A Third-Rate Villain Tries Her Best Today 162

Chapter 162: Faded Memories

It was Acrea.

He stood there, his arms crossed, looking down at her with a cold gaze. Sue vaguely sensed that his doll-like smile wasn’t as frequent as before.

“What… brings you here?”

Sue asked awkwardly, after waiting for him to speak.

“…Sigh.”

Acrea sighed and pulled a chair over to the bedside, sitting down. He took her bandaged hand and drew a small formula on her palm.

Just like he had done on the stone steps that day.

As he infused the formula with magic power, the pain in her forehead and hand vanished.

“Thank you… Master Acrea.”

So this was Acrea’s white magic.

Sue mumbled, touching her forehead in wonder.

‘…Ah, my mind feels clearer too. Is this also the power of white magic…?’

Sue took a deep breath, her head feeling lighter. She could breathe properly now.

“Raines Noel asked me to tell you something.”

“Noel…?”

Sue’s eyes widened. Acrea, still holding her hand, said calmly,

“I forgive you.”

“….”

Tears welled up in Sue’s eyes. She had thought she had cried all the tears she had in the past few days, but apparently not. She wiped her tears with her sleeve.

He knew why she was suffering. He knew why he had rescued her from the abyss.

And yet, he forgave her.

“Master Acrea, Noel is my friend.”

“Yes.”

It was a sudden introduction. But Acrea, unfazed, just agreed with her. His gentle voice soothed her wounded heart.

“He’s my only friend… He’s a really good person…”

Tears streamed down her face, uncontrollably.

Not from fear or guilt, but from the warmth she felt.

***

Full Bloom Academy, as an institution that nurtured ideal nobles, had many facilities to provide its students with a wide range of experiences.

Libraries, training grounds, magic laboratories, tea party rooms, ballrooms, stables, costume rooms, hunting grounds…

There were so many that even the students of Full Bloom couldn’t experience them all before graduating.

And there were probably some who didn’t even know that this particular facility existed.

The Student Tribunal.

It wasn’t a particularly imposing name, but the giant lion statue guarding the entrance made the students lower their heads instinctively.

Only one trial had been held here in the history of the academy. It had been a long time ago, when Atlantis was just beginning, so it was something that only appeared in history books.

And today, the second trial in history was being held at the Student Tribunal.

“Defendant Sue Byron Chiqmefriar, stand before the podium.”

The defendant was Sue Byron Chiqmefriar.

The plaintiffs were Azette Delondariwood and dozens of other students.

The witnesses were also Azette Delondariwood and dozens of other students.

The judges were Grand Duke Fritz, Grand Duke Acrea, and his daughter, Enzhe, who had brought his certificate of authorization.

“This case is a grave matter that could undermine the dignity and sanctity of Full Bloom…”

Sue’s mind finally cleared as she stood alone on the podium. The hazy, heavy fog that had been clouding her mind was swept away, leaving her feeling strangely lightheaded.

‘Ah, I see. This was the “entertainment” that Vercia had offered Enzhe.’

“We pray to God for the eternal glory and blessings of the empire…”

Grand Duke Antique, sitting in the center of the judges’ seats, continued speaking, but his words didn’t reach Sue’s ears.

The gallery was packed with people who had come to witness her punishment.

Had this many people attended “Sue’s” trial?

Had she even been put on trial at the academy?

She couldn’t remember the trial of a third-rate villain.

“I ask you, Viscountess Sue Byron Chiqmefriar, do you admit to your crimes?”

Sue nodded readily at Antique’s question. A murmur rippled through the courtroom.

“Order!”

The commotion subsided instantly. Sue felt strangely detached from the proceedings, as if she were watching a play.

“Then we will call the witnesses…”

Was she going to die like “Sue,” without achieving anything, devoured by a monster?

She stared blankly at the highest point of the courtroom, where the ceiling met the sky, when…

“Your Grace, please have mercy!”

Sue’s father, Eren, suddenly appeared, as if he had popped out of a balloon.

“Who are you?”

“I-I-I’m Viscount Byron, this child’s father!”

Sue stared blankly at Eren, who was kneeling next to her, as a commotion erupted.

So he had come.

Eren pleaded, his hands clasped together.

“Your Grace, please have mercy on my daughter. She’s just a child, a Skia child. She didn’t know what she was doing, so please…”

It had been too late by the time the news had reached Eren. He had been drinking heavily and sleeping soundly on the day the official document had arrived.

He had rushed to the capital, but no one had offered him any help. Even Grand Duke Lopetrefer, whom he had trusted all his life, hadn’t even opened the door for him.

