Cursed Villainess' Obsession-Chapter 44

Though it was merely a rumor, it served as a target for her now aimless emotions.

She would uncover the truth behind Ken's death.

And she would avenge him.

“I… don’t know. That’s why we need to find the Child of Prophecy.”

“...I understand.”

After days of brooding, Mary rose from her seat and left the temple.

To find the one who killed Ken.

The Child of Prophecy.

Having heard the full story, Emily felt her blood run cold.

━━Someone killed Ken.

A wave of fury threatened to cloud her judgment as a single question surfaced in her mind.

The Child of Prophecy… was Emily herself.

Why had Mary come to her?

“But… Mary, why are you asking me if I know about the Child of Prophecy?”

With a tense anticipation, she cautiously posed the question. The malice reflected in Mary’s eyes was genuine.

But Mary seemed taken aback by Emily’s inquiry.

“Don’t you… want revenge too, Emily?”

“...Huh?”

“If the rumor is true, and Ken was indeed murdered…”

Once again, Mary’s expression twisted with emotion, and her clenched fists trembled.

“I can never forgive the one who did this to Ken. …And I believe you feel the same way.”

‘...Ah, I see.’

Mary had come to her with the intention of uniting their strength.

Not for revenge against the Child of Prophecy, but to find the unidentified culprit together.

“I plan to go to Raphne next. She surely shares our feelings.”

Mary’s visit was an act of consideration for Emily.

She wanted to share the opportunity for revenge.

She understood the affection Emily held for Ken.

But before that, there was something crucial that needed to be said.

“…Mary, there’s something I must tell you first.”

“Yes, what is it?”

Emily grasped her trembling arms and cautiously spoke.

“The Child of Prophecy you’re referring to… is me.”

Fearful that Mary might lose her composure or react aggressively, Emily revealed the truth with a heavy heart.

“…Huh? …What do you mean?”

Contrary to Emily’s expectations, Mary didn’t react with hostility; instead, she appeared confused, unable to grasp the meaning of Emily’s words.

Emily… the Child of Prophecy?

“Then why is there such a rumor…? It’s said the Child of Prophecy killed Ken…”

But Mary knew.

There was no way she could have killed Ken.

“Perhaps the rumor is wrong? After all, rumors often get twisted…”

“No, but it’s been too long…”

There wasn’t enough time for it to have been distorted. Even if it had been nearly a week since Ken’s death, while stories do change…

━━At that moment, Mary felt a nagging sense of concern.

‘…Even if it’s just a rumor, why the Child of Prophecy?’

The Child of Prophecy.

Mary had only recently learned of this term while attending the academy.

She hadn’t realized it referred to Emily.

Which meant that very few knew the identity of the Child of Prophecy.

‘…Someone is framing the Child of Prophecy as the culprit.’

They were pinning Ken’s murder on the Child of Prophecy.

Which meant…

“...Emily, I’ll be back shortly.”

“Wait, where are you going?”

Mary didn’t answer and turned on her heel, running away.

“Mary!”

Caught off guard by her sudden change, Emily could only watch her retreating figure.

‘…I must hurry before it’s too late…!’

Desperately, Mary raced toward the temple she had just left.

Time was running short; it was already dark, and she feared she might miss her chance if she didn’t hurry.

As she ran, someone faintly came into view ahead.

“…Alice!!”

Mary immediately shouted her name.

Having already exited the temple, Alice was heading home with Ziegfried.

Seeing Mary rush toward them, Ziegfried’s expression shifted as he stepped in front of Alice.

Breathless, Mary came to a stop.

“…Ziegfried! What’s the meaning of this?”

“I’d like to ask you the same,” Ziegfried replied, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

“What’s the matter? Why are you calling out to Alice with such murderous intent?”

As Ziegfried pointed out, Mary was on the brink of losing control, filled with fury.

The one who killed Ken.

The one who dared to pin that crime on Emily.

“…Alice. I have a question for you.”

Without the usual honorifics, Mary glared at her, suppressing her rage.

Feeling the intensity of Mary’s gaze, Alice flinched and hid behind Ziegfried.

Mary continued.

“…Who did you hear that rumor from?”

“......”

The person trying to pin Ken’s murder on Emily.

It was obvious who had spread the rumor.

Thus, starting with Alice, who had spoken it first, would lead them to the source.

