Why do I keep attracting Villainesses?

Chapter 58: JACOBS POV [BONUS Chapter]

" Long ago, when the world still trembled with the echoes of chaos, there lived a master who rode into battle astride his mount, a mighty creature the surface dwellers refer to as a horse."

" Oh? Such a creature actually exists?" She muttered, sounding intrigued.

" Yes it does. Now let me continue the story." I said, chuckling. She really was a sucker for the surface.

" The horse was strong, swift, and fearless."

"its hooves struck the earth like thunder, and its courage never faltered. Through smoke and steel, through cries of war and the clash of blades, the horse carried its master to victory time and time again."

" In those days, they were inseparable, two souls bound by trust, survival, and the shared hunger for peace."

" The horse lived for those moments. For the charge. For the wind rushing past its mane. For the pride in its master’s voice after each hard-won victory."

"But nothing, not even war, lasts forever."

"At last, peace came. The fields grew quiet, the skies softened, and the weapons were laid to rest."

"The master no longer called for battle. Days passed without saddles or armor. At first, the horse welcomed the rest. It grazed beneath the sun and drank from calm waters, believing it had earned this stillness."

"Yet something began to change."

"The master started calling less and less for the horse. The stable doors remained closed longer."

"The once-daily rides became rare, then vanished altogether. Instead, a dog, a lively, clever creature, was summoned."

" B-But doesn’t The master love the horse?" Artria interrupted, pursing her lip.

For someone trying to hide something, she sure was bad at it.

" Of course he does." I turned my head on the water to meet her gaze. " But that’s not what’s important now."

I said, before continuing.

" The dog fetched, guarded, and followed the master everywhere. Its tail wagged where once the horse’s hooves had stood."

"The horse watched from a distance, its heart growing heavy."

"Have I been forgotten?" it wondered.

"Where once it had been the master’s pride, it now felt like a memory." At this point, I noticed her expression turning saddened but I knew I couldn’t stop now.

" Loneliness settled deep within the horse’s chest, heavier than any armor it had ever carried. And so, one quiet morning, before the sun had fully risen, the horse left. Without a sound, without a farewell, it simply walked away, carrying its sorrow into the unknown."

"It wandered far, past fields and forests, until it came upon a wide and rushing river. The water looked calm at first glance, but beneath its surface, currents twisted and pulled with dangerous strength."

"Tired and unfocused, the horse stepped in."

"At once, the river surged against it. The ground beneath its hooves gave way, and the current dragged it deeper."

" Not being a very good swimmer, the horse began to panic."

" The horse struggled, kicking and thrashing, but the water showed no mercy. Its strength, once so reliable, began to fail."

"For the first time since the days of war, the horse feared it would not survive."

"Back at home, the dog had noticed something was wrong. The stable was too quiet. The scent of the horse had grown faint."

" Without hesitation, the dog ran, nose low to the ground, tracking the familiar trail."

"It found the river, and the horse, struggling within it."

"The dog barked sharply, then turned and sprinted back–" at this point, Artria scoffed, sounding displeased.

This time I didn’t say anything, but continued the story.

" The dog sprinted back as fast as its legs could carry it. It found the master and pulled at his clothes, whining urgently, refusing to be ignored."

" W-What? It’s calling for help?" Artria mumbled, sounding confused.

"Sensing the desperation, the master followed." I said.

"Together, they raced to the river. Without delay, the master waded in, fighting the current, reaching for the horse." The more I spoke, the more her expression turned disturbed, it seemed she couldn’t understand why the master would go back to save the very creature he had abandoned, or seemed to have.

" With great effort, and the dog barking encouragement from the shore, they pulled the horse to safety."

The horse collapsed on the riverbank, weak but alive.

As it lay there, catching its breath, confusion filled its thoughts.

"Why?" it wondered. "Why save me? I am no longer needed. I am no longer useful."

But the master knelt beside it, placing a gentle hand on its neck, the same way he had done after every battle long ago.

" You blooming idiot," the master said softly. "When did I ever say that."

"The master chided the horse, before the three of them returned together."

"From that day on, things changed."

"Fearing the horse might wander off again, and realizing how much he had neglected what once meant everything to him, the master chose a new life."

" He took up farming. The fields that once stood quiet were now filled with purpose."

"And once again, the horse was needed."

"It pulled plows through the soil, its strength bringing life instead of victory. The work was different, slower and less noisy, but no less meaningful."

" Moreover, The dog worked alongside it, guarding the fields, guiding livestock, and staying ever loyal."

"At first, the horse felt uneasy working beside the dog, the same dog it had once resented. But over time, it began to see the truth."

"The dog had never tried to replace it."

"The dog had saved it."

"Gradually, mistrust softened into understanding. Understanding grew into companionship. And before long, the horse and the dog became not rivals, but friends."

"In the peace they had once longed for, they found something even greater than victory, unity."

"And so, the horse learned that worth is not lost when times change, nor is love so easily replaced. Sometimes, it simply takes a different shape, and a second chance to see it clearly."

" The moral of the story, True value does not fade with changing times, and those who stand beside us are not always our replacements, sometimes, they are the ones who help us find our way back."