Chapter 34 - The magic was cancelled (2/2)

“There was no helping it, it was the only way I could get someone with a forbidden magic to help me. But, in order for everything to end safely, I can’t let you who has such a dangerous power like dark magic just simply return home.”

To the marchioness who was smiling at the man in black as if to say it should have been obvious, he had a frightful glare.

“……Curses, curses……… I’ll never forgive you…… I swear I’ll take your social statuses and power away from you all…… I’ll definitely cast you all down to hell……”

The hand he had stretched out touched my foot slightly.

“What’s all this from a person who’s about to die. You guys, hurry up and finish him off.”

And so, swords pierced the man in black even deeper than last time…… And he died.

Also, at the same time, the real Sirius Deek passed away on the cold floor.

And so, I began living as Sirius Deek.

I’ll live as Sirius Deek for now, and I swore that I would definitely take my revenge on the Deek family that treated me as nothing but a tool and stole my mother’s life away from me.

It was after I had already lived as Sirius Deek for some time when I noticed my mysterious powers. I was able to see into people’s hearts and minds, and manipulate them as well. That was the power of dark magic. Honestly, I didn’t know why I had this power at all, but since it’s very useful, I’m more than happy to have it.

And so, I lived only for revenge, and as time passed, I met her.

She said the same thing as my mother that I loved so much, and even had a gentle smile that was so much like my mother, Katarina Claes.

After meeting her, my heart became greatly shaken.

That’s why, I decided to get rid of Katarina. I used an eternal sleep dark magic spell on her, and planned to take away her life.

……However, the magic that should have been impossible to dispel was cancelled.

When I came to see how Maria was doing in the secret room, I learned about the magic being cancelled from her.

Even though it was a situation where I should have been extremely agitated, I was very relieved for some reason. The magic on Katarina was cancelled, with this she’ll be saved. That’s great, is what I thought.

And, if Katarina’s awake now, everyone probably knows about me now…… If that’s the case they’ll be coming to capture me.

“You can’t let yourself be captured here! In order to fulfill our revenge, you have to run away!” The other me was insisting with all his might, but……

At this point, if I’m caught and everything ends, that’ll be fine, is what I thought.

“Did you forget your mother’s last words?” The other me used that on me again, and my feelings wavered a little……

“Please take revenge……” Mother’s last words - I had always been living on in order to fulfill my mother’s last request.

But…… I’m already so tired. I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore.

If the information about me is told to the school officials, the knowledge of this secret room that the Deek family is hiding will probably be exposed as well.

At first this secret room had been created at magic school hidden away in the forest in order to research dubious magics in order to save Sirius’s life, and after that it became a place to research dark magic.

The place where my mother’s life was stolen, and where my identity was killed. If this is where everything will end…… It might just be fate.

That’s why, I’ll just wait in this secret room. For my destruction to come -

They came faster for me than I thought they would.

I was able to sense that people had entered the room where Maria had been locked up. Since the room I’m in is in the basement and there’s a thick door as well as a passage of stairs between the rooms, I wasn’t able to tell exactly what was going on, but I knew that people had entered.

Finally, they’ve saved Maria, and the school officials that have come to capture me have arrived.

The other me was saying “you can still escape! Use dark magic on everyone!” and kept shouting at me, but…… I just quietly waited for everything to end.

And so, I heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs, and the door to this room opened.

I had thought that it would be armed school officials who entered the door, but when I recognized the person who had come in, I involuntarily froze up.

I had already predicted that the student council members such as Jared Stuart and Keith Claes might come. They idolized her so much, and it would be natural that they would want to capture me who had tried to take away her life with their own hands.

However…… I kept staring at the person in front of me. Why is this person here right now, I had no idea whatsoever.

Even though I said such malicious things right to her face, and tried to take away her life with magic…… Why is she appearing in front of me again……

“……Why are you here?”

She answered my question absentmindedly.

“The sleeping magic has been cancelled out.”

Without any change in her attitude at all, Katarina was in front of me.

It can’t be, did she forget the things I did to her in the garden……

“That’s not it! Obviously the magic’s been cancelled out! ……Meeting my eyes like this, why are you appearing in front of such a me again!”

“Ahh, that’s what you meant. I don’t really think that you did anything that terrible to me.”

Just like usual, Katarina was talking like it was nothing. Even though I had tried to kill her, what on earth does she mean.

Is she just that naturally optimistic and stupid, or does she have such a forgiving heart like a saint. Or is it simply that -

“……You, do you not understand what I’ve done to you?”

When I asked her, Katarina replied with -

“No, I understand it properly. You used dark magic to make me sleep, right?”

She answered with something obvious.

“That’s right! And I was trying to take away your life!”

Since Katarina has a hard time comprehending things, I said it directly, but……

“Mmm~. That’s a lie.”

“……A lie, you say……”

“I mean, if you had really intended to kill me, it would have been much easier to just kill me right there while I was asleep.”

