The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen-Chapter 357-358

Returning to the arena, Shartia approached me with surprised eyes.

"You... what did you do!!!"

"Ahem?"

I was drinking tea in the break room. Seeing Shartia's welcome face, I shrugged my shoulders and smiled.

"Is something the matter?"

"There is!"

"Hmm?"

She didn't look angry.

The emotion of bewilderment seemed greater than anger. She had finished off an opponent she expected a bloody battle with in a single spell. It was only natural she'd be surprised. I could understand. Honestly, I didn't expect him to go down in one hit either.

-Froststorm...!

-...!!!

-Wow... Boss.

-...What did I just see.

-Wasn't it a good show. Haha...

I was quite flustered myself.

"Does it make sense to send the Crown Prince flying in one shot just by wearing a single bracelet?!"

"Haha!"

Shartia rolled up her sleeve and showed me the crimson bracelet on her right wrist. What on earth is this bracelet?

"...A secret?"

"You bastard...!"

"Haha!"

After about a minute of facing Shartia with an awkward gaze, a disheartened voice came from the bracelet she was wearing.

-Master...?!

"Ah... I forgot."

-Um... can I go back now?"

"Of course. Did you have a good trip?"

-Yes...!

The way to make Shartia win against the Crown Prince was simple. Give her a stronger weapon. This was the easiest method and one that didn't harm others.

I couldn't give her an epiphany in a short amount of time, and there wasn't enough time to devise a scheme.

Fortunately, Caliburn had the ability to change its form freely, and I had confirmed that she could use a small amount of Caliburn's power by taking on the risk of being unable to use magic for a while, so I lent her Caliburn.

It could be called cowardly, but the moment Mikhail used the Holy Sword, the restrictions on weapons were long gone. Besides, it seemed the Crown Prince had brought several things himself.

When I briefly saw the Crown Prince in the arena, it seemed he had brought more than one or two royal treasures.

A ring that increases magical power.

A famous sword that amplifies magic sensitivity.

Even a bracelet that increases magic resistance. The Crown Prince was also starting with an item battle, so it would be foolish for only one side to fight honestly.

"She won, so isn't that what matters?"

Shartia didn't say much because she also knew about the Crown Prince's equipment, but Shartia, who had overwhelmed the Crown Prince more than she thought, was looking at me with a dazed expression.

"Taeo went down in one shot."

"Oh my... how pitiful. I should go visit him in the infirmary."

"Don't tease...!"

I shrugged my shoulders and countered Shartia's retort.

"In battle, equipment is everything."

"..."

"The Crown Prince came just as packed, so it's fair."

"Still...!"

I gave a friendly smile and asked Shartia.

"If it wasn't for me, the one lying in the infirmary right now would be you, Your Highness."

"...!"

Speaking nonchalantly, I reached out to Shartia.

-Saaa...

As my hand approached Shartia's wrist, the bracelet she was wearing changed its form and returned to the shape of a sword.

-I missed you...!

"Haha."

-Master is the best.

"Is that so?"

Shartia stood still like a statue, watching my composed demeanor.

"..."

"You don't need to feel guilty."

"..."

"If the opponent was Mikhail or Hanna, it wouldn't have worked. And if the opponent were my friends, I wouldn't have done it."

"..."

Shartia clenched her fists and asked me.

"Why..."

"Yes?"

"Why are you so good to me."

"Hmm... I wonder."

I looked at Shartia and gave a bright smile.

"I have a weak spot for beautiful people."

"You...!"

-The next match is the semifinals! The newly emerging powerhouse!!! Yuria and the academy's unchanging hero, Mikhail!

I cut Shartia off as I heard the announcer's broadcast echoing from the ceiling.

"The next match is about to start. I'll be going then."

"Wait a minute...!"

"Let's talk slowly next time."

Shartia looked at the spot where Ricardo had left and swept her hair back.

"Ha..."

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't figure that man out.

Mikhail and Yuria stood facing each other.

Mikhail, holding the Holy Sword, gave a light greeting to Yuria who was facing him.

"Long time no see! Yuria!"

At Mikhail's friendly wave, Yuria also smiled brightly and bowed her head. They were both old friends.

Mikhail and Yuria were friends who trusted and relied on each other. They comforted each other during tough times and were close friends who supported each other even during the incidents with Ricardo and Olivia.

The two had not expected to meet each other in the ranking tournament. Mikhail was expected to advance, but Yuria was not.

Yuria knew she was weak, and Mikhail also knew Yuria's combat abilities.

Really...

The two had not expected to meet in the arena like this.

