I’m the Main Villain but the Heroines Are Obsessed With Me chapter 88

88 – 38. Childhood Memories (1)

“It’s a familiar ceiling.”

Ian, waking up from sleep with a pounding headache, looked around.

From Noble mtl dot com

When he had presumably fainted, it was Friday morning, but now darkness had fallen in the sky.

Had he slept for about 12 hours? Checking the clock and realizing it, he found out.

“Saturday at 11 o’clock? So you’re saying I slept from Friday morning until Saturday night?”

The fact that I had been engulfed in sleep for over 24 hours.

Have I ever slept this long in my life? As I pondered this thought, my mind went blank and I couldn’t even speak.

“Even if I pushed myself to the point of collapsing… I didn’t expect it to be this bad.”

I know that 12 hours of continuous combat takes a toll on the body. In fact, when about 11 hours had passed, I reached my limit and was on the verge of losing consciousness.

But I never even thought I would sleep this much.

“I was planning to get a decent 8-hour sleep since the body’s fatigue will be taken care of by rapid regeneration.”

Was I so exhausted that I couldn’t even manage that?

As if confirming this fact, Ian looked at Nathalion, who was sound asleep next to him.

– Hm… Hm….

“Well, if Nathalion had woken up in the middle, I wouldn’t have fallen into such a deep sleep either.”

If even Nathalion, who can use rapid regeneration, had fainted, it wouldn’t have been strange for me to not wake up in the middle.

In any case, the accumulated fatigue in my body needs to be resolved through sleep.

“Since it was an intense battle, I should be grateful that it ended like this.”

It was regrettable that half of the precious weekend had already flown by. But I decided to be satisfied with how it ended.

Honestly, even if my body had problems due to being overloaded, it wouldn’t have been surprising.

If I could prevent illness just by sleeping a little longer, it would be a good deal.

“For now… I should let Nathalion rest comfortably.”

Ian gently stroked Nathalion’s head, who was sound asleep. Then, he carefully opened the door and stepped outside.

It was already a quiet night, and with the corridor empty, there was a possibility of waking someone up with the sound of the door closing, so he had to be cautious.

The corridor was clearly empty, devoid of any signs of popularity.

“What’s this? Why are the lights on in the dining area? And what’s this smell again?”

Ian’s head tilted in bewilderment at the inexplicable phenomenon.

Why would the lights be on in a restaurant that should be empty? And why is there even a smell of food?

“There shouldn’t be anyone at this hour.”

Apart from the personnel for security or patrols, Cheongwol Hall was usually deserted at night.

Of course, there were times when the lights in the restaurant stayed on until late for the next day’s breakfast, but… at least this place was different.

“I don’t eat breakfast here.”

Ian usually skipped breakfast.

Even if he did eat, he would use the dormitory dining hall after Igor and the morning training on weekdays.

In other words, even if he ate breakfast, it meant he didn’t need to prepare a morning meal because he would have the menu prepared by Ark.

But the lights on in the restaurant? That couldn’t be right.

“Unless it’s someone shameless. It’s not a thief… So, who the hell is here at this hour?”

Are they the ones keeping the lights on in the restaurant?

With thoughts of curiosity, Ian cautiously moved towards the restaurant. When he raised his head, he could see.

“Are you awake now? It’s perfect timing. I was just about to finish preparing everything and wake you up.”

“Eri? What in the world.”

Ian looked at Eri, who was moving things around with a table full of dishes, as if not understanding English. Eri covered her mouth with one hand and chuckled at Ian, whose pupils widened as if not comprehending.

“What can I say? It’s your birthday today. Come quickly. It won’t taste good if it gets cold.”

The table was a feast fit for royalty, to say the least.

Starting with a barbecue so immense it seemed to have come from an unknown source, countless dishes were laid out.

Seeing Ian, who couldn’t find words due to his astonishment, Eri raised the corners of her mouth and slowly approached, sitting down before beginning to explain.

“The barbecue in front of you was prepared by Igor, and rumor has it that it was raised exclusively in Vichyan, feeding only on marble. I thought it would be best to grill it whole, considering the excellent flavor of the raw meat itself.”

“…”

“And the lamb fry and horse meat stew here were made using sheep and horse meat sent by the Hurst family. Of course, they’re top-notch products that you can’t even get with money.”

“Uh…”

Eri continued to explain various things afterward, but Ian could only focus on the explanations.

It was a feeling he had never experienced before.

Receiving congratulations from someone and receiving gifts were things he had never even dreamed of.

Just like in his past life, he thought it was something that could never happen in the future.

