I Regress if the Villainess Dies! Chapter 14: Chapter 13 Miri(2)

Read chapter 14 of I Regress if the Villainess Dies! by Yuzai_Rearu on NovelPedia.

For the next few days, Xian was beaten up in much the same way as before. But not without a few close shaves against Serika, who almost got hit several times due to her own carelessness and Xian’s constant provocations. In return, Serika attacked even more viciously. But that was fine, since he had plenty of time to rest during the night with a maid attending to him. He spent the following nights awake, conversing with Miri. The wounds healed by potions left his muscles sore and streaks of dried blood stuck to his skin. Even if the potions closed most of the wounds, the sheer amount he needed diluted their effect, leaving shallow cuts and bruises behind. He took it as an opportunity to know her better. "I'm the eldest daughter of a baron. He had three wives, and I was born from the fourth woman he had an affair with. A commoner." "My siblings never really treated me as one of them. Instead, I worked there like the other servants so that my mother and I could eat. They never bothered me much apart from the occasional frown. Maybe because they knew I had no rights in the line of succession." "I didn't receive wages there, so once I reached adulthood, I left the barony and eventually found myself here." "The Montagnes are famous among servants. Their salary almost rivals the royal court maids. But not just anyone can get in. I tried my luck at one of their newly acquired properties, and somehow… I ended up here." Miri squeezed the cloth she used to wipe Xian’s body and carefully cleaned him again. She talked about her life before becoming a maid, about the rigorous training, the mean co-workers, and how he was the only one who noticed how hard she worked. The way she stared at him grew more affectionate with each passing day. On the fourth day, a certain stickiness appeared in Miri’s gaze the moment her affection broke through the [Pink Heart] level. Based on Xian’s knowledge, no player had ever achieved it this quickly before. 'There must be something at play here…' Since the game now reflected reality, Xian suspected there had to be something special about Miri herself. Perhaps a trait that made her excessively easy to conquer when she encountered someone who matched her type. That was the only logical conclusion he could reach to explain the absurd surge in affection. He had a feeling that romancing Miri and raising her affection to the [Red Heart] level would be extremely easy if he tried. Of course, he didn’t give in. It was better to keep her affection hovering at that level. Others might have jumped at the opportunity, but it was far too early for that. On the fifth day, Xian finally found evidence that Miri was the cause of Carmillia's death. It was quite funny, really. A villainess meeting her end at the hands of her unassuming maid. As for how she did it? It was unfolding right before his eyes. What remained after talking to Miri was to stalk her, and Xian found that he excelled at it. “Do you think he can stay here?” An aged yet dignified voice spoke with both concern and a questioning tone. Miri, who was facing this person, kept her gaze lowered to the floor with a disturbed and downcast expression. “If what you said is true, then in the end, the young miss will chase him away.” “At… at this rate… Sir Xian will be gone…” Stuttering, Miri spoke those words as if it were the end of the world. While Xian could keep up with Serika through stat dumping, his endurance and stamina would be exhausted long before she even broke a sweat. His attacks would become sluggish, his vision would blur, and his breathing would grow rough until he finally collapsed. Even if he managed to get back up, Serika, who was still lively would simply crush him again. The good thing was that he was no longer as helpless as before and could properly exchange blows now. “No! I can't let it happen!” It sounded like she was trying to shout, but her naturally soft and meek voice made it sound more like a cry. “Please! W-what should I do!” Panicked, Mir