Reincarnated as the Final Boss of an Eroge, but I Just Want a Peaceful Life After the Game Ends - Chapter 07: The Witch Who Swore Revenge

Chapter 07: The Witch Who Swore Revenge

Some time had passed since Sidol was expelled.

Ivelia had locked herself in her room, quietly sobbing.

She still had the [Last Leaf] Sidol gave her pinned in her hair, gently brushing her fingers over it.

“Sidol…”

The more she thought about him, the stronger the urge to chase after him became.

When Saintess Hanna charged at Ivelia, it was Sidol who stepped in and took the full hit.

Right in front of her.

That’s why… it was her fault.

That guilt had been weighing heavily on Ivelia ever since.

(Still… why does everyone always agree with that guy Ars? Even when it’s unreasonable or clearly wrong, no one ever speaks up. What’s going on here?)

Determined to find answers, Ivelia had her parents and the household staff investigate Ars and Hanna.

(Ars from Umiberi Village… and Hanna from the slums…)

It turned out that Ars was living in the Faustler ducal family’s dormitory, working as a private soldier.

The one who introduced Hanna to Ars was Rod Faustler, the duke’s son.

Ars was close with Hanna, but their relationship hadn’t progressed to anything physical.

The same went for Luna, who was also said to be close to him—

At least, that’s what the investigation revealed.

Ars had been under the Faustler family’s care for two years now.

And it was also two years ago when Luna began distancing herself—not just from Sidol, but from Ivelia and Fina as well.

Her actions seemed far too convenient to be just coincidence.

(Luna betrayed Sidol… no, she betrayed all of us…)

That was the conclusion Ivelia reached.

As she was reviewing the investigation reports, the door suddenly burst open.

“E-Eve—!”

Fina barged in without even knocking, her face completely pale.

“What’s the matter? You could at least knock, you know.”

Ivelia tried to scold her, but Fina wasn’t listening.

“T-There’s no time to explain! I-It’s Sidol—he’s dead!”

“What…!? Sidol? No… No, that can’t be true. That’s not possible… right?”

“It’s true. I heard it from Father. Sidol was attacked by bandits on his way to Bahamul…

and he didn’t make it back.”

“No… no… this has to be some kind of mistake…”

“I don’t want to believe it either. I can’t believe it. We’re talking about Sidol, damn it…”

When Ivelia got a better look at Fina’s face, it was drenched in tears—pale, blotchy, and trembling.

There was none of the royal grace or beauty you’d expect from a princess.

Just a girl who had cried herself into a mess.

“Uuu… ngh…”

Fina clung to Ivelia and broke down crying.

Once the dam burst, the tears wouldn’t stop.

Big, heavy drops kept falling from her eyes—without end.

“Tell me it’s not true… please… sniff… uuuu…”

And with that, Ivelia started crying too.

◆

Neither Ivelia nor Fina knew how long they had been crying.

By the time their tears dried and their emotions settled,

Ivelia’s father, Virel, was already sitting quietly in a chair nearby, watching over them.

“Are you two feeling better now?”

Virel asked in a gentle voice.

“of course not…”

Ivelia replied, while Fina simply shook her head.

“Oh? Princess Fina, that ring on your finger…?”

Virel had noticed the ring on the fourth finger of Fina’s left hand.

“Sidol gave it to me. On my twelfth birthday. I hadn’t worn it in years… but ever since that day, I haven’t taken it off.”

She raised her hand toward the window, letting the setting sun glint off the ring’s surface.

The [Ring of Power (Mana Ring)]—

A magical artifact that repelled all evil and protected its wearer.

So powerful, only three were said to exist in the entire world.

“I see… That’s quite the gift. But are you sure it’s alright? You’re still a princess, after all.”

“It’s fine. For me, there’s only Sidol. I’ve sworn to never be anyone else’s. That won’t change—even if Sidol is gone.”

“As a member of the royal family, it may not be ideal. But as a woman… that’s a beautiful vow.”

“Yes. The twelve years I spent with Sidol… I’m proud of every single one of them.”

Fina answered him, gently wiping away the tears that continued to fall.

“I’ll make a vow too… I’m sorry, Father.”

