The Villain’s Ending

Chapter 107

Afterimage (18)

A considerable amount of time passed.

Soon, graduation was just around the corner.

During that time, I was half-ground to dust caught between Seraphina and Estelle, and though I sometimes got completely drunk at night, there were no particular problems.

A problem only becomes a problem when it erupts.

An unerupted problem is merely a burden that takes up space in one's head.

Levina also hadn't thrown any hysterics since that day.

Very occasionally, on a drunken night, she'd visit my room and ask if we could do what we did last time again, and sometimes she'd be in my room and, while drunk, would pounce on me and try to strangle me, but a few slaps to the cheek would fix it.

And the next day, whether she remembered or not, she would inexplicably bring me an excessive amount of money for an allowance, and loads of unnecessarily luxurious tobacco leaves and alcohol.

Among that pile of gifts, there was a small container mixed in, filled with sticky white powder, so I didn't bother to say thank you.If I smoked drugs all day, I wouldn't even properly remember what happened this time.

In fact, some of the things that happened before I died last time, I remembered that they occurred, but not exactly.

They remained only as faint Afterimages, without sensation or color.

Anyway, everything seemed to be going smoothly, and the problems I'd covered up weren't erupting, but passing by quietly.

At least Estelle and Seraphina weren't glaring at each other as if to kill, so there wouldn't be any problems.

Perhaps it's because Estelle's face has been hard to see these days.

Not only in quiet towns, but also around the capital, a great many heretics are said to be appearing lately.

Even though it's only those who track down what local villagers have reported to the church or local nobles that have surfaced.

The number of priests who had infiltrated the church, like during the Lineta incident, was not to be ignored.

I asked Estelle to find out, and I've been writing down the names of the infiltrated heretic priests one by one in a notebook, memorizing them every night before sleep.

Even when I used to write letters to Seraphina, I had never obsessed over someone like this.

Whether they were heretics from the beginning, or if someone had their "lid flipped" and their mind went bad, I didn't have time to ponder each one.

Because those trivial things weren't important to me.

Let them just think they were unlucky.

Anyway, today, I went with Estelle to a village where heretics were gathered, along with the Holy Knights whom I'd have to accompany anyway when the Demons invade.

I, for one, had to wait for a while in a stopped carriage nearby.

Smoke flowed out in the distance, and after a little while, Estelle came to me.

"I was being a bit stubborn, but thank you for coming all the way here with me.

It feels good to keep seeing your face."

Estelle opened the carriage door, held out her hand to me, and said with a smile.

Like a lady being escorted, I took her hand and lightly stepped down from the carriage.

A faint scent of soap came from her hair.

"By the way, did anything happen with that woman while I was gone?"

I smiled faintly.

"All we did was go to cafes together."

Estelle's gaze didn't improve much.

"You never even went to a cafe with me."

"Do you have a favorite dessert or anything?"

I changed the subject.

Talking about Seraphina would yield nothing good.

Estelle seemed displeased that I changed the subject, but she followed along nonetheless.

"Hmm, cake? Well, I haven't been to many places like that."

After that, Estelle spoke somewhat sullenly.

Still, it was better than hearing "Of course, you'd prefer the girl you grew up with since childhood over someone you only recently met" all day.

After being pestered by Estelle like that, I'd chain-smoke tobacco in my room, and then when Levina would come and spout nonsense about wanting to "mix tongues" again since we did it last time, I would inexplicably treat Levina more harshly than usual.

While lost in such idle thoughts and walking with Estelle for a long time, a tremendous scream suddenly echoed from somewhere.

I turned my head to see that the Holy Knights seemed to have poured oil on a villager and set them on fire.

The burning human shrieked, ran madly through the center of the village, then fell, twisting and burning.

The smell of burning flesh drifted sickeningly on the wind.

There is no world where those who commit sins are punished.

It seems that way just looking at me.

All the things I had done to Estelle before disappeared, and I was starting over as if nothing had happened.

Perhaps for the kind and diligent, simply living in this world is a punishment in itself.

