Page 134 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

*Huff...!*

*...*

*Huff...!*

*...*

As the end of winter approached,

The lady and I were practicing magic in the yard after a long time.

The lady, unable to use magic, sat lazily sipping cocoa, while the inferior student who had taken an interest in the study of magic extended his right hand towards a snowman, shouting strange incantations.

*Huff...!*

‘I feel it.’

‘I can sense the movement of magic swirling inside my body gathering in my right hand.’

‘Visualizing a shape of scorching fire in my mind, and firmly believing in success.’

*Huff...!*

Taking a deep breath as the image of magic slowly formed in my mind, I opened my eyes slowly.

*Swoosh...*

‘Here it goes.’

“Fireball.”

Blood-curdling screams echoed...

“...”

An awkward gaze fell upon us.

Cocoa paused with lips poised, and Pom, who was holding onto all the failed attempts of the inferior student, cast a painfully awkward stare at the lonesome snowman.

“Wh-whoa.”

“It’s strange. It feels like the world is mocking me.”

“It’s because Ricardo is a fool.”

“In theory, it was perfect.”

“Ricardo is too foolish to understand theories.”

“Even though I may seem like this now, I was once hailed as a genius at the academy.”

“Not a genius, just a fool.”

“No, I was praised as a cunning genius.”

“That’s not a compliment.”

“...”

From Noble mtl dot com

“Alright, explain the theory Ricardo came up with. Then we’ll know if you’re a genius or not.”

“Um... Sparkling Ku-gu-gu-gung?”

The lady gazed at me pitifully, looking at me with eyes that truly questioned if this was the magical theory I had in mind.

Under the lady’s affectionate gaze, I awkwardly scratched the back of my head.

“It’s embarrassing when you look at me like that.”

“...It’s not a compliment.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

“Then, today’s snack will be dumplings with carrots in them.”

*Sigh...!*

Ignoring the lady trembling in fear, I rested my chin on my hand and fell into contemplation.

‘What could be wrong?’

‘I thought it was perfect.’

There are five main factors that determine the success of magic.

One. Understanding of spell logic.

Two. Speed of spell calculation.

Three. Unwavering focus and confidence.

Four. Imagination to bring the spell to life.

The final factor is the total amount of magic power.

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t find a reason for the spell to fail. The magic power was sufficient, and I had a perfect grasp of the theory.

So where did I go wrong?

Normally, this would be a clue, but I felt frustrated by the lack of progress.

‘Was my imagination too excessive?’

Wiping the sweat off my forehead, I looked at the lady.

“Why isn’t it working?”

“Because you tried to give dumplings with carrots.”

“It doesn’t seem like that’s the case.”

“Profit! I don’t like carrots! Devil...! Ricardo is a devil!”

“It’s not the kind of words you want to hear from a sorcerer summoning a devil.”

The lady extended a cross with her fingers. It seemed that villains find gods when they are desperate.

I chuckled lightly and briefly spat out my thoughts on the continued failures.

“I guess I just don’t have talent for magic.”

“It seems like you realized it too late.”

“...”

“Sorry.”

No matter how much I thought about it, I felt like I lacked talent in magic. It was ridiculous for me to struggle for so long with just one fireball.

Swordsmanship was so much easier, really.

Hmm...

I thought I would quickly improve if I just learned, but magic turned out to be harder than I thought. Without the help of a trait like ‘genius in weaponry,’ I felt even slower.

Feeling doubtful about my stagnant skills, I looked at the lady with a bitter smile.

“Should I go for training?”

“Ricardo would probably stay the same.”

“You never know. Maybe I’ll have an epiphany and suddenly become a great wizard.”

“Ricardo’s dreams are too big.”

“...”

“I’ve heard that sometimes not dreaming in vain is helpful in life.”

“Who did you learn those words from?”

“From Ricardo.”

“...”

Indeed, perhaps due to her inherently wicked nature, she was a lady who could effortlessly spit out words that hurt others. Of course, it was me who taught her those words.

But still, where was the harm in telling her?

If whispering false hopes would make her think she was doing well, then why not.

If there were no answers, I could just read Ruin’s grimoire. There was no need to overthink it.

