The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

56. Conclusion (2)

If I opened my eyes next, I thought I would definitely see the hospital ceiling.

I had gathered all my magical power and concentrated it into a single bullet. Even with magical power-related buffs, it was impossible to withstand.

The time it took to charge magical power was long, but using it was always instant, like receiving a paycheck.

‘……?’

A sudden sense of unease.

In the midst of useless thoughts, I realized my consciousness had returned. When I opened my eyes, I didn’t see the white hospital ceiling, but a rusty, worn-out building ceiling.

I wasn’t in a hospital, but still in the ruins.

“What, am I trapped here?”

A sense of anxiety suddenly arose, and I looked around. Rebecca was still in the ruins. I cleared my throat and spoke in a strained voice.

“What, didn’t we get recalled…?”

Rebecca, who was adjusting her clothes, turned to me abruptly. Before answering, she shook her head.

“I seem to have overestimated you.”

What’s there to overestimate or not? I’ve always done my best.

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“Have you been fighting with this body all along?”

“Yes…?”

“I’ve seen many students in Arsen, but you’re the first to collapse from magic exhaustion.”

That’s just how it is… As a magic user, it’s inevitable.

No matter how much magic you have, it can be depleted in an instant. If you’re a magic user, you’d invest all your remaining magic in increasing your combat power.

But something was off.

“What’s going on?”

My body, which should have been exhausted, was surprisingly refreshed. A faint magical power was pulsating through my veins.

Magic exhaustion doesn’t occur unless the body’s magic is completely depleted. And to recover from it, you need to artificially restore your magical power from the outside, just like when I got Lara Steelhyden.

Potions are expensive, and their effect is halved when you’re in a state of exhaustion. Sometimes, you might even experience aftereffects. I was worried about that part, so I decided to rely on natural healing and gave out artifacts to boost it.

So, in other words, my consciousness being clear means someone must have supplied me with magic from the outside.

In this situation, there’s only one person who could do that.

Rebecca, who’s pretending not to know what’s going on.

“Did you inject magic into me while I was unconscious?”

Rebecca turned her head calmly. That was her answer. She didn’t explicitly confirm it, but the circumstances suggested so.

Instead, Rebecca threw a completely different question at me.

“I just wanted to ask, did I go too far in trying to save you? If you’re struggling with magic exhaustion to this extent, wouldn’t it be difficult to even maintain your body?”

I finally looked at Rebecca properly. Her school uniform was torn in several places, and her hair was a mess.

The student council president Rebecca, who had looked down at me with pride during the entrance exam, was now in this state. It was astonishing.

For now, let’s set aside the fact that I’d grabbed her.

“So, are you going to leave me to die?”

Ignoring someone who can be saved, even when they’re right in front of you.

That’s not right, no matter what.

It was the same with Lara Steelhyden and Aileen Edel. It’s not about the original story or whatever; it’s about the people I’ve touched.

“……”

Rebecca looked puzzled, furrowing her brow. It seemed that my words were quite unexpected.

“…Aren’t you an assassin from an extreme family? Hearing you say that, it honestly feels very strange.”

“That may be true, but not all assassins are extreme.”

Most of the people I’ve met from the Esperanza family were like that. First, there’s Satona Dian Esperanza, who’s a kind person.

Yohan Esperanza follows the FM, but he’s a softie at heart.

Generally, Camille Esperanza, Sirena, and Ciela sisters were like that too.

As I tried to recall, a headache came over me. I used a nearby debris as a pillow and leaned against it.

The remnants of magical exhaustion still lingered. The magical power Rebecca had unleashed was circulating through my blood vessels, accelerating my recovery, but it couldn’t alleviate the fatigue of my overworked muscles and mind.

“So, what’s the deal with the reverse summon?”

“It’s still far from happening.”

In other words, the dungeon wasn’t closed yet. I felt a chill run down my spine, but I turned my head to check the quest.

[Main Quest Complete: Underground Town Everd]

I had completed the quest by defeating the Mine. Although the situation was unfavorable, I couldn’t aim for the bonus objectives, but at least I had caught the Mine.

Rebecca’s eyes narrowed, seemingly displeased with my carefree demeanor.

“What do you plan to do now?”

“I think our role is over.”

The Mine was dead, and there was no way to escape.

I had to wait for the Watch’s reverse summon function to kick in. That meant waiting until the dungeon was cleared or the time ran out.

