Page 147 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Inside the banquet hall where the Idokyo was attacked.

“...”

Mikhail, coming to his senses, stood up, placing his hand on his throbbing forehead.

“What happened?”

There was no memory after defeating the Archbishop of Defamation.

Was it a side effect of pushing his strength to the limit? The only memory lingering in his dimming vision was of Ricardo’s back.

-It’s over now.

-I can still fight...!

-You can’t kill me anyway.

-To kill... you wouldn’t...!

-Yes, it’s better to get rid of the hindrance.

“Urgh...”

His body ached as if it would break.

Most of the academy students inside the banquet hall had evacuated outside under Chartia’s command, and the only ones left to witness everything were Yuria, Hanna, and the student council president.

Unlike himself lying on the ground, the student council president, Hanna, and Yuria were under the protection of the knights in perfect condition.

Mikhail decided to ask them about the truth of the incident later and let out a deep sigh slowly.

“Is it over...?”

It was a tough fight.

Encountering an unreachable opponent was tough.

Having a grim premonition of possible death was the first time since his days in poverty.

The battle with an opponent using cursed magic was not as easily resolved as he had thought, with numerous variables at play.

Above all, what frightened him was fighting while enduring the burning sensation. It was different from the relentless attacks of the Archbishop trying to cut off his breath.

Mikhail, looking at his weak self, blamed his lack of skill as he gritted his teeth.

If only he had been a bit more confident, Mikhail could have protected everyone. But the thought that if Ricardo hadn’t stepped forward, there might have been casualties, ignited a fire of anger within Mikhail as he clenched his fist.

“Darn it...”

“Again... this time too...! It’s that guy, isn’t it? Darn it.”

Mikhail vented his frustration by pounding the floor with his fist. He was trembling with rage and resentment at the fact that he had received help from a murderer.

A guy who tormented Yuria and had no sense of guilt about murder. If he had such power, he should have known how to help others, but Mikhail was infuriated that he had once again accepted help from a guy who ran amok for personal gain.

Amidst feelings of regret flooding over ? Nоvеl??ght ? (Exclusive on Nоvеl??ght) him, Mikhail wondered about Ricardo’s whereabouts.

Since Ricardo’s figure was nowhere to be seen inside the banquet hall.

Mikhail raised his head and scanned the banquet hall. He saw the knights moving the bodies of the cultists and looked up at the collapsed ceiling, but Ricardo was nowhere to be found.

Mikhail clenched his fist in frustration at the sight of Ricardo, who was nowhere to be found even after searching.

Thinking he might be hiding again.

Ricardo, who caused the incident and fled. Mikhail clenched his fist in frustration at Ricardo, who covered his tracks and escaped unfavorable statements.

“Ricar...!”

In the midst of chaotic thoughts.

“Is that Mikhail Sendou over there. Correct?”

A knight with brown hair was approaching Mikhail.

The man, holding a notebook and a pen, had the imperial emblem engraved in gold on the handle of his sword, so Mikhail could tell that the knight in front of him was a member of the Imperial Knights.

Possessing excellent swordsmanship.

A knight of the Imperial Knights who must graduate at the top of the academy.

Malik opened his notebook and began to question Mikhail.

“I’m going to ask a few questions for the report, can you answer them?”

Malik was asking Mikhail about what had happened in the banquet hall, how the cultists had launched a surprise attack, and who he was.

– What were the exact time and date?

– It was around 7:20 p.m.

– What was the size and number of the enemy?

– ...I’m not sure about that either. There was no opportunity to assess.

– Hmm... I see.

Mikhail suddenly felt a sense of discord at the knight’s questions. The questions to ascertain the truth of the incident were not strange, but he was not asking the most important questions.

Who fought with them, how the battle progressed, and who made the biggest contribution were not being asked, and Mikhail felt a sense of discord.

In response to the knight who silently spat out questions, Mikhail retorted.

“Why aren’t you asking about the battle?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re just listening to testimony about the situation. Who fought with whom, how the battle unfolded, why aren’t you asking the most important things?”

“Ah.”

The man closed his notebook with a ‘thud’ and replied to Mikhail.

“We’ve already concluded that.”

“What?”

“The red hair. You know about it, right?”

“...”

‘Ricardo.’

As soon as Mikhail heard the keyword “red hair,” Ricardo’s face instantly came to mind.

