The Villain’s Ending

Chapter 40

Afterimage (2)

The female knight carried Seraphina on her back.

She was excessively light.

And excessively hot.

It felt as if she had caught a cold.

They roamed the city streets, seeking out every church.

But the doors were either tightly shut or those inside waved them away the moment they saw them.

All the capable priests had already left their posts.

Some said they had departed to capture the Saintess, while others said they had joined forces to protect her.

Even if not the city, the church, at least, was divided in half.The place they finally found was a shabby clinic in a back alley of the city.

Under the light of an oil lamp, the old physician examined Seraphina's wrist.

"Tsk, tsk, a young lady doing such a terrible thing."

He crushed what seemed to be weeds or herbs and thickly applied them to the wound.

A repulsive, grassy, fishy smell permeated the air.

And then, he merely wrapped a yellowed bandage over it.

The female knight, Jena, carried the emaciated Seraphina back to the room.

She laid Seraphina on the bed and placed a cold, damp cloth on her forehead.

A moist and lukewarm sensation.

Seraphina merely stared blankly at the ceiling.

The faint stain on the ceiling looked like Lavin's face as he burned to death.

That evening, visitors arrived.

It seemed they had heard news of Seraphina.

Jena, who had taken her to the clinic, along with Kyle, the senior librarian, and her friends.

Several people stood around the bed.

Their shadows, long and stretched by the lamp light, swayed on the wall.

They said something, but it didn't reach Seraphina's ears.

Like sounds heard underwater, it only hummed and dissipated.

After Lavin died, everything was strange.

The world remained the familiar landscape it always was, yet something was subtly distorted.

Like a photograph out of focus.

Kyle approached with an awkward smile, holding a bowl of porridge.

"Seraphina, please eat something. You'll really be in trouble if you keep this up."

Seraphina continued to stare blankly into space.

Then, she shifted her gaze, looking down at her bandaged wrist.

It felt alien, as if it didn't belong to her.

As if not expecting much of a reply, Kyle handed the bowl of porridge to Jena.

She spooned some porridge and brought it to Seraphina's lips.

Warm steam rose from it.

At that moment, everything in the room trembled.

Magic, bursting from her fingertips, scattered in all directions.

It wasn't something she intended. It was merely something that erupted from within her body.

The bowl of porridge flew into the air, hit the wall, and shattered, sending books from the shelf tumbling to the floor.

Sharp fragments grazed the cheeks of Kyle, Jena, and the senior.

Since it wasn't a spell used with intent, no one was seriously injured.

However, small and large scratches appeared on their faces.

Blood trickled down in drops.

They stared blankly at Seraphina.

A moment of silence passed.

They seemed about to utter something to Seraphina, but then their eyes met hers, and they slowly left the room without a word.

Their faces showed they didn't know how to comfort her or what to say.

The sound of the door closing echoed unusually loudly.

Silence returned to the room.

Seraphina pulled the blanket over her head.

And inside, she curled her whole body up.

****

It was probably around dawn.

Someone entered the room.

Without a sound, like a shadow.

"Get up."

"......."

"I said, get up."

Inside the blanket, Seraphina thought the voice sounded somehow familiar.

Though the thought didn't last long.

She roughly yanked the blanket away.

And then, she kicked Seraphina, who was curled up on the bed, straight onto the floor.

"Ubu-!"

Seraphina tumbled onto the floor.

The impact left her unable to breathe.

The cold floor pressed against her bare skin.

When she lifted her head, Levina stood there.

Even in the darkness, her silhouette was distinct.

The woman who, these days, was covertly supporting the Saintess, who had caused a tragedy after killing her own parents.

The woman who had wished for Lavin and her to break their engagement.

Levina's appearance was neat.

A tidy school uniform, an impeccable hairstyle.

But somehow, everything seemed to be in disarray.

"Get up."

Levina's voice was calm and composed.

No emotion was carried in her words.

"Estelle is coming to kill you."

Seraphina stared blankly up at her.

Levina's words sounded like a story from another world.

"Why would the Saintess come to kill me?"

"......Well, because you were his former fiancée. She probably doesn't like it. What do I care what that crazy bitch thinks."

"But... but Miss Levina is helping the Saintess, isn't she? Even I, stuck in my room, know that."

Seraphina said in a voice that faded into a whisper.

She couldn't possibly be unaware of what was happening in the city.

