The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Hanna had a dream.

It was a dream to repay, even just a little, the grace she had received up until now.

Hanna wanted to repay the kindness of those who had untangled the knots in her life that she thought she could never unravel on her own. She was profoundly grateful for the hands that had reached out to her without expecting anything in return, despite her lack of beauty or any exceptional qualities.

What could she give back?

How could she show her gratitude?

She had pondered over it many times, but Hanna couldn’t find an answer. After all, she had nothing to offer, having left her family.

And so, Hanna clung to her dream with desperation.

-I suppose the academy affair is a lost cause.

-I’m sorry.

She wanted to fulfill the first request the butler had ever made to her. Although it was a request made during their first meeting, Hanna still remembered it clearly.

And she had been feeling inadequate for failing to fulfill such a modest request.

Thus, Hanna took up her sword.

Facing an opponent stronger than herself, she calmly held her sword and took a deep breath.

To give weight to her words and to grant the butler’s request, Hanna gripped her sword.

That way, she could at least pay back some of the trust the butler had placed in her. Confronting her fear, Hanna began to channel her aura into her sword.

*

Chartia was laboring under a misconception.

The false belief that the students of the academy were strong.

It was a misconception that had unknowingly formed inside her. She had seen the backs of graduates who had received accolades and achieved success. Surely, she had thought, the students of the academy must be strong.

And in some ways, that was true.

The academy was a gathering place for rookies who possessed talent within the Empire. There was a collective of students with diverse abilities — swordsmanship, magic, healing magic, and divine power users. This collective often overcame minor adversities with ease.

Although the last ball had been ruined by an attack from heretics, this time, she thought it would be different.

That incident had caught them off guard, but this time, even without perfect preparation, they knew their weapons and their enemy. She believed they would claim victory.

Perhaps it was her anxiety over the lost honor of the student council, or maybe it was because she had been stuck in a narrow well; Chartia had momentarily forgotten that her judgment might have been limited.

The presence of a heretic quickly shattered her arrogant thoughts.

It told her they were weak.

That they were just flowers in a greenhouse.

She had thought that if the disciplinary committee gathered together, they could at least… No, they could surely buy time, but they were utterly defeated without being able to do anything.

-Professor Shulia.

-Why did you call me?

-Could you come with me for a moment?

-Hmm… Should I guess?

-Pardon?

-I’m really quick on the uptake.

-Professor…

-Shall we stop the act now?

It happened in an instant.

With just a simple gesture, Professor Shulia made the members of the disciplinary committee fall like dry branches. Seeing them collapse with just a light motion, not even some grand action, Chartia couldn’t make sense of it.

-Ugh…!

-Did you really think you could apprehend me with this?

-Get your head straight and fight!

-Haven’t I been too lenient? I gave you generous grades, but now I’m disappointed.

The sight of the members of the disciplinary committee, who were once considered the strongest within the academy, being utterly defeated without putting up a fight, filled Chartia with immense fear.

Killing intent flew back and forth.

The blood splatters vividly proved that where she stood now was not the arena where professors would step in to prevent fatal injuries. This was no place for holding back.

If she had known it would turn out like this, she would have subdued the professor with help. She shouldn’t have made the rash decision to act first to restore the honor of the student council.

Her regrets clouded her judgment, and as fear began to color her thoughts,

With a sudden ‘thud,’ Chartia found herself impaled by Professor Shulia’s hand.

Professor Shulia was smiling.

-Do something, anything. Don’t just stand there.

-…

-This is boring. I expected something more when you all came rushing in, but this? What is this…

It was only when she saw Professor Shulia licking the blood off her fingers that Chartia realized why they could fight without fear during the last ball.

-There were two High Priests back then. And he stood alone.

She finally understood why they had been able to fight without reservation in front of two High Priests. It wasn’t that the High Priests were weak.

It was because the one facing them had been overwhelmingly stronger.

She realized this truth only after feeling the pain of her body being impaled.

-Krrrrch…!

Right in front of Chartia, Professor Shulia’s eyes gleamed with deadly intent. Without using magic, Professor Shulia was easily overwhelming the disciplinary committee with sheer physical prowess, and her relaxed demeanor only heightened the fear.

The once-confident Captain of the Disciplinary Committee, Rohan, couldn’t even meet Professor Shulia’s gaze. His once firm resolve faltered as his sword trembled, all confidence drained away.

With elegant movements, neither grand nor chaotic, Shulia drew one red line after another to sever her opponents’ lifelines, further cementing the terror Chartia felt toward heretics.

*

Professor Shulia, having just blocked Hanna’s attack, brushed off the blood on her hand with an intrigued expression.

“As expected, the bloodline of Histania is something else.”

With a sharp hiss, Shulia swung her claws, darkened with black magic, narrowly missing Hanna’s face. Hanna gritted her teeth and twisted her body, swinging her sword.

Professor Shulia nimbly bent her body to evade Hanna’s sword and smiled.

“See? I dodged that too.”

Shulia beamed with a look of interest that she made no attempt to hide, her eyes saying, ‘Did you dodge that too?’

“See, it’s all about having good parents; that’s how you become a decent person.”

“Shut up.”

Hanna, her face set in a rigid expression, launched a fierce barrage of attacks aimed at Shulia’s throat.

Amidst the fallen members of the disciplinary committee, some voices were heard expressing amazement at Hanna’s prowess.

“She’s winning…!”

“She’s overpowering that monster…!”

“Was Hanna always this strong?”

While cries of Hanna’s superiority rang out, Chartia knew the truth.

“Do more.”

