The Villain’s Ending

Chapter 95

Afterimage (6)

Seraphina hugged me, then left the room as if fleeing.

I heard the door she closed resonate with a soft thud in the hallway.

Inside the room, only the faint lingering scent of lilac she left behind and a disquieting silence remained.

I thought I should immediately take care of the room request.

I stretched once, then neatly adjusted the clothes I was wearing.

My chest felt a little sore.

I put my hand inside my clothes and touched it, and a little blood stained my fingertips.

I slightly removed my clothes to check, and Seraphina's bite mark was clearly visible.

I sighed, then put my clothes back on.And after walking for quite some time, I headed towards the student council president's office where Levina was.

The hallway was unusually long and quiet.

It felt as if only my footsteps echoed on the floor.

The thought that the few people around would die meaningless dog's deaths at the hands of Demons made it feel as if I could neither see nor hear anything.

I reached the vicinity of the student council president's office.

As I tried to go inside, the students guarding the door blocked my way.

They were faces I had seen before.

They were the ones who occasionally trailed after Levina.

"A worm such as yourself has no right to enter here."

The male student at the very front said, lightly pushing me.

His voice and gaze were mixed with contempt and a slight fear.

"......Surely you don't like Levina, do you?"

"Why would I tell you such a thing……Hmph.

Anyway, I heard you caused a disturbance even when you were getting kicked out of the family.

The President is suffering because of a human like you……."

Without a word, I slapped the male student who had been babbling nonsense at the front.

The sound echoed in the hallway.

Perhaps I hit him harder than I thought, or perhaps because he was a timid bookworm like me, the male student immediately lost his balance.

I grabbed him by the collar, kicked him in the abdomen with my knee, and then threw him down.

He gasped and choked, unable to properly steady himself on the floor.

I pushed aside the other students nearby, opened the door, and entered.

Somehow, I felt accustomed to violence.

Perhaps it was because all the people around me were like that.

Why, my fiancée is the kind of person who only meant to get a little angry but ended up destroying a mansion and burning down fields, after all.

The room was filled with the scent of document piles and old books.

The faint sunlight streaming in through the window felt much warmer than expected.

And Levina, with a blood bruise on her neck and a light bruise on her face, was sitting at her office desk.

She was looking through documents as if nothing was wrong.

"...You left it as it was."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about. Why don't you knock before you come in?"

Levina replied without taking her eyes off the documents.

I sat down on a nearby chair.

The chair creaked.

"My goodness, I never thought anyone would like someone like you, Sis."

"They don't like me; they prefer the fact that I'm the young head of the Edelgard family and my outward appearance."

Levina replied.

Then she put down the documents.

"Unlike some people, I'm not just presentable outwardly; I'm an object of admiration."

It was somehow absurd to hear such words from the very person who was only presentable outwardly.

"You could just apply some suitable medicine instead of going to the church, and it would subside, so are you going to leave it as it is?"

"Of all days, it's the day you're getting kicked out of the family, and it's a trace you left yourself. I should cherish it, shouldn't I?"

Levina raised her head.

Her grey eyes curved slightly. Meeting my gaze, she slowly smiled and lightly caressed one of the bruises on her face.

I put my feet on the table, took out a cigarette from my pocket, put it in my mouth, and lit it.

White smoke billowed up.

"If only listening to Seraphina, it seems quite surprising that you're using magic again."

"It's an absurd thing."

Levina replied.

She pushed aside the stacked books, stood up, and opened the window. A cold wind, unlike the sunlight, entered the room and dispersed the smoke.

"Nothing should have happened in the Forbidden Library.

It makes me wonder if something else happened that I don't know about."

Levina continued, speaking softly as she watched the smoke fly out through the window.

"Perhaps it was good that I prevented you from learning magic or swordsmanship in the first place.

Even if I didn't know you would crawl your way up like this."

After that, as silence flowed through the room, the creak of a door opening was heard.

It seemed someone had come, worried about Levina.

"......President?"

"Get out."

Levina said without even turning her head.

Then the door closed naturally once again.

"Anyway, why have you come, my brother."

Levina said.

She was still looking out the window.

"Can you get me a room?"

"Why a room?"

Levina asked back.

Only then did she turn her body to look at me.

