Chapter 46. How to Train Your Villain

"Leader," a figure flashed in the night. Gira landed swiftly onto the ground, successfully sneaking into another building, but this time it was not abandoned.

Inside was a man shrouded in shadows. A black cloak had thrown across his body, a hood covering his face and features. This man was full of mystery, a cloud of fogginess coating his figure. It felt as if one came close to him, they would lose all their senses. The man sat hunched over on a chair, facing an odd table that held many piles of paper.

The man straightened his back, upon hearing his subordinate's arrival.

"How did it go?" He did not turn behind, thus not revealing his face.

Gira bowed her head. "I've brought forth the Book of Revelation as you've ordered, but my little brother Gilg and his friend Tetra might be caught in some problems."

The man sat there without making a noise.

He was oddly composed, and yet oddly distant.

The sound of a breeze flew near the rooftop, ringing an impolite whistle. Gira was gritting her teeth, impatiently waiting for an answer. "Leader!" She couldn't hold it back anymore. "Was it all worth it? To infiltrate inside that manor, at least ten of our members were caught and arrested! Now that I've stolen the book for you, we've lost contact with Gilg and Tetra!"

One could hear the sound of friction between her two rows of gritted teeth.

"What question is it that you want to know?" Gira was furious. The wounds and burns on her body itched all over, like a thousand hooves trampling her over and over again. She wanted to return back to her original world, but there was no method.

Instead, she joined the M Organization to prevent the future tragedies in Lydia Kingdom.

Originally, she wanted to join K. However, her little brother Gilg opposed to that idea. Therefore, she joined him in M.

"...Leader!" Gira was worried for her little brother's safety. He was facing the heroine at the moment... but that heroine was audacious, passionate, and most of all... she has a strange ambition that held her above all others! This strange ambition brings her power, and makes her strong.

The man lifted a hand, cloaked within the shadows. He slammed it down onto the table surface. "Enough."

Gira shut her mouth, but clearly unsatisfied.

"Pass me the Book of Revelation." The man coughed.

Gira did not move.

She clutched the golden book in her arms. On one side, she did not dare to disobey her leader's orders. After all, he was one of the founders of the "Reincarnator" Organization. He rescued her and her little brother from many conflicts. Without technology, they were all lost.

But... Gira did not want to obey this time. She wanted answers.

"Just tell me what question, then I will give it to you." She pressed.

The man paused. His cloak crinkled to the night's wallowing winds, with shadows unfurling underneath his figure. Even the night's moonlit stars could not light up his darkness.

He coughed. "How to prevent the fall of Lydia Kingdom."

Gira's eyes lit up. "That is an excellent question, leader. If the Book provides us with a way to prevent the fall of Lydia Kingdom, then we will still have a chance to prevent the demons invasion and civil war. There might still be a chance...!"

The man did not respond to her praises.

Instead, he bluntly demanded, "The Book."

Gira happily skipped up to his side. She was about to hand him over the book—then she paused. "Leader, I wonder what you will sacrifice to gain an answer. This book is actually pretty dangerous. It will take away your most significant thing... Leader, do you know what it will take from you?"

The man huffed. "I do."

Gira pursed her lips. She withdrew her hand, taking back the book. "What is it?"

"Perhaps a hand, a mouth, or an ear? Or perhaps my lifespan?" The man chuckled. Hearing this answer, Gira relaxed. As long as it doesn't implicate her plans or her younger brother... then she suppose she will support this man.

The man coughed. "Leave now."

Gira nodded glumly. She slid the Book of Revelation onto the table, then left the building, closing the door behind with a soft shut.

*****

"I still can't believe that I lost to you." A whine erupted out from outside.

"Hahaha! Just stay put in your cell, thief!" Daphnne laughed arrogantly. She placed her hands on her hips, then showed off pridefully.

In front of her was a trolley of cage cells. In the dark history of Lydia Kingdom, these were used to capture and enslave commoners. Now in the present, these cells were to imprison and transport wrongdoers/criminals to the prison.

Gilg groaned. He was placed in one of these cells, and couldn't escape.

Beside him was Tetra, who was beaten black and blue. It seemed that he and his buddy weren't able to escape. However...

"Don't act so high and almighty. In the end, you still don't have the book." Gilg sneered.

Daphnne came back to herself.

She nodded, "You're right. You're very right."

Gilg: ??? What was this response?

Lucilline was ashamed of himself. He wanted to drill himself into the ground, "I'm sorry. I am the third son of Duke Rubius, yet I cannot even catch a thief..."

"No, it's partly my fault." Azalea bowed guiltily. "I was injured and held Lucilline down. If it wasn't for me, then Lucilline would have been able to apprehend the thief."

These two kept placing the blame on themselves, trying to fight for the blame. However, neither would stop, continuously trying to condemn themselves while failing in the process.

"Enough enough," Percival said soothingly. His eyes were soft, "It was my responsibility in the first place. The artifact belongs to the Delta House, so I am the major cause for the thievery." He turned to look at the cage cell, where the two captured thieves sat, "Therefore... our hostages must be treated accordingly to their current status..."

