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The Kidnapping of the Villain and the Villainess (Part 3)

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「Was having Teresalo cast the 'Sacred Art of Enchantment' on you just another one of your bluffs?」

Wellmy’s face had turned ice-cold. Zumiano, staring at her with a rapt, entranced expression—thinking even this look of hers was exquisite—nodded.

「It was, but I was also genuinely curious. I wanted to know what it felt like to be under the influence of the spell.」

The Saint’s technique had been quite fascinating. Experiencing it firsthand provided a level of understanding that theory alone never could.

He had also scoured every available text on "Enchantment Formulas," which possessed similar effects... and the result was the "Bracelet of Submission" he now held in his hand. It was an item with a binding force far stronger than the "Sleepwalking Bracelet" he had given Tsurgis—a thing that would be classified as a Forbidden Curse the moment its manufacturing process was leaked.

It was crafted from crushed and reprocessed "Black Crystal," a material designated as a contraband import in this kingdom because it is impervious to certain magics and beyond the reach of spirit power.

「...So, you experimented on yourself?」

「I did. With the 'Perfume of Invitation' and the 'Sleepwalking Bracelet' too. Using them on myself was the quickest way to get results, don't you think?」

He had already proven that these items had less of a permanent impact on the psyche than typical cursed objects. Wellmy looked at him with eyes that initially suggested she was viewing a pervert, but a small glimmer of pity soon took root.

「You have everything, yet you have no hesitation toward your own ruin.」

「None at all. To me, the most important thing is whether something is interesting. The thing I care about least is myself. Though, for what it’s worth, I do value my childhood friends and juniors. They’re boring, but I don't actually want to see them destroyed.」

「Then why cause such a commotion?」

「Didn't I tell you?」

Zumiano tilted his head, pushing off from the door he had been leaning against and taking a step toward Wellmy.

「Because challenging you and the Magus Lord Ormirage seemed fun. And I was serious about it.」

「Serious?」

Wellmy’s body stiffened as she questioned him, perhaps feeling threatened by his proximity.

「I gambled everything on challenging you both. Just because it’s a game doesn't mean I’m not serious, right? That’s why I staked everything I hold dear.」

「I see. And the result?」

Without answering that question, Zumiano simply smiled.

***

Looking at that melting, sweet smile of his, Wellmy could no longer suppress the rage bubbling inside her.

(Don't you dare.)

Zumiano had claimed he and Wellmy were alike. He had said that Eides, while clever, had merely gotten in her way.

The bracelet in his hand emitted a sinister, ominous aura that made her chest tighten. It was surely far more powerful than the one Eides had confiscated from Tsurgis.

Did he intend to turn Wellmy into his puppet with that?

「Now then, I wonder if your 'Knight' will come to save you?」

At that question, Wellmy clenched her teeth.

「Whether he comes to save me or not, there is one thing I must tell you.」

「And what’s that?」

「Eides is my 'King.' ... He’s an extraordinary King who doesn't even need help from his 'Queen.'」

Correcting him with a board game metaphor, Wellmy stood her ground. Her decision to offer her everything to him—vowing to do whatever he asked—had been her own will, her own choice made in that moment.

「And besides, Eides never got in my way!」

Clutching the fabric of her skirt tightly, Wellmy glared at Zumiano.

「He saved me. Not just my sister, but me. —He saved my very heart!」

The truth was, she had wanted to stay with her sister.

To laugh together, grow up together, find people they loved, and write letters to one another.

Wellmy had once given up on that kind of happiness. She had steeled herself and thrown everything away to save her sister.

「I worked so hard to save her! My sister!」

And that man... her precious person, who cherished her in return...

「Eides crushed my plans and took me in. He said that I was necessary...!」

He had stepped into her field of vision when she was staring at the gallows and told her, 「You don't need to look at that future.」

And what she gained was a future where she could laugh with her sister. Eides had taken her into his arms and shown her the scenery she had only dreamed of.

「He protected all of me! Everything I hold dear! Someone like you, who sacrificed the people who cared for you—someone who just watched from the sidelines while I was at the rock bottom of my pride, only to swoop in and push a convenient 'salvation' on me—!」

Wellmy hurled her words at him, fueled by her surging emotions.

