Page 299 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

I picked up my sword for the first time in a while.

"..."

I needed to progress, to move forward.

People become lazy if they stay in one place for too long, so I had taken up the sword and entered a meditative state.

Yes, meditation...

"Ugh..."

Medi—

"Ughhh!"

‘Ah, here we go again.’

I sighed deeply and looked at the lady, who was wildly flailing her arms around. It had been a while since I tried meditating, but she was, as usual, interrupting me.

"Lady." "Mmnya." "I'm meditating right now." "Yup. You’re doing great." "..."

I closed my eyes again.

I began to recall past events, sinking deeper into my inner mental space...

"Ughhh!" "Lady?"

The lady was angrily swatting at the air with fiery eyes.

"Ricardo! A fly’s bothering me!" "I’ll catch it for you later, but for now—" "Ughhh!"

The mischievous lady successfully disrupted my meditation once again. With all her commotion, how was I # Nоvеlight # supposed to focus?

"Die, fly!" "Pfft!"

I couldn’t help but smile.

I stood up and walked toward her. No matter how important meditation was, I had a duty to protect the lady's mental health—especially since she had just recovered from an illness a few days ago.

"Ugh..."

Though she had mostly recovered, thanks to Malik's medical care. Her energy had returned, and even her appetite had grown. Seeing her now, snacking on jerky, it was clear she was back to her old self.

"My jerky... grrr." "Please don’t growl." "But they keep bothering me! It’s so annoying!" "Calm down." "Grrr."

The lady, gnawing on her jerky, relaxed a little as she noticed me approaching. Her bristling demeanor softened, and she looked up at me with a pout.

I smiled gently and suggested she rest indoors, where it was cool and fly-free.

"My lady, why don’t you rest inside? It’s cool, and there are no flies." "No! I want to watch you, Ricardo!" "It’s not going to be fun." "It’s fine! I’ll make it fun!"

Her confident reply made me chuckle awkwardly. As I sliced through a fly buzzing near her jerky, the sound of its demise filled the air.

-Buzz. Slice. Thud.

The lady’s eyes sparkled as she clapped her hands in delight.

"Eeee! Amazing!" "It’s not that impressive." "Human flyswatter!" "That’s all the praise I get?" "How do you do that?" "..."

I picked up a small stick from the ground and handed it to her, showing her the basics of swordsmanship.

"Here, hold it like this." "Mhm." "Exhale softly." "Huff!" "No, don’t hold your breath—exhale." "Hoo!" "Good. Now swing it like you’re tossing something away." "Hyah!"

-Thud.

"...?"

She blinked at the stick that had fallen to the ground.

"It ran away." "..." "Pick it up, please."

She really wasn’t suited for anything but magic.

With the stick back in her hand, she enthusiastically swung it around behind me, as if determined to one day reach the level of a Swordmaster.

"Eek!" "..." "Hiya!"

She flailed her hands wildly.

"Looks like you're having fun."

Using her as my backdrop, I tried to focus again, ready to delve deeper into my mind.

I began by recalling every battle I had fought and every crisis I had faced, steadying my breath.

"..."

-Flies buzzing and dying! -"Come on, you brat! Don’t you know how to be humble? Look at your damn eyes!"

I remembered wielding shards of glass to survive in the slums.

-"Run!" -"Hahaha! Run, little boy, let's see how far you get!"

Then the desperate battle with the archbishop, where I was ready to die. I began visualizing those moments again as I crafted my inner space.

A deep, dark space, just for me.

The sword was a difficult thing.

To a na?ve child like me, the sword that had fallen into my hands was like a key. I had no proper teacher, and as a kid scared of blood, I wielded it just to survive.

I wanted a better future. I wanted to protect the people I cared about from the disasters of the novel’s plot. But my sword was far from righteous.

I wasn’t a movie hero. I wasn’t filled with noble ideals.

I swung my sword out of selfishness. I didn’t want to be trampled. I wanted to stand next to those who shone brightly.

And I didn’t regret it. If I hadn’t acted selfishly, I would have been swept away by the winds of the novel’s dark, treacherous world.

The novel’s world was grim. Many had died in battles with the archbishop—people who didn’t even make a footnote in the story. It was a dangerous place for those of us who weren’t main characters.

This wasn’t some romance fantasy. It was more like a dark fantasy.

Standing in the inner space I’d created, I gripped my sword, letting out a dry laugh.

Right now, I had lost my way.

Mikhail had the Holy Sword, and his power as the hero had only grown. Yuria had borrowed the power of the saint and radiated with dazzling brilliance. And in the novel, Ruin had grown stronger after obtaining the 'Infinite Light' magic book.

