The Knight Who Broke Off Our Engagement and Told Me to Never Show My Face Again Still Clings to Me Today, Even Though I Was Possessed and Turned Into a Villainess for Ten Years - 33 - The Truth – Part 2

“I thought I could live a fun and carefree life forever… and then suddenly, I returned to my old body. It’s the worst.”

Tabatha said that and let out a deep sigh. I bit my lip, holding back the urge to shout at her. I still had more to ask.

But Rufus, standing beside me, seemed even more upset than I was. The story about the archbishop must’ve shocked him, especially because of his deep connection to the temple and his family.

“If used right, that magic tool could let someone take over an entire country. But we never wanted something like that.”

She gave a bitter laugh and added, “Not that any of us had the brains to pull off something like that anyway.”

“I just hated and envied those born into noble families. They live their whole lives in peace and luxury, without any care in the world.”

“…!”

“So I decided to take everything.”

She said it like it was no big deal, letting out another big yawn. She really believed it was only fair that someone born into a blessed life should be made miserable instead.

Something that can change the laws of the world like that—such a thing shouldn’t exist. And people like her should never have gotten their hands on it.

“But could something like that really be hidden for so long? Even the Ministry of Magic didn’t seem to know about it…”

I said without thinking, and Rufus quickly replied, “It’s possible.”

“If the temple has enough power to stand against the royal family, then they could definitely hide something like that. I mean, don’t you think it’s strange? The rumor that the pope has been alive since the founding of the kingdom?”

“Yeah…”

“If he’s been using that tool to live longer, then his sudden death makes sense. Most likely, the archbishop got greedy and stole the tool from him.”

Rufus said that and covered his mouth with his hand.

“This… this can’t be allowed. If it’s true, then many people must’ve been sacrificed to keep the pope alive.”

“…!”

This is no longer just about us. It could affect the whole country—maybe even the whole world.

Tabatha, who had been listening to our conversation, stretched her arms casually and said, “Can I sleep now?”

“How do we return to our original bodies?”

“Who knows? No one ever explained it to us. We never needed to return, so we didn’t even think about it. We don’t even know why we were suddenly switched back.”

If even they didn’t know, then the only way might be to use that magic tool again.

“Where is the tool now?”

“I think Mabel has it. But she’s not going to give it up easily.”

As frustrating as it was, Tabatha was right. Mabel was clearly no easy opponent.

Then Lord Kevin told us it was getting late and we should stop for the day, and I nodded in agreement.

…So much had happened in just one day. I was exhausted. I’d rescued Norman and Eliza safely—there was no need to push myself any more.

As the three of us headed toward the exit, I heard a voice behind me. I turned around and saw Tabatha staring straight at me.

“Hey, can I ask just one thing?”

“What is it?”

“How did you find that place?”

“…I heard it from Lord Lloyd.”

When I said that, Tabatha looked like she was about to cry for just a moment. I turned my back to her and left the dungeon.

◇◇◇

“Lord Kevin, thank you for staying up so late. And thank you for handling Tabatha as well.”

“Please don’t worry about it. Most importantly, you were able to rescue your friends. Make sure you don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Yes, thank you very much.”

Without that magic tool, it’ll be hard to convince anyone even if we try to report this. But if we can just take it from the woman named Mabel, who’s inside Eliza’s body, then we’ll finally see a way to solve everything.

…Anyway, for now, I need to stop thinking and just get some rest. I decided that and was just about to leave the manor when—

“Let me take you home.”

“Huh? It’s okay, Tim’s with me.”

“…I just… want to talk.”

His voice sounded like he was begging. I nodded right away. I owed Rufus more than I could ever repay. I was willing to listen to anything he wanted.

Soon, I got into the carriage he had waiting, and Tim followed behind us.

As soon as the carriage started moving and we sat facing each other, Rufus bowed his head deeply.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

“You went through ten years of pain and I never noticed. And then, after you came back to your body… I treated you so badly. I know saying sorry isn’t enough.”

“R-Rufus, it’s not your fault! Even my parents didn’t realize it. No one knew body-switching was even possible—there’s no way you could’ve known.”

The Tabatha who was inside me had clearly done something awful to him. He was a victim too. There was no reason to blame him.

I asked him to lift his head and took his hand as he looked so pained.

“Thanks to you, I was able to save two very important friends. Thank you, Rufus.”

“…Yeah.”

“By the way, before we went to rescue them, you said you had something to ask me after. What was it?”

He had tried to say something before we left to rescue Eliza and Norman. If it was something I could do, I wanted to help.

But even though he looked like he wanted to say something, he just said it was nothing and didn’t tell me.

“If you ever go see Kevin again, let me know.”

“Okay. Rufus, you’re really kind.”

“…I’m not kind.”

Rufus gave a troubled smile for some reason when he said that.

After we arrived at the manor, I checked to make sure Norman and Eliza were still okay, got ready for bed in a rush, collapsed onto the bed, and fell asleep instantly.

And while I slept like a rock through the night, I was woken up the next morning by the news that Gerald had arrived.