39
初めて会った時、貴方は上から降ってきました。貴方は美しく、賢く、強く、何より鮮烈でした。僕には無いものを持っていました。貴方が欲しかった。既によりにもよって王子のものでしたが。
だけど諦められなかった。幸い魔法は得意でした。何か良い方法は無いものかと最初の頃は文献を漁ったり授業に真面目に出席したりしていました。しかし目ぼしいものは見つけられなかった。
夏になって、柄にもなく父の仕事を手伝うようになりました。機密の情報を得られると思ったからです。
そうして見つけたのが『オウカ』です。『春』と夏季休業の間に貴方に接触した男の名前でした。その報告書を見る限り魔法の才能は相当だろうと思いました。精神体だとも書いてあったので、精神体を降ろす魔法を使いました。双方の意思がないと成功しない魔法なので全く期待していなかったんですが、彼は降りてきました。10月のある日のことです。
魔力量を増やす方法を聞いたら、理由を問われました。貴方を得るためだと包み隠さず答えたら、物に魔力自体を蓄積して後から使う方法を教えてくれました。彼の髪と目もそうだと。
「あんたも『歪み』か」、と笑っていたのが印象的だったんですが、あれはどう言う意味だったんでしょうね。
何にせよ、彼のおかげで僕は今回の計画を実行に移せると確信しました。お礼に『秋』のエミリアの研究について教えてあげたんです。僕は内容を知っていたから、それを使って肉体を復活させてはどうかと思って。彼は「んー、いいや」と言っただけでしたが。彼、封印し直されたんでしょう?この前父の仕事を手伝っていたとき知りました。あのとき復活しておけばよかったのに。
...あ、そうでした、このペンダント。レベッカ嬢、オウカさんから貴方にと預かったんでした。渡しておきますね。
それで、どこまで話したかな。そう、『冬』はことを起こすのにぴったりでした。魔法で映像を差し替えてしまえば教師もすぐには来ませんし、先であればあるほど魔力を貯める時間が増えるから。
父のところから書類や判子を持ち出して宰相の特命の文書を偽造して、できるだけたくさんの生徒に渡しました。内容はレベッカ嬢を国外追放すること。僕の希望はそれだけで、他の文章の内容は実はオウカさんが考えてくれたんですよ。...なんで国外追放なのか、って?王子の婚約者である貴方を僕みたいなのが手に入れるには、一番都合が良かったので。殿下が貴方を愛しているのはよくわかっていましたしね。
ああ、それにしても。この計画が失敗に終わったのは、やはり三強や五高を引き込めなかったのが大きいんですかね。でも偽装だと気づきそうな人間や貴方に近しい人間は取り込めないので、しょうがなかったですね。
まあこうして作戦は失敗したわけです。魔力ジャックのせいで今は追放の魔法具が使えないですし、ジャックしなければしないで僕はそこの三強二人にやられてしまうでしょうし。
はあ...遅かれ早かれ僕のやったことがバレるのはわかっていました。貴方さえ追放できれば、あとからバレたって一向に構わなかったんです。むしろ僕も追放されて貴方のところへ行けて万々歳です。
でももう貴方を追放するのは無理ですね。そこで一つ言いたいんですが、僕は本当に、レベッカ嬢、貴方が好きで。他の男のものになるくらいなら、陳腐な表現ですが、貴方を殺して僕も死にたいとも思うんです。そういうわけなので、ちょっと目をつぶっていてくださいね。大丈夫です。すぐすみますから。
***
少年はそう言って魔力で弓矢を形成した。そしてつがえた矢を真っ直ぐ少女に向けた。
一連の行動は唐突すぎて、少女は何を言われたのか分からず、自分に向けられたそれをただ茫然と見ていた。
その場にいる人間は魔力ジャックを受けている。魔法を使えないのみならず、防御魔法も発動しない。唯一魔法を使えるのは魔法の使用者である少年だけ。それはつまり、魔力でできているその矢を防ぐ方法はないということを意味していた。
ほんの少しの躊躇いののち、矢は少年の手を離れた。そして少女の胸に向かって一直線に飛んでいった。
少女は1秒後胸を串刺しにされる未来をはっきりと認識し、時が止まったかのような錯覚と共に走馬灯を見た。
大好きな人たちが少女を囲んでいた。抱きしめる母、手を引く兄、頭を撫でる父。いつも一緒にいてくれた親友二人。
そして、最愛の彼。
(殿下に会いたいなあ)
確かな想いを最後に、走馬灯は終わり。少女は矢が自分の胸に刺さる瞬間を見ないように、静かに目を閉じた。
そのまま何秒かが過ぎた。
ゆっくりと目を開けると、最愛の男が、先ほど走馬灯にまで見た彼が、少女の目の前にいた。少女を抱きしめていた。少女はそれが幸せな夢だと思った。
男の口から何かが溢れて、彼女の肩を濡らすまでは。
真っ赤なそれはとても鮮やかで、肩を焼くような熱さが少女の意識を現実に引き戻した。男の背中に深く突き刺さった矢は、彼の心臓を貫いていた。
Ch 39
The first time I met you, you came down from above. You were beautiful, intelligent, strong, and above all, striking. You had something that I didn't have. I wanted you. But already, you were already the prince's, of all people.
