Reborn as an Yandere : Yandere X Yandere-Chapter 268: An Splendid Answer

Class A students were walking through the hallway on their way to the academy gardens for a practical training session under the warm morning sun.

Maruti was among them, walking beside Kailith. Her face looked irritated as she glanced at her right hand—it was sticky and covered in a weird gooey slime. Her eye twitched in frustration.

"Eww... ?" she muttered under her breath.

Of course, the culprit was none other than Kaelith, who had been licking her hand the whole time during the last two lectures. Even now, Kaelith looked way too pleased with herself. Her lips were curved into a proud smile, and her succubus tail swayed behind her like a happy cat.

She quickly used her magic to clean her hand, and the slimy larva-like mess vanished in a sparkle of light. She sighed in relief, "Magic really is helpful..."

But of course, peace never lasted long for her.

Suddenly, a familiar and sweet voice echoed in her ear, playful and dramatic.

"Where are you going~?"

Maruti flinched. She instantly felt a wave of dread wash over her. That tone... that overly cheerful voice...

She slowly turned around and saw Alice running toward them, waving.

But something felt off.

Maruti stared at her, narrowed her eyes, and her lips drooped into a tired sigh. "No... not you..."

It wasn’t Alice. It was her—Arlecchino.

Arlecchino reached them and immediately glanced at Kailith. Her expression shifted. She blinked in surprise and tilted her head.

"Eh? What happened to you? Why do you look so different?" she asked with genuine confusion.

Kailith looked away smugly and crossed her arms. A sly smirk spread on her lips as she pointed subtly to the black choker around her neck and the elegant half cape fluttering slightly behind her.

"You should look a little closer, and guess who gave me these... hehehe~"

She giggled to herself, clearly enjoying the moment, looking down on Alice with a sense of pride.

Arlecchino didn’t back down. With a sharp smile of her own, she reached into her pouch and pulled out a beautiful blue saber. The sword glowed faintly, its silver carvings and blue crystal core gleaming in the light.

"Someone really important gave this to me," Alice said softly, her voice proud, her eyes narrowing. "I wonder whose gift holds more meaning?"

Kailith’s gaze turned sharper as she stepped forward slightly. Their eyes locked.

Sparks flew between them—almost literally. It was like lightning clashed in mid-air as they glared at each other, neither willing to back down.

Maruti, caught in the middle of their silent war, finally exploded.

"Aaaah! Enough already, you two! We’re already late! Everyone else is ahead of us!"

She stomped her foot in frustration and stormed forward, hoping they would follow and stop fighting over... whatever weird competition they had going on now.

And just like she thought, both Kailith and Arlecchino ran back to her.

"Wait, wait... You still didn’t give me the answer?" Arlecchino asked, her voice playful yet persistent.

"Where else? It’s the practical session. We’re going there," Maruti replied casually, not even sparing her a glance.

"Is that so? Then I’ll come too!" Arlecchino said with a shrug, acting like it was no big deal.

Maruti came to a sudden stop and turned around to face her. But before she could say anything, Kailith cut in with an annoyed tone, "You’re from Class B, idiot. You can’t come!"

Arlecchino rolled her eyes and waved her hand, completely ignoring the warning. "So what? Not like anyone’s going to notice. We’ll just see what happens. I’m not scared of anyone."

Maruti raised her eyebrows, wanting to sigh. "This really is Arlecchino’s style... Alice could never even dream of doing this," she thought to herself.

"Okay then, come," Maruti finally agreed, though her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "But promise you won’t cause any trouble."

Thankfully, Arlecchino nodded right away. "Okay. But come with me to the washroom first. My clothes are all soaked—I need to change!"

"Then just go by yourself," Maruti said and took a step back, confused. "What am I supposed to do in there?"

"To help with some personal stuff, of course. It’s been so long," Arlecchino said in a very serious tone, as if it was a completely normal request. "Also, tell me—when’s our next date?"

Kailith jumped in with a smirk, "Yeah, even I like that idea. I’ve been waiting since morning. And we’ve never done it while in uniform—it’s like cosplay!"

Both Kailith and Arlecchino giggled to themselves, clearly lost in their fantasies of being intimate with Maruti while she wore her school uniform and skirt.

But before they could continue, a soft spell echoed through the air.

