The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

The beginning of anything is always difficult.

Changing the Young Lady’s diaper while blindfolded, or getting into a gang fight with her.

It was only hard at first. Once I challenged myself, I could shake off the burden and handle the task quite skillfully.

-Eeeek! Ricardo! Step on him!

-I already did.

-Oh...! Well done!

"..."

A street drenched in rain.

Holding a black umbrella, I walked through the abandoned village.

A swing creaking in the wind, and flower beds overgrown with grass, as if untouched by human hands for ages.

It seemed abandoned. Almost like a refuge.

It was strange that a village even existed here, as it was in the exact opposite direction of the capital city.

After all, this was a place frequently attacked by monsters.

Judging by the heavy presence of mana, it seemed like Mental Magic had been used—magic designed to lure someone in, spread over a wide area.

I followed a single small footprint that started at the village entrance. Though the rain had nearly erased the traces, it wasn’t enough to be a problem.

"...This feels ominous."

’One set of footprints in this vast village...’

"Not easy, huh..."

As I reached the middle of the village, other footprints began to appear.

"A couple, perhaps."

The couple’s footprints disappeared not long after. Covered in muddy water, they were hard to trace, as if deliberately erased.

Smirking bitterly, I continued to follow the trail of footprints. For some reason, they felt oddly familiar.

The footprints led to a moss-covered inn. This place also seemed to have been abandoned for a long time.

"..."

The gravel-covered ground was sporadically overgrown with weeds, the windows were all faded, giving it the appearance of a haunted house... But why did the footprints stop here?

Letting out a hollow laugh, I opened the door to the abandoned inn.

And then.

"…!"

I encountered someone I had never seen before.

The man in front of me, upon seeing me, immediately drew a dagger from his waist. Judging by his appearance, wearing a Brown Leather Hat, he seemed like a coachman.

-Thud...

Why did he look so startled?

Shaking off the water from my umbrella, I shrugged my shoulders, the sound of my shoes clicking against the floor.

I could roughly guess what had happened.

The gold nugget that had fallen from the man’s hand.

A Familiar Sword, gifted to a certain lady.

And a Pink Wallet that I recognized all too well.

"...Hmm."

I felt like I might get a little angry.

I had come here because I sensed strange mana from the estate, only to find someone plotting something amusing.

-Rumble...

Just a little.

I felt like I might get angry.

Taking a step closer to the coachman in front of me, I greeted him.

"Hello."

"Who are you?"

"I’m Ricardo."

The man holding the dagger flinched at my sharp gaze, then picked up the gold nugget from the floor and gruffly said,

"Get out."

"..."

"This is my house, so get out now."

"...Hmm."

I looked at the man’s wandering hands. The way he clutched the gold nugget tightly, as if holding onto a child, made me feel disgusted.

Money is indeed a good thing, but.

"Excuse me, sir..."

Why did I feel so disgusted?

"Let me ask you one thing."

Taking a step closer to the man, I spoke in a slightly heavier tone.

"A woman with silver hair down to her shoulders. Have you seen her?"

"..."

-Flinch.

At the man’s small, flinching movement, I closed my eyes tightly.

"Sigh..."

It was obvious.

The Affinity Window above the man’s head proved that he knew the person I was looking for.

Letting out a sigh, the man flinched again, trembling like a thief caught red-handed, his eyes darting nervously as he spoke.

"I didn’t do anything wrong."

"..."

"I was just following orders..."

The man holding the dagger began to stammer excuses with trembling eyes. If he was going to make excuses, he could at least put the dagger away. Nodding at his disjointed excuses, I said,

"I see."

"That’s right...! So I don’t know anything!"

"Relax."

"...Wait a second."

"Take a deep breath and speak slowly."

-Creak.

The man glanced at the closed door and began to chuckle.

"Wait... Are you alone?"

Now that only the two of us remained in the spacious inn, the man stretched, as if finally able to breathe, and adopted an arrogant expression.

Hiding his earlier timid demeanor.

"If you were alone, you should’ve said so. I thought you were with the Imperial Army, and it scared the hell out of me."

Straightening his previously hunched back, the man spoke to me in a confident voice.

"Hey."

"..."

"Hey. Damn it, when an adult calls you, you should answer."

"...Ah, so you were calling me."

"Yeah, you."

The man waved his dagger and pointed it at my chest.

"Hey. I’m in a good mood today. I don’t know why you’re here, but just go on your way."

"Why are you in a good mood?"

"Because I made a ton of money..."

"That’s why you’re in a good mood?"

"Ha... You’re a funny bastard. Yeah, that’s right. I sold her off, made money, and now I’m happy. What? You gonna stab me?"

Looking at the Pink Wallet sticking out of the man’s bag, I asked again.

"I see."

"I’m telling you, leave while I’m letting you go. I don’t want to get blood on my hands."

"Then..."

-Rumble...