"I'm so nervous I could die."

"Haha!!!"

Despite that, the two, unshaken, cheered each other on and gave fresh smiles.

"For someone who's nervous, you've come a long way."

"I worked hard. You're amazing too, Mikhail. You even beat Hanna."

"I was just lucky. I would have lost without the Holy Sword."

Yuria smiled faintly and asked Mikhail.

"Are you going to use the Holy Sword?"

Mikhail shrugged and replied.

"Of course."

Are you not going to go easy on me?"

"Nope. I promised to buy someone delicious food with the prize money."

"Who are you buying for?"

"It's a secret."

"That's no fun... But I also decided to buy someone I like a meal if I win this time."

"You like someone?"

"It's a secret."

Yuria smiled and loosened her wrists.

He was a friend whose back she had only watched while attending the academy. A friend who was stronger and tougher than anyone. Just as others had said Mikhail was an existence they couldn't catch up to, Yuria also thought Mikhail was someone she couldn't catch up to.

Because he was more outstanding than anyone. It wasn't a feeling of romantic attraction. It was respect as a person.

Mikhail wasn't her ideal type either.

Yuria's ideal type was a handsome man who smiled a lot and was only kind to her. And because such a man was watching from above the arena, Yuria could muster more strength.

Yuria raised her head and looked at the man in the stands. Ricardo's face, who was sitting side by side and watching the match, as if he were an acquaintance of the senior director, came into view.

The moment Ricardo's eyes met Yuria's, he waved his hand. Mikhail likewise raised his head and was looking at Ricardo.

The moment both of their gazes were directed at one man, Ricardo mouthed something inaudibly.

'Mikhail, win...!'

'Yuria, win...!'

The two thought he was clenching his fists and calling their names. Although Ricardo had actually said something else.

-What should we eat for lunch?

The two, their fighting spirit soaring, began to resolve to win, and the moment the announcer's voice signaled the start of the match.

-The semifinal match will now begin!!

Mikhail and Yuria kicked off the ground and began to move.

Mikhail's fast-moving sword was closing in to choke the life out of Yuria. Yuria also gathered her holy power while watching Mikhail's sword to the end.

'Just like I saw in the nightmare...!'

Yuria, her expression hardened, gathered the Holy Flame and swung her fist, and at Yuria's deep attack, Mikhail quickly twisted his body and created distance.

-Boy. Keep your head straight.

The Holy Sword said to Mikhail.

-Because my power cannot be used against a cleric.

'What do you mean by that.'

-It can't be helped. It's a vow I made to myself in the past.

Mikhail ground his teeth and said to the Holy Sword.

'You did just fine when you fought Hanna.'

-That's... because she wasn't someone who used holy power.

'Yuria isn't a cleric either.'

-Still, hurting someone who uses holy power pricks my conscience...

"Haa..."

Yuria was coming at him fiercely. Yuria's fists, which were coming in so fast that he couldn't face her with half-hearted skills, were coming at him so intensely that a wrong hit would result in a serious injury.

"...!"

Being a user of the Divine Eye, which could see through everything about the opponent, also helped in easily finding weaknesses.

-Fwoosh...

Moreover.

The white flame that rose around her scattered the magical power, so he couldn't even use his sword energy properly.

Mikhail, seeing the rising Holy Flame, created distance and kept Yuria in check.

"Amazing, Yuria."

"Right? I'm pretty ama...haa...haa..."

"You're tired."

"No...?!"

"It seems to take a lot of stamina to maintain that white flame."

"..."

As if Mikhail's casually thrown words were the answer, Yuria looked exhausted. Her breathing became ragged, and cold sweat dripped from her forehead like rain.

Mikhail, convinced that she couldn't maintain the Holy Flame for long, held his sword straight, looked directly at Yuria, and said in a cold voice.

"I'm sorry."

Mikhail prepared a powerful single blow.

A trump card that could break through when the power of the Holy Flame weakened.

Yuria also gathered the Holy Flame that had been burning around her into her fist and prepared a single blow. Vowing to decide the match with this one blow, Yuria slowly controlled her breathing and took a step towards Mikhail.

"I'll tell you in advance, Mikhail."

"..."

"It would be best to dodge this next attack."

"Same here."

The two said the same thing.

""This next attack (technique) might really hurt.""

The two smiled faintly and ran, and.

-Kwoooooooong!!!

In the smoke that spread with a huge vibration, only one person stood.

"..."

The announcer said in a trembling voice.

-The winner of this match is...!

"I won...!"

-Mikhail!!!