But I couldn't give up. Fortunately, I was good at magic. I searched for literature and attended classes sincerely in the beginning, thinking if there was any good way. However, I couldn't find anything noteworthy.
In the summer, I started to help my father with his work without any reason. It was because I thought I could get confidential information.
That's how I found [Ouka]. [Ouka] was the name of the man who had contact with you during the spring and summer vacation. From the report, I thought his magical talent was considerable. It also said that he was a spirit, so I used a spell to bring down his spirit. I didn't expect it to work at all, because it is a magic that can only succeed if both parties are willing, but he did come down. It was on a day in October.
When I asked him how to increase my magical power, he asked me the reason. When I answered honestly that it was to get you, he taught me how to accumulate magic in objects and use it later. He also said that his hair and eyes were like that.
"Are you also [distorted]?", he laughed, but I wonder what that meant.
In any case, I am convinced that thanks to him, I can now move forward with this plan. As a thank you, I told him about Emilia's research for the [fall]. I had knowledge about its contents, so I thought about using it to revive the body. He simply said "Hmm, no." But, is he sealed again? I found out when I helped with my father's work the other day. I should have brought him back then.
...Oh, right, this pendant. Miss Rebecca, Ouka asked me to keep it for you. I'll hand it over now.
So, where was I? Oh, [Winter] was perfect for what we were planning. If we replaced the image with magic, the teachers wouldn't come right away and the more time we had, the more magic power we could accumulate.
I took documents and seals from my father's place and forged special documents from the Prime Minister, and gave them to as many students as possible. The contents were to exile Miss Rebecca. That was my only hope, and the other contents were actually thought up by Ouka... Why exile? Because it was the most convenient way for me, someone like me, to get my hands on someone like you, who is the prince's fiancee. I understood very well that His Highness loved you.
Oh, well. The reason why this plan ended in failure is probably because we couldn't bring in the top three or top five. But it didn't help that we couldn't bring in anyone who would notice or people close to you.
Well, this is how the operation failed. Because of the magic jacking, we can't use the banishment magic tools now and if I hadn't jacked, I would have been defeated by those two top three strong.
Ah... I knew that eventually what I did would be found out. Even if it was found out later, it wouldn't matter as long as you were exiled. Rather, I would also be exiled and be happy to go to your place.
But it's impossible to exile you now. So, I want to say one thing. I really, Miss Rebecca, love you. If you have to become someone else's, it's a cliched as it sounds, but I would rather kill you and die myself. That's why, please close your eyes for a minute. It's all right. It won't take long.
***
The boy said that and formed an arrow with magic. And then he aimed the drawn arrow straight at the girl.
His sudden actions were too sudden and the girl didn't know what he was saying, she just looked at the arrow that was aimed at her in confusion.
All of the people in the area were receiving magic jacking. They couldn't use magic, not even defensive magic. The only one who could use magic was the boy, the user of magic. That meant that there was no way to defend against the arrow that was made of magic.
After a slight hesitation, the arrow left the boy's hand. And it flew straight towards the girl's chest.
The girl recognized that she would be impaled in her chest one second later, and she saw a slideshow of memories like time had stopped.
Her loved ones were surrounding her. Her mother embracing her, her brother pulling her hand, her father patting her head. Her two best friends who had always been with her.
And then, her dearest.
(I want to see His Highness.)
With that certain feeling as the last thing, the slideshow ended. The girl quietly closed her eyes, so she wouldn't see the moment the arrow impaled her.
A few seconds passed like that.
Slowly opening her eyes, her dearest man, the one she had seen even in the slideshow, was in front of her, holding her. The girl thought that it was a happy dream.
Until something overflowed from the man's mouth and it wet her shoulder.
The bright red thing was very vivid, and the heat that burned her shoulder brought the girl's consciousness back to reality. The arrow that was deeply stabbed into the man's back was piercing his heart.
The Villainess Carries a Strategy Guide
その悪役令嬢は攻略本を携えている
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-villainess-carries-a-strategy-guide/
Fantasy Josei Romance Shoujo
Academy Adapted to Manga Aristocracy Doting Older Siblings European Ambience Female Protagonist Love Interest Falls in Love First Magic Nobles Otome Game Reincarnated in a Game World Villainess Noble Girls
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n6554fr/
岩田加奈