A World Where You All Are The Villains - Chapter 54.2
At that moment.
Craack—!
Suddenly, the grip on my shoulder tightened with bone-crushing force.
“…Ah!”
“I’m so angry, I can’t stand it. That look in your eyes.”
“It hurts! Let go of me—!”
“The way you look at me… nghh!”
Then, mumbling incoherently like a monk caught in the rain, Dylan collapsed without warning.
“Dylan!”
Startled, I called his name before I realized it.
Thud!
Just like in the days when he was my attendant, he sank down on one knee.
“Ugh…!”
Because he still had my shoulder in his grip, I had to hunch awkwardly forward.
Our faces were suddenly close.
Close enough that our noses might touch, my eyes locked with Dylan’s.
But it didn’t feel like he was really looking at me.
His pupils had lost focus, no longer ashen, but stained pitch-black with miasma.
Drip, drip.
Black veins began crawling grotesquely across his handsome face.
Plop.
At last, a drop of black tear spilled from one of Dylan’s eyes.
And then.
98% 99%
The number floating above his head shot up without a sound.
I felt like crying.
I was so sick of this.
“If you want to die, then die alone, please!”
“……”
“So why the hell do you keep clinging to me like a drowning wretch, dragging me down with you, you lunatic…!”
I grabbed his collar and cursed at him.
But I knew there was no other choice.
He still wouldn’t let go, and I couldn’t afford to get dragged into his rampage and die here.
“…Purify.”
In the end, swallowing my bitterness, I whispered the word.
At once, my palms burned hot as if set aflame.
Fwooooshhh—!
A brilliant green light burst forth.
The alley was instantly filled with the refreshing scent of phytoncides.
Whooooshhh…
The glow surged, wrapping around Dylan’s entire body.
91% 87%
The rampage meter that had neared 100% began to plummet.
72% 64%
The more the green light devoured the black energy, the faster the gauge dropped until it reached 60%.
But I didn’t stop there.
‘He doesn’t even seem to realize the state his body’s in.’
Compared to Male Lead #4 at the same 95%, the difference was obvious.
That bastard Serge had clearly been aware of how far the miasma had eroded him.
He’d been precise enough to control his power so delicately that even the mana stones hadn’t registered a fluctuation.
Even right before his nosebleed, his expression hadn’t wavered once.
In other words, he’d had excellent control over himself, immune to outside influences.
Dylan, on the other hand, was a mystery.
I still couldn’t tell what had triggered him.
He’d raised his voice more than usual, sure, but he hadn’t lashed out violently like Eston had.
Even as he said he couldn’t stand his anger, his face had remained calm.
He was clearly dulled to both his body and his emotions.
With the subjugation ahead, I resolved to put an end to this for good, so I wouldn’t have to deal with this nightmare again.
55% 49%
At last, the gauge fell below half.
That much, I could confidently call safe territory.
The pupils that had turned black, the veins that had surfaced on his skin… all had returned to normal.
Flash—!
Even the endless stream of nosebleed stopped.
Satisfied, I finally released the hand clutching his collar.
The green light encasing him faded away.
Thunk.
The hand that had been gripping my shoulder dropped limply.
“……”
Dylan, his expression no different from before the rampage, quietly closed his eyes.
Then, like a puppet with its strings cut, he collapsed.
Naturally, I dodged quickly.
Thud—!
He hit the dirt face-first with a heavy crash.
I didn’t even have the energy to laugh at his misfortune.
“Ugh, my head…”
Perhaps because I’d used my ability longer than usual, my condition was awful.
My stomach churned, and my shoulder throbbed from his grip.
But I still had things to do.
Holding my forehead, I slowly crouched down.
I checked every part of his armor.
But no matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find a single scrap of cloth to wipe with.
“…How is it you’re nothing but a nuisance, even to the very end? Am I your nanny? Do you think a ducal lady’s a joke?”
Grumbling every complaint under the sun, I reluctantly used the sleeve of my robe to scrub at his face.
I wanted to just leave him, but I couldn’t risk leaving clear evidence of a rampage behind.
‘Can’t even use this as proof, damn it.’
Thankfully, the robe was black, so the dark stains didn’t show.
At last, the grimy traces faded, revealing his handsome features again.
And then, suddenly, dizziness overtook me, my vision warping.
― Ugh… Edith, Edith…!
― Yes, Dylan. I’m here.
― Ahh, Edith… please… please save me…
And then, a strange vision vividly flashed before my eyes.
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