The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 201

Hanna had a dream.

A dream of wanting to repay, even just a little, the grace she had received until now.

Hanna wanted to repay the grace that had untangled the thread she thought she could never unravel on her own. She was deeply grateful for the hand extended to her without expecting anything in return, despite her lack of beauty or talent.

What could she give in return?

How could she repay it?

She had thought about it a lot, but Hanna couldn’t find an answer. There was nothing she could give, having left her household behind.

That’s why Hanna was desperate about her wish.

-The Academy matter probably won’t work, right?

-I’m sorry.

-No, it’s fine. I was the one who made an unreasonable request.

For the first time, she wanted to fulfill a request made by the butler. It was a request she had heard during their first meeting, and Hanna still remembered it.

And she felt inadequate for being unable to fulfill even such a modest request.

That’s why Hanna picked up a sword.

Standing before an opponent stronger than herself, she calmly held her sword and took a deep breath.

To give strength to her words, and to fulfill the butler’s request, Hanna picked up her sword.

Because only then could she at least repay the butler’s faith in her, Hanna infused her fear into her sword and began to channel aura.

*

Chartia was under a certain misunderstanding.

A misunderstanding that Academy students were strong.

It was a misunderstanding that had formed without her realizing it. She had seen the backs of graduates who had met the public’s expectations and achieved results. She had thought Academy students were undoubtedly strong.

And that belief had been true to some extent.

The Academy was a gathering of rookies with talent within the Empire. A group of students with diverse abilities—sword and magic, healing magic, and divine power—often overcame minor hardships with ease.

Although the last ball had been ruined by a cultists’ raid, she thought this time would be different.

Back then, it had been an unexpected moment, but now, even if not perfectly prepared, they at least knew their weapons and who their enemies were. She had thought they could achieve victory.

Was it impatience to restore the honor of the Student Council, or was it because she had been stuck in a small well? Chartia had momentarily forgotten that her perspective had narrowed.

The presence of heretics had instantly corrected her arrogant thoughts.

They told her she was weak.

That she was nothing more than a greenhouse flower.

She had thought that if the Disciplinary Members gathered, they could at least… no, they could at least buy some time. But they had been utterly powerless and defeated.

-Professor Shulia.

-Why did you call me?

-Could you come with me for a moment?

-Hmm… Shall I guess?

-What?

-I’m very quick-witted, you know.

-Professor.

-Shall we stop pretending now?

It happened in an instant.

With a mere gesture from Professor Shulia, the Disciplinary Members collapsed like dried branches. Chartia couldn’t regain her composure as she watched the Disciplinary Members fall with just a light wave of the professor’s hand, not some grand movement.

-Ugh…!

-Did you really come here thinking you could capture me with just this?

-Get your head straight and fight!

-Did you underestimate me too much? I gave you generous grades, but this is disappointing.

The sight of the Disciplinary Committee members, once called the strongest in the Academy, collapsing without doing anything was a source of immense fear for Chartia.

Death’s aura filled the air.

Killing intent spread.

The scattering drops of blood vividly proved that the place she stood in now was not a training ground where leniency was given, nor a place where professors prevented fatal injuries, nor a place where moderation was the standard.

If she had known it would turn out like this, she would have subdued the professor together with others. She regretted not asking for help from the professor and making the rash decision to act first to restore the honor of the Student Council.

Amidst the surging regret, her judgment blurred, and as fear painted her mind—

With a ‘thud,’ she found herself standing with her abdomen pierced by Professor Shulia’s hand.

Professor Shulia was smiling.

-Do something. Don’t just stand there.

-…

-This is no fun. I had high hopes when you all rushed in like that, but what is this…

Only after seeing Professor Shulia licking the blood off her fingers did Chartia realize why they had been able to fight without fear during the last ball.

-There are two archbishops. And I’m alone.

She finally understood why he hadn’t been pushed back at all against two archbishops. Why they had been able to fight with ease.

It wasn’t because the archbishops were weak.

It was because he was overwhelmingly stronger than them. She only realized this after feeling the pain of her body being pierced.

-Krrrk…!

Before Chartia’s eyes, the madness of Professor Shulia, filled with killing intent, was all she could see. The professor’s relaxed demeanor as she led the battle with pure physical combat, without using magic, was breaking the morale of the Disciplinary Committee.

Rohan, the head of the Disciplinary Committee, who had swung his sword with confidence, couldn’t meet Professor Shulia’s eyes due to the overwhelming difference in power. His gaze dropped, and his resolve faltered, causing the tip of his sword to tremble.

With elegant but neither large nor flashy movements, the professor continued to draw red lines with death’s aura, severing her opponents’ lifelines. Chartia began to feel fear toward the existence of heretics.

*

Blocking Hanna’s attack, Professor Shulia brushed off the blood on her hand with an intrigued expression.

“As expected, the bloodline of Histania is different.”

With a ‘swish,’ Professor Shulia’s sharp claws, imbued with dark magic, narrowly grazed Hanna’s face. Gritting her teeth, Hanna twisted her waist and swung her sword.

Professor Shulia slightly bent her waist to dodge Hanna’s sword and laughed.

“See? I dodged that too.”

Shulia’s eyes gleamed with an expression that said, ‘Did I dodge this too?’ as she openly displayed her amusement.

“This is why having good parents is so important. It makes you a proper person.”

“Shut up.”

With a stern expression, Hanna unleashed a fierce barrage of attacks toward Shulia’s neck.

Amidst the fallen Disciplinary Members, voices of admiration for Hanna’s martial arts could be heard.

“She’s winning…!”

“She’s beating that monster…!”

“Was Hanna always this strong?”