But me?

"..."

I had nothing.

My combat strength, boosted by the memories of my possession, had its limits. There were many ways I could become stronger, but I would inevitably hit a wall again. I needed another path.

A path where I could grow endlessly. A path where I wouldn’t be swept away by the winds of fate, like Mikhail or the archbishop.

To be honest, I wasn’t confident I could win if I had to face Olaf again.

He was strong. I was weak.

Even in countless simulations in my mind, I lost every time. It left me with an overwhelming sense of inadequacy and an insatiable desire to grow stronger.

There were still many challenges to overcome. There were more people I needed to protect.

"Sigh..."

I had become someone people couldn’t defeat, yet I still felt inadequate.

Maybe it was because I knew that the ‘me’ in my dreams was stronger. I couldn't help but crave more power.

"Sigh."

Swords were truly difficult.

In my mental space, I began visualizing the version of myself I had seen in my dreams.

I didn’t know much about this figure.

But I felt like there was something to be gained.

I took a deep breath and gripped my sword.

After finishing my battle in the inner space, I wiped the sweat from my brow and muttered quietly to myself.

“Phew... this is tough.”

The lady, still flailing her stick around, threw it toward Gomtang and replied.

“What’s tough?”

I looked at her confused expression and smiled mischievously.

“I was saying it’s tough to deal with your appetite, my lady.” “Ugh?” “You always keep eating, even when you’re full.” “Ughhhh!”

The lady furrowed her brow and clenched her fists, clearly upset that I’d teased her while she was quietly observing me.

“Ugh. Stop teasing.” “I’m serious.” “Eek?!”

She pointed at Gomtang and shouted.

"Gomtang, bite him!" -Bear? "Bite him!" -Bear. “Not me, Gomtang! Bite Ricardo!”

"Pfft!"

I couldn’t hold back my laughter.

Watching her shake her fists at Gomtang, who seemed utterly confused, I burst out laughing.

But my thoughts drifted back to the battle I had just fought in my mind. Not once had I been able to land a hit with my sword.

-... -Wow. -... -You dodged that...?

The version of me in my dreams was a monster.

Truly...

"Ricardo!"

The lady, having pulled Gomtang away, called out to me when she saw I was lost in thought.

"Ricardo!" "Ah! Yes, my lady?" "What’s for lunch today?" "..."

Of all the difficult questions in the world, she just had to ask that. I hummed for a moment, pretending to think. If she just told me what she wanted, I’d cook it right away, but no, she always asked me first.

"Hmm..."

Even though I knew the answer, I feigned ignorance. The answer was obvious, after all.

"How about paprika pasta?" “Eek...” "What’s wrong?" “I don’t like paprika.”

I tousled her hair as she pouted, knowing exactly what she wanted.

“You’re going to ask for meat, aren’t you?” “Hehe... Right.” “Then why even ask me?” "Because it feels good when what I want matches what you want.” "What kind of flirting is that?" “Hehe!"

She laughed brightly.

As I stretched under the rising sun, I felt the tension in my body melt away.

There was no point worrying about the sword right now. The only conclusion would be to face a stronger opponent and fight again.

And that just sounded exhausting.

I sheathed my sword and slowly began walking toward the mansion, ready to prepare lunch.

"Shall we head inside, my lady?" "Yup." "Are you feeling better now?" "Of course."

The lady flexed her arms, showing off a healthy smile.

"Good. Let’s see if I can whip up something special for lunch."

I pushed the mop bucket and started walking toward the mansion.

In a dark room somewhere.

"Grrr..."

A man, his body wrapped in bandages, clenched his teeth and groaned.

"That bastard..."

The man was Jung, the Archbishop of Oblivion.

Jung glared at the wound on his abdomen and let out a bitter laugh. He hadn’t expected that traitor to turn on him.

-Where are you going in such a hurry, Archbishop of Oblivion? -Ah, Archbishop of Greed. I thought you were dead after your last failure. I guess not. -It seems the gods still have use for me.

The idiot obsessed with greed kept talking.

-And where are you headed? -Hah. I’m going to get revenge. -Revenge? -My eye. My right arm... I need to take back what was taken from me. -Ah, I see...

-Thunk!

Jung grunted, recalling that battle, and clenched his fists, furious at his humiliating defeat.

"Dammit... I can’t even report this to my superiors."

Grinding his teeth, Jung’s eyes glinted with malice.

Then, an idea came to him. A way to vent his anger.

"Come to think of it... that bastard has something he cares about."

He thought of a silver-haired boy, and a wicked smile spread across his face.

The fruit was ripe for picking.