The Novel’s Antagonist: I walk the path of a Villain - Chapter 58

Chapter 58: Lina

“Haah…” Victor panted heavily, his breaths ragged as he clutched his bleeding arm. He had gotten careless, and one of the vampires had sunk its fangs into him.

“DIE, YOU BASTARD!” he roared, raising his sledgehammer with both hands. With a sickening crunch, he slammed it down onto the vampire’s head, reducing it to a pulpy mess of bone and flesh.

“Damn bloodsuckers,” he spat, reaching into the pocket of his jacket for his antidote. But as his fingers searched frantically, his heart sank.

“What?!”

The antidote wasn’t there.

“It seems you’re having a hard time,” a soft voice came from behind him. Victor spun around, his eyes widening in shock as he spotted her.

“Selena?” he stammered, disbelief lacing his tone.

She stood a few feet away, her expression calm but unreadable.

“Weren’t you supposed to be with the others?” he asked, his voice sharp with suspicion. He had been assigned to guard the shelter alone; the only reason he had been bitten was because he got careless. He hadn’t expected a vampire to emerge from the shelter itself.

Selena didn’t respond immediately. She simply stood there, silent, as if weighing her next move. Then, with a small, deliberate motion, she raised her hand, revealing a transparent bottle filled with a shimmering blue liquid.

Victor’s stomach dropped.

“Wait… Is that my antidote?” he asked, his voice rising in disbelief. When had she taken it? How?

“It could be,” she replied, her tone almost playful. “But first, you’re going to answer my questions.”

She began walking toward him, her strides unhurried, her posture unnervingly elegant. Victor staggered backward, feeling the venom already spreading through his veins. His limbs grew heavier with each passing second.

“Please… stop,” he gasped. “I can feel the poison… I’m going to die!”

“Do I look like I care?” she said coldly, her words freezing him in place.

Victor stared at her, his mind racing. The pain was excruciating, but the ice in her voice was far worse.

“You have two choices,” Selena continued, her expression void of empathy. “Answer my questions truthfully… or die. It’s really that simple.”

“What… do you want to know?” Victor managed to ask through clenched teeth, his body trembling as the venom took hold.

Selena leaned in closer, her piercing gaze locking onto his. “I’ve noticed you’ve been spending a lot of time with Ryan lately,” she began, her voice low but menacing. “Ever since you two became so chummy, he’s been avoiding me. Now, I don’t mind you being his friend… but I want to know what you said to him. What did you do to make him act this way?”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and Victor felt a chill crawl down his spine.

“The answer you give me,” she added, her voice dropping to a whisper, “will determine whether you die from the venom… or by my hands.”

Gravity itself seemed to rebel against him as he collapsed to his knees, the poison taking an even stronger hold.

…

…

“Who here knows a thing or two about traps and arrays?” Elena asked, her sharp gaze sweeping over the group.

“I do,” Shelly responded after a moment, breaking off her conversation with me.

Elena nodded approvingly. “Good. Come with me. We need to make sure no vampires get through tonight.”

Shelly hesitated for just a second, her hand briefly squeezing mine before letting go. “Be careful,” she murmured, then followed Elena out of the newly discovered hideout.

“El.”

I turned at the sound of the familiar voice, meeting Leon’s intense gaze.

“Don’t call me that,” I snapped, moving to sit on one of the rickety chairs in the corner.

“Oh? But I will. What are you going to do about it?” he asked with a sneer, tilting his wrist to reveal the display on his watch. Level 5.6. He was flaunting it.

Bastard.

“What do you want, Leon?” I asked, sighing with exasperation.

His smirk widened. “It seems you’ve truly forgotten who I am, fourth prince—or should I say, banished prince?”

There it was. The taunt.

“And what about you?” I countered, my tone deliberately indifferent. “Was your girl one of the maids in the castle?”

The smirk I wore made it clear what I meant.

‘Pervert,’ said Nelia, who until now I hadn’t had the opportunity to discipline.

‘….’

Leon’s sneer faltered briefly before he sat across from me, arms crossed. “Hah. You haven’t changed a bit, El. Still acting like the world revolves around you.”

“Let’s cut to the chase,” I said, my patience thinning. “I don’t know who the fuck you are, so stop pretending we’re old friends.”

His expression darkened. “Fine. Do you remember Lina?”

The name froze me for a moment.

“Wait. You… you’re her—?” I began, gripping my sword tightly.

“HER BROTHER! DON’T YOU EVEN REMEMBER THE GIRL YOU MADE ATTEMPT SUICIDE?! LINA BLADDEN!” he roared, his anger palpable.

Oh, shit.

Just fuck me now.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to process his words. “I heard she didn’t actually die,” I muttered.

I mean, how is this my fault?

She confessed to me at some banquet, and I rejected her.

Was that really reason enough for her to attempt suicide?

I mean, why?!

I’m not even as good-looking as Allen, so why the hell did she even propose to me that night?

‘…Stop saying that! It’s getting annoying now!’

‘Saying what?’

‘That you aren’t even good-looking! Do you know how much I want to slap you every time you say that?’

‘I don’t. And trust me, I’ll fuck you right then and there if you do.’

‘…Really?’

‘Ah? Why do you sound expectant?!’

‘…’

“She didn’t, but she came damn close!” he spat. “And I’ll make sure you pay for it, El. One way or another, you’re going to disappear from this academy.”

I leaned back, unimpressed by his theatrics. “Let me guess. She’s transferring here next month, after the exams?”

His jaw clenched, the confirmation clear even without words.

It happened in the novel—some heroines were introduced after the grading exams, apparently, they were so talented that the Academy didn’t bother making them attend the induction process.

“Thought so,” I said with a dismissive wave. “Let me save you some breath. No, I don’t feel guilty about what happened. I didn’t ask her to confess, and I sure as hell didn’t ask her to react like that when I turned her down. Why should I care?”

Leon’s shock turned into fury. “You bastard!”

“Save it for someone who cares,” I said flatly. “And while you’re at it, go screw yourself. I don’t have time for brocons.”

Ignoring his seething glare, I glanced at the metawatch on my wrist.

[2D: 10H: 22M: 12S]

….

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