「Don't you dare insult Eides!」

Hearing her pour out her heart, Zumiano blinked in surprise. Then, his face broke into a look of pure, unadulterated joy.

「I see. My apologies.」

The apology he offered was incredibly light. He said it as if it were a trifle—as if he had merely bumped into someone’s shoulder and been scolded for it. To Wellmy, he looked like an incomprehensible creature.

(Ah... this man...)

Wellmy realized that he was someone who had never learned how to care for others.

He was utterly self-centered. She wondered if that was effectively the same thing as being eternally lonely. If you cannot return the feelings others give you, life must be a very hollow thing. She understood it, even if she couldn't accept it or feel the same way.

Wellmy took a deep breath. The moment Zumiano’s hand touched her neck and a shadow fell over her—

「—That's enough.」

The voice she heard was a young man’s voice she didn't recognize.

「Oh?」

At the same time, a rope appeared out of nowhere and wound itself around Zumiano’s body with a rhythmic slither, pulling his hand away from Wellmy’s neck and binding his arms behind his back.

Furthermore, a blade was pressed firmly against the bound Zumiano’s throat.

(Wait... what?)

Confused, Wellmy looked up at the young man who had suddenly appeared.

There stood the red-haired youth, Tsurgis, whom she thought had been led away by guards, gripping a sword. Beside him was the sharp-featured Schizolda, who had appeared behind Zumiano and was thrusting his left hand forward.

The ring on Schizolda's left hand glowed with a green light, indicating the activation of auxiliary magic. He was likely the one controlling the ropes.

「W-why are you two here?」

To Wellmy’s eyes, they had appeared as if they had literally jumped out of her and Zumiano’s shadows.

「I see, 'Shadow-Lurking'... you got me. When did you master that, Tsurgis?」

Zumiano, showing no sign of panic despite being tied up, asked the question. Tsurgis answered with a grimace.

「...I knew I could never beat my father in a head-on fight. So I trained in 'underhanded' methods.」

「I see. A reason very much like your cowardly self. Well, Myy, it seems the one who came to save you was a 'knight' after all. I didn't count on a 'Rook' being here as well.」

Zumiano laughed, playing along with the wordplay as if he didn't have a care in the world.

「Just... since when...?」

When Wellmy asked, Schizolda answered her.

「Since right after you left the breakroom with the Magus Lord.」

Schizolda and the others had stayed in the adjacent room immediately after their performance of being led away by guards. Then, at a pre-arranged time, Eides had covered them with a perception-altering veil, allowing them to follow right behind and hide in the shadows.

「The Magus Lord said, 'If Zumiano is the man I think he is, he will contact Wellmy at this timing. If not, I'll just catch him later and be done with it.'」

「Ah... so he saw through me after all? I'm truly sorry, Myy. And, thank you, Magus Lord.」

Zumiano gave a wry smile, offering an apology that felt slightly heavier than before and, for some reason, words of gratitude.

「It’s 'Checkmate,' Zumiano. I knew you wouldn't harm Wellmy, but you will still pay for the fact that you didn't let this end peacefully and gave her a fright.」

The answer echoed as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Wellmy turned her eyes in surprise to see Eides standing there, having entered through the door soundlessly at some point.

「I'm late. My apologies.」

Wellmy felt a wave of relief seeing him, but at the same time, she remembered the words he had whispered in the breakroom.

『Now, I’ve properly marked you. This is proof that you belong to me.』

She realized that the timing of their departure from the breakroom had been exactly as Eides intended and that his statement had carried a double meaning. Remembering the kiss, she turned bright red with embarrassment and shouted.

「Your hints are too hard to understand! And I wasn't scared at all!」

When he kissed her, Eides had transferred some of his mana to Wellmy to act as a marker. He raised an eyebrow slightly and then let out a smirk.

「Oh? Is that so? I felt a bit bad and thought I’d give you a gift or do whatever you asked as an apology, but you weren't scared? As expected of my Wellmy.」

「...!」

(I was scared! Of course I was!)

As if he could hear her shouting in her heart, Eides’s eyes softened for a moment.