"Dry," Maruti said with a sigh, pointing at Arlecchino.

Suddenly, Arlecchino felt a wave of warmth sweep over her, and her clothes dried instantly as if nothing had happened.

"Happy? Now let’s go," Maruti said casually, starting to walk away again.

"Nooo, that’s cheating!" Arlecchino and Kailith cried out together, still trying to convince her.

But just then, a teacher walked by, heading in the same direction.

They both immediately went silent and didn’t speak a word until the teacher had passed. But by the time she was gone, they were already close to the academy garden. It was too late to argue now.

When Maruti arrived at the garden, almost all the students were already gathered.

"Mei! Come here!" a voice called out loudly from the crowd.

Maruti froze the moment she heard it. That voice—it was Sasha, her big sister.

She quickly turned her head away, pretending like she hadn’t heard anything and kept walking. But Sasha wasn’t giving up.

"Mei! I said come here!" she shouted even louder, her voice echoing around them.

Maruti’s face turned red in embarrassment. "Ugh... stop saying my nickname! It’s so embarrassing! You’re the older sister, you should know better!" she screamed in her thoughts.

Kailith glanced over and tilted her head. "I think your sister is calling you," she said softly. Then her eyes widened with curiosity. "Wait... why is she calling you ’Mei’? Is that your childhood nickname?"

Maruti panicked immediately. Tiny beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. "N-no! You’re misunderstanding! She’s calling someone else. There’s no way—"

Before she could even finish her sentence, a hand rested on her shoulder from behind.

She turned around slowly—and it was Sasha.

Her sister gave her a light, disappointed glare.

"Mei," Sasha said in a serious voice. "I’ve been trying to contact you for the last few days. Stop ignoring me!"

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Meanwhile at present, in Esdeath Machinery & Ammunition Limited Company, the opening party had finally come to an end. Almost everyone had left, and the once lively atmosphere was now quiet.

Lortell and Esdeath had personally seen off nearly every guest, speaking politely and smiling as they waved goodbye. Esdeath had taken this chance to chat with a few nobles and gather information. She learned about the current situation of the kingdom — how the economy was doing, the strength of the army, and how many powerful awakened individuals the kingdom currently had.

These details were never mentioned in Free Life Fantasy. Of course, Esdeath could ask Lortell directly about them, but she wanted to see things from the perspective of others too — understand how they viewed the kingdom.

Once everything had settled down, Lortell took Esdeath and Selene with her and led them to the basement.

The basement was large and filled with leftover materials, broken machines, old tools, and piles of scrap. Nothing looked particularly interesting, and neither Esdeath nor Selene said anything. They simply followed Lortell in silence as she confidently walked ahead.

They kept walking deeper into the basement until they stopped in front of a plain, ordinary-looking door.

It looked like any other door. Nothing fancy. It had a small seal on it, but Lortell clearly knew how to open it. She placed her hand on the door and started pouring her mana into it. Her fingers moved as if she was tracing a secret code — her mana forming patterns like entering a password.

Within seconds, the door clicked and slowly opened.

Without saying a word, Lortell stepped inside. Esdeath and Selene followed closely behind her.

The space they entered wasn’t a room at all. It was a lift. A small, square-shaped platform surrounded by metal walls. It shook lightly as it began to descend.

"I thought the secret was in the basement," Esdeath muttered, watching the walls pass by as the lift went deeper, "but it’s even further down?"

The ride down lasted nearly a full minute. The air became heavier. When the lift finally stopped and the doors opened, the scene that greeted them was completely different.

Esdeath’s eyes widened slightly. It looked like they had entered a hidden city underground.

The place was dark and massive. There was a deep chasm ahead with narrow walkways stretching across it. Along the walls were countless prison-like rooms, dimly lit by essence lamps. The entire place felt cold, quiet, and eerie — like it hadn’t seen sunlight in years.

"Here it is," Lortell said in a quiet but serious voice, stepping out of the lift.

Esdeath and Selene stepped out after her, and what they saw made their stomachs tighten.

In the distance, dozens — no, hundreds — of people were working. Beastmen, barbarians, humans — all kinds of people. Their wrists and necks were chained with slave collars. Most of them looked tired, weak, and dirty. They were refining low-grade essence stones using crude tools and worn-out machines.

