Veronica waited, but Lord Melrion said nothing more.
After a moment, she bowed again and departed, the massive doors closing behind her with a thunderous boom.
Alone in the throne room, Lord Melrion sat in silence.
His mind went back to memories that didn't belong to this world.
Memories of a different life. He remembered sitting in front of a screen, controller in hand, playing through a poorly designed game called Aquestius.
He remembered laughing at how broken the mechanics were, how predictable the story was, how obvious and stupid the villain's plans were.
He remembered dying in that other world and waking up here, thirty years in the past, in the body of a young boy in Lerastad.
He remembered struggling to survive and being beaten, mistreated and abused before encountering the Legion and being saved by them.
It had been thirty years since then.
He'd had thirty years to prepare. Thirty years to build his power, infiltrate the kingdoms, corrupt the right people, and position himself for the perfect victory.
Thirty years of careful manipulation to ensure that when the Legion made its move, there would be no heroes strong enough to stop them
And yet.
Lucas Estellan had appeared. Another transmigrator, he was certain of it now. The world had produced another player to balance the scales.
It was almost amusing.
"Let's see then," Lord Melrion said to the empty throne room. "Let's see if you can play the game better than I did, Lucas Estellan. Let's see if you can figure out who I am before it's too late."
He smiled beneath his hood but there was no humor in it.
Because right now, tomorrow in fact, he would be returning to his other identity.
The one that walked freely through Lerastad's streets. The one who attended classes at the academy. The one who smiled and laughed with the very people he was planning to destroy.
No one suspected. No one knew. He had worn the mask so long that sometimes even he forgot which face was real.
But soon enough, the game would accelerate.
The pieces were moving into position. And when the final confrontation came, he would be there in both forms. As both the puppet master and as the puppet.
The thought pleased him.
In a few days, he would see Lucas Estellan again. Not as Lord Melrion, but as his civilian self. He wondered if the transmigrator would sense something.
Probably not. After thirty years of practice, his disguise was perfect.
But it would be entertaining to watch nonetheless.
Lord Melrion closed his crimson eyes, and the throne room fell into complete darkness.
Tomorrow would be interesting indeed.
-----
In another dark room somewhere Lucas sat on a bed.
It had been about three hours since the attack and the healers Marie had called had come and gone and even the IBRG (Investigative Branch of the Royal Guard) had come and gone.
The crew had agreed to continue resting in Marie's safehouse before heading back to the academy tomorrow.
[Ding!]
[Quest Completed: "Survival of the Fittest"]
[Objective: Survive the Legion's first public attack]
[Reward: Skill: Danger Sense (Basic), Skill: Soul Sword, 2 Free Lottery Spins]
[Failure Penalty: Death]
[Time Limit: Until the attack ends]
[Initiating Rewards!]
[Rewards Granted!]
Lucas looked at the screen that appeared before him in apathy.
At any other time he would have been happy to receive rewards but right now the timeline changes and the sudden attack by the Legion weighed on his mind.
Still, he wouldn't let the rewards pass him by when there was a large chance they could fix his problems and significantly boost his strength.
"System, Retrieve Rewards!" Lucas said.
[Ding!]
[+ Skill: Danger Sense (Basic),
+ Skill: Soul Sword
+2 Free Lottery Spins
+ Achievement Unlocked: Against All Odds
+ 50 Villian Points]
[Current Villain Points: 63]
Sixty-three points. That's... actually a decent amount. Wait...Achievement? Lucas thought.
[Yes, Host has unlocked a achievement. Would you like to see it?] The system asked.
"Yes, please." Lucas responded.
[Achievement Unlocked: Against All Odds]
[Description: Fight an opponent two ranks above you and survive.]
[Reward: Title: "Born Survivor"]
[Title Acquired: Born Survivor]
[Effect: All stats go up one rank whenfighting a opponent two ranks higher than you.]
[Description: You were born to survive.]
"That's cool. The more hax, the merrier." Lucas said.
[Hax? What does that mean?]
"Don't worry about it. Instead, tell me what the points are for." Lucas said.
[The points?]
"Yes. The fifty points I received."
[Oh, those! They are your reward for breaking through into a new rank.]
"Oh.. and I suppose that you could have given these to me at any time before this." Lucas said.
[Yes, of course....wait, Host. Why do you seem angry?]
"Of course I'm angry. If you had given me these points when I had just broken through then I could've used them to change the tide of the battle!" Lucas said.
[Oh, I see. I apologize Host. I hadn't considered it that way.] The system said.
"It's no problem. Just keep it in mind the next time we end up in a situation like this."
[I will.]
"Good. Now show me the Soul Sword."
Lucas held out his hand and the Soul Sword appeared in his palm.
The sword looked as if it had been carved from light itself.
Its blade was clear and faintly tinted blue, edges shimmering like glass held under running water.
The surface pulsed with faint ripples that moved toward the tip, never still for long. No metal joined it. It was only condensed Mana shaped into a weapon's form.
The hilt blended smoothly with the blade, a solid curve of the same glowing substance, faintly shifting in color.
"This is cool as hell but I feel like I'm encroaching on the MC's territory day by day." Lucas said.
"Well, it doesn't really matter anyway. The MC already has one for himself. Anyways, I should get some rest."
Lucas closed his eyes and let exhaustion finally claim him.
His last thought before sleep took him was a simple one:
What the hell is tomorrow going to bring?