「I’ll forgo the punishment for lying. I do feel truly bad for keeping things from you, even if it was to trap Zumiano for certain.」

As Eides stepped closer, Zumiano’s hands moved fumbled around, and there was a distinct *click*.

(What did he do!?)

Wellmy went on high alert. Noticing her gaze, Zumiano gave a flippant smile and made an outrageous announcement.

「Ah, don't mind me. I just put the 'Bracelet of Submission' on myself.」

「What?」

「It was a big help that you let me touch you, Myy. Otherwise, I would have ended up having to serve the Magus Lord. Not that it matters much either way, but I do like you better.」

「W-what do you mean by that!?」

She couldn't make heads or tails of it. He put that horrific cursed object on himself?

「Ah, I’d like you to let me go now. Since the Magus Lord saw through everything, he knows I won't resist anymore, right?」

At Zumiano’s request, Eides nodded simply.

「I didn't expect you to go as far as handing your very life over to Wellmy.」

「Well, I lost with everything I had. —I knew from the moment of that farce at the night party that I didn't have a chance of winning. No evidence? Was it really okay to tell that old fox of a King such a lie? I didn't erase any of the clues regarding my involvement with the magic tools or the perfume, you know.」

Since Zumiano’s tone hadn't changed at all, Tsurgis and the others, with Eides’s permission, hesitantly lowered their swords and released his bindings.

「That bracelet... what is it?」

「Like I said, it’s the 'Bracelet of Submission.' A one-of-a-kind piece made specifically for me to wear. Oh, and I burned all my research results, so rest assured that no one else can replicate it.」

The black bracelet was indeed a perfect fit for Zumiano’s wrist.

「When I touched you earlier, I designated you as my 'Master'—my 'Queen.' If you tell me to 'Die,' I will die. If you say 'I release you,' the binding of the bracelet will be undone. If the bracelet is forced off by any other means, I’ll die. But in exchange, unfortunately, I now have a body that won't die even if I'm burned with magic, have my head cut off, or am submerged in water.」

「I'm a very convenient slave,」 he said airily. Wellmy could only stare at him, jaw agape.

「If I’m not mistaken, you used something close to the Forbidden Curse of Soul-Splitting?」

At Eides’s question, Zumiano nodded. 「Correct.」

「I transferred a piece of my soul to Myy and half of it to the bracelet. A simple curse-breaking... well, that would be difficult anyway... but it would release the soul, and since it couldn't return to the body, I’d die.」

「What is your goal...?」

「Giving Myy a fragment of my soul? That’s a 'Geas'—a restriction that prevents me from doing anything that Myy would find unacceptable or hate, no matter how 'interesting' I might think it is. It would be a pain to have to ask or be commanded every single time, wouldn't it?」

「That’s not what I meant! Why would you do such a thing to yourself!?」

Zumiano looked bewildered by Wellmy’s question.

「Eh? Because I lost. If I'm caught, execution is the only option, isn't it? Inciting domestic and foreign unrest, dabbing in forbidden curses, and illegal mental manipulation. There’s no way out, is there?」

Wellmy fell silent. It was true; as long as he was conscious of his crimes, he would be judged by the law for the weight of what he had done.

「There are two people I felt I could never beat. One is the 'Fox King,' and the other is the Magus Lord Ormirage. But doesn't challenging them seem fun? So, I intended to die if I lost.」

Zumiano pointed to the bracelet.

「But I figure I have at least enough ability to make killing me a waste. If I'm going to die anyway, I thought I might as well let myself be put to good use. I kidnapped Myy because I wanted to talk to her alone and because I wanted her to decide.」

「...Decide what?」

She knew, and she didn't want to hear it, but she had to ask.

「Whether to kill me here or use me as a shadow. I’ll tell you now, I am useful. And I thought that if I watched from nearby, I might be able to figure out how to become like the Magus Lord or Myy.」

Zumiano wore his usual frivolous smile, but deep in his eyes, there was an irrepressible loneliness.

「After all, even after throwing away everything I thought was 'important'—feelings like cherishing, protecting, or hesitating—I still couldn't understand them.」

(What an idiot.)

Wellmy thought. If you can think that those feelings are "important," then you already understand them.

But Zumiano hadn't been able to stop himself.

