82: The Villainess Pays Herself a Visit
No matter how many times I explained, Anita’s misunderstanding didn’t go away.
“I’m sorry for not being able to accompany you on your heartbroken trip.”
“Like I said, it’s just sightseeing!”
[It’s okay, Anita! I will support Nora!]
No, like I said—never mind.
It was useless anyway.
And so, winter vacation began.
It was supposed to be a long holiday to celebrate the New Year, but I robbed Cecily from spending her precious time with her family.
[It’s not like I’ll do anything if I went back to my parents’ house now. Besides, it seems like Anita is going to go on training for her new job right after the New Year. Don’t worry about it.]
I wondered if she was being considerate, or if she was simply enjoying the trip.
As usual, I pretended to know Cecily better than anyone, but in truth, I didn’t really understand her.
Even now, I had only discovered that she could ride stagecoach, so I left my body to her.
Enjoying the slowly passing scenery and conversations with the people she rode with, Cecily seemed to make the most of her boring time.
“My grandfather lives here, so I come to visit him every now and then, but what brought you to such a remote place, Young Lady?”
“I am researching the history of this area for a school assignment.”
“Ah, about that wicked witch… was it? She turned this place into a snowy mountain.”
“The Incorrigible Villainess, you mean?”
Cecily went out of her way to correct him, but I thought it’d have been better if I had such a notorious reputation.
Anyway, Cecily used me to kill time.
[Hey, hey, it’s really cold here now and not very prosperous, but what was it like 800 years ago?]
It may not be exactly prosperous now… but it used to be a lot busier. It was an ore producing area, and I think miners and researchers used to come here a lot. Just before I was sealed away, the scarcity of resources started to become an issue, so it seems like they conveniently blamed it on me.
Moreover, it was also the land where said Incorrigible Villainess was sealed away, so people probably stopped coming here out of fear of miasma. In another 800 years, the climate would change. The temperature of the sea must’ve risen due to the demolishing of mountains, and as a result, the cold air from the North had started to flow in… but well, talking about that would just bore Cecily.
[Nora, you’ve been all alone in a place like this for so long…]
It wasn’t such a bad 800 years…
Because if it hadn’t been for those 800 years, I’d never have met Cecily.
I leaned out of the carriage and looked at the distant snowy mountains.
There laid the real me, Nora Noz.
We got off the carriage and walked for half a day.
Cecily’s stamina and courage to get there despite the poor footing were truly impressive.
Why couldn’t I bring out even a bit of her athletic ability?
[Are you still hung up about tennis?]
Honestly, if I had used magic to move Cecily’s body, I think I could’ve done better.
[You mean, move my body like a puppet?]
Don’t worry, I won’t… huh?
[What’s wrong, Nora?]
At that moment, I realized something.
Wait, the entrance to the cave is open…
The cliff should have collapsed about a hundred years after it was sealed?
Instead, there was a large hole in the mountainside.
Furthermore, the snow had even been trampled down enough that even a girl could walk through it easily.
“Then, Nora is in trouble?!”
Cecily shouted and ran off with big strides.
Wait, Cecily!
Even though I called out to her to stop, I already knew. At this point, Cecily wasn’t going to stop.
So, I frantically chased after her while gritting my teeth.
Why was the inside of a cave that no one had set foot in for 800 years lit by magical light?
The light went on to the very back—to me, Nora Noz.
“Nora!”
There, an 800-years-old woman was sleeping inside a crystal. Her hair was white and dry, her limbs were as shabby as dead twigs, her belly was poking out, and…
Well… I knew it’d be like that…
I could only face reality and smirk.
Well, I had called upon magic from this body so many times, so I guess it was my own fault.
It seemed that I didn’t even have three months left to live.
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