Villain's Survival: SSS Class Infinite Copy Eyes-Chapter 27. Charlotte

She could still see it, still feel it, the overwhelming sense of dread that came the moment Licht struck.

Remembering it all, Charlotte’s breath stuttered as her hands started trembling.

’He... he almost killed me.’

’I have to kill him. I have to—’

Charlotte tried to get up, but the moment she did so, her vision started swimming as her entire sense of balance went out of whack.

"Careful!"

The nurse moved quickly, catching her before she could fall. Her arms were gentle, and steady bringing with them a faint sense of security, but when Charlotte looked up and met the woman’s eyes, she froze.

She saw it.

That look.

Pity.

As an orphan with no siblings, it was a look she was all too familiar with.

She had seen this look many times, but her drive for vengeance had allowed her to easily shrug it off, and soon, those looks of pity were turned into ones of awe and admiration as her strength grew

But now, now that her hopes of vengeance had been shattered in front of her eyes, that same old look was staring back at her.

With just one look, Charlotte felt like something had cracked deep inside of her.

’Is that what I am again? Someone to be pitied?

She wanted to deny it. She wanted to scream that she was still strong and capable of fighting back, still capable of enacting revenge, but the words never came out.

Something she could do with ease just a day ago felt like it was too far for her to even try again

The thoughts and burden of carrying this mad revenge all alone for all these years were too heavy. It was okay when she had a goal to run towards that was always in sight, but now she had faltered.

She had not just faltered but also realised the goal that seemed like a short distance away burden was in fact as high as the sky, and knowing this, she couldn’t be resolved to stand up anymore

Without even realising it, her thoughts began to wander.

She thought back on her life. Her family. Their deaths and even to Licht.

He was her one goal, her obsession.

The only purpose that kept her moving through the pain.

She had never cared about his family, even knowing how powerful they were. The Valtier name meant nothing to her. She didn’t need to fight the whole clan.

She only needed to kill him.

The Licht she remembered was cowardly, talentless and easy prey.

But now...

Now she understood.

Licht was never weak; he was just hiding.

All this time, he’d worn the mask of a fool, hiding a monstrous strength behind those cold eyes.

With this, Licht no longer had a weakness she could exploit.

Licht had it all

Power. Prestige. Bloodline. Reputation and something much more despairing

Talent

Talent so monstrous he could overpower her with her own skill and even create a technique she had thought was lost to time, all by himself

’What’s the point in trying anymore...?’

The moment that thought crossed her mind, Charlotte felt her heart tighten.

She felt like she couldn’t even breathe anymore.

The revenge she had clung to for so long, the only fire left in her dark world... was slipping away.

Each second that passed made it feel more distant and unreachable.

Noticing Charlotte’s fragile state, the nurse opened her mouth to offer comfort, but then caught the guarded look in Charlotte’s eyes.

Eventually, after she hesitated, she sighed softly.

"I think... I should give you some time to breathe," she said gently, stepping back.

"You must be hungry. Let me get something for you."

Thank you replied Charlotte.

Elara had only stepped out to grab a quick snack. But when she returned, she froze.

The bed in front of her was empty, and the nearby window stood wide open, curtains billowing wildly in the wind.

In the end, all she could do was sigh.

The kids here weren’t normal students; they were Slayer cadets. Each one of them was much tougher than most civilians and had been trained for a future on bloodstained battlefields.

Injuries that would leave others bedridden for weeks were just temporary setbacks to them, and Charlotte, it seemed, had already healed enough to move.

If a cadet decided to leave, there was no sense in trying to stop her.

.....

After leaving the infirmary, Charlotte didn’t know where she was going. Her feet moved on their own, dragging her through the campus like a ghost in borrowed skin.

She felt hollow, like something vital had already died inside her.

Eventually, almost as if drawn by some invisible thread, she found herself standing before the old clock tower near the back corner of the academy.

She didn’t think.

She just climbed.

Step by step, until she reached the rooftop.

From the top, the city stretched endlessly beneath her. Neon lights painted the skyline with streaks of colour as the stars even further above twinkled with a distant, indifferent beauty.

It should’ve felt magical, but now, for some reason, it all felt meaningless. frёeωebɳovel.com

"This world... It’s so beautiful," she whispered. "So full of light..."

Charlotte’s voice caught.

"...So why does it feel so dull?"

She stared at it all, desperately trying to take it in, but the beauty still didn’t reach her.

The stars, the lights, the breeze in her hair—it all felt Hollow.

She clenched her hands as her throat trembled.

Why?

"It’s because you failed."

Despite asking the question in her head, a voice had answered her.

She turned sharply and saw a figure cloaked in shadow.

Its features were murky, indistinct. Just a silhouette standing in the moonlight. But oddly enough, something about it felt familiar, and her mind was left with one bizarre self-conflicting thought.

’Is that... me?’

Unfortunately, the eerily familiar figure didn’t seem to care about Charlotte’s thoughts, and it stepped closer.

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