The Villainess Who Accidentally Stole Their Hearts - Chapter 37
Chapter 19.1
The pain grew increasingly excruciating.
It was because the spirit stone, having released all its power, was now feeding on mine. As my energy was taken away, a wave of crushing fatigue swept over me. At the same time, it felt like something was twisting and squeezing my organs from the inside.
‘It’s okay. It’s okay…’
I told myself I was used to this kind of pain. After all, when I’d been trapped in the underground dungeon, Cleas had tortured me like this often. However, my ‘current’ body seemed to disagree. A body that had never been tortured screamed in agony.
“Ugh… Kkh…!”
It felt like every vein in my body was about to burst.
Whenever I tried to exert any strength, tears streaked down my face, mingling with blood from the pain. Yet, if I loosened my grip even slightly, it felt as if the spirit stone would slip away.
“Ugh, hhk…!“
Instinctively, I threw my entire body over the spirit stone to shield it, clawing at the dirt floor beneath me with both hands as if I were trying to wring it dry. It wasn’t a conscious decision.
‘I need to curl my body more, more.’
I had to suppress the spirit stone’s vibrations.
‘Otherwise, it’ll crack again, just like before my regression!’
Yes, the same thing had happened before my regression.
That was the only reason I was able to react without hesitation. The timing had been different then, but the spirit stone’s problem was the same.
‘Back then, it started just as I was trying to leave after visiting the grave.’
At that time, Mikarin had helped me.
All the accessories she wore were made from magic stones. They absorbed the shock and prevented the spirit stone from exploding, at least enough to stop it from shattering completely.
But…
‘My mother’s spirit stone was severely damaged.’
Deep cracks spiderwebbed across it, threatening to shatter at any moment, and the edges were chipped away. In that state, it wouldn’t have lasted more than a few years.
‘So this time…!’
“Kh—ugh…!”
My body couldn’t handle it anymore, and the energy drain made me cough up blood. Dark crimson streaks smeared across my lips and chin.
“Nikaearsha!”
“Let go of that hand, you fool—!”
Zerno and Akain, who had been frozen in shock moments before, rushed to my side. They tried to pull me away, grabbing at my body as I shielded the spirit stone.
But then—
BOOOOM—!!!
The violent surge of energy erupted from the spirit stone, hurling the two men back. Thankfully, because the power inside the stone belonged to me, I was the only one who could stay near it. But as the scorching stone levitated into the air, I was dragged upward with it.
My vision began to blur.
“Damn it!”
I could barely make out Akain below, gathering his aura.
“A w-wizard! No, power wielder! Wait—magic knight…!”
“Forget it, just call someone! If this keeps up, the lady’s going to die!”
The retainers’ panicked voices erupted into chaos.
That was the last thing I heard before everything plunged into darkness.
︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵
Nikaearsha’s body, slumped over the spirit stone, was trembling weakly.
She teetered as if about to fall at any second, but the greater threat was the spirit stone itself, now glowing bright red, as if it were about to ignite.
“I-It’s going to explode! Two minutes… or maybe one…!”
Viscount Sandif, known for his deep expertise in magic, shouted, his face drained of color.
“Then do something about it!”
“What can we possibly do? The only way to stop the explosion is to destroy the spirit stone!”
…Nikaearsha’s body or the former Grand Duchess’s spirit stone.
How could he, as a retainer, choose between the two?
Everyone instinctively turned to Zerno.
Akain was the first to shout.
“Brother! If we leave her like this—!”
“Step aside.”
Akain froze just as he was about to shout, “Are you really going to let Nikaearsha die like this?!” Zerno was always the cold, calculating type. He likely didn’t even have any affection for his own siblings. Naturally, everyone assumed he would prioritize ‘the heir’s duty to protect his mother’s spirit stone’ over Nikaearsha’s life.
But then—
“Celestial Vanguard. Set up the barrier around the sanctuary.”
“By the heir’s command!”
