A World Where You All Are The Villains - Chapter 97

—————

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

—————

97.

***

“Huff, huff…!”
I ran desperately through the narrow, filthy alley.
Wherever I looked, there were only ramshackle shanties and perimeter walls that all looked the same.
Winding branches of paths, like an ant colony, stretched endlessly before me.
It felt as though I were wandering through a maze with no exit.
Patter, patter-patter!
Yet my body moved forward without hesitation, as if it remembered the way.
I turned into the rightmost of three branching paths.
Then I rounded a corner, ran up an incline, and dashed down the left path of another fork.
After repeating a similar route for some time, a dead end suddenly appeared.
At the end of that path stood an old, crumbling building.

[Abandoned Lodging House]

A weathered sign with several characters missing.
It was less a hotel than an Abandoned Lodging House—in fact, it would be no exaggeration to call it a building long since abandoned and shuttered.
“Ugh…”
The cobwebs draped across the entrance were ghastly.
Under normal circumstances, I would never have set foot in such a decrepit place.
But…
I swallowed hard and quickly pushed open the door, stepping inside.
Creak…
With the sound of old hinges, a dark, unlit lobby came into view.
The empty interior was silent and desolate.
The counter had its shutter completely drawn down, with a sign reading “closed” hanging from it.
As I scanned my surroundings with growing unease.
“…lin! …aah!”
Suddenly, a sound came from above.
It was a cry of pain.
I flinched, my shoulders trembling, and immediately rushed up the staircase.
First Floor, Second Floor, Third Floor…
When I reached the Fourth Floor, the highest level, the moans became far more distinct.
I hurried across the corridor toward the room at the far end.
Room 410.
After confirming the room number, I turned the doorknob without hesitation.
The door swung open with a creak.
A cramped chamber furnished with nothing but a single bed and a small table.
A woman sitting on the windowsill, gazing downward with an indifferent expression, glanced back at me.
“You came, Edith?”
Plain brown hair, the very symbol of commonality; murky, repulsive green eyes.
It was Ruellin.
She smiled faintly and spoke.
“You’re quite early this time?”
“Hngh, Ruellin! Ruellin, Ruellin―!”
Then, someone let out a bestial cry.
A voice I recognized.
“…V-Vincent!”
I glanced around searching for the man I couldn’t immediately see.
Ruellin then gestured carelessly toward the space beneath her feet.
I strode forward in that direction without delay….
There he was—his massive frame crammed into the narrow gap between the bed and the wall, hunched as tightly as possible.
“…Gasp!”
Finally catching sight of Vincent, I drew a sharp, ragged breath.
His once pale and beautiful face was utterly ruined.
Three long gashes ran from his forehead down to his lips, as though a monster had clawed through him.
His face, caked with crimson blood and seeping fluid, looked gravely wounded at first glance.
Drip, drip….
And beneath his nose, thick black blood streamed down in rivulets.
It was a precursor to rampage.
“Ugh, Ruellin….”
Vincent, unable to open his eyes properly, called out for Ruellin endlessly.
Faced with his pitiful state, I found myself speechless for a long moment.
At last, regaining my composure, I spun around and asked urgently.
“What happened to his face?”
“He was injured during combat.”
Did she feel no pity watching Vincent writhe in agony?
Ruellin answered as though the answer were obvious.
“But the rampage is more urgent, so I came to purify him first.”
“You should have at least stopped the bleeding―!”
I burst out without thinking, and she shrugged.
“An S-rank Awakener wouldn’t die from something like that, would they?”
“You…!”
I trembled with rage, glaring at her as though I could kill her with my eyes alone.
Seeing that composed expression of hers, a strange murderous impulse surged within me.
‘I want to kill her.’
The thought flashed through my mind unbidden.
What if I lunged forward right now and strangled that slender neck with both hands?
Or threw her hard enough to send her tumbling out the window….
That was when it happened.
Snap, snap!
“Edith Blake, this isn’t the time to worry about that. Don’t you see Vincent suffering?”
Ruellin suddenly flicked her fingers in front of my face a couple of times.
“You need to purify him first before we can heal him. Are you just going to leave him like that?”
“Ah…!”
Her words snapped my reason back into place.
“R-right, this isn’t the time! Vincent!”
I spun around toward him in a panic.
I must have lost my mind for a moment in my rage.
I had forgotten about Vincent!
‘But what was I thinking just now?’
A flicker of unease crossed my mind, but I pushed it aside.
As Ruellin said, this wasn’t the time to dwell on such pointless thoughts.
“Vincent! It’s me, are you alright?”
I rushed to Vincent’s side and called out to him carefully.
He lifted his head weakly in response.
“Edith Blake…?”
“Yes, I’m here. Hic!”
I nodded frantically, my voice trembling.