To live a life where you're squeezed dry by nobles who are so outstanding they can't stand it if there aren't people beneath their feet, yet you still consider yourself happy, only to have Demons invade and kill you.

It's utterly futile.

It's not that I pity the heretics, but burning them seems a bit too much.

No matter what, burning someone alive is still a bit much.

Since it was oil-fueled, the fire died out quickly.

Seeing it still twitching, it seemed to be alive.

I almost took out the revolver from my waistband, but then remembered what Seraphina had taught me.

I gathered mana at my fingertip for a long time, then fired it directly at its head.

With a blue flash, the head of the twitching thing vanished without a trace.

The two Holy Knights who had been chuckling while lightly kicking the twitching thing looked at me with startled expressions.

"It's not really a story to tell while watching someone burn."

I muttered.

Estelle shrugged and said.

"There are no people among these here. Every last one of them, even the children, ate people."

She slowly stepped forward and kicked a stone that met her foot.

Instead of rolling, the stone split in half and flew off somewhere.

"Looking at the stored grain in the warehouse, there shouldn't have been any problem of starvation or anything."

"Warehouse? I didn't see it when we came."

"I wouldn't bring you to a dangerous place, would I?"

Estelle paused and cleared her throat once.

"When you were waiting in the carriage, I gathered them there and burned them.

Now we're just going around catching those who are hiding or escaped."

"......"

I didn't reply.

Estelle spoke as casually as if she had just eaten some soup and bread for lunch.

"By the way, has the church said anything?"

"About what?"

"About me going around with you like this, or anything like that."

"No. Even if they do, I'll ignore it.

Those old geezers must be having enough headaches with the heretics that they can't worry about every little thing like this."

I didn't offer any particular reply.

As we walked for a long time like that, a rather old-looking Holy Knight walked over, glared at me once, and then said.

"Saintess, everything has been purified."

"Good work. Then prepare to withdraw.

Seeing how spread out they are, we'll probably have to move again in a few days, so go back and get some rest.

Oh, and please prepare a carriage."

The Holy Knight nodded and walked off somewhere.

Estelle and I passed through the harvested wheat fields around the village and boarded the prepared carriage.

Soon after, the carriage began to roll.

Estelle, instead of taking the seat opposite, sat side by side next to me.

She placed her hand on my thigh and whispered.

"By the way, you know it's absurd to come all the way here by carriage, right?

The Saintess specially arranged it for you."

I touched Estelle's approaching body here and there, and we exchanged some intimacies.

She had a somewhat ecstatic expression, but I didn't feel anything in particular.

Upon returning to the academy, I'd have to appease Seraphina, who would interrogate me about what Estelle and I did intimately alone, and go out to eat here and there. And Levina would diligently spout unpleasant words, asking why I would deliberately crawl into a dangerous place.

Perhaps my sister is better in that she shuts up if I even wave a hand.

I'd rather Seraphina just slap me instead of bringing up Estelle.

At least it wouldn't be a headache.

As I exchanged meaningless words with Estelle, the carriage arrived at the capital.

The night streets were shining very splendidly, as if nothing had happened.

That day, after taking Estelle to the church, I returned to my room and drank straight from the bottle all day.

It would be hard to drink when the Demons invade, after all.

Everyone is acting as if nothing will happen.

Seraphina, Estelle, they only crave love.

Levina also only looks at me.

I'm the only one who knows, and to save Lineta, I have to move on, but I felt somehow anxious.

Perhaps it was more comfortable when my heart burned to death and I let go of everything, acting like an idiot.

But I had to do something.

I have to do something.

Because there must be a reason why I opened my eyes here.

There must be a reason why I became 'Lavin'.

There must be a reason why I return again and again, no matter how many times I die.

It seems the opponent has changed this time.

I always thought this while meeting Seraphina.

I feel suffocated by a strange pressure.

Even if I speak, no one will take me seriously.

The people who say they love me, love me, they don't love the bullshit I spout.

After putting Levina, who had been rampaging drunkenly in my room, was slapped by me, cried, and then fell asleep, onto the bed, I leaned back on the sofa and smoked tobacco, lost in various idle thoughts.

It wasn't particularly enjoyable.