Harsh voices echoed through the place. Guards stood tall with whips in hand, shouting at anyone who dared to slow down. Some were beaten just for trying to take a break or resting for a few seconds.

"This..." Esdeath whispered, eyes narrowing as she watched the scene, "slave trafficking?"

Lortell looked around and replied calmly, "Close, but not exactly."

She pointed to a corner where a special cage was placed. Inside were elves and some other women — they looked more delicate, with soft features and long hair. Their clothes were ripped, but their bodies looked less bruised than the others.

Lortell continued, her voice low and firm, "These are people with huge debts... those who supported the Revolutionary Army, small criminals with no family, and the rest — they were captured from the forests."

Her words were like heavy stones.

Then, she looked directly at Esdeath. "Have you ever wondered how the kingdom manages to mass-produce essence stones for its army? For the awakened soldiers? For the new recruits?"

She didn’t wait for an answer.

"It’s because of these people," she said coldly. "They are forced to refine essence stones their entire lives. No rest, no break. If they collapse from exhaustion, they are thrown away like garbage and replaced."

If Ethan had been here, he would’ve screamed at Lortell and rushed toward the slaves without a second thought. He would’ve tried to free them all, his heart burning with anger and justice.

But this was Esdeath.

She stood still, her red eyes calmly scanning the scene, without a hint of empathy in them. In her eyes, those people weren’t human. They were livestock—walking, breathing sources of essence stones.

Her lips curled up in quiet amusement, a spark of excitement flickering inside her chest.

"It’s like an unlimited essence stone farm... Not bad, not bad at all," she thought, her mind already calculating the potential of this place.

Lortell, standing beside her, continued speaking with her usual cold voice, as if she was talking about some routine market deals, "Finally, there are elves and other women with pretty faces. They’re sold at auctions for extremely high prices. And if some noble gets them pregnant, they might even get a chance to become a concubine and get rid of their slave status."

She paused briefly, before adding with a shrug, "But in the worst case, they’re just thrown out as used goods... and become street girls."

There was no shame in her voice. No hesitation. Everything was happening under her control, and she wasn’t hiding it.

"There are fifteen more chasms like this in different parts of the kingdom. Ten are under my rule. And apart from this, there are other hidden places too—places where they torture people, kidnap them, traffic organs, and forcefully extract essence stones from their bodies. I can take you there, if you’re interested."

Esdeath turned her gaze toward Lortell and smiled with pleasure.

"I would love to... but maybe some other time. If I start taking everything too quickly, it’ll only raise suspicion," she said, pulling out the camera Cassandra had given her.

Click!

A soft sound escaped from the camera, nearly impossible to hear. In the next second, a tiny photo popped out from the side—an instant, physical copy of the chasm.

"Let’s get closer," Esdeath said as she stepped forward, her eyes glowing with curiosity. "I want to take more pictures."

Nobody questioned her actions. With Lortell by her side, no one dared to stop her. She walked freely around the edge, capturing the painful and miserable lives of the slaves with her camera.

Each click was cold. Each photo—a snapshot of suffering.

By the time they made a full round and reached the last section, her work was finally complete.

Lortell was now standing at the entrance, speaking with the chief guard, calmly discussing how the operations were going.

Esdeath took one last look at the place, then turned to Selene with a casual tone, as if she were just chatting.

"Aren’t their conditions so pitiful?" she asked softly. "Tell me, which one of them do you pity the most?"

Her voice was gentle, her face calm, but deep inside, a silent test was being played out.

This wasn’t just a question.

This was a lesson.

Selene was her daughter. And as her daughter, she had to learn to survive. To kill. To be strong. And to throw away emotions like guilt and pity.

Whomever Selene picked... Esdeath had planned to make her kill that person.

It would be her first lesson in cruelty.

But Selene narrowed her eyes, looked around, and then let out a quiet sigh.

"I can’t feel pity for any of them," she said, her voice calm and steady. "They feel more like little toys to me. Just like Corin." fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Esdeath was stunned for a brief second. Her body shifted slightly back in instinct, almost out of surprise. But then, a wide smile slowly stretched across her lips.

Not a fake one.

Not a mocking one.

A real, proud smile.

She stepped closer, gently bent down, and kissed Selene on the forehead.

"An splendid answer~,"

This chapter is updat𝙚d by f(r)eew𝒆bn(o)vel.com