Cursed POV: I'm Just an Extra, But I'll Kill the Villainess Chapter 82: One Year Until We Meet Again

The text pulsed in the air like a living thing. Thankfully, Lyssandra could not sense it even with all her power. But every single enhancent... every new skill... they were gifts from her. And the price for this kind of gift... could I truly afford it?

"You like it? Can you feel the power coursing through your veins? That sweet power you could drown in if you simply followed ..." Her voice curled around like smoke. "Ahh... Beatrice. You are playing hard to get."

She lifted her finger and ran her tongue along it with slow, suggestive delight. Then she pressed it against my lips. I turned my head sharply away, refusing to let her savor that reaction.

"Are we done here? I would like to go now..." My voice trembled only slightly, but not from fear anymore. I was buzzing with strength, fully recovered, overflowing with energy I had not felt in months.

A strange warmth had settled in my chest, resting beside the cold like a second heartbeat.

"Not quite. There is one more little thing. Treat it as a gift from personally, with no need to ever repay." Her finger tapped lightly against my forehead. In that instant, my soul felt as if it slipped free from my body. I beca weightless, wrapped in a warmth like a heavy blanket during the coldest winter night. It felt too good, almost perfect. My eyes closed on their own, and I felt them spin beneath my lids. Colors danced in the darkness behind them, swirling faster and brighter until the sensation pulled a soft breath from .

When I opened my eyes again, I saw a golden light coiling around Lyssandra. It wrapped her like a soft glove, shimring with quiet power. I lowered my gaze to my own body and found a dull grey glow encircling my hands. It clung to like fog, faint and uncertain.

"W-what is this?"

"This is the Eyes of the God. It allows you to see the aura of every living being. The brighter the gold, the greater the power they hold. As for you..." She let her voice trail into a gentle hum. "You have a long road ahead of you, my precious."

She stepped back once, then again, never breaking eye contact. She looked almost pleased, as if she were admiring a piece of art she had personally sculpted. When she reached about ten steps away, she lifted her hand and snapped her fingers.

The world around spun so quickly my vision shattered into fragnts. My knees buckled under the sudden shift, and the last thing I heard before darkness swallowed everything was her voice, soft and certain.

"One year later, if you do not shine silver, I will co to collect you. And once you face several opponents, you will understand exactly how powerful silver truly is."

The ground vanished beneath us, and my stomach lurched as if the world had been ripped open. A sharp scream cut through the air beside . When I turned my head, I caught sight of Elira plumting with Beelzebub clutched tightly in her arms. Her eyes were wide and watery from the rushing wind. We locked gazes for a heartbeat, both of us filled with the sa confusion and helpless uncertainty.

After what felt like a twenty-story drop, the fall ended in a sudden, jarring thump. My body t the earth face first, the soft dirt swallowing my breath.

I pushed myself up with a groan and spat the dirt from my mouth. "What the... I swear, I’ll kill her. I’ll kill her the mont I’m strong enough..." I muttered, anger curling around every word and giving them weight.

"Beatrice, what happened?" Elira pushed herself upright, her face streaked with dirt and grass, hair sticking out in every possible direction.

"Weee!" Beelzebub squeaked sowhere beneath her, his tiny voice muffled as if he had been flattened under her full weight.

The sound loosened sothing in my chest. My shoulders finally dropped, and despite everything that just happened, a laugh threatened to slip out. Honestly, with these two around , was anything in my life ever going to stay serious for long?

"Let’s just say... we got off lightly this ti." I sighed, a small smile tugging at my lips now that it was all over. For now, at least.

"I– I’m sorry..." Elira lowered herself to the ground, tugging at the grass with trembling fingers. She hadn’t even bothered wiping the dirt from her face. "I didn’t know she was soone dangerous. I should’ve been more careful. What if sothing happened to you because of ? I wouldn’t be able to—"

Her voice broke, panic rushing through every word.

I shifted closer, gently taking her hand and drawing her into my arms. I held her against my shoulder, patting her hair while my fingers brushed the dirt from her cheeks as best I could.

"Now, now, don’t cry. I’m alright. And you did nothing wrong." My voice softened as I smoothed her tangled hair. "It happens. And that person... she’s a master at deceiving people. I’m just glad you and Beelzebub are safe. Right?"

I glanced toward the little hamster on the ground. He was already washing his face with both paws as if none of this chaos had ever happened.

"Wee!"

He let out a happy scree, stretching his tiny arms forward before plopping onto his butt, acting as if he had been the one fighting a life-and-death battle and now deserved a full afternoon of pampering. The little show made a quiet laugh slip from my throat.

We stayed like that for a while, Elira pressed against , her arms wound around my waist as she cried and told everything she’d felt while I was gone. I held her close and listened, letting her voice steady itself against my shoulder. The forest around us was unfamiliar, but peaceful. No monsters, no soldiers, no threats lurking between the trees.

Just quiet. Just us...

A place where, for the first ti in what felt like forever, we could finally breathe.