I Decided to Kidnap the Male Lead - Chapter 122: Forever and a Day (XIV)

The woman who first discovered the fire ran home with all her strength.

Her child… It was time for her boy to sleep.

The fire did not just burn in one place, so the village fell into chaos in an instant.

The sparks that jumped out of the dry straw were easily carried here and there by the fiercely blowing wind.

A small fire quickly became a large fire and engulfed the village.

“Aaaagh!”

“Fire, fire!”

“Mother! You have to get out of there!”

“My… have you seen my son? My son!”

The screams of those who frantically ran around in search of their precious ones and the screams of those who perished because they could not get out of the mouth of the fire were mixed together, and the road to hell was unfolding throughout the village.

The strong wind, which normally would have just made one frown and shrug their shoulders, now became the catalyst for the fire to grow in size and mercilessly swallow the entire village.

“It’s dangerous!”

Ophelia ran from the outskirts of the village with all her strength and grabbed the arm of the man who was staggering and about to fall into the red flames.

“Run. Get out of here!”

Ophelia, who pushed the back of the man whose face was covered in soot and tears, ran without stopping.

Although she supported the old man all the way, she lifted the curled-up child into his parents’ arms…

“Not enough. Not enough, not enough.”

There were limits to who she could save on her own.

But unable to sit still, Ophelia inhaled the smoke and ran, waving her arms which were swollen red from the sparks.

“Please.”

Even one more person.

“Daddy, Daddy!”

Ophelia’s ears were filled with the screams of a child, crying until his throat was gone.

—Keuggeuggeuk!

The pillars of the nearby house were collapsing with the sound of cracking stones heated by the fire.

Ophelia hastily grabbed the child’s hand and pulled.

The moment the child settled in her arms.

—Dun!

“Daddy!”

With a deafening roar, the burning house collapsed before her eyes, and the figure of the child’s father disappeared.

Ophelia reached out with the child in her arms, but she had to stand back as the flames flicked its tongue, eating the house alive.

The moment Ophelia clenched her teeth as she held the struggling child tightly.

“Hah!”

The father of the child who had been buried behind a pillar appeared in front of her eyes like a lie.

“Oh, Daddy!”

Ophelia, who had sent the child into her father’s arms, stretched out towards the person in front of her.

Her thin, trembling fingertips brushed the bridge of his nose and smoothed his cheek.

“Ri… chard.”

.

At that time, miraculously avoiding the fire in the village, those who ran to the stream or lake continued to run without even having time to catch their breaths.

“Just a little bit… a little bit more.”

Happiness bloomed on the faces of those who soon arrived at the stream, but it was only for a short time.

Those who gathered by the stream one by one could not keep their mouths shut at the sight unfolding in front of them.

“What is that.”

The woman with a loud voice slumped down at the shock that flowed from someone’s mouth and answered.

“I… I told you. The water is red…”

Streams, lakes, rivers and seas all over the continent were stained blood red.

This place was no exception.

The stream was much redder than what Ophelia had seen.

And at that time, those who were heading to the road out of the village, not the stream, were running as if rolling through the smoke.

It felt as if they delayed even a little bit, the roaring fire would grab the ends of their hair and grip their neck.

The moment they finally saw the entrance to the village after running their hardest.

—Kwiiiiiik.

With a creepy sound that caused the air to vibrate, the one in the lead fell forward.

It was the same with this one that followed.

One more who did so, and another.

The bodies of those who fled the flames piled up at the entrance.

Raisa, the one responsible for the mountain of corpses, looked down at the kneeling prophet with the burning village behind.

“It’s nothing. I didn’t expect it to become like this.”

The prophet, who had been silent so far, burst into laughter at Raisa’s sarcasm.

“Do you think anything is possible? You, too, will have to pay for what you did!”

Despite his screeching cry, Raisa just sent him an annoyed look.

“Uck!”

“Uh… ugh. Urk… rk.”

“Euk…”

Those who surrounded the prophet fell, gushing blood.

The prophet did not blink an eye until the last one who followed him closed his eyes.

“Finish it.”

The second the prophet’s throat was cut off by the words of Raisa.

—Bang!

“Prophet! The river is red!”

The person who opened the door like he wanted to break it down was speechless when he smelled the stifling scent of blood and the scattered people.

But Raisa couldn’t wait.

Jumping up, she grabbed the man’s neck, pulling him.

“What did you just say?”

“What… what…”

“What about the river?”

“The…the river turned red…”

After Raisa shoved the man away, she stepped out.

The river turned red. If it was stained with blood, the man would have had it on him.

No. It couldn’t be blood.

All around was thick with gray smoke, ablaze with fire which started from her hands.

But Raisa ran like a crazy person looking straight ahead.

