The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

In the dead of night,

Sitting at my desk, pondering the reasons behind my magic failures, I let out a deep sigh at the persisting questions that refused to unravel.

"The theory is perfect, so what's the problem… Could it be that it's too perfect to work?"

My notebook was filled with crooked handwriting.

[December 23rd]

Practiced Magic: Fireball

Result: Successfully manifested a magic circle in the air but failed as it disappeared before reaching the target.

…

[January 13th]

Result: Successfully manifested a fireball, but this time, due to lack of accuracy, ended up burning the tail of Gomtangi. Failure.

[January 15th]

Practiced Magic: Meteor

Result: Nothing appeared. Failure.

A month of hard work yielded nothing but a single fireball, which itself was a dud, failing to hit the mark.

"Heh… Damn it."

What is this?

Getting stuck at the basics.

I intended to learn the basics step by step, but the reality of not even managing to take the first step was laughable.

Today's entry in my notebook was no different from yesterday's… Although I felt like all my efforts were meaningless, the slight improvements prevented me from giving up.

In battle, a single spark could be the key to victory or defeat. Just like bringing a 1000-won rose when you're late for a date increases your chances of being forgiven, having more hidden tricks made it much easier to deal with others.

"Has the sweet spot been reached…?"

Just as I was about to raise my middle finger in a solemn gesture to the god who might be watching from somewhere, feeling the world was conspiring against me,

-Ding!

A clear notification sound echoed in my head.

"What now?"

Even the omniscient god must dislike being cursed at. It's a pity I was a moment late from committing blasphemy.

"But why a quest all of a sudden?"

It had been a while since I last heard such a notification.

The alerts that had ceased to appear, making me believe I was forsaken, now seemed to greet me, indicating that the privilege of being a possessor was still intact.

‘If it was going to appear, why not do it more often? Why just occasionally?'

It was a date too awkward for a New Year's greeting, and I couldn't help but smile wryly at the belated pop-up.

"Fuck off."

-A quest has appeared.

"I'm not doing it."

-A quest has appeared.

Attempting to ignore it and scribble in my notebook, I slowly lifted my head due to the continuous alarms.

The quest window would blare until checked.

As a child, this damn thing had woken me up more than once or twice. Trying to greet the growth spurt with ‘Ding.' Trying to take a nap, then ‘Ding.' I believe this rascal had a share in my not reaching 190 cm.

"Sigh…"

What kind of request had it come with this time?

The last quest involved saving Yuria from a dungeon.

The huge reward listed as "Touch of Rehabilitation" made it impossible to refuse, recalling the annoying quest that nullified my resolve of not helping anyone.

Honestly, I wanted to ignore this quest.

I didn't want to hinder the protagonists' growth; it was time for them to grow on their own. I couldn't keep spoon-feeding them like a mother bird forever, so my desire to refuse occupied 80% of my intentions.

But at the same time, I was curious.

The status window always dangled rewards that were hard to obtain.

The penalty for failure was relatively light, while the rewards for success were generous, consistent with the status window's past actions.

In my youth, it had offered "Genius at Martial Arts," a cheat-like trait, and "Aura" that one could never obtain at a young age as rewards for success.

During my academy days, it would dangle increases in favorability with key characters or stats as rewards.

All were rewards not easily obtained.

I knew that the time it takes to increase strength by 1 varied from person to person, but the time it takes to go from 100 to 101 is unimaginably long.

As the novel progressed to its latter half, everyone's stats were normalized upward, and there had been times when a mere 1 point in stats had made a difference as vast as heaven and earth.

Knowing the importance of taking care of such minutiae, I was both pleased and annoyed at the quest window's long-awaited return.

‘What will it be this time?'

I hoped it wasn't something that would significantly impact the story.

With a trembling heart, I slowly raised my head to look at the quest window before me.

And…

"Fuck."

I cursed.

*

[Q. Always the Knight Protecting Her.]

There was a beautiful girl.

She had a smile as radiant as blooming cherry blossoms and a delicate beauty like that of misty baby's breath.

The girl had never faced significant hardships in life. People were kind to her and treated her like a jewel due to her outstanding beauty.

Of course, once she faced the bigger world, she suffered scratches and wounds from those who envied her.

Experiencing ridicule for the first time.

Ostracization.

Ignorance.

It was tough, but the girl still loved and cherished people. It was the last wish of her mother who passed away and the love her parents had taught her.

She didn't think deeply about her beauty, considering herself ordinary, and believed her friends valued her for who she was, not her appearance.

Such a fool. A tremendous fool.

A fool who couldn't even wield the weapon of beauty. Well, that was part of her charm.