The man who played the biggest role in this incident, a merciless murderer who carried out a ruthless massacre. And at the mention of the name of the man who took a step back and did not provide direct help, the knight in front of his eyes thought he had heard a false testimony.

Ricardo was a guy who lied every time. A guy whose thoughts were unclear.

Ricardo must have said this for sure.

“I did everything.”

He thought that was Ricardo’s habitual saying, a response from a guy who didn’t know humility. Mikhail, who thought that the incident with Uriah in the dungeon was clearly covered up by Ricardo’s shameless testimony, thought that Ricardo would say the same thing this time as well.

But.

“That guy said that you were the reason everyone survived in this incident. He said you played the biggest role.”

“You...? What does that mean?”

“It means exactly what you heard.”

A foolish answer flowed out.

He wondered if what he was hearing was true.

“He said that in the battle with the slanderous Archbishop, you teamed up with Shartia and achieved victory.”

“You also defeated the remnants of the heretics by joining forces with the academy students. In the process, the wanted criminal Hans, the former academy student, suffered a serious injury and fled.”

Mikhail looked at Shartia with trembling eyes, then at Uriah and Hanna.

He looked at them with trembling eyes, seeking an explanation of what it meant, but everyone who met his gaze avoided looking at him with a gloomy expression.

Shartia looked helpless, Uriah looked grim.

Hanna Histania looked at him with anger rising.

Mikhail spat out a retort towards the Imperial Knights, saying, “That can’t be true.”

It’s a misunderstanding.

Mikhail said in a weary voice that Ricardo would not say such a thing, that it was clearly a mistake from someone else’s testimony.

“Just a moment.... I didn’t do that. Even in the battle with the Archbishop, it was mostly Ri....”

“The testimony is already over.”

“My testimony should be heard too.”

“No. While you were unconscious and lying down, Uriah, Princess 3, Hanna Histania, and Ricardo received all the testimonies, so further testimony is meaningless.”

The knight cut off his words and turned away.

Mikhail reached out a trembling hand towards the departing knight and said, “What about Ricardo then...!”

“Oh... him?”

Malek answered with a slight smile.

Thinking that the boy in front of him would go through the same experience he felt before, he smiled and replied.

“He said he’s going back, saying he can’t have an overnight stay.”

“You...?”

“Anyway, that’s what I know.”

Malek chuckled and walked towards the banquet hall to settle the matter.

***

Another peaceful day at the mansion.

Having resolved the friction with the heretics and successfully completed the quest, I was feeding the lady an apology at Hamel’s mansion.

“Oh, hello.”

“I don’t want it.”

“Oh...!”

“The apple is tasteless. I prefer chocolate.”

“We don’t grow such things. Open your mouth.”

“Uh... Ah.”

The lady, crunching on the crispy apple, nodded her head and spat out her response regarding the taste.

“Is it delicious?”

“No. Is there chocolate-covered apple?”

“Such a thing doesn’t exist in this world.”

“Ugh...! Make it for me!”

“I will try my best.”

“Okay.”

The lady, rubbing her sleepy eyes, welcomed the warm morning sunlight.

It was the first time in a while that the lady welcomed the morning at Hamel’s mansion, unable to easily shake off the fatigue of the overnight carriage ride.

For a lady who loved sleep, sleep deprivation was a formidable enemy. Sitting on the bed, she dozed off, feeling sluggish.

Three days had passed since completing the quest ‘Protecting Yuria.’

The lady was still unaware of my ability to use magic.

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I had kept it well-hidden, wanting to surprise her. I was curious to see her reaction when she found out that the fool who couldn’t even cast a fireball was actually a skilled magician.

And she hadn’t even checked the quest reward yet.

Information about Vitality.

I had planned to check it as soon as the quest was successful, but I had postponed it due to being too busy.

I should check it around this evening.

I fed the lady an apple, pondering over the nature of Vitality.

Vitality.

The force that moves life.

‘Hmm...’

Honestly, there was one thing that came to mind, but I hoped it wasn’t that...

There was only one thing that came to mind when I heard the word Vitality.

I hoped it wasn’t that, but if it wasn’t, there was nothing else that came to mind.

‘Lifespan.’

‘What, is it just about dying?’

I fed the lady an apple with a light heart and waited for the evening to come.