I felt like I was going to lose my mind from the anguish.
Of course, I knew well enough that an injury like this wouldn’t kill him.
But that didn’t mean he wasn’t in pain, did it?
“…Edith Blake, it hurts.”
Vincent whimpered in a hoarse, broken voice.
“W-where? Your face?”
“My eyes… they feel like they’re burning.”
He fumbled to reach out and suddenly gripped my shoulder hard.
And he screamed like a madman.
“My head is burning, Edith Blake. My eyes feel like they’re going to burst! Did someone set fire to my body?!”
“No, no, Vincent! There’s no fire. You’re injured, that’s all!”
My shoulder throbbed painfully from his grip, but I desperately bore it and tried to soothe him.
Vincent pleaded with me in a dying voice.
“I can’t take it anymore. Please help me, Edith Blake. Please save me….”
My heart shattered at the sight of him.
I cried out urgently to Ruellin.
“What are you doing? Vincent is in pain! Purify him quickly!”
“You need to hold him first, Edith Blake.”
“What…?”
“Have you forgotten again? Whenever Vincent suffered, you were always the one to embrace him and soothe him. Think carefully.”
Suddenly, Ruellin’s gaze locked with mine.
For some reason, a brilliant gleam seemed to flash across her green irises.
A wave of dizziness washed over me, and memories I had completely forgotten came rushing back.
“…That’s right, it was like that.”
In a daze, I nodded and approached Vincent, pulling him into my embrace.
He offered no resistance, leaning his weight against me without hesitation.
It seemed he had no strength left to resist any longer.
Ruellin, who had risen to her feet, quietly approached us.
And she handed me something.
It was a syringe with a sharp needle.
“Draw his blood with this.”
“You should have given it sooner!”
I snatched it from her hands.
I needed to quickly extract the tainted blood mixed with the magic barrier that coursed through Vincent’s body.
“Vincent, I’m going to draw your blood now.”
After confirming the vein standing taut along his neck, I immediately drove the needle through his skin.
Thunk—
“Ugh!”
Even this seemed to be a tremendous shock, as Vincent’s body convulsed violently.
“Shh… Vincent, be good. Just bear with it a little longer….”
I held him tightly while urgently pulling back the plunger.
Sluuurp—
Dark blood filled the syringe.
All of it was blood corrupted by the magic barrier.
Once the barrel was completely filled with black blood, Ruellin extended her hand toward me.
“Is it all drawn?”
I slowly withdrew the needle and handed it to her without even looking at her face.
Disposing of something filthy and dangerous was precisely what a commoner woman should do.
Honestly, originally she should have been the one to draw the blood as my subordinate.
But I couldn’t bear the thought of her lowly hands touching Vincent’s body, so I took on the task myself.
Ah, I only hoped Vincent would appreciate my utmost devotion!
“Now stroke Vincent’s head, Edith Blake. Think about how you wish he weren’t in pain.”
“Be quiet. I’ll handle it myself.”
Frowning at her continued words, I raised my hand and placed it upon Vincent’s head.
His blue hair slipped smoothly between my fingers.
“Please don’t hurt anymore, Vincent….”
When you hurt, my heart hurts just as much.
It was as I murmured this, gently stroking his hair.
Sizzle!
Suddenly my palm grew scorching hot, as though it had touched flame.
‘It’s so hot. What do I do! His body is burning up!’
I believed the heat was radiating from Vincent’s body.
So I gritted my teeth and endured it.
Aaaaahhh—!
My vision blurred with tears, and for a moment Vincent’s blue hair seemed to shimmer with a greenish tint.
But after blinking a few times, thankfully it returned to normal.
Despite being covered in dust from battling monsters, Vincent carried a pleasant fragrance.
The kind of fresh scent you might encounter in a lush summer forest, clear and….
Refreshing.
Several minutes passed like this.
Whether it was the effect of drawing out the tainted blood, Vincent’s breathing gradually became more even.
My shoulders grew noticeably heavier.
When I lowered my gaze, I saw Vincent asleep with his eyes tightly shut.
Though his complexion remained pale from blood loss, his expression was far more peaceful than before.
“I think that’s enough now.”
Ruellin, who had been watching over us the entire time, spoke up.
Her words irritated me, but I held my tongue.
Vincent had just fallen asleep.
I carefully laid him down on the floor.
Then, rising to my feet, I gave Ruellin an order.
“Heal Vincent and put him to bed properly.”
“Sure, I’ll do that. You did well, Edith Blake.”
Being praised by a commoner girl wounded my pride.
I was about to say something sharp when—
Snap!
Ruellin met my eyes once more and snapped her fingers.
“Now go home without anyone knowing. And for a while, forget about all of this. You understand it’s all for Vincent’s sake, right?”
I wanted to warn her to guard her own tongue.
Suddenly my head spun, and my vision tilted.
And….
.
.
.
“…Gasp!”
I awoke from the dream.

—————

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

—————