I Don’t Remember the Number of Regressions of the Villainesses Who Have Returned.

“Mmm…”

As if diving in deep waters, my hazy consciousness rapidly surfaced and took clear form.

“Urgh…”

But simultaneously, an enormous headache struck.

Pain crashed down, stomping on the glass that was my consciousness with all its might.

The pain was so severe I couldn’t even open my eyes, followed by another wave of discomfort.

A nauseating feeling rose from my stomach as if my insides were turning over.

The feeling was like having my head dunked in untreated sewage water and being forced to drink until my stomach bulged – a dirty, nauseating disgust.

“Where… am I anyway?”

When I finally grew somewhat accustomed to the pain, I was able to open my eyes at last.

But there was nothing visible before me, just black space.

I even doubted whether my eyes were actually open.

Looking down, I saw my silhouette glowing with white edges despite the absence of even the faintest light.

“What is this, some kind of cartoon with just the outline glowing?”

In the empty darkness, my silhouette, drawn with white outlines, made me feel like a cartoon character.

“……”

In the pitch darkness that wrapped around my entire body without even an echo returning.

No matter how I looked around, literally nothing was visible except blackness.

“Should I start moving?”

Feeling it would be better than standing still, I walked into the black space where I couldn’t even tell how far the floor extended.

Since I didn’t know how far the ground beneath me continued, I moved forward slowly.

“It’s been a while since I’ve walked without mana like this.”

It would have been nice to walk if there had been a blue sky in the distance.

But all that lay before me was pitch-black space where nothing could be made out.

Without even the faintest light, I walked on.

Muttering various things to myself.

How much time passed as I walked, asking myself questions and answering them?

My legs began to grow numb.

Even so, I didn’t stop.

“This is… scary.”

An inexplicable trembling in my body.

Different from muscle pain, more like shivering from cold.

I don’t know why.

Just suddenly, a chill-like feeling came over me.

Not knowing where this place was.

Not knowing where I was heading,

Not knowing if this was even the right path.

Not knowing if something might jump out from beside me.

Nothing appeared in this pitch-black space, no matter how much I walked or ran.

Walking through this frightening silence where I wished to hear even an echo, if not an answer, required more courage than I had thought.

“Hah… hah…”

Was the path I’d taken the right one?

Had I been walking in the opposite direction?

The self-doubt and inexplicable discomfort made my heart race to its limit until my chest hurt.

No longer even talking to myself, I began to increase my pace.

Fear.

When I recognized it, my feet began to run, and I unconsciously looked behind me.

There was nothing behind me.

I knew that.

But fear made me doubt my knowledge.

“Huff… huff…”

My breathing grew rapid, and my steps grew even faster.

The pressure crushing my chest intensified, and my running body staggered as if unable to maintain balance.

“Where is the exit!”

Though I shouted with all my might between gasping breaths, nothing came back.

The lack of response only intensified my body’s trembling.

“Ugh!”

Finally, as I ran trembling, my feet tangled, and I fell hard, hitting my chin on what felt like the floor.

“Oww…”

Wondering how badly I was hurt, I got up, bracing my knee, and reached for my chin that felt scraped-

“…Huh?”

Gone.

No matter how I turned my head or moved my eyes, I couldn’t see it.

“Ah-ah-ah!”

My right arm had vanished.

Even when I tried to exert force to move my arm, only my shoulder twitched slightly.

The sensation in my right arm had disappeared.

“Ah… aah…”

At the same time, my legs began to tremble.

“Aaaaah!”

From this point, the fear and terror surging from the unknown began to take the place of my right arm.

I didn’t know what was in that darkness.

But I believed there was something there that had taken my arm.

Though I trembled in fear, I ran until my head grew dizzy from not even breathing, wanting to escape from the terror at least.

Was it tears or cold sweat flowing down my cheeks?

Unable to see anything, I couldn’t tell.

“Huff… huff…”

I ran without stopping.

Even though my right arm was gone, and I couldn’t maintain balance well, I ran with all my might.

But adapting to the changed center of gravity wasn’t something that could be done easily.

“Urgh…”

Finally, I rolled on the ground once more.

