The Villain’s Ending

Chapter 6

The First (6)

The room was filled with a stench, a noxious tangle of strong alcohol, the smell of blood, and cigarette smoke.

Levina had always abhorred these kinds of smells.

Everything unkempt, uncontrolled, ugly, and filthy.

Her gaze was fixed on her half-brother, sprawled on the bed like a rag.

He lay still, covered in a messy mix of blood and dirt.

A faint sound of breathing, so faint it was impossible to tell if it was regular or irregular, barely broke the silence of the room.

Lavin was, in a way, the very embodiment of everything she loathed.

Yet, what filled her mind now was not the usual contempt or revulsion.

It was something inexplicably sharp and aching, something she couldn't even describe herself.The sensation felt alien and unpleasant.

Levina slowly rose from her seat.

Her shoe nudged an empty liquor bottle rolling on the floor.

Roll.

The sound of the glass bottle rolling echoed softly through the empty room.

Undeterred, she approached the bed where Lavin lay.

Seen up close, his appearance was even more wretched.

His torn lips, swollen cheek, and the bruises visible through the rips in his uniform.

'The family's disgrace has caused trouble again,'

That's what she would have thought normally.

Because it was the most logical and straightforward conclusion.

From the start of the semester, he had challenged a commoner named Kyle, who had entered as the second-best student, to a duel for some petty reason, only to be ludicrously defeated and make the Edelgard family name a laughingstock. Throughout his time at the academy, he had amassed nothing but infamy without any improvement, associated with thugs and constantly caused trouble. And finally, just a few days ago, he had used the family's influence to barge into the forbidden library and get embroiled in a monster summoning incident, truly an incorrigible fool.

Levina knew that Lavin had merely entered the forbidden library and had no connection to the incident that occurred at the academy.

But she hadn't told anyone that fact, except for her father.

Because she saw no need to.

Regardless of the truth, Lavin was always at the center of problems.

That fact alone made him deserving of blame.

Levina decided to think of it that way and move on.

As she always had, out of habit.

In any case, she had come here today to deliver her father's final notice.

The pronouncement: 'Even if he wishes to remain at the academy, he will be immediately expelled, all support from the Edelgard family will be severed, and he will be disowned.'

She intended to deliver that message and completely sever this tiresome relationship.

She, too, had wished for Lavin to be cast out.

The more she tried to help him, the more he went astray. When she scolded him, he would meekly endure the situation only to turn around and cause the same trouble again. She didn't want to call such an illegitimate child her brother, nor did she want to be called the sister of that scoundrel.

She reached out a hand.

For a very brief moment, she hesitated.

Without realizing it, she found herself touching Lavin's bloodied lips, then wiping the cold sweat from his forehead before startled, she pulled her hand back.

Then, her hand stopped in mid-air.

At least, it wasn't out of disgust.

She didn't know why, but it felt as if Lavin would simply die if left like this.

It was a pure, unreasoned intuition.

Levina seriously wondered if she was losing her mind.

For an unknown sadness, guilt, and nausea were beginning to well up inside her.

Yet, her fingers hovered in the air, as if blocked by an invisible wall.

In the end, she did nothing and withdrew her hand.

She didn't want to directly deal with this situation herself.

She had a simpler method.

To pass the buck to someone else, as always.

Just as she would always find some fault to pick on whenever she was in a bad mood, using Lavin as her emotional dumping ground, all the while believing that her words were sincere advice and counsel.

Levina didn't understand why Lavin relied on alcohol, tobacco, and perhaps even drugs.

She had simply believed it was because he was weak and lacked willpower.

But now, perhaps just a little, she felt as if she understood.

She didn't want to be in this room sober.

****

After a villain meets a ridiculously pathetic end or a dog's death, no one bothers to shine a spotlight on that miserable life, unless their intention is specifically to mock it.

Such deaths are usually brushed aside lightly, with a touch of amusement and mockery rather than sadness.

Perhaps serving as a dog's death befitting a scoundrel's end, or simply to confirm that Seraphina would never think of him again.

Given how agonizingly painful this is, it seems I haven't quite met a ludicrous dog's death yet.

As I lay there blankly, lost in such idle thoughts, an unfamiliar voice reached my ears.

"The rumors were true, then. What a complete mess. Alcohol, tobacco—ugh. This room, do you even clean it? It's not a place where a person lives, it's like a goblin's den."

It was a lighthearted voice, with an accent that sounded somewhat teasing.

Instead of pain and the haze of alcohol, a strange sense of stability enveloped my entire body.

And then, I felt a touch.

A touch of moderate warmth, neither cold nor hot.

It felt as if that touch was caressing the broken parts of my body, setting them back into place.

"Usually, when something like this happens, other petty nobles would rage, saying, 'How dare a nobody like you try to teach me?'

Young master is a bit different. Or perhaps you're still dazed from the beating?"

I slowly opened my eyes.

My vision was blurry. Everything seemed to blur into a hazy mess.

After blinking several times, my vision gradually began to focus.

A woman was looking down at me, using her lap as a pillow for my head.

