The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen-Chapter 403-404

Their short and intense first meeting unfortunately came to an end in a short time.

It was because Schuen, having achieved his original goal, said he had to leave to make his next plan.

Schuen, who had come without any explanation and completely bewildered us, left after apologizing for coming without a letter.

"...What was that."

Still, it's a relief.

I was nervous that a bloody incident would occur if the young lady and Schuen met, but I was relieved that it passed without any accidents.

And

"Goodbye."

The young lady was also smiling, as if she was satisfied with her meeting with Schuen.

"Next time you come, don't forget to buy chocolate."

Leaving behind the retreating figure of Schuen, whose head was being bitten by Gomtang, I asked the young lady.

"How was it?"

"It was fun. He seemed stupid and smart at the same time."

"You mean he's like you."

"Eek?"

That's a relief.

The next day, when the sky had cleared up.

"Let's go to the sea to catch a fish."

"Let's go to the river to catch a fish."

A boisterous noise was coming from near the banks of the Hamel River, where the warm sunlight was shining down.

-Clatter.

"Hk..."

-Clatter.

"Hiiiik."

It was the sound of a cart being pulled.

The young lady, sitting in the back seat, was humming a song while looking at me pulling the cart.

"Let's put it all in this bottle~"

"Lalala lalalala..."

As if she was in a good mood from the long-awaited outing, I smiled in response to the young lady's humming and put more strength into my steps.

Because today was... the long-awaited fishing day.

It was a truly long time since we had gone out alone from the mansion. Ever since Gomtang came to the mansion, we hadn't been able to go out alone.

Having loaded the cart with fishing rods, bait, and plenty of food, I looked at the young lady and said.

"Are you excited?"

"Mhm."

"I'm excited too."

Though I don't know what we'll catch.

To be honest, I don't know much about the fish ecosystem of this world. I could confidently say that I knew more about orcs and monsters than anyone else, but the novel didn't mention anything about fishing.

In my past life, I knew that rivers had catfish, mandarin fish, and the like. But having never fished in this world, I was just going with the mindset of casting a line and seeing what happens.

So...

"My lady."

"Hm?"

"Have you ever caught a fish before?"

"Nope?"

I could only trust my intuition.

When I bought the fishing rod, they didn't say anything special, so I thought it would be fine.

After actually buying it, I was quite surprised that the fishing hook and bait were very different from what I had seen in my past life.

Using goblin meat for bait.

And they gave me a hook the size of a finger.

"To catch a fish... Ricardo, what were the next lyrics?"

Well. It should be fine.

Fish aren't that dangerous of a creature...

I forced a smile and shook off the uneasy feeling. Whatever happened, as long as it was fun, that's all that mattered.

"Ricardo."

"Yes."

"Are there a lot of fish?"

"I think so. You catch a lot of fish the day after it rains."

"Why? Doesn't the water level rise, so they don't come out?"

"I don't know either. I just know that you catch a lot."

"Hoooom."

"We've arrived."

"Mhm...!"

Arriving at the water's edge, I unfolded a chair on a decent rock and sat the young lady down.

"This is nice. If we catch fish here, I think even someone with no fishing luck will have some."

"Fishing luck...? Is that something you eat?"

"No. It's... it means the luck to catch a lot of fish."

"Ricardo, you shouldn't believe in superstitions too much."

"..."

I ignored the young lady's lecture and continued with the preparations.

Attaching the hook to the fishing rod.

Putting on the bait.

And in case she got cold, I spread a blanket over her lap.

-Fwoooong.

"It's cool."

"It is."

"I think I'll catch a lot of fish."

The cool breeze was pleasant.

As expected, I thought there was nothing better than fishing when you want to feel at ease. It was also nice to see the young lady in her casual clothes for a change.

A white dress and a white hat.

If it gets dirty, its lifespan is over, but you can just buy a new one.

From now on, I'll sit back and fish leisurely...

"Crunch."