One day after Mikhail had savored the joy of victory, the semifinal match in Group B ended anticlimactically.

-Ah... Player Shartia has forfeited the match.

The match between Shuen and Shartia was scheduled for the semifinals, but after using Caliburn's ability, Shartia's body became unable to use magic for a certain period of time.

Shartia, unable to use magic, naturally forfeited the match, and as a result, Shuen advanced to the finals.

-I will forfeit.

-...What?

-I don't feel well, so I think I have to forfeit.

-But Shuen... I had a lot prepared to insult the imperial family this time...!

-...Huh?

Shuen, who had unintentionally advanced to the finals, was striding down the academy hallway with light steps.

"I luckily made it to the finals, yessss."

"Hmmmm... what should I do with the money I've earned?"

"It's got to be a house. The biggest homework in life is to get my own house. If I finish the biggest homework first, a bright future will be waiting for me, yessss."

Shuen was thinking about what to do with the money she had earned and how to tell the commoner.

"Hoooom...."

Shuen, who had been wandering the hallway aimlessly for a long time, stopped in front of the senior director's office.

-I'll be heading out now.

-Tomorrow is the last match, so don't be late.

-Yes, I understand. Have a good day, President.

She had seen a familiar man.

Red hair and an appearance unbecoming of a commoner. The suspiciously handsome man was bowing his head and coming out of the senior director's office.

-Then I'll be going.

The moment Ricardo came out of the senior director's office, closed the door, and turned his head towards the hallway, he saw Shuen and waved his hand in a friendly greeting.

"Oh... Ms. Shuen!"

"...Hic!?"

'A... a commoner?!'

"I enjoyed watching the match. You made it to the finals in style, didn't you?"

"...Ugh!"

"As expected of a true noble. If there were just 10 more nobles like you, Ms. Shuen, in the academy, it would run smoothly."

Shuen looked at the brightly smiling Ricardo and thought. 'Why is he so handsome for a commoner?'

When she first saw the commoner, she thought he had a decent face, but as time passed, Shuen couldn't lift her head at the commoner's face, which seemed to have a noble aura.

'How insolent...!'

To be handsome for a commoner.

In Shuen's vision as she looked at Ricardo, petals were scattering. A pink petal, a red petal. Shuen stood there blankly, looking at Ricardo's face, which was exquisitely avoiding the 'sharrra' falling petals.

'This must be a disease too.'

It seemed she had caught a terrible disease.

The disease of liking a commoner.

Ricardo, who was walking towards her, brought his face close to Shuen's eyes, who was standing there blankly, and made a worried expression.

'W-what is he doing...! Could it be a... a kiss?!!'

And then.

"Excuse me."

-Gently.

As Ricardo's palm suddenly came up and was placed on Shuen's forehead, Shuen's eyes widened and she looked at Ricardo.

"W-w-what is the meaning of this?"

She wondered what this was all about.

"You don't have a fever..."

Hearing Ricardo's mutter, Shuen made a surprised expression and hurriedly stepped back.

"How insolent for a commoner!"

"Ahaha..."

"Stop hating nobles! S-so... Kyaa!"

Shuen, who was stepping back, let out a short scream and lost her balance. Because her legs had gotten tangled.

In the sudden situation, Shuen squeezed her eyes shut.

She had wanted to show a dignified noble appearance in front of the commoner, but to fall as soon as she saw him.

'I'm disqualified as a noble...'

The embarrassed Shuen thought of the coming pain and accepted gravity as it was.

"Oops."

Then, a warm hand wrapped around Shuen's waist and stopped her falling body.

"Eh...?"

Shuen, who had her eyes squeezed shut, opened them slightly and looked ahead. She thought she would show an embarrassing side of herself in front of the commoner, but she hadn't.

The moment she wondered how she was standing, a familiar fragrant scent wafted up her nose, and Shuen's eyes trembled as she looked ahead.

"What is this..."

"You almost fell. That was dangerous."

"Let go!"

"If I let go now, you'll get hurt, so I can't."

"..."

"You can't get hurt, can you? You have an important match right around the corner..."

Ricardo smiled slightly and put a slight amount of force into the hand holding her waist.

"Because I believe you will win, Ms. Shuen."

Uh...

"Right?"

The blushing Shuen smiled slightly and nodded.

"Yes..."

Originally, she had planned to collect her winnings today and look for a decent house in the capital.

"I'm going to win..."

She had developed a desire to live in a castle.

The day the finals began.

Malik, leaning against the railing, let out a deep breath and looked at me.