Gilg and Tetra both had a bad idea about this.

They shrunk back in the cage, attempting to hide their figures, "Wait, no! What are you going to do to us!"

The two thieves were sent to the Royal Prison, where they kept criminals of extreme crimes. Many murderers that have been sentenced to 50 or more years stayed there. Indeed, it was a place of nightmares. However, the crime they committed was indeed horrible, considering that they have offended and gone against the Royal family.

Azalea was sent to the hospital for a mage to heal him of the minimal poison left. Daphnne decided to go along and escort him.

Percival decided to face his responsibilities and return home.

Although he yearned for freedom, running away from his responsibilities was not how a nobleman should behave. After all, he endured all of that training for a reason... to protect his friends.

Lucilline had smiled at the outcome.

He must return back home too. His siblings, Willow, and Augustine were waiting for him.

*****

Duke Rubius' manor was brighter than it has ever been.

"Lucy! I missed you so much!" Lucilline was wrapped in a big endearing hug, feeling his limbs clasped together into one, as if he was bound together by an unbreakable force. He coughed nervously as he struggled, "S-Sister...."

Scarletta was an inch close to snapping her little brother's ribs into halves.

"Move over! I want to hug Lucy too!" She was shoved aside, and Zephyratt embraced their younger brother. "You're going to hurt Lucy if you keep hugging him like that."

Hearing the latter sentence, Scarletta's eyes softened. "Oh, really..."

"Therefore, Lucy only needs my hugs!" Zephyratt announced pridefully.

Scarletta: !!!

She immediately toughened up, like a beast ready to call for a duel. "That is not true! I can be gentle too!" Scarletta flaunted her mahogany red hair, then shuffled her dress. "Move aside! Lucy needs a beautiful woman like me than an old pervert like you!"

"Old pervert? Wait— I am fucking younger than you!"

"I don't care!"

The two siblings began to throw their fists at each other, while struggling to dodge each and every attack. Behind them, Lucilline just watched with a smile.

Willow served dinner.

The Rubius family was seated around the dining table. In between the two fighting elder siblings, Lucilline gave both them a warning gaze. Scarletta and Zephyratt did not dare to fight, and wilted like a dying flower.

They obediently ate their food, occasionally throwing dirty looks at one another.

Lucilline ate a spoonful then found that his stomach was full.

"Is the food not to your liking?" Willow's voice lowered.

Lucilline shook his head politely. "No, it s very delicious." Truthfully, his taste buds could not tell the difference between good or bad food. Even if the food was created by the top chef in Lydia Kingdom, he would only take a single bite. After all, everything to him tasted bland and the same.

"I'm just not too hungry at the moment." Lucilline gave a small wry smile.

Willow had lowered her head in disappointment. She didn't dare to reveal her small bleak emotions, so she sighed with a cute pout.

"If that is so, then call me when you're hungry, Young Master." Willow bowed.

She stood behind Scarletta and Zephyratt, while Lucilline stood up from his seat. Beside him was Augustine, who escorted the black-haired nobleman back to his room.

Lucilline entered his bedroom, while Augustine closed the door behind them.

The black-haired nobleman heaved a sigh.

He begun to explain everything that happened during the night. While listening, Augustine's eyebrows had furrowed even deeper.

After the discussion, Augustine became the one to heave a sigh.

The butler frowned, "It seems that M has gotten ahold of the Book of Revelation. As to what they'll do with it, I have no idea." He felt a ringing headache shake his head. Augustine rubbed his temples, attempting to relieve some of the tension that built up.

Under normal circumstances, he would report such a thing to his leaders in K.

However, he had long abandoned that organization. After all, he pledged loyalty to the great villain—no, the character he promised he'd save.

"M will likely use the book for their own purposes. This includes achieving whatever they want with any means..." Augustine's voice trailed off.

He noticed the look of guilt on the black-haired nobleman.

The butler coughed, "But it does not truly matter. The book shouldn't be that much of a problem, after all, you need to sacrifice something important to gain an answer. Not anyone would sacrifice their significant thing for a measly answer."

The look in Lucilline's delicate golden eyes had brightened.

Seeing that, the butler sighed in relief.

He couldn't afford to add stress to the black-haired nobleman.

"According to your elder sister, she had slain one of the demons. The Head Priest had been arrested, but he will be unable to run the Holy Church again. Therefore, the three Houses of Grand Dukes will be in charge of the anti-demon Organization." Augustine began a run-down of information that Lucilline missed.

It seemed that while he was chasing after those thieves, the rest of the nobles were discussing future matters.

"Oh," Augustine was reminded of something. "There is something I need to say."

Lucilline arched an eyebrow. "Do say."

Augustine explained, "Although I am aware that you know of Azalea and Daphnne being the protagonists, more and more important characters have revealed themselves. For example, Percival is the second male lead. The Crown Prince is the third, and that blue-haired mage... Jacques is the fourth."

