The Villain is Being Suspiciously Kind

They left Arte alone and headed out of the fiery door.
There was no time now. Countess Badil could be dead. If that happened, it would all be for nothing…
Wait.
Citrina blinked.

“…Rina.”

Here was a man walking into the room with blue flames, with an unsteady woman by his side.
It was Desian Pietro and Countess Badil.
The countess staggered towards them with a confused face. Desian wasn’t helping her.
He was just looking at Citrina.
Citrina faced Desian.

“I came to save you.”

His voice was as soothing as always.
Citrina smiled at his words.
She gestured to the completely broken remains of the restraints.

“Del “

The burning sensation on her wrists was still lingering.

“I saved myself.”

With that declaration, she slowly stepped in front of him. Being so tall with broad shoulders, her vision was full of him.
No, it blocked her vision to him alone.

“But…thank you for the help.”

He was like home to her
because he was always there whenever she turned to look. His gentle, supportive shoulder was steady.
It was like turning on a brilliant light and feeling wonderfully comforted.
Citrina collapsed in his arms. Thanks to their size difference, her face rested somewhere near his heart. Desian’s hands slowly slid around her shoulders.

“And for coming…thank you. How did you get here?”

Her voice was so small, she wasn’t sure if he heard her.

“Lita, he called.”

But Desian picked up on her tiny voice and answered.

“I can’t bear the thought of losing you.”

Desian spoke softly. Citrina understood, burying her face into his chest.

“I’m not dead.”

His heart was beating quickly. And her heart, too, was pounding in a similar rhythm.

Since then, everything rushed by quickly. The countess returned to her mansion alive. Knights of the Pietro family escorted her.
And all that remained in the country house were Desian, Citrina, and Arte’s corpse.

“Is he…dead?”

With one hand on his sword, Arte had vomited up blood.
Desian covered Citrina’s eyes. An unknown man rushed up to Desian’s side and disposed of the body.

“There was a seal of bondage.”
“…Genfiros, is he the one who did this?”
“That’s right.”

It was not that she pitied Arte Pianan.
But a man was dead. She had almost died.
Citrina bit her lip inside the broken country house.

“I wanted to make sure. I needed to check if it was really him, Genfiros.”
“…”
“But it was him.”

Of course, there were many evil people in this world,
but the one who harmed her directly was Genfiros.
It was an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Citrina wasn’t about to go through this and take it lying down. That just wasn’t in her nature.
“I’m going to pay them back twice as much.”
But how?
He was a priest of the Holy Kingdom, dispatched to the empire. She had to find evidence that was incriminating.
Citrina narrowed her eyes. The one thing Arte and Elaina had in common was a holy sword with a seal on it.
There must be something wrong with that sword.

“I think there is a problem with that sword, Del.”

Desian snatched the sword away too easily.

“The sword is enchanted.”

And he gave her an answer easily. Citrina looked at him in astonishment.

“Sword magic?”
“It’s an enchantment that locks spirits of the dead within the sword and binds it to their master, Lina.”
“…What happens to someone who is possessed by sword magic?”
“They die if they don’t follow orders.”
“That’s why Arte…died.”

Citrina said in a shaky voice. Desian took Citrina’s trembling, cold hand. His other hand held the holy sword loosely.

“Your hands are cold.”

Citrina wasn’t strong enough to be indifferent to the dead in front of her.

“We’ll deal with this later. Let’s go back.”

For now, he meant to keep him properly buried.
Desian Pietro had kept Arte Pianan alive long enough. Sword magic is an art that invokes the spirits of the dead. Desian was the closest living person to the dead.
However, there was no reason to save him.
As long as Citrina existed, that was enough. There was no reason to keep an enemy who sought to destroy their world alive.
Desian felt Citrina’s eyes on him.
Finally,
She chose to love him instead of being wary of him.
Desian had never loved before so he had been patient and waited.
And as he waited, the time had perfectly ripened.