“If we’re not careful, we’ll be stuck here for two days. Shouldn’t we try to climb up to the upper floors with all our might?”

…That was a reasonable opinion, but.

I shook my head.

“It’s okay to take a break, isn’t it?”

“This isn’t a situation where we can afford to relax.”

“I’m not like you, Rebecca; my body is a bit weaker.”

I wasn’t making excuses; it was the truth.

I didn’t know how much time and effort it would take to break through the dungeon walls, but I had just recovered from magical exhaustion. I might collapse again if I overexerted myself.

“You don’t have to rush. If we wait patiently, the dungeon will close soon.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“Yes. It’s not just our team, A, that’s inside the dungeon. There’s also Kyle’s team.”

I trusted Kyle. He would definitely defeat the boss. If he failed, the X team, led by Ailee, would take over.

If both teams failed, we would have to wait two days for the outcome.

As someone who had spent the past few days with them, I honestly didn’t think they would fail. We had eliminated the variables on our side, so now we could fight with a clear mind.

“…Kyle Ivanstier is like an unbridled bull. Controlling him is only natural.”

“On the contrary, that’s why he might be more helpful.”

“His actions are completely different from the direction Arsen has been pursuing. If we let him be, he might influence the people around him, and eventually, the entire first year might lose control.”

That was a possible perspective.

As a student, I, along with Ailee, had a different viewpoint, but Rebecca, as the student council leader, had to maintain order in Arsen.

“…But sometimes, taking bold action can be helpful, don’t you think?”

Just looking at Kyle’s behavior a while ago was proof of that. He had fearlessly tried to punch a 2nd-year student.

Of course, if we had let him be, he would have ended up like a punching bag.

In the end, because Kyle had taken action, no other students were hurt.

“Rebecca, as the student council leader, you have to maintain order in Arsen. I understand your perspective.”

In reality, I wanted to say this:

“But…”

“……?”

“Now, can’t we just take a break?”

Every time I spoke, my ribs ached, making it difficult to talk. Rebecca probably wouldn’t understand this pain. She had never experienced magical exhaustion in her life.

In the meantime, I managed to get a clue through our conversation.

The first act begins with Rebecca and Kyle’s confrontation. If we don’t make them confront each other from the start, we might be able to get through the first act safely.

However, honestly, I don’t know if that’s possible. The world is so twisted and complicated.

“…Are you serious, talking like that here?”

Rebecca asked as if she was genuinely curious, but I didn’t respond. Instead, I took out a piece of dried meat from my inventory.

Honestly, answering was also tiring. I had been holding back for a while, and when I finally looked up, I caught Rebecca’s gaze. She was staring at me intently.

“Do you want one?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Instead, Rebecca also reached into her inventory. She started taking out various items, and it was a breathtaking sight.

Clank-clank!

A bunch of metal objects fell out. The amount was astonishing. If someone could carry that many tools in their inventory, they would have to have the inventory rune engraved on!

The pain of getting a tattoo is an added bonus. Unless you have an extremely tough body, a practitioner wouldn’t be able to withstand the process.

‘Is this……’

Maybe this is also one of Grande’s abilities.

As people from the North tend to be, Rebecca probably has a strong body. Even just looking at the original novel’s stat window, the physical strength and mental power of Northerners were recorded at high levels.

After rummaging through her inventory for a while, Rebecca pulled out some kind of metal rod. I thought she was going to take out an axe, but it was a completely different tool.

“Can you cook?”

“A little, I can do it.”

She lit a small fire and put a frying pan on it.

Rebecca sat down and started cooking bacon. This was also a breathtaking sight.

But it wasn’t particularly strange. Even Grande’s family was situated in a remote, harsh environment. Having such survival skills was only natural.

It’s just that the target was the original novel’s villain, student council president Rebecca, so it felt unfamiliar.

I tried not to pay attention, but the smell stimulated my nose. Before I knew it, my gaze had turned towards her.

And then, our eyes met, Rebecca staring blankly at the fire.

For a moment, Rebecca looked at me, then took out a plate from her inventory. Without any hesitation, she asked,

“…Do you want one?”

For a moment, I thought she might demand something in return, but…

Even Rebecca wouldn’t calculate every action in this situation.

“……Yes.”

I hesitated for a moment, then finally accepted the plate Rebecca offered.