"......Estelle?"

What came out of my mouth was a mumble, closer to a question.

A small, pale face with silver hair neatly braided down.

The slightly upturned corners of her eyes, like a playful cat, and the corners of her lips that seemed to want to quirk up even when tightly closed.

The most famous Saint in the Empire, renowned for her benevolence and beauty.

And simultaneously, the most heretical Saint.

"Oh? What, you know me, Young Master?"

She was wearing the simple white robe of a priestess, but her aura was anything but holy.

Rather, she exuded an aura more akin to a wandering minstrel met at a local tavern.

"Is there anyone who doesn't know? You and I, there's probably no one here who doesn't know us."

"Well, that's true enough.

But Young Master, you're known for bad things, and I'm known for good things, aren't I?"

Estelle giggled in response.

The sensation of light seeping into my body was quite peculiar.

"You're a bit different from the rumors, you."

"…What do you mean?"

How much could she have seen to say I was different from the rumors?

I wouldn't know, since I've never actually heard my own rumors.

"Well, the Lavin Edelgard in the rumors was far more impatient, arrogant, and violent than this.

What do you call it, just an empty-headed thug?

So I just intended to leave you be.

But seeing you in person, it's just…."

She stared intently at me, about to say something, then shook her head and changed the subject.

"You just look really tired.

Did you perhaps not sleep well last night?"

It didn't seem like an entirely appropriate thing to say to someone who had just been unconscious.

"Anyway, I've pretty much healed all your wounds, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

Your left ankle was pretty badly twisted, so it might ache for a few days. By the way, now that I've reset your broken nose, you look surprisingly normal. Should I say handsome? Not really my type, though."

She chattered on casually, removing her hand from my face.

"Aren't you going to thank me?

Even if your esteemed sister paid a hefty sum for the treatment, there's still basic etiquette, you know.

Doesn't the Edelgard family teach things like that?"

I rummaged through my memories.

It seemed I had never learned such things.

"They don't, it seems. Perhaps because I'm just a worm-like illegitimate child."

At my reply, Estelle's eyes darted around in slight embarrassment before she let out an awkward cough.

"Ah, um. Well, that's… regrettable. You're very honest, aren't you?"

She pulled a small apple from her robe, polished it against the hem, and took a big bite.

The crisp sound echoed clearly in the quiet room.

"Want one? They're the best when you're feeling down."

Estelle said, offering me the apple she had bitten into.

"Not really."

"Alright, then I'll just eat it myself."

She shrugged and took another bite of the apple.

Her gaze swept over the room once more: the letters on the table, the liquor bottles rolling on the floor, and my face.

I reached for the crumpled cigarette pack on the table.

Fortunately, a few sticks were still left.

I lit a cigarette and looked at Estelle.

I at least had some rough knowledge of the original story.

Though my memory was hazy due to the years that had passed.

That Seraphina liked lilacs and enjoyed receiving letters.

That Levina liked to express her feelings honestly.

And that the Saintess before me, quite charmingly, was a heavy smoker like myself.

However, there were a few minor points that detracted from her charm.

While it's said that attractive women usually have many secrets, Estelle's degree of secrecy was a bit excessive.

"Actually, I heard something somewhere."

Regrettably, she was the true culprit behind the forbidden library incident.

Though remembering it was utterly meaningless.

I had no way or justification to approach the esteemed Saintess, and even if I did claim she was behind it, there was no one who would believe me.

"You weren't the one who caused trouble in the forbidden library, were you?

As in, you were literally cleared of all charges."

Instead of answering, I exhaled a long stream of smoke.

Estelle made a strange expression as the cigarette smoke hit her face.

If anyone else had said those words, I might have shed tears of emotion and hugged them.

But hearing it from the person who had facilitated a monster escaping the forbidden library, it felt incredibly peculiar.

"Are you listening? It's a story that could clear your name."

Or rather, say she allowed it to happen would be more accurate.

She had only secretly crept into the forbidden library and helped enable a monster to be summoned; she hadn't done anything directly herself.

In the first place, there's no way a mere demon worshipper could 'secretly' enter the academy's forbidden library.

Unless, like me, they barged in, flaunting their family name and causing a ruckus.

"You were the one who did it."

Estelle stopped chewing her apple and looked at me.

Her eyes narrowed, as if intrigued.

"Me? Why would I?"

"I don't know. Just, because it seems like something you'd do."

At that moment, Estelle's hand shot out like lightning and snatched the cigarette I held in my mouth.

I could only stare blankly at her action.

If that punch had hit me instead of Marcus's pathetic excuse for a fist, my head would probably have exploded into a pulpy mess.

"How much do you know?"

The corners of her eyes, looking at me, were slightly curved.

She casually brought the cigarette, stained with a stranger's saliva, to her own lips.

She took a deep drag, then exhaled a hazy cloud of smoke towards my face.

"This tastes awful. Next time, smoke something more expensive, Young Master."

Her voice was light and cheerful, as if she were discussing neighborhood gossip.

It was a tone utterly unsuited to the gravity of her words.