TBVL 04

The Villainess Who Was Betrayed Is Looking for Someone to Have Her Back – Chapter 4

The man was burning with a high fever, and on top of that, he was suffering from a whole collection of unknown abnormal conditions.

Night was falling, and there was no way he could get up on his own.

Winter nights here were brutally cold.

“This is really bad.”

That was the conclusion I reached after dragging him beside my bed and giving him a thorough examination.

“Let’s see… once I add the Tentil Powder… there.”

A cauldron was filled with the purple liquid I had prepared to treat him.

It only needed to cool before it was finished.

After pouring the potion into a specially treated bottle, I returned to the man’s side.

“This is one nasty illness.”

“…Or is it poison?”

---

Status: ???. Common cold, unconscious due to extreme pain. Pain still remains. Forehead injury.

---

I quietly read through the status displayed beneath him.

“Pain that begins in the heart and spreads to every extremity… starting like being stabbed all over with needles before gradually turning into the sensation of being cut with blades and burned by fire…”

“…Ugh. How is anyone supposed to endure that?”

“Mm… hn…”

Cold sweat covered the man’s forehead.

Watching him for a moment, I slowly smiled.

“I don’t know who you are, but you’re lucky.”

“Thank goodness there’s a crazy alchemist living here, don’t you think?”

Naturally, there was no answer.

“I think it’s ready.”

The potion had cooled.

It wasn’t a perfect cure, but it was more than enough to deal with the immediate danger.

It didn’t matter how it entered the body, but drinking it was the most effective method.

I gently shook the man.

His tightly closed eyes slowly opened halfway, revealing the vivid blue irises hidden beneath.

The sight drew an involuntary gasp from me.

Black hair.

A tiny beauty mark beneath one eye.

Everything about him carried an irresistibly seductive charm.

He was unbelievably handsome.

His blue eyes sparkled as though they held the sky itself.

They were mesmerizing.

Then—

“Huh?”

A powerful force pulled me forward.

His face was suddenly inches from mine.

His arms wrapped tightly around my waist and back.

I had thought he was handsome.

That didn’t mean I wanted to admire him from this close.

Startled by the sudden embrace, my eyes widened.

“Have you lost your mind? Let go!”

“Just… just a moment…”

The man barely managed to mumble the words before clinging to me even more tightly.

I could feel his warm breath against the back of my neck.

His heartbeat echoed clearly through our bodies.

His heart was pounding as though it would burst.

Maybe I really had been enchanted by him.

The strength gradually left the hands that had been trying to push him away.

---

Time quietly passed.

Rain tapped steadily against the roof, mixed with the sound of his uneven breathing.

“What is this situation… seriously?”

At my muttering, his body trembled slightly.

I could feel every movement through our touching bodies.

It felt unfamiliar.

But…

I didn’t want to push him away.

A stranger.

The first person to exist in this place besides me.

And the warmth of another human being…

Something I hadn’t felt in a very long time.

As though I had stolen the energy from his heart, my own quiet heartbeat gradually began to quicken as well.

Little by little…

Our heartbeats fell into the same rhythm.

He clung to me desperately, like someone taking his first proper breath after being born.

Patting him gently, I spoke.

“Hey.”

“I don’t mind hugging a handsome man…”

“But if I don’t treat you right now, you’re going to be in serious trouble.”

“So drink this first, and then we can talk, okay?”

At those words, some of the strength left his arms.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, I carefully created a little distance between us before picking up the potion beside me.

Now his face was only about a foot away.

His dazed blue eyes slowly followed the bottle as I waved it in front of him.

He looked just like a cat.

Still sitting blankly, his eyes moved from side to side before his lips finally parted.

“…Poison?”

“…”

Should I kill him?

I could tolerate people insulting me.

But insulting my potions?

Never.

Smiling brightly, I grabbed him by the collar.

The strange atmosphere that had filled the room shattered in an instant.

“Are you kidding me?”

“Did you just call something I made poison?”

“Want me to show you what real poison looks like?”

The man still seemed trapped somewhere between dreams and reality.

As another wave of pain struck him, he frowned and held his head.

His other hand, however, still refused to let go of my waist.

“…A dream.”

“It’s not a dream!”

“Apologize!”

“I said apologize!”

“How dare you insult my potion?!”

After seriously muttering such ridiculous nonsense, the man suddenly curled the corner of his lips into a faint smile.

Then, at the same time…

His blue eyes rolled back.

The strength completely disappeared from his arms.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake! Don’t die on me!”

His fading consciousness slipped away once again.

I could feel the Aether inside his body surging wildly.

Panicking, I hurriedly moved my hands.

“Mmph!”

“You’re trying to spit it out without even knowing what it is…”

“It’s not poison, so swallow.”

“This thing is worth an entire gold bar, you know?”

Perhaps he actually heard me.

The struggling man gradually settled down.

Only after watching his throat move as he swallowed did I finally relax and let go.

The violently turbulent Aether inside him slowly calmed.

As if to prove it, the status window changed.

---

Status: ???. Sleeping. Mild cold. Mild pain.

---

“See?”

“It’s incredibly effective.”

“Don’t ever forget this.”

“I saved your life.”

“And debts like that are meant to be repaid.”

“So make sure you repay me.”

I looked at the status window with satisfaction.

His breathing had become steady.

The deep wrinkles caused by pain had eased from between his brows.

It was unfortunate that I hadn’t completely eliminated the pain.

But considering I had brewed the potion based solely on the information in the status window, without a proper examination, this was already an overwhelming success.

“See?”

“I told you the medicine works wonders.”

“So why doubt me?”

“Honestly…”

Looking at his peacefully sleeping face, I couldn’t help remembering the way his eyes had followed the potion like a curious cat.

“…I’ll let it slide this once.”

Still…

Why had he clung to me the moment he opened his eyes?

Now that the urgent matter had passed, the question naturally came to mind.

But it wasn’t something I could answer right now.

So I set it aside.

What mattered was something else.

Even after two years of isolation…

My abilities hadn’t dulled in the slightest.

A wave of pride filled my chest.

Straightening my back, I let out an exaggerated laugh.

“Mwahahaha!”

Meanwhile, the man remained fast asleep.

Touching his forehead, I found that the burning fever had finally subsided.

“Hah…”

“You really did it again today, Violetta.”

“You were amazing.”

It was the first time in a long while that I had felt so accomplished.

“I’ll put all of this on your tab.”

“Even animals know how to repay kindness.”

“So if you’re human…”

“You’ll repay it too.”

Surely.

I found myself humming.

Only a few hours ago, my future had consisted of nothing but this old cabin and the friends who would someday come to visit me.

Now…

Everything felt different.

Since I had already decided to leave this place, I believed that the kindness I offered today would one day return to me as kindness from someone else.

“Oh.”

“I should check that too.”

The moment I first saw him, one thought had entered my mind.

How did he get in here?

Only one thing could explain someone walking into a place that no unauthorized person should ever be able to enter.

There’s something wrong with the barrier.

If that was true…

I had to see it with my own eyes.

Putting my rain cloak back on, I headed outside.

If the barrier had truly weakened…

Then what I needed to do was obvious.

Escape.

“As far as I remember…”

“This was the edge of the barrier.”

A tree branch with an old strip of cloth tied around it hung low.

After nearly dying once because I had unknowingly wandered too close to the barrier, I had tied bits of cloth here and there as markers to keep myself from crossing it by mistake.

As I approached the barrier…

A chilling sensation crawled across my entire body.

Rubbing my arms, I slowly looked around.

I was searching for something I could throw beyond the barrier.