The Villain’s Ending

Sunset (19)

It had been almost two months since I started training Kyle.

The only incident was that the punks I beat up last time had been spreading all sorts of rumors, but Levina had apparently taken care of them.

Thanks to that, there were no major issues, but there were many minor ones.

During that time, I hadn't been able to have any significant conversations with Seraphina.

Even with Estelle, who was still busy burning the heretics I'd told her about, I used to meet and talk once every week or two.

She looked increasingly haggard with each passing day.

Even if they were heretics who weren't even human, she must have felt like a part of her mind was being ground away with each one she dealt with.

I knew well that comforting her would be meaningless, so it was a little regrettable that all I could do was offer appropriate responses and exchange words whenever Estelle made playful remarks.

With Seraphina, we occasionally met for lunch, and if I managed to start a conversation, we would sit across from each other and eat, but we truly only ate, with no other significant conversation.

Both of us tried to say something, but our lips only parted, and perhaps because of the memory of that night, neither of us could utter a word.

As for me, I had almost been beaten to death, and Seraphina must resent me for sleeping with my sister yet refusing her.

I thought it would all sort itself out with time.

Anyway, thinking that I should talk to her soon, I was on my way back today after training with Kyle.

The smell of dust from the training ground still seemed to linger at the tip of my nose.

"What does Seraphina like?"

"......The man who's her fiancé doesn't know that? And I heard you two grew up together since childhood?"

Kyle looked at me with quite a pathetic gaze.

His eyes also seemed a little tired of me.

"I do know, but I should still hear it from a close friend's mouth, shouldn't I?"

"I don't think we're that close yet."

"No, with Seraphina."

".......Ah. Um. We are close, but......"

Kyle let out a short sigh.

He seemed lost in thought for a moment, his gaze fixed on the distance.

"Do you remember that time, when we solved a problem in the village together and were on our way back, she stopped by a shop because she thought you'd like it, and bought a glass dish?"

"......When?"

"Well, was it two years ago?"

I pondered deeply, then recalled that the only thing I had received from Seraphina around that time was an ashtray.

Kyle seems somehow less useful than I thought.

I used to wonder if there was anything he couldn't do.

Now, not only is he weaker than me, but he's not much help in these areas either.

Still, since he's a friend, even if he's a bit lacking, I, who am relatively normal, should probably help him.

Even if his mind doesn't improve, his skill will eventually surpass mine.

Come to think of it, I remembered Levina leaving several bottles of good liquor in my room a few days ago.

"I've got some pretty good liquor in my room. Want to come have a drink?"

"......Liquor? Just the two of us?"

"Why?"

"So you're saying we should drink in your room, just the two of us, at this hour? I-I-I'll just go back... Agh!"

Kyle was speaking, but his words were cut off when I flicked his forehead.

"......I told you last time I don't have that kind of taste."

Kyle made a tearful face, rubbed his forehead, and followed me.

Perhaps the training had been a bit hard, as he was holding the back of his shirt with his fingers.

It was very late at night, so as I walked down the deserted corridor, slightly ahead of Kyle, someone standing in front of my room caught my eye.

"......Seraphina?"

"Lavin? Kyle..? Where are you two coming from at this hour, and with Kyle, no less..?"

Seraphina asked.

Her voice was cold.

"W-well, it's just! He doesn't seem like... that bad a person, like you said... so I've been getting some help lately."

Kyle stammered in reply.

"I don't know what kind of help you received, but have you become close enough to go into a room alone together?"

"Well, we're friends now."

Kyle said, slightly averting his gaze.

"What could Lavin possibly help with anyway? All he knows how to do is rely on his looks and hit on anyone and everyone without discrimination."

Seraphina's words were barbed.

"......It's noisy in the corridor, so shall we go inside and talk?"

Seraphina sighed and nodded her head.

I opened the room door, sat Kyle and Seraphina down, brewed three cups of coffee, and placed one in front of each of them.

Kyle glanced around nervously, and only when Seraphina picked up her cup did he pick up his and bring it to his lips.

Seraphina lightly wet her lips and slowly set her cup down.

Kyle observed her closely, then slowly set his cup down just like Seraphina.

Perhaps it's because he was often teased for being uncultured.

"I came to say I'm sorry for hitting you last time.

I wanted to apologize, but I didn't know what to say."

"......Don't worry about it, it was my fault."

"Yeah, you're the bad one. Still... if we don't reconcile like this, you might end up hating me.

And in the midst of that, I didn't expect you'd get this close to someone else."

Seraphina said, looking at me then slightly glancing at Kyle.

Kyle stealthily eyed us both, then gulped down his coffee.