“Confirm… I have to confirm it.”

How long had it been since a flame smaller than her fingernails bloomed?

Not even screams or clamor could be heard from the village that had become one huge fire.

Leaving behind the flying sparks, white ashes, and red fire, Raisa cried bizarrely, then laughed and took a few steps before falling down.

Her eyes were just dark as she buried her face on the floor.

“Why.”

Her voice, which flowed from her parted lips, contained a mixture of disgusting greed and despair.

The river was stained red.

If the river had overflowed with the blood of the villagers, she would have laughed.

It wasn’t blood. It was literally just another disaster: water colored like blood.

Why. why?

“Why!”

Raisa slammed the floor. Twice.

Sharp pebbles and sand dug into her hands, scattering drops of blood and saliva.

“I got rid of it! I burned down the entire village! But why!”

Raisa, who was sitting on the floor, raised her head in confusion, and a red river filled her vision.

“Why can’t it stop… stop?”

Behind Raisa’s grotesquely distorted expression, a cold, bone-chilling, low voice rang out.

“It was you who burned down this village.”

Raisa’s throat stiffened at once, but at the sound of another voice, she groaned and turned her head like a wooden doll.

“I knew that if I didn’t stop… the world is collapsing…”

“Yes! The world! The world is perishing! It is perishing! Why? Why is it collapsing? I, I made everything. I barely made it this far!”

It was such a messed up story that other people would not know what the hell she was talking about.

Except.

Ophelia and Richard fully understood exactly what Raisa was saying.

Hearing the vile screams and shouts, Ophelia opened her mouth involuntarily.

“How did the regression come to be?”

That moment.

Pop, Raisa’s shrill voice disappeared.

Raisa’s eyes, red from bursting veins, swung back to Ophelia.

But Ophelia did not back down.

She didn’t even bother to threaten.

She just looked at Raisa.

And it was Raisa who couldn’t stand that silent gaze.

Just like a beast peered into the opponent’s eyes to gauge its strength, Raisa hugged the notebook she brought, avoiding Ophelia’s piercingly blue eyes.

She screamed like crazy.

“It’s mine! It’s mine! It’s a miracle for me!”

There wasn’t a single word about regression or the method, but from that howl, it was certain the notebook was the key.

To think that such a small, seemingly ordinary thing at first glance was what created the bondage of that damned infinite regression.

Was such a thing really possible? That would be a stupid question.

Because regression itself was not possible with common sense.

Could she trust Raisa’s words? If it was that, of course she would have to shake her head.

However, in this situation, Raisa, who was completely cornered and out of her mind, could not lie thinking about the future.

“Note… book? Really, that’s all.”

The moment Ophelia’s small voice, like a sigh, descended.

As if the golden lion opened its mouth and rushed towards Raisa at any moment.

The fierce and wild aura could not be measured; it revealed terribly sharp teeth, as if they would tear her neck at any moment.

Richard didn’t move a single step from his spot, but Raisa was choking on her breath and had to scratch her neck.

Saliva bubbled up and dripped down her mouth as she frantically scratched with her fingers with broken nails, but only one desire gleamed in Raisa’s gray eyes.

“I’m not going to die… I’m not.”

Raisa screamed while clutching her blood-stained throat.

“It’s not me who will die!”

With a face almost as distorted as the mess of her neck, Raisa pointed to Richard and drew her whole body, then kicked herself up from the floor in an instant.

“It’s you! I can go back only when you die! It can’t end like this…”

Even before the words of Raisa, who rushed like a beast toward Richard, were over… his sword cracked the red air.

—Suddenly.

Like one day in the past.

Raisa Neir’s head fell with a single slash from an unknown spot.

—Huueuk.

Her death was nothing special, as the prophet said.

“Marchioness Neir said she is waiting for you.”

Richard’s low voice dissipated into the soot.

Ame: *fans self* *breathe in and out, in and out* oh my goodness, this is so exciting, my heart rate is at like, 170

Out of all the novels I’ve worked on, I think Raisa is my most hated. I just can’t think of any redeeming quality, or any part of her backstory that makes me sympathize or think ‘ah, I can kind of understand why she is how she is’. But she’s a great villain for this novel.

It’s funny how this villain is in her own world and has been doing her own dang thing for most of the novel, then met her death so easily. It really shows how insignificant she is without the regressions. The contrast between how these three use the regressions and how they affected each other is really fun to think about and analyze lmao I think I can write an essay that will make my literature teacher proud

And, don’t start celebrating… I’m just saying… *sheepishly looks away*

Dea: i feel like Raisa’s death was way too easy…something about it feels off…also is this going to stop the end of the world? It all just seems too easy and i’m scared…is anybody else feeling like this or just me? knovels gave me trust issues haha