How To Live As An Academy Extra Villain

116 – Ellie (2)

The place Ellie mentioned was a small city called Haros. It was located between the academy and the capital, and it took almost a day of riding to arrive.

Before I knew it, the sun was setting, and lights were flickering in various places in the fortress.

When I arrived at the inn called the “Charred Donkey,” which Eli mentioned, I saw a middle-aged man with a massive build standing at the entrance. He stopped me from entering the inn.

“Halt…no, stop. Today, our superiors have rented out this inn. There are other inns nearby, so please use those instead…”

“I didn’t come here to stay. My friend is staying at this inn, and I’ll leave as soon as I finish my business.”

The man listened to my words and seemed to recall something. He softened his attitude slightly and asked me again.

“Um…may I know your friend’s name…cough. Please?”

“Her name is Eli. She has brown hair and is around the same age as me…”

“Oh, my apologies. You are our lady’s guest. Just wait a moment.”

The man turned his attention from me and lightly knocked on the wooden door. Although he knocked lightly, the door shook as if it could break at any moment. After a while, the door creaked open.

“Please knock gently as I asked. Both of you are already so touchy…”

A young woman emerged from inside. She glared at the middle-aged man and irritably asked.

“Be careful. More importantly, Keysha, take a look at the guest. They say they’re our lady’s friend.”

The woman called Keysha finally recognized me. She quickly turned her head towards me and muttered something dissatisfied.

“Tsk…! No wonder our lady would be obsessed. Hey, if you’re Edwin-sama, you must have proof. Show it.”

I couldn’t say that Keisha’s attitude towards me was good, even if it was just empty words. But now is not the time to nitpick such trivial things.

I handed Keisha the token that Ellie had enclosed in the letter. Keisha placed the token on her palm and blew mana into it.

“…I made it right. So this side is done. Excuse me for a moment.”

“…What…”

Before I could even question her, Keisha began her next action. She casually waved her hand towards the empty space, and her mana penetrated me. Every pore in my body was blocked by mana, making it extremely difficult to breathe.

“Just hold on for a moment. It’ll be over soon. No bypass flow… none. No abnormal tampering… none. No external interference channel… none. It’s done.”

As Keisha withdrew her hand, the suffocating feeling disappeared in an instant. She must have projected her own mana and gone through some kind of security procedure.

But to project mana without even touching it directly, to instantly seize control of my body’s mana, her skill is quite remarkable.

Does such a skilled person really need to work under Ellie as a maid?

A certain suspicion gradually rises from the depths like bubbles.

“Follow me.”

Keisha opened the door of the inn and nodded her head. As I tried to follow her, a middle-aged man placed his hand on my shoulder and tapped it lightly. There seemed to be a hint of pity in his gaze.

-Bang!

“Ah, I told you to close it gently… that human is really…”

As the sound of the door closing filled the room, Keisha let out a sigh in a hysterical voice.

“Where is Ellie?”

“…You’ll be able to meet her soon. However, there are people who should meet the Master first.”

“…Who?”

“…”

Keisha didn’t answer my question. But as we left the passage and reached the main hall, I soon found out who they were.

Even though the sun had already set, there were only a few candles illuminating the spacious hall. On a dimly lit table, there were only two people sitting.

Among them, a man with brown hair and a messy beard stood up when he saw us. His pupils were the same green color as Ellie’s.

“I have brought Master Edwin Reed.”

“Thank you. You may leave now. If there’s any work, I’ll call for you…”

“…Understood.”

[[SOURCE 1]]

Keisha bowed her back neatly and then disappeared in an instant like a shadow. The image of the man who had come closer fluctuated under the flickering candlelight. A deep and sticky weariness clung to his entire face, darker than the darkness itself.

“Nice to meet you… I mean… cough…”

“…Please feel free to speak comfortably. I don’t want to receive such formalities from a friend’s father.”

“…I appreciate your consideration. I am Varion, Eli’s father. And this is my wife, Clothene Lese.”

