The Villain’s Ending

Chapter 68

Delusion (7)

I turned my back to the church door and headed for the dormitory.

I walked slowly along the darkening road. Streetlights began to flick on, one by one. The cold night air brushed against my cheek.

Turning the corner, I saw familiar faces. Three familiar figures stood blocking the path, guffawing. It seemed difficult to just pass by.

"Well, who do we have here? Haven't seen you in quite a while, have we?"

Marcus, who stood in the center, spotted me and spread his arms with an exaggerated gesture. Somehow, it felt like I had heard those exact words last time too.

A hollow laugh escaped me unconsciously.

Last time, I had pulled out the revolver from my waist and shot them.

Back then, there were too many of them. They were just useless thugs with nothing better to do and a lot of malice, but perhaps I had overreacted. I muttered the thoughts that came to mind, as if talking to myself.

"What's this bastard muttering about?"Marcus frowned and approached me. Instead of answering, I pulled out the revolver from my waist.

At that instant, Marcus's face stiffened at the sight of the gun.

Thwack!

I slammed the revolver's handle into Marcus's philtrum. With a dull thud, his head snapped back.

I then immediately aimed a punch at his jaw.

Crunch!

The distinct sensation of bone dislocating was clearly transmitted to my hand. Marcus collapsed to the ground, unable to even scream.

The remaining thugs beside him belatedly grasped the situation and tried to rush me. But seeing the gun barrel aimed at them, they froze, rooted to the spot.

I approached one of them and, without hesitation, slammed the revolver's handle into his philtrum. The other one, I simply kicked.

Both tumbled weakly to the ground. I approached the fallen Marcus.

I pressed the cold gun barrel against his forehead as he groaned, bleeding from his nose.

"I told you not to mistake me for one of you, just because I felt disgusted to associate with you."

I said in a low voice.

"Even if I'm expelled from the family, I'm still an Edelgard. Killing a worm like you won't get me punished."

Marcus could only look up at me with terror-stricken eyes. His lips trembled violently, but no sound escaped his mouth.

I considered robbing his wallet.

But I quickly dismissed the thought.

As for money, I could just ask Levina for it.

I struck Marcus's face one more time with the revolver's handle. Standing up, I kicked his face once. Then, as if nothing had happened, I continued on my way.

Faint groans could be heard behind me, but I didn't look back.

I returned to my room. My uniform, lightly stained with blood, I casually tossed onto the floor. I sat on the sofa, almost lying down.

I filled the pipe Levina had given me with tobacco leaves. I also mixed in a little powder from the small cardboard box.

Striking a match, I lit it, deeply inhaled the smoke, then exhaled. Hazy smoke filled the room.

My throbbing head felt a little better, and I definitely started to feel sleepy.

After Levina brought this to me, saying that I struggled every night, I stopped having nightmares. Lineta no longer appeared in my dreams.

Although asking what it was never yielded an answer, I just assumed it was good medicine since my headaches disappeared, so I let it go. Honestly, whatever it was, as long as I wouldn't impulsively hang myself, that was enough.

****

Knock.

The next morning, I was woken by a knocking sound at the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound didn't stop. I stared blankly at the ceiling. I couldn't be bothered to get up. If it were Levina, she would just come in on her own anyway.

Eventually, the door opened. Seraphina, wearing a rather expensive-looking sky-blue dress instead of her usual uniform, entered the room.

She paused for a moment upon seeing me. Then, with a sigh, she approached and stood beside the bed.

"Lavin, wake up. We're going to be late at this rate."

She shook me awake.

I blankly clutched my head.

"...Why are you here?"

"Why am I here? I wrote in the letter that it would be nice to go to the park today."

Seraphina said.

I didn't remember. The thought "Next time, I should really read the letter" came to mind, and then I sighed, realizing I was unconsciously thinking about dying again.

"Right, that's right. I'll get ready quickly, so please sit down somewhere for a moment."

I stumbled as I got up.

Seraphina sat not on the sofa, but on the edge of the bed where I had just been lying. The bed creaked faintly.

I quickly washed up and got dressed before coming out. Seraphina was looking at my uniform, which I had tossed on the floor, lightly stained with blood.

"Did you fight?"

She asked. I merely glanced at her without answering.

"Shall we go soon?"

Seraphina hesitated slightly, then nodded and stood up.

And she led me out of the academy.

As we passed through the corridor, I could hear students whispering. It was the kind of talk about whether our engagement wasn't going to be broken off soon. Seraphina, as if hearing nothing, took my hand and walked forward, almost pulling me along.

It was the Beluze family's carriage. We sat facing each other.

Before long, the carriage began to move. The regular sound of wheels rolling over the gravel road could be heard.

I was looking out the window. The rapidly passing scenery gave me no particular feeling.

"Lavin, I prepared your favorite chocolate cookies and sandwiches too."

