Cursed Villainess' Obsession-Chapter 26

Adrian’s usual smile and greeting.

'...I know all of this.'

Even the content of the lessons was exactly as it had been in the dream. Ken still didn’t show up to class, just like in the dream.

Everything was unfolding exactly as it had in her nightmare.

Which meant…

'...That woman on the way home?'

The final part of her dream.

The eerie laughter, the unsettling gaze.

The sharp scissors slicing across her throat.

The cold sensation of her body stiffening as she bled out flashed back into Emily’s mind, causing her to shiver.

'I have to take a different route!'

If today was going to follow that nightmare exactly, then what was going to happen later must also play out the same way.

So she had to avoid it.

Emily decided to take a completely different path back to the dorm, far from the usual route.

But, as if it were a cruel joke, she ended up encountering the same woman.

“Heeey~, did you bring them~?”

Snip.

The chilling sound of scissors snapping shut.

With that sound, the unsettling woman approached Emily.

The memory of her blood-soaked nightmare flooded back, and Emily’s body trembled with fear.

"Wh-why... I-I took a different path..."

But despite taking an alternate route, the long-haired woman stood before her.

The woman asked again, her voice just as haunting.

“Did you bring the child of prophecy~?”

The question triggered memories of the words she had heard in the nightmare.

Bring the child of prophecy.

'The child of prophecy... that’s me.'

Before entering the academy, a high-ranking official of the kingdom had referred to Emily as the child of prophecy, giving her a recommendation to attend the academy.

Even in her fear, Emily calmly analyzed the situation.

The day was playing out exactly as it had in the nightmare.

She had tried to avoid the long-haired woman, but they still crossed paths.

Which meant that if nothing changed, she would be killed by those scissors again.

Recalling the vivid pain in her neck, Emily cautiously spoke.

"I-I’m the child of prophecy."

At that, the long-haired woman froze.

'...Is this going to work?'

If the woman’s target was the child of prophecy, then that was her.

If she acknowledged that fact, maybe the woman wouldn’t kill her.

That was Emily’s calculation.

But...

"...You... the child of prophecy."

The long-haired woman mumbled Emily’s answer to herself.

Then, a grotesque smile spread across her face.

"Kya-hahaha! Youuuu~!"

"Hiiiek!"

The sudden scream-like laughter from the woman caused Emily to stumble backward in terror, memories of her nightmare rushing back to her.

"Youuu…! You’re a liarrr~!"

The woman’s eyes gleamed through her tangled hair, fixating on Emily.

Emily knew exactly what was going to happen next.

The woman was coming for her.

"Nooooo!!"

"Kekekeke! Kya-hahaha!"

Emily screamed as she turned and ran.

Just as she expected, the long-haired woman chased after her, laughing maniacally.

'I have to run...! I have to get away...!'

Emily already knew what awaited her if she got caught. She had experienced it vividly in her nightmare.

She ran with all her might, tears streaming from her eyes, her legs trembling but refusing to stop.

She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want to feel that pain again.

The memory of the scissors slicing through her neck still lingered in her mind.

So she ran as hard as she could.

But no matter how much Emily pushed herself, the grotesque woman was faster.

"...Kyaaah!!"

"Come heeere~! Kya-haha!!"

Emily’s hair was yanked from behind, and she was thrown to the ground with a sharp cry of pain.

Dazed from the impact, she opened her eyes to meet the gleeful, horrifying gaze of the woman standing over her.

"No, please...!"

"Liars... need to be punished~?"

Snip.

The scissors moved once in front of Emily’s eyes.

"W-wait! Please, I’ll do whatever you ask! J-just, please...!"

"Punishmenttt~!"

"Aaaaah!!"

Pain and terror overwhelmed her mind.

"No! No! Stop, don’t do this!"

"Kekekeke! Kya-hahaha!"

"Aaaagh!! It hurts! It hurts! Stop, please! It hurts so much! Stop!!"

Emily screamed in agony, but there was no one around to help her.

The only thing in sight was the insane woman, carving her body with the scissors.

"Guh... Please, someone... help me... Mom..."

Her mind was slowly consumed by pain and fear.

"Kya-hahaha! Kekeke!"

"...Who... will save me..."

Her vision blurred, filled with the red glow of the setting sun.

And then, death came.

...

"Noooo!!"

Emily woke up screaming, bolting upright in her bed.

"No, no, my legs, my fingers...! Hic."

Still overwhelmed by the vivid pain, Emily touched her body, tears streaming down her face.

But there wasn’t a single scratch on her.

The burning pain that had seemed to engulf her body just moments ago had completely vanished.

As if it had all been a dream.

But Emily knew better now.

"...It’s not a dream."

Hugging herself, she trembled with fear, the memory of that excruciating pain still fresh in her mind.

'I have to escape.'

Only one thought filled her head.

She had to flee from this place.

Emily quickly packed her belongings and left the dormitory.

She had to get as far away from the academy as possible.

There was no time to worry about classes.

Maybe she could even return to her hometown.

The woman always appeared as the sun began to set.

That meant if she left now, in the morning, she could be far from here by the time the evening came.

With that hope in mind, Emily ran as fast as she could.

She headed away from the dormitory, taking the opposite direction of her usual route to class.

Her destination was the academy’s main gate.

'I’m almost there.'

The gate was in sight, along with the guards stationed there. Once she passed through, she’d be free of the academy.

