The Villain (1)

The sharp chime rang out like a bell.

“······.”

“······.”

“······Shut up already.”

I closed my eyes. In this pitch-black darkness, it didn’t matter whether my eyes were open or shut.

I just… wanted them closed.

I was about to see Saren again. She would be wearing a white dress, clutching a small bundle, gripping my hand tightly with those big, innocent red eyes staring up at me.

After two years, she would look exactly as she had two years ago.

And Vivian would come running, terrified, clutching Saren’s medicine to her chest like it was the most precious thing in the world. Without a single piece of luggage of her own.

Completely forgetting the long time we had spent together. No—as if none of it had ever happened.

How nice it would be if I could forget it all too.

The fact that I had ruined Saren. The fact that Saren had ruined me. The fact that Vivian had killed Saren. The fact that I had loved Vivian.

If only I could forget everything and start over from the beginning.

The skill I had received during my first regression—Only Memories Remain. To me, that skill had been nothing but a shackle. Because in the end, all that truly remained were memories. And they were unfairly, painfully one-sided.

“Hey.”

“Can’t I delete a skill I don’t want?”

Of course. I had expected as much, but it still stung somewhere deep in my chest.

What kind of expression would appear on my face when I reunited with Vivian?

Would I cry? Would I smile? Or would I get angry? Maybe I would just hold her without saying a word.

Ah, but then Saren would probably hate that.

“Huu······.”

There was no way to know anymore why Vivian had killed Saren, or why she had lied to me.

The Vivian I would meet again had neither killed Saren nor lied to me. On the contrary, she was the girl who had run out carrying medicine for Saren.

Confronting her about it would be meaningless.

Really. I was the only one stuck in this shitty situation.

“System.”

“Achievements and titles. Summarize them all at once. It’s too noisy.”

A circular loading icon spun round and round inside the status window.

“······.”

There was no point even glancing at the titles. So the Elsia Sword was bound to me now.

“If the sword is bound to me, does that mean I can’t summon Saren either?”

That probably wouldn’t make much difference. I didn’t know exactly how the other two had fought while I was unconscious, but Saren seemed exceptionally skilled with the sword itself.

“Keep the title as it is. No change.”

There was no point standing here wallowing in self-pity. All I needed to do was quickly obtain Saren’s savior title and return to reality. That was all.

I had to remember this. Letting my emotions run wild here was nothing but poison. Poison that would ruin the ending.

“Let’s go.”

“······.”

When the pure white light swallowed me, I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The hot air flowed out through my mouth.

The first thing that came into view was the back gate of the mansion. The musty, stony smell of dust tickled my nose. And the familiar sensation against my left hand.

“Brother?”

It was Saren.

“Why did you suddenly stop and space out like that?”

A sight I hadn’t seen in two years. Her wide red eyes staring at me were still filled with nothing but pure innocence. There was no trace of the expression she had worn when she mercilessly crushed my throat or ruthlessly cut off my arm.

“······Let’s wait.”

“Pardon? For whom?”

“······.”

I closed my mouth.

At this point… I turned my gaze toward the corridor on the opposite side. At the same time, tears welled up and blurred my vision.

I had just told myself it was poison. I had sworn not to be swayed by it anymore.

Yet the moment I saw Vivian in the distance, biting her lip hard as she ran toward us, my heart collapsed without ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠any chance to resist.

“Huff… huff… Young Master, Miss! There are imperial soldiers outside right now…!!”

“Vi… Viv….”

My voice trembled before I could stop it. I quickly lowered my head and clenched my teeth.

“Ah… so the person you wanted to wait for was Vivian?”

Saren’s cold voice came from behind me. It was a tone she had never once used during the three regressions I had experienced here.

There was nothing surprising about it. I was used to how reactions changed depending on the situation.

“······Young Master?”

Then Vivian’s gentle whisper brushed past my ear. The very words I had longed to hear.

“Why… are you crying?”

But she only asked. She no longer reached out to wipe away my tears.

“What?”

As expected, Saren reacted sharply. She hurried to my side and jerked my chin upward. The tears that had pooled in my eyes spilled down my cheeks and fell to the floor.

“Brother.”

Those eyes demanded an explanation right this instant. They were filled not with concern, but with clear displeasure.

And at that moment—

BOOOOM—!!

“Catch every single one of them without exception!!!!”

“Yes!!”

The sound of imperial soldiers bursting into the mansion echoed through the halls. Saren and Vivian both flinched in shock and turned their heads.

I slowly lowered Saren’s hand from my chin, walked past the two terrified girls, and strode down the corridor.

“Wait here.”

“What!? It’s dangerous over there, Young Master!!”

“Brother!? Where are you suddenly going?!”

I stretched my right hand into the empty air.

Shiiiing— Along with a pure white light, the Elsia Sword appeared in my grasp.

“Brother!!”

Saren grabbed the wrist of the hand holding the sword.

“You said we were going to run away together! So why are you trying to fight?! If you lay a hand on the imperial soldiers…!!”

“Saren.”

I cut her off cleanly. Then ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I smiled faintly and placed my hand on her pale face. Using my left hand again after so long felt incredibly awkward.

“I’ll be right back.”

“B-Bro…”

Saren’s grip loosened. I pulled my arm free and walked forward once more.

Step. Step. My footsteps headed straight for the mansion’s main entrance. As I turned the final corner, I saw a large group of soldiers.

“There he is!! The eldest son of Elsia is standing there armed!!”

“Call the captain!! We must capture him alive at all costs!!”

There was nothing to fear. Even if I died, I would simply start over from this very spot.

If I died a few more times, came back to life a few more times, and repeated this endlessly—wouldn’t I eventually be able to sever these memories? That was what I thought.

“Serion Elsia!! Drop your weapon and surrender immediately!!”

“······.”

What meaning was there in surrender? The end would be the same anyway—mockery, stones thrown at me, and finally the guillotine.

“The captain has ordered that if resistance is fierce, you may kill him!! Do not obsess over capturing him alive—protect your own lives first!!”

“Yes!!”

I gripped the sword tightly and quickened my pace.

To them, I must be the villain. Fear was etched into the faces of the soldiers charging toward me with screams. Though they opened their mouths wide and shouted fierce battle cries, every single pair of eyes directed at me trembled with terror.

But that wouldn’t stop my feet.

SWIIISH—!! Without hesitation, I moved forward one by one, slicing the throats of the soldiers who approached me with perfect precision.

There was no particular reason I insisted on cutting their throats. If I had to give one, it was because a deep cut to the throat prevented them from making noise. I wouldn’t have to hear their agonized screams. Something like that.

“Surround him from all sides!!”

Soldiers soon appeared from behind me as well. With my awkward left hand, I drew the dagger from my chest.

Stab—! As expected, the dagger also went for the throat. Unlike the deep slash of a sword, the blood that burst from the narrow wound sprayed out like water from a broken dam.

“Huu.”

For some reason, I felt strangely calm. The movements of my sword grew lighter. Unlike my previous life, there was no hesitation in the hand that tore out throats.

Was it because my synchronization rate with Serion had increased? Or was it purely my own will?

I didn’t know.

“······.”

Before long, the corridor fell silent. Blood sloshed across the floor as if the hall had been flooded.

Drip. Drip. The sound of blood droplets falling from the blade echoed clearly through the quiet corridor.

And then—

“Brother······.”

“Y-Young Master.”

At some point, a chilling smile had formed at the corners of my lips.