The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

52 – “Don’t Overstep” – Part 4 –

Mikhail, breathing heavily, raised the trembling sword.

He looked at me with eyes determined to somehow overcome, but his trembling legs made him less intimidating. I wondered how far he could go.

To Mikhail, covered in dirt from head to toe, I said, “Get up.”

“Shut it.”

The sound of teeth gritting reached my ears from a distance.

Mikhail’s expression unable to contain his anger.

Mikhail covered in dirt.

It felt pitiful yet strangely satisfying.

Almost addicting…

Mikhail swung the sword at me once again.

Mikhail’s sword, reaching its limit, trembled. It was an attack filled with urgency rather than efficient control of emotions.

I lightly dodged Mikhail’s sword and struck his exposed side with the hilt. It wasn’t enough force to break bones, but the pain was undeniably present.

As a fierce tearing sound echoed, Mikhail staggered greatly.

“Crack… Aghhh!!”

Seeing Mikhail trying to withstand the blow, I said once more, “Your left leg is exposed.”

Before the words finished, the sword struck Mikhail’s leg with a forceful blow. With a thud, Mikhail’s body collapsed to the ground.

A cloud of dust billowed.

As a dense cloud of dust obscured the view, Mikhail was no longer visible.

‘Pod’ Mikhail swiftly thrust his sword into the dust cloud, searching for a square. Anticipating Mikhail’s movements with keen intuition, I deftly evaded his attack and spoke again.

“This time, the right side.”

Once again, a fierce cracking sound echoed through the alley.

With a deep-penetrating strike, I was certain.

He wouldn’t be able to stand up now.

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Even if Mikhail, with his resilient spirit that could rise hundreds of times, could endure the pain squeezing through his bones, it would be unbearable.

Three seconds of silence flowed.

In the intense pain, Mikhail couldn’t scream, clutching his abdomen. Mikhail’s sword dropped from his hand with a clatter, and simultaneously, he slumped down.

I walked towards the fallen Mikhail.

Neither too fast nor too slow, I approached the protagonist of this novel who had fallen.

Mikhail’s pupils were trembling.

Fear of experiencing the pain he just felt again, combined with the overwhelming difference in skill, was evident in Mikhail’s shattered expression.

I looked down at Mikhail and spoke.

“Shall we stop now?”

“I can still go on…!”

-Thunk.

A crimson energy like a wild beast began to tighten Mikhail’s throat at my fingertips.

Pressing down on Mikhail’s shoulders, preventing him from standing up, I started to nibble away at Mikhail’s unyielding spirit.

Mikhail, gritting his teeth to overcome the crisis.

With an awkward smile, I whispered to Mikhail.

“Let’s stop. If it goes on, your body will be ruined.”

“Don’t pretend to worry. Something like this is nothing…”

“I’m serious. You’ll really die.”

In a voice filled with vitality, Mikhail’s pupils shook significantly.

“Don’t move.”

“Understood?”

I understood too.

How detestable I must be to Mikhail. Tormenting the girl he loves, standing by the side of the girl he dislikes, and tormenting him in the process.

I could understand hating me and not listening to my words.

I didn’t seek Mikhail’s understanding.

If you wish for that, it’s shameless.

Just one thing, I hoped you could understand. Just as there is a presence named Uria for Mikhail, there is a significant presence called “Miss” for me.

Even though this act is just a simple outburst, and nothing more than a naive tantrum, I wish you could understand a bit about my lack of resolve.

I bowed, grasping the sword that Mikhail had dropped.

Swish. A light swing.

I checked the finish of the sword back and forth.

Mikhail’s sword, containing countless efforts to the extent that fingerprints remained on the handle. One of Mikhail’s treasures mentioned in the novel.

It was a sword given by the nun who raised Mikhail. The precious sword that Mikhail cherishes the most, the one that made the current Mikhail.

Mikhail clenched his teeth and said to me, “Don’t touch it with your dirty hands.”

“My hands are clean.”

“I told you not to touch it!”

I casually ignored Mikhail’s words and closely observed the sword.

“It’s a good sword.”

It’s a lie. I know the story behind the sword.

A cheap, heavy sword with a messed-up balance. In the market, it’s worth just one gold, and you can even have change after buying it. But I knew well that it was more precious to Mikhail than any other sword.

Mikhail must have known too. Given that he had tried hundreds of swords, there’s no way he wouldn’t know the quality of a sword.

Because it was a gift from the nun who made me a fool who knows nothing but justice, I couldn’t easily say it.