Seraphina spoke first.

"Sounds delicious."

I replied, looking at her. Hollow eyes, and dark circles beneath them. She looked somewhat exhausted.

"Didn't you sleep well?"

"Oh, yes. I tossed and turned a bit. I was excited because it's been a long time since we went somewhere like this together."

Seraphina answered, twirling a strand of hair by her ear with her finger.

"Do you remember the bakery we used to frequent when we were little?"

She asked.

"Are you talking about the place where you always chose only cream bread when you went?"

"Yes. Back then, I ate all your chocolate cookies, and you got upset."

Seraphina said, smiling faintly as if recalling that memory.

I, too, let out a faint laugh.

"That's right."

"At first, I thought they were mine and ate them, but you made such a fuss that you even snatched my cream bread away."

That day came back to me very vividly. It was quite a happy memory for me. That afternoon, warm with sunlight, when we sat side by side on the bench in front of the store.

Levina and the Duchess were waiting when I returned home. I remembered thinking I never wanted to go back, that I just wanted to stay by Seraphina's side like that. I even wished I could follow the Beluze family instead, but I knew I couldn't possibly voice that thought back then.

I hadn't shown it back then. No, 'Lavin' hadn't shown it.

Jolt.

The carriage stopped. I was staring blankly out the window.

"Lavin? Lavin, we've arrived."

Seraphina got out first, then called my name several times. Only then did I snap out of it.

"Ah, yes. We've arrived."

Stepping onto the appropriate footrest, I disembarked from the carriage.

The path leading to the park was well-maintained. Unnamed flowers bloomed on both sides, and the scent of grass carried on the wind tickled my nose. Old trees cast long shadows.

It seemed the servants had already prepared everything, from the picnic mat, at a suitable spot in the park.

Seraphina and I sat side by side there, watching the people in the park and the lake. Children laughed and ran around, and lovers strolled along the lakeside, holding hands. It was a peaceful scene.

"When is the engagement going to be broken off?"

I brought up the topic first.

"I don't want to talk about that after coming all this way."

Seraphina said.

"It feels like you brought me here just to tease me, even though we're going to break up anyway."

"That... that's absolutely not true."

Seraphina replied. Her voice had risen slightly.

After that, silence fell between us. Only the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves could be heard.

"How did we end up like this?"

Seraphina said. It was a line I had used on her in a previous timeline.

"Before, I used to just meet you, spend some time together, then go home, play with family, study a bit, and days would fly by so quickly, but now, how did it all come to this...?"

Her voice trembled faintly.

"Shall we eat some chocolate cookies?"

I cut her off.

Seraphina bit her lower lip. She replied in a voice that seemed to be holding back tears.

"Okay."

She took a chocolate cookie from the basket and handed me one.

"I made them myself."

Seraphina added. I said nothing and simply put it in my mouth. It was crispy and sweet.

Nibbling on the chocolate cookie, I opened my mouth.

"Do you remember, last time, you said you would try to prevent the engagement from being broken off?"

Upon hearing that, Seraphina's face brightened. Her somewhat hollow eyes seemed to have gained a little vitality.

"Were you truly, genuinely serious when you said that?"

I asked, looking straight at her.

"Not just words you uttered because I seemed upset that day, thinking you shouldn't leave me be, but because you genuinely believed you could do it."

The smile vanished from Seraphina's face. She avoided my gaze.

"I don't know. But, I did tell Father I didn't want it."

"That's all you did, isn't it?"

I replied curtly.

Seraphina raised her head. Desperation filled her eyes.

"Then what, what do you want? Tell me. I'll do anything."

"Actually, even if we break off the engagement like this, it's just that I can't help it because of Levina, and you can't help it because of Father. I just want our relationship to remain as it is, going forward."

At those words, Seraphina's face brightened again. She eagerly clasped my hand.

"...Ah, yes! Yes, of course! There's no way I'd ever give up on you."

Upon hearing her words, I let out a hollow laugh. Then, I looked at her, and then swept my hand across my face. Looking at the floor instead of her, I said.

"Right. Of course not."

As I do various things with Estelle, Kyle will surely come looking.

After all, he's the great protagonist. He's the kind of person who actively seeks out crazy and impulsive things to do.

The memory of Kyle finding me while I was hiding away with Levina sometimes resurfaces in my dreams. It's like seeing Lineta hanging ten times, and then that memory appears once.

At that time, I wondered if Seraphina hesitating upon seeing me might be of some help. I don't even wish for her to take my side, so I just hope she doesn't torment me with her Great magic.

After that, I spent a boring and tiring day, offering appropriate responses to Seraphina's excited chatter beside me.

She recounted stories from our childhood, and I occasionally nodded. I felt as if I had somehow just drifted through the day.

As I was idly spending time in the park, a very familiar person walking down the street caught my eye.