No More Pain For This Villain.

Chapter 346: Losing someone



[Five minutes before.]

I hadn't seen Raven today, so I decided to change my path to her dorm. It's daytime, so I could go through the window. But was she even in the dorm?

As I was thinking this, the door to her dorm building opened. It was her warden.

'Those bonkers...look at them!' Blaze's first reaction was that. After he said it, I tried not to let my gaze drop. They are big, though...huge.

"Is Raven here? I'm Ren," I spoke.

"I know who you are," she interrupted. "Who doesn't?" she added in a muffled voice. "I really think you should come later. Now's not a great time."

I narrowed my eyes and repeated, "Is she in the dorm or not?" But my question was immediately answered.

I heard a loud crying noise. It was Raven. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Isolde running up the stairs to what I assumed was Raven's room.

"What is happening?" I asked.

"It's just Raven-" before she could say anything, I grabbed her shoulder, and she squealed as I pushed her aside.

"I'll take a look," I said. She didn't say anything, just sighed.

I rushed up the stairs, following the sound of Raven's cries. It led me to a room at the end of the hallway. The door was slightly ajar, and I could see Isolde inside.

I pushed the door open and saw Elsa standing near the window that I normally use to come in. Beside her were Amelia and Cecelia. Since the room was small, it felt packed, but I ignored that and slowly cast my gaze down.

What happened? I questioned myself as I looked at the curled-up figure of the crying girl. Raven sobbed uncontrollably, her face smeared with tears and saliva, her hair a mess.

Between her cries, she seemed to have trouble breathing. I felt numb looking at her like this, such a stark contrast to her usual cheerful demeanor.

I looked around, and not a single one of them seemed to take a step to pull Raven into a hug or try to comfort her—weren't they supposed to be her friends?

I stepped forward, but then...

"Move!"

Someone grabbed my shoulder and shoved me aside with force. It was Adam-his shirt was tied around his waist, and he held a sword in his hand, his torso bare. Was he sword training?

I felt my jaw clench a bit in annoyance, but this was fine, Adam... "Raven-R-ren..."

Another voice, but this time I didn't turn around. It was way too familiar; I didn't even want to look at the face of the person.

It was Mary Kleine.

She was standing just behind me. I could feel her breathing on my back. The room was more cramped than before.

"Raven, w-wha-what happened!?" Adam kneeled down near Raven.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled.

This was serious.

Adam's eyes widened as he looked at Raven, then at his hand as if someone had just slapped him across the face.

I heard a few gasps from the other girls.

Adam's presence didn't seem to help Raven; her sobs only grew louder. He looked back at us, clearly at a loss, his eyes pleading for help.

"Raven, it's okay. We're here," he said, his voice gentle but strained.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Isolde stepped closer, finally breaking the group's paralysis. She knelt beside Raven, reaching out a tentative hand. "Raven, please, talk to us. What happened?"

But Raven didn't say anything at all-Mary was muttering something behind me, but I didn't focus on her.

Then, for a second, Raven's eyes made contact with mine. She muttered "Ruu..." but then immediately broke into uncontrollable cries, seeming like she was having a panic attack.

I stepped forward. Adam was still kneeling, and I grabbed the hem of his collar from behind.

"H-hey!"

"Move." I yanked slightly while strengthening my grip with mana, easily moving him. Removing him from Raven, I sat cross-legged near where her head was. I didn't say anything, just sat there and slowly reached towards her face, but before I could touch her...

"Don't touch me!" she screamed, just as she had at Adam.

I paused and looked at her. She looked frail, as if she'd break at any moment.

Grabbing the back of her head, her eyes widened slightly but she didn't resist she was never going to resist, to begin with.

I pulled her face closer to my lap and placed it there. Her hand reached for my lap as she

clutched it.

I gently rubbed her back. I don't know how long I sat like that—I don't know if it was hours or minutes because no one spoke at all.

Raven, curled up around me, seemed to have fallen asleep. She was tired.

I looked outside the window and saw the sun was already down. My eyes fell on a letter that

had fallen near her bedside table. Is it the same one that Vexa gave her?

I looked down at the peacefully sleeping Raven and, sliding my hand carefully behind her, stood up with her in my arms.

Leaning towards her bed, I tried to place her down but saw her expression change-was she frowning?

I didn't place her but instead squatted and picked up the letter. "Give that to me," I said to Elsa, who was standing nearby.

She flinched, and as confused as she was, she looked around her. But before she could do anything, Cecelia stepped forward and picked it up for me.

"Here," she said.

"Thanks." I took the letter from her immediately.

Carrying Raven in my arms, I moved carefully to the door, Mary didn't moved so I just walked

around her.

The room felt suffocating with all eyes on me, their expressions a mix of concern, confusion, and curiosity. I avoided their gazes, focusing on Raven's sleeping form.

As I stepped into the hallway, I could hear whispers behind me, but I ignored them. My priority was to get Raven to a place where she could rest peacefully. Gently, I made my way down the stairs, trying not to jostle her too much.

The dormitory was quieter now, the evening settling in. I found an empty lounge area and laid her down on a couch. She stirred slightly but didn't wake. I covered her with a blanket from a

nearby chair.

Sitting beside her, I finally allowed myself to look at the letter. It was crumpled, showing signs of being read and handled repeatedly. My heart pounded as I unfolded it, revealing the

contents.

**Dear Raven,**

Grandpa is no more.

- Uncle Ben.

Four words, I felt what Raven felt when she read them.

Her only family is no more.