The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 31

A heavy silence filled the air.

Yuria, looking at me with tearful eyes, and Ruin, glaring at me as if he wanted to kill me. I didn’t know where to place myself under the burdensome gazes of the novel’s Heroine and Sub Male Lead.

Especially Ruin.

Ruin glared at me fiercely.

Clenching and unclenching his fists repeatedly, Ruin looked ready to fire magic at my face at any moment.

It seemed like he was trying to score points with Yuria this time, but I didn’t want to play along with the Village Chief of Green Algae Village’s plan.

Unsure if he wanted to flirt with me or not, I asked Ruin, who kept trying to make eye contact with me, with genuine curiosity.

“What are you looking at? You just stood by when we bullied Yuria.”

“What?”

“Why? Are you going to say it was because you weren’t close to her back then?”

“…Shut up. I didn’t know Yuria was having a hard time back then…!”

“Bullshit.”

As expected, Ruin conjured a red sphere in his hand. Just as he stomped the ground and was about to charge at me in an instant—

“Ruin!”

Yuria shouted.

Ruin turned his glare toward Yuria.

His eyes protested, asking why she was stopping him, but I also shot Yuria the same look.

I could’ve turned Ruin’s head into a flower arrangement, so why was she stopping him?

“Yuria.”

Ruin called Yuria’s name in a serious tone.

“That bastard said he bullied you because he found it amusing.”

“Not ‘that bastard.’ It’s Ricardo. The Village Chief of Green Algae Village.”

“This bastard.”

“And don’t sugarcoat it. It wasn’t because of Yuria—it’s because you felt guilty, isn’t it? I don’t recall seeing you when Yuria was being bullied at the Academy.”

What I said was true.

Back then, Ruin was slowly building up his feelings for Yuria. To him at that time, Yuria was just a fairly pretty woman. Nothing more, nothing less.

The bullying bothered him, but—

He wasn’t someone who would step in.

“I told you to shut up!”

“Shh.”

I quietly placed a finger against my lips.

“Be quiet. You might mistake the orcs for your kin, Mr. Ruin, but Yuria and I won’t.”

“I’ll kill you….”

“Go ahead if you think you can handle it. I can, but I doubt you can.”

Ruin hesitated.

Even as a master of fire magic, he knew he’d end up as minced meat if he fought multiple elite orcs.

Seeing Ruin fall silent, I gave him a faint smile.

“Let’s talk quietly.”

Yuria, who had been silently observing the scene, spoke to me.

“Ricardo.”

“Yes.”

“Do you find this amusing?”

Her voice was awkwardly lowered.

She tried to look me straight in the eyes, but her gaze wavered whenever our eyes met.

Unaccustomed to expressing anger, Yuria clutched her skirt tightly and spoke.

“Do you find this situation funny?”

“….”

“When someone is asking you seriously, you pick a fight with Ruin and act like I’m not even here?”

At some point, her eyes were filled with tears.

Her tearful eyes looked as if a single touch would make her burst into sobs, and I clenched my fists tightly.

“Am I a joke to you?”

“No.”

“Then why are you doing this?”

“….”

“I’m asking you! Then, then… then why are you acting like this?”

Yuria demanded, her voice filled with resentment.

Faced with her angry question, I couldn’t bring myself to answer.

No excuse I gave would change anything.

We were the bad guys, trying to be slightly less bad.

From Yuria’s perspective, we were no different from elementary school kids whining, “But there are others who bullied you worse than I did, so why are you only blaming me?”

I answered her with silence.

“Say something.”

“…”

“I’m asking you. Did you hate seeing me that much? Or was it because I, a commoner, was mingling with nobles?”

That was the phrase Yuria heard the most at the Academy.

At the beginning of the novel, Yuria wasn’t—

Beautiful.

Lovely.

Amazing. It wasn’t anything like that.

It was—

A commoner.

Annoying to look at.

She seemed vulgar. Those were the kinds of things she often heard.

That was what Yuria heard while attending the Academy, and it was also what I heard the most while I was there.

Unlike Yuria, who was admitted to the Academy for her overwhelming divine power, I was a commoner who only got in by leveraging the status of a Young Lady.

Perhaps I faced even harsher discrimination than Yuria, so I understood the struggles of attending the Academy as a commoner better than anyone.

That’s why Yuria was saying this to me now.

We’re both commoners, so why did you discriminate against me? It could be venting anger for what she had endured, or maybe she genuinely disliked me and was asking out of spite.

Because we’re both commoners.

We could share our hardships.

We could endure the nobles’ disdain together, but I bullied her for fun.

If I were Yuria, I’d probably feel the same way.

I spoke honestly. Forgetting what I said earlier, this time I was truthful.