If they could trace it back, they might reach the origin of the rumor.

On another note, she had another hypothesis, albeit a reluctant one.

━━She hoped it wouldn't come true.

“…You’d better answer quickly.”

With every passing moment, her energy surged, and the temperature around them began to drop.

A thin layer of frost began to form on the ground around her.

Ziegfried, wary of her presence, released a puff of breath into the chilly air.

“━Otherwise, I’ll think you’re the one who killed Ken.”

Mary’s eyes glimmered with a fierce blue light as she glared at Alice.

“Ah, um… that is… um, um?”

Under the pressure of the question, Alice stammered, struggling to find an answer.

It seemed she couldn’t recall the source of the rumor at all.

And then…

“Alice━! Duck━!!”

━━Boom!!

At Ziegfried’s urgent shout, a cold blast of ice stormed in, and a thunderous explosion erupted.

As the shards of ice filled the air, the ground below bore the marks of destruction.

Ziegfried stood with his sword drawn, glaring at the enemy before him.

“━What is the meaning of this, Mary Haidia?!”

His eyes gleamed like a sharp wolf, fixated on the foe before him.

He pointed the tip of his sword at the Ice Witch.

“…I lost a dear friend just a few days ago. And now you dare threaten Alice.”

“…Zieg.”

A dark energy began to flow into the sword in Ziegfried’s hand, emanating a sinister aura.

The Sword of Absorption.

Smoke from ice crystals formed around the sword as it began to absorb the magical energy in the air.

“…That sword… was made by Ken, wasn’t it?”

The man standing in her way.

The betrayer protecting her detested enemy.

“Are you saying you’re going to use that sword to protect the one who killed Ken?”

Mary’s blue eyes flashed with intensity as her magical energy began to swirl around her.

Dozens of ice blades began to form in the surrounding space.

All those blades were aimed at a single point.

“…Alice wouldn’t… do that.”

“Then just tell me where you heard the rumor.”

“......”

“Zieg…”

Alice clutched her own clothing tightly.

Ziegfried turned his head slightly to check her condition.

Her eyes glistened with tears, trembling with fear—a stark contrast to her usual demeanor.

“Calm down, Mary. If Alice can’t answer, it must be…”

“…━Don’t kid with me!!”

━━Boom!!

“Ugh…!”

“Ahhh━!”

Ziegfried gritted his teeth as he blocked the storm of exploding magical energy with his sword.

The pressure from the violent winds was overwhelming.

Even though the Sword of Absorption absorbed his magical energy, it couldn’t halt the sheer force of the blast.

“Calm? How can you ask me to calm down when the one who killed Ken is right in front of me?!”

━━Shushushushu!!

With Mary’s excited scream, the ice blades that had been hovering in the air rushed forward.

‘…This is dangerous━!’

Ziegfried could handle it, but with Alice behind him.

He couldn’t ensure her safety by just absorbing the attack with his sword.

━━Thud!

“Ahhh! Zieg!?”

Reacting quickly to the oncoming ice blades, Ziegfried grasped Alice around the waist and leaped away.

━━Crash!!

The blades peppered the ground where he had just stood.

It was a scene that conveyed the sheer intent to kill.

“If you don’t answer now, I’ll force you to confess one way or another.”

An oppressive aura pricked at his skin.

The biting cold seemed capable of freezing him to the bone, and Ziegfried tightened his grip on his sword, feeling the weight of her icy gaze.

Taking a deep breath, Ziegfried refocused his attention on the girl before him.

“I’m sorry, but I swore an oath when I received this sword.”

She was strong.

Especially now, consumed by rage.

“I vowed to protect Ken and my precious ones.”

The overwhelming magical storm might be more than his physical abilities and the sword could handle.

“I couldn’t protect Ken.”

If he wasn’t careful, he could die.

“…So, I will protect Alice, no matter what.”

With a sharp gaze.

He raised his sword high.

Ziegfried steeled himself for the battle where they would fight to the death.

“……Then.”

As she watched him, Mary slowly raised her own hand.

“Die.”

━━Zing.

Magical energy began to gather at her fingertips.

“Alice!! Get away from me!!”

“But!”

“Hurry━!!”

“...Ugh.”

━━Pahhh…!

Alice hurried away, ducking behind a nearby tree, and in the meantime, a massive ice spear formed in front of Mary.

