BJ Villainess Chapter 338

* * *

As soon as Clyde opened his eyes, he thought. It’s the Abyss.

 

Technically, it was an ‘Abyss in the making.’ To gain control of the Abyss, he needed to complete this world as soon as possible. But how was he supposed to complete it? Without his memories, he didn’t even know what he truly wanted. It was an unkind system, he thought.

 

But where is this place now?

 

The place he woke up in was a small, cozy library, smaller than the study in his mansion on the planet Signio. It feels familiar.

 

The Abyss had given him another benefit: the gradual return of his lost memories. It is happening now, too.

 

Ah, I remember this place. It was a library where no one came. Suddenly, he recalled that this was the library he used to frequent to avoid the members of the Clybe.

 

Is this the school this time?

 

He got up, thinking about finding Theresa, remembering she lived in the dormitory. But he didn’t need to.

 

…It’s Theresa.

 

She was sitting at the far end of the room, surrounded by a mess of books piled around her, busily reading and writing notes.

 

Clyde sat back down. Is she studying? What kind of studying could be so engrossing that she hadn’t noticed him at all? It was starting to annoy him.

 

Clyde was pouting, staring at her, when suddenly,

 

“Aaah.” Theresa lifted her hand and let out a brief groan.

 

Clyde sprang up like a spring. “What happened? Are you hurt?”

 

With surprised eyes, Theresa answered in confusion. “Huh? Ah, I just got a paper cut.”

 

“You’re bleeding.” His voice was so serious that it might have sounded like she was bleeding profusely.

 

Theresa looked bewildered as Clyde, without concern for his white shirt being stained, pressed her wound with his own clothes to stop the bleeding.

 

“Hey, even though we’re engaged, you don’t have to take care of me like this.”

 

So they were already engaged, it seemed. Clyde liked the pace of that.

 

Holding her hand, he shamelessly sat next to her and asked, “What month is it now?”

 

“It’s July. Why do you ask all of a sudden?”

 

“I was just wondering how long until our wedding.”

 

“…?”

 

Theresa’s expression could be summarized as, ‘What’s wrong with this guy?’

 

Clyde realized it. He was in love with her. Even though he didn’t fully know who she was yet, he wanted to marry her. No desire within him felt stronger. As he acknowledged his feelings, he became certain that Theresa was the key to the Abyss.

 

When he stared at her intensely, Theresa, feeling the weight of his gaze, asked nervously, “…Why are you looking at me like that?”

 

Clyde asked for confirmation. “You said you love me, right?”

 

“Well… I did, yes.”

 

Seeing her shy but honest response made Clyde laugh helplessly, like a fool. His lips couldn’t help but curl up, and he wasn’t even trying to control his expression.

 

“I think me too.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I love you.”

 

“Huuh?”

 

Clyde cupped her cheeks as she stammered in surprise. He could see her gulp in response. She was fully aware of what was about to happen.

 

Looking into her nervous eyes, Clyde said, “I’m about to kiss you.”

 

“…I know.”

 

Her cute retort made him laugh again.

 

“Are you going to keep your eyes open?”

 

At that, Theresa shut her eyes tightly. “Just do it already!”

 

Who kisses like this? Instead of teasing her for breaking the mood, Clyde leaned in and kissed her. And then he realized: Loving this woman, marrying her, and spending his life with her would be his Abyss.

 

It’s perfect.

 

He hoped his Abyss would be completed soon.

 

* * *

After realizing he was in love with the woman in the Abyss, Clyde faced no more obstacles. Every time he entered the Abyss, he immediately sought out Theresa. She was usually either in the library or the dormitory, so they would meet quickly. And every time, they would start with a passionate kiss.

 

Today, however, they met on the stairs of the abandoned library, so they limited themselves to just kissing.

 

“I missed you, Theresa.”

 

Clyde was deeply immersed in his Abyss. If the gate to the Abyss were to open completely, allowing free entry and exit, he would probably stay there all day.

 

Theresa, by now used to his affection, embraced him without hesitation. “Mmm, me too.”

 

They were starting to look like a real couple.

 

“What month is it today?”

 

“October.”

 

Clyde sighed. It seems like the Abyss will be completed when our wedding happens. Since they planned to get married right after graduation, it would take about half a year in real-time.

 

“I want to marry you right now,” Clyde grumbled, burrowing into her embrace. He knew that when he acted this way, Theresa would gently stroke his hair to soothe him. And as expected, she softly petted his hair, trying to comfort him.

 

“Or maybe we could marry just the two of us first?”

 

“Just the two of us?” He lifted his head, intrigued.

 

“If we go outside the capital, there’s a temple that normal people don’t use. If we donate a lot, they’ll prepare everything for our wedding.”

 

It was a tempting offer.

 

“…But how do you know that?”

