Cursed Villainess' Obsession-Chapter 45

Whether that victim would be Mary, Emily, or someone else, only the murderer would know.

It was a painful truth I had to endure.

Thus, I remained in the form of a spirit, observing those mourning my death.

This was how I could quickly clear events using the scroll.

“I have something to say…”

━━I found it.

In the game, if Emily were to die during this event, the murderer would approach the character who mourned her the most and deliver this message:

The Child of Prophecy killed her.

They needed to be found.

‘In the game, I didn’t understand why they were looking for the Child of Prophecy after Emily's death…’

Now that I think about it, it was all part of a ploy to find Raphne.

Using the vengeance of someone consumed by grief from a death.

That way, they could seize the discovered Child of Prophecy.

Whether in previous looping events or this one, the Demon Lord’s minions were disgustingly vile.

One who savored torturing Emily.

One who exploited the sorrow from the death of a loved one.

Fueled by anger and having gleaned this hint, I silently awaited the time to be resurrected.

But then—

A variable occurred.

“…The Child of Prophecy is… me.”

That was Emily’s declaration made to Mary, who had come to unite forces.

Unlike in the game, a twist had emerged: another Child of Prophecy, Emily, was alive after my death.

The Demon Lord’s minions likely didn’t realize that.

That Emily was another Child of Prophecy.

“…Alice. I have a question for you.”

And with that, Mary began to sense the identity of the murderer.

As the swirling shards of ice and dust began to settle, the unexpected figure began to emerge.

‘Phew, I barely managed to block that sword made from the bones of the suspect…’

Ken shook his numbed hand after Ziegfried’s strike.

And in that moment, Mary questioned her own eyes.

“...Ken, is that you?”

It was a voice hard to believe.

It couldn’t be him.

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Perhaps it was merely someone who resembled him.

Yet the familiar voice rang clearly in her ears.

Mary grasped the lifeline before her.

Even if it were rotten, she longed to hold onto a thread of hope.

Responding to her hope, the man turned, smiled, and answered.

“I’m sorry, Mary. I just stepped out for a moment.”

Without hesitation, Mary threw herself into his embrace.

━Pohok.

“Ma, Mary?”

The solid form that caught her was reassuring. If this were a dream, she never wanted to wake up.

But the gentle touch that embraced her confirmed this was no dream.

“Ken…! Wuh, Ken…! Is it really you? …Ugh, you’re alive, aren’t you…?”

Tears streamed down her face as she looked up at him.

The reality she had continuously denied, the prayer she had made to the heavens for it to be a dream, was answered, and the pain that had been eating away at her heart turned into tears of relief that soaked the ground.

And Ken smiled at her question, answering softly.

“Yes, I’m really alive. So please, don’t cry anymore.”

“Wuh, Ken…!”

With those words, Mary relaxed and sank down.

She cried openly in his arms.

And through the clearing smoke, another figure watched them.

“…Ken. Is it really… you?”

The man, shaking in disbelief at the transformed sight, was Ziegfried.

With a hesitant expression, he looked at Ken.

The atmosphere and voice were unmistakably those of the boy in his memories.

Yet the form before him was elongated and robust, not the round shape he remembered.

But despite his doubts, the boy before him smiled and replied in a familiar voice.

“Were you surprised? Don’t worry, I’m not a ghost. …But more importantly…”

His gaze turned towards the figure hiding behind a tree—Alice, who had been watching them.

Realizing the implications of his look, Ziegfried rushed to block that path.

“No, Ken! Alice wouldn’t do that…! There must be some misunderstanding!”

Ken, having blocked even Ziegfried’s strongest strike, exuded a power beyond the training sessions.

If Ken were to threaten Alice, Ziegfried had no confidence in protecting her.

To reassure Ziegfried, Ken reached out his hand, calmingly.

“It’s okay, senpai. …The murderer is not her.”

Ken momentarily set Mary down and stood up.

“But the murderer is attached to Senior Alice.”

His eyes sharpened with intensity.

At his words, Ziegfried’s senses heightened, and he turned to look at Alice.

“Z, Zieg…”

When their eyes met, Alice’s eyes filled with tears as she began to call his name.

“No! I swear I didn’t do it! They’re lying! You believe me, don’t you, Zieg?”

She implored with tears streaming down her face.

She trembled in fear, expressing her dread.

Hoping that her childhood friend would trust her.

Ziegfried’s grip tightened around his sword as he observed her.

His clenched fist was tinged with a peculiar emotion.

And from behind, Ken called out to him with concern.

“Senpai…”

Knowing what Alice meant to him.

He was prepared for the possibility of a hostile confrontation.

But Ziegfried’s blade was not aimed at Ken.

“Z, Zieg…?”

“I believe Ken.”

His eyes, fixed on Alice, resembled a sharp wolf.

Burning with rage.

“I don’t know who you are, but how dare you use Alice to commit such a crime?”

A wave of immense fury emanated from him, sending shivers down Ken’s spine.

And facing that energy, Alice’s fear faded from her expression.

“…Ah.”

━━Shwaaa!!

Black liquid gushed forth from her surroundings.

The liquid enveloped her, enlarging her form into that of a monstrous creature.

“…━I am aggrieved. …Ah, I am aggrieved. …How can you still be alive, human?”

The creature spoke in a strange, resonant voice.