Hmm...?

At the cheerful sound I heard, I turned my head and looked at the young lady.

"Hmm...?"

"Munch... munch.."

The young lady, with her mouth full of snacks, was concentrating on the red float on the water.

"My lady?"

"Mhm."

"When did you pack snacks?"

"Earlier."

"Oh..."

"Want some, Ricardo?"

At the sight of the young lady putting her hand in her treasure pouch to take out some snacks, I let out a hollow laugh and shook my head. I wanted to eat with her, but I thought I wouldn't be able to concentrate on fishing in more ways than one.

"I'll eat later."

10 minutes passed like that.

"Haaaam..."

"..."

"Ricardo."

"Yes."

"When are we going to catch one?"

"It's only been 10 minutes."

"Really?"

30 minutes passed like that.

"Ricardo."

"Yes."

"When are they going to bite?"

"..."

My pride as the self-proclaimed god of fishing was starting to crumble. It was about time for even a small nibble.

-...

At the completely still water, I bit my dry lips.

"...If you wait just a little longer, you'll get a bite."

"Eeeek... But it's not coming..."

"...Haha."

'Well, you can't always catch fish.'

If I used my senses, I could easily catch a fish, but I knew that would be no fun, so I was enjoying the leisure as much as possible.

Fishing is...

[30 minutes later.]

Leisure...

"...My lady."

I said to the yawning young lady.

"Mhm."

"Shall we just eat?"

"No. I want to fish."

"Isn't it boring?"

"Huh?"

The young lady shrugged and shook her head.

"It's fun."

"Why?"

"I can eat as many snacks as I want."

"...That's a very impure motive, and it's bothering me."

"Hehet..."

The young lady, who was just holding the fishing rod and watching, replied with a grin.

"You're having fun too, Ricardo."

"That's..."

"So, I'm having fun too."

"My lady..."

"So, give me more snacks."

I hated the young lady for shattering the touching moment.

With no bites even after a long time, I stretched and told the young lady that we should take a break. Even I, the self-proclaimed fishing master, hadn't caught a single fish yet.

"Shall we rest a little?"

It was then.

-Tinkle.

"Huh?"

The sound of the bell attached to the young lady's fishing rod rang. The young lady, who saw the red float go deep into the water, looked at me with a dazed expression and said.

"Ricardo, the fishing rod is moving."

"Uh... uh oh?"

"Look. The fishing rod... eek!"

The young lady, who was holding the fishing rod, widened her eyes and looked at me.

"Hiiiiik!!!!"

"...Calm down!"

"Eek... eeeek!! Eeeek!"

'Thump. Thump.' Seeing the young lady's fishing rod trembling, I said urgently.

"Pull!"

The young lady widened her eyes and started to pull the fishing rod.

"Ughghghghghgh!!!"

She started making a strange sound and biting her lips.

"It must be a big one!"

"Hk?"

I went behind the young lady and started to pull the fishing rod with her.

Feeling the strong pull, it felt like a pretty big fish had taken the bait properly.

"!!!"

A pleasant smile almost formed on my face at the sensation I had never felt in my past life, but seeing the young lady's serious expression, a burst of laughter erupted from me.

"Ughghghgh...!"

What is that expression.

"Eeeeeek!!"

She must be putting strength in her hands, but at the sight of the young lady putting strength in her face, I burst out laughing and started to pull.

"You can do it."

"Hoeeeeeeeek!!!"

"Now...! One, two, three...!"

And the fish that appeared after the long struggle was.

-Gooooooom?

It was Gomtang, holding a salmon in his mouth.

"Huh?"

"Oh...?"

At the unexpected appearance of Gomtang, we looked at each other with awkward expressions.

"Ricardo."

"Yes."

"Is that a fish too?"

"No. It's a bear."

"Eek..."

The young lady's first fishing trip ended up being a success, in its own way.

Inside a church where darkness had fallen.

"Hoo..."