Ivelia wiped her tears with a handkerchief and apologized to Virel.

“Hahaha. Sidol’s a lucky guy—being loved by such adorable girls.”

Virel chuckled and stood up from his chair.

“Come, let’s have some dinner. You’re both probably hungry, right? It’s already prepared, so join me in the dining hall.”

Staying down wouldn’t help anything.

Ivelia and Fina both knew that—so they followed Virel and sat down to eat.

Some time later.

After finishing dinner, Fina and Ivelia returned to Ivelia’s room.

“By the way… the news that Luna and Sidol’s engagement had been called off came in on the same day he was expelled.”

Fina brought it up as they sat shoulder to shoulder on the edge of the bed, leaning slightly toward each other.

“I see… then if Sidol’s alive, I’m going to marry him.”

“I’ll be first. I’m a princess, you know?”

“Is that so? But this kind of thing depends on Sidol’s feelings, right? Whoever wins his heart first is the real winner.”

“Well, I already got a ring from him.”

“But that’s not the kind of ring you wear on your left ring finger, is it?”

“I know I said this already, but for me, it’s a vow. I won’t belong to anyone else. I’ll only ever look at Sidol. Didn’t you get a beautiful hair ornament from him too, Eve?”

“Yeah… I did.”

Ivelia replied softly, her fingers brushing against the hairpiece Sidol had given her.

“I’m going to avenge him… and I want to know the truth.”

“Eve…”

“I’m going to get revenge—on Ars, and on that saintess who cornered him. I’ll become stronger… for that reason. And when it’s all over, I’ll go to Sidol’s side. That’s my vow.”

“Eve…”

Fina took Ivelia’s hand and gently squeezed it.

“Hey… don’t leave me too, okay? You’re important to me too, Eve.”

“Of course. I swear on this necklace—I’ll never leave your side, Fina.”

Ivelia clutched the pendant tightly and looked straight into Fina’s eyes.

◆

At the moment Liliana was about to land a fatal blow on Sidol,

Her vision was suddenly overwhelmed by a blinding light.

And in that same instant, Sidol’s presence vanished.

Even using [Presence Detection: 4], she couldn’t track him.

He escaped right under her nose.

“…B-But… why was I even trying to kill Lord Sidol…?”

As her vision returned, so too did her clarity of thought.

The mental control cast by [Protagonist Privilege★] was starting to wear off.

(Still… I’ll need to report that I lost track of Lord Sidol.)

Activating [Perception Disruption: 4], Liliana silently left the scene.

A little while later, she stepped into a chamber within the Grand Cathedral.

“Lady Hanna, may I come in?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Liliana stepped into Hanna’s private room—

Inside were Ars and Luna.

“So everyone’s here…”

Liliana dropped to one knee and lowered her head in respect.

“So? How’d it go, Liliana? Did you kill that damn noble?”

Ars asked bluntly.

“No. He was unexpectedly strong. I wasn’t able to take his life.”

“I see…”

The tone in Ars’s voice instantly made Liliana’s sense of danger spike.

But her body… wouldn’t move like she wanted it to.

“We can’t have this room turning into a bloodbath, now can we? Let’s move somewhere else.”

Ars drew a dagger, but Luna held up a hand to stop him.

Hearing that, Hanna let out a quiet breath of relief.

She didn’t want her room splattered with blood.

“Follow me.”

There was power in Ars’s words.

Liliana obeyed without resistance.

Luna instructed one of her attendants to bring robes with hoods large enough to hide their faces.

Once they were disguised, the group left the Grand Cathedral and made their way toward the graveyard on the edge of the slums.

“This place will do.”

As soon as Luna gave the signal, Ars placed his hand on his sword hilt—

And with a swift movement, slashed through the tendons in Liliana’s legs.

“Kh—!”

Her legs gave out, and she collapsed on the spot.

“Damn it. You screwed up. I only used you because you could scout and move in stealth. But if you fail, you leave a trail. So… sorry about this.”

Ars thrust his blade straight down, aiming for Liliana’s heart.

“Ugh! …Ah… ggh…”

The blade pierced through her heart and lungs.

Blood poured from her mouth as she gasped silently.