Even though the cup was empty, he still held it to his mouth and wouldn't let go.

"Put your cup down, I'll refill it."

"Ah, r-right... Yeah."

I poured the coffee from the pot into Kyle's empty cup again.

"By the way, since when have you two been this close with Kyle?"

Seraphina seemed to be glaring at Kyle somehow.

"No, just. It just kinda happened."

Kyle replied, his face slightly flushed.

"I wasn't asking you. I was asking Lavin."

Seraphina said that, biting her lower lip, and looked at me.

"After training a bit and striking up some conversation, we just kinda became close."

"And you expect me to believe that?"

"Well, there's no other way to explain it."

"What do you two do?"

"Usually... I teach him various things."

"......Lavin, you? And Kyle isn't just going along with you?"

"I also, in my own way... No."

I was about to say something, but saying I suddenly became strong probably wouldn't mean much.

Whatever I said would be an excuse... though I wondered why I even needed to make excuses for training with a friend at night.

I didn't think Seraphina disliked Kyle.

Seraphina, somehow looking a little scared, met Kyle's gaze as he stared at her, then sat silently, picking up her coffee cup, swirling the coffee around, gently setting the cup down, and sighing.

"Lavin, do you know any secrets about Kyle, or anything like that?"

At those words, Kyle slammed his fist on the table, shouted, and sprang to his feet.

"Seraphina!"

Kyle suddenly glaring at Seraphina as if to kill her surprised me.

Even though he often showed me such expressions, I had never once seen him make such a face at Seraphina.

Not even when he was ambushed from behind and dying.

Growing up in a heretic village... is quite a big secret.

If I told Estelle now, even without charges, he'd be dragged to the church repeatedly, and if unlucky, he'd be thrown into a dungeon, forced to confess to believing in a god he didn't even believe in, then dragged to the public square without fingernails, toenails, or even fingers and toes if truly unlucky, and burned alive.

Of course, I wouldn't let that happen.

In that sense, Kyle had practically made the best friend.

Seraphina also stood up from her seat.

"Kyle. You used to hate it whenever Lavin approached you, running away even in the banquet hall, and at the festival held to commemorate the sealing of demons, when Lavin spoke to you, you ran off somewhere and didn't show your face."

"That time, and now, are a little different!"

"Yes, a little different. Lavin has changed too."

Seraphina walked around the room, then sat on the edge of the bed.

"He cleans his room neatly, hangs the painting I gave him, always keeps my favorite lilacs in the room, and seems to be living a quite regular life now."

Saying that, she stroked the bed once and continued.

"And in the midst of that, he must have been diligently doing unspeakable things here with someone else."

Seraphina then got up from her seat and approached Kyle.

Kyle was still grinding his teeth and glaring at Seraphina.

"Even for you, it would be best to watch your mouth."

"Before, when Lavin used to call you uncultured, I used to wonder why he spoke so harshly every time I heard it."

She said that, caressed Kyle's cheek, then grabbed him by the collar.

"I am honorable, but you are a liar with many secrets, going around deceiving everyone.

Shouldn't you then live carefully, watching both your words and actions?

Especially after doing things that are hard to be proud of in front of a friend."

"......What did I do?"

"Lavin has changed, so you want to get close to him?

Do you think the changed Lavin will accept your hidden secrets like I would?

And if you're with him, will things that have been set since birth somehow get better?

Come to think of it, just looking at his face, he does seem somewhat mysterious and impressive.

You weren't the only one like that. I thought this one might last a bit longer."

Seraphina said that, neatening Kyle's sleeve, but Kyle gently removed Seraphina's hand.

"Lavin is a bit indecisive and foolish, but he's as kind as me, so he'd accept it."

"......Lavin isn't foolish."

"Relatively speaking, that is. To you, he must seem like a genius."

Seraphina firmly pressed her finger against Kyle's chest.

"Does Lavin know?"

"......Not yet. Probably."

Kyle replied, his face flushed.

"Then back off. I still want to continue being close with you."

"......"

"We're quite good friends, aren't we? I hope it stays that way.

I don't want to lord it over you and look down on you like other nobles you know.

Like now, yeah. This is exactly how I like it."

Kyle silently stared at Seraphina, his eyes slightly welling up, then turned his back and ran out of the room.

Seraphina leaned against the table and laughed for a long time, then looked at me and burst into laughter again.

And she raised both hands and shrugged her shoulders.

As if she didn't know why he was acting like that.

I just. Stood there blankly, staring at Seraphina.

At Seraphina, who was laughing, holding her stomach, without saying a word, for a long time.

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