Elysia flicked the blood off her hands and looked at the man who was keeping his mouth shut tight.

"How are you feeling."

Even at her cool voice, the man only laughed without answering. He knew all too well what Elysia wanted.

"Aren't you scared?"

"...Why would I be?"

"If you sincerely apologize to me even now, I can kill you comfortably."

"Kill? You, who believed in a false god... me?"

"..."

Elysia's eyes began to turn evil.

"Being this shameless is a sin, you know."

"..."

"Shall we start again? I think I've given you enough of a break."

The Apostle of Temperance, whose hands were bound in chains, let out a hollow laugh and said to Elysia.

"I don't regret it."

"Is that so."

"Killing your family. I truly don't regret leading you, a priest who believed in a boring god, to the heretics."

"..."

"You must have prayed to God too. To kill your husband who was drunk and violent every day."

"..."

"I saved you in return for a price. So that you could escape from that terrible cycle."

Elysia smiled slightly and said to the Apostle of Temperance.

"You're trying to provoke me to supply yourself with black magic, I see."

"..."

"Go on."

"..."

"It's pleasant to hear. Continue."

Temperance, whose purpose had been seen through, uttered a cool threat towards Elysia.

"Can you handle it."

"..."

"It's only a matter of time before the Pope finds out about your betrayal."

"..."

"You don't think the other apostles will just stand by, do you?"

"I'm not afraid."

"Hehe... you're properly crazy too."

Temperance let out a mournful laugh and said.

"...Corrupting a priest is a fun thing to do."

"..."

"There's no better candidate for it."

Temperance began to speak without rest.

The reason why the heretics were targeting Yuria, and a curse that the number of those who would suffer tragedies like Elysia would increase.

"If you rely on someone strongly, the range of corruption becomes larger."

"..."

"If it's a priest who has dedicated their life to believing in God, it's even larger."

"..."

"The moment you turn the object of faith into hatred, talented people come pouring out.... How could I just leave them be. Isn't that right?"

Elysia smiled brightly and said to Temperance.

"Keep talking."

"..."

"Because corruption is my specialty."

"What...?"

Elysia smiled slightly and began to grin.

"Why are you afraid? You should 'temper' yourself."

The darkness began to be tinged with a deeper darkness.

Inside the vast, silent temple.

On the round table, tableware was set for seven people. Well-grilled steak and vegetables were served, and red wine was placed next to the tableware.

-Clink.

"..."

-Clink.

Along with the silence, the sound of plates being scraped began to echo plainly.

-Chomp... chomp...

From the one who loved to eat, the violent sound of a knife could be heard erratically.

-Slice... hmm...

From the one who maintained their composure, a quiet sound could be heard.

And.

"Is Temperance absent again this time?"

There was no noise coming from the unoccupied seat.

The man sitting in the northwest direction of the round table wiped his lips with a napkin and said.

"What happened to Temperance?"

The man's gaze, asking for the reason for the empty seat, was directed at two people.

"Apostle of Charity."

The elf who filled the seat of the deceased Apostle of Charity.

"And Meekness."

It was directed towards Elysia, the Apostle of Meekness.

The man's emotionless eyes looked at the two women, waiting for an answer. After all, his moniker was close to waiting.

"Do you not intend to answer?"

At the man's questioning, Elysia, with a hardened expression, uttered the answer they wanted.

"I don't know either."

"You don't know?"

"Temperance's whereabouts have been unknown since the mission failed."

"As I recall, Temperance was with the Apostle of Charity and the Apostle of Meekness."

"That's right."

"Then... why do you say you don't know about Temperance's whereabouts?"

To the probing question, Elysia calmly began to answer. She was an apostle in the same position as him, after all.

"I said I would buy time."

"You sacrificed yourself for Temperance?"

"We needed someone to buy time before the knight commander and other forces joined in."

"...There were three apostles. Not one, but three. You should know that it's impossible to stop three apostles, even if the empire's knight commander is there."

