A World Where You All Are The Villains - Chapter 205

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

205.

“Gasp, gasp…!”
Ragged breaths escaped between my lips in rapid succession.
Apart from using my abilities, this pathetic stamina was beyond my control.
How far had I run? Already my legs felt as heavy as if weighted with chains, and the taste of blood lingered in my throat.
“Damn it…”
I had no choice but to slow my pace and catch my breath for a moment.
I wanted to complain, but running through the dark, uneven forest path was far from easy.
Especially for someone of my station, who had never traveled even the short distance to the Imperial Capital without a carriage.
‘At least I’m heading in the right direction.’
The broadleaf trees beginning to appear gave me some reassurance.
I hadn’t simply bolted forward without any plan.
By replaying that brief memory from the crystal sphere dozens of times—wondering where Sephiroth could be—a miracle of a clue had emerged.
The back figure of that creature as it last reflected in the light.
And beyond it, the dense ridge of coniferous forest visible in the distance.
The Caspian Mountains are divided into coniferous and broadleaf zones by the Gorge.
If the background that stretched beyond Sephiroth was composed of conifers, then that creature’s location should logically be on the opposite side.
It matched the western direction the crystal sphere’s light had indicated.
So, knowing my destination, why was I still wandering deeper into the forest?
Because there was no cursed way to cross the Gorge.
Of course, I’d considered riding a Monster like Serge did, or perhaps threatening an Awakener capable of levitation.
But I couldn’t bear the risk of the Gate Wave spreading across the chasm below.
If I were unlucky enough to get caught in a Gate explosion while crossing…
So my only option was to take the long way around through the vast forest.
“Sigh, what a cursed fate…”
Resentment boiled up at why I was being dragged here to do mountain climbing, something I’d never done even during my days as the professor’s assistant.
This was all because of that damned Ruellin.
More broadly, because of that damned Sephiroth who created her.
They were truly like plagues upon my life.
Lamenting my misfortune, I used that anger as fuel and ran forward once more.
But I couldn’t make it far before I had to stop completely.
Whoosh—!
A sudden gust of wind erupted in the middle of the quiet forest.
“Ugh…!”
I reflexively raised my arms to shield myself, but the wind died down as suddenly as it had come.
Then came the sound of underbrush being trampled, and—
“Edith Blake!”
That annoying blue-haired fool came rushing over in a panic.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“You… how did you get here?”
I stared at Vincent, who had fallen from the sky without warning, my expression hardening in an instant.
“Were you spying on me again?”
“No!”
He snapped his head up, his eyes wide with indignation.
“I wasn’t spying! I was just searching on my own! The Grand Duke’s men were lying unconscious, so I thought something might have happened to you…!”
He protested earnestly, feeling wrongly accused, but the moment he met my cold gaze, his words died in his throat.
“…I’m sorry.”
A moment later, a deflated apology came back.
I stared at Vincent with his head bowed, then walked past him without a word.
Whether it was surveillance or tailing, I didn’t have time to argue with him now.
“Since you can see I’m fine, go back and do what you need to do.”
“…Where are you going?”
But if he were the type to give up so easily, he wouldn’t have tracked me down in the first place.
“Wait, Edith Blake. Where are you heading?”
“Home.”
“That’s not the way down the mountain.”
I ignored him and quickened my pace, but he darted ahead and blocked my path.
I scowled menacingly, barely restraining myself as I turned to face him.
“I’ll find my own way, so please just—”
“You’re going to find Sephiroth. Or is it Ruellin?”
But his next words were impossible to ignore.
“I know where he is. If you come with me, we can get there faster. Don’t be angry—just this once, can’t we prioritize efficiency?”
He knows where Sephiroth is?
I stopped in my tracks and stared at him intently before demanding an answer.
“If you know, what have you been doing all this time?”
“Huh?”
“You said you know where he is. So why haven’t you gone straight there to capture or kill him? What have you been doing?”
Vincent’s shoulders trembled at my words.
He hesitated, then appealed to me pitifully.
“I only caught a glimpse of him during the battle, so I wasn’t entirely certain… and you saw it yourself.”
“…”
“Any attack would be useless against him.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
I let out a cold scoff.
Who possessed the certainty to close that massive Gate, and who had the confidence to kill Sephiroth? Neither of us did.
Nothing was certain.
In fact, the odds of success were slim at best.
Still, I had to do something.
Better to grasp at straws than stand idle with empty hands—and here I was, risking my life anyway, so what did it matter?
“You didn’t want to face this yourself, had no confidence you could handle it, and got cold feet worrying you might get hurt or lose control.”
“….”
“You’ve always been selfish and incompetent, after all.”
Vincent’s complexion drained of color with each passing second at words he’d never heard before.
Even as his mouth worked soundlessly, I felt nothing but indifference.
No anger, no satisfaction—nothing at all.
It wasn’t as though I’d been unaware of how base Vincent’s nature truly was….
Perhaps the fact that someone who’d always dodged responsibility was now offering to personally escort me to Sephirot’s stronghold constituted some form of growth.
“…I was planning to organize a search party once the situation stabilized somewhat.”
Vincent finally squeezed out the words, emerging from the shock of my brutal condemnation.
“It wasn’t cowardice or self-preservation—everyone’s simply too overwhelmed right now….”
“Enough.”
I cut off his excuses with a single word and extended my hand toward him.
“Take me to where Sephirot is.”
His golden eyes, which had been trembling like aspen leaves, suddenly widened as if they might tear.
He seemed unable to believe that I, who’d been acting as though I might abandon him at any moment, had suddenly shifted my stance.
He studied me carefully before asking hesitantly.
“…Are you serious?”
Unwilling to be deceived twice, he didn’t immediately take my hand, instead regarding me with suspicion—it was almost amusing.
But this time, I genuinely had no intention of deceiving or sedating him.
My change of heart was simple.
I couldn’t spare the time for further argument.
Flying would be instantaneous, and I could avoid unnecessary exhaustion, so there was no reason to refuse.
Yet I left him with a sharp warning, ungracious as it was.
“In exchange, just take me there. Don’t follow further or involve yourself beyond that.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It means drop me off and leave immediately.”
“Edith!”
He recoiled in alarm.
“Do you have any idea how dangerous that place is?! How can you ask me to leave you there alone?!”
“….”
“Even if I’ve treated you like a bastard in the past…I’m not that worthless. I’m different now. I’m different now, I swear….”
He’d abandoned me more than once before, yet here he was, suddenly acting wounded.
I watched him grind his teeth as though he’d suffered greater insult than my accusations, then simply shrugged.
“Do as you wish. I’ll do as I wish too.”
“…Edith.”
“If you don’t like it, stop blocking my way and move aside. I don’t have time for this.”
I waved my extended hand once, and Vincent fell silent, his eyes widening with shock as he stared at me.
Only now did I realize that nothing he said would reach me anymore.
Vincent, who had been staring at me with an unfamiliar expression for a while, slowly raised both hands and buried his face in them.
When he lowered his hands moments later, he seemed composed, as though he had swallowed down his turbulent emotions.
Yet the hand grasping mine was slick with moisture.
Unlike last time, I pretended not to notice even as he lifted me into his arms and took flight.