Her lips moved, but no sound came out.

And with her last breath, she whispered faintly—

“Sidol… my… lord…”

Ars didn’t miss it.

With a growl, he yanked the sword from her chest and drove it into her neck—

Then swung it down with full force.

“Fuck—!”

Liliana’s head was severed from her body.

“Ars. Are we done here?”

Luna asked, only after confirming Liliana was truly dead.

“Yeah. It’s over.”

“Then I’ll handle the body.”

Luna gave her attendant the order to dispose of Liliana’s body.

With that, everything was covered up—

The attempted assassination of Sidol,

Liliana’s failure,

And now, her death here and now.

Luna was confident none of it would come to light.

The next day.

Luna headed to House Meltrix, bringing Ars as her escort.

Her purpose was to finalize the annulment of her engagement.

All that remained was to deliver the already-signed documents for Dorm Meltrix to add his signature.

Luna was acting as the representative for her family.

She and Ars were welcomed into the reception room, where Dorm greeted them politely.

Beside Dorm sat his wife, Sheena.

Also present were their second son, Thorl, and eldest daughter, Gina.

That was because Ars had casually asked, “Is the whole family here today?”

His words—and his will—carried a certain persuasive force.

Though in Sheena’s case, it seemed to have little effect.

They couldn’t fully control her.

That much was clear from the way she looked at Ars and Luna—

Her eyes filled with quiet suspicion.

“So… Sidol is truly…?”

“Yes. By the time our knights arrived, the bandits had already killed Lord Sidol. They fled with his body before it could be recovered.”

Luna’s explanation was accepted without question.

And just like that, Sidol was declared dead.

Because the engagement papers had been signed before this announcement,

Luna escaped the stain of being labeled the fiancée of a dead man.

“Even so, I must apologize to you, Ars. I’ll make sure Thorl receives a proper education so nothing like that ever happens again.”

“Yes, that would certainly ease our worries. We appreciate your understanding.”

Luna gave Dorm a graceful smile,

While Ars cast a vulgar gaze toward Sheena.

(Man… Sheena’s seriously hot. Nice body too. Someday, I definitely wanna do her.)

Ars was just a bodyguard—standing silently behind Luna.

And at this point, he was still a virgin.

◆

The day after Fina and Ivelia had cried in each other’s arms,

Ivelia finally returned to the academy after taking time off.

Fina, who had arrived in the classroom earlier, spotted her and quickly ran over.

“Good morning, Eve.”

“Good morning.”

“Have you been sleeping okay?”

“Yeah… more or less. But aren’t you the one I should be asking that to?”

“I’ve got this, remember?”

She raised her left hand and showed the ring on her finger.

“Hey… doesn’t the color of the stone look a little different?”

“Ah—wait, what? Why?”

The [Ring of Power (Mana Ring)] on Fina’s left ring finger was usually a dark color.

But now, it had turned red.

“But… it doesn’t feel like something bad. If anything, it feels like there’s some kind of mysterious power at work… I can sense that kind of magic from it.”

“Then… does that mean Sidol is protecting me with this?”

“I don’t know. But isn’t that a good thing, either way?”

“Yeah… maybe it is. If that’s true, then what about the hair ornament you’re wearing, Eve? That brooch looks like it’s deeply tied to your magic.”

“Really? I can’t tell myself. It just… feels like it belongs on me. If we really want to know, maybe we should get them appraised?”

“Appraised, huh…? I mean, I’d love to know more, but there’s no way I’m taking it off. You’re the same, right?”

“Yeah. I am.”

“Then I’ll just keep believing in what Sidol gave me—and treasure it.”

“Me too. It’s the one thing that makes me feel closest to him. I’ll never let it go.”

“Exactly.”

The red glow on the ring Fina wore was actually a warning sign—

It indicated that she was under the effect of a status anomaly.

To uncover the exact details, [Appraisal★] would be required.

In other words, its true nature would remain a mystery.

But still—

Just as Sidol had hoped, both Fina and Ivelia continued to wear the gifts he left behind, never parting with them.

Because… that was all he could do for them now.

And so, the story continued to be shaped—

Driven forward by the forced influence of the “protagonist.”