After casually swinging the sword, I said to Mikhail, who was breathing heavily, “You should learn Ora quickly. That way, you can use this sword for a long time.”

Mikhail remained silent.

He looked at me with eyes filled with unease, wondering why I was saying such things.

As a possessing spirit, I added one piece of advice.

“It seems like it might break soon… so you should hurry.”

Today, facing Mikhail, I realized something.

The reason for Mikhail’s unimproved swordsmanship was not the absence of the stolen opportunity but rather my indulgence.

Challenges to face during the first semester.

The assault of the heretics.

Betrayal by friends.

And even the madness of the Miss.

Due to my overly minimized portrayal of the challenges Mikhail had to face, I belatedly realized that Mikhail’s growth had been hindered. At this rate, not only this event but also Pascal might end up being a victim.

In order to lead a peaceful fused life, I felt the need to remove my hands from the trials Mikhail had to endure.

I let out a deep sigh.

“I’ll give you one more hit. The last one.”

***

Rough breathing echoes.

Mikhail lies on the ground, staring at the sky.

His expression holds various emotions—unjustly treated, never touched before, pitifully trampled upon. It wears the weight of sorrow.

I exhale deeply and sit beside Mikhail.

“Mikhail.”

“…Haven’t you made fun of me enough?”

“No. I’ll be making fun of you for a lifetime.”

Desperation clouds Mikhail’s face. As he exhales heavily and covers his eyes with his hands, his pitiful state is heartbreaking. Yet, compared to the tragedy that awaits later, even this seems trivial.

Uriah will continue to be nosy.

Mikhail will have to endure that nosiness.

With conflicting emotions, I gaze at the sky with Mikhail and speak softly.

“Isn’t it frustrating?”

“…No.”

“Oh, come on… Don’t lie.”

Silence falls.

Emotions intensify with the dawn.

I speak words filled with warmth to Mikhail.

“Mikhail, do you hate us?”

“…”

“I also dislike Mikhail.”

Ignoring Mikhail’s silence, I continue speaking to myself. It feels like now or never to express these thoughts.

“Being handsome, popular, and even receiving love letters—do you know how much that makes you detestable?”

“I…”

“Shh. I’m not having a serious conversation. Just shut up and listen.”

I reject Mikhail’s attempted response.

The loser must obey the winner’s words.

I covered Mikhail’s mouth because I thought he might retort and lose consciousness. The air of dawn was pleasant. It refreshed my cold and stuffy chest. The lady must have opened the window wide and fallen asleep. If it’s too late, she might turn into a frozen aristocrat. Brushing off the dusty backside, I lifted Mikhail up.

“That’s right. I know that I’m a bad guy. If words can’t solve it, I solve it with violence. And if I don’t have money, I steal someone else’s wallet… Just like how I stole Mikhail’s wallet earlier.”

Mikhail rummaged through his pants pocket. With an empty pocket, Mikhail muttered “son of a b*tch” under his breath and sighed.

“I didn’t have much money. If this is the standard for the empire’s celebrities, what do bad people like me eat and live on?”

…

“Just kidding.”

This will be the real end now.

The meeting between Mikhail and me.

I decided to leave Mikhail alone with his trials.

Because if I interfere any further, I might lose my ability to act.

Even if I don’t pay much attention to the plot, I can occasionally provide help, but I tried to refrain from interfering like I did at the academy.

It tires me to receive attention from the religious leader.

That’s why I gave one last sincere advice.

“Don’t act so insolent.”

“It’s not insolence, it’s…”

“It’s my sincere advice.”

And then, a deep sigh.

“Just remember my words.”

It was the advice of the body possessor who knew the original work.

***

On the way home, leaving Mikhail in the alley.

When I saw the lady’s window wide open again today, my steps quickened.

A smile formed on my lips as I thought about the lady who never listens no matter how many times I say it. I moved my heavy footsteps faster, thinking that I shouldn’t give her chocolate in the morning.

Passing by the walls, when I reached the entrance of the mansion.

A familiar voice could be heard from the second floor of the mansion.

At this hour, a voice that shouldn’t be heard was calling me.

“Ricardo!!!”

The young lady shouted to me with a choked voice.

A lady calling me while shaking her hands.

A moment when my heart sank.

The words coming out of the lady’s mouth dispelled the uneasy feeling in my heart.

“A cockroach came out!!! eeek!!!”

“Eek! We need to run away!”

“Yaaa!!!”

I smiled and rushed to the lady’s room.