The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

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The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

Chapter 235: Ah, This is the Best

◇◇◇

When Iris met Lily in the white space, Miria was also facing a woman with similar eyes to hers, covered with a black cloth, in that same white space.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

“And who are you? Also, where is this place?”

“This is your mental world. And I shall call myself… Mīze for now. I’ll explain the details once you have taken a seat. Please, over here.”

“I understand. By the way, it seems you’re hiding your eyes with that cloth, but can you see?”

“Yes. Just my right eye, but I can see perfectly. Please take a seat there.”

Guided by Mīze, Miria sat down in a chair, keeping her guard up while subtly observing her surroundings.

“There’s no need to be so cautious. There’s nothing here.”

“How did you know I was being cautious?”

“Well, who knows? For now, that topic doesn’t relate to our current situation, so I’ll refrain from divulging further. Also, I suspect you dislike convoluted explanations, so I will briefly explain the current situation.”

Then Mīze used a light blue panel to explain the situation, just as Lily had done with Iris, and Miria began to understand her predicament.

“So, I was brainwashed by coming into contact with the magic power of a young man named Shudo, and now I’m at the brink of opposing Lord Lewis?”

“Exactly.”

“I see. Then I shall take my own life.”

As she said this, Miria attempted to bite her tongue to end her life, but no matter how hard she bit, there was no pain or sign of blood.

“I told you, this is a mental world. There are no weapons here, nor is there the concept of death. Therefore, whatever you attempt, you cannot die.”

“Then what am I supposed to do? After exposing such a failure, I have no value in living. I need to take my life immediately and make amends to Lord Lewis.”

“You are mistaken in two ways. First, even if you were to take your life right now, he wouldn’t care, nor would it constitute any form of atonement. You are merely trying to escape the reality of having followed someone else. Second, if you wish to die as a form of atonement, it is not the time for that now. At the appropriate moment, you will entrust your life and death to him. You are not allowed to escape through self-harm from that future.”

When Miria regained her calm upon hearing that Lewis wouldn’t even spare a thought for her death, she became curious about something in Mīze’s explanation and decided to ask.

“I have a question. What do you mean by entrusting life and death at the appropriate time?”

“It means exactly that. You indeed possess sins that need atoning. However, right now, you do not understand those sins. The moment you come to know those sins will be when the appropriate time arrives.”

“Can’t you tell me now?”

“I cannot. Just as a newborn child grows through stages, you too must pass through stages to comprehend your sins. Thus, I cannot tell you here and now. Nevertheless, if you continue to follow him, a time will come when you will know those sins. At that time, you will entrust your life to him.”

“I understand.”

Hearing Miria’s resolute response devoid of hesitation, Mīze quietly stood up, touched her hand, and infused her with magic power.

“The magic power I am channeling into you will protect you from that young man’s magic power in the future. So once you awaken, you will not be brainwashed by him again.”

“That’s wonderful. To be honest, it was quite uncomfortable, so this is a great relief.”

“I too am very uncomfortable. To raise a blade against the master one should serve is a shameful act for a servant. Now that preparations are complete, I will return you to your original world. Please, do not disappoint him again.”

“I understand.”

As Mīze spoke, her right eye glimmered faintly behind the cloth, and Miria’s consciousness gradually faded.

Then, as Miria vanished from the mental world, Mīze turned to face Lewis, who should have been reflected on the light blue panel, and bowed her head slightly.

“May eternal dreams follow your path.”

◇◇◇

Iris and Miria, having responded slightly to my words, took one step after another towards me.

“Master Lewis!!”

Then, as if freed from something while passing by Shudo, they called my name and rushed to my side.

“Haha. Ahahaha!”

Seeing the two return, I couldn’t help but laugh out of sheer joy.

But it wasn’t that I was particularly happy about Iris and Lily returning; frankly, their return didn’t matter to me much.

What I was most pleased about in this situation was…

(I can die. In this world, I can surely die. Finally. Finally, death is within reach.)

I clearly understood that, by Iris and the others freeing themselves from Shudo’s brainwash, this world was different from the past.

This was proof that the words of Aureians were not lies, and that in this life, a future where I could die also existed.

(Fufu. There’s no way this isn’t joyful.)

The emotions swelling within me were a mix of elation, exhilaration, and longing.

The joy and exhilaration of finally seeing a future where I could die, coupled with a longing to grasp that death right now.

Just imagining it filled me with laughter and a sense of happiness that warmed my chest.

In response to my sudden laughter, Shudo looked a bit surprised, but then promptly changed his expression and inexplicably turned his gaze towards Iris and the others.

“You two, that man is dangerous. As you heard, he said earlier that he would kill you! If you stay with him, you will get killed. Get away from there immediately!”

Then, spurred by my declaration that I would kill them, his sense of justice seemed to activate, leading him to try to persuade Iris and the others, yet they showed no signs of responding to his words.

“I refuse. My life has already been dedicated to Master Lewis. If I were to be killed by him, it would be my wish.”

“I agree with Iris. I have already decided whom I will serve. Thus, this life belongs only to Master Lewis. I have no reason to heed your words.”

Even faced with the possibility of being killed, Shudo was visibly surprised when they rejected him, but for some reason, he started glaring at me.

“You did something to them, didn’t you?”

“Haha. No way. There’s no way I would do something like that, right?”

“No, if that’s not the case, it’s impossible. Otherwise, no one would willingly seek death!”

I can’t help but think that I’m right here, but since I’m feeling absolutely fantastic right now, I won’t be swayed by anything Shudo says.

