The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 218

The Imperial Army is coming.

Carrying swords and shields.

The sound of the Imperial Army’s march, stomping vigorously with wizards and healers in tow, echoes through the air.

-Rumble.

How they discovered that the Apostle is here, I don’t know, but a large number of Imperial soldiers were approaching, treading across the northern snowfield. Around 300 of them.

I had noticed them gathering information, but seeing the Imperial Army arrive faster than expected, I let out an empty laugh and lifted my head.

“They’re quick.”

It would have been better if they had been a little faster, but knowing that their presence wouldn’t change the inevitable outcome of their deaths, I quietly buried my regret deep within.

I decided to stick to the basics in my statement.

Why I came here.

How I ended up staying here.

I thought I would just give a brief statement and leave. I hated getting involved in complicated matters.

Though it was a thin straw rope of hope, having Desmond as a reliable backer seemed like it could help me avoid excessive interrogation, and with Yuria’s father as a witness, I thought I could escape any troublesome situations.

I cautiously peeked out to find Yuria’s father, whom I had hidden behind the wall.

‘Huh?’

And a question mark appeared in my mind.

“This is a problem.”

Yuria’s father had fainted. The witness who could support my innocence was leaning against the wall, unconscious. At this rate, it seemed like the meeting with the Imperial Army would drag on.

“Sigh…”

I furrowed my brow and roughly ran a hand through my hair.

Thanks to Hans’ emergency treatment, it seemed James’ life wasn’t in danger. His abdomen was bandaged, and the bleeding appeared to have stopped. However, it looked like he would need about one or two days to recover his consciousness. It must have been a tough ordeal for a retired adventurer.

Shaking my head at the thought that things were about to get complicated, I let out a sigh.

“Well, it’ll work out somehow.”

-Clink.

The Imperial Army was drawing closer to me. I found it a bit annoying that they arrived only after everything was over, but what could I do? They were always late.

Thinking I should clear away anything that might cause misunderstandings, I looked at the young lady poking James’ unconscious cheek and asked.

“Young Lady.”

“Hmm.”

“What are you doing?”

“Checking if he’s alive or dead.”

“What if he’s dead?”

“I’ll bury him.”

“How kind of you.”

“Hmm.”

As expected, the young lady seemed kind.

I walked to the center of the collapsed inn and carefully placed Olaf’s clothes and the photograph that had come from his daughter’s corpse into my pocket.

Since it seemed impossible to bury the body properly, I thought I should at least make a grave with these.

Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any evidence that the young lady had used dark magic. Thanks to Olaf’s body repeatedly regenerating, it was relatively intact, so it seemed like we could avoid the misfortune of her being taken away.

‘Looks like everything’s done.’

I calmly gathered everything I needed and waited for the Imperial Army to approach me, hoping it would all end quickly.

‘I just want to rest soon.’

-Thud, thud, thud…

Among the Imperial soldiers with grim expressions, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard. It seemed urgent, as a woman was shouting “Please move aside!” while squeezing through the soldiers.

“Who is that?”

The voice sounded familiar.

-Please move aside.

The woman, with a desperate voice, pushed through the crowd. Despite the soldiers’ irritated grumbles at the collapsing formation, she continued walking forward without hesitation.

-This area is restricted. Please return…!

-But… My family is there.

-It’s dangerous. Leave it to the Imperial Army and go back….

-Please, move aside!

From afar, pink hair came into view.

With her fluttering hair and a voice carrying the scent of spring, I immediately recognized who was approaching.

‘Yuria.’

The protagonist of the novel was running to confirm the altered future.

“Dad!!!”

Yuria, who had squeezed through the soldiers, saw the collapsed inn and began running madly toward it.

Watching her, I let out a cautious sigh of relief. I thought I had successfully prevented the future she feared.

‘Still, it seems like I made the right choice.’

I was relieved not to see her crying. I was glad that I might be able to make her smile properly at least once.

I reached out to stop Yuria, who was running toward the inn’s wreckage, to let her know that her father was behind the collapsed stone wall.

“Miss Yuria, over there…”

However.

“…”

The hand I extended awkwardly froze as Yuria passed by me without even a glance. She glared at me coldly, then turned back to the inn’s wreckage, kneeling and digging through it with her bare hands.

“Dad…!”

“Sob… Dad…!”

“Daaaaad!!”

Yuria’s voice cracked with sorrow. Like someone who had lost the world, she cried desperately, digging through the wreckage with her bare hands.

“…Hmm.”

I hadn’t expected to be treated like this, and it left me a little flustered. I didn’t want to be treated as a hero, but this still hurt in its own way.

Looking down at my bloodied hand, I gave a bitter smile.

“This is bitter.”

I sighed and carefully walked toward Yuria. While I was used to being hated, I didn’t want to see a close friend crying so sorrowfully. I thought I should tell her quickly.

“Hoo.”

I let out a breath and forced a smile. Smiling would make it easier to deliver good news, after all.

-Step.

“Um…”

-Step.

“Miss Yuria.”

-Flinch.