“………”

At Katarina who still hadn’t changed and was saying stuff as if it should be obvious…… I was completely lost for words.

……Indeed, it’s as Katarina says. At that time, rather than going through all the trouble of using sleeping dark magic, it would have been much easier to just kill her right there.

But…… I didn’t do that…… No, I couldn’t do it. I, I’m actually -

“I came here because I wanted to properly talk to president one more time.”

“……Talk……”

Exactly what is this girl saying……

“That’s right. At that time, president…… Had such a painful expression on your face…… And because you were crying…… That’s why, one more time, I would like for you to hear me out……”

Her light blue eyes were looking directly at me. I felt a pain in my chest, and I had difficulty breathing. My heart was in a mess.

“……You hypocrite…… So what you’re saying is, you’re going to save me like how you’ve saved everyone else? Saint Katarina Claes-sama.”

Before I realized it, I had already said those things involuntarily.

Even though she knows nothing about me…… What could a girl who’s grown up so happily in a wealthy duke’s family know about me.

If Katarina Claes says “I’ll save you” right here and now…… I’ll definitely scorn the hubris of the noble girl who was so favored with fortune and raised so preciously.

However…… Katarina said the exact opposite of what I thought she would.

“That’s not possible!”

Katarina was looking directly at me.

“After all, I’m not the heroine. I’m just an evil villainess rival character, there’s no way I can save anyone!”

It can’t be, to be saying it’s “not possible” so clearly……

I have no idea about anything Katarina Claes is thinking at all. I just stared at the girl in front of me in a daze. Then -

“Although I can’t save you from your suffering, but…… But, I can stay by your side.”

Katarina smiled at me gently as she said so.

“If I’m by your side, when you’re sad, or having a hard time I can listen to you, and be together with you until you’re feeling better again.

That’s the same as what my mother would tell me. I didn’t want her to worry so I hid while crying by myself, that’s what mother said as she hugged me.

At Katarina’s words, when I remembered this, something burst in my head. It felt like as if a mist had lifted and everything was clear in my head again.

In truth, I had always had some doubts. For “please, take revenge” to have been my mother’s last words…… I had wondered if my gentle mother who was always worried about me more than herself had really left those words.

And now, I can clearly remember it. Mother didn’t leave that as her last words -

That’s right. Why did I make a mistake like this? My mother’s true last dying words were -

“……Please… Live, survive, be happy…… I love you……”

That’s right, my mother would never want something like revenge. In her final moments, my mother had wished for me to live on and be happy. That’s why I had thought that I must survive at any cost.

Before I realized it, Katarina had gotten close to me.

“That’s why, don’t cry by yourself.”

Katarina smiled gently and reached her hand out to me. For some reason, I had trouble seeing. My cheeks were also wet.

“Let’s go together - Rafael.”

Rafael, that’s my real name. The important, important name that my mother gave me.

I took the hand that was proffered to me…… Then……

“Oi, what are you doing. Don’t listen to anything this bastard tells you! What’s more, be on your guard and don’t get close to her. At this rate, if you take her hostage and escape, you’ll still be able to run!” The other me in my head was yelling angrily at me.

I answered the other me.

“I won’t do something like that. I don’t want something like revenge anymore!”

“……W, what!”

To the other me who seemed daunted, I asked a question.

“Anyways, who are you?”

I had always agreed with the other me who talked of nothing but revenge up until now. He was also the one who had told me my mother’s last words.

However…… Mother’s last words that I had heard from him had been a lie. This guy was deceiving me and trying to use me. The other me had twisted my mother’s final words in order to goad me into seeking revenge. I’ve finally noticed. This person isn’t me.

When I was certain of this, the other person that I had always thought was also me, finally revealed his true form.

The other me…… That I had thought was me…… This person was - a man dressed entirely in black…… The man in black who brought death to my mother on that day……

“……So you’ve realized it……”

The man in black smiled sardonically.

“……You’ve been manipulating me all this time by pretending to be me.”

On that day, this man had touched me before he died. At that time, he must have used dark magic on me, in order to plant his own consciousness within mine and manipulate me. And, he twisted my memory of my mother’s last words.

“I was only lending you a hand to help you fulfill your own wish.”

The man in black spoke with great venom.

“……Indeed, I also hate those guys very much. ……But, I didn’t survive for the purpose of something like revenge! I survived in order to become happy!”

That’s right, my mother’s last wish - was for me to survive in order to become happy.

……That’s why, I have to erase the existence of this man.

The girl in front of me has overturned everything with a lack of common sense that defies even dark magic.

“It’s alright.”

Katarina’s warm hands enveloped mine.

I looked at the man in black in my mind, and strongly said “I’m done with revenge. Your existence isn’t necessary anymore.”

“Damnit…… Who do you think it was that helped your weakling self up to this point…… You traitor……”

As he spat that out at me…… The man in black disappeared.

When I raised my face, I saw Katarina smiling gently at me.