there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was lying through my teeth. After what Julius and I had done, there’s no way he’d find anything useful there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The inquisitor just stared at me after my answer. He was impossible to read—stupidlyhard to read.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood as still as a statue, and whatever craftsmanship went into that mask, it made sure even the eyeholes were nothing but pitch black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a group of powerful warriors, they’d make damn good spies. Or assassins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Very well...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He finally answered, reluctant, a hint of suspicion slipping into his voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mistake, honestly. I was surprised to hear it. I guess the mask and robe weren’t just for show—they were clearly meant to hide any weaknesses the inquisitors had when it came to diplomacy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even then, they couldn’t hide his tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"May Elion bless you on a safe journey. You’ve been a great help.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The inquisitor clasped his hands together, then raised one finger to the sky as he dipped into a strange bow. Must’ve been their way of worshipping Elion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not that I cared in the slightest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that brief interruption, I finally made it back to the mansion — and it looked like I wasn’t the only one having trouble with the inquisitors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right by the front gates stood Evelina, facing a group of five inquisitors, all armed and on edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I had to guess, they were combing through the entire city for the aberration they were so desperate to find.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at this point, it was pretty obvious what they were looking for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The False Hydra.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that I think about it, Evelina hadn’t really reacted much after she read my mind. I guess she’s so used to me that even enslaving a creature like that barely registers as surprising anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Escort the rest of the trucks to the back entrance. I’ll get off here,\" I told the driver as I stepped out of the car and headed toward where Evelina was talking with the inquisitors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Light Displacement]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not a step closer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the inquisitors cut me off before I could say anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s okay, he’s with me,\" Evelina said for me. From the sound of her voice, she was already completely done with whatever the lead inquisitor had been asking her.\u003C\u002Fp>",1093,"2026-06-03T05:52:53.768Z",1,"novelbin.me","47a68afe810b3cbd45cfaee180bf7d2bf5dbaedcdb3cbd53655a24931d895b96","i-m-in-love-with-the-villainess-chapter-230","i-m-in-love-with-the-villainess-chapter-228",324,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-m-in-love-with-the-villainess-cover.jpg"]