The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 100

All of Hans’s attacks came to nothing.

The attacks derived from Dark Magic vanished without a sound the moment they touched my body, and ordinary magic was blocked by my resistance, rendering them ineffective.

Hans, flustered, poured out magic with an expression of disbelief.

“What is going on? Your body…!”

“I ate well and slept well, so I must have gotten healthier. If you’re jealous, try going to bed early and waking up late.”

“Don’t be ridiculous…!”

Hans’s brow trembled as he unleashed his magic. Cold sweat dripped from his hands, and his accuracy with magic plummeted.

Hans was desperate.

Would the Imperial Army come rushing in after hearing the commotion?

Or would the Master of the Magic Tower, who might be searching for him, appear? Above all, the most terrifying thought was how long the monster before him would continue to toy with him.

His once-confident gestures, steeped in the power of darkness, were now frantic. The gravitational pull and repulsion, which had been his signature moves in the novel, disappeared into nothingness. Changing tactics, Hans began hurling nearby structures as projectiles.

-Crrrack.

The walls, wrapped in dark energy, were torn apart and blocked my view.

With a bored flick of my wrist, I slashed Tirbing through the air. The flying walls lost their magical flow and fell powerlessly to the ground.

Unperturbed, Hans manipulated the broken wall fragments to launch another attack, but nothing changed.

Because Tirbing is a sword meant to kill wizards.

The shattered stone fragments, controlled by Hans’s mana, once again lost their power under the sweeping force of my sword and scattered across the ground.

As the debris from the walls began to form a dust cloud, the remnants of the Heretics beside Hans started to move.

Was this their plan all along?

I spoke to the Heretic exuding killing intent.

“So you’re finally making your move?”

A Heretic knight crept toward me. Despite being outnumbered, I felt no fear.

“If we’re ranking by skill, Hans should be the subordinate. I guess the Heretics are an idealistic group that values ability.”

I threw out a playful joke.

And added a small warning for them.

“Move, and you die.”

Red Aura began to bloom at my fingertips. As the aura spread to Tirbing’s blade, it took on a crimson hue.

As the ominous energy enveloped the blade, Tirbing began to hum with a low “Wooong” sound, trembling.

Tirbing emitted an irritating noise, as if trying to corrupt its wielder’s mind. It barked like an insolent dog biting its master.

“Shut up before I break you.”

At my harsh reprimand, Tirbing let out a subdued “Wooong” and quieted down. No matter how powerful a sword is, it’s useless if it bites its master.

“If you bark one more time, I’ll melt you down.”

At my sincere threat, Tirbing’s defiance subsided. The flow of mana pouring out of Tirbing left everyone around us with expressions of shock.

The remnants of the Heretics, clutching their swords tightly, glared at me with caution, overwhelmed by the sword’s malevolent energy.

And then.

“Crazy bastard.”

Even Hans, unable to close his gaping mouth.

I smiled lightly and said.

“Not coming?”

At my small provocation, the Heretics kicked off the ground and charged at me. Perhaps impressed by my overwhelming martial prowess, their calm and precise attacks aimed for vital points, each reflecting their unique style.

Their attacks were ruthless.

The coordinated strikes of these skilled swordsmen, each possessing exceptional combat abilities, were threatening despite the overwhelming difference in strength.

If their opponent had been Mikhail or Ruin instead of me, they might have turned them into hedgehogs.

Tragically, however, I was neither Mikhail nor Ruin.

Their fatal mistake was targeting a selfish swordsman like me, who would use any means necessary to win.

I used Sense Perception to confirm the positions of the charging Heretics.

One above my head.

One behind me.

Three directly in front of me.

And Hans’s all-out magical strike.

I didn’t know the name of the magic Hans was preparing, but it was clear it was a large-scale spell meant to wipe out both me and the Heretics.

What a heartless bastard.

Trying to kill his own allies—no sense of camaraderie at all.

As black mana sparkled in Hans’s hands, I swung my sword infused with aura in a wide arc.

The crimson sword energy spread in a massive horizontal slash.

With the sound of flesh tearing, the remnants of the Heretics collapsed to the ground with a “Thump,” turning into lifeless corpses and fading into the dust of the world.

Had all five bodies hit the ground?

Hans’s voice, filled with despair, rang out.

“You crazy monster!”

The magic Hans had been preparing was obliterated by Tirbing’s sword energy. Hans stared at his hands with a hollow expression, a dark shadow falling over his face.

“Calling a perfectly sane person a crazy bastard is a bit much, don’t you think?”

“This doesn’t make any sense. The sect’s swordsmen…”

Hans looked at me with trembling eyes.

Overwhelmed by the disparity in power, Hans lowered his head, despairing over his failure to achieve his goal.

