The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

79. The Untold Story (1)

It was a day when the snow fell incessantly.

Rebecca looked out the window. The servants gathered there were whispering to each other. When I listened closely, I could hear their conversation.

-So, Lady Iana said……

“-It can’t be. There’s no way. The opponent is from a renowned swordsmanship family, right?

-…They’ve killed everyone who walks on two legs. A whole family has been wiped out to that extent.

-There’s no other way. Unless the Grand Duke himself comes, it’s…over.

At that moment, one of the attendants’ gazes met Rebecca’s.

Rebecca pretended not to know, hiding behind the curtain. She knew she had to pretend not to know, even though she was aware of it.

The rumor that the Grand Duke’s daughter was called the ‘Sword Demon’ had now spread throughout the north.

Although the Sword Demon’s blade had not yet turned towards the Grand Duke, the anxiety that it could happen at any moment was spreading throughout the Grand Duke’s territory. The Grand Duke’s security was strengthened, and now no one could enter Rebecca’s room.

Everything had returned to the Grand Duke because of Iana.

There was no one who could stop Iana.

Knock, knock-

“It’s Chief Attendant Veron. Are you there, Miss?”

Rebecca cautiously leaned her ear towards the voice coming from outside the door.

It seemed that Iana would soon return to the mansion. Although the door was closed, Rebecca could sense the Chief Attendant’s trembling.

The Chief Attendant only asked about Rebecca’s well-being and disappeared. Since a curfew had been imposed, Rebecca was also unable to go outside.

Knock, knock-

“Rebecca, are you sleeping?”

“I’ll sleep soon, Unnie.”

“Want to see this? I brought it back today. Those nobles are hiding something enormous, aren’t they? Look at this! My mouth is moving on its own! It’s amazing!”

“…….”

Iana returned that night. Although she was feared by others as the Sword Demon, she never lost her smile when facing Rebecca.

Rebecca didn’t go out. She couldn’t go out. It was because of the Grand Duke’s order.

All that was allowed for Rebecca was to pretend to be asleep, hiding under the blankets.

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Iana waited outside for a while before eventually giving up and returning to her room. Rebecca was finally able to fall asleep late.

…The disaster occurred three days after Iana’s return.

The weather that day was strange.

Instead of snow, heavy rain was pouring down outside the window. The attendants were still whispering. Behind them, armored knights were lined up.

Rebecca leaned her ear towards the window again. However, she couldn’t hear the attendants’ conversation, drowned out by the unusual rain.

No one knocked on Rebecca’s door that day.

One hour passed, two hours passed, and three hours passed.

Rebecca looked out the window. The murmuring attendants were gone. The armored knights were also gone.

There was only one person standing there. Rebecca couldn’t see their face, but the figure in a blood-stained armor, standing still, was undoubtedly Iana von Gaussfeldt Grand Duke.

“…….”

Rebecca, who had been watching for a moment, opened the door that she had locked. It was the first time Rebecca had disobeyed the Grand Duke’s order.

“Rebecca? What’s going on here? I clearly told you not to come. Did you not receive the message I sent?”

Iana greeted Rebecca with an unchanged smile. However, Rebecca’s gaze was fixed on Iana’s feet.

The scattered Grand Duke’s knights.

Rebecca’s gaze made Iana hastily wave her hand.

“Oh, these people? It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it, Rebecca. There are still many people in the north, aren’t there?”

“…….”

“Are you angry? I didn’t mean to make you angry by killing the Chief Attendant without warning.”

“…….”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything. Just go inside and wait for a bit. No, wait, where did I put that……?”

Rebecca, who had been silent, spoke only one word.

“Why are you doing this? Unnie.”

“I’m going to see you, but you keep getting in the way.”

“So, you killed him?”

“Ah, no. I didn’t mean to kill him. My hand just slipped a bit. Look, there are still people alive, aren’t there?”

