I Possessed the Villain’s Childhood Friend – Chapter 90

It’s warm.

Even if I can’t see, I can certainly feel that much.

This sensation I had long forgotten.

In other words, the warmth I was once so accustomed to.

I thought I would never feel it again.

It all ended because of my mistakes.

Some said it wasn’t entirely my fault, that it was already predetermined, but such comfort meant nothing to me inside.

“…Haha.”

Since that day, I have come to believe that this world is truly garbage.

Yet I never stopped praying or repenting.

Because I believed in my sister, who loved people more than anyone and trusted the world.

Then this must surely be a reward for everything up until now.

To show me that hope has not been extinguished.

Yeah.

Then what I can do is clear…

★

“…Truly impressive.”

Those words slipped from Ed’s mouth.

They weren’t flattery.

It was a sincere remark that escaped unthinkingly.

Ed takes on an advisory role in Avatarara.

He analyzes the opponent’s combat power, devises future strategies, and outlines the direction the organization should take.

Though he might be inferior to other officials in matters of combat, he was nonetheless one of the key personnel in Avatarara.

In other words, this ambush was thoroughly planned by Ed.

Over weeks, he manipulated magical beasts from the east and west to send them south.

Using that, he called students capable of combat from Arcana to the front lines.

After distributing positions according to their roles.

And then he and his brother would go to eliminate every opponent not facing the professors heading for the frontline.

Given the urgency of the situation, there wouldn’t be time to assign escort forces to Aike’s and Leon’s teams while they moved.

In short, it was all about taking out rookies.

Even the involvement of a knight or a couple of professors wouldn’t be enough to stop them, so that much was acceptable.

And everything unfolded just as Ed had anticipated.

Leon and his group, heading to heal the professors and the injured, and Aike’s team, delivering supplies.

These three teams were split up, as reported by his sister Es.

Now all that was left was to wipe them out.

In Leon’s group, there was only one who could face the front line: Ed controlling the magical beasts.

Aike’s team, with good overall balance, was determined to be handled by Es, capable of overwhelming them by skill.

Ed believed that whatever had happened to Aike’s team that Es went to was already decimated.

But there was one thing.

Something Ed had not considered, something he could not even have predicted.

“Ugh!”

The greatest genius in the empire, Leon Aigis Astria, was an extraordinary prodigy beyond Ed’s imagination.

“Cure Effect!”

The coordination from Atal assisting him was far more troublesome than expected.

Leon deftly avoided fatal blows and pierced the gaps of the magical beasts, while Atal immediately used protection magic every time Leon was in danger.

They were simply too exceptional to be merely called students.

So Ed had thought to change his plan midway, sending two magical beasts to Atal.

“Protection Barrier!”

But Atal blocked that with Barrier Magic.

“This is dangerous.”

Ed wasn’t exactly at a disadvantage.

Leon’s injuries were slowly increasing, and Atal was beginning to show signs of magical exhaustion.

It was clear that in the end, Ed would emerge victorious.

But the mere fact that time was dragging on was a problem.

If that continued, additional reinforcements would surely arrive.

“Annihilation seems impossible.”

Ed gritted his teeth at that realization.

[Aargh, ugh….]

In the meantime, one D-Class magical beast fell.

Remaining were three D-Class magical beasts and three C-Class ones.

That was enough manpower to completely eliminate Leon’s team, but the time he had anticipated had long passed.

“…Wait a moment.”

‘Time has passed?’

Ed pulled out his pocket watch to check the time.

It was 5:51.

The finish time Ed had predicted was by 5:40.

‘Then why hasn’t Es rejoined?’

The agreement was for Es to rejoin him, and with her skills, the chance of losing to Aike’s team was practically nonexistent.

‘Something has gone wrong.’

As that thought flashed through his mind, it was only natural for Ed to grow anxious.

“Kill them all.”

At that command, the bodies of the magical beasts surrounding Leon began to…

[GRRROOOAAARRR!!!]

Blood spouted forth.

“What?!”

But the magical beasts did not fall.

In an instant, their eyes turned blood-red, and the claws and fangs of the beasts charged toward Leon, now devoid of any leverage to retaliate.

Atal, feeling the rising speed, had to resort to using support magic more liberally.

Yet despite watching that, Ed couldn’t find certainty.

‘Can I really kill him with this?’

By overloading the magical power of the beasts, they transcend limits.

However, the magical beasts would die three minutes later due to runaway magic.

It was supposed to be a technique that shouldn’t be used when one lacked confidence.

With the guardians of the beasts gone, Ed was at best on the level of a low-ranking knight.

Yet the absence of news from Es amplified Ed’s restlessness.

‘Perhaps it’s hopeless.’

With only three minutes, while he could severely wound Leon or Atal, he was certain killing them would be impossible.

Still, Ed used the technique for a simple reason.

