Page 358 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

The day after Mikhail enjoyed his victory, the semifinal match in Group B ended in a rather anticlimactic manner.

“Ah... Shartia has forfeited the match.”

The anticipated match between Shuen and Shartia was set for the semifinals, but after using Caliburn’s power, Shartia couldn’t use magic for a while. Unable to compete without her magic, Shartia naturally had to withdraw, allowing Shuen to advance to the finals.

“I forfeit.” “...What?” “I’m not feeling well, so I’ll have to forfeit.” “But Shuen... I had all these plans ready to mock the royal family...!” “...What?”

Unintentionally advancing to the finals, Shuen strolled through the academy corridors, his steps light.

“I’ve made it to the finals by luck.”

“Hmmm... What should I do with the prize money?”

“It’s obvious—buying a house! Securing a home is the biggest challenge in life. Once I’ve conquered that, a bright future awaits.”

Shuen mused over how to use his winnings and how to present himself to the commoners he might encounter.

“Hmmm...”

After wandering aimlessly for a while, Shuen came to a stop in front of the senior director’s office.

“I’ll be heading out for the day.” “Tomorrow is the final match, so don’t be late.” “Yes, understood. Have a great evening, sir.”

That familiar figure, red-haired and strikingly handsome despite being a commoner, emerged from the office, bowing his head politely.

“I’ll be off, then.”

The moment Ricardo closed the door and looked down the hall, he noticed Shuen and waved at him.

“Oh... Shuen!”

“...Ack?!”

“A common... commoner?!”

“I watched your match. That was quite a performance making it to the finals!”

“...Ugh!”

“Truly noble-like of you. If we had ten more noblemen like you at the academy, things would run quite smoothly.”

As Ricardo smiled warmly at him, Shuen thought to himself, “Why is a commoner so good-looking?”

When he first saw Ricardo, he’d thought the man had a passable face. But as time passed, Shuen found it harder to ignore the aristocratic elegance that seemed to radiate from Ricardo’s face, making him unable to look directly at him.

“So arrogant...!”

A mere commoner, yet so handsome.

As Shuen looked at Ricardo, he saw petals swirling around him. Pink petals, red petals, all fluttering gracefully around Ricardo’s face, making Shuen stand there in a daze.

“This must be an illness.”

It felt like he’d come down with a terrible sickness—the sickness of being attracted to a commoner.

Ricardo approached slowly, his face drawing closer to Shuen’s, who stood frozen in place, staring in disbelief.

“What... what’s he doing?! Don’t tell me he’s going to... kiss me?!”

Then.

“Pardon me.”

—A gentle touch.

When Ricardo’s hand landed on Shuen’s forehead, Shuen’s eyes widened as he stared at him.

“What... what are you doing?!”

He had no idea what was happening.

“No fever...”

Ricardo’s muttering left Shuen with a shocked expression as he stumbled back in a hurry.

“A commoner acting so arrogantly!”

“Haha...”

“Stop with this hatred toward nobles! And... and... kyaah!”

In his retreat, Shuen gave a short scream as he lost his balance, his legs tangling beneath him.

Caught off guard, he closed his eyes tightly.

He’d wanted to show a noble’s dignified posture before this commoner, but now he was about to fall flat in front of him.

“Failed as a noble...”

Embarrassed, Shuen braced himself for the pain to come, accepting gravity’s pull.

“Oh dear.”

Then, he felt a warm hand wrap around his waist, stopping his fall.

“Huh...?”

Peeking through barely opened eyes, Shuen looked forward. He’d thought he’d embarrass himself in front of the commoner, but here he was, still upright.

Just as he wondered how he hadn’t fallen, a familiar fragrance drifted to his nose, and his eyes widened as he looked ahead.

“What...?”

“You almost fell. That was close.”

“Let go!”

“If I let go now, you’ll get hurt.”

“...”

“You don’t want to be injured right before an important match, do you?”

Ricardo gave a slight smile, his hand steady around Shuen’s waist.

“I believe you’ll win first place, Shuen.”

Oh...

“Right?”

With his face flushed, Shuen managed a small smile and nodded.

“Yes...”

Originally, he’d planned to collect his winnings today and look for a nice house in the capital.

“I’ll take first place...”

He suddenly felt an urge to live in the castle.

On the day of the final match.

Malik, leaning on the railing, let out a deep breath as he looked at me.