Yuria, who had been clearing the wreckage with her bare hands, stopped and glared at me. Her tear-filled eyes were sharp, and her hatred froze me in place.

I needed to speak, but no words came out.

Her icy gaze was so intense that I thought it might be less frightening if Olaf had resurrected instead.

Taking a deep breath, I spoke to Yuria. I had to say what needed to be said.

“Miss Yuria.”

Yuria interrupted me.

“I…!”

Her shoulders trembled.

Like someone overwhelmed by a massive sense of betrayal, she suppressed the anger boiling inside her and spoke to me.

“How much I trusted you.”

“…”

“Even when I had doubts, I believed and believed again…”

Yuria repeated the same words. She vented her frustration, asking why her trust had not been rewarded.

It was obvious that I was the target of that trust, even without thinking about it.

Yuria poured out her resentment toward me, who hesitated to respond. She blamed me for failing to protect her father.

Awkwardly extending my hand, I opened my mouth to clear up her misunderstanding.

“Um, first, please listen to me…”

But Yuria, overwhelmed with emotion, didn’t give me a chance to explain. Once again, she shouted at me, this time with a resigned tone, her face buried in the ground.

“Why is it that every time you’re around, something goes wrong?”

“…”

“It had been quiet for a while, and I promised myself I wouldn’t hate you anymore. But why…!”

“…”

“Why is it that every time, I get swept up in the misfortunes Ricardo brings?”

Yuria shouted, clenching her fists.

How should I take this?

Honestly, I don’t know. I couldn’t tell if Yuria was expressing her true feelings or if her words were driven by the anxiety born from a misunderstanding.

“But still….”

Yuria spoke through her tears.

“I…”

She pounded her chest and offered me words of reassurance. Thankfully, she did.

“I still believe in Ricardo.”

“I know. I’m strange. Always whining, getting disappointed on my own… I know how strange I must seem….”

Yuria wiped away her tears as she spoke.

“I guess I just can’t bring myself to hate Ricardo.”

Finally, a smile formed on my stiff lips. Was it because I felt good, realizing I had earned a greater trust than I had expected?

Personally, I thought I would hear something like, ‘I shouldn’t have trusted you,’ ‘I was a fool for believing in you,’ or ‘Why is it always me who gets hurt?’ But amidst my unease, I felt grateful for Yuria’s faith in me.

So, as I always did, I spoke to Yuria. Hiding my bloodied arm behind my back, I smiled and said,

“I’m sorry.”

From afar, I heard the Imperial Army shouting that they had found James, who had been hidden away. Along with their cries, I saw the sullen expression of the young lady being carried by the soldiers.

-We found him!

Yuria looked at me.

With trembling eyes, she gazed at me and murmured, “Thank goodness….”

I gave a small smile and bowed my head.

Hiding my injured hand behind my back, I bowed my head once again and said,

“I wanted to protect you without a single scratch, but my body just wouldn’t cooperate. I’m sorry.”

Yuria stared at me blankly.

And then.

The young lady was glaring at Yuria.

The soldiers were approaching.

The leader of this army, clad in massive armor, was walking toward me. The man in armor pulled out a scroll from his chest and began reciting its contents.

It was roughly about my right to remain silent.

I nodded in response to the man’s words, thinking at least I wasn’t being handcuffed, and relaxed my body, ready to surrender to the soldier approaching me.

Just as the soldier’s hand reached for my shoulder.

-Clang!

The sound of a kick echoed.

The sound of someone kicking the armor.

Lowering my gaze, I smiled at the brave girl who had kicked the man’s shin.

“Young Lady.”

The young lady folded her arms and wore an arrogant expression. It was as if I was seeing her old self from when she lived in the slums, always saying, ‘I’m kind of a big deal.’ She raised her eyebrows and looked up at the armored man, saying,

“Do you even know who I am?!”

Watching the young lady grimace and clutch her aching toes while letting out an “Eeeek,” I stifled a laugh. I patted her head to reassure her that everything was fine.

After all, there was nothing to worry about.

I blinked at the young lady, who was being dragged away by the Imperial Army, as if to tell her it was okay.

“Eeeek, let go! Ricardo, don’t just stand there!”

“It’s fine. I’ll just have a quick chat and be back.”

“No! I’ll make sure to show them the difference in class.”

“That’s a socially dangerous thing to say.”

“…Then, the difference in rank?”

“That’s also a bit problematic.”

As I patted the young lady’s head, I turned to the representative leading the army and said,

“Please make it quick.”

The representative let out an empty laugh, removed his helmet, and approached me while scolding the soldiers sharply.

“Do you all want to write a statement report? Don’t you know you’ll face disciplinary action for mistreating an innocent civilian?”

The man who had removed his helmet shook his head and smiled. With his graceful looks and brown hair, he patted my shoulder and said,

“Why is it that you always manage to cause trouble wherever you go?”

“Huh?”

“Were you planning to die without sharing any new recipes?”

Malik smiled as he looked at me.

“I knew this might happen, so I didn’t submit my resignation letter to the Knights’ Order.”

From my perspective, this man seemed like the protagonist.