“Ugh…”

Quickly, fearing that whatever was in the darkness might take more of me, I tried to get up despite the pain, but…

“…Huh?”

Now, my left arm had vanished, too.

After that, I don’t remember much.

Unable to even scream, I forced my trembling legs to move and run, but soon fell again.

Not just hitting my head but rolling as if down a slope several times, unable to maintain balance.

And this time, my right leg disappeared.

“Haha… hahahaha…”

I hopped on my left leg, forcing myself to laugh despite the situation being anything but funny and holding back tears.

Crying here wouldn’t help at all anyway.

I got up and tried to maintain balance.

I began to jump, using my whole body’s momentum for each step.

Though I felt ridiculous and miserable, I didn’t particularly stop.

And because I jumped like that, I was able to reach it.

This place where a white dot shone brightly like a star in the distance.

However, in my uncontrollable excitement, I fell onto the black floor.

“Ugh…”

Now even my remaining left leg vanished.

I no longer had a form that could be called human.

Without arms or legs, all I could move was my waist, neck, and hip, writhing like a worm.

With my cheek pressed against the black floor, I felt resentment.

‘What on earth did I do to deserve this treatment?’

Resentment shouted meaninglessly into the darkness, not knowing to whom, not even knowing myself.

Because I knew this, I moved.

Not with laughter mixed with fear but letting out a hollow laugh filled with futility as I crawled like a worm toward the light.

Little by little.

Very little by little.

I moved forward.

It might have taken longer than all the time I’d spent walking and running before combined.

Even so, I didn’t give up.

I writhed forward with my waist, stabilizing with my neck against the black floor.

The white dot in the night sky, smaller than a shooting star, had somehow grown closer, taking the form of a door larger than myself.

Just as I carefully approached the door and lowered my head to peek through the gap at what lay beyond.

Someone from behind lifted me and threw me through the door.

“Fifth time, you’re better than us.”

For some reason, that trembling male voice was the last thing I heard before my consciousness faded.

—–

“Ugh…”

Though I hadn’t opened my eyes, the warmth and light I felt brought stabbing pain.

Along with it came an inexplicable headache, though not severe enough to clutch my head.

I held my eyes for a moment and turned my body to rub my face against the pillow I felt under my head.

Soon enough, the headache disappeared, and with it the pain in my eyes that had been tearing up as if stabbed.

“Ugh…”

Very slowly, I opened my eyes.

And what I saw was…

“Gah!”

A flashbang experience from the light of the mana lamp attached to the ceiling.

“What’s wrong with my eyes…!”

I quickly covered my eyes with both hands, hopping around and rolling on the bed.

Like that, feeling as if I’d been hit by a flashbang with ringing in my ears, I rubbed my face against the pillow.

Shortly after, I barely managed to open my eyes, now accustomed to the light.

“A familiar ceiling… isn’t it?”

The pattern of the ceiling beyond the lamp and that distinctive smell.

This was undoubtedly the infirmary where I’d lain before.

One thought crossed my mind when I realized this was the infirmary.

‘How long have I been lying here?’

The moment that thought occurred to me, I hurriedly tried to get up from the bed-

“……”

Gwen sighed with an expression like she’d seen something both nostalgic and unwanted.

“……”

Sephir stared at me with contracted pupils, irritably hitting the floor with her tail.

“……”

Vivian watched me expressionlessly but with her staff projecting formulas.

“……”

And Lioness had her bowstring pulled back with spirit power toward the formula while looking at me.

“Sigh…”

Mordred, just hanging his head and weakly pulling at Lioness’s collar.

“Pfft… kk… kukukuk…”

And finally, Aslan covered his mouth with both hands and twisted his waist, trying to hold back laughter.

“Uh…”

I made eye contact with each of them, then lay back down on the bed and closed my eyes.

“Must be a dream.”

As I tried to bury my face in the pillow-

-Crunch

My head was grabbed firmly as if molding clay.

I tried to turn my head as carefully as possible with my eyes closed, but…

“Get up quick.”

Gwen’s sharp voice.

“…Yes ma’am.”

For a moment, I wished it really was a dream.