Hoping to offer him some encouragement, I threw him a piece of advice.

“How about dropping out of the Heretics and re-enrolling in prison? They’ll let you graduate just for showing up.”

A school where attendance alone guarantees graduation—how fantastic. No need to worry about failing due to insufficient credits.

“I’ll even pull some strings for you.”

“…Shut up.”

Hans let out a long sigh and pushed up his black-rimmed glasses with his middle finger.

“Even when I try to be considerate, this is how you act. It’s disheartening.”

“…”

“You don’t actually want to die, do you?”

At my grim joke, Hans’s shoulders trembled.

I approached Hans, intending to end this and go home. Though I had considered killing him, I decided to spare him for the Future of the Novel.

Perhaps cutting off one arm would suffice.

Or maybe destroying his Magic Circuit so he could never use magic again wouldn’t be a bad idea.

After all, Hans was an antagonist who, in the latter part of the novel, realized his mistakes and sacrificed himself to protect the protagonist’s group.

That’s why I decided to let him live.

Just barely.

Plod. Plod. As the shadow of death loomed over Hans, he began to struggle desperately.

Squeezing out his depleted mana, Hans fought with all his might to escape his predicament. Though I felt a twinge of pity, unfortunately, once I made a decision, I rarely reversed it.

With minimal courtesy, I asked Hans.

“Which hand do you use most often?”

“…”

“Then I’ll take both.”

“If I have time, I might as well destroy your Magic Circuit too.”

At my cold, expressionless words, Hans responded with a trembling voice.

“Shut up…!”

“Hmm. Then how about both legs instead?”

To eliminate any chance of future retaliation, as the pitch-black blade gleamed under the moonlight and descended—

Hans pulled out a dagger from his coat and stabbed his own finger with a twisted smile.

“Next time, I’ll kill you.”

Offering his finger as a sacrifice, Hans gained Dark Energy. Behind him, a Black Gate opened.

As the Black Gate swallowed Hans and began to close, I swung my sword to stop his escape.

“You need to settle your tab before you leave.”

I raised my sword high once more.

This time, determined not to let him escape, I aimed for Hans’s wrist.

“That’s enough.”

At the sound of an old man’s voice behind me, I halted my actions.

A familiar old man’s face stood at the entrance of the alleyway. Upon seeing the old man’s face, Hans also began to be consumed by fear.

The Master of the Magic Tower.

The Tower Master was standing there, looking at me.

“I’ll take him.”

I spoke to the Tower Master.

“I don’t think that’s possible. There’s still a tab to settle.”

A menacing aura of mana was emanating from the Tower Master’s hand.

“I’ll take him. I’ll settle the tab later myself.”

I let out a deep sigh.

“You better keep your word.”

*

The site of the intense battle.

After sending off the vanished Hans and the kidnapper Tower Master, I let out a deep sigh as I looked at the giant cracked wall.

“Who am I supposed to bill for the repairs?”

“I can’t charge the heretics, and I can’t charge the Magic Tower either…”

Since the Empire has no laws regarding damage to property caused by unauthorized groups inciting riots, I glanced around and muttered quietly.

“Let’s just leave.”

It’s better for one’s mental health to walk away from things no one knows about. Having a history of damaging property with the Young Lady, I knew that if there were no witnesses, it was better for the health of my wallet to simply move on.

After all, we had never compensated for damage before—whether it was the Young Lady recklessly launching a Fireball at a wall after learning new magic, or me cutting down a roadside tree after receiving a sword as a gift.

I glanced around once more and slowly approached Yuria, who was leaning against a building.

Yuria, drunk, had succumbed to her intoxication and fallen asleep.

“Snore…”

Sleep well.

I had been worried about what would happen if Yuria woke up during the battle, but seeing her soundly asleep thanks to drunkenness, I let out a sigh of relief.

“Time to go.”

Just as I was about to carry Yuria on my back and leave—

A familiar pain surged in my right hand.

“Ah…”

I had momentarily forgotten something.

It was the old wound I had forgotten about for a while, thanks to my increased Dark Magic Resistance. I should have anticipated the repercussions from using Limit Break, but since it had been an issue I hadn’t faced in a while, I hadn’t realized its severity. I took a step away from Yuria.

I glanced at my right hand, which was stinging with pain.

The hand was blackening.

The scars that had been there before began to resurface.

They would disappear once the penalty ended.

But if Yuria saw this, I couldn’t predict what she might say.

I’ll just sit here until the pain subsides a bit.

Swallowing the pain, I leaned against the wall and sat down.

Then—

I was startled by a voice breaking the silence.

“Huh…?”

Yuria was looking at me.

With trembling eyes, no less.