The Villain's Ending is Only Death Chapter 93
I slowly turned to look at him again.
He was now bringing up the incident from the merchant guild.
‘...What is this? Is he probing me?’
I had only intended to find out the situation myself, never imagining he would reveal his true identity directly.
And even less so, that he would probe me so openly.
I pondered for a moment about how to respond.
Bunter was still a figure who could be considered both a wildcard and not.
In the end, I responded ambiguously.
"There doesn't seem to be any reason to look for you again."
His reply came straight away.
Indeed, he was probing me.
"…I have a good memory for people's characteristics."
I gave him an ambiguous smile and met his gaze steadily.
A faint groan escaped him, seemingly caught off guard.
It was an excuse based on the ridiculous setup used by the female lead in Normal Mode.
To guess that the Duke and the mage were the same person just by the color of their eyes...
But after experiencing it firsthand, it seemed plausible in this game world.
The arrogant nobles who looked down on merchants wouldn't remember the eye color of a masked informant.
"If you're worried about me keeping quiet, you can erase my memory of the children."
Having roughly guessed why he was probing me, I said without hesitation.
Bunter shook his head strongly.
Trailing off, he suddenly reached out his hand toward me.
"…Lady, you seem to be injured every time we meet."
His long, sturdy fingers grazed my neck lightly.
A sharp pain made me involuntarily groan.
Bunter flinched at my short groan and withdrew his hand.
This time, I raised my hand to touch the spot.
I could feel the rough scab.
It was where I had a fresh wound that Leornado had treated.
At the time, I hadn't felt anything, but now a burning pain rose.
It seemed I had rubbed the same spot again without realizing it.
As I kept touching the wound, Bunter said in a serious tone.
"Don't touch it. It might be better to go to the infirmary…"
At that moment, someone called my name.
My head, which had been turned toward Bunter, reflexively turned.
The goodwill had been restored to its previous level thanks to the quest reward.
Derrick was approaching with a stiff face.
'The Duke must have gone ahead.'
Looking at his empty side, I found it somewhat surprising.
Bunter gave a slight bow to the approaching Derrick.
Derrick, who had been about to push his business on me, hesitated and reluctantly bowed in return.
"Thank you for your testimony earlier, Duke."
"You're welcome. It was my duty."
"I don't know what you're talking about with my sister, but we have a family matter to attend to. Can I take her with me now?"
Despite Derrick's somewhat impolite statement, Bunter smiled kindly and stepped back.
"Lady, we can continue our conversation another time…"
"No, that's not necessary."
It was me, wanting to end the conversation, who gently grabbed Bunter's wrist.
"Let's finish our talk, Duke."
Derrick called my name in an icy tone.
The goodwill meter above my black hair began to flicker.
Derrick's face twisted horribly when he saw my hand on Bunter's wrist.
I met his cold gaze, ignoring Bunter's subtle change in expression.
"I already told you I have nothing more to say."
"…There are many eyes watching."
"Let go of my hand and come with me now."
The first thought that came to mind when I heard his voice was this.
'Why should I listen to his command?'
I really had nothing more to say to him.
I hadn't harmed the family, and I had already resolved the issues I had caused.
"…When did you start distinguishing between who sees and who doesn't?"
I didn't realize a sardonic smile had escaped me.
"Everyone probably thinks I'm still not fully recovered from my illness. Don't worry about it."
The veins on his forehead bulged as he sneered at my defense.
Bunter was a good shield.
Seemingly concerned about drawing attention, Derrick didn't try to drag me away rashly.
He took a deep breath and barely managed to calm his anger.
"There was a misunderstanding on my part."
"But look at your behavior. Given your reputation and lack of decorum, anyone would have made the same judgment."
A hollow laugh escaped me.
'I thought he might have something to say.'
It was just an excuse and a blame.
He didn't believe me to the end and didn't even think to verify the truth before labeling me a 'noble murderer.'
The rational, cool male lead I had admired in the game.
He was such a despicable person.
"It's so easy for you, Young Duke."
"To frame me as a noble murderer and to portray me as an insane, naked lunatic."
"By blaming everything on me, you can easily resolve the issue."
Derrick's eyes widened at my sarcasm.
The goodwill meter began to flicker dangerously.
"Is that all you have to say to me? That I brought this on myself and shouldn't blame others?"
It rose easily and fell easily, giving me no emotional response.
With this feeling of crawling on the ground, I wouldn't mind if it dropped by 10% at once.
Derrick's face contorted viciously. In contrast, I smiled and chuckled.
"Don't worry. I know it's all my fault. So, I took care of it myself."
"Did your 'taking care of it' end up tarnishing the Ecart name? A secret meeting with the Crown Prince… Where did you get the nerve…"
"Then what should I have done?"
I really didn't know, so I shrugged.
"By chance, I was fighting a bear I encountered, and by chance, the Crown Prince, who was passing by, cut off the bear's head, and by chance, I met an assassin and was chased together…"
"Should I have said it like that?"
I repeated the situation I had described to Derrick the previous night.
It was the truth, but if I had said it like that, no one would have believed me.
Duke Ellen would have pushed it that way.
"So, should I have become a royal murderer to satisfy you?"
"Don't jump to conclusions."
Derrick ground out, barely containing his anger.
The cold malice in his gaze intensified.
"If you had mentioned the evidence earlier, we could have resolved it without tarnishing the family's honor with such a ridiculous scandal."
"Who made me create such a ridiculous scandal?"
I clenched my teeth and retorted stubbornly.
"Did you give me a chance to mention the evidence?"
It was hard to maintain my composure.
I knew my face was a mess, with only the corners of my mouth barely lifted.
I could feel Bunter's gaze from the side, but I couldn't stop.
"You didn't listen to anything. Not the accusation, not the solution, not the truth I struggled to reveal."
"You didn't listen. Why, are you going to blame me for that too?"
Perhaps because I was too agitated, I didn't even remember to call him 'Brother' in front of others.
- Young Duke, this is a clear frame-up. There is a way to resolve it. In fact, I have…
- …Do you not think I acted in self-defense for a valid reason?
- The Crown Prince, who was passing by, helped me cut off the bear's head.
The secret meetings and romantic rumors.
I was the one who most wanted to avoid mentioning them.
But after a sleepless night, that was my limit.
Perhaps there was a better way.
If I had used Derrick's sharp mind and the Ecart name, we could have come up with a much better story.
To that end, I had decided to hand over the assassin's emblem to Derrick.
But it was you who ignored it and left me to clean up the mess on my own.
"If you're done, I'd like to finish my conversation with the Duke. As you know, we were discussing the testimony for the trial."
"We lacked communication."
Derrick answered somewhat hastily, as if ready to leave with Bunter.
"You know, the situation was very urgent, and the information we received was extremely limited."
"They kept pushing Ecart as the mastermind behind the royal murder, and the absurd rumor that you were trained with a crossbow for the assassination became a fact."
Derrick continued, looking frustrated. It felt like an extension of yesterday.
"To get you out of prison quickly, I thought it was best to wrap things up quickly."
"I don't know what you're trying to say, but I'm fine, Young Duke."
"I didn't expect anything anyway."
At that moment, Derrick's face crumpled horribly.
I couldn't understand why.
On his usually expressionless face, a feeling I couldn't describe, more than anger, was clearly visible.
He called me in a tight voice. And then.
The goodwill meter, which had been flickering, shot up.