Ianah lifted the journalist’s arm, which was caught in her ankle. There was no scream, but the arm trembled violently.

As Rebecca gazed silently, the sound of a plate shattering came from afar.

“Oh my god, Rebecca-nim!”

“Umma, why did you come here? I told you not to come.”

“What… what… what… what! Let’s go! We have to go!”

Umma blocked Rebecca’s path. At the same time, Ianah’s expression distorted. Ianah drew her sword.

Swish-!

Something heavy fell to the ground with a thud.

However, even after losing one hand, Umma refused to back down.

“You can’t stay here. Rebecca-ssi. You have to leave. Right now.”

“I told you, I’m going to see my dongsaeng. Why do you keep getting in the way?”

“Ianah-ssi, please… please spare Rebecca-ssi’s life, even if you take mine.”

There was no one to stop Ianah.

“Move, Umma. Don’t block my way. Do you know how hard I’ve worked to see my dongsaeng’s face?”

“No, you can’t, ssi.”

Ianah raised her sword. The reversed sword was about to pierce Umma’s heart in an instant.

“Please, Umma.”

“Not Rebecca-ssi, no.”

“Don’t do this. Please. Why do you keep making me do this?”

After a brief standoff, Ianah finally lowered her sword.

——!

The sound of flesh being cut echoed.

Ianah gazed blankly at Rebecca, who was clinging to her chest. It was only after Rebecca took a step back that the dagger lodged in her chest became visible.

Ianah didn’t feel resentment or hatred. She only voiced the fundamental question that arose in her mind.

“Rebecca, why are you stabbing me? I’m not the one causing trouble.”

“…….”

“Why are you crying? Rebecca. We met after two months. I came all the way here. I didn’t come to see your crying face.”

Ianah, who was about to take a step forward, collapsed instead.

“…Why?”

The lizard doll hidden in her left hand fell to the ground. The lizard doll’s mouth, which had been silently opening and closing, shut tight.

Until the moment Ianah’s breath stopped, Rebecca remained still. It was a day when the rain poured down like a torrent, as if it would swallow up Grandeur.

…But that’s a story from too long ago.

Rebecca still hates rainy days.

…….

The scenery had become distant and faint. Sion Esperanza still didn’t let go of her hand. It was the last sight Iana saw.

Rebecca grabbed Sion’s hand and slowly rose to the rooftop.

The precarious scene, which seemed like it would collapse at any moment, simultaneously felt comforting.

Sion Esperanza’s words still lingered in her mind.

-“Even if you say so, Iana, I’ll stand by Rebecca’s side. I’ll take on that burden instead.”

-“So, please leave it to me. Watch over me from afar.”

Those words, which differed greatly from when Sion Esperanza declared her withdrawal, were questionable.

Rebecca had chosen, and Sion had chosen her path.

It was unclear where their current choice would lead, but Iana had no right to intervene in their decision.

As she thought that, Iana finally let go of Rebecca’s hand, which she had been holding onto.

Rebecca’s consciousness slowly sank, disappearing from sight.

Slowly. She vanished.

***

Rebecca grasped my hand and slowly pulled me up to the rooftop.

My right arm was practically useless, and I had to rely solely on my left arm’s strength. Although the system correction was still in effect, it would become truly dangerous once the buff wore off.

“Just a little more.”

“…….”

Rebecca slowly stretched out her hand, her eyes still dazed from the shock, like a zombie, as she leaned against the wall and struggled to pull herself up.

Rebecca and I simultaneously landed on the rooftop, our bodies half-rolled over, returning to the student council rooftop.

[Main Quest Complete: Frenzied Dance]

The effect of “Unyielding Will” has ended.

The backlash of exhausting my body finally caught up with me.

“…Already?”

My muscles screamed in agony, feeling like they were about to tear apart. My entire body was numb and wouldn’t listen to me. I glanced over to see Rebecca in a similar state.