The situation wasn’t urgent enough to make a hasty decision. For now, I would try my best, and if I hit a dead end, it wouldn’t be too late to reconsider.

So.

“Euh-eu-eu-eu!!”

I should try again.

*

-Sizzle.

*

Beneath the dark alleyway.

Yuria, who had studied at the library until late at night, was walking alone under the streetlight.

It was 1 a.m.

Perhaps due to the eerie hour, there was no one on the Academy Street.

Yuria, not even encountering the patrolling guards, hurried her steps, shivering with a creepy feeling.

“Did I study too late...”

It was vacation time, so the library was empty, and Yuria felt like she had left too early.

“If I had known, I should have just stayed in the dorm to study,” Yuria regretted.

The academy’s grounds were vast.

The academy, with facilities such as the library, dormitory, practice rooms, and classrooms all in one place, was the size of a small town.

Especially the distance from the library to the girls’ dormitory was a 15-minute walk.

Yuria tightly shut her eyes while looking at the pitch-dark street.

“Th-That’s right! Let’s sing a song.”

Singing a song helped a bit when scared. Yuria started humming to drive away the creepy feeling.

“Coo coo, coo coo, the cuckoo sings...”

“Quack quack...qu...quack..”

-Meow~

“Yikes!”

Yuria shuddered as a cat suddenly appeared, not enjoying her singing.

“Whew... What if you suddenly appear like that? You scared me.”

-Meow?

“Sorry.. Sorry.. It’s not your fault.”

Yuria blushed with embarrassment as she looked at the cat tilting its head.

“I’m embarrassed....”

Yuria shook off the eerie feeling while patting her flushed face. Darkness was indeed scary.

Even the creepy meowing of the cat.

No one on the street.

Yuria felt scared standing alone on this street.

At times like this, it would be nice to have a reliable person ◆ Nоvеl?g?t ◆ (Only on Nоvеl?g?t) by her side...

There used to be someone.

Yuria clutched her textbook tightly, reminiscing about the past.

Back then, it was a time similar to now.

– Why do my friends hate me...

She remembered the night when she studied in the library until late, then walked back to the dorm alone, head bowed.

– I wish I could study with them.

Back then, she was scared, just like now.

On a day when the sound of crickets was faintly audible as spring approached. Perhaps back then, it was even scarier than now, Yuria thought.

And she was mentally overwhelmed.

It was a time when things that would usually pass lightly were deeply pondered, and words that would normally be dismissed as insignificant were thought about deeply.

The street that day was scarier and heavier than it is now.

– Thud. Thud.

That day when she startled at the sound of her own footsteps.

– Are you leaving work now?

Ricardo was standing there.

In the street without streetlights, where she was most afraid, Ricardo was waiting for her, checking his watch.

– What a surprise...!

-Why are you surprised?

-You suddenly stood up... No, more importantly, why are you here at this hour? It’s already late.

-Well... I saw it in a book.

-Excuse me?

-That’s how it is.

First year, first semester.

At that time, it was spring for Yuria.

Whenever she felt frightened walking alone, Ricardo would be standing there like a lie, even when he came out at a later hour than usual.

Sometimes Yuria wondered if Ricardo might be a stalker, but in Ricardo’s expressionless demeanor, her heart fluttered foolishly, making the time with him feel warm and fuzzy like a spring day.

-Why do you keep waiting?

-Are you afraid?

-...What?

-Just kidding. It’s just a coincidence that our paths crossed while taking a walk.

-...Really?

-No.

Strangely, today, memories of that day seem to come flooding back.

It was less than a year, but the memories shared with Ricardo always remained vivid in her heart.

So, as Yuria walked down this street, she found herself trapped in the past, feeling melancholy from the bittersweet memories.

‘Why did Ricardo torment me?’ she thought, foolishly.

Though she had said to forget that pain and start anew, whenever the shadow of emotions loomed over her, negative thoughts kept entangling her mind.

“Sigh...”

Once again today, Yuria walked down a street without streetlights, her head bowed deeply.

And then, behind her.

“I found it.”

From Noble mtl dot com

The dark shadow began to approach.

***

(!) A quest has been activated.

– Protect Yuria.

Reward: Vitality Information/???/???