“It’s a relief to wrap up the ranking tournament without any incidents.”

“True. No cultist attacks, no cheating.”

“...?”

“I’m a natural disaster, after all.”

“Pfft... right, you could say that.”

Malik gave a small smile, watching me carefully.

“So... ready to lose that bet?”

Seeing Malik’s confident look, I gave him a knowing smile and shrugged.

“The bet isn’t over yet.”

“Hmm...”

With a skeptical expression, Malik looked down at the arena, where Shuen was warming up.

“Honestly, I don’t see how Tetra Shuen could beat Mikhail.”

“Oh?”

“No matter how gifted he is in magic, he’s no match for Mikhail.”

“Hm...”

“Plus, in a one-on-one fight, a mage is at a disadvantage. Shuen’s performance so far has been about exploiting openings.”

I looked at Shuen, a subtle smile playing on my lips.

“You’re not wrong, but I don’t think he’ll lose.”

“You’re not cut out for gambling.”

I watched the arena calmly, sipping my drink, and said, “Let’s just wait and see. No one really knows who’ll win.”

“Don’t tell me... did you give him the item you gave to the Princess?”

I shook my head at Malik’s question.

“No. Do I look like someone who’d stoop so low? I know what it means to play fair.”

“True enough.”

Malik gave a small smile, waiting for the announcer to start the match.

“The final match...”

As the announcer began, Malik let out a chuckle.

“Is that it?”

“...”

“So that’s why you...”

Because in Shuen’s hand, there was an unexpected weapon.

“You were betting on Tetra Shuen to win.”

In Shuen’s grip was none other than...

“Shuenzel, here I come!”

...the Holy Sword.

Thirty minutes before the match.

Mikhail, sitting in the waiting room, received a visitor—a guest with striking purple hair.

“Hello there!”

“Oh... Shuen? The match is about to start, so why are you in here?”

Mikhail expected Shuen to come with a suspicious proposal.

Maybe he’d ask for money to throw the match, or maybe he’d ask Mikhail to put on a tough act. Plenty of students had made such requests, so Mikhail had every reason to be suspicious.

“...Well, you see!”

Mikhail prepared himself to politely refuse if Shuen asked for any favors.

He knew Shuen was serious about the match, but he was just as serious, so he was prepared to decline gently.

But then...

“I came to collect the item I lent you!”

Shuen’s words caught him completely ? NоvеⅠight ? (Read more on our source) off guard. The Holy Sword was technically a shared item, so he wanted a turn with it.

“Uh...?”

Mikhail, taken aback, could only stare as Shuen reached for the Holy Sword.

Recovering his senses, Mikhail grabbed Shuen’s hand, alarmed.

“No. No, Shuen. You’re a mage.”

“So what?”

“You’re a mage, yet you’re wielding a sword?”

“I’m Shuenjel, so it’s fine.”

“But you’re better with magic.”

“I swung a wooden stick around as a kid, so I’ll be fine with the Holy Sword.”

“What?”

“Just watch!”

Shuen brushed Mikhail’s hand aside and unsheathed the Holy Sword.

“I feel unstoppable!”

Suddenly, a voice murmured in Shuen’s ear.

—How can you hold me...?!

“Silence!”

—...?

“Blabbering like a sword should.”

—...Still, it’s useless. Even if you can wield me, you won’t be able to use my power...

“Shuenjel... activate!!!”

—Sparkle.

—???

“Hah!”

The Holy Sword fell silent.

Now, Shuen stood in the arena with the Holy Sword, while Mikhail, who had lost his weapon, quickly grabbed a replacement and watched Shuen cautiously.

A cool wind blew between the two of them.

“Phew... I, Shuen, am the ultimate swordsman!”

“Haha... what am I supposed to do with you...”

Shuen, eager to win.

Mikhail, equally determined, held his sword firmly and began gathering his aura.

With his sword brimming with energy, Mikhail spoke softly to Shuen.

“I won’t hold back.”

“Neither will I.”

“I’m going to win... so you’d better give it your all.”

“That’s fine. I don’t lose to commoners.”

Shuen tapped into the Holy Sword’s power.

—I cannot grant you my strength.

“Be quiet.”

—I refuse to lend my power to someone who hasn’t walked the path of the sword...

“Oh...”

—...

“Were you a commoner in a past life?”

—...?!

“You talk too much.”

The Holy Sword fell silent, sulking.