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Chapter 36




The Villain's Ending is Only Death Chapter 36
I strutted out, pretending I didn't need it, but within five minutes, I was shouting for the quest reward.
“Huff, huff...”
“...”
A cold silence settled inside.
Surprisingly, BĂŒtter was still standing right where he had blocked my path at the door.
His navy blue pupils were dilated, and his face was flushed as if it might burst.
Fortunately, I was wearing a mask. My thoughts flipped like a palm, contrary to my earlier complaints.
“...First, close the door and come inside.”
BĂŒtter, who had been staring at me with wide eyes, soon moved aside.
“Cough, cough.”
‘Damn, embarrassing.’
I cleared my throat, trying to hide my embarrassment, and hurriedly closed the door.
Before it was fully shut, I scanned the dark alley, but Derek was nowhere to be seen.
‘Did I lose him?’
But that wasn't necessarily a good thing. If he returned to the mansion and found I wasn't in my room, it would be over.
“Sorry for changing my mind, but the help you offered earlier is still valid, right?”
“Of course.”
“I need that help now. Take me to Hamilton Street. Right now.”
I blurted out the words without taking a breath, my heart racing with the urgency of arriving at the mansion before Derek.
BĂŒtter, who could use magic, must have some way to do it.
“Hamilton Street...”
He seemed to be thinking about where the street I mentioned was.
‘Where else?’
It was the street just one block away from the Ecart mansion.
Since my identity was already exposed, it would have been much easier to ask him to take me directly to my room.
But I decided to continue the act as if I didn't know him. After all, I wouldn't see him again after today.
“After all, a lady should have one secret or another.”
The puzzled look in his eyes faded. BĂŒtter seemed to accept my answer.
He took out his cane from his coat and extended a hand to me.
“Would you place your hand on mine?”
As expected, he was going to use magic to move us.
‘Thank goodness.’
I sighed in relief and willingly placed my hand on his outstretched one. Suddenly, he gripped my hand tightly.
At that moment, a white square window appeared before my eyes.
〈SYSTEM〉 [One use of the Mage's Help] has been used.
〈SYSTEM〉 Moving to [Hamilton Street].
“It might make you feel a bit dizzy.”
With those gentle words, the world before my eyes flashed white.
* * *
When I opened my eyes again, BĂŒtter and I were standing in a deserted alley next to a familiar street.
We had moved to Hamilton Street in an instant by magic.
‘That's it. I must have definitely arrived before Derek.’
I smiled in satisfaction, but then I felt something odd.
The sensation of moving by BĂŒtter's magic was exactly like...
‘...the feeling when I teleport using the system.’
I tilted my head in confusion, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.
“Now, you can let go.”
BĂŒtter suddenly spoke from beside me.
“Huh? What...”
“My hand, which you are holding.”
His words made me look down reflexively.
I saw that I was tightly gripping his hand, fingers interlocked.
“Ah!”
I gasped and shook off his hand as if it were a hot coal.
‘What? When did I grip his hand so tightly?’
For a moment, I was flustered, but then I felt a bit guilty seeing his hand retract.
Since I had used his help so conveniently, I sincerely thanked him.
“...Thank you for your help.”
BĂŒtter modestly shook his head.
“No, it's a pleasure to repay my debt to you, Lady.”
“Trust is definitely restored.”
I chuckled at his persistent debt talk. After all, he was a viscount, a man of high status.
His willingness to lower himself so much for the guild was, in a way, a perfect fit for the 'eccentric mage' character.
BĂŒtter looked at me with a strange expression in response to my joke.
“Then, will you visit our guild again?”
“...I don't know.”
I wiped the smile from my face and met his gaze.
“Will we meet again?”
A cold night breeze swept through the alley.
The two of us, wearing masks and hiding our identities, looked at each other.
‘He has no idea that I know who he is.’
It was better to keep pretending. Both he and I would soon find the heroine.
There was no point in holding onto secrets that wouldn't benefit either of us.
“Goodbye.”
I murmured a low farewell and turned to leave. Just as I was about to step out of the alley,
“...If the Lady had something to deliver.”
BĂŒtter's voice, carried by the wind, stopped me in my tracks.
“And if you heard a response to that...”
“...”
“Could you deliver it back to me?”
I paused, glancing back at him. The rabbit mask in the dark alley seemed eerie.
“No.”
