Please Bully Me, Miss Villainess!

Chapter 241 : Before the Bell Tolls 1

Yvonne never imagined this world had such dazzling magic.

Holding a wine glass, standing on the balcony enjoying the evening breeze, she glimpsed brilliant beams of light she had never seen before blooming from God's Tower.

A few faint rays illuminated the goddess statue atop God's Tower, the hazy atmosphere enveloping the space with a dreamlike and sacred aura.

Unlike traditional fireworks ignited using flame color reactions and prepared gunpowder, tonight, what was presented before everyone was Oz Kingdom's proud magical technology.

Colorful magical fireworks rose high, bursting open, resonating in the chest with each heartbeat.

How many more times could she watch such a sight with her?

As the fireworks entered their view,

The two clasped hands tightly, unconsciously making the same wish,

Amidst the calm, only time quietly slipped away.

May this night never end.

Although reluctant to part, beautiful moments always pass in the blink of an eye.

The midnight bell began to toll,

Twelve chimes, after the final one, would signal the end of the day.

However, this time, the bell stopped abruptly after the eleventh chime.

"Though beautiful, it's ultimately just a false illusion."

"You are..."

"Good evening, Miss Yvonne."

The black-robed nun had appeared behind her at some point,

In the moonlight, she untied the headscarf she had always worn,

Waist-length silver hair danced in the wind, deep red pupils gazed at her.

"...Delia?!"

Why was she here?

Although the palace interior was open to the public today due to the festival, it was still limited to those of certain status,

As a commoner clergy member, it should have been impossible for her to appear here.

"...What happened to Elsa?"

In her arms, Yvonne's lover was in deep slumber.

Like the Virgin Mary caressing the infant in religious murals, with loving care, Delia gently stroked Elsa's cheek,

Yvonne noticed that as she appeared, the surrounding revelry suddenly fell into silence, as if all sound from the outside world had been cut off.

The juice she had accidentally spilled when turning around earlier now hung suspended in mid-air.

Within this space, time seemed to have stopped.

"Don't worry, she's just asleep."

She stepped forward, handing Elsa over to Yvonne.

Yvonne hurriedly put down her wine glass and steadily received her,

Resting against her chest, Elsa's complexion was rosy, her breathing steady,

Apart from sleeping more deeply than imagined, there was nothing unusual.

She had probably been affected by some kind of sleep magic,

However, this was truly rare,

In all their time together, this was the first time Yvonne had seen Elsa affected by an abnormal status magic cast by someone else.

The higher one's magical power, the stronger their magic resistance, making it more difficult for general magic to affect them.

It would be very difficult for a low-level magician to successfully ambush a higher-level magician with magic.

Being unguarded towards Delia, who had raised her for many years, was one thing,

But on the other hand, it also indicated that the nun before her possessed magical power equal to or greater than Elsa's.

Who exactly was she?

Recalling Linda's subtle expression when mentioning Delia, the long-unsolved mystery seemed to thicken by several layers.

"Is there something you can only say to me... that she cannot hear?"

Eliminating impossible options and those she was unwilling to consider, this was the only conjecture she could make,

Yvonne did not want to doubt those close to her,

Delia was also a very important person to Elsa, if possible, Yvonne still wanted to choose to trust her.

Moreover, she did not sense any dangerous aura from her demeanor.

She also did not seem to intend to harm Elsa,

"Miss Yvonne is indeed exceptionally perceptive."

She smiled faintly,

"I believe you must have noticed to some extent, the quietly approaching 'crisis'—"

"...What do you mean?"

"—'The Final Judgment'."

The silver-haired nun's lips parted slightly,

She enunciated clearly, uttering that term she originally should not have known.

—The second time.

Yvonne held Elsa tightly, feeling cold tentacles slowly crawling up her spine.

This was the second time a character from the story had spoken a plot-related term.

The first was the Wingless Witch from the future, Dorothea.

And the second was now,

Sister Delia...

Who exactly was she—

"My identity, my purpose, my motives... are they really that important?"

As if seeing through her suspicions, Delia took a step forward, slowly raising her eyes to look above Yvonne's head,

Above the balcony, the mottled stained glass on the skylight was somewhat similar to the decorative style in churches, telling the story of the creation gods,

"Miss Yvonne is a clever person, I think I should keep this brief..."

Then, her gaze lowered, resting on Elsa in Yvonne's arms.

"You only need to know that after tonight, you will be charged with crimes and ultimately sent to the gallows."

"...What are the charges? Who would want to do this?"

If it was a false accusation, then they only needed to find the true culprit—

"No."

"It's not as simple as you think."

Poisoning the princess, attempting rebellion, colluding with demons, embezzling taxes... any crime that could be committed might appear.

"Just as no matter how many good deeds you do, you'll still be seen as a villain, this is an unchangeable outcome."

Like a pre-arranged program in a game.

The villain character, serving as a stepping stone for the protagonist's growth, would be condemned after others' accusations, then exit the stage, dying as the villain.

This was the Final Judgment.

Although she knew the inevitable couldn't be avoided, she didn't expect time to become so pressing.

"Simply put, this world wants to erase your existence."

Although Yvonne had made the wish to "let the story continue." rewriting the world's rules and breaking the original cycle, it also triggered other issues.

For this world, she was like a splinter stuck in the gears' seams.

If she didn't disappear, the world couldn't return to its proper course.

"According to what you're saying, is my death as the villain inevitable?"

Yvonne curled her lips in self-mockery,

"You didn't come just to tell me this, did you?"

"Clever."

Delia also smiled,

"Now, I can offer you two choices."

She extended her slender fingers,

"Before the bell tolls, I have the ability to send you back to your original world, but there's only one chance, and it cannot be reversed."

As long as you can escape this world's constraints, no one will threaten you again.

"What if I refuse?"

"...You really don't hesitate at all."

Although it was an expected answer, her decisiveness still surprised Delia.

"Is the original world such an unappealing place to you?"

"...No."

The blue lily-of-the-valley hair ribbon fell to the ground,

Yvonne picked up the fallen ribbon with one hand, using wind magic to brush off the dust. Then she retied it in Elsa's hair.

"To me, she is my wish itself."

A future without Elsa would be meaningless to her.

"Don't you regret it? This might be your only chance to return."

"I won't choose that."

Leaving her alone, then spending the rest of her life in regret, she couldn't do such a thing.

"Please tell me the second option."