Voices declaring the fight as evenly matched and others claiming Hanna had the upper hand echoed simultaneously, but Chartia knew.

“Come on, keep going.”

“Huff…”

“Keep going. You must have something hidden, right? Show me that too.”

In this battle, the one holding the upper hand was Professor Shulia. Unlike Hanna’s increasingly labored breathing, Shulia’s breaths remained utterly calm.

Even with a powerful downward strike accompanied by a ‘crack,’ Shulia didn’t budge an inch.

Chartia knew that if no one intervened, the fight would end in Hanna’s defeat.

And Chartia wasn’t the only one who knew this.

Mikhail slowly drew his sword and began to focus. He gathered aura, searching for an opening.

Chartia, too, endured the excruciating pain in her abdomen and began preparing magic with her hands.

“We have to hold on.”

They had to hold out until reinforcements from the Academy arrived. Only then could they see a glimmer of hope in this grim battle, she thought, as she drew upon her mana.

The tide of the battle began to shift in favor of Professor Shulia.

“Hanna, you’re really quite entertaining.”

“I’m not happy about your praise.”

“But you’re truly remarkable.”

Shulia clapped her hands and smiled brightly.

“Your hands are beautiful too.”

“…”

“And your face is lovely.”

“…”

“So much so that I want to have you.”

With a deep smile, Shulia began to dye her fingertips black. As the eerie energy quickly spread throughout the Academy, Mikhail and Chartia took deep breaths and drew upon their mana.

With a resounding ‘Clang!’, Hanna’s body began to be pushed back, prompting Mikhail and Chartia to launch an offensive.

It was the first time the three of them had worked together.

For Mikhail, it was his first time coordinating with Hanna.

As the feeling of elation from having a reliable ally began to tilt the scales of victory, Shulia smiled grimly and spoke to the three of them.

“Do you not know what kind of professor I am?”

The moment Shulia’s voice spread briefly.

-Screeeeech!

A horrifying scream began to echo in the ears of the three.

It was utter chaos.

The eyes of every student in the audience turned over as they clawed and fought each other. Shulia, smiling, slowly began to speak to them.

“Come down and kill.”

At Shulia’s words, the students began descending into the arena. Fixating solely on Mikhail and Hanna, they approached like a zombie horde.

Shulia concealed herself amidst the surging crowd and spoke.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t introduced myself.”

“The Archbishop of Curses.”

“That’s my name.”

Impenetrable darkness began to engulf the Academy.

*

Ruin could do nothing.

He couldn’t stop the Academy students from climbing over the audience seats, nor could he assist Hanna and Mikhail as they fought off the descending students. He stood there helplessly.

“What the…! What’s wrong with everyone?!”

The weaker-minded students, swept up by Shulia’s magic, couldn’t hear Ruin’s words.

‘Thud!’ Students brushed past Ruin, who stood still, bumping his shoulder. They paid him no attention, as if ignoring someone uninvolved in the battle, and swarmed toward Mikhail and Hanna.

-Try to stop them!

-I want to… but I can’t!

Mikhail, unable to cut down innocent people, avoided the students’ hands, unable to focus on the battle.

Hanna, preparing a secret technique with her eyes closed, kept leaving openings for Shulia due to the constant interruptions.

He was of no help at all.

Not a single bit.

In fact, his very presence on the battlefield felt like a hindrance, so terrifying and dreadful it was.

The pure malice that permeated the air was so overwhelming it made him feel sick, and the selfishness of sacrificing others to achieve one’s goals left Ruin deeply unsettled.

Experiencing the terror of an archbishop for the first time, Ruin found himself paralyzed by the sheer hostility.

Hans had been different from this woman.

Was it the effect of Professor Shulia’s magic, or had he simply become a coward?

Ruin couldn’t shake off the desperate unease of wanting to escape this battlefield.

He wanted to run away.

-Just stop them! I can’t do anything like this! Just kick them away or push them aside!

-…!

-What are you doing, standing there uselessly?!

He didn’t want to stand there like a scarecrow, but the chillingly precise attacks made him too scared and afraid to move.

“…No.”

He needed to pull himself together.

-Plod.

Ruin’s footsteps were already retreating from the battle.

One step.

Two steps.

Unable to overcome the fear surging within him, he was stepping backward.

Call him a coward if they must.

Even so.

‘I want to run away.’

Ruin turned and ran madly toward the exit. Even when he collided with another fleeing student and knocked them over, he kept his eyes on the ground and continued running.

How long had he been running like that?

With a ‘Thud!’, a short scream from a woman reached his ears. Ruin, trembling, looked down at the woman sitting on the ground.

“Ugh… That hurts…”

When Ruin saw the woman’s face, his pupils began to tremble violently.

With pink hair.

He didn’t want to meet the woman who healed the injured with healing magic in such a state.

The female student looked at Ruin and spoke in a trembling voice.

“…Ruin?”

Ruin.

“F*ck…!”

He passed by Yuria and ran away.

Ashamed.

Embarrassed.

Utterly humiliated.

But he was too terrified.

And so, Ruin ran.

After running for a long time, he finally reached the exit.

Only when he saw the backs of the fleeing students did Ruin begin to realize what he had done.

“Damn it.”

Ruin turned around, intending to return to the battlefield.

Though it was late, he wanted to help.

Even if he would be a burden, he wanted to help, even a little, as he suppressed his fear and tried to move his legs.

But.

He was already far too late.

At the center of the arena, a radiant light began to shine.

As the brilliance, like the sun, descended with familiar mana, Ruin let out an empty laugh and lowered his head.

“What am I…”

A hero had arrived.

The hero he called Old Man had already put an end to his choice.