The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen-Chapter 306: Approaching steps (7)

Anything is difficult at the beginning.

Whether it was changing the young lady’s diaper while blindfolded, or getting involved in street brawls with her.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is freewebnøvel.coɱ.

Once you get through the initial challenge, the burden lightens, and you become quite skilled at it.

“Eeeek! Ricardo! Stomp him!”“I already did.”“Oh...! Well done!”

"..."

Rain poured down on the streets.

I walked through the abandoned village under a black umbrella.

The wind blew, making the old swing creak, and the flower beds were so overgrown with weeds that it was hard to tell the last time a human hand had touched them.

It looked abandoned. Like a refuge.

It was strange that there was even a village here, on a path leading in the opposite direction from the capital.

This was a place frequently attacked by monsters.

Judging by the thick presence of magic, it seemed that mental magic had been used—likely a widespread spell to lure someone in.

I followed a small footprint that led from the village entrance. The rain had almost washed it away, but it was still visible enough.

"...This feels ominous."

'One footprint in this entire village...'

"This won't be easy."

As I ventured deeper into the village, I began to see more footprints.

“A couple, maybe?”

But they soon disappeared, swallowed by mud, making it impossible to track them further. It was almost as if someone had deliberately erased the trail.

I smirked and continued to follow the trail. It felt oddly familiar.

The footprints led to an inn covered in moss, abandoned for quite some time.

"..."

Weeds had grown thick between the cobblestones, and the windows were so faded that the place resembled a haunted house. But why did the trail stop here?

I let out a faint laugh and opened the door to the abandoned inn.

And then.

“...!”

I encountered someone I had never seen before.

The man in front of me, upon seeing me, immediately drew a dagger from his belt. Judging by his brown leather hat, he looked like a coachman.

Thud.

Why was he so startled?

I shook off the rain from my umbrella, my footsteps echoing as I shrugged my shoulders.

I could already guess what had happened.

A gold bar had fallen from the man’s hand. A familiar sword that had once been a gift to a woman. And the familiar wallet of that woman.

“...Hmm.”

I felt anger rising.

I had sensed something strange at the mansion, so I came here, only to find something entertaining brewing.

Rumble...

Just a little. I was getting angry.

I took a step toward the coachman and greeted him.

“Hello there.”

“Who are you?”

“My name is Ricardo.”

The man holding the dagger flinched at my sharp gaze, then hurriedly picked up the gold bar from the floor and spoke gruffly.

“Get out.”

“...”

“This is my place, so leave now.”

“...Hmm.”

I glanced at the man’s trembling hand, clutching the gold bar as if he were holding a child. It made me feel sick.

Money is indeed a wonderful thing, but...

“Excuse me, sir...”

Why did this feel so disgusting?

“I have a question.”

I took a step closer to the man, speaking in a slightly heavier tone.

“Have you seen a woman with silver hair, down to her shoulders?”

“...”

Gulp.

The man’s shoulders flinched, his small gesture betraying him. I closed my eyes briefly.

"Hah..."

It was clear. The affinity meter above his head showed that he knew who I was looking for.

Letting out a sigh, the man, trembling like a cornered thief, stammered.

“I-I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“...”

“Someone told me to...”

The man, still holding his dagger, blurted out excuses with trembling eyes. If he was going to make excuses, he should at least put the dagger away. His frantic words, as he fumbled with his long sword, made me nod my head.

“I see.”

“Yeah...! So I don’t know anything!”

“Calm down.”

“...Wait.”

“Take a deep breath, and explain slowly.”

Creak.

The man, glancing at the closed door, let out a sinister laugh.

“Wait... Are you alone?”

Now that we were the only two in the vast inn, the man straightened his posture, his earlier weak demeanor completely gone.

Gone was his timidity.

“If you were alone, you should have said so. I thought you were with the Imperial soldiers, so I got scared for a moment.”

The man stood tall, puffing out his chest, and spoke to me in a confident voice.

“Hey.”

“...”

“Hey. When an adult calls you, you should answer.”

