The Villain's Ending is Only Death Chapter 47
Mark called out to me in a panic.
When he received no response, he turned to Eclis and shouted.
"Wh, why are you doing this, Eclis!"
Sensing something was wrong as he approached me, the guy kept looking around for help.
Unable to bear it any longer, a superior stepped in again, this time with the support of other knights.
"Eclis, stop it. That's an order!"
"Yeah! I, I was a bit too harsh just now. I'll apologize, so..."
Crack. But Mark couldn't finish his sentence.
Eclis had grabbed the guy's hair and pulled him towards me in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, Eclis had wrapped his arms around Mark and began to strangle him with a terrifying grip.
Mark's eyes bulged as his airway was cut off.
"Eclis! What are you doing! Stop it!"
The knights called out to him in shock, but Eclis remained unmoved.
No one dared to intervene, even as they watched their comrade being strangled by a slave.
Not only because of my order, but also because an overwhelming aura of killing intent was emanating from the slave they had previously ignored.
During this time, Mark's tongue began to protrude from his mouth. Saliva dripped down his chin.
The dirty fluid stained the arm that was strangling him, but Eclis didn't budge.
"Miss! This, this can't go on!"
The knights, watching their colleague struggle for breath, finally knelt before me.
"We were wrong. We will report this to the captain without fail and accept appropriate punishment voluntarily."
"Miss, murder is strictly forbidden within the Ecart Knight Order!"
I rubbed my ears, recalling what I had learned from Leonard yesterday.
Just as Mark's eyes were about to roll back.
I raised my hand and withdrew my order.
Eclis, who seemed to be focused on strangling the guy, immediately let go at my gesture.
"Cough, gasp! Gasp, cough..."
The guy, who had fallen to the ground, clutched his throat and coughed violently.
I looked down at him with a blank expression, inwardly surprised.
I hadn't expected Eclis to follow my command so promptly.
'I thought he would strangle him to death.'
Of course, I hadn't intended to really kill Mark.
I was prepared to use the ruby ring on my left hand.
After letting him strangle the guy who had tormented him, using the control device wouldn't make him hate me.
However, Eclis unexpectedly let go of Mark right away.
He prioritized my command over personal feelings.
I found that most satisfying.
"Did you say that if the real lady returns, I'll be kicked out and won't even be able to take care of myself?"
I looked around the frozen surroundings.
The knights' already stiff expressions became even more rigid at my words.
"But will I be kicked out first, or will you be dismissed first?"
I smiled and teased them. At that moment,
〈SYSTEM〉 Your reputation has decreased by -5 due to worsening relations with the noble family's associates. (Total: 10)
A system window appeared before my eyes. Unfortunately, my reputation had dropped.
But the knights weren't the main character, so it didn't matter to me.
I turned to the real main character.
He immediately approached me.
I gently grabbed Eclis's wrist with the hand not holding the fan.
I led him out of the training ground.
His expression was still mechanical, but the rising goodwill felt like a wagging dog's tail.
As I walked towards the mansion's main gate with Eclis following behind, the butler, who was waiting with a carriage, greeted me.
"You look very beautiful today."
"Is everything ready for the outing?"
"Yes. I've prepared a carriage with defensive and tracking spells. Since you already have an escort..."
The butler glanced at Eclis behind me and continued.
"I've assigned a family mage as the driver. In an emergency, he will teleport you back to the mansion."
Mages, like butlers, don't usually reveal their identities. That's why they are very expensive to hire.
Having a mage as a driver for an outing is a rare occurrence, something only royalty would do.
'So this is what it means to be a noble family.'
I was pleased with the improved treatment but pretended not to care.
The butler pulled out something from his pocket.
"The duke said to enjoy yourself since it's been a while since you've gone out."
I was surprised that the duke had paid so much attention to yesterday's incident.
'If he knew I was about to throw a bomb in the training ground, he wouldn't give me this...'
I hesitated to accept it.
The butler encouraged me.
"Please take it, Miss. You haven't even invited merchants recently."
Since he was offering it, I decided to accept it without further hesitation.
"Please tell Father how much I appreciate it."
I turned and walked towards the waiting carriage. Eclis, who had been standing silently, followed me.
Standing at the open carriage door, I silently extended my hand to him.
He just stared at my hand blankly.
Was it because I had neglected him for too long after bringing him here?
Eclis didn't seem to think he should escort me like a real guard.
"Idiot. You're supposed to escort a lady in situations like this."
I scolded him with a sniff. His gray eyes flickered slightly.
"But I'm a slave, aren't I?"
I immediately corrected him.
"You're my guard knight now."
"Then what should you do now?"
I waved my hand in front of him. It was the left hand with the ruby ring.
Eclis suddenly smiled faintly. He took my hand and slowly bowed.
Kneeling on one knee, he performed a perfect etiquette that even the butler was surprised by.
He looked straight into my eyes and said,
"Step on my leg and get into the carriage, Master."
"Miss, shall we go to the dress shop first?"
When Eclis also got into the carriage, the driver asked.
"No. Let's go to the weapon shop."
I leaned my chin on the window frame and replied indifferently.
The carriage soon started. As promised, the ride was as smooth as a car.
I was enjoying the view outside the window as we passed by quickly.
Suddenly, a muffled voice came from the opposite side.
Turning my head, I met Eclis's gaze, which was fixed on me.
He looked at me with an unreadable expression and spoke again.
"...Why didn't you come to see me all this time?"
It was an unexpected question.
I scrutinized his face, wondering if he was blaming me for today's incident, but I couldn't figure out what he was thinking.
I asked bluntly. If he said yes, I was prepared to apologize.
"To visit me often as a reward for my hard training."
I barely suppressed a gasp.
I had forgotten why I hadn't visited him. The memory of that rainy day, that chilling experience.
"...I waited for you every day."
Unaware of what I was thinking, Eclis murmured in a whisper-like voice.
If his previously expressionless face now looked a bit dejected, it was probably just my imagination.
I tapped the window frame, choosing an excuse for not visiting him.
His eyes widened. His appearance was so well-made that he could be mistaken for a doll, except for his corpse-like expression.
"You said no one was tormenting you, but you have this on your pretty face."
I reached out and gently stroked his cheek.
He flinched noticeably and pulled his upper body back.
Seeing his gray eyes, which were more agitated than usual, I laughed briefly.
"It really wasn't there at that time."
Eclis defended himself somewhat hastily.
I denied his words internally.
After swinging a sword like he was trying to kill someone, he claimed nothing happened.
The more I looked at him, the more he seemed like a very audacious person.
"Anyway. Since you didn't tell me about today's incident first, the reward is invalid."
"Shh. I came out to give you a different reward, so don't whine and wait a bit."
I placated him roughly, cutting off his attempt to respond.
Eclis's cheeks turned slightly red, perhaps embarrassed by my words to stop whining. And then,