Ziegfried’s eyes remained glued to her fingertips, tense and vigilant.

And then…

‘…Here it comes.’

The moment her fingers twitched.

━━Chaak!!

The colossal ice spear shot forward.

It soared through the air like a gust of wind, aiming directly for him.

“Gah!”

Ziegfried raised his sword to deflect the spear.

━━Boom!!

The spear grazed past him, crashing into the ground and unleashing a deafening roar as a cloud of ice dust filled the air.

‘…I can’t absorb all of that magic.’

Even with Ken’s sword, he couldn’t absorb the sheer volume of magical energy being unleashed.

Knowing the sword’s capabilities, Mary poured an unprecedented amount of magic into her spell.

‘Then…’

Thud━!!

Ziegfried sent magical energy into his thigh, enhancing his strength and propelling himself forward with greater force than usual.

Like an arrow, leaving behind a black afterimage.

It was hard to follow his form with the naked eye as he pierced through the cloud of ice and headed straight for Mary.

As he emerged from the smoke…

━━There stood Mary, waiting with a gigantic ice hammer in her hands.

“━Damn it!”

For someone whose specialty was magic, closing the distance was a clever strategy.

It seemed Mary had predicted this, swinging the enormous hammer towards him.

Boom━!!

Caught off guard, Ziegfried managed to parry the hammer with his sword, using its momentum to create distance between them once again.

The shards from the hammer, cut by the sword, transformed into magical energy and were absorbed.

Landing safely, Ziegfried glared at Mary.

‘…She’s pushing herself.’

Even now, she radiated an overwhelming amount of magical energy.

While Mary might possess more magic than an average person, it was clear her output was anything but normal.

She was fighting this battle with her life on the line.

A resolve that indicated she wouldn’t mind dying.

That determination resonated with Ziegfried like a scream.

It was as if she had lost everything and was grasping for something to hold onto.

That’s why her attacks were so menacing.

━━But as time passed, the battle began to tilt in Ziegfried’s favor.

“…You’re enhancing your power, aren’t you?”

Mary remarked, noticing the dark energy flowing from his sword.

The Sword of Absorption consumed magic.

The intricate design etched into the blade, crafted with care by Ken, allowed for absorption and enhancement of the wielder’s physical abilities.

The more magic Mary unleashed to counteract the sword's effect, the more Ziegfried absorbed to strengthen himself.

It was a sword that gave a devastating advantage against a magician.

“I’ll end this now.”

Ziegfried reset his stance, bringing the sword to his waist and preparing for the attack.

The transformed energy pouring from the sword enveloped him.

His gaze sharpened, focused on delivering a strike that would end the fight.

Mary raised her hands and erected an ice wall.

As the frigid aura emanated from the icy barrier, Ziegfried could sense the ominous energy.

This incoming attack would be dangerous.

That’s why Mary prepared the wall as a defense.

━━Pah!

Ziegfried’s eyes narrowed as he unsheathed the sword in a blur.

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Then, he closed the distance like a lightning bolt.

Every moment felt drawn out, as if in slow motion.

Mary could see the unfolding events clearly.

‘……I won’t be able to stop it with just this wall.’

She realized that an ice wall wouldn’t be enough to withstand his strike.

That attack would be lethal.

As her heart burned with rage, it slowly began to calm.

Mary reflected on the fleeting moments before Ziegfried’s sword would reach her.

In that brief instant, she recalled a familiar face.

‘……Ken.’

A sense of relief washed over her.

‘…Perhaps, I will meet Ken soon.’

With his gentle smile flashing in her mind.

Mary closed her eyes.

━━Boom!!!

Ziegfried unleashed the full force of his attack, sending shockwaves through the air.

The earth trembled, and the dust began to settle, revealing the devastation wrought by his blade.

━━For some reason, Mary opened her eyes, staring into the void of impending death that did not approach her.

“…Phew, I’m glad I’m not too late.”

As she opened her eyes amidst the swirling dust, she saw a familiar figure whose voice she had longed to hear.

A silhouette that felt both familiar yet strangely different stood before her.

“Now, let’s stop fighting, you two.”

It wasn’t quite the Ken she remembered, but the one standing before her, blocking Ziegfried’s blade, was unmistakably Ken Feinstein.