"A third party appeared. Someone on par with the archbishop... no, an individual who could match an apostle single-handedly appeared."

At Elysia's answer, the man stroked his chin and asked.

"Is it the person who killed the previous Apostle of Charity?"

"I don't know that either."

"Then that makes sense."

"..."

"The imperial family was hiding it so tightly that we couldn't find it... to think a variable would appear in an unexpected place."

"..."

The man nodded his head and focused on his meal again.

"Thank you, Meekness."

"Don't mention it."

"Your complexion has improved a lot."

"It must be because my faith has deepened."

-Clink...

-Clink...

·

·

·

After Elysia left.

The man, staring at the empty seat, spoke coldly.

"It seems faith has turned its back."

Another peaceful day at the Hamel mansion.

"I think they've noticed."

At Elysia's sudden visit, I nodded my head and listened to her story.

"...They noticed later than I thought."

"It's my fault. If I had hidden it more carefully, it would have been fine."

"No. I expected it to some extent."

"...Still."

"It would be best not to participate in the meetings from now on. Even for you, Elysia, dealing with several apostles would be overwhelming."

-Knock. Knock.

"I've brought tea."

"Thank you."

Inside the basement that Hans had built.

I took the tea Hans gave me and looked around.

"..."

The basement, which had grown much larger while I wasn't paying attention, had become so huge that a massive door had appeared.

As if making a dungeon...

-You must not go beyond this door.

-...Why not?

-I want to show you when it's finished...! Ah! Of course, it doesn't affect the mansion's security or barriers at all. Rather, it's construction to strengthen the mansion's barrier. If you really want to see it, I can show you right now...!

-It's fine.

Looking at the basement, which I no longer knew what was being made in, I smiled awkwardly and drank the tea.

"..."

Looking at it this way, it seems better than the mansion.

"Ahem...!"

Getting back to the main point, I looked Elysia straight in the eye and continued the conversation.

The story of a spy planted inside being discovered was not an issue that could be passed over with a few light words.

"May I ask the reason for your conviction?"

To my question, Elysia began to answer without a moment's hesitation.

"Because the Apostle of Diligence has spoken."

"The Apostle of Diligence... this has become a headache."

"..."

"If Diligence has spoken, there's a high possibility that the other apostles have noticed as well."

Elysia nodded her head at my words and began to affirm.

"Because Diligence is tight-lipped."

The Apostle of Diligence.

He was one of the villains who caused many problems in the novel. If the Apostle of Temperance was an apostle who felt like tying up all hands and feet and throwing you into the abyss, the Apostle of Diligence had the troublesome power of slowly eating away at the opponent over a long period of time.

"..."

It's tiring when Diligence moves.

I let out a faint sigh and began to sort out my complicated thoughts. Mikhail and the main characters still didn't have the power to face the apostles.

"Elysia-nim."

"Yes."

"How much do the heretics know about me right now?"

Elysia, with an expression that said not to worry, began to answer.

"Since the Saint has not yet appeared in any official capacity, there is no known information. The information we have is roughly that there is a swordsman who is suspiciously strong."

"...What if."

"Yes."

"What if the story that I am a Sword Master spreads throughout the empire."

"Hmm..."

Elysia shook her head and answered.

"That won't be a problem either."

"Is that so? I think they could deduce that the 'suspiciously strong swordsman' is 'me'."

"They will judge them as separate individuals. If a new Sword Master of the empire appears along with an unknown figure, the heretics' activities may become a little more passive. If we release the information that he has 'just' become a Sword Master and that he was able to reach that state thanks to a 'master' who is not known to the public."

"...Certainly."

"The one who defeated Olaf is the 'mysterious swordsman.' The one who defeated Temperance is the Saint. I think if we turn public opinion this way, we'll get a good result."

It was nice that thinking was easy because there was a smart person around. If things went wrong, I was planning to raid the heretics' main base and cause a ruckus.

