episode_0040

[Leave, stranger.]

Originally, she was an irredeemable villain.

An extra consumed by inferiority towards others, tormenting the protagonist with a twisted heart.

A role no one liked.

[I can’t accept it.]

[Why is everyone cheering for such a commoner…?]

[I’m superior, aren’t I? What right does she have to smile so confidently when she comes from nothing?]

The girl’s obsession led her down the wrong path.

She envied the protagonist, who possessed brilliant talent, and her spiteful jealousy soon blossomed into a vile ugliness.

Perhaps it was the tears of one who lacked.

[I don’t like it.]

Before long, the girl hated the protagonist.

She despised her, ignored her, and distorted her.

Sometimes, she even directly cornered her, attempting to erase her place in the academy.

It was, one might say, a typical story of an unlikable villainess.

A stumbling block, or an obstacle.

Considering the atrocities Emilia committed in the original story, crushing her in the bud was one method.

I could have made her exit early to prevent her from playing any tricks on the protagonist.

Because I had the power to do so.

A troublesome extra like her could be dealt with any time I wished.

However, the reason I didn’t was simple.

‘She hasn’t committed any wrongdoing yet.’

I know the future.

But does that mean it’s right to punish her for a crime she hasn’t committed yet?

A fundamental question made me hesitate.

Perhaps she could change.

Of course, I didn’t have high hopes.

A predetermined fate. I knew how unfairly it unfolded.

I merely watched.

‘You never know.’

Those two words always leave a sliver of possibility.

No matter how dark a villain may be, there’s always one belief they want to uphold while living in the world.

I was no different.

‘I want to see a future that didn’t exist.’

Perhaps it could be undone before it’s too late.

Even with knowledge of the original story, I hoped it wasn’t the entirety that confined this world.

I wanted every child to live their own story.

Opportunities, dilemmas, choices… intersecting through countless processes.

“Lady.”

This time, my faith was rewarded.

“……”

“Do you need strength?”

Her blue eyes trembled blankly.

I wanted to know more about the girl’s new story that would unfold from now on.

“I think I can help you.”

So, I reached out my hand.

To my commendable and pitiful extra.

Towards the vain girl who could no longer be called a villainess, the snake smiled kindly.

Blessing the faintly blooming petals.

***

Fragments of tentacles floated in the air.

Behind the ear-piercing screams, the monster thrashed in pain, retreating.

The scene shifted in an instant.

“……”

The villainess stood blankly.

It was a chaotic situation with blood and flesh splattering, but her frozen body showed no signs of moving.

Every scene unfolded slowly.

As if the world’s time had stopped.

Unreal.

The sight before her eyes resembled a dream.

As she gazed with a dazed expression, someone stood at the point where all questions converged.

It was a golden snake.

“Heh heh.”

A sweet, lingering scent tickled her ears.

A blonde boy rested his chin on her slender shoulder. His distinct sweet body odor brushed past her nose.

The villainess’s breath caught in her throat.

“Oh dear… Was my appearance too sudden?”

The snake murmured leisurely.

Even with the monster right before his eyes, he showed not a hint of fear.

On the contrary, his lips curved as if he was amused.

Looking at him, a question involuntarily escaped her.

“……How?”

The girl murmured blankly.

Her voice, having lost its characteristic sharp edge, was filled only with fantasy.

She questioned inwardly.

How could he be alive?

She had clearly seen him crushed under the monster, but now he looked perfectly fine without a single injury.

It was a difficult situation to comprehend.

But the boy merely whispered softly in response.

“It’s a secret.”

A voice filled with mischief.

Even with such a childish disguise, there was a peculiar ominousness that couldn’t be hidden.

“Lady?”

A subtle flicker of killing intent.

Darkness consumed the entire laboratory.

Eyes that silenced the atmosphere.

This was not the usual frivolous mood. She could tell just by the aura she felt.

It was overwhelming strength, simply put.

“You don’t have to be too nervous.”

“……”

Emilia held her breath as much as possible.

No more questions existed. It was simply unilateral obedience.

The first encounter with such boundless power.

A tremendous sense of deprivation crushed her entire body.

She gave up on understanding.

The girl froze in place.

As she remained still, the boy, who had been leaning on her, reacted with a mischievous grin.

A small whisper reached her ear.

“Lady.”

“……”

“You told me then, didn’t you? That you wanted to live.”

“……”

‘Then’ – was he referring to what happened right before her execution?

The day she begged on her knees, ugly and desperate.