***

Walking and flying were worlds apart.
In the blink of an eye, we had left the vast forest behind and now overlooked the Gorge, a hollow sense of emptiness washing over me.
I should have sought out an ability user capable of flight from the start.
But had I done so, the safety concerns I’d initially worried about would have been difficult to guarantee.
Certainly S-rank ability users were exceptional—Vincent moved with meticulous care along a delicate line where the Gate Wave’s influence couldn’t reach him.
Whenever Monsters emerged, he either killed them with minimal strikes or skillfully evaded them using the wind currents.
It was optimal for infiltrating without drawing anyone’s attention.
Yet despite his bold claims, he hadn’t easily located Sephiroth’s base.
“Where exactly is it? You really do know, don’t you?”
By the third time circling over columnar rock formations that all looked identical, my frustration finally burst forth.
“I definitely saw something like a cave somewhere around here. There was a human figure standing in front of it…”
“…”
“Maybe my field of vision is too narrow because we’re flying so close.”
Before the timid one could even react, he shot upward.
I anxiously scanned the receding cliffs.
We couldn’t fly too low because of the Gate Wave, but flying too high was also problematic.
Dozens of Gates gaped open in the sky above.
Yet when we risked the danger and climbed higher, there was indeed a reward.
Once we had ascended high enough to overlook the entire Gorge, I spotted a hole opened in the middle of the cliff face.
It was far below our current altitude, positioned close to the Gate Wave.
“Vincent, there!”
“I see it!”
The moment I tapped his arm, Vincent dove toward it like an arrow.
Within seconds, we finally reached the entrance of a massive cave.
“Thanks for the ride. Go.”
Thump!
I leaped from Vincent’s embrace and immediately turned away without even glancing back at him.
There was no time for awkward farewells, and besides, my mind was already consumed with the thought of burning everything inside that cave to ash the moment I stepped in.
But before I could take even a single step, a thick arm yanked me back.
“Edith Blake!”
Whoosh—!
At the same instant, something long flew past my face.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————