Chapter 62: My Villainess Is Going Off-Script?

We arrived at the Leon Federation during the night. But no one was happy that the long trip was finally over. Another issue had arisen, and for rich nobles, this was a bigger problem than the sudden trip itself.

Everyone was forced to stay in local inns.

According to the professors riding in front, the Federation had sent a letter minutes ago. The guest rooms at their academy were apparently unfinished and dealing with "complications."

It was now officially the start of the arc.

And thankfully, it didn’t involve me at all. I just had to stay clear and focus on enjoying this trip with my villainess, and potentially another one.

"Everyone, please head to your rooms. The academy has sent scouts to rent rooms in advance. Accommodations have already been prepared."

A rider on horseback passed us and handed out the room assignments. I visibly crumpled the paper when I saw mine.

It was the same damn inn as Lucius.

That meant complications later tonight.

But...

I glanced at Lillith.

"Is there something you need, Lord Brimstone?"

A vampire, huh? Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. She was practically a guaranteed scout, considering she didn’t exactly need sleep.

If Lucius’s incident spilled over onto the other students, she’d be there to alert them. Assuming everyone, including me, was already asleep, she’d make for a reliable alarm system.

Granted, that was only as long as she didn’t do anything rash.

"No, nothing."

"Ah, I see..."

Lillith had grown more submissive since the carriage ride. Her previous demeanor had crumbled entirely once she realized the strongest student in the academy knew her secret, and could crush her if she ever tried to stop him.

"Anna, it seems we’re in the same inn."

Lucius approached without warning from his carriage, flanked by two male students I didn’t recognize.

"Mhm. I can see that."

It seemed Lucius was still trying to repair their old relationship. And it was obviously failing.

✧ ✦ ✧

The inn was a three-story timber structure wedged between a bakery and a closed tailor’s shop, its sign creaking faintly in the night breeze. Warm light spilled from the ground-floor windows, and the smell of stew drifted out to meet us.

Modest by noble standards. Perfectly adequate by anyone else’s.

Anna claimed my side the moment we stepped through the door, which left Lillith trailing a half-step behind. The innkeeper, a round woman with flour dusting her apron, took one look at our group and immediately began bowing.

"Lady Rose, Lady Crimson, Lord Brimstone, we’ve prepared our finest rooms. Please, this way."

Our rooms were on the second floor. Two doors, side by side.

Lillith took one. Anna and I were given the other.

The innkeeper’s apologetic wringing of hands suggested she’d expected to house us separately, but the academy’s last-minute arrangements had left limited options.

Anna didn’t so much as blink at the arrangement, which told me everything about how the room assignments had actually come together.

Lucius and his two companions were given rooms at the far end of the same hall, which put a wall and a stretch of creaking floorboards between us.

Good. Not far enough to avoid him entirely, but far enough that I hopefully wouldn’t have to deal with his first problem this arc.

"This is a nice change of pace, isn’t it? I’m starting to feel what Trish feels every day."

"Being a maid isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. At least you don’t have to do laundry and menial chores."

"But that’s where you’re wrong, Reyn."

Anna crossed her arms with a smirk.

"I think I’d much prefer cleaning up your room and washing your clothes to dealing with noble business. I’m sure Lord Gavian can relate."

"Is it that hard being the heir of House Rose? Or any House, for that matter?"

"You have no idea. But once we’re married, things might finally settle down. The heir position would pass to my younger sister."

"Just because you’d marry me, your family would strip you of your birthright?"

"My parents are nice people, but even they aren’t the type to accept being annexed by the Brimstones."

"I’m guessing you don’t feel the same?"

"No. Of course I don’t."

✧ ✦ ✧

It was midnight, and most had already fallen asleep. The long trip and abrupt departure had taken every unprepared student by surprise, ensuring they were exhausted the moment they arrived at the inns.

Beside me, Anna was also asleep. She’d said she needed the rest to make sure she could help me with the best of her ability by morning.

Who knew being hit by a weapon of mass destruction would actually turn out to be a good thing?

I should probably give her a gift soon.

"Let’s see..."

I stood and headed to the mirror, careful not to wake her as I took off my shirt. It had been two months since I arrived in this world and started changing the old Reyn.

And it had definitely been doing wonders.

Working out to failure, then immediately healing myself to achieve instant hypertrophy.

Considering how this world’s biology worked, I was probably as strong as what my old world would have considered a supersoldier.

I think even I would fall for myself at this point.

tap.

tap.

tap.

A series of footsteps echoed outside my room. When I subtly peeked through the window, I saw them, people in bright white robes, running across the rooftops toward what looked like Lucius’s room.

They were here.

And Lucius was about to get beaten, then do the beating.

"As long as Lucius follows the script and drags the fight far from here, I won’t have to intervene."

I smiled.

That smile dropped the moment I heard a window open from the room next to mine. Not only that, but the sound of someone perching on the windowsill, preparing to jump.

Lillith. Was she planning to engage them?

FWOOSH!

The sound of her cloak was like a gunshot as I caught her silhouette from the window, moving toward the dark alley in the direction of the suspicious figures.

Was she planning to intercept them before they reached Lucius’s room?

Guess she decided to handle things herself. Either because she wanted her classmates to rest, or because she wanted an excuse to feed.

Either way, I wasn’t letting a potential villainess walk into danger alone.