Page 344 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

The space distorted.

－Crackling sound.

The sound of a chapter of long-standing vengeance drawing to a close began to echo in my ears.

Mikhail readjusted his grip on the Holy Sword, and I, too, tightened my hold on the demonic sword as we stared at the distorted space.

We didn’t know who would emerge.

Would it be Temperance, who had abandoned his humanity out of greed? Or would it be Ellicia, who had waited decades for this moment? We couldn’t know. All we could do was hope for Ellicia's victory, as that was our only option.

-Crackling sound.

Who would it be, the victor who had borne the weight of emotions accumulated over countless years?

-Crackling sound.

I whispered quietly to Mikhail, who was taking a deep breath, urging him to remain calm, no matter what might happen.

“Mikhail.” “Yes.” “You know who the enemy is, right?” －Nod. “Good.”

Mikhail, having nodded, began to draw upon the power of the Holy Sword, enveloping it with his aura. As the power of the Holy Sword combined with his aura, Mikhail’s energy became ferocious. I nodded to myself, acknowledging that he had finally begun to take on the role of the protagonist.

Although it took some time to familiarize himself with the Holy Sword, I felt a strange sense of pride seeing how far Mikhail had come, reaching a certain level of mastery.

[‘The Blessing of Destruction’ responds to the user’s aura.]

I, too, drew upon the power of the demonic sword and shielded Shuen behind me. I couldn’t afford to let Shuen, who knew nothing, get hurt. I had a duty to protect him.

-Crack.

I could feel it. Ellicia’s space was distorting. Soon, the one we were waiting for would reveal themselves from within the severed space.

I exhaled quietly and spoke softly to Mikhail.

“They're coming.”

-Rip!

The space opened. The space where Ellicia and the Apostle of Temperance had vanished began to violently tear apart.

“...!”

The scent of blood spread instantly, and I frowned as I saw a familiar figure begin to appear before my eyes.

“..."

A man clad in black armor, wielding a black sword. The one who sought to become the standard for all.

It was Temperance. The victor of this battle was not Ellicia, but Temperance.

-Crunch...

Drenched in blood, Temperance emerged with heavy, staggering steps from Ellicia’s distorted space.

“Huu...”

He took a deep breath.

“Heh...”

He let out a hollow laugh, looking at the Holy Sword and demonic sword now held in others' hands. Muttering to himself, "So, in the end, they were taken from me."

Temperance, who stood before me, looked as though he might collapse at any moment. His once-imposing magical armor was half-destroyed, and the sword he held in one hand trembled, signaling that he no longer had the strength to wield it.

And yet...

-Gulp.

His eyes still held a fierce glimmer.

Even as exhaustion overtook him, Temperance stared at us with sharp eyes, letting out a bitter laugh.

“Heh... This is the worst.” “...” “In the end, this mission was a failure.” “...” “I couldn’t get either the Holy Sword or the demonic sword... It’s all over...” “...” “The Pope will be disappointed...”

Temperance’s relaxed demeanor made me grit my teeth. I couldn’t help but feel it had been a mistake to trust Ellicia and send her alone.

If I had thought through their strengths and weaknesses... If we had attacked Temperance together, we could have overpowered him and not lost Ellicia in the process.

Filled with regret over the unseen fate of Ellicia, I readjusted my grip on my sword. At least here, I would bring an end to her vengeance.

Knowing her story, I was the one who needed to put a final period on it.

“...”

Temperance’s dark magic had become ferocious. It felt terrifying, like it had awakened from the battle with Ellicia, and his oppressive dark aura made my skin crawl with fear.

It would only take one strike. One strike to sever Temperance’s head...

“Puh... Puhahaha...!”

Sensing the murderous intent, Temperance let out an inexplicable laugh, shaking his head lightly as he spoke. He said it was all over.

“Stop.” “...” “It’s better to end this now. Even if it’s not you, I...”

That’s when it happened.

-Crack.

From behind Temperance, a cold hand of magic began to manifest.

The hand, which seemed as though it could devour everything, twisted Temperance’s shoulder grotesquely as it revealed itself.

“...Kyaaah!!!”

Temperance let out a pained scream, lowering his head as if he had finally had enough.

“Haven’t you had enough?” “...” “Stop toying with him like a plaything and kill him already. Think of all the hatred you've built up.”

“...Indeed.”

A chilling voice echoed. It was the familiar voice of a woman, coldly reaching us from within the twisted space.

I let out a dry laugh, muttering to myself, 'Don’t scare me like that.'

I erased my killing intent. The person who would put a period on this story had returned.