*Please, Young Master.*

*I want to live.*

*Hah, ugh… because I want to live.*

The boy smiled slyly.

Their faces were close together. The breath brushing her earlobe was especially intoxicating.

Her heart fluttered with a faint tremor.

A dazzling light gleamed in his white pupils.

“Like then… would you like to make a deal again?”

The snake flicked his tongue.

The boy offered a proposal amidst the swirling darkness.

“I will help your story continue.”

Life.

“If you take my hand… you can overcome that monster and escape this hell.”

The snake’s offer was incredibly sweet.

Just moments before, she had been facing death, and now he was offering a glimmer of hope she had given up on.

The girl, moving past regret, was given another chance.

“However, I want you to live for me.”

The price to pay was none other than the girl herself.

“It’s enough for you to always stay by my side… so that I can watch your story.”

The boy said.

Emilia didn’t know exactly what that meant, but she could only nod as if spellbound.

Surviving. Only that one thought filled her mind.

“This is a new deal.”

The snake smiled gently.

Their foreheads met.

The warmth transmitted from his soft skin clouded her reason.

As she stood dazed for a while, she suddenly heard a cry she had forgotten.

An excited scream.

Before them, the monster was thrashing.

Having recovered its wounds somehow, it was now swinging its tentacles wildly as it charged.

Yet, the boy remained relaxed.

“Don’t panic.”

The snake embraced the girl from behind.

He enveloped her slender body in his arms, then took hold of each of her wrists.

“As long as I’m here… you won’t be pushed back, Lady.”

*Shing-*

The boy raised Emilia’s arm.

It was as if he was moving a doll.

The girl seemed surprised for a moment, then entrusted her body to his calm touch.

The cold spear tip pointed at the monster.

“Just for a moment.”

Immediately after.

Shadows gathered slowly.

The pitch-blackness, entangling and colliding with itself, was soon swept up in a massive current, surging forward.

Accordingly, the ice also began to turn black.

“I will show you a new world.”

The spear blade was coated in jet black.

Darkness gathered at her slender fingertips. It bloomed into a midnight frost flower.

Emilia felt a shiver run through her.

“It’s a temporary power.”

It was a sense of omnipotence.

Even amidst the chill that dyed a corner of her chest, the spear emitted a noble light, sharp and precise.

Emilia, who had been dazed, regained her stance.

Her arm moved on its own.

As if she knew exactly what to do.

The monster was close, almost upon them.

Hundreds of tentacles poured down from above her head, but the girl merely gazed silently.

Of course, not all fear had disappeared.

The terror she had felt from that monster still remained.

‘Can I do it?’

Her blue eyes wavered.

However, there was a whisper in her ear, as if stating the obvious.

“You can do it.”

In the calm encouragement, there was not a hint of doubt.

How long had it been since she received such pure trust? It was a childhood she could no longer remember.

A surging sense of fulfillment filled a corner of her chest.

The girl’s eyes widened.

She unleashed her aura.

A strange sensation pooled in her palm. With all her might, she swung the spear straight.

The next moment.

*Slice-!*

A beautifully lingering afterimage.

A powerful cutting sound echoed along the slender trajectory.

“……”

It passed in slow motion.

A straight line drawn across the entire laboratory, and immediately after, the monster’s body was split in half.

It was a single blow that cleanly severed its physical form.

The monster collapsed without even fully letting out its scream.

Black, putrid blood stained the floor, and the many eyes clinging to its skin lost their light.

A hideous mess of tentacles.

The girl stared at the scene with disbelieving eyes.

“Haah, haah…!”

As she gasped for breath, a voice came from right behind her.

“Didn’t I tell you? That you could do it.”

She wanted to turn her head and look at the boy, but suddenly her body lost strength.

Emilia stumbled a few times before collapsing to her knees.

The feeling of exhaustion that followed extreme tension.

Her consciousness flickered precariously, as if it would cut off at any moment.

“Oh dear.”

The snake caught the collapsing girl.

Perhaps it was due to his exceptionally warm embrace.

Emilia felt relieved within the boy’s clearly defined warmth.

“Excellent, Lady.”

A sweet body odor brushed past her nose.

As if putting a sleepy child to bed, the snake slowly stroked the girl’s back.

Her mind gradually blurred into haziness.

“Rest well. I’ll take care of the rest now.”

His palm covered her eyes.

Her vision completely darkened, and the last thing she remembered as her consciousness drifted away was…

“Good night.”

A gentle whisper, tinged with affection.