Chapter 53: A Gift for Each Villainess

I kept eavesdropping for a few minutes longer after Aqua checked on me, but John’s room had gone dead silent. The only things I could pick up were the faint shifting of someone settling into sleep and the unmistakable sound of his roommate starting to snore.

So that was it, huh?

Not much to work with. Still assumptions, but better than nothing. Either John really was just a genuinely nice person with some very suspicious habits, or he had an ulterior motive. The second was far more likely.

The timing was too convenient.

"How are you two—"

I started to cut the mana from my ears as I turned to address them, but stopped cold. They were whispering. Quiet enough that even with my partially enhanced hearing, I had to strain to catch the words.

They definitely weren’t talking about how to get stronger.

"Y’know, back at the assessment, I saw you staring at Reyn."

Anna said it with a smile. Aqua smiled back, though hers carried a touch more awkwardness, clearly remembering that openly admiring my body hadn’t been her finest moment.

"I-I hope I wasn’t intruding, Lady Rose. I know you two are quite close."

"No, no, it’s no problem at all. Actually, I found it kind of admirable."

"Admirable...?"

"You judged Reyn fairly despite his old reputation. The world needs more people like you."

"I’m really not that kind, Lady Rose..."

"I’m not talking about that. I mean... the world needs more people who are kind to Reyn. Don’t you think that would be great? A world where he doesn’t have to get hurt?"

Anna said it with such sincerity that Aqua visibly struggled to respond. She couldn’t exactly burst that bubble, and to her credit, she seemed to recognize that commenting on it would land her on Anna’s bad side almost immediately.

"W-Well, I guess the world does need more people like Lord Brimstone. So him getting hurt would be... a little bad."

"Right!"

I kept my expression neutral as I finally turned away from the window, letting the mana drain from my ears.

"Are you two almost done?"

Aqua raised a brow but didn’t press. Anna, meanwhile, had already shifted her attention back to me, that familiar warmth returning to her eyes now that I was looking at her again.

"We finished a while ago. We just didn’t want to disturb your sightseeing."

Anna stood and smoothed her skirt.

"I learned quite a bit. Lady Aqua’s discipline is impressive; she trains every night, even when her schedule is full."

"It’s not discipline; it’s necessity. I won’t be caught off guard again."

Her gaze flicked to me when she said it. I chose not to comment.

"Sounds like the two of you are getting along."

"I wouldn’t go that far, but her passion is something I can relate to."

"We’re not done yet, though," I said. "I still owe you a secret."

Aqua paused, her eyes brimming with curiosity and barely concealed excitement. Even someone as cold as her couldn’t hide it; the mention of a secret from the student who’d just broken academy records was enough to crack the ice.

"You said you’d give me a taste of how you obtained your power. You really mean it?"

"I don’t say things I don’t mean."

I raised a hand, letting a small orb of light form above my palm. Not the flashy kind I’d used in the arena, just something simpler and more controlled. Just enough to demonstrate the density of mana packed into something so small.

"I’m an empty vessel."

Aqua’s eyes widened.

"That’s impossible. Empty vessels are children, not..."

"Not young adults who wasted their entire childhood? I know. But here I am. And don’t underestimate the previous me. Saying I wasted my childhood isn’t an exaggeration. It’s the reason I was still an Empty Vessel when I decided to change."

I closed my hand, dispelling the light.

"That’s the honest answer, and it’s disappointing, I know. You can’t exactly use it. But..."

I raised a finger, a deliberately theatrical smile spreading across my lips.

Sure, I could leave it at the empty vessel excuse and technically fulfill my end of the bargain.

But where was the fun in that?

I’m here to make allies with villainesses. Obviously, I need to actually help them and give them what they want.

And while my own routine probably wouldn’t help Aqua much, at most, it would make her slightly stronger every day, that wouldn’t be enough...

I had a better alternative.

"This should work. Your ducal status shouldn’t make it difficult for you to obtain it. A simple expedition party, paid well enough to ensure their loyalty and discourage them from simply stealing it, should do the trick."

I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from her desk, then wrote down a quick summary and a crude map based on the description I vaguely remembered from the novel.

It was a magical artifact directly related to ice and fire. Chronologically, Aqua obtained it much later, but doing so required a lot of sacrifices and hard work.

I could effectively circumvent all of that.

"Here."

Aqua took the paper from my hands, reading the description I had written. A necklace divided into two halves, one formed from crystalline ice and the other from hardened flame, with a small gem at the center where the two elements met.

"It grants me a second element...?"

"Yes."

Aqua smiled, rolled up the paper, and quickly tucked it away in her desk.

"I’ll decide how thankful I’ll be after I obtain it. Gotta make sure I don’t get too excited over some third-rate magical item~"

She said it casually, but the way she emphasized the last word made it obvious she could barely contain herself. Even if it really was third-rate, a second element was still a second element.

And if it turned out to be useless? If my description was accurate, she could probably still resell it for a pretty penny just from the design alone.

"That’s fine with me."

Not long after, Anna finally decided to join the conversation, having given us our moment.

"When am I getting my own special gift, Reyn?"

She tilted her head, her smile carrying a hint of accusation.

"I heard from Trish that you two finished a trial that allegedly grants powers, and now you’re giving Lady Aqua a map to a special artifact. I’m expecting my turn?"

I smiled at her.

"Of course. I already had something in mind for you."