She realized that within his soul, there was no deterrent—nothing to suppress the urge to act whenever he found something "interesting." The bracelet was the very deterrent he had created to stop the "self" that couldn't stop on its own.

In that case, the person who should decide how to use that life wasn't Wellmy... it should be the people who were considered "important" but were thrown away.

「...Lord Tsurgis, Lord Schizolda.」

「「Yes.」」

They answered in unison. Wellmy addressed them.

「What will you do? With him. I believe you two are the ones who should decide.」

They were the ones who were likely the first catalyst for his trouble, even if Zumiano had caused problems for many others.

Leaving the choice to them, the two exchanged glances and then looked at Zumiano.

「You... in this situation... how exactly did you think I would be able to, well... talk to Lady Dalistia...?」

Tsurgis asked with great difficulty. Zumiano answered simply.

「If I had won, Lady Dalistia would be a hero who stopped a great treason, and Tsurgis would be the man who gave her advice and deserved her gratitude. And I could have rescued Myy before she was executed. But in this current situation, Tsurgis, you should go and apologize to Lady Dalistia. The opportunity to meet and talk face-to-face will be forced into existence, won't it? Even if you're told you can't meet, you’ll have an excuse to send a letter.」

Zumiano tilted his head as if asking, 「Is something wrong?」 but everything about it was wrong—especially the part where the trouble caused to everyone else wasn't factored in at all.

「I believe it's fine to let him live.」

Though he looked somewhat exasperated, Eides looked over with a meaningful expression and added his own words.

「He is, in fact, useful. At the very least, I can appreciate his spirit in challenging me. Though targeting Wellmy, who belongs to me, was unacceptable.」

(That's right,) Wellmy thought. Eides had always said he liked people with the grit to challenge him. Her own encounter with him had been something like that.

Zumiano shrugged with a slightly dissatisfied look.

「I met her before you did, and I liked her first.」

「The fact that you or I love Wellmy is not particularly important.」

「...?」

Zumiano looked skeptical as Eides ran a hand through his hair.

「What matters is that Wellmy chose me and loved me. No one can measure the strength or weight of love. As for protecting her, anyone with a certain amount of ability or power can do that.」

He declared it with no trace of doubt.

「But Wellmy loved me. Therefore, I will make her mine, keep her by my side, and protect her with love. What matters is that she finds happiness in that. —You lacked the crucial perspective of whether you were necessary to Wellmy.」

「However,」 Eides continued. 「You sought nothing from Wellmy. While that too is self-centered, it is something I can respect. If your feelings are such that you are content only with giving, then you should find a woman who can accept and return even such distorted feelings as your partner.」

Wellmy had thought Zumiano was someone who couldn't respond to the feelings he was given, but Eides seemed to see it differently. He believed they didn't connect because Zumiano only gave without wanting anything in return.

「Assuming there is a woman who would accept a man whose life is held by another woman, that is,」 Eides concluded, turning his gaze back to the two who held the choice of Zumiano’s life.

Tsurgis sighed, and Schizolda looked up at the ceiling.

「...Even if he’s a damn fool, we were the reason he went to such extremes. It was an action taken for our sake.」

「If he’s going to atone, I’d like the three of us to do it together.」

Since the two had given their hesitant answer, Wellmy spoke to Zumiano.

「I’m going to work you to the bone. Don't think for a second you'll have time to rest. And my being your master is only for a limited time.」

「Is that so?」

「Expose all your crimes and your foolishness, and if you find someone who says they want you even like that, introduce them to me. I’ll give that person the rights to your life. Go find someone you wouldn't mind being under the thumb of—someone you wouldn't mind being killed by.」

「That is your first order.」

When Wellmy snorted and said this, Zumiano answered with a childlike smile, 「I understand.」

Until everyone he had troubled forgave him. Or, if he wasn't forgiven, until it was judged that he had finished atoning for his crimes.

Wellmy allowed Zumiano to live.

After all, though he had caused much trouble, in the end, he hadn't taken anyone’s life. Wellmy desperately made excuses to herself that she could at least acknowledge that much—while quietly averting her eyes from the fact that she simply couldn't bring herself to make the decision or find the resolve to "kill someone."

*****

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