“Huff…”

“Give it your all. Surely you’ve got more to show; let’s see that too.”

Chartia knew that the one holding the upper hand in this battle was Professor Shulia. While Hanna’s breathing was becoming labored, Shulia’s breathing was calm and steady.

Even with all of Hanna’s might, her attacks hadn’t been able to push Shulia back even a single step.

Chartia knew that if left alone, this battle would inevitably end in Hanna’s defeat.

But Chartia wasn’t the only one who understood this.

Michail slowly drew his sword and began to focus. Concentrating, he gathered his aura, searching for an opening.

Chartia, too, gritted her teeth against the excruciating pain in her abdomen, preparing a spell with trembling hands.

“We must hold on.”

Pulling her magical energy together, Chartia resolved to buy as much time as possible until reinforcements from the academy arrived, hoping that would turn the tide in this bleak battle.

The momentum of the fight was starting to tilt in Professor Shulia’s favor.

“Hanna, you’re truly entertaining.”

“Even praise won’t make me happy.”

“Really impressive.”

Shulia clapped her hands and smiled brightly.

“Your hands are beautiful.”

“…”

“And your face is beautiful too.”

“…”

“I want to have you. You’re that desirable.”

With a deep, dark smile, Shulia began to turn the tips of her fingers black. A chilling energy quickly started spreading throughout the academy, causing Michail and Chartia to inhale deeply as they gathered their magical power.

As Hanna’s body was pushed back with a loud ‘clang,’ Michail and Chartia launched their attacks.

It was the first time the three of them had fought together.

It was Michail’s first time coordinating with Hanna.

As the exhilaration of new allies joining the fight seemed to momentarily shift the battle’s momentum, Shulia looked at the three of them with a chilling smile and said,

“Do you even know what my field of expertise is?”

The moment Shulia’s voice echoed short and sharp,

-Screeeeaaaam!

A horrible scream filled the ears of the trio.

It was chaos.

Every student in the stands had flipped, tearing at each other as they fought. Shulia, smiling, was slowly speaking to them.

“Come down and kill them.”

At Shulia’s command, the students began descending into the arena, all of them focused solely on Michail and Hanna as they approached like a horde of zombies.

Shulia disappeared into the surging crowd, her voice carried back as she said,

“Come to think of it, I forgot to introduce myself.”

“The High Priest of Profanity.”

“That’s my name.”

A deep darkness began to engulf the academy.

*

Ruin stood helplessly.

As the academy students began pouring down into the arena, as Hanna and Michail were forced to fend off the oncoming students while still engaged in battle, Ruin just stood there, unable to do anything.

“What…! What’s wrong with everyone?!”

The weaker students, overwhelmed by Shulia’s magic, didn’t hear Ruin’s voice.

‘Thud!’ As a student brushed past Ruin’s shoulder, ignoring him as if mocking his lack of participation in the fight, they pushed on toward Michail and Hanna as if he weren’t even there.

-Can’t you stop them?

-I’m trying… I want to!

Michail, unable to harm innocent people, was focusing more on evading the oncoming students than on his battle.

Eyes closed, Hanna was preparing a special move, but the constant interruptions had left her wide open to Shulia’s attacks.

He wasn’t helping at all.

Not even a little.

In fact, just being there on the battlefield was a hindrance, as much as it terrified and scared him.

The pure malice was so intense that it made him nauseous with fear. The selfishness of someone who would sacrifice others to achieve their goals made Ruin feel insecure and uneasy.

For the first time, Ruin was experiencing the sheer terror of facing a High Priest.

Hans had been nothing like this woman.

Whether it was due to the effects of Professor Shulia’s magic or maybe because he had become a coward,

Ruin couldn’t shake the desperate anxiety stirring inside him, the urge to flee from this battlefield.

He wanted to run away.

-Do something! I can’t do anything like this! Just kick or push them away!

-…!

-What the hell is wrong with you?! Do something!

He didn’t want to stand there like a scarecrow, but the fear of getting swept away in the onslaught of attacks froze him in place.

“…No.”

He needed to pull himself together.

-Tap.

But Ruin’s footsteps were already taking him away from the battle.

One step.

Then another.

Unable to overcome the fear surging within him, he took a step back.

Call him a coward if you want.

Because all he wanted to do was run.

Ruin turned and sprinted madly toward the exit. Even as he knocked people over, he kept his eyes down and kept running.

How far did he run?

After hearing a ‘thud’ and a short scream, Ruin turned to see a girl sitting on the ground.

“Ah… it hurts…”

Seeing the girl’s face caused Ruin’s pupils to tremble violently.

With pink hair.

A girl who practiced healing magic to help the injured — someone he didn’t want to meet in this state.

The girl looked up at Ruin, her voice trembling.

“…Ruin?”

And then Ruin.

“Shit…!”

Bolted past Yuria without looking back.

It was humiliating.

Shameful.

It was mortifying beyond belief.

But he was just too terrified.

So Ruin ran.

By the time he reached the exit after running for what felt like an eternity,

As Ruin saw the backs of the students fleeing, he finally began to realize what he had done.

“Shit.”

Ruin turned back toward the battlefield.

He was late, but he wanted to help.

He knew he’d be a burden, but he still wanted to go back and help, fighting against the fear in his heart.

But.

He had already come too late.

A brilliant light started shining in the center of the arena.

As a familiar magic descended with a radiance akin to the sun, Ruin let out a hollow laugh and lowered his head.

“What am I even doing…”

The hero had arrived.

The hero he called Grandfather had already put an end to his dilemma.

End of Chapter.