The Villain’s Ending

Chapter 8

The First (8)

I opened the drawer, and the revolver was gone.

It was as if it had never been there in the first place.

I stared blankly at the empty drawer for a moment.

A faint scent of old wood wafted up.

Who could have taken it?

Levina? Or Estelle?

It couldn't have been Seraphina.

I wasn't angry or anxious.

It was just a slight inconvenience, that kind of feeling.The difficulty of my easiest escape route being blocked.

At least when I'd blown my brains out, I hadn't felt any pain.

Jumping from a high place, though, that still felt a bit scary.

In any case, it would be 5 o'clock soon.

As I opened the door to leave the room for a not-so-pleasant time with Levina, someone bumped into me.

"Ah."

With a short moan, a familiar figure stumbled.

It was Seraphina.

She was clutching her forehead, her head bowed, as if she had hit it on the door.

Her appearance was even more disheveled than when I had seen her in front of the library a few hours ago.

"How long have you been here?"

"......I didn't know what to say. So I just, kept staying."

Her golden hair was disheveled in places, and her eyes were bloodshot.

Her neatly ironed uniform was wrinkled, and her pale face was stained with tear tracks.

The scent of lilacs, which normally would have felt fragrant, somehow felt damp.

"Just go back for now."

"Wait, can't we talk for a moment? What I said, that time, and just now, those weren't sincere......"

I cut her off and tried to move towards the hallway.

Then, Seraphina grabbed my wrist.

Her hand was cold and trembling slightly.

"Please, just a moment. I have something to say. Really. Please, Lavin."

Her voice held a kind of plea I had never heard before.

Memories of the time when I had just become 'Lavin' and struggled to win her over resurfaced, making my mood sink.

"It's not because I dislike you; it's because of this."

I pulled out a crumpled disciplinary committee summons from my pocket and showed it to her.

Her trembling blue eyes slowly scanned the words written on the paper.

"Talk later. Or just go inside."

I gestured with my chin towards my room door.

She seemed to hesitate for a moment, glancing alternately at my face and the doorknob.

Eventually, she nodded very slightly and went inside my room.

The sound of the door closing echoed faintly in the hallway.

Leaving that sound behind, I headed towards where the disciplinary committee was being held.

The Student Council room was on the top floor of the Academy's main building.

The hallway was quiet.

Most students would have already finished their classes and returned to their dorms, or gone for dinner.

Outside the window, the sun was setting.

A red, colossal sunset dyed the entire building crimson.

And so, I arrived at the door of the Student Council room.

I held the doorknob for a moment and took a deep breath.

What should I say?

What kind of expression should I make?

Should I just snap at them to stop acting like fellow students and call the dean instead?

I understand the educational policy of clearly distinguishing between the high-born and the low-born from childhood in an institution that rubs shoulders with commoners, but it wouldn't be a pleasant experience to have Levina look down on me from above and determine my guilt.

After all, what 'Lavin' endured daily back in the family, I was now about to experience firsthand.

I turned the doorknob and went inside.

A long table was set up in the room, and familiar or unfamiliar faces sat around it.

Levina sat at the head of the table.

Her face, as always, held no expression.

On either side were several professors and other student council members.

Their expressions were a mix of boredom, annoyance, and a hint of curiosity.

And at the very end of the table, opposite me, sat Marcus and two of his cronies.

Their faces were a mess. Bandages were wrapped around their noses, and large plasters covered their cheeks.

As soon as they saw me, they glared with hateful eyes, but when I silently met their gaze, they quickly lowered their eyes.

It seemed they hadn't managed to find a skilled priest.

Or perhaps they deliberately dragged themselves out like that to present themselves as victims.

"Sit."

Levina gestured with her chin towards the empty chair in front of me.

I silently pulled out the chair and sat down.

The chair was hard.

"Lavin Edelgard. I believe you are well aware of why you are here."

Levina's voice was as cold and dry as the air in the room.

I said nothing.

"A few days ago, not only did you draw criticism for unnecessary actions, but you also unilaterally assaulted Marcus Klein and two other students, inflicted unnecessary injuries, and in the process, tarnished the honor of the Edelgard family. Do you have anything to say regarding these facts?"

"No."

I replied briefly.

At my answer, everyone in the room looked somewhat surprised.

In particular, Levina's eyebrow twitched ever so slightly.

She had probably expected me to make excuses, or perhaps to erupt in anger and cause a scene.

"You have nothing to say?"

The professor in charge of student guidance, sitting in a corner, asked suspiciously.

I couldn't recall his name.

I merely looked at him for a moment.

He had been sitting with his legs crossed, but as my gaze fell upon him, he cleared his throat uncomfortably and straightened his posture.

Where on earth does this 'status' and 'bloodline' draw such authority from?

