VRMMO: My first Contractee is Yandere

Chapter 102 Aftermath!

The lord's mansion disappeared without a trace, destroyed by a single swing from the young girl.

Even the walls, built as a defence against dragons, were obliterated into dust. A horrifying torrent of "death" swept through the area.

Her overwhelming power, combined with her disturbing mentality.

Her figure, fanatically devoted to a non-existent god and chanting incomprehensible and grotesque commandments. Fear was etched deeply into the hearts of the villagers.

The lord's death.

Rather than celebrate the demise of the hated man, the villagers were paralyzed by the girl's eerie presence, freezing the air with dread. No one dared to move.

They could do nothing but stare, their eyes wide, at the incomprehensible scene unfolding before them.

Most ordinary people in the Third Field feared dragons above all else. The dragon's signature attack, the Dragon Breath—they'd never witnessed it, but this devastation felt akin to seeing it firsthand.

No one could move.

The young girl adjusted the large scythe strapped to her back and spoke to an absurdly beautiful girl standing nearby. Was she a companion? A creature who seemed the pinnacle of beauty, so perfect it almost melted the brain like a disease.

The young girl addressed the beauty.

"Sec. Borrow magic from Samurai."

"Understood, Lady Atri. Elder Samurai, [May I assist you?]"

『――』

The one called Sec nodded and approached the wall that had been destroyed.

In her hand, she held an enormous broom, taller than herself. With a gentle wave of the broom,

"Earth Magic Arts: [Fortress Wall]."

In an instant, a sturdy wall made of earth magic was constructed.

The beauty, moving gracefully, gave a small bow. What she did next, however, surpassed even the previous spell—an act akin to a nightmare.

Sec began to chant.

"Dark Magic Arts: [Reanimate]."

The lord's shattered corpse, reduced to fragments, was reassembled as a skeleton. Resurrection magic. The skeletal remains of the lord knelt like a vassal swearing loyalty.

Without blinking, Sec gave an order.

"Within this village, who among the living were your allies in life?"

The skeleton pointed them out, one by one.

Using the skeleton's cooperation, the remaining supporters of the lord were systematically eliminated from the village. The villagers could only pray desperately for the young girl's departure.

And it seemed she indeed decided to leave immediately.

Yet, lunatics exist everywhere.

"W-wait, you! You think you can just kill the lord and leave?! What about the aftermath?! Don't you realize how much trouble this will cause?! Without a lord, the village is doomed! Surely you understand!"

It was the man who had once guided Atri.

He wasn't wrong. The lord's death was a major event for the village, possibly even its downfall.

Moreover, Atri's faction had wiped out every one of the lord's allies.

"But... you bore the burden of everything for us. Even if I try to defend you, it'll quickly be exposed as a lie."

The old woman spoke tearfully.

"You went out of your way to gather the people and emphasize that it wasn't the villagers who asked for it. That large-scale destruction isn't something we could have done. It was to protect the village from suspicion when the investigators inevitably come. You took on the role of the villain—"

"—You're wrong."

"No, I'm not! I feel pathetic... making a child like you shoulder everything and save us, yet we can't even show you gratitude. It wasn't just the lord. We were all rotten from the start..."

The woman repeated her words, "pathetic, pathetic," over and over.

I thought to myself, being rotten isn't necessarily a bad thing. God granted me the power of [Cultivation], and so I know.

Rotten things serve as nourishment for the life that follows.

I think I probably smiled.

"Then nurture it. Do your best."

The old woman widened her eyes, then let out a soft smile as her wrinkled face crumpled. She took my hand in hers, her touch warm despite her age.

It felt comforting.

She gripped tightly, and I didn't know how to react. I stood there, stiff and defenseless.

"You're a kind child, Liora."

"?"

"I'll do my best."

I hesitated briefly.

God's [Ideal Atelier] is recruiting people. I considered inviting this woman. But I could sense her determination to continue living in this village.

In that case, I couldn't stop her.

To affirm my own freedom, I must also affirm the freedom of others.

Instead, I pulled a bomb from my [Item Box].

"Take this."

"What is it?"

"If you channel magic into it, it will explode after one second. The blast radius is five meters. It's strong, but its primary effect is freezing. It might even stop a lower-tier vampire. Then you could finish it off by surrounding and attacking it... maybe."

"N-no, I can't take something so incredible..."

I forced the item into her hands.

"Goodbye."

I left.

Behind me, I could hear her quiet sobs.

Maybe I'll become a cry-baby too when I grow old.

I hope I do.

That's what I thought.