Everyone he had asked for help had said the same thing,

‘Ah, I see… As expected…’

“Silence, you are not a witness.”

Antique said coldly, striking the gavel. But the guards didn’t drag Eren away. As if they were deliberately letting everyone see the father begging next to his daughter.

The witnesses began their testimonies, one after another, leaving Eren, who was prostrating himself on the floor, behind. The fifteen witnesses were quickly replaced, but their testimonies were all consistent and identical. But the last witness, Azette Delondariwood, gave a slightly different testimony.

“I… haven’t been harmed by Lady Byron.”

Her testimony caused a stir in the courtroom.

Why was she defending Sue now? Had there been a backroom deal? But even if Sue was a Byron, a Skia… Well, the Delondariwood family was just a family with a name.

But Azette Delondariwood’s words, defying all the speculation, were also true.

All the witnesses had told the truth. And Sue admitted to all their testimonies.

“Sue Byron Chiqmefriar, you must be punished for your crimes, for harming the sanctity of the academy and the dignity of the citizens of Atlantis. Are you prepared to face the consequences?”

Sue was about to nod obediently at Reeves’s question. She had thought she had no choice but to accept the blame for both “Sue” and herself.

She had even joked to herself that it was her fault for being born into this body, that she should ask Halo for tips on surviving the wasteland.

But then, her eyes met the wicked, beautiful girl sitting in the judges’ seats, and all her resignation, all the humiliation and guilt she had accumulated in her life, all her fear, vanished like dandelion seeds in the wind.

That girl, who had been connected to her by the curse since birth, was now sitting in judgment of her, smiling with amusement.

Why are you there?

The moment that thought crossed her mind, the thread of endurance that had been holding Sue Byron together snapped.

“Haha, what do you want me to do about it?”

Her clear voice, for the first time, echoed through the courtroom.

“Youuu! Sue Byyyron!”

Before the courtroom could even freeze in shock, Eren grabbed Sue by the back of her head and slammed her to the ground.

“Ugh!”

Blood trickled from the healed wound.

“E-even though she’s my daughter… she’s not human! She’s trash!”

He pulled her hair back and started slapping her across the face.

It hurt. It hurt. It had hurt.

“…Hurts.”

“What?”

“I said it hurts, you asshole.”

Sue spat in his face. Her cheeks were burning. She thought about asking Ten for an ice pack when she got back. That was all she could think about.

“Y-you! You…! Youuu!”

It was the climax.

All eyes in the courtroom, the gallery, and the witness stand were on the dysfunctional father and daughter. She could feel their gazes, like they were watching an amusing, cheap play.

Eren, after slapping Sue a few times, prostrated himself on the floor and shouted,

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry for having such a useless daughter!”

He wasn’t apologizing to the children Sue had tortured, nor to the two Grand Dukes sitting in judgment. He was apologizing to a single person, a young lady, much younger than him, not even an adult yet.

Enzhe Lopetrefer.

“T-this girl… She didn’t know her place, she got out of control, I should have disciplined her better, so please… Ugh! W-what… Aaaaaah!”

His pig-like squeal filled the courtroom. This time, it wasn’t because of his daughter’s disrespect, nor because Enzhe had cast a strange spell on him.

Woo Acrea Ire.

The situation took another turn with his sudden appearance.

Eren, his face struck, was speechless, unable to retaliate.

“Y-Young Master Woo, why did you suddenly… Ah, aaaaaah!”

Before Eren could finish his sentence, Acrea’s leg slammed into his face again. Eren, unable to withstand his strength, tumbled to the floor in front of the judges’ seats.

Everyone in the courtroom froze, watching the scene unfold. A different kind of “chill” settled over the room.

It wasn’t over yet.

Acrea walked to the front of the judges’ seats and grabbed Eren by the hair, lifting him up. And then, he started punching him in the face. He didn’t stop.

Just like Eren had hit his daughter. He kept hitting, and hitting.

“What’s going on, Grand Duke Reeves?!”

Antique asked, his face filled with horror, his eyes darting between Reeves and Acrea.

“Hmm, I don’t know… I’ve never heard of this…”

Reeves feigned ignorance, but he was struggling to suppress a smile. He glanced at Enzhe, and her reaction was priceless.

“Stop it, Master Acrea.”

It was Sue Byron’s weak voice that finally stopped Acrea’s rampage.

And then, Enzhe, who had been watching the farce unfold, said in a flat voice,

“It’s not fun.”

And she left the courtroom.