I couldn't see his face behind the mask, but his voice was firm.
[Goodwill 15%]
Surprisingly, my refusal didn't lower his goodwill.
* * *
After parting ways with BĂŒtter, I hurriedly made my way through the streets to the Ecart mansion.
More precisely, to the tall wall surrounding the mansion.
“I'm sure it was somewhere around here...”
I squinted my eyes and scanned the wall thoroughly, looking for the hole.
The wall was vast, and the dark surroundings made it hard to distinguish between the wall and the hole.
Just as cold sweat started to trickle down, fearing Derek might return soon,
“I found it!”
I finally spotted the hole.
I quickly crouched down in front of it. The hole was so narrow that I had to almost crawl on the ground.
Just as I was about to push my head through the hole,
Thud, thud. Suddenly, heavy footsteps approached.
“Penelope Ecart.”
A voice as cold as ice fell on my back.
“Indeed, it's you.”
I froze in my position, lying on the ground.
‘Please...’
I silently invoked every god, denying the reality.
‘Please, let it be a hallucination.’
But there were no gods in this damned game.
“Get up now.”
With a grinding of teeth, I sprang to my feet.
His icy blue eyes, glaring at me fiercely in the darkness, were even more vivid than [Goodwill 13%].
I was at a loss for words, stunned by the unexpected turn of events.
“How... how did you...”
“There's no one else who would wander around wearing such a ridiculous mask.”
Derek, understanding my question, sneered and answered.
‘Ridiculous!’
Anger surged at his mockery, but I remained silent, bowing my head.
Because his black hair was dangerously shimmering.
“Why are you doing this?”
Derek frowned, demanding an answer.
“Speak.”
“...”
“I let you go out to see the festival late at night. I even allowed you to bring a guard, even though he was just a slave of unknown origin.”
“...”
“Yet, what are you so dissatisfied with that you keep doing this?”
By 'this,' he meant sneaking out without a guard.
Unfortunately, I had nothing to say, even if he forced me to answer.
“...I'm sorry.”
I repeated my apology like a parrot.
It wasn't entirely unjust, but there was nothing I could do. I couldn't tell him the truth—that I was doing this to find a way to survive among you.
“Whatever punishment you decide, I will accept it, Young Master.”
“That damn punishment, punishment, punishment.”
But perhaps this method no longer worked on Derek, as the previously silent man suddenly twisted his face in anger.
“All you ever say to me is asking for punishment.”
“...”
“Do you really want to be punished?”
I was taken aback by Derek's agitated appearance.
‘Who in the world wants to be punished?’
Of course, I didn't want to be punished.
But before I could deny it, he grabbed my hand.
“Follow me.”
“Wh-what...”
I was dragged along helplessly as he walked with determination.
‘Why is this happening! What kind of punishment is it going to be?’
I was terrified by his ominous demeanor.
I never expected such contact with Derek, who despised Penelope.
“...Where are we going?”
“...”
“Young Master.”
I looked up at Derek's head with anxious eyes, repeatedly asking. But there was no response.
‘Sigh. Why is he so fierce today...’
Should I beg and cling to his pants at this point?
The unexpected turn of events plunged me into deep worry.
‘Surely not. Even if he hates me as a fake sister, he wouldn't stab me to death like a prince just because I went out of the house, right?’
I desperately tried to think positively. But a chilling thought soon surfaced.
‘...Of course, he won't stab me, but he might ruin me.’
For example, by dragging me back to the mansion and exposing my 'ridiculous' appearance to every member of the Ecart family.
Even a small mistake would be exaggerated to make me a laughingstock to everyone, especially to the Duke who adopted Penelope.
This was something they often did in the game whenever I made a wrong choice.
‘Sigh. Fine, do as you please.’
I chose to give up quickly.
It wouldn't change anything even if I begged now.
In fact, I had experienced such situations more than once in my real life, so I was used to it.
Unlike Penelope, who couldn't control her anger and screamed until her last breath,
I let go of everything and followed Derek as he led me.
As expected, he was heading towards the mansion's main gate.
The gatekeepers, recognizing Derek, bowed deeply as he approached the grand iron gates.
Until then, I had assumed he would drag me inside the gates.
“Wh-what...?”
But Derek walked right past the iron gates.
‘Where is he going?’
I stared at the back of his head, wide-eyed.
The anxiety I had suppressed began to surge.