Rumors were already widespread that Levina was covertly assisting Estelle, who was running amok.

It wasn't a major issue, as a church split in half and swayed by the influence of prominent nobles was an everyday occurrence.

Levina didn't answer.

She merely looked down at Seraphina, who lay collapsed on the floor.

Her eyes gleamed coldly even in the darkness.

"Shut up and get up."

"......I don't want to."

Seraphina, trembling uncontrollably as her body had no strength, defiantly spoke, looking up at Levina as if glaring.

"I can't go anywhere. Do you know why Lavin died?"

"Because he didn't listen to me."

Levina's reply was concise.

"It's because of me."

"Stop talking nonsense and get up."

"He even said that we should live somewhere quiet, just the two of us, just the two of us."

Seraphina slowly rose to her feet, leaning on the wall.

Her legs trembled.

She sat precariously on the edge of the bed.

"He even told me he loved me. I refused."

Levina didn't even look at Seraphina, who continued to speak, instead pressing her brow as if she had a headache.

"Well, you said that if I didn't break off the engagement with Lavin, my future life would be eternally unhappy. Father said that if I didn't break off the engagement with Lavin, I would live a life of eternal regret. Mother said that with Lavin, I couldn't build a happy family like ours. Everyone around me said that I would be unhappy if I was with Lavin."

Those words echoed in her ears like an echo.

Levina's expression twisted with each word Seraphina uttered.

"You were unhappy."

Levina said.

Declaratively.

"I thought I was unhappy."

Seraphina whispered.

Levina was silent for a moment.

Then, she said in a cold voice.

"Do you know why I'm trying to save you?

There's nothing left that Lavin owned.

The only thing he cherished most was you."

Levina had never truly looked at Seraphina as a person.

Neither had Lavin, and lately, neither had her father and mother.

A submissive child, suitable to be placed next to Lavin.

But a woman who, deep down, didn't like that child being by Lavin's side.

A woman who, after Lavin went astray, criticized him but still somehow disliked her remaining by his side.

Somehow angered, Levina kicked Seraphina again.

It was an involuntary action.

Since childhood, Seraphina had always been by Lavin's side.

Despite being engaged under some suitable pretext set by the family.

Because he was Lavin of Edelgard, soon my Lavin.

Because he was my family, it was natural for him to listen to me, to revere me, to praise me, to like me.

Seraphina had won Lavin's heart too easily.

And it seemed she had never lost that heart, not even once.

Not even until just before his death.

"Right, you did kill him."

Levina grabbed Seraphina by the collar and pulled her up.

She felt that Seraphina was excessively light, but ignored it and slapped her cheek.

"How dare you and that incompetent, idiotic bastard try to catch Lavin."

Upon hearing those words, Seraphina tried to push Levina away.

But without strength in her body, she didn't push back; instead, she stumbled forward.

As a result, she fell, slamming her face onto the floor.

"If you can't do anything, you should at least listen well, shouldn't you?"

It was then that Levina was about to pull Seraphina, who lay fallen, back to her feet.

Tap. Tap.

Footsteps echoed from the corridor.

Levina seemed to know well whose footsteps they were.

"Hah, damn it. Do whatever you want. Die or don't."

She left Seraphina on the floor and stepped aside.

The door opened, and Estelle entered.

With a light smile, she playfully spoke to Levina.

"Were you already having fun?"

Levina didn't answer, paused, then murmured.

"Are you going to kill her?"

"Hmm, I'll think about it."

"Think about what?"

"Don't worry about it.

And I told you not to use the word 'kill'.

We're sending them to God's side."

Estelle approached Seraphina, who was sprawled on the floor.

She roughly grabbed Seraphina by the hair and pulled her up.

Then she threw her onto the bed and climbed on top of her.

She leaned in close, bringing their faces together.

"As expected, I still can't see anything."

Estelle sighed, then gripped Seraphina's left shoulder firmly.

Crunch.

The sound of bone being crushed echoed.

Seraphina tried to scream, but Estelle covered her nose and mouth with one hand simultaneously, pressing down on her face as she whispered.

Tears streamed down, wetting Estelle's hand.

"If you make a sound, I'll crush you right here."

Before long, Seraphina's struggles subsided.

Estelle slowly stroked Seraphina's face, gently touching her crushed shoulder.

Her touch was strangely soft.

"So this is the girl Lavin loved so much."