I’m a Villainess, Can I Die?

Lukas seemed to be good at hitting people with his bare hands, too.
With a loud thud, the thug who had been trying to ambush him collapsed to the side.

Lukas, unfazed, simply tied his hair back, and I stood there waiting for him, as if nothing had happened.
It was finally time to go back.
I was exhausted.

I had barely stepped into the bustling square before causing a spectacle, and then even the quieter outskirts weren’t safe from trouble.
This wasn’t just Selina’s Day of Chaos.
It was Utter Mayhem: The Selina Edition.

"Take the fastest route. The absolute fastest way back," I said.
"That would be through the square. If we take the outer path to the carriage station, we’d have to go all the way around."
The square…?

The same square where I had just thoroughly cemented my reputation as the crazy noblewoman?
But my exhaustion outweighed my pride.
The people in the square weren’t anyone I’d ever see again.

I had only hesitated earlier because I had just finished causing a scene. Normally, I wasn’t the type to care what strangers thought.
"Fine. Let’s go through the square."
Fortunately, the crowd from earlier had mostly dispersed.

Nobody paid me any attention as we passed through.
I kept walking, each step feeling heavier than the last—until, gradually, a dull ache began to creep up my knee.
…Right.

The aftermath of breaking that cane with my knee was finally catching up to me.
I had been too distracted before to notice the pain, but now, as we were heading back, it was settling in all at once.
The moment I realized it, the pain only worsened.
Like when you get a paper cut and don’t notice until someone points it out—and suddenly, it stings unbearably.

With each step, it became harder to move.
I tried to take another step forward, forcing myself to push through.
And then—

My body gave out.
I collapsed to the ground.
Lukas, walking a little ahead of me, turned sharply, catching me before I hit the ground completely.

But my injured knee had already landed.
"Ah."
"Are you hurt?"

Still holding me up, Lukas looked at me in concern.
I decided to be completely honest with the person who had to walk with me.
"Yes. I think it’s shattered."

Lukas promptly carried me—though "carried" was putting it lightly.
I was practically floating off the ground.
He set me down on a bench in the square, away from the remaining foot traffic.

"How bad is it?" he asked.
"I told you. Shattered."
He sighed. "And how is it shattered?"

I considered my answer.
What would be the best way to describe it?
After a moment of thought, the perfect comparison popped into my head.

"Like that cane from earlier."
Lukas stared at me for a long moment.
Then he reached out and lightly tapped my knee.

"Ah."
This man.
"…So it is painful," he remarked.

"Yes. Shattered. Like I said."
He gave me a skeptical look before his gaze dropped to my knee.
Was he trying to see through my dress? Did he think he had X-ray vision?

It was obvious he was hesitating.
He probably didn’t want to lift my dress to check my injury in public.
Ridiculous.

People in this era could be weirdly casual about some things while absurdly conservative about others.
To spare him the struggle, I simply hiked up my skirt myself.
Lukas nearly jumped, his head whipping around to check our surroundings.

"What are you doing?" he hissed.
"I want to see my knee."
"…What?"

I shrugged.
He sighed again, pulling off his outer coat and draping it over my legs for cover before finally taking a look.
…Wow.

My knee looked like it was about to host a fireworks show.
It was an ugly blend of blue, red, and purple—like some twisted piece of abstract art.
Lukas scowled at the sight before giving me another look.

What? Why? What now?
I deliberately averted my eyes.
"Incredible," he muttered. "Instead of breaking the cane, you broke your knee."

"Guess my knee and that cane have the same durability rating," I replied flatly. "Learned something new today."
Lukas shook his head, his silver hair shifting with the movement.
I shrugged again. I didn’t even say anything wrong.

"…You really didn’t notice how bad it was while walking?" he asked incredulously. "It didn’t hurt?"
"It did. But I was too distracted."
"Too distracted to notice this? What kind of person—"

Right here. That kind of person is right here.
Lukas knelt in front of me, still grumbling.
I stared off into the distance, tuning him out.

This posture was ideal for zoning out while someone nagged at you.
I had perfected this technique back in my past life—first at work, then when dealing with my parents’ constant verbal attacks.
Toward the end, my entire life had been one long cycle of zoning in and out.

As I absentmindedly endured Lukas’s scolding, I noticed something.
A man was approaching.
At first, I thought he was just passing by.

But his gaze was locked onto me.
And unless I was mistaken, our eyes had just met.
A new suspicious figure?

Still half-listening to Lukas’s rant, I reached out and tapped his shoulder.
Then, I pointed at the man.
Lukas followed my gesture, his head turning.

Slowly, he rose to his feet.
Apparently, he also thought the man was coming toward us.
Now what?