 

“Huh? That… I don’t know? How do I know something like that?” Theresa tilted her head, looking puzzled.

 

It felt suspicious, but there was no point in pressing her further to figure out why she knew about such a secretive temple. Right now, that didn’t matter. Clyde, eager to marry, decided not to question it.

 

“I need to prepare a ring first.”

 

He wasn’t sure when he’d be able to enter the Abyss again or how long he’d be able to stay, so he needed to hurry.

 

Just then, his pocket suddenly felt heavy, as if something had been placed inside. What is this? Clyde reached into his pocket and felt a small velvet-covered box. No way… When he pulled it out, it really was a ring box.

 

“How is this…?”

 

Suspiciously, he opened the box. Inside was a pair of silver rings that looked very familiar.

 

“These are… the rings Theresa and I exchanged in the Delve Demon Dungeon.”

 

Another wave of memories surfaced. The day he and Theresa had entered the demon dungeon. The night they spent together. The wedding they had there. And their first kiss.

 

We had already been married once?

 

The moment he realized this, the scenery around him changed. They were in a temple now. The space was filled with elegant and beautiful flowers, candles softly glowing around them. It seemed to be the secret temple used by the powerful.

 

Clyde quickly looked around for Theresa. He spotted an open door near the red wedding aisle.

 

Is that the bride’s waiting room? Even though it was his first time here, he felt certain Theresa was in that room.

 

As he took a step forward. … I’ve been here before.

 

At that moment,

 

“I thought it pitiful that you are so blissfully unaware, so I decided to enlighten you with the truth.”

 

Ozworld? What memory was this?

 

[Quest: The Demon’s Lover]

▸Reward: The disappearance of the demon Clyde

▸Failure: The disappearance of human Clyde

※If you do not receive a token of love from demon Clyde by the start of summer vacation, you fail.

 

“The choice is yours, Mr. Clyde.”

 

Ah… The memories that had been hidden in darkness were becoming clearer.

 

“I, your groom, swear to love only my bride, Theresa, forever.”

 

It was Demon Clyde who had brought her to this temple.

 

“Don’t lose the ring this time.”

 

Clyde stopped in his tracks. Theresa, who was lifting her veil in the bride’s waiting room, met his eyes.

 

“I was just about to come out. Why are you here so early?”

 

She was wearing the same dress as the day Demon Clyde had brought her here.

 

“Clyde?”

 

His breath came out in hot gasps as he cupped his eyes with his hands. Everything was coming back to him.

 

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

 

The woman in the wedding dress approaching him wasn’t the real Theresa.

 

“Are you hurt?”

 

Her touch, her sweet scent—none of it belonged to the real Theresa. This was where they had parted.

 

Overcome with an unbearable sense of dread, Clyde hugged her tightly. “I’m sorry.” He couldn’t marry someone who wasn’t real. That would be a betrayal.

 

As soon as he recognized that this world was a lie, the scenery changed. The Abyss shifted. It was no longer his homeland or Valhalla but in the middle of a desert.

 

Clyde realized exactly when this was. It was the moment he first met her on the planet Signio. And as he expected, a little way off, he saw it raining.

 

Feeling like he had discovered a mirage, Clyde approached it. There was Theresa, lying on the sand as if in protest.

 

So this is how they want me to create a new Abyss. But even so, he knew it was all an illusion. This Abyss would never be completed.

 

Even knowing that, Clyde walked towards Theresa. Hollow or not, he wanted to see her.

 

“What are you doing here, Theresa?”

 

Theresa, lying in the sand and letting the rain fall on her, suddenly shot up. “Clyde!”

 

The moment she hugged him, magical plants sprouted all around them. At the same time, rainbows, big and small, enveloped them both. It was just like the day Theresa had successfully controlled the rain.

 

With tears nearly falling, Clyde held her tightly. Even if the woman in his arms wasn’t the real Theresa, even if she was just a figment of his imagination, he couldn’t help but love her. It was driving him mad.

 

He missed her. Even as he held her, he missed her so much it hurt.

 

At that moment, Theresa, as if she understood everything, lifted her rain-soaked face and looked into his eyes. “It’ll take us a long time to meet again, won’t it?” She gently stroked his cheek as if telling him not to cry. “It’s okay, Clyde. Everything will be alright. I’ll make sure of it.”

 

She disappeared along with the planet Signio. Can it really be alright?

 

At that moment, the black butterfly, which hadn’t appeared for some time, fluttered down and landed on her shoulder. At the same time, she said, “I love you.”

 

Hearing those words, which felt like they came from the real Theresa, broke him. He couldn’t resist her saying she loved him.

 

“I love you too.”

 

Clyde held her tightly once more, wishing for time to pass quickly so he could tell the real her that he loved her.

 

<Side Story Complete>