Hans, who had been listening quietly, raised his hand and began to speak.

"Saint-nim. May I say a word?"

Elysia, who saw Hans, the former archbishop, in an unexpected place, smiled slightly and said.

"Come to think of it, there was this friend."

"It is an honor to meet you, Apostle-nim."

"It's an honor to meet you too, Saint-do-nim."

"To call me Saint-do and not archbishop..."

Why are his eyes turning red?

"Hoho... I was surprised that the Saint-do-nim calls Ricardo-nim 'Saint-nim'."

"Haha... The master said he didn't like it."

"Oh my... how can we be so alike."

"It's all thanks to the Saint-nim's grace, after all."

Something I couldn't understand was forming between Elysia and Hans. Not a sweet romance between lovers... but something that fanatics shared.

"..."

Before their conversation deepened, I changed the subject and steered it back to what Hans originally wanted to say.

"So, Hans-ssi, what did you want to talk about?"

"Ah...!"

Hans looked at Elysia and said.

"Apostle-nim, what do you think of the mansion's barrier?"

"The barrier...?"

Elysia shrugged her shoulders with a puzzled expression and said.

"I don't feel anything."

"..."

"I do feel a very... weak barrier, but. Actually, the reason I came here was to make the mansion's defenses stronger..."

Hans was smiling.

"So you're saying it's to the extent that an apostle wouldn't notice."

Why is it? The ominously smiling smile looks evil. Hans, laughing like a mad scientist, began to speak with a faint smile.

"Saint-nim."

"Yes?"

"You can leave the mansion to me."

"Yes...?"

Hans began to talk about the barrier.

"The mansion's barrier I created is a method that prevents anyone who is not designated from entering."

"Oh."

"It's not just a simple physical barrier... it's just a byproduct of the process of reconfiguring the dimensional gap based on the Saint-nim's quasi-grimoire and fixing reality in a quantum entangled state."

"Uh..."

"At this time, if you induce the mana's wave to revolve by decomposing it into unmeasurable units, you can connect the flow of mana in a closed loop at a specific point. By doing this, external interference is naturally..."

"..."

"Of course, I'm sure the Saint-nim already knows."

My head hurts.

Not a single word of Hans's, who was pouring out professional knowledge, entered my head.

And I couldn't understand Elysia, whose eyes were shining after hearing this.

"Amazing... at this level, even an apostle-class powerhouse wouldn't be able to enter recklessly."

"No. It's still not enough."

"I think I've found a part I can supplement, may I speak?"

"Of course, Apostle-nim."

"Elysia... no, call me auntie."

"May I call you noona? You're so beautiful."

"Hoho..."

Hans, who had been chatting with Elysia for a while, pointed his finger behind the door and smiled confidently.

"Anyway... I, Hans, can confidently say that nothing the Saint-nim has to worry about will happen."

"...Ah. Yes."

"Because we have this."

"What is that now?"

"It's a weapon made with the Saint-nim's grace."

"Wow... what?"

"I've been making it little by little while praying."

"I wish you'd stop praying to a living person."

Elysia's eyes sparkled as she clapped as if impressed.

"Oh my...! Praying while working. Why couldn't I think of that? I was separating work and prayer without knowing."

"It's alright. The Saint-nim is generous."

I let out a sigh as the conversation went further and further off-topic and began to wrap it up.

"Then shall we conclude today's meeting here?"

"That sounds good. An inspiration just came to me."

Elysia carefully raised her hand and said to me.

"Is it alright if I talk a little more?"

"Yes, it's fine. The time..."

"There's something I want to talk about with the Saint-do-nim."

At the two's crazed expressions, I shook my head and sighed.

"Alright."

Elysia called out to me as I was leaving, as if to stop me.

"Ah, by the way, Saint-nim."

"Yes?"

"About the student named Yuria."

"...What about Yuria?"

"May I meet her once?"

Elysia was smiling slightly.

"Because that's not how you use divine power."