Published at 1st of February 2021 11:32:40 AM
Chapter 112
Grandpa Will, after revealing his identity, had sent us off without fanfare . He told us to come back again later, and with that Gilles and I quickly left the village .
Despite having already realized his identity at some point along the way, the moment that he told us his full name my arms broke out in goosebumps . To think that this is what he meant when he said he used to work for the royal palace… .
So many questions flooded my mind that I wanted to ask him, but in the end Gilles and I did as Grandpa Will suggested and left without saying anything .
Gilles and I were both lost in thought on the way back so neither of us spoke as we walked . And by the time we reached the house, it was still ungodly early so I decided to return to my little cabin for a bit .
Gilles also said he had some things to take care of in his room and trotted off into the mansion as I was turning to leave .
And now I’m back in the little hut I’ve called home for the last two years . The first thing I did when I came in was throw myself down on the bed . It’s so early and yet I feel like so many things have already happened today .
Gilles… . . I wonder just how much his intelligence has grown after all this time? There seemed to be even more wisdom than before swirling in those gray eyes of his .
As for me, I practiced magic like my life depended on it for these last two years . And, when I needed a break, every waking moment was spent either reading or exercising . Day in and day out, that was all I did .
Honestly, there were numerous times that I wanted to give up . There were whole weeks, whole months, during which I saw no progress and the despair nearly overtook me .
But, in those moments I just reminded myself of my goal . No matter what, I want to become a villainess, and who has ever heard of a villainess that lacks conviction? We are a breed of women with high pride and lofty ambition and determination . If I were to give up here, then that would be grounds for complete disqualification from my one true goal in this lifetime .
Even with that knowledge though, I still struggled a lot . Around the time that I started learning the ancient language of the Duelkis Kingdom was a particular low point for me .
Who would have thought that the level 87 magic that allows you to exchange a part of yourself with that of someone else would require you to chant in the ancient language!?
But even with that huge hurdle, I still managed to attain level 91 in just two years!
Learning the ancient language in such a short amount of time… . I really must be a genius!
But, as if such personal struggles to improve my magic level weren’t enough, being completely alone like that for so long was a lot tougher than I expected . It was lonely, not having anyone to talk to… . But I will say that I think I bore the solitude quite well indeed .
As a villainess, I need to be okay with being alone . And after two years of seclusion, I dare say I mastered that trait quite nicely . Rather than saying it requires emotional fortitude, I would say that patience was actually key in keeping my sanity . I’ve become very, very good at waiting .
But I think I’ve been waiting long enough now . It’s time to get up and leave this place .
With that, I fling myself off the bed and stand up, energized and ready for the day .
As I’m looking around, I notice that my worldview seems decidedly narrower than it was before . Though, despite having entirely lost one my eyes, oddly enough I’m not in any pain . It’s quite the strange feeling actually .
The area that I can see now looks so small . And there’s also a huge blind spot on my left side . Having no periphery vision there is somewhat disconcerting, though I’m sure I’ll get used to it after a while!
The most troubling thing is that my sense of distance has been completely thrown off . There are times when I look around and it’s almost as if everything has become flat, like I’m looking at this world through a screen once again .
It hit me particularly hard while I was walking back through the woods, so I found myself stumbling quite a lot on rocks and roots as they appeared in my path .
In sudden remembrance, I glance down at my feet . I lift them off the ground to take a look at my soles and see there’s not only a small amount of blood dried on them… . I guess going around barefoot really is dangerous . From now on, I really need to make sure to wear proper footwear before traipsing about in the woods .
But something like this is nothing that a little magic can’t fix .
Lightly, I snap my fingers .
… . . Huh? Nothing happened…?
Chills run down my spine . A cold sweat instantly soaks my back and my hands clam up .
I snap my fingers once again, a little more desperately this time . But still nothing happens . I can feel all the blood rushing out of my face .
Why can’t I use magic? I’m not definitely not wearing a magic sealing collar right now .
As the panic starts to set in, I hear a knock on the door .
“It’s Gilles,” a clear voice calls from outside .
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But I don’t move . I don’t say anything . I’m too shocked about not being able to use magic .
Without waiting for a reply, Gilles slowly pushes the door open and comes into the cabin .
“Alicia…? Is there something wrong?”
I look over at him dumbly . In one of his hands he’s holding a long, thin, black cloth .
What could it be… . ?
“What’s that?” I ask, trying to pretend that everything’s fine .
“Ah . I… . made something for you… . . ” he says, and then offers me the black piece of cloth .
… . . An eye patch?
“You made this?”
“Mm . It’s not fancy or anything, so it wasn’t hard,” he says shyly, averting his gaze .
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To be able to make something like this in such a short amount of time… . . he’s really skilled! It looks like Gilles’s abilities in the feminine arts aren’t to be scoffed at .
“Thank you,” I say, taking the eye patch from his hand and immediately putting it on .
I glance over at the mirror to see how I look .
Hmm, not bad at all . I think it actually suits me . It really helps emphasize my villainous nature, too . No, I quite like this new aesthetic .
“So? Why were you spacing out earlier?” Gilles asks, his eyes probing my face .
… . He’s gotten pretty good at reading my expressions it seems .
I thought I had been doing a decent job of staying calm while putting on the eye patch, but he was able to see right through me .
Since he already knows that something is wrong, I guess I should just tell him . I had only been hiding it because I wasn’t ready to face the thought myself, but I guess there really is no time like the present .
I turn away from the mirror and look straight at Gilles . As I look down at him, I can’t help but feel that he looks even smaller than usual . It seems that having your sight cut in half affects your vision in all sorts of ways .
“I don’t seem to be able to use magic anymore,” I blurt, my voice sounding a bit too loud in my ears .