However, Rebecca and I endured it with our extraordinary mental strength, not showing any signs of weakness.

Rebecca didn’t say a word, her entire body soaked from head to toe. Tears or rainwater, I couldn’t tell, flowed down her face, wetting her shirt.

I tried to say something, but instead, I simply lay down beside her, letting the pouring rain hit me.

We listened to the sound of the rain for a while before Rebecca finally spoke up.

“…Do you really think all of this, everything that happened, was inevitable rather than a coincidence?”

The storm still raged on, with thunder and lightning flashing across the sky.

Yet, Rebecca’s voice was clear as day. I nodded.

“Yes.”

“…….”

“As I told you.”

I wiped away the cold sweat on my forehead, mixed with the rainwater, which was quite uncomfortable.

“No matter what, we won’t know until the very end. Sometimes things get tangled up, and sometimes they work out.”

“…You still think that way?”

“Rebecca hasn’t given a proper answer yet. I said I’d find a better path. Yeah, that’s what I said.”

As I replied, holding my breath, Rebecca’s expression twisted.

Please note that I’ve preserved the line breaks and formatting as per your request.

“I don’t understand why you’re so fixated on that. What’s going on with you?”

“It’s a crucial part for me, so…”

“This is the first time I’ve seen you be so stubborn.”

“If you knew that, you should’ve answered from the start.”

“…….”

Rebecca’s expression twisted even more grotesquely.

But for me, it’s a meaningful incident. It’s a response I had to hear.

There’s no way to hear Rebecca’s direct feelings except through her own words. Since the developers set it up that way, Rebecca’s words hold more significance.

“…I don’t know.”

“What?”

When I turned around, Rebecca turned her head the other way. She really didn’t know.

“You’re aware of it, aren’t you, Sion Esperanza?”

“What am I supposed to answer if you ask me? I was the one who asked first.”

“You came this far, so you must’ve known how it would turn out from the start.”

“I don’t know. Half of it is true, but the other half…”

“……?”

She took a brief pause, then continued.

“I don’t know either. It’s something I’ve never experienced before in my life.”

“That’s just some weird nonsense.”

“Well, there is something like that. Maybe we’ll have a chance to talk about it later.”

When I cut off the conversation, Rebecca furrowed her brow. She didn’t show it openly, but it seemed like she was still uneasy.

But for me, that ambiguous answer was the best I could do.

One thing is certain, though.

In the original story, I couldn’t save Rebecca. There was no option to save her. That’s why I died 18 times and tried again.

When I realized that I had to defeat Rebecca to progress the story, I played the game with obstinacy.

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It became an opportunity for me to deviate from the normal route and try various concept plays.

“Sion Esperanza, you really are…”

That Rebecca is now standing beside me. After 18 tries, I finally saved her on the 19th attempt.

“I really don’t understand, even though I do.”

“Isn’t that normal?”

“Is it normal…?”

“Because I still don’t fully understand myself. But if someone else claims to understand me, that’s even stranger.”

I spoke from the heart.

“…….”

But eventually, Rebecca’s patience ran out, and she raised her left hand. The moment I saw her make a small fist, I felt a threat to my life.

“If you hit me now, I might really die.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“It’s not a threat, it’s the truth.”

Rebecca finally relaxed her fist. She carefully found a spot without wounds and poked me with her index finger.

“Sion Esperanza, you… no, you’re really…”

“Whatever, anyway.”

Seeing Rebecca’s twisted face was a new experience in itself.

The first act was what I had wanted, but it didn’t go as planned and flowed in a completely unexpected direction, eventually leading to the final act.

I couldn’t even imagine what kind of storm would arise if I didn’t knock Rebecca down.

But that’s definitely something to talk about later.

For now, I just closed my eyes.

The warmth of the hand that was still touching mine was comforting, so I started to feel drowsy. Rebecca tried to shake me awake, but…

It’s okay to take a break for now.