As he continued listing more and more... Lucilline found his mind being blown to shambles.

"W-Wait...!" The black-haired nobleman slapped a hand over his face, trying to prevent himself from panicking. "...they were all protagonists...?"

The entire time, he was interacting with these important characters without even realizing it...!

It turned out that Percival, Dimitri, and Jacques all played a major role in the novel. Although they were on the opposing sides in the novel, Lucilline was relieved to find that they didn't have any beef with one another so far.

"It will be fine," Augustine reassured him. "It seems like you are all getting along well..." He couldn't help but bow his head.

Getting along too well for his liking.

*****

It was around evening did Lucilline head to bed.

Duke Rubius' manor was especially quiet, as if every single noise had plummeted to the abyss. Shuffling around underneath the blanket, Lucilline closed his eyes.

He could feel the snuggling warmth embracing his limbs, while brushing past his skin.

He could never forget this kind of loving warmth.

But he could also never forget about the kind of cold he felt, when at the hands of defeat.

"You're still too weak." The mind demon cackled. "You couldn't even capture a weak thief from stealing the Book of Revelation—a sacred artifact! Are you still insisting on being a good person? It is ironic how despite being the third son of Duke Rubius, you have nothing to offer to your people."

It was true.

Lucilline thought to himself. His eyes slowly peeled open. He was indeed too weak.

"Why do you even exist...!" A scream torn at his ears, as if a thousand hands crawled over his body, ripping his skin into mere scraps of paper. "It was because of you that Duchess Rubius died! It was because of you that Duke Rubius became sick! It was because of you that your siblings are overworking themselves! IT WAS ALL BECAUSE OF YOU...!!!"

The taste of nauseous blood overwhelmed Lucilline's sight.

His tongue paused, paralyzed with the taste of a metallic liquid. It hurts.

"Why is it that out of everyone... WHY ARE YOU THE ONLY ONE ALIVE!?! You have never done anything for your people! So why are you the one being awarded with life? Why? Why? WHY!?!"

Lucilline's eyes blurred.

The sight of his bedroom's ceiling had warped into a strange dungeon. There were bloody scratch marks embarked on the walls, with the pungent scent of overwhelming metal in the vicinity. The candlelight flickered once and twice... the image of a beautiful but injured woman seemed to flash before Lucilline's eyes.

"Are you a fucking princess or something? Why is it that you get to stay safe at home, while there are people dying out in the outside world? YOU... YOU SPOILED NOBLE....!"

All of a sudden, a copper bell rung.

Lucilline coughed, his chest heaving up and down. He couldn't hold it in, and sat up in his bed. His hands were pale, his knuckles burning to a scorching white flare. Sweat slid down from his forehead, enunciating the panic written across his face.

Lukewarm blood slid down the corner of his mouth, leaving behind nothing more than a thin red line.

"You're right." His vision cleared up.

Lucilline peered down, his delicate golden eyes focusing on the copper bell. "Why is it that I am sitting back here in my safe home... when the outside world is full of danger?"

The guilt of not having done anything when he could have done something... that guilt was the strongest of them all.

The mind demon was stunned. "What are you saying-"

A smile fell on Lucilline's blood-soaked lips, "It is time for me to leave the Capital City for once."

Out of nowhere, a loud flurry of footsteps collapsed in the black-haired nobleman's bedroom. A white and black dress fluttered in the night.

Willow looked aggrieved, as she rushed to her Young Master's bedside.

"Young Master, you've thrown up blood!" She quickly handed him a handkerchief, wiping the trails of crimson red liquid off of his face. Willow was able to react as fast as lightning. She could sense the gnawing pain at her chest, as if something was eating away at her flesh.

That feeling meant that her Young Master was in pain.

"...this is because you didn't eat anything." Willow shook her head. "Young Master, you need to at least eat something for the day. If not, your stomach wouldn't be able to handle such stimulation. This is for your own personal wellbeing..."

A pale hand clasped her own.

Lucilline smiled gently, "Sorry for hurting you."

Willow's light orchid purple eyes had widened. For some odd reason, her Young Master's apology seemed to underlay several meanings.

*****

Candlelight flickered, temporarily darkening the surroundings.

A man cloaked underneath his dark hood had sat on the floor, cross-legged. The Book of Revelation laid before his feet, its cover glowing brighter and brighter each second.

"Book of Revelation, I ask you a question." The man summoned his voice.

All of a sudden, the book begun moving on its own. Its pages begun flipping, as if a wind begun dragging the golden pages to its whisper.

"What do you demand of me?" The sound of a man... or a woman echoed in the room.

In fact, no one else near the vicinity heard the sound but for the man.

The man sat there, unmoved. He cleared his throat. He had told Gira that he would ask for a way to stop Lucilline Rubius from destroying Lydia Kingdom. But...

A smile fell on his lips.

"How can I manipulate the third son of Duke Rubius—Lucilline Rubius—to destroy Lydia Kingdom?" Life is much more appetizing when there are interesting things to anticipate.