“Pleased to meet you. I am Edwin Reed.”

“Nice to meet you…”

Eli’s mother nodded her head lightly in response to the greeting. Her hair and eyes, even in the darkness, shone like gold. However, she couldn’t hide the sorrow that emanated even in her short words.

There was something familiar about Mrs. Clothene’s appearance. It seemed that Eli had inherited the color of her father and the beauty of her mother quite well.

“We must have been quite bewildering to you, receiving Eli’s letter and finding us here. I apologize for that.”

“It’s alright. But where is Eli?”

“…Eli is in the upstairs room. You will be able to see her soon. Before you see Eli, however, there is one thing you should keep in mind.”

“Hm…”

While speaking, Varion’s weariness deepened even further. Mrs. Clothene couldn’t hold it in any longer and let out a small cry, as if she couldn’t take it anymore.

They all showed signs that could not be considered normal. Sinister imaginations that had been pushed aside were beginning to resurface. My heart beat in accordance with it, slowly intensifying.

Unable to speak, Varion hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.

“…The healer said so. Eli… won’t survive for more than three days.”

And the moment I heard those words, a sound like a massive rock falling echoed within my chest.

***

“That… What…”

I couldn’t bring myself to speak properly. But whether he understood my demanding eyes or not, Varion continued speaking.

“…It’s literal. Eli… was poisoned… and couldn’t find an antidote…”

“Crying… Oh God… our child…”

Mrs. Clothene’s sobbing became even louder. Varion patted her shoulder, but even that couldn’t console someone else’s grief.

“Eli is struggling even with the smallest movement. Even a slight touch on the skin brings immediate agony. Coming all the way here, she had to endure excruciating pain. As parents… we accompanied her on her last journey…”

“Poison… How did this happen…”

Varion was speechless. Lady Clothine was on the verge of sobbing. But what I wanted from him was an explanation from the other side.

“…Do you happen to know the identity of the poison? If you don’t know the name, maybe the color or smell…”

“…I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can tell you…”

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“…It’s the basilisk’s venom…”

Instead of the perplexed Varion, it was Lady Clothine who answered my question.

“Ee… Clothine…”

“Sob… As our happiness fades… what else can I hide… and that child doesn’t deserve to know…?”

It was hard to regain my senses from the shock when I first heard about Ely’s remaining life. To think that our long-awaited reunion would turn into such a sudden farewell.

But as I listened to Lady Clothine’s explanation, a small ray of light began to illuminate my heart instead.

If what poisoned Ely was truly the basilisk’s venom, it was understandable to think that there was no antidote. If my memory serves me right, there was a setting that stated there was no way to detoxify it in proportion to the difficulty of obtaining it.

But I knew of a potion that fell outside of that category. Furthermore, a complete vial of that potion was right here in my possession.

I always carried an elixir in case of emergencies. And, of course, this time I brought it with me without forgetting.

If I think of it as being careless and leaving it behind… just imagining what would follow sends shivers down my spine.

The question of how Ely ended up involved in this didn’t leave my mind. But everything else happened after Ely was saved.

Now all that remained in my mind was the desire to relieve Ely of their suffering. I couldn’t begin to fathom how much pain Ely had gone through.

“I must see Ely. Before it’s too late…”

“That’s the plan. If you go up those stairs, it’s the room at the end…”

Varion nodded in response to my words. As I walked up the stairs he pointed to, I saw a woman standing in the hallway. She was standing guard in front of the room Varion mentioned.

There was something familiar about her appearance. It was Eda, the woman who delivered a letter to me two days ago.

Eda recognized me and gave a slight bow.

“…The lady is waiting inside.”

Eda knocked on the door twice. As she gently turned the doorknob, the door opened silently. The room was filled with darkness, as black as midnight, without even a flickering candle.

As I stepped into the room, a familiar and tender voice weakly greeted me.

“…Ed…ya…?”

“…Ely…”

The sound of labored breathing echoed faintly.