“...Ah, were you calling me?”

“Yeah, you.”

The man waved his dagger, pointing it at my chest.

“Hey. I’m in a good mood today. I don’t know why you’re here, but just go on your way.”

“And why are you in such a good mood?”

“Because I made a lot of money...”

“That’s why you’re happy.”

“Hah... What a funny guy. Yeah, that’s right. I sold her, made money, and now I’m feeling great. What? Want me to stab you?”

I glanced at the pink wallet peeking out of his bag and asked once more.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. So just leave while I’m being nice. I don’t want to get blood on my hands.”

“Then...”

Rumble...

“I wonder if you’d still feel happy after going blind.”

The man’s eyes began to shake as the ground trembled. The rattling dishes, and the plates falling to the floor with a loud clang, sounded like a warning bell.

“What the... What’s going on?!”

The man shook his head violently, taking deep breaths. He muttered under his breath, “Dammit, I tried to be nice...” before kicking off the ground and rushing at me.

“Just get lost already...!”

I wasn’t in a good mood.

“...”

I wasn’t in a mood to be reasonable.

Slash.

I was definitely not in a good mood.

Mikhail woke up in a dark room, having lost consciousness.

A small candle flickered. The room was damp and filled with moisture. It was dark on all sides.

“Ugh...”

Mikhail’s head throbbed with pain, and blood trickled down from his forehead, soaking into the floor.

“Damn it!”

Grinding his teeth, Mikhail recalled the recent fight.

“Kill them.”“Move those people.”“Why? I can kill, but you can’t kill these people?”“...!”“It’s fine to kill them. They’re just empty-headed puppets. There might be some good people among them, but... so what? They won’t even remember it.”“You bastard...!”

Mikhail, who hadn’t been able to fight properly and had lost, couldn’t easily calm his fury. If only he had fought with all his strength, he might have avoided the worst outcome.

“Coward...”

Mikhail’s muttering filled the dark room, and a voice from the corner responded—it was the archbishop’s voice.

“There’s no such thing as cowardice in a fight, kid.”

A shadowy figure loomed before him. A tall, imposing man.

Relying on the dim candlelight, Yung approached Mikhail and placed a tray on the table before sitting across from him.

Stale bread and milk. A meager meal. Yung picked up the bread and spoke to Mikhail.

“If you want some, go ahead. You must be hungry after getting so worked up.”

Yung chuckled as he looked at Mikhail, who was bound.

“Ah, do I need to feed you myself?”

“Shut up. I’m not eating.”

Yung shrugged at Mikhail’s bloodshot eyes and replied.

“Are you upset?”

“...”

“Are you angry that you couldn’t fight properly before getting caught?”

“...If it weren’t for those people, you’d already be dead.”

“Oh, scary.”

Yung let out a carefree laugh as he dipped the bread into the milk.

“You should have killed me. How boring...”

“You son of a...!”

Yung sneered at Mikhail.

“Kid, there won’t be any ‘interferers’ this time.”

“...Interferers?”

“Yeah... That guy. Ricardo, was it?”

Clatter!

At the mention of Ricardo’s name, Mikhail’s chair rattled, and his eyes burned with anger.

“Don’t speak that name with your filthy mouth.”

“Oh. So that’s your weak spot... If I had known it would be this fun, I should have come for you from the beginning.”

“I said shut up...!”

Yung dragged his chair closer to Mikhail.

“You want to see him, don’t you?”

Like a devil whispering in his ear, Yung’s words made Mikhail tremble as he stared into Yung’s single, cold eye.

“I want to see him too.”

“...”

“He took my hand, my eye—everything. I didn’t get to take anything from him.”

“...You’re insane.”

“I need to take something from him to feel satisfied.”

Yung grabbed Mikhail’s cheek roughly, laughing.

“But kid.”

“...”

“Aren’t you curious?”

“Curious about what...?”

Yung stared into Mikhail’s trembling eyes and smiled cruelly.

“Don’t you wonder if that bastard remembers you?”