‘What on earth…’

What is this?

Whether it was joy or confusion, in the overwhelming emotion, words didn’t come out for a moment.

Eri, who may or may not have known Ian’s feelings, continued her explanation and pushed a glass towards him.

A glass containing wine with a radiant ruby blush. Holding it in her hand, her face had a subtle smile.

“This is a wine called Ruby Blush that I prepared. The Ebrerhart estate is famous for its vineyards. It’s a wine made by the chief winemaker, highly regarded even in the empire. You’ll probably like it according to your taste.”

“Why… to this extent…”

“What?”

“I’m not sure if I deserve this.”

Even though it was my birthday, I didn’t want anything extravagant.

Even if it was just a simple gift. Heck, even a single word of congratulations would have moved me.

“I used to think life wasn’t worthy of celebration.”

Having lived thinking I didn’t deserve it, the emotion of receiving blessings for the first time was hard to bear.

That’s why.

“I don’t know what to say in moments like these.”

He, who faced the demon king with confidence, showed his first moment of confusion in front of the grand gift.

In response to Ian’s appearance, Eri couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Just smile.”

“What?”

“If you’re happy, smile. It’s normal. Can’t you just smile? I like serious expressions too, but… on a day like today, I want to see the Battalion Commander’s smiling face.”

If a bright smile appeared on his face, always shadowed by darkness, that alone would be enough joy.

Thanks to that consideration.

“Yeah. Thanks, Eri.”

“Yes, me too.”

Clang!

The glasses collided, and the crimson liquid flowed into each other’s throats.

***

In the face of death, searching for a way to survive in the past memories is called ‘retrospection.’

Celia Wigron was experiencing a phenomenon that most people would only feel once in their lifetime, and she was already experiencing it for the second time.

“I must have lost consciousness during the last attack….”

Alone and feeling frustrated, she let out a deep sigh.

She had taken on the role of protecting Bianca, who was concentrating her magic to release the barrier.

It was much easier than directly confronting the monsters, but it was not without its risks.

Releasing the barrier irritated the monsters, causing them to redirect all their firepower to the rear, leaving the vanguards behind.

The meaning of that was simple.

“To pass out from the imp’s charge….”

While Aria and Reina, the vanguards, were clashing with minotaurs and trolls, it was Celia’s duty to defend against the imps and ghouls who sought to exploit any opening.

As a member of the prestigious Wigrun family known for their spear techniques, she had successfully held them off until the middle of the battle. But as the battle continued, she too began to show signs of weakness.

“I was too focused on blocking the ghouls and didn’t see the imps approaching.”

Unlike the early stages, where she diligently defended against the monsters’ approach, the number of monsters that broke through and overwhelmed them increased exponentially as the vanguards grew tired.

The ghouls swung their sharp claws, and the imps threw bombs made with magic.

Of course, Celia did her best to block them, but the problem was the imp’s self-destruction.

They would sneak up and sacrifice themselves to cause an explosion. Knowing that Bianca would be in danger if she avoided it, Celia had no choice but to use her body as a shield to prevent the explosion.

She immediately lost consciousness, but it was worth it.

“Bianca should be okay….”

She had fulfilled her role of protecting Bianca.

She didn’t know what would happen next since she had lost consciousness, but at least she had succeeded in protecting her. It wasn’t a complete failure.

“Yeah…. There’s nothing I can do. It’s already over.”

It might seem irresponsible, but it was an undeniable fact.

Already unconscious, all Celia could do in this situation of facing the Jumadeng was to hope that Bianca would survive.

Let’s not dwell on the past. With that determination, Celia let go of her attachment.

It would be better to let go than to suffer by imagining the impossible.

Even as she thought that, the Jumadeng continued to flow steadily.

Celia stared blankly at the sight of young Ian in front of her.

“He looks so young…. Is this a memory of the time we were together? But why only Ian?”

For Celia, the Jumadeng was something that showed precious memories with loved ones. Naturally, she thought that if it was a memory with Ian, she would be there too.

There was never a moment when only Ian appeared in her memories.

“But why….”

Celia looked around the room where Ian was, but she couldn’t see her young self anywhere.

What? Is she hiding somewhere? That’s what she thought as she looked around.

“The curse that hangs over Celia…. Can I not take it away….”

“What? What are you saying, Ian? My curse….”

The moment Celia saw Ian utter incomprehensible words while looking at the empty air.

“What do you mean you’ll take away my curse…. What are you saying?”

Unable to believe what she was hearing, Celia covered her mouth with her hand.