“Hmm. Then let’s say I did do something to the two of them. What would you do about it?”

“Of course! I’d rescue them from you!”

Shudo declared, drawing the sword he had at his waist and aiming the tip at me, gathering magic power once again.

From just the words alone, it sounds like a scene where the protagonist saves the heroines from the villain, but that was just the dialogue; in reality, there was nothing true about what he said.

“Yikes!”

“Ah…!”

However, feeling fantastic beyond measure, I wrapped my arms around Iris and Miria’s waists and deliberately laughed in a villainous manner.

“Then come at me, wannabe hero.”

“Y-You don’t have to tell me twice!”

Perhaps my acting was too good, but it seemed I had fanned the flames of his sense of justice as Shudo charged at me, sword drawn.

“Tsk. Why do all the justice-types come at you head-on like fools on the first move?”

In response, I let go of Iris and the others, stepped forward just once, and surrounded my hand with magic power to grasp the sword that came crashing down from Shudo.

“Wh-What?!”

“Hmm. Your swordsmanship is shaky, your body weight distribution is off, and your movements are predictable. Honestly, this isn’t even worth mentioning.”

Considering it was about time for my awakening as a hero, I thought I would feel some resistance, but it seemed he was just a third-rate swordsman with a lot of magic power and some special abilities.

“Dammit!!”

“Truth be told, I prefer to fight using the same weapon as my opponent, but you don’t even have that value.”

Shudo kept swinging his sword at me repeatedly, but with just my right hand, I effortlessly dealt with all his attacks, causing him to wear a frustrated expression as his strikes grew even more ragged.

“I’m bored. You’re dismissed.”

“Ugh! My sword… it’s broken…”

Growing weary of Shudo’s simplistic attacks, which showed no signs of learning, I grabbed his sword once more and used sheer strength to crush it in the middle.

“There’s no time for shock.”

“Uwaah!!!”

It must have been quite a shock to have his sword broken barehanded, as Shudo froze in place despite being in a combat situation. I ruthlessly delivered a roundhouse kick, sending him bouncing across the ground multiple times.

“Is this it for you?”

“Not… yet. It’s not over…”

“Haha. I thought you’d definitely get back up.”

With his sword gone, I figured this would be the end, but as expected, this supposed “hero” seemed to have an indomitable spirit as he shakily propped himself up on the broken sword.

“Alright. I’ll play with you.”

“Hah, hah… If only I had a sword. A stronger sword…”

Shudo scanned the room, presumably searching for another weapon, and eventually found a sword, halting his movements.

“A sword… I found it. With this…”

“No! That sword is a no-go!”

The voice of Sharueina echoed in the room as Shudo approached the sword.

The sword he found was the black great sword used by Rogurando, the one Sharueina had plunged into his grave as a memorial.

The moment I saw Shudo trying to pull out that sword, my body moved before my mind could catch up, and in an instant, I had severed his right arm, swept his legs, and pinned him to the ground with my foot.

“Hey. That’s too much. You, of all people, shouldn’t dare touch that sword.”

“Ugh… uuuu…”

“This sword belongs to a warrior who resisted a painful reality for a long time and finally received it from his niece as a tribute upon finally securing his own death. Don’t think you, a piece of trash, can just touch such a precious thing.”

The emotion welling up from deep within me was clear anger directed at him.

Sure, Rogurando’s actions were unforgivable, yet this guy, trying to destroy the grave of a grand warrior who had fought for twelve years and finally died with his beloved niece’s hand on that sword—his selfishness was intolerable.

“Seriously, you’re incredibly disgusting. Selfish and self-righteous, always thinking you’re right. Everything about your words and actions is just foul.”

“Ugh!!”

“So, I’m going to conduct a little experiment. It’s not a problem, right? After all, I’m the villain, and villains can do whatever they want. Because that’s what evil is!”

With a sadistic grin, I placed my hand on Shudo’s chest, channeling my magic power into his magic circuits and pulling with all my might.

“Aaaaaaaah!!!!”

“Haha! Is it painful? It must hurt! Don’t worry, it’ll be over soon.”

I felt the sensation of his magic circuits rupturing under my hand, but ignoring that, I pulled out all his magic circuits until I could no longer feel any trace of his magic power.

“Now you won’t be able to use magic for a while. Don’t worry; it should return in a few months. Just until then, I recommend you keep a low profile.”

“A… aah…”

The act of removing his magic circuits must have caused him immense pain, as he wore a face that would never be seen on a hero; his face was a mess of tears, mucus, sweat, and drool.

“I have no more use for you, and you’re a nuisance here, so I’ll just send you on your way.”

Saying that, I used the remainder of my magic power to cast a short-distance teleportation spell, sending Shudo outside the castle without specifying a location.

Due to the amount of magic power, I couldn’t teleport him all the way outside of Saramāju, so he’d likely just end up rolling somewhere in the town.

“Now then. With that trash taken care of, it’s time to discuss matters with those two.”

As the room finally quieted down after the nuisance was gone, I remembered that I had one last discussion to hold, deciding first to return to where Iris and the others were.

◇◇◇

I apologize for the lengthy chapter.

Next time, Lewis’s story will conclude, and we will shift to Fiera’s side.

I’m looking forward to wrapping up this heavy tale, and I hope you’ll enjoy what Fiera has to offer!

Thank you for your continued support of this work!

Also, if you’re interested, please check out my simultaneously serialized work “The Former Hero, Now the Demon King, Devotes Himself to the World!”

If you’re curious, I’d be thrilled if you took a moment to read it!

https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330663836544021

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