The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 52

Mikhail, gasping for breath, raised his trembling sword.

He looked at me with eyes full of determination to win somehow, but his shaking legs made him seem anything but intimidating. I couldn’t help but feel curious about how far he could go.

Covered head to toe in dust, I spoke to Mikhail.

“Get up.”

“Shut up.”

The sound of his teeth grinding reached my ears even from a distance.

Mikhail’s expression, unable to contain his frustration.

Mikhail’s figure, covered in dust.

It felt both pitiful and oddly satisfying at the same time.

I think I might get addicted to this….

Mikhail swung his sword at me once more.

His sword, pushed to its limit, was trembling. It was an attack driven more by desperation than efficiency, unable to suppress his emotions.

I easily dodged Mikhail’s sword and struck his exposed side with the sheath. Not hard enough to break a bone, but the pain was unmistakable.

Crack. The sharp, chilling sound of impact echoed, and Mikhail staggered heavily.

“Gah… Haaaah!!”

Watching Mikhail try to endure with a shout of spirit, I spoke again.

“Your left leg is open.”

Before I even finished speaking, I struck Mikhail’s leg with the sheath. His body lifted slightly off the ground before crashing down with a heavy thud.

A cloud of dust rose.

The thick dust cloud obscured my vision, and Mikhail’s figure disappeared from sight.

‘Swish.’ Mikhail swiftly lunged from within the dust cloud, aiming for a blind spot, but sensing his movements, I easily dodged his attack and spoke again.

“This time, it’s your right side.”

Another chilling crack reverberated through the alleyway.

With the deep impact of my strike, I was certain.

He wouldn’t be able to get up anymore.

Even someone like Mikhail, with his indomitable spirit that rises no matter how many times he falls, wouldn’t be able to endure the excruciating pain caused by aura.

Three seconds of silence passed.

Overwhelmed by the intense pain, Mikhail couldn’t even scream, clutching his abdomen instead. With a clanging sound, his sword fell from his hand. At the same time, Mikhail collapsed onto the ground.

I walked toward the fallen Mikhail.

Neither too fast nor too slow, I approached the protagonist of this novel, who lay defeated.

Mikhail’s pupils were trembling.

The fear of experiencing that pain again and the helplessness from the overwhelming difference in skill were evident in his broken expression.

Looking down at Mikhail, I spoke.

“Shall we stop now?”

“I can… keep going…!”

-Crunch.

A faint red aura began to emanate from my fingertips, tightening around Mikhail’s throat.

I pressed down on Mikhail’s shoulder to ensure he couldn’t get back up, slowly eroding his unyielding spirit.

Mikhail gritted his teeth, trying to overcome the crisis.

With an awkward smile, I whispered to Mikhail.

“Let’s stop. If you keep going, your body will break.”

“Don’t pretend to care. Something like this…”

“You’ll really die.”

At the killing intent in my voice, Mikhail’s pupils trembled violently.

“Don’t move.”

“Understood?”

I know, too.

Just how much of a hateful existence I am to Mikhail. I tormented the woman he liked and sided with the woman he despised to make his life miserable.

I could understand why he hated me and refused to listen to anything I said.

I don’t expect Mikhail to understand me.

Hoping for that would be shameless.

But there was just one thing I wished he could understand. Just as Yuria was an important existence to Mikhail, the Young Lady was a significant existence to me.

Even if this was nothing more than venting anger or childish complaints, I hoped he could understand this immature side of me just a little.

I bent down and picked up the sword Mikhail had dropped.

Whoosh. I gave it a light swing.

I checked the blade’s finish from front to back.

Mikhail’s Sword, bearing the marks of countless efforts to the point where the handle retained his handprints. It was one of Mikhail’s treasures mentioned in the novel.

I remember it being a gift from the Sister who raised Mikhail. It was his most cherished sword and the one that shaped the current Mikhail.

Gritting his teeth, Mikhail spoke to me.

“Don’t touch it with your filthy hands.”

“I washed my hands, though.”

“I said don’t touch it…!”

Ignoring Mikhail’s words, I carefully examined the sword.

“It’s a good sword.”

That was a lie. I only said it because I knew the story behind it.

A cheap, heavy sword with terrible balance. It was the kind of sword you could easily buy for one gold at the marketplace, but I knew how precious it was to Mikhail.

Mikhail surely knew as well. Someone like him, who had used hundreds of swords, couldn’t possibly be unaware of its quality.

Because it was a gift from the Sister who turned him into a fool who only knew justice, I couldn’t bring myself to say it outright.

After lightly swinging the sword, I spoke to the heavily breathing Mikhail.