"Even if you go blind, you’ll still be happy, huh?"

The man’s eyes began to tremble at the vibrations shaking the floor. Plates rattled, and those that fell to the ground shattered with a resounding "clang," ringing like an alarm.

"What... What is this!"

The man shook his head violently and took a deep breath. Then, in a low voice, he muttered, "Ah, f*ck, I said I’d let you go peacefully, so just...!" before kicking off the ground and charging forward.

"Get lost...!"

He wasn’t in a good mood.

"..."

To the point where he forgot all sense of moderation.

-Slash.

He wasn’t in a good mood.

*

Mikhail regained consciousness in a dark room.

A small candle.

A room heavy with dampness.

Darkness surrounded him on all sides.

"Ugh..."

A sharp pain surged through Mikhail’s head, and blood trickling from his forehead stung his cheek before pooling onto the floor.

"...Damn it!"

Gritting his teeth, Mikhail recalled the battle that had just taken place.

-Go ahead, kill me.

-...Get rid of those people.

-Why? I can kill, but you can’t kill those people?

-...!

-It’s fine to kill them. They’re just empty-headed puppets anyway. Sure, there might be some decent folks among them... but so what? They won’t even remember.

-You son of a b*...!

Mikhail couldn’t easily suppress his frustration over losing a battle without even putting up a proper fight. If only he had given it his all, he might have avoided the worst outcome.

"Coward..."

As Mikhail’s quiet muttering spread through the dark space, the Archbishop’s voice echoed from a corner of the room in response.

"There’s no such thing as cowardice in a fight, kiddo."

A dark figure came into view.

The silhouette of a towering, massive man.

Relying on the faint candlelight, Yung approached Mikhail and placed a tray on the dining table before sitting across from him.

Dry bread and milk.

A meal that was pitifully meager.

Picking up a piece of bread, Yung spoke to Mikhail.

"If you’re hungry, eat. You must be starving after all that rage."

Yung chuckled softly as he looked at Mikhail, whose hands were bound.

"Ah, do I need to feed you myself?"

"Shut up. I’m not eating."

Yung shrugged as he met Mikhail’s bloodshot eyes.

"Are you upset?"

"..."

"Does it upset you that you were captured without putting up a proper fight?"

"...If it weren’t for those people, you’d already be dead."

"Oh, how terrifying."

Yung let out a hearty laugh as he dipped the bread into the milk.

"You should’ve killed me. It’s no fun otherwise..."

"Bastard...!"

Yung sneered at Mikhail and said,

"Kiddo, this time, no one’s going to get in the way."

"...Get in the way?"

"Yeah... Wasn’t his name Ricardo?"

-Clatter!

At the mention of Ricardo’s name from Yung’s lips, Mikhail’s chair rattled as he glared fiercely.

"Don’t speak his filthy name with your mouth."

"Ah. So that’s your weak spot... If I’d known it’d be this fun, I would’ve come to you from the start."

"I said shut up...!"

Yung pulled his chair closer to Mikhail.

"You want to see him, don’t you?"

At Yung’s words, which sounded like the whisper of a demon, Mikhail’s trembling eyes locked onto Yung’s single eye.

"I want to see him too."

"..."

"My hand. My eye. That bastard took everything from me. And I didn’t get to take anything from him."

"...You lunatic."

"I need to take something from him too, or I won’t be satisfied."

Yung grabbed Mikhail’s cheek roughly and burst into laughter.

"But kiddo."

"..."

"Aren’t you curious too?"

"Curious about what...?"

Yung stared into Mikhail’s trembling eyes with a cruel smile.

"Aren’t you curious if that bastard still remembers you?"

"What...?"

"Didn’t I tell you?"

"..."

"Listen, kiddo."

As Yung took a bite of the bread soaked in milk, he whispered a truth into Mikhail’s ear.

"I never cast magic on him."

"What... did you just say?"

"I didn’t use Oblivion Magic on your friend."

Cracks began to form on Mikhail’s expression.

"What...?"

*

-Click.

"Is it here?"

Covered in blood, I descended into the dark underground chamber, glancing around.

To think they’d build an underground chamber in the mountains. I nodded slightly, impressed by the Archbishop of Oblivion’s bizarre dedication.

"Must be nice to have so much free time."

Since this wasn’t mentioned in the novel, I felt even more lost. If it had been, I could’ve come straight here without needing to interrogate anyone.

-Click.

I had wasted too much time.

"I hope I’m not too late."

Knowing the Archbishop of Oblivion’s nature, he wasn’t the type to kill Mikhail outright. He was more like a pervert who enjoyed voyeurism.

He’d either watch someone wander aimlessly after losing their memories or toy with them, as if it were his favorite pastime. I was certain he wouldn’t give up on such an entertaining play.

Slowly, I descended deeper into the underground chamber.

And then.

"..."

I came face to face with Yung’s masterpiece.

"Miss Misa?"