Relief washed over Emily as she pushed herself to run faster, a smile forming on her face.

"It’s almost time for class—!"

Ignoring the guard’s warning, Emily dashed past the gate.

But then—

"Where are you going~?"

Splash.

Something splattered across Emily’s shoulder.

She shuddered, slowly turning her head to see what it was.

"Kekeke, time to bring the child of prophecy, riiight?"

Standing there was the long-haired woman, holding a pair of scissors.

Beside her was the headless body of a guard.

...

Emily sat trembling at her desk in the classroom.

'What should I do... What do I do...?'

If she tried to leave the academy, the woman would appear and kill her.

And then, she would wake up again in her dorm room, just like before.

She had tried hiding somewhere until the day passed.

But the woman had always found her, at the same time, and killed her again.

Her last attempt had involved fighting back.

She had used magic, wielded a sword, and thrown everything she had at the woman.

But it wasn’t enough.

"Kekekeke! Naughty children who fight... need to be punished even more, riiight?"

In her last loop, the pain had been even worse, as the woman tortured her before finally killing her.

"E-Emily... Are you okay?"

Marin, sitting beside her, gently called her name, worried about Emily’s state.

But Emily didn’t respond.

She just trembled in silence.

'How can I... How can I fix this...'

Her mind was racing, trying to think of a way out of this nightmare.

But no clear solution came to her.

The woman wanted the child of prophecy, but Emily didn’t know who that was.

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As far as she knew, she was the only one in the academy ever referred to as the child of prophecy.

'What am I supposed to do?!'

Desperate to avoid the torment and fear, Emily’s thoughts spiraled, trying to find a way to survive.

"Good morning, Emily... Emily?"

A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.

Emily blinked and turned her head.

Standing there was Adrian, his face filled with concern as he looked at her.

"...A-Adrian."

"Emily, what’s wrong? Is something bothering you?"

Adrian's expression grew serious as he studied Emily’s face, clearly seeing how distressed she was.

It was obvious to anyone that something was wrong.

And as Emily looked at Adrian, a sudden realization hit her.

'Adrian is one of the strongest students in our year, second only to Laphne…!'

If anyone could stop that woman, it was him.

"A-Adrian... please help me!"

"Don’t worry, Emily. Just tell me what’s going on."

Reassured by Adrian’s calm, confident demeanor, Emily felt a surge of relief.

She burst into tears and immediately explained everything to him.

Adrian’s response was understandably skeptical.

"...So... a strange woman is killing you, and every time you die, the day starts over...?"

His expression showed doubt.

It was hard to blame him. After all, who would believe such an absurd story?

But even so, Adrian agreed to help her.

He stayed by her side, even though the situation sounded unbelievable.

"...Thank you, Adrian. I know it must sound strange."

"Haha, yeah, it does sound a bit crazy. But I don’t think you’d lie about something like this."

Adrian smiled warmly, and Emily felt reassured.

The situation had seemed so hopeless just moments ago, but now it seemed like things could be resolved.

If anyone could stop the woman, it would be Adrian.

'...It’s going to be okay now.'

Together, Emily and Adrian waited for the woman to appear.

The location was the same tiled path from the dream.

As the sun began to set, bathing the scene in its familiar orange glow...

"Kekeke!"

Snip.

The woman appeared in front of Emily.

"Kya-hahaha! Did you bring them? The child of prophecy… did you bring them?"

The woman repeated her usual question.

As soon as Emily saw her, fear took hold of her again.

The sound of the scissors snapping brought back the memory of the pain, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"...Emily?"

"A-Adrian...! There, she’s there! She appeared!"

But this time, Emily wasn’t alone.

She had a strong ally by her side.

Pointing toward the woman, Emily urgently tried to show Adrian where she was.

"Look, over there!"

Even without pointing, the area was a wide-open space with only one path, making the woman’s presence impossible to miss.

But Adrian didn’t look in that direction.

"...Emily."

He only gave her a troubled look.

"There’s nothing there."

And with those words, Emily’s mind went blank.

"...What?"

It took a moment for her to understand what he meant.

She turned back to look at the woman.

"Kya-hahaha! Kekeke!"

Snip.

The woman was still there, clear as day, standing in front of Emily.

"...That one’s not the child of prophecy?"

The woman’s grin widened.

The sight of it sent a chill down Emily’s spine.

"...Emily! Are you okay?"

"No, no, no! Don’t come closer...!"

Adrian called out to Emily, clearly concerned, but his words didn’t reach her.

Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.

The woman, who had been approaching slowly, was now standing right in front of them.

"...Emily."

Adrian, sensing that something was terribly wrong, glanced in the direction Emily had pointed.

But all he saw was an empty path.

Is something really there?

Knowing Emily well, Adrian didn’t dismiss her claims.

He stepped in front of her, raising his hand, flames flickering at his fingertips.

"I don’t know what’s going on, but Emily..."

Adrian gathered a large amount of mana in his hand, preparing to unleash it toward whatever might be there.

He turned to Emily, who was still trembling on the ground.

"Get up and run for it—"

But before he could finish, the woman made her move.

Slash!

A fountain of blood erupted.

Scarlet drops splattered across Emily’s face.

"...Ah, ah."

In front of her stood Adrian, headless.

"Kya-hahaha! What a lovely expression~! Kekeke!"

With her last hope gone, Emily sank to the ground, consumed by despair.