“You should learn aura quickly. That way, you can use this sword for a long time.”

Mikhail remained silent.

He just stared at me quietly, with eyes filled with unease, as if wondering why I was saying such things.

As a possessor, I added one piece of advice.

“It looks like it’ll break soon… You should hurry.”

There was something I realized while facing Mikhail today.

The stagnation in Mikhail’s swordsmanship wasn’t due to the absence of fortuitous encounters but because of the leniency I had shown him.

The problems he was supposed to face during the First Semester.

The Cultists’ Raid.

The betrayal of friends.

Even the Young Lady’s madness.

I had reduced the challenges Mikhail was supposed to endure, which had slowed his growth. I realized this a bit too late. At this rate, he wouldn’t survive this event, let alone Pascal’s swift strike.

For the sake of a peaceful possession life, I thought it was time to step back from the trials Mikhail needed to face.

I let out a deep sigh.

“I’ll hit you one last time.”

***

Heavy breathing could be heard.

Mikhail, lying on the ground and staring at the sky.

His expression carried a mix of emotions. He seemed resentful, bitter about being utterly trampled without landing a single hit.

I let out a long sigh and sat down next to Mikhail.

“Mikhail.”

“…Haven’t you mocked me enough?”

“No. I plan to mock you for the rest of my life.”

Mikhail’s face turned despairing. Letting out a deep sigh, he covered his eyes with his hand. Though I felt pity for him, even this was nothing compared to the tragedy that awaited him later.

Yuria would continue her unnecessary interference.

And Mikhail would have to play along with it.

Feeling both hatred and guilt, I quietly spoke while looking at the same sky Mikhail was staring at.

“Embarrassing, isn’t it?”

“…No.”

“Come on… That’s a lie.”

Silence followed.

As the emotions of dawn swept over me.

I blurted out something embarrassing to Mr. Mikhail.

“Mr. Mikhail, you hate us, don’t you?”

“…”

“I hate you too, Mikhail.”

Ignoring Mikhail’s lack of response, I continued talking to myself. I felt like I wouldn’t be able to say this if not now.

“Do you know how much I hate you for being handsome, popular, and even monopolizing all the love letters?”

“I…”

“Shh. Aren’t we having a serious conversation? Shut up and listen.”

I rejected Mikhail’s attempt to respond.

The loser must follow the winner’s words.

If Mikhail talked back here, I felt like I might faint. So, I silenced him.

The air at dawn was refreshing.

It cooled my chest, which had felt cold and stifled.

The Young Lady must be sleeping with her window wide open.

If it gets too late, the Young Lady might turn into a Frozen Noble. Dusting off my dirtied pants, I helped Mikhail to his feet.

“You know, I’m aware that I’m a bad person. If words don’t work, I resort to violence, and if I don’t have money, I steal from others’ pockets… Just like I stole from your pocket earlier, Mikhail.”

Mikhail searched his pants pocket. Finding it completely empty, he muttered “Son of a b*” under his breath and sighed.

“There wasn’t much money, though. If a Famous Person of the Empire spends so little, how are bad people like me supposed to survive?”

“…”

“I’m joking.”

This would truly be the last time.

That Mikhail and I would meet.

I had decided to let go of Mikhail’s trial.

If I interfered any further, I might end up unable to handle it myself.

Even if I didn’t pay attention to the direct story, I could occasionally help, but I planned to refrain from interfering like I did during the Academy days.

Drawing the attention of the Heretics would only make things exhausting.

So, for the last time, I offered him a piece of heartfelt advice.

“Don’t meddle unnecessarily.”

“It’s not meddling, it’s…”

“This is my sincere advice.”

Otherwise, you’ll end up getting seriously burned.

“Just, please remember my words.”

It was the advice of a Possessor who knew the Original Work.

***

On my way home after leaving Mikhail in the alleyway.

When I saw the Young Lady’s window, still wide open as she slept, my footsteps quickened.

Thinking of the Young Lady, who wouldn’t listen no matter how many times I told her, a smile crept onto my lips. Deciding not to give her chocolate in the morning, I hurried my heavy steps.

Passing the wall and reaching the entrance of the estate.

A familiar voice called out from the Second Floor of the Estate.

A voice that shouldn’t be heard at this hour was calling me.

“Ricardo!!!!”

In a tearful voice, the Young Lady shouted at me.

Waving her hand as she called me.

Just as my heart was about to drop.

The words that came from the Young Lady’s mouth calmed my unsettled heart.

“There’s a cockroach!!! Huuueeek!!!!”

“Ack! I need to run away!”

“Heyyyyy!!!!”

Smiling, I ran toward the Young Lady’s Room.