"I'm glad we could finish the ranking tournament without any incidents."

"That's right. No attacks from heretics and no cheating."

"...?"

"Because I'm a natural disaster."

"Pfft... yes, that's right."

Malik smiled slightly and observed my reaction.

"So... you're ready to lose the bet, right?"

At Malik's slightly confident expression, I shrugged with a meaningful smile.

"The bet isn't over yet."

"Hmm... "

Malik, with a vague expression, looked at Shuen, who was warming up below in the stadium, and said.

"Honestly, I don't think Tetra Shuen can beat Mikhail."

"Is that so?"

"No matter how talented Tetra Shuen is at magic, she's not as good as Mikhail."

"Hmm..."

"Besides, magicians are at an overwhelming disadvantage in one-on-one combat. The matches Tetra Shuen has shown have been about exploiting openings, haven't they?"

I looked at Shuen and smiled meaningfully.

"Everything you say is right, President, but I don't think she's going to lose."

"You don't seem to have a talent for gambling."

I drank my drink and watched the stadium. Then I said let's wait for the results at a leisurely pace.

"Let's just wait and see for now. No one knows who will win, right?"

"Don't tell me... you gave her the same thing you gave the princess."

I shook my head at Malik's question and replied.

"No. Do I look like that kind of a vile person to you? I know the word 'fair and square' too."

"That's true."

Malik smiled slightly and waited for the announcer to announce the start of the match.

-Now, the final match...!

The moment the announcer's voice announced the start of the match.

-Let's begin!!

A hollow laugh escaped Malik's lips.

"So this was it."

"..."

"This is why you…."

An unexpected secret weapon was in Shuen's hands.

"You said Tetra Shuen would win the bet."

In Shuen's hands was.

"Shuengel has arrived!"

The Holy Sword.

30 minutes before the match started.

A guest had come to see Mikhail, who was sitting in the player's waiting room. A guest with impressive purple cinnamon-roll hair.

"Hello!"

"Oh... Shuen? The match is about to start, why are you in the waiting room?"

Mikhail thought Shuen had come to make a suspicious proposal.

To intentionally lose the match in exchange for money, or to pretend to fight hard. Many students had made such requests to Mikhail, so it was a situation where Mikhail could be sufficiently suspicious.

"...Well, you see!"

Mikhail thought.

If Shuen made such a request, he would politely refuse.

He knew how desperate she was for this match, but he was just as desperate, so he had thought of politely refusing, saying he couldn't do it.

However.

"I came to get back what I lent you!"

Shuen said something completely unexpected. The Holy Sword was co-owned, so if he had used it well so far, she should be allowed to use it too.

"Uh...?"

Mikhail, who had heard something he hadn't expected, stood there blankly, and by the time he came to his senses, Shuen had already extended her hand towards the Holy Sword.

Mikhail, with a flustered expression, grabbed Shuen's hand, which was reaching for the Holy Sword.

"No. No, Shuen. You're a magician."

"Why does that matter?"

"You're a magician, and you're going to use a sword?"

"I'm Shuengel, so it's fine."

"You're better at magic than a sword."

"I swung a wooden stick around when I was young, so I'll be good with the Holy Sword too."

"Huh?"

"Just watch."

Shuen pushed away Mikhail's hand and drew the Holy Sword.

"I'm overflowing with power!"

At that moment, a strange voice reached Shuen's ears.

-How can you hold me...!

"Shut up!"

-...?

"You're too talkative for a sword!"

-...It's no use anyway. Even if you can hold me... you won't be able to use my power....

"Shuengel...! Arrive!!!"

-Flash.

-???

"Heh!"

The Holy Sword's spirit was crushed.

And so, now Shuen was looking at Mikhail with the Holy Sword in hand, and Mikhail, who had been deprived of his weapon, was warily watching Shuen with a hastily acquired sword.

A cold wind was blowing between the two.

"Hooo... I, Shuen, am the strongest swordsman,"

"Haha... what should I do about this..."

Shuen, who wants victory.

Mikhail, who also wants victory, held his sword evenly and gathered his aura.

Mikhail filled his sword with aura and said to Shuen in a low voice.

"I'm not going to hold back."

"Me too."

"I'm going to win too... so you do your best too, Shuen."

"It's fine. I don't lose to commoners."

Shuen gathered the power of the Holy Sword.

-I cannot give you power.

"Shut up."

-To you, who has not walked the path of the sword, such power...

"You..."

-...

"Were you a commoner in your past life?"

-?!

"You talk too much."

The Holy Sword became sullen.