Karin’s pale pink eyes began to drip with tears.
“What kind of life have you been living…?”
“Teacher, are you crying?”
A gaze filled with sorrow.
A pitiful look, as though sympathizing with a child.
Trembling crimson lips.
Yet Isabel did not let her guard down.
‘If I hadn’t read the novel, I would’ve been in serious trouble.’
Karin was also a master of disguise and acting.
So these tears—she was certain—were just another performance.
Isabel steadied her wavering heart and spoke calmly.
“Don’t cry. Stop it.”
Karin hugged Isabel tightly.
Not so tightly that she might break, but gently—carefully.
“Please don’t be so indifferent to death.”
That is not something you should do—deceiving and hurting yourself like that.
She didn’t say it out loud.
But she believed she understood Isabel better than anyone.
‘Because I was like that when I was young.’
* * *
Karin had grown up in extremely unfortunate circumstances.
Her parents abandoned her at an orphanage.
From a young age, she was quiet and timid.
And her beautiful appearance became a curse.
‘Um… sorry.’
‘So… you can’t go out with me?’
There was a boy in the orphanage who was three years older than Karin.
His name was Michael, and after confessing to her and being rejected, the bullying began.
‘You rejected me?’
At 14, Michael was bigger and stronger than most children his age.
No one in the orphanage could oppose him.
Even the caretakers were not on Karin’s side.
‘There must be a reason you’re being bullied. If you behave properly, it will get better. Now, shake hands and make up.’
The staff disliked disturbances in the orphanage.
So Karin had to endure the bullying and isolation in silence.
At some point, she became numb to it.
Then one day—
When a mage who had discovered her talent suggested adopting her…
When hope finally appeared…
She realized she was not okay.
‘I’m… so tired.’
She hid under her blanket and cried while biting it tightly.
All her “I’m fine” had just been self-deception born from exhaustion.
The person who adopted her was Wilhelm, the chief mage of the Mirotel Magical Federation.
‘My name is Wilhelm. Call me Father now.’
She was filled with vague hope.
Maybe she could finally be happy.
But even there, the nightmare did not end.
‘For magical training, intimate and deep interaction between teacher and student is required.’
Wilhelm, known to the world as an angel, was a man with two faces.
To Karin, he was nothing more than a disgusting beast.
Life in the orphanage had been better.
She gave up on everything.
‘It’s fine. It doesn’t matter.’
If she was told to learn magic, she learned. If she was told to do something else, she obeyed.
She thought of herself as a living doll.
Eventually, she decided on revenge.
There was no burning rage.
Just a calm decision to live for revenge.
‘I need strength.’
She devoted herself even more to magical training.
At 20, she became the youngest 1st-class mage in history.
At 22, she heard rumors that the princess of the Sword Empire, Bilotian, was seeking a magic tutor.
‘Let’s leave Wilhelm’s grasp and grow stronger.’
Recently, she had become interested in something called “Narvidal.”
Narvidal was the god of death.
If she could control divine power, she might be able to take revenge on Wilhelm.
‘A child with the Mark of Narvidal would be useful for my research.’
With that thought, she came to meet the princess.
But the princess was curious like any child.
‘How old are you?’
‘Why is your name Karin?’
‘Since when have you been learning magic?’
The princess asked her many things.
And then she realized—
‘This is the first time someone has been curious about me.’
For the first time, someone asked about “her.”
‘Jelly. I saved it for you. Peach flavor.’
The princess even offered her precious treats without hesitation.
She looked like a cautious little meerkat trying not to be caught.
For some reason, that innocence felt endearing.
Then one day, the princess said:
“I’m living on borrowed time.”
Karin was deeply shocked.
Knowing she would die at 21, yet calling her life a “gift”…
‘Karin is also part of that gift.’
Karin was included in that “gift.”
It was the first time she had ever heard something like that.
‘Have I ever been someone’s gift?’
Never.
Since meeting the princess, everything felt new.
She wanted to tell her.
That it was not okay to be so indifferent.
‘It’s natural for people to want to live.’
And then the child asked again.
“Am I a bad child?”
“You are a good child, Your Highness.”
In the princess, Karin saw her younger self.
That expression—resigned to death, giving up on life—was her own reflection too.
Tears burst out.
The burden carried by a three-year-old child looked far too heavy.
“I’ll hold it with you.”
“Teacher?”
“I’ll share that heavy, frightening burden with you.”
Isabel flinched.
She quickly hugged Karin, trying not to let her confusion show.
‘Stay sharp. Don’t be fooled. She’s the final psycho villain.’
She reminded herself not to be deceived by that warmth.
‘Haa… I almost got emotional.’
In “When the Terminal Villain Dies,” Karin eventually takes revenge on Wilhelm and becomes the “Archmage of Creation,” the highest authority in the Mirotel Federation.
But it was not an easy path.
Many in the federation still supported Wilhelm.
The label of “traitor who betrayed her father” weakened Karin’s authority.
In response, she chose only one path.
‘War is the only answer.’
She diverted internal unrest outward.
Using overwhelming magical power, she expanded her influence.
Gradually, the people of the federation began to recognize her.
And Karin changed.
‘This is fun.’
For the first time in her life, she felt enjoyment.
Ironically, war and conquest became the most enjoyable experiences of her entire life.
That became her reason to live.
But her advance was stopped by Emperor Arun of Bilotian.
‘I have to kill Arun.’
She used every method available.
She even delved into black magic.
She sacrificed humans and made contracts with demons.
Her only purpose became killing Arun and destroying the Sword Empire.
And in the novel, that was how she lived.
Yet that same Karin was now the magic tutor of Princess Isabel.
Six months passed.
“…So, like this, feel the mana. Once you do that, focus on this pebble and layer the mana onto it. Ah, and the flow of mana is fundamentally direct current. Think of a strong, fast, linear flow.”
She had never expected it to work.
As always, she intended only to build a closer bond with the princess.
Thinking it was just a game, Karin tried teaching her magic.
“Like thiiis?”
Karin’s eyes widened.
‘…Huh?’
To ordinary people, it was invisible—but to an experienced mage, it was clearly visible.
A thick mana barrier had formed around the pebble.
A level that should only be possible after six months of formal training.
‘The color of the mana barrier…’
It was a rainbow hue.
Five-colored mana.
She had only read about it in theory—this was her first time seeing it.
Even Karin’s genius mana was only four-colored.
Karin swallowed hard and gave another instruction.
“Try lifting the pebble.”
“Yesss!”
Isabel clenched her fists tightly and shut her eyes.
Her whole body tensed, eyelashes trembling.
“Haaa!”
When she opened her eyes again, the pebble floated gently in the air.
A level that should only be achieved after a year of training.
Karin hid her shock and extended her hand.
“Could you move it over here?”
“Okay, I understand.”
But the moment she lost focus, the pebble dropped onto the desk.
“Hehe, I failed.”
“Teacher, should I try again?”
Isabel swallowed.
‘This is so fun!’
The mysterious telekinesis fascinated her.
Karin’s eyes shook violently as she looked at the fallen pebble.
Even though it was a failure, her body trembled.
“Teacher, what’s wrong?”
“Ah… it’s nothing.”
Karin adjusted her glasses and quickly hid her left hand under the table.
Faint traces of a magic circle lingered there.
‘It almost broke the table.’
To prevent disaster, she had used a shock-absorption spell.
‘She still can’t control it, but her innate mana quality is extraordinary.’
Karin realized something.
Isabel was a child born for magic.
Time passed.
Before long, Isabel turned four.
