Damn, I Have to Marry the Strongest Antagonist at the Start? - Chapter 178

Chapter 178: Chapter178-All Part of the Plan, Rachel’s Breakdown
Owen’s laughter echoed throughout the secret chamber.

Dean Rictor’s face darkened, and a sense of foreboding began to creep into his heart.

Rachel, on the other hand, furrowed her brows, staring at Owen.

What didn’t she know?

Was there something she should have known?

Under Rachel’s questioning gaze, Owen squinted his eyes and sighed with a click of his tongue, “Even now, you’re still in the dark, fooled by your academy. The reason they care so much about whether you’re a virgin is because you possess the bloodline of the ancient succubus progenitor!”

“As you level up, if you lose your virginity, the person who takes it will experience a significant breakthrough in their own level.”

“The founder of Melodic Academy, that first king, has been stuck at a bottleneck in his advancement. They’ve invested so many resources and efforts into you, hoping to use you to break through that barrier!”

Owen’s words fell like sharp blades, piercing deep into Rachel’s heart, leaving it bleeding.

Her mind became hazy, unable to believe that this could be true.

But as she thought back, ever since she joined Melodic Academy, the way the mentors looked at her had always been different, very special, unlike how they treated other students.

And as one of the top three academies in Middle Earth, Melodic Academy had produced countless geniuses, yet it seemed they favored her above all others.

This had caused some dissatisfaction among other students at the academy.

At the time, she believed the academy valued her talent, and she felt deeply touched and grateful.

The academy had greatly helped her achieve her current status and power.

But now, it seemed she had been deeply manipulated.

“Nonsense!”

“Rachel, the academy’s investment in you is entirely selfless. Owen is just slandering us!”

Dean Rictor quickly refuted, his eyes glaring angrily at Owen.

“Slandering you?”

Owen smiled slightly. “That’s easy. I’ll just take Rachel’s first time and then return her to you unharmed. How about that?”

“You! You! Shameless!”

Dean Rictor hadn’t expected Owen to be so insistent on this matter!

The problem was that he genuinely feared Owen might do something so shameless.

Even though Rachel wasn’t yet at her peak, her bloodline was still special, and taking her virginity would still result in significant power gains.

Owen was sure of this and might really take advantage of Rachel.

And someone with Rachel’s unique bloodline was not easy to find.

If Owen destroyed her, it would be impossible to find a suitable replacement in the short term.

After a brief moment of consideration, not wanting Owen to continue using this as leverage, Rictor nodded and said:

“I can agree to your second demand, but you absolutely cannot harm Rachel. If you do, even if Pyrothrone Kingdom is willing to let you go, Melodic Academy will make sure you’re crushed to dust!”

Owen nodded at Rictor’s stern warning, saying, “Rest assured, Dean, as long as you cooperate with me sincerely, I won’t harm Rachel in the slightest.”

Rictor’s quick agreement to his second demand clearly showed his concern about Rachel’s virginity being taken.

At this moment, Rachel’s expression became utterly lifeless.

Although Rictor had repeatedly denied it, his actions, especially his swift agreement with Owen, made it clear that she was just a tool.

The dean, who she had once viewed as venerable and kind, had crumbled in her eyes, revealing himself as a snarling demon, terrifying and hideous.

Owen immediately sensed the change in Rachel’s mood, feeling a deep satisfaction. Ruining others’ schemes didn’t give him the slightest guilt!

Dean Rictor’s projection also noticed Rachel’s shift in aura, but there was nothing he could say or do now.

All he could do was wait until Rachel returned to the academy, where they would try to compensate her.

The plan would still need to proceed.

Soon, Dean Rictor’s projection faded away, and Owen opened the chamber door, leading a distraught Rachel out.

As the door opened, Ymir and the Dragon Princess, who had been anxiously waiting outside, immediately rushed in with nervous expressions.

Upon entering, they saw Rachel standing there, her eyes hollow, her chest exposed where her clothes had been violently torn, tears streaming down her face.

Both the Dragon Princess and Ymir felt a sinking feeling in their hearts. It seemed Owen had indeed done something terrible to Rachel.

“Owen! You beast!”

“Owen! I really misjudged you!”

The two women’s eyes blazed with fury as they berated Owen.

Owen’s mouth twitched slightly, and he quickly shook his head, “Hold on, do you really think I’d take advantage of someone in such a situation? You’re overthinking it!”

With that, he stepped aside.

The two women glanced at Owen suspiciously, then rushed to Rachel’s side.

Rachel remained in deep despair, and seeing her familiar sister and the Dragon Princess, she felt she had found a pillar of support.

Her sense of grievance only grew, causing her to cry even harder, her body trembling.

Ymir, as Rachel’s sister, didn’t know what had happened, but her heart ached deeply.

She quickly pulled Rachel into her arms, gently patting her back to comfort her. “It’s okay, it’s okay, your sister is here.”

The Dragon Princess, who had never seen Rachel so vulnerable, was also deeply pained.

She stood by Rachel’s side, glaring at Owen, acting as a shield between him and Rachel.

“Rachel, revenge is a dish best served cold. While we may not have the strength now, that doesn’t mean we won’t in the future. You’re the top student of the academy. In time…”

The Dragon Princess, fearing that this incident would deal a fatal blow to Rachel, hurriedly tried to comfort her.

But upon hearing the mention of the academy, Rachel’s heart trembled.

She then suddenly turned her head to look at Owen, her expression complicated.

The Dragon Princess and Ymir, not knowing the truth, became tense.

“Though you are despicable, I still thank you for telling me the truth!”

Rachel’s words left both the Dragon Princess and Ymir puzzled.

What was going on?

Shouldn’t Rachel be filled with hatred for Owen right now?

Why was she thanking him?

And what was this so-called truth?

Just as the two were about to question her, Rachel spoke first: “I’m fine, I just want to be alone for a while.”

Ymir took another careful look at Rachel, noticing that while her chest was disheveled, the rest of her clothes were intact.

It seemed that Owen hadn’t actually done anything to her.

Realizing she had misunderstood the situation out of concern, Ymir felt a bit relieved and her gaze toward Owen softened slightly.

She gently stroked Rachel’s long black hair, then, as if struck by a thought, she stood up and walked toward the door.

At the doorway, she stopped and looked back at Owen, “Owen, could we speak privately?”

Owen hesitated briefly, then nodded and followed Ymir out of the chamber.

Once outside, Ymir led Owen to a deserted grassland, where she snapped her fingers, erecting a magical barrier around them, isolating them from all outside perception.

Inside the barrier, Owen’s expression grew slightly serious.

Although he hadn’t interacted much with Ymir, he knew that she was John’s mentor, a crucial character in the original story, and she had been extremely helpful to him in the past.

Now that John had gone astray and she was being so serious, Owen couldn’t shake the feeling that something significant was about to happen.

Ymir studied Owen for a moment, a hint of nostalgia in her eyes.

“John was someone I valued greatly. I always believed he was destined to change the continent, perhaps even Middle Earth itself. And indeed, he did not disappoint—he grew quickly, smart, resilient, and with great fortune. However, everything changed when he met you.”

“When I first saw you, I felt you were different from others. After your repeated victories over John, I became even more certain of it.”

“Perhaps you’re the one destined to change the continent and Middle Earth.”

“Or perhaps you’ve already changed them.”

“Looking back, your journey of cultivation and growth has been filled with miracles and impossibilities. Before you, the continent had never seen a mage like you.”

“Perhaps handing the Godslayer Staff over to you is the right choice after all.”