A World Where You All Are The Villains [Novel] Chapter 85

I answered nonchalantly,

"I guess the heels were too high. I tripped over my own feet."

"Actually… I saw Young Master Ethan go in. And Young Marquis Leandro and Count Frederick too…"

She confessed timidly.

They were all individuals who stood out in their own right, and since all three of them rushed in together, there was no way she could have missed it.

I nodded silently before asking back,

"Did you hear anything?"

Nancy shook her head side to side.

"I heard a loud voice… but I had no idea you were with them, My Lady."

If there was a loud voice, it had to be either me or that bastard Vincent shouting.

It was a relief if she thought it was the latter.

"…Nothing happened, right?"

Nancy shot me a quick, scrutinizing glance.

She seemed worried that my injury might have something to do with them.

"Well, a lot of things happened, but…"

"O-oh my…! Who was it?!"

She trembled with indignation.

Did she actually assume one of them had pushed me?

I appreciated her caring heart, but it was a bit embarrassing.

"It's not like that. I really just tripped on my own, Nancy."

"Ah…"

"Honestly, it's embarrassing, so please stop asking."

"People can fall. Why is that embarrassing… It's more embarrassing not to help someone who's hurt."

"Is that so?"

"Of course it is!"

Nancy retorted, pouting her lips sulkily.

I was slightly worried that her face, full of complaints, was starting to resemble her master's more and more.

I gave a short laugh at Nancy's cute complaining.

As we chatted quietly, we soon reached the bottom of the stairs.

Nancy guided me to a tent set up in a clearing a short distance away from the courtyard.

It was a designated waiting area for the servants of each household.

Aston, who had been sitting with her arms crossed, looking bored, recognized Nancy and me and her eyes widened.

"My Lady?"

"Aston, please take a look at the Lady's left ankle. She's hurt."

"S-sit here!"

Aston sprang up and sat me down in her chair.

Then, she pulled over another chair and placed my left leg on top of it.

Nancy quickly fetched a blanket from somewhere and draped it over my knees, even bringing me a cup of cold water.

"…Thank you, Nancy."

"Shall I bring you a cup of warm tea too?"

"This is fine."

My throat was parched anyway, so I gulped down the water.

Meanwhile, Aston unhesitatingly took off my shoe and examined my foot from various angles.

"It must be dirty…"

I muttered, feeling a little sheepish, but Aston just shot me a strange look.

It was a look that said,

@
Why on earth are you worrying about something like that?
@end

Soon after, she gently wrapped her hands around my ankle.

Before long, a bright light burst forth from her palms.

The healing power seeping into my ankle felt incredibly warm.

For someone who usually threw around sarcastic remarks at her employer so easily, Aston was unusually quiet today.

It seemed to be because of Nancy, who was fussing around looking pale.

Aston's face as she focused on healing looked remarkably serious and mature.

Someone who worried about me.

Nancy, who continuously checked if it hurt, and Aston, who silently healed me without asking any questions.

Seeing the two of them taking such meticulous care of me made my heart swell with emotion.

Right then, the light faded from Aston's palms.

"Fortunately, it's not fractured or anything. It's just a mild sprain."

"Thank you, Aston. For coming with me."

I meant it sincerely.

If it hadn't been for her, I would have spent the next three days struggling in this remote area.

Even if it was an order from her employer, following someone to a distant island, leaving a young sibling behind, couldn't have been an easy decision.

"…I-I'm getting paid to do this, why are you thanking me?!"

Just as expected, Aston turned her head away with a huff, her cheeks burning red.

Seeing her so utterly defenseless against praise, she looked exactly her age.

A soft chuckle escaped my lips.

"D-don't laugh like that!"

She snapped primly before immediately asking about my ankle injury.

"…Did you hurt it while dancing? You have two left feet, My Lady."

"How did you know I have two left feet?"

"Normally, aristocratic young ladies practice dancing before a big banquet, but you… a-ah, never mind."

When I glared at her playfully with a smiling face, she hastily changed the subject.

"The healing is done, but still be careful. The ligaments are weakened, so you could sprain it again."

"Got it."

"Aren't the heels way too high? You normally don't wear things like this, My Lady."

"It's fine. I can manage to wear them…"

Before I could stop her, Aston picked up my shoe and carefully slipped it back onto my foot.

Then, she laughed…

"Hehe."

As if she had won some sort of victory.

It was so ridiculous I ended up letting out a chuckle as well.

I stood up from the chair right away.

I wanted to check if my ankle was truly okay, but also because there were too many prying eyes for me to just sit there forever.

Fortunately, Aston's healing was perfect.

The throbbing pain I felt with every step had completely vanished.

Nancy asked affectionately…

"My Lady, doesn't it hurt anymore?"

"Yeah."

Giving a light nod, I glanced upward.

The night sky had grown noticeably darker.

The full moon, which had formed a perfect circle just a while ago, was now more than half obscured by darkness.

The partial eclipse was about to begin.

"It'll be midnight soon, so you two should head inside now. I'll head in right after watching the expedition depart…"

Just then.

Along with a deafening roar that sounded as if the atmosphere were tearing apart, a bolt of lightning struck down from a clear sky.

A blinding flash followed immediately.

For a split second, my vision went completely white.

By the time my sight returned, people were buzzing with panic and confusion all around us.

"What is this? Why is the sky suddenly…"

"There aren't any dark clouds, so why is it thundering and lightning?"

Just as someone muttered, the clear, cloudless sky continuously produced a deafening racket.

I too looked up at the sky with narrowed eyes.

Suddenly, a foul odor rode a chilling breeze and pierced my nose.

A sense of déjà vu washed over me.

In that moment, a faint memory flashed through my mind like a bolt of lightning.

A sudden lightning strike from a clear sky.

A putrid smell of sulfur of unknown origin.

These things all pointed to exactly one conclusion.

I urgently shouted to Nancy and Aston,

"Nancy, Aston! Get inside the building, quickly!"

The two, who had also been looking up at the sky with me, turned to me with confused faces.

"My Lady."

"Wh-what is it, My Lady?"

I checked our surroundings before lowering my voice.

"It's the sign of a Gate opening."

"A-a Gate…?!"

"Shh."

Unlike Nancy, who instantly turned pale, Aston asked quite calmly…

"Why do you think that?"

"Because…"

Because I've experienced it myself.

But I couldn't just tell them outright about things that happened before I possessed this body.

"There's no time to explain everything right now. You need to get inside quickly and evacuate as deep underground as possible."

"What about you, My Lady?"

"I'll assess the situation a bit more and follow right behind you. Hurry."

"If that's really what's happening, shouldn't you evacuate first, My Lady?"

Unlike Nancy, who obediently nodded, Aston didn't let it slide easily, true to her stubborn nature.

Swallowing a sigh, I leaned in close to her and whispered,

"…You know what my ability is, Aston."

"That's exactly why! There's an Awakener with the purification ability here, so there's no reason for you to stay behind…!"

Aston frowned, similarly lowering her voice.

"That's why I'm going to see how things go before going in. I could have misjudged the situation, after all."

"But…"

"Aston."

I firmly grabbed Aston's hand, who still wore an unconvinced expression on her face.

"This is an order. Get inside right now."

"…"

At my words, Aston bit her lower lip tightly.

I knew she was only doing this out of concern for me.

But as someone who had been through this before, I was the only one who truly understood.

That once a Gate truly begins to open, there is absolutely nothing anyone, no matter how incredible of an Awakener they are, can do about it.