“It’s not neglect. I’m a commoner too—how could I neglect you?”

“Then what is it? Are you saying it was just for fun, like you said earlier?”

“No. Earlier, I just…”

‘You wouldn’t believe me no matter what I said. That was my final argument.’

I hid my frustrated thoughts for a moment.

I offered a plausible alternative.

“Uh… it’s just that….”

Yuria let out an empty laugh.

I knew better than anyone how frustrating I must seem right now.

I really am an idiot.

That’s why I felt even more sorry toward Yuria.

I gave the best answer I could muster.

“It’s because I’m a bad person.”

“Ha.”

-Slap.

Yuria slapped me across the face.

Two days later, on the way back to the Academy after finishing an assignment.

“…”

Yuria’s expression as she descended the mountain was not good.

She had perfectly completed the assignment, and now that she was returning to the Academy, she could reclaim her spot in the rankings.

She could restore her position, which had plummeted to the lower ranks after losing to Hanna early in the ranking tournament.

Yet, Yuria, who couldn’t seem to lift her spirits, let out a deep sigh.

“Haa…”

Ever since meeting Ricardo, she had been like this. This nagging, unsettled feeling wouldn’t go away.

“It’s because I’m a bad person, right?”

She still couldn’t forget that face. The face that smiled brightly even after being slapped.

-Now I finally feel a bit better.

-Are you crazy?

-I thought I deserved at least one slap.

She hated him, yet the way he bowed his head and thanked her lingered in her mind.

She clearly disliked him.

She really, really disliked him.

She didn’t want to see him again, even by chance.

But she hated herself for secretly wishing to see him again.

Because she had liked him so much.

He always appeared like a knight on a white horse, defeating villains.

-Young Lady, bite down.

-I’m not a puppy, you know?

-I’ll go buy a mint chocolate bath bomb.

-I bark pretty well!

When she had collapsed after drinking poisoned black tea.

-Who the hell did this?

-…

-You’d better talk now. Otherwise, you’re all dead.

In front of high nobles, a mere commoner had stood there, grinding his teeth. It was impossible not to fall for him.

But that was all in the past now.

“Haa… Yuria, get a grip.”

She had to pull herself together.

Yuria had no intention of forgiving Ricardo.

She resented him for not returning when he could have re-enrolled. She had heard rumors that Olivia was sick, but she had long stopped believing the exaggerated lies of the nobles.

“Hey, Yuria.”

Ruin, perhaps worried about her low spirits, quietly spoke to her. Yuria felt a bit better, grateful to have such a good friend.

“You don’t look so good. How about we stop by Friends of Forest on the way?”

“Friends of Forest? We already went there last time.”

Ruin smiled and said.

“We can go again.”

Yuria shook her head.

She didn’t want to inconvenience Ruin, who had taken the time to be with her.

“No, it’s fine. I feel better now.”

“I’ll pay.”

“Really, it’s okay.”

Ruin gave a regretful smile.

After walking a bit further.

“Huh… What’s that?”

Ruin, who was leading the way, suddenly grabbed Yuria’s clothes and pulled her back.

“Kyaa!”

Yuria lost her balance and fell.

She quickly tried to get up. If Ruin was acting like this, it meant a monster or bandit had appeared.

Just as she was about to rise and assume a combat stance.

“Yuria. Stay still.”

Ruin grabbed her and pulled her up.

With an unusual expression, Ruin began casting magic. Yuria pressed her lips together tightly.

Ruin muttered softly.

“Damn.”

Something was definitely wrong.

Yuria slowly lifted her head.

A massive man was standing there.

Holding a greatsword.

Staring at her with a crazed expression.

“You look quite fortunate.”

Drip. A drop of blood fell onto Yuria’s forehead.

“Uh… Uh…?”

Yuria stammered.

Ruin, too, was speechless.

Because of the enormous presence before them.

Dressed in black priest robes.

A scarred man holding a greatsword.

He held a black scripture and spoke.

“Ah… May I ask for directions, Saints?”

-Gulp.

“Do you know the way to salvation?”

It happened in an instant.

The cold blade of the greatsword was right in front of Yuria’s eyes. Just as she thought she couldn’t do anything.

“What are you doing?”

Boom. With a loud explosion, the ground shook violently.

***

The dust cloud cleared.

Yuria, who had tightly shut her eyes, cautiously opened them.

Her body was unharmed.

Yuria let out a sigh of relief.

“What are you doing? Do you really want to die?”

A cold, hardened voice echoed in her ears.

Polite yet arrogant speech.

At the familiar tone, Yuria lifted her head.

A man with red hair stood there, catching the greatsword with both hands.

The man spoke.

“Close your eyes for now.”