Zerno raised what appeared to be a bow woven from light and aimed it into the sky. To be precise, he aimed directly at the former Grand Duchess’s spirit stone!
“Akain, when I signal, pull Nikaearsha out immediately—”
It was then.
Wooooom…
A strange vibration rippled through the air. It wasn’t coming from the spirit stone.
“What is this? What kind of wave is this…?”
Viscount Sandif stiffened, his gaze snapping toward Nikaearsha.
“What are you doing?! Brother, hurry…!”
“…Wait.”
“Wait for what? If we wait any longer, she’s going to—wait, what is that?”
Akain’s shout trailed off as he stared at Nikaearsha.
Something had burst forth from her embrace.
That was when Jem, one of Zerno’s personal guards from the Celestial Vanguard, stepped forward. He shaped his hands into a circle and held them to his eyes. Instantly, the view zoomed in as if he were looking through a telescope. This was his ability, 〈 Zoom. 〉
“…A magic stone?”
Zerno narrowed his eyes at Jem’s words.
“A magic stone?”
“Yes. It’s no bigger than a fingernail. With something like that, there’s no way it can handle the spirit stone. We need to set up the barrier again—”
Zziiiiiiing——
The next moment, even the knights, not just the power wielders, went still as the tiny magic stone, no bigger than a nail, pulsed with a powerful surge of energy.
“Ah…? What?! H-How?!”
Viscount Sandif, renowned for his magical expertise, stood there with his mouth agape. The mana flowing from the minuscule stone began to envelop the spirit stone.
But that wasn’t all!
“It’s… controlling the aether?”
Akain muttered under his breath.
That was right. The magic stone was suppressing the spirit stone. That tiny magic stone, no larger than a fingernail—a hundred times smaller than the spirit stone!
The air, which had been swollen and ready to explode just moments ago, slowly began to calm. The violent energy radiating from the spirit stone, sharp enough to tear Nikaearsha’s body apart, finally began to fade. Just as the levitating stone started to descend back into its place—
“Nike!”
“My lady—!”
Nikaearsha, still unconscious, swayed and then plummeted.
Akain lunged forward, catching her just in time.
With a soft thud, her body which had fallen into his arms, trembled slightly. She looked even worse up close than she had from afar.
“What is this…?”
“….”
“What the hell is going on…?!”
Zerno also approached and checked Nikaearsha’s condition.
Her entire body was crisscrossed with gashes, as though she had been clawed apart by blades, her clothes drenched in blood. Yet she clawed at the ground, desperate to keep the spirit stone from slipping from her grasp. Her hand, shredded and torn in most places, had parts half-severed and dangling helplessly.
Nikaearsha’s eyelashes fluttered weakly.
“Are you awake? Huh?”
“…B-Bro—”
“You… Are you out of your mind?! Were you trying to die?!”
Akain’s face twisted with rage as he shouted. Even Zerno, usually indifferent, furrowed his brow.
“You’ve done something foolish.”
“…Bro, ther…”
There was something off about Nikaearsha’s eyes. Her barely opened gaze was unfocused and vacant.
Akain turned to Zerno.
“I think the shock has left her disoriented. We need to call someone.”
“Yeah.”
“Who should we bring…? A doctor? A priest? A wizard—”
Akain gritted his teeth, his frustration growing.
At that moment—
“B…ro, ther.”
“Yeah, I’m right here, you idiot.”
“…Spirit… spirit stone…”
Even now, she was still trying to get up, desperate to find the spirit stone.
Her two brothers clenched their teeth in silence. One of the retainers scrambled over and returned with the former Grand Duchess’s spirit stone.
“It’s here, my lady. It’s safe.”
“It… didn’t crack…?”
The retainer’s eyes welled with tears. Akain’s voice cracked as he shouted.
“It’s fine, so please—!”
“Ah…”
That was when Nikaearsha finally gave in, her body going limp in Akain’s arms.
“…M-Mom… You’re safe…”
No one could speak.
Everyone was frozen, motionless.
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