"Seraphina seems to have been kicked out of her family, according to her."

Hearing those words, Levina's expression subtly hardened.

"You know?"

"I heard about it. But there's no way that child would do such a thing, and the rumors circulating were too preposterous, so I just thought they were idle gossip."

Levina replied, then sighed.

"So, you came to me to ask me to get a room for your fiancée, who isn't even you and whom you'll soon break off your engagement with?"

Her voice was cold.

"Sis."

Her slightly cloudy grey eyes gazed at me.

My reflection was faintly visible within those eyes.

I glanced around at the heavy wooden box containing a pen, which was on the table, then threw it near Levina.

The wooden box hit the wall, and perhaps because it contained an ink bottle, black liquid burst out.

Black ink bloomed like a flower on Levina's pure white blouse.

Black ink dripped from the edge of her blouse, staining the floor. The characteristic ink scent covered the smell of smoke and filled the room.

"Why should I?"

"You said you'd do it if I asked."

At my words, the corner of Levina's mouth lifted faintly.

As if she had been waiting.

"When did I? I don't remember saying such a thing.

You must have heard nonsense, poor thing.

Because some bastard dared to climb on top of his master and choke her, she couldn't say a word."

She leaned her back against the window, crossed her arms, and looked down at me.

I stood up and approached her.

With each step I took, her eyes narrowed.

As I drew a little closer, she was backing away when her back met the bookshelf.

"Levina."

As I raised my hand, she flinched slightly.

Even so, she twisted one corner of her mouth into a sneer and let out a hollow laugh.

"You, a prostitude's illegitimate child, what do you dare to do to me?"

Her voice was filled with mockery.

"All you could do was crawl like a dog beneath me, wasn't it? Isn't that right?"

Saying that, Levina kicked my shin and pushed me back slightly.

"Seems so."

As I said that and raised my hand, Levina squeezed her eyes shut.

I placed my hand on her bruised face and slowly caressed it.

Levina slowly opened her eyes with a slightly puzzled expression and looked at me.

"Don't touch me."

She grabbed my wrist and tried to pull my hand away.

So I pressed down hard with my thumb that was resting on her cheek.

Her head was pushed back and hit the bookshelf behind her.

"Augh…!"

Levina let out a short sound, as if in pain.

She tried to push me away, then slowly looked up at me. And as our eyes met, her face trembled slightly, and she made a tearful expression.

"D-don't look at me like that."

"Then you just have to do everything I ask, don't you?"

Levina still didn't answer.

She merely kept her lips tightly sealed.

I sighed, then released the pressure from the hand that was pressing on Levina's cheek and pushed her away.

Then I turned my back, walked a few steps, and was about to turn the doorknob to leave the room.

"Lavin."

I heard a voice call from behind me.

"Does it matter if it's a small room used by servants?"

"It doesn't matter."

I glanced back slightly and replied.

"And I'm going to visit the annex next weekend, so get me a carriage."

Levina glared at me.

Then she opened her mouth.

"If you take me with you, I'll get it for you."

"What are you going to do if you come along?"

Levina firmly closed her mouth. She looked at me with a slightly resentful expression, as if holding back tears, then slowly opened her mouth.

"You probably don't even know what it means for you to go alone."

"Why, because your mother might kill me?

Do you think some knight will suddenly jump out and kill me, then bury me somewhere, or perhaps poison me?"

I slowly walked towards her and stopped in front of her.

"Don't call me 'you'."

Levina said that, and reached out her hand to me.

I slapped her hand away.

"Then what should I call you?

What should I call the human who held my hand, beat me as if to kill me, imprisoned me, and prevented me from learning anything?"

And I kicked her shin.

Levina staggered, almost fell, but grabbed the bookshelf and stood up again.

"Who would have known? No one would have expected you to stay still even after this."

"......Anyway, if you're going to the annex, come with me.

I don't know what you'll do there, but I won't stop you."

"Do as you please."

Levina followed me, then grabbed my sleeve before I could leave. After I turned around and met her gaze, she asked.

"Do you hate me?"

"I don't know."

Hearing my answer, Levina relaxed her grip on my sleeve.

"Lavin."

And then she slowly let go.

"Do you think anything will change if you act like this?"

"Yes, it does change."