‘If Es is not coming, I’ll die too. So I might as well take at least one down with me.’

And the person he aimed for was…

★

“Miss Michelle.”

Even when I called out, Miss Michelle showed no signs of responding.

Earlier, the man who introduced himself as Ed Cruel from Avatarara revealed a shocking truth that caused Miss Michelle to faint.

She wasn’t hurt or anything, so using Healing Magic wasn’t necessary.

But I used the spell Bless to aid her recovery in hopes she would feel a bit stabilized upon awakening.

“…Really.”

Miss Michelle was undeniably a girl who radiated vibrant smiles.

Just her friendly approach and conversation provided us with strength as our junior.

Even Reina showed signs of cherishing her, making me feel a hint of jealousy.

To call her an unnecessary daughter.

“Really, that’s too much.”

As I turned my gaze, the man still had a slight smile on his face.

From that smile emanated an unshakeable certainty that whatever he desired would surely come to pass.

“Haaah!”

On the frontline, Leon and Atal were still fiercely battling.

There were already two beast corpses on the ground, and thanks to Atal’s magic, none of the magical beasts could reach us.

Though both were starting to tire, there were no significant issues.

What we needed to do was stall until reinforcement forces arrived.

No matter how desperate the situation on the frontline appeared, if we didn’t reach the base by the scheduled time, they would surely send reinforcements.

But for some reason, my intuition had been ringing since earlier.

As if something dangerous was approaching.

“Hey, your hands are trembling.”

Sensing my anxiety, Ellyn, who was sitting beside me, gently held my hand and spoke softly.

She was a peculiar woman.

With her long blue hair and white clergy robe, she exuded a delicate aura.

But the most distinctive feature about her was her eyes.

Due to the long scar that stretched across from left to right, Ellyn kept her eyes closed.

Yet I didn’t feel any discomfort at all.

Her occasional gentle smiles strangely calmed my tension.

Though she was someone I had never met before, I felt a familiar sense of ease.

Almost without realizing it, I wanted to ask if we had met before.

“Don’t worry. No matter what happens, I will protect you.”

How could Ellyn be so confident?

Objectively speaking, the one struggling the most in this situation would be none other than Ellyn herself.

I should rather be the one protecting her, a woman who cannot see.

But why then?

I felt reassured by Ellyn’s words, and I believed that if she was here, we were all safe.

[GRRROOOAAARRR!!!]

The situation changed dramatically.

For some reason, after the man’s command, the magical beasts sprayed blood from their bodies before turning their eyes blood-red and charged toward Leon.

Their attacks were far faster and stronger than before.

I thought maybe it was time to help.

But despite Leon’s gestures indicating he was still fine, I clenched my fists and remained seated.

I was unprepared for any unforeseen situations.

And that would lead me to…

“Miss Sophia!!!”

A lifelong regret.

★

At first, I often thought it was inconvenient.

Isn’t that to be expected?

Things I had always seen had become invisible.

However, I had never once thought about needing to heal.

It was a punishment I had imposed on myself for failing to do what I should have and losing everything on that day.

[GRRROOOAAAARRR!!!]

For 14 years, my hearing had sharpened beyond what I had experienced, making me realize that the situation was desperate.

The sound of blades slicing through the air, the gruesome sound of flesh being torn, and the wails of the magical beasts.

She was watching that scene firsthand and had been trembling for a long time.

“Hey, your hands are trembling.”

Even so, the warm magical power flowing from her hands didn’t seem to cease.

Thinking of how much she resembled my ‘sister’ put a smile on my face.

“Don’t worry. No matter what happens, I will protect you.”

Thankfully, her trembling seemed to have calmed down to some extent with my words.

Had she understood my genuine feelings?

I truly hoped so.

I owe you an apology.

“Kill them all.”

[GRRROOOAAARRR!!!]

The commotion around us grew significantly louder.

Her hands trembled once more.

That must mean the situation is serious.

It’s time for me to get ready.

I swore I would never make a mistake again since that day.

If I were to meet you again, I vowed to protect you at all costs.

“Miss Sophia!!!”

My eyes opened.

The view after a long time was, regrettably, blurred.

★

“W-What…?”

Without warning, a giant magical beast charged in from the right.

Though Leon noticed and shouted, I was too stunned by the sudden situation to cast Protection Magic.

My body froze in place, and in a split second, the beast’s claws closed in.

Leon and Atal were engaged in simultaneous combat with five magical beasts and had no strength to assist us.

Facing imminent death, I finally closed my eyes, and when the unpleasant sound of something piercing through flesh made me open them…

“Ah, for the love of…”

Before me was Ellyn, smiling while looking at me even as the beast’s claws pierced through her abdomen, blood flowing out.

With her deep azure eyes and gentle demeanor…

“It’s been a long time, Shion….”

My head started to hurt.