The Villain’s Ending

Chapter 85

Delusion (24) Censored

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This is the censored version of the chapter. If you wish to view the uncensored version, message Sty or Goku on Discord and pray they send it to you.

Not long after, I had my wedding with Estelle.

The ceremony was held at the church in the Edelgard family's largest city.

It was a plausible union, but the city was surprisingly quiet.

There wasn't much of a crowd.

It was understandable, as demons and monsters were truly surging in like a tide. Countless men had been dragged to the front lines, and many had fled to entirely different places.

I didn't quite grasp the feeling of the world falling apart, but I felt it indirectly nonetheless.

In any case, even if not for me, there were many people who loved and blessed the Saintess, so the wedding itself proceeded without issue.We exchanged vows, rings, and a ceremonial kiss.

Afterward, I tiredly exchanged meaningless conversations with those around me.

I had just wiped my mouth with a napkin bearing the family crest and was about to put down my glass of champagne.

CRASH!

The church's heavy doors burst open violently.

Those who entered were armed.

Though they were dressed reasonably neatly, their faces and hands were covered in scars etched by battle.

Fatigue and desperation were deeply ingrained in them.

Leading them was Kyle.

He pushed aside the restraining priests and knights with an almost contemptuous ease, and approached Estelle and me.

Then, without hesitation, he knelt on one knee.

His knee hit the marble floor with a thud.

Kyle looked up at me.

With a gaze that seemed quite desperate.

"Your Grace, Duke Edelgard."

Compared to before, his voice was incredibly hoarse, as if his vocal cords had been torn.

"Soon, demons will invade this territory as well. Please, even if it's not as much as requested in the last letter we sent... please help us with at least minimal supplies."

I knew nothing.

I didn't even remember receiving any such letter.

I probably heard about it but had no interest, so I likely told them to just handle it themselves.

Instead of answering, I offered a faint smile.

I didn't particularly intend to mock him.

I simply didn't know what expression to make.

Upon seeing my smile, Kyle's face contorted for a moment. Veins pulsed in the fist he held before his kneeling knee, but he couldn't do anything.

He merely bit his lip.

And still kneeling, he looked up at Estelle.

His voice was fractured, filled with venom.

"Saintess. It is time for you, along with the church, to finally fulfill your duties."

Estelle looked down at him with cold eyes.

"Countless people are dying on the battlefield without any hope, without any meaning. They are dying hoping for divine protection. But you..."

Before Kyle could even finish his sentence, Estelle opened her mouth.

"I have decided to live as an ordinary woman now, so be gone."

Her voice was as cold as ice.

"You are still the Saintess! If you don't come, the soldiers on the front lines will...! Who will stop the monsters and demons?! Please, please fulfill your duties!"

Kyle cried out as if spitting blood.

The faces of those standing behind him were the same.

They were faces I had seen a few times at the academy, once lively.

But now, they merely stood like expressionless dolls.

And behind them, Seraphina stood.

She wore a black eye patch over her left eye, and a terrible scar ran long around the patch.

When her eyes met mine, she shed tears and subtly curved the corner of her lips upwards.

Estelle slowly approached Kyle.

And whispered softly into his ear.

So quietly that no one else, unless as close as I was, could hear it.

"Shut up, don't ruin the mood, and get out."

Upon hearing those words, Kyle staggered slightly, then stood up.

He looked alternately at me and Estelle for a moment, then exited the church with heavy footsteps.

Those who had followed him also silently trailed behind.

An awkward silence once again filled the church.

The festival held outside the church continued in a strange atmosphere.

The music blared loudly, but the laughter of the people was somehow unnatural.

Even if everyone tried hard to act cheerful, their eyes were filled with anxiety and fear.

The sound of the street musician's lute sounded more pitiful than joyful.

Children ran around waving flags, but their numbers were not so great, so even their laughter was faint.

Instead of drinking and dancing, people seemed to be overflowing, lying sprawled on the streets after having drunk heavily just to forget the day.

However, Estelle and I were not the kind of people to care about such things.

We simply stood at the center of the subtly broken-seeming festival, looking only at each other.

Thus, the splendid and tiring day passed, and night arrived.

It was the couple's first night.

Estelle was clad only in a gown over a thin camisole that was slightly see-through.

She lay sprawled on the large bed in my bedroom, looking up at the ceiling, and spoke.

"So all noble lords sleep in such large beds."

She rose from the bed and walked over to the small table right beside it.

On the table were wine, two clean glasses, and some simple refreshments.

Estelle lightly twisted open the wine cork with her bare hands, then poured wine into a glass.

"Here."

I took the wine glass Estelle handed me.

The red liquid gently swayed within the glass.

"How do you feel?"

I asked.

"What do you mean, how I feel?"

Estelle echoed back.

"About duty and all that."

"I don't care."

Estelle said resolutely.

She took a sip of wine, then set down her glass.

"What difference is there between suffering and dying here with no one to heal you, wandering the back alleys and starving to death, or being torn apart by demons?"

When our eyes met, Estelle grumbled, looking at the floor.

"I know I'm twisted."

She came closer to me and gently stroked my cheek.

"And if I go there, I can't be with you. Though if you went, I'd follow."

She lightly kissed my lips.

"Let's stop talking about unpleasant things. Instead of that, you said you'd do anything for me. Literally anything, except having children."

Estelle looked me straight in the eyes and said.

"Tell me you love me."

"......I love you."

Her eyes glowed red in the candlelight.

"You've met plenty of girls like me, haven't you? You probably toyed with them and then discarded them like old shoes. So you must know exactly what to do in times like this, right?"

Saying that, she cast off the gown she was wearing.

Her body was fully revealed beneath the thin camisole.

Estelle embraced me and pulled me straight onto the bed.

"W-wait, just a moment. I haven't even showered yet."

"It doesn't matter."

Estelle whispered into my ear. Her voice was tinged with a faint smile.

Estelle slowly mounted my legs, holding me tightly. Her body heat was conveyed through the thin fabric of the camisole. Then, as if playing with a toy, she roughly sought my lips.

I tried to push her away. But her strength was much greater than I expected. Far from being pushed back, Estelle instead pushed me towards the center of the bed.

Estelle looked down at me, sporting a reddish smile. But it was subtly awkward. Only her lips moved, unnecessarily and unnaturally.

The moment I inserted my tongue, her body froze completely.

After that, I spent my first night with Estelle.

Though the night wasn't over yet.

I fetched a suitable cloth and wiped away what was on Estelle's back.

My eyes met Estelle's, but she seemed completely devoid of strength.

She merely stared blankly at me.

I got out of bed and drank the remaining wine.

Then, after lightly putting on some clothes, I filled a pipe generously with tobacco leaves.

I sprinkled a generous amount of white powder, which I hadn't used in a while, onto the tobacco leaves.

These days, I could even conjure a small flame without magic stones, so I lit it with my fingertip and inhaled the smoke deeply.

For a long while, as I inhaled and exhaled the smoke, I stared blankly at Estelle, who lay curled up on the bed.