“What...?”

“Didn’t I tell you?”

“...”

“Listen, kid.”

Yung took a bite of the bread soaked in milk and whispered the truth into Mikhail’s ear.

“I never cast a spell on him.”

“What... did you just say?”

“I never cast the spell of forgetfulness on your friend.”

Mikhail’s face began to crack.

“What...?”

Tap. Tap.

“Is this the place?”

Covered in blood, I descended into the dark basement, glancing around.

Who would have thought there’d be a basement hidden in the mountains? The Archbishop of Forgetfulness certainly put a lot of effort into his twisted hobbies, I thought, shaking my head slightly.

"He must have had too much time on his hands."

This part wasn’t mentioned in the novel, so I had been wandering around for a while. If it had appeared even once, I could’ve found it right away without needing to interrogate anyone.

Tap. Tap.

I had wasted too much time.

“I hope I’m not too late.”

Thinking of the Archbishop’s nature, there was no way he would kill Mikhail outright. That twisted pervert loved watching others suffer, especially when they lost their memories and wandered aimlessly. He took pleasure in playing with them like toys, so I was confident he hadn’t abandoned his fun just yet.

I continued descending deeper into the basement.

And then.

"..."

I finally encountered Yung's masterpiece.

“Misa?”

Mikhail’s world was crumbling.

His breathing became ragged, and his mind was spinning.

Ricardo... hadn’t forgotten him?

He had never been under the spell of forgetfulness?

For years, Mikhail had believed his friend had forgotten all about him, that their bond had meant nothing. But now Yung’s words shattered that belief.

"You’re lying."

Mikhail’s voice trembled.

"You're lying...!"

Yung smiled wickedly, watching Mikhail’s face distort with disbelief and confusion.

"Why would I lie? Isn’t this much more interesting?"

Mikhail’s lips quivered as he tried to process the truth.

"You mean... all this time...?"

Yung leaned in closer, his sinister grin widening.

“That’s right. All this time, Ricardo remembered everything."

“...No...”

“If only you had asked him, if only you had confronted him—he would’ve told you.”

“No... no, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ this can’t be...!”

Mikhail’s heart felt like it was being torn apart.

"I never erased his memories. He remembers it all—the good times, the bad times, every single thing."

Tears welled up in Mikhail’s eyes.

"Why... why didn’t he say anything...?"

Yung chuckled.

"Because you never asked."

Mikhail’s body shook violently, overwhelmed by the realization.

His world had been built on a lie.

I arrived at the cell where Mikhail was being held, and the sight of him, broken and trembling, nearly stopped me in my tracks.

But I had no time to waste.

"Mikhail!"

At the sound of my voice, Mikhail slowly raised his head, his eyes hollow, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

"Ricardo...?"

I knelt in front of him, grabbing his shoulders.

"Mikhail, it’s me. I’m here."

Tears streamed down Mikhail’s face as he stared at me, still struggling to process everything.

"You... you remember me?"

I frowned in confusion.

"Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?"

Mikhail let out a sob, his body collapsing into mine.

“I thought... I thought you forgot about me.”

“What are you talking about? I could never forget you.”

Mikhail clung to me tightly, his whole body trembling as years of pain and confusion finally erupted from him.

“I... I was so lost, Ricardo... I didn’t know what to do...”

I held him close, my heart aching as I realized just how much he had been suffering.

"I’m here now. You’re not alone anymore."

For a long time, we stayed like that, Mikhail crying into my chest as I held him, offering the comfort he so desperately needed.

Yung watched the scene unfold, his expression a mixture of annoyance and amusement.

“Well, well... I wasn’t expecting such a touching reunion.”

I turned to face him, my eyes cold and filled with anger.

“You’ve done enough.”

Yung shrugged, unfazed by the rage in my voice.

“Oh, I’m just getting started.”

I stood up, placing myself between Mikhail and Yung.

“You’re not getting out of here alive.”

Yung smirked, drawing a dagger from his belt.

“We’ll see about that.”

The final confrontation was about to begin.