Had my Day of Chaos not ended yet?
Was this secretly part three?
Well… I suppose that made sense.

People ate three meals a day, after all.
But unfortunately, my energy had completely run out.
And besides—back in my old world, I had only eaten two meals a day.

This third one was overkill.
What the hell is this?
At this point, even I had no idea what I was thinking anymore.

I was probably just too exhausted.
"What do you want?"
Lukas asked as the man came close enough for us to hear his voice.

The man had an unnaturally pale face, black hair, and dark eyes.
The extreme contrast of his features made his presence even more striking.
If this were a novel… he’d definitely be an antagonist.

Or maybe even the Demon King himself.
Noticing this, Lukas’s hand subtly moved toward his sword.
The man stopped, glancing at Lukas once, then at me, before finally speaking in a stiff voice.

"I am a priest."
…Right.
Don’t judge a book by its cover.

"A priest?"
Lukas asked, his expression still guarded.
At that, the man—who had introduced himself as a priest—seemed slightly deflated and nodded.

"Yes. A priest. Though… my divine power isn’t strong… I saw that you were injured and only wished to help."
He raised his wrist to show a black emblem.
To be honest, with his whole appearance, it just looked like a tattoo.

And I didn’t know anything about priests anyway, so I had no way to tell the difference.
Honestly, I had even forgotten this profession existed.
Which made sense.

According to the book, temples in this world held little to no real power.
A High Priest or Archpriest might have been mentioned once or twice in passing, but that was it.
And even then, it was only when one of them died.

"What is this?" I asked.
"It’s the mark of a priest," Lukas answered. "Seems like he’s the real deal."
This man hadn’t appeared in the novel.

If he had, there would have been at least one line about him.
Because his face was not the kind you’d forget.
It was too striking—wasted on some background priest role.

But he wasn’t in my memory at all. Not even as a fleeting mention.
…Though, I didn’t exactly trust my memory.
Was he a new character?

A passing extra?
Or had I just read about him and forgotten?
Either way, I wouldn’t be seeing much of him after today.

That realization made me lose interest.
What did it matter if he had appeared or not?
"May I help you?"

The dark priest asked, his voice quiet and solemn.
From his tone alone, it sounded less like an offer of healing and more like he was asking if I wanted to confess my sins.
"Yes."

"Selina."
Lukas’s voice was low as he called my name.
What, was I supposed to ask for permission before answering now?

But my knee hurt too much for all that.
Fireworks belonged in the sky—not in my leg.
I simply pointed at my knee.

Lukas looked down at it again and went silent.
"Please," I said.
"Alright."

The priest knelt before me, carefully placing his hands over my injury and murmuring something under his breath.
I heard a few words here and there, but I wasn’t paying attention.
I only cared about my knee.

A faint light bloomed under his hands, and then—just like that—
The pain vanished.
"Wow."

My knee, which had been a mess of bruises and swelling, looked as good as new.
Even the best medicine in this world couldn’t have healed it that cleanly, that quickly.
Priests were truly impressive.

So why was their influence so weak?
It didn’t make sense.
As I stared in awe, Lukas glanced at my knee, then back at the priest, his expression unreadable.

"Thank you," I said.
"Think nothing of it."
The priest lingered, watching me as if he had something more to say.

Was I supposed to respond to that gaze?
Before I could decide, he placed a hand over his chest and gave a small bow.
Being thanked after receiving help felt a little strange.

I stood up and bowed back.
Seeing this, Lukas followed suit.
And so, the three of us stood there, awkwardly bowing to each other in the middle of the square.

I had assumed this fleeting encounter would end here.
But Lukas had other ideas.
He glanced at me before pulling the priest aside to speak privately.

Lukas flashed one of his signature, charming smiles as he said something.
The priest looked surprised—then turned toward me.
His expression quickly shifted into one of discomfort.

…What was that about?
Sensing that their conversation would take a while, I turned my attention to the square.
A little girl held her mother’s hand.

A boy sat on his father’s shoulders, giggling as they walked past.
A couple strolled by, hand in hand.
Not far from them, a group of friends laughed together.

Everywhere I looked, people were connected—linked by relationships, by family, by friendship.
Smiling, chatting, existing in each other’s lives.
Meanwhile, I sat alone on this bench, detached from all of it.

Were they happy?
Did they feel happy?
Did they want to be happy?

How did they spend their days?
Before I could get lost in useless thoughts, Lukas’s voice pulled me back.
"Selina. Let’s go."

I turned my head.
The priest was already gone.
Seemed like he had refused whatever connection Lukas was trying to make.

Could priests sense people’s true nature?
If so, good for him.
He had just dodged a massive headache.

I clapped my hands in silent applause for his wise decision, then stood up.
My leg didn’t hurt at all.