One day, a ball was to be held at the academy she attended.

At the ball, many women would flaunt and adorn their weapons. The girl did the same.

Even if she believed beauty wasn't everything, wanting to look pretty was like an instinct for women.

But what if the girl lost her beauty one day?

If her beautiful skin turned into one full of freckles.

If her fresh smile turned into something as rotten as a pumpkin, would the people still stand by her side…?

The girl would cry.

Bitterly cry.

And become ostracized.

And…

The shadows threatening the girl were slowly drawing closer.

(!) Protect the girl ‘Yuria' who lost her beauty.

1. Find ‘Yuria' who temporarily lost her beauty at the ball. (0/1)

2. Protect ‘Yuria' from the heretics. (0/1)

Reward: Vitality Information/Hidden Magic Talent/Magic Power +100

Yuria: White Magic Lv.1

In case of failure: The corruption of ‘Yuria,' the Saintess of Light

…

I trembled slightly as I stared at the brightly glowing blue quest window.

"Shit."

*

A ballroom was one of the most common settings in fantasy novels.

A place where many sub-male leads vie to dance with the female protagonist first or where villains plot to torment the female lead at the opportunity.

The novel I possessed was no different.

The academy's ball was supposed to be an outlet for the fresh youth, but its interior was darker.

Mocking the dresses of commoners or sneering at the party clothes of fallen nobles, or even spilling wine on a dress of a lady they disliked, it was a place where legal violence could occur.

And the ball event the quest window mentioned was heavy enough that all those actions seemed like cute pranks in comparison.

Sitting at my desk, rolling the pen, I was lost in deep thought.

"Why, of all episodes, this one?"

There were plenty of other episodes.

This episode was closely related to Ruin.

Just a little…

Worrying.

***

[3 Days to the Ball]

In a dress shop located outside the academy grounds, a girl with pink hair stood on tiptoe.

"Wow… so pretty."

Yuria, gazing longingly through the window at a white dress, sighed in admiration as if enchanted.

With 3 days left to the ball,

Yuria, who had come to buy a new dress to replace the one that was always laughed at for being old-fashioned, couldn't bring herself to leave the vicinity of the dress shop.

The pure white dress held Yuria's steps captive.

Too expensive, and seemingly a luxury that one should be charged just to look at.

Yuria's meager finances made the dress unattainable, but since looking was free,

Yuria tried to turn away, her lips curving up unknowingly, and shook her head to deny herself the pleasure.

"Right… what need do I have for a dress in my situation?"

Yuria envied the other students.

The excited backs of academy girls entering the dress shop to buy dresses made her a bit jealous.

If she had the financial means, she would've liked to buy a piece, but relying on scholarships for living made it an excessive luxury.

Yuria hid her bitter feelings and trudged on.

Reaching a bustling marketplace after a long walk, Yuria sighed deeply and rolled up her sleeves.

"Right… second-hand isn't that bad."

A thrift store where nobles' discarded clothes were piled high for sale.

Rolling up her sleeves, Yuria strode forward. Buying used clothes was embarrassing, but she wanted to avoid the sneers for wearing an outdated dress this year.

Stopping by a pile of clothes, Yuria reached deep inside to pull out a crumpled yellow dress that resembled a rag.

Full of wrinkles,

And smelling musty, but it was at least more presentable than the dress she currently owned.

"I found it…!"

"Ah…"

Compared to the pure white dress she had set her eyes on just moments before, this dress looked lackluster.

Regret washed over Yuria for not heading straight here instead of gazing at the dresses in the store.

It seemed even more pathetic.

Choosing clothes from such a place.

And being happy to pick out a decent dress felt just as pitiful.

Feeling dejected, Yuria hung her head for about a minute.

"Hmm…"

A pleasant baritone voice reached Yuria's ears.

A man stood beside Yuria and asked in a low voice.

"Are you planning to buy that?"

"Ah… yes."

"Hmm…"

Yuria didn't lift her head, embarrassed by her situation.

The man, unfazed by Yuria's demeanor, dug deep into the pile of clothes.

-Rustle.

-Rustle.

"Personally, I think…"

The man pulled a red dress from the pile,

Spread it out to fit Yuria's figure, nodded in approval, and then spoke again in his sweet voice to the still downtrodden Yuria.

"This dress seems to suit you better."

"Ah… thank you."

"You're welcome."

"But who…"

Yuria turned to look at the man who had helped her choose a dress, curious about his kindness, and because his voice was so sweet.

And the moment she saw the man's face.

"Uh…?"

A foolish sound escaped her lips.

"It's been a while, Miss Yuria."

"The handsomest butler in the world."

Ricardo stood before Yuria's eyes.