“…What on earth is that?”

Mary, who had been crouched down, felt the tension rise and stood up.

“Ken, what should I do…?”

Ziegfried, emitting hostility as he faced the creature, turned to Ken.

And Ken, having readied his sword, replied.

“There should be a new accessory on Senior Alice. We need to destroy it. …But.”

Ken didn’t have much time.

So he needed to finish it in one strike.

But two accessories caught his eye.

A necklace and a ring.

“Which of the two is the culprit…?”

The seductive accessory that randomly appeared in this event.

In the game, it clung to characters close to Emily, so he would have known it at first glance.

But Ken couldn’t tell which of the two was the original.

“It’s okay.”

Ziegfried, poised and ready, spoke to Ken.

“Just clear the path for me. …I’ll destroy the accessory.”

“Are you sure? You just used a lot of strength…”

“It doesn’t matter.”

At Ziegfried’s resolute reply, Ken fell silent and focused on the enemy before him.

Ziegfried was filled with intense rage right now.

If he had to, he would kill it with his bare teeth.

“Mary! Help me!”

“…━Yes!”

As Ken signaled to start organizing the situation.

━Pah!

Mary summoned cold air and created ice pillars on either side of the black liquid.

━Kiiiiiing!

The black liquid froze upon contact with the ice pillars.

“…━I am aggrieved, …aggrieved. …Wretched humans.”

━━Shwaaa!!

The attacked black liquid released its will, spraying forth multiple streams.

Like mud, the liquid quickly engulfed Ziegfried before him.

Ken stepped in to block its path.

“Hah!!”

━━Kwahhh!!

Ken’s fierce strike, propelled by his body, scattered dozens of streams like dust in the wind.

“Thank you, Ken, Mary.”

And with that, Ziegfried, prepared for his strike, focused his energy into his legs.

Ziegfried propelled himself forward.

Boom━!!

With explosive force from his legs, he crushed the ground and charged at the enemy.

Like a slender beam of black light, Ziegfried’s form became a blur.

In an instant, he reached the black liquid.

“…━I am aggrieved….”

━━Shwaaa!!

His sword cleaved through the liquid body, cutting it in half.

And maintaining that speed, Ziegfried snatched Alice, who lay within the liquid.

‘…This is it!’

He reached for the unfamiliar ring on her left hand.

As he pulled the ominous ring off her finger, black liquid began to spill forth once more, attempting to engulf Alice.

“…━Ken!! Catch it!!”

But before the liquid could reach Alice, Ziegfried swiftly swung his hand.

The flying ring was precisely caught in front of Ken.

“…Gah!”

With Ken’s strike, he didn’t let the ring slip away.

━Crack.

The ring shattered into pieces.

“…━Ah, …ah….”

With the destruction of the ring, the voice of the creature rang out, sounding as if a connection had been severed.

Its body disintegrated into black droplets, scattering into the air as it vanished.

‘…Thank goodness. It ended in time.’

I swiftly eliminated it.

If I had accidentally made a mistake and gone over time, it would have been troublesome.

“…Now then.”

━Pohok.

As Ken turned to assess the situation, something small wrapped around his waist.

Mary buried her face in his embrace, staying still.

Her trembling shoulders.

She was likely crying.

“…I’m sorry. You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?”

“…Wuh, how can you even say that…”

Mary's slender arms tightened around him.

It was a promise that she would never let go, a wish not to lose anything again.

With her shivering shoulders and the warmth radiating from her.

“Now, wuh, you must never… never disappear again.”

Ken smiled and placed a hand on her head.

…━Grrk.

“Oh.”

“…….”

Suddenly, a rumble echoed from her stomach.

Ken scratched his head sheepishly and said,

“...Can I have something to eat first?”

At his words, Mary, who had been crying, smiled.

“...Puhuh.”

Tears were still clinging to her eyes as she laughed.

Feeling the reality that Ken had returned.

A little while after Mary bolted from the dormitory.

Emily, unsure if she should chase after her, ultimately settled on the windowsill, staring blankly at the darkening sky.

After hearing Mary’s story, a surge of vengeance had ignited within her, but—

It was still just a rumor.

An absurd tale that the Child of Prophecy killed Ken.

Moreover, the protagonist of that story was none other than herself.

‘……Ken.’

Feeling the futility of it all, Emily could only gaze at the sky.

The last words she had said to him echoed endlessly in her mind.

As she remained trapped in such regret, wasting time in despair—

━Tap.

Tap.

Something small tapped against the window.

Naturally responding to the sound, Emily turned to see what was tapping against the glass.

When she confirmed the unbelievable sight, she ignored all rational thoughts that told her it couldn’t be.

She dashed out the door, searching for a sliver of hope.

He was dead.

Yet, the expression on Emily’s face as she raced down the stairs resembled that of someone entranced.

A blend of disbelief and hope illuminated her features.

And after hastily reaching the first floor, she flung open the front door and rushed to the back of the dormitory, just below her room.

“…Ah, were you… surprised?”

“…Ke, …Ken.”

There he was, awkwardly smiling and waving his hand.

The very image she had longed to see stood before her.

‘I’m… crazy if this is true.’

As tears streamed down her face, Emily stared at him blankly.

“...Ken, …Ken.”

Reaching out her trembling hand, she approached him.

“...Ken!!”

She threw herself into his arms.