The Villain is Being Suspiciously Kind

Elaina walked over with an exaggerated stride and held out her hand.
Citrina silently moved her hands away from the restraints.
The person she had been waiting for had appeared.
It was Elaina Foluin.

“I’m so glad to see you. I wish I could greet you, but unfortunately, I can’t shake hands.”
“Do you want me to untie you?”
“Ah, don’t do it, Elaina-nim!”

Arte tried to dissuade her, but Elaina’s hand reached out, and instead of loosening the restraints, Elaina clutched her throat like a beast’s throat. Then she laughed, almost ecstatically.

“You really are living here.”

Citrina glared at Elaina.
She smelled a certain scent on Elaina. It was a scent she’d noticed on Countess Badil once before.

‘Gemma told me the country house had a sleep-inducing smell.’

Yes, it was a strongly anesthetic scent.
Since Citrina had been granted the spirit’s pure energy, she was not easily mesmerized. But the longer she waited, the more the deceptive scent would build up in her body.

“Yes, I’m alive. So what are you going to do with me?”

Elaina was easily aggravated by Citrina’s provocative sentence.
“Are you asking if I’m going to kill or spare you? I think I’d like to kill and taxidermy you -the cause of my only failure.”
The cause of her failure.
Elaina had a strong desire to succeed. She wanted to succeed, even if it meant trampling on other people.
So it was only natural for Elaina to blame others when she failed.
Citrina turned to face her and smirked.

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“Elaina.”

Elaina was gritting her teeth. There was no time to spare. In a way, it looked like the kidnapper was Citrina,
with their roles reversed.

“You can’t succeed in everything, and you can’t be the center of everyone’s lives.”

Elaina drew the holy sword in her hand which looked eerily familiar. The pattern resembled that of Arte’s.

‘That sword is provoking Elaina.’

“… Elaina.”
“The Great Guide wants to keep you alive for now. I’m a little upset.”
“The Great Guide?”

With bloodshot eyes and red lips slightly parted, she looked as if she was preoccupied with something.
Elaina could be selfish and self-absorbed, but she never looked like that.

“Right! So, big sister, if you want to live, kill Countess Badil”
“Me?”
“Yes, spirits are creatures that hate killing, so you’ll lose your elemental powers and become a low-level criminal. But you’ll still be alive, right, big sister?”

Elaina giggled. There were even tears forming at the corners of her eyes, she was enjoying herself so much.

“Here, take my sword.”
“I don’t kill.”
“Th, then I’ll kill you. How about that?”

Looking terribly flustered, Elaina took the sword from its sheath. The sword was unmistakably aimed at Citrina’s side. The tip of the sword gleamed sharply.

“Are you going to kill me then?”

She didn’t believe she was in imminent danger.
But as she faced the tip of the blade, she couldn’t help but think of someone else. Someone who would be sad if she died.

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“Yes. I’m going to kill you.”

Citrina glared at Elaina
Elaina gripped her sword tightly and brought it close to Citrina’s throat. Her blade inched closer to Citrina’s throat, and Citrina felt the sting as blood dripped out.

“Elaina.”

Elaina didn’t dare stab her. The sword vibrated near her neck.

“What? Are you going to leave a will?”

Her voice was full of bravado, but Elaina didn’t seem to have any intention of stabbing her.
So it felt like her ego and her sword were clashing.
Elaina’s hand trembled as if she had a tremor. Citrina looked at her calmly.

“Put that sword down.”
“…You don’t want to die, do you?”
“You know that sword is strange.”
“It was given to me by Genfiros-nim. Who are you to say anything?”

Genfiros.
Citrina knew what was wrong with Elaina, and she knew Genfiros would never show up in this room.
So their struggles were all a game he had set up. But she didn’t know what the hell he wanted.

“I have one final piece of advice for you.”
“Try me.”

Elaina gripped the sword with both hands. The sword slid down past her neck and rested by her heart.
If Elaina delivered a deep cut, she would die. Citrina couldn’t help but feel nervous. She clenched her hand.

“Elaina.”

Citrina focused on her fingertips, aware of the temperature that was heating up little by little, and directed all of her attention there.
She recalled what Gemma said before. [T. L. Note: Referring to how Gemma told Citrina how to use spirit power]

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“Leave the paladins.”

As she finished speaking, the sensation at her fingertips intensified. It was a dizzying feeling as if it was digging into the tips of her nails.
This was it.
Instead of meeting Elaina’s gaze, she looked at the hourglass.
There was still time.
A blue flame burst from her fingertips and the restraints binding her hands shattered.
After flicking away Elaina’s ‘holy sword’, the blue flame headed towards the door.
Citrina spoke calmly to Elaina, who looked on with a blank stare.

“Because I don’t intend to die.”

The blue flame continued to burn at the door.
She soon felt a powerful force emanating from inside her wrist. From outside the door, a tiny spirit flew through the doorway.

-What a find!

She had used her elemental powers and the summoning had worked perfectly. Now it was time to confine Arte and Elaina.
Citrina stepped in front of Elaina. Elaina did not meet Citrina’s eyes.

“Elaina.”
“If you won’t kill her, older sister, then I will.”
“…You’re going to kill someone? You?”

Someone who had nothing to do with this?
Citrina was silently appalled. Elaina grabbed her sword and made the sign of the Holy Cross. Her power still wasn’t enough to bind Elaina.
Elaina vanished like a ghost.
She couldn’t believe Elaina had given up and left this place so soon.

-Citrina, what does that mean? Didn’t we win?

All that was left inside the country house was an unconscious Arte, a stunned Citrina, and…
the hourglass Elaina had stepped on when she left.

-Gemma.
-Yeah?
-Find Countess Badil, quickly!

As soon as she said Countess Badil’s name, the color drained from Gemma’s face.