-Click. -Click. -Click.

Ellicia, wiping the blood from her cheek with a cruel smile, slowly approached from behind Temperance.

“I don’t think there’s any affection left.” “...” “Are you afraid?” “Not at all.” “Is that so? You should be. Your hell is about to begin... You can be afraid if you like.” “Haha... Crazy woman.” “...” “I’ve managed to make a monster hate me.”

Temperance burst into hysterical laughter.

“Hahahahahahaha!!!!!!” “...” “Hahaha!!! Ah... This is so insanely entertaining.”

-Stop.

‘Huh.’

Magic gathered in one place. The remaining dark magic within Temperance's body was converging towards his heart.

Like a ticking time bomb, the ferocious gathering of magic made me frown and unleash my aura.

“...”

-Sizzle...

But in an instant, all of Temperance's magic vanished, leaving me dumbfounded. What was going on?

Before I could even question it, Temperance’s armor began to crumble. The sword in his hand turned to dust, and his armor lost its vitality, falling apart.

Ellicia ground her teeth, grabbing Temperance by the nape of his neck.

“What did you do?” “Nothing...” “Don’t lie. I saw the magic disappearing.” “Kh... Haha!!” “Did you alert the Pope?” “No...”

Temperance shook his head. He muttered sorrowfully that the Pope had never paid any attention to him. He finally answered Ellicia’s question.

“I still have to protect my little brother, don’t I?” “...” “My brother. He’s been through hell because of me, meeting such a useless older brother. I have to leave him a little gift.” “You bastard.” “Isn’t it my brother’s turn after me?” “...” “So... I had to take out some insurance for him.”

Temperance sneered at Ellicia, knowing that even if he wanted to self-destruct, he couldn’t kill those standing before him.

With no dark magic left in him, Temperance let out a hollow smile, signaling his defeat in battle. Ellicia’s eyes turned cold as she gave him a chilling warning.

“All right. If your wish is hell... I’ll grant it.” “...” “I’ll make sure you beg to die. Beg for death.” “...” “And I’ll make sure your brother sees it all.” “...!” “He’ll suffer the same torment before he dies, too.” “Shut up...!” “Why...? Didn’t ? Nоvеl?g?т ? (Continue reading) you think this far ahead?”

Temperance’s eyes began to tremble.

“You should have taken your own life.” “...” “If you had any strength left, you should have fled from this hell.” “...Shut up!!!” “Hmm...”

Ellicia silenced his fierce defiance, shaking her head as she grabbed his hair and coldly looked down at him.

“You won’t be able to die.” “...!” “I’ll make sure you can’t.”

-Rumble...

The temple began to collapse.

The temple, which had lost what it was meant to protect, trembled violently as it bid farewell.

Ellicia, standing beneath the falling debris of the temple, looked at me and extended her hand.

“I will escort you back to the surface.” “...” “...The restraints of the Holy Sword and demonic sword are gone, so I can use spatial magic.”

I smiled faintly and shook my head. Ellicia didn’t look so well, having finished a portion of her revenge. It seemed she had expended too much power in the battle against Temperance. Her trembling fingers suggested it would be burdensome to move too many people.

Understanding my consideration, Ellicia lowered her head slightly, expressing her thanks. She added a genuine word of gratitude.

“Thank you.” “...It’s nothing.” “Really... thank you.”

I pulled Shuen, who was awkwardly standing nearby, into my side and looked at Ellicia. It was better to quickly wrap up the awkward atmosphere for both our sakes.

“You’ve worked hard.” “How can I ever repay this debt...” “Just stay healthy and happy. That’s all you need to do.” “...”

Ellicia nodded heavily and responded to me.

“Yes...!” “Good. Then, shall we head out first? It wouldn’t be wise to stay too long.” “...Understood.”

After sending Ellicia off through the distorted space, Shuen, who had been struggling at my side, shot me a strange look.

“Uuurgh!” “Haha...” “Commoner...!” “Just stay still.” “Ugh... This is improper...! I’ll end up a used-up Shuen!” “Now... quiet down...! Mikhail!!!”

Mikhail, who had been gazing enviously at Shuen, met my eyes and nodded, looking toward the exit.

“Let’s head home.” “What about Yuria...” “Sir Lowen is with her.” “I see.”

There was no need to worry about Yuria. Lowen was with her.

As if to ease our concerns, the silhouettes of the two were already visible near the exit. After confirming Yuria’s smiling face and Lowen’s expression, the moment we set foot on the surface...

-Rumble...

The long journey finally came to an end.

‘Ha... I need some rest.’

I miss my lady.