To make them behave like crushed rats even towards a mere illegitimate child who will soon be expelled.

"Yes, I have nothing. So, do as you please."

I said, looking at Levina.

The silence in the room grew heavier.

Now, bewilderment was etched on their faces.

"Let's hear from the victim's side."

Levina turned her head towards Marcus.

Marcus opened his mouth with an aggrieved expression, as if he had been waiting.

As Marcus dramatically performed with an exaggerated voice like a third-rate actor, I let it go in one ear and out the other.

It was quite a plausible performance.

If he had used that talent elsewhere, he might have succeeded.

But even then, he probably would have laid hands on an actress, offended a gang leader's woman, and disappeared without a trace.

Anyway, I had become a madman who had suddenly beaten down three young men without a word and then burned them with a cigarette.

"Lavin Edelgard. Do you have anything to refute regarding the victim's claims now?"

Levina again asked me.

"No."

"In that case, I will take it that you admit to all charges.

The punishment will be notified after sufficient deliberation, so be aware of that."

I shrugged.

"......Everyone else may leave. However, Lavin Edelgard, you are to remain."

The professors and student council members also rose from their seats one by one and left the room.

Marcus and his cronies exited the room, flashing obnoxious smiles.

It was just laughable, perhaps because they had missing teeth.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Levina asked.

"Because those three delinquent bastards were the ones who came back beaten to a pulp that day."

"What did you expect me to say?"

"At least, I thought you'd make an excuse."

"If I made an excuse, would you have listened?"

Levina didn't answer my question.

That was her answer.

I smiled faintly.

"Then that's enough. If your business is done, I'll be leaving too."

I rose from my seat and walked past her.

At that moment, Levina spoke in a low voice.

"The revolver, I took it."

I stopped walking.

"That? You?"

For one, it was my mother's keepsake.

Levina used to call my mother 'a dirty prostitute who bore an illegitimate child.'

"No, wait, how did you even know where it was?"

I walked across the table towards her.

I was smiling faintly.

It must have been a peculiar expression, with my lips curled up but my eyes not smiling.

"Just, I thought it would be there."

Levina replied with an expression that suggested even she didn't know.

It was the first time I realized that even her characteristic impassive face could convey a hint of difficulty.

"Why, on earth, would you take it?"

"Because... I was afraid you'd do something foolish."

Levina didn't rise from her seat.

She merely looked up at me.

"Levina."

"Even if you're expelled from the family and rusticated from the academy, it's not the end of your life......"

I grabbed her by the collar.

Her slender body came along lightly, like a piece of paper.

"Levina."

And then I dragged her straight off the chair.

Thud!

The sound of Levina's body hitting the floor echoed dully.

I straddled her and throttled her with both hands.

"Gah...cough...!"

A pained gasp burst from Levina's lips.

Her hands tried to push my arms away, but seemed to lack strength.

They merely grabbed at my sleeves before slipping down.

"Just keep despising me, cursing me, treating me like trash, like you always do.

What sudden thought possessed the pride of our Edelgard family to even lay hands on my belongings, huh?"

Her eyes were wide open.

It was the first time those eyes, which had always looked down on me with contempt and loathing, had appeared like this.

"Is it really so agonizing for a disgusting bastard illegitimate child to even carry a single gun now?

At least for the past few years, I wagged my tail in front of you, rolled over like a dog when told, and lived quietly, you bastard."

My grip tightened.

Levina's face turned red, then blue.

Tears streamed from her eyes.

"Was the mess in the forbidden library my problem too? Was it my problem, I ask? How was I supposed to know?

How was I supposed to know that those idiotic bastards would cause trouble on the very day I entered the forbidden library, huh?!"

Suddenly, I loosened my grip on her neck.

I felt her body go limp.

Levina coughed roughly, gasping for air.

"How long do I have to live like this?

Why are you pretending to care now?!"

With eyes that were gloomier than usual, she simply lay collapsed on the floor, staring up at me.

Was it because I had already died once?

Or was this truly my original nature?

I no longer even thought of consequences, like before.

Just living swayed by emotions, what was the difference between this and Lavin?

If I'm disowned from the family and expelled from the academy, my life will be over.

Because I'll never be able to go back.

I'm not miserable, but whenever I'm with you people, you always make me feel like a miserable human being.

I sat down in the chair Levina had been sitting in, and let out a deep sigh before speaking.

"Where's my gun?"

I knew better than anyone that no answer would come.

Therefore, I rose from my seat and fled the room as if escaping.

I walked quickly, very quickly, down the hallway.

"...don't."

Levina's hoarse voice had indeed been heard from behind me.

Don't do it? Don't go?

I wasn't sure what she had said.

Nor was I curious.

I wanted to go back right now.

To where I originally lived.

To a place where I wouldn't be called 'Lavin.'