Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son

Chapter 323  Ritual [1]

"Alright, you guys can stop."

The moment Wilhelm's voice echoed, my legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the ground.

My breath came in ragged gasps as I stared up at the vast blue sky—

"Argh!"

A startled groan escaped my lips as Elijah fell on top of me.

And as if that wasn't enough, Aimar crashed onto him, adding even more weight to my body.

"Fuck—get off, you assholes," I grimaced, forcefully shoving them off me.

Lying on my back, I turned my head toward the corner of the field, where two girls were playing.

One had unnaturally pale skin, her long, pointed ears peeking through black hair.

Despite her frail appearance, her vibrant green eyes gleamed with mischief—just like her father's.

The other girl had cascading blonde hair, her equally bright green eyes mirroring the first girl's excitement.

'I want to be like them.'

It had been over two weeks since we returned from the Tamriel Kingdom.

My dull, repetitive life had resumed, uneventful as ever—except for…

'.....'

I rubbed my left arm, the spot where two deep holes had once been.

Now, they were completely healed.

A leg suddenly blocked my view of Iffa and Izara.

I looked up, only to see Wilhelm staring down at me.

"You have a tough body but weak stamina," he remarked, his tone irritatingly calm.

I scowled. "I just ran for four fucking hours without using mana. What the fuck do you mean, 'weak stamina'?"

"Your body is far stronger than it should be," he mused, arms crossed. "Overlord, perhaps?"

I groaned, sitting up. "I'm in the Limiter rank. How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Then—"

"Not gonna tell you," I cut him off.

For the past two weeks, Wilhelm had been pestering me with the same damn question.

How are you stronger than your rank allows?

He continued to eye me with curiosity.

I met his gaze with pure disdain, shifting slightly to cover my bare chest.

'Bitch is interested in my body.'

"Aimar," Wilhelm said, shifting his attention to the boy lying beside me. "What's wrong with you?"

I turned to Aimar, who blinked at him in confusion.

Wilhelm crouched, his piercing gaze meeting Aimar's. "Your body is changing. Every day, you're surpassing your previous self by a significant margin."

Aimar remained silent as he sat back, looking at him.

Wilhelm narrowed his green eyes. "Did you awaken something? Something... absurd?"

Aimar's golden eyes met his.

But—

He said nothing.

Wilhelm sighed and turned his attention to Elijah instead.

"And you…" He stared at him for a long moment before scoffing. "Well, as normal as ever."

Elijah's smile instantly dropped. "At least encourage me a little."

"You haven't even mastered Oiyz Sword Art properly," Wilhelm shot back. "Learn to use it correctly, then we'll talk."

Elijah rubbed his cheek but nodded nonetheless.

"Well, that's enough stamina training," Wilhelm said, glancing at the three of us. "I've gathered all the data I need for your next phase."

"Finally," I muttered, stretching as I stood up. "We can start actual training tomorrow."

Wilhelm eyed me for a second before sighing.

Turning around, he started to walk towards Izara while I walked beside him.

"Must be hard raising a kid alone," I remarked, watching Izara laugh. "She seems like the loud type."

"She is," Wilhelm admitted, a rare, gentle smile crossing his face. "But her smile makes it all worth it."

"...."

I gave him a weird look.

What was with that cheesy line?

Would I act like this if I had a daughter?

[<Yes.>]

'No.'

"I wish Eimi could see our daughter grow together." Wilhelm whispered with a wistful smile. "She would love it."

I gave him a small pat on his back. "Don't worry. She'd be happy to see how well you're raising her."

He glanced at me but said nothing.

Iffa's eyes lit up as she spotted me.

"Papa!"

She ran toward me, her little feet barely touching the ground.

At the same time, Izara bolted forward.

I opened my arms, ready to catch Iffa—

Wilhelm did the same for his daughter.

But—

Izara ran right past him and latched onto me instead, laughing happily.

'Ah, fuck.'

I sighed, glancing up.

Yep.

Wilhelm was looking at me like I committed the worst crime.

"Play with us, big brother!" Izara chirped, clinging onto me.

"Maybe later," I replied, patting her head. "I have somewhere to be."

Her smile faded as she looked at me pleadingly. "You always say tha—."

Before she could finish, Wilhelm scooped her up into his arms.

"Let me go! I want to play with him!" she whined, squirming.

"He's busy, baby." His grip tightened slightly. "Aren't you, Himmel?"

Why was he glaring at me?

"Yeah," I nodded, waving at Izara. "See you later."

"I'm going to sleep," Iffa informed me.

"Good night."

Her body dissolved into shimmering particles before merging into mine.

Izara's complaints faded into the background as I turned away.

Aimar and Elijah were already waiting at the gate of Wilhelm's house.

I studied Aimar for a moment. "You good?"

He just gave me a curt nod. "I am fine."

I frowned slightly.

'Did he really awaken, Inna?'

[<Yes, I can feel Horus's divinity far more potent than before.>]

'Then why is he not telling me?' I wondered, looking at me.

Since our return from Tamriel, Aimar had been distant.

Reserved.

Even now, he avoided my gaze, ignoring me entirely.

'What really happened to him?'

I wanted to ask.

But instead, I chose to stay silent.

He'd tell me when he was ready.

"Where are you headed?" Elijah asked as I took a separate path.

"I have a meeting with Yenna," I said, glancing at Aimar. "Hannah will be there too. Wanna come?"

"No." His reply was immediate. "I have work to do."

I shrugged. "Suit yourself."

"Well, see you in the evening then," Elijah said, waving.

I nodded and turned away.

Straight toward Yennefer's office.

*****

——Knock! Knock!

Knocking on Yennefer's office door, I took a step back.

No response.

——Knock! Knock!

I knocked again.

No one answered.

With a sigh, I pushed the door open without waiting for permission.

The moment I stepped inside, my eyes narrowed. @@novelbin@@

The room was shrouded in darkness, far dimmer than it should be.

Something wasn't right—

"BOOOO!"

Zenith leaped out of the shadows, arms flailing, her voice echoing through the office.

I stared at her, unimpressed.

Without a word, I grabbed her head.

"Ahh! Help me!"

And rotated her head around.

"Stop! Stop!" she cried, slapping at my hands.

I let go, giving her a slight push.

She stumbled, glaring at me.

"Told you it was a bad idea."

Yennefer's voice echoed from further inside the office.

A soft click, and the lights flickered on, illuminating her hunched over a desk, focused on something.

I started walking toward her—

"Careful!"

Zenith exclaimed, grabbing my arm.

I turned to her, then followed her gaze downward.

"...Damn."

Was the first thing that came out of my mouth.

A massive circle was carved into the floor. Layers upon layers of smaller circles surrounded it, from tiny dots to broad rings.

Runes and sigils wove an elaborate pattern along the edges, forming an almost hypnotic design.

The only untouched space lay at the very center, a lone gap in the otherwise seamless design.

"What is this?" I asked, glancing at Zenith.

She shrugged. "No clue."

I raised a brow. "How do you not know?"

"It's for the ritual," a voice chimed in.

I turned to see Hannah approaching, a small smile on her lips.

"Yenna asked us to create a prototype," she added.

"I see." I nodded, trailing behind Zenith as we moved closer to Yennefer.

"What exactly are you doing?" I asked, watching Yennefer closely.

"Making sure nothing is wrong," she replied without looking up, her eyes scanning a smaller version of the floor's design, drawn on parchment.

I leaned in, studying it. "You made this?"

"Yep," Yennefer answered, then gestured at Zenith. "She helped too."

"You are good at this." I said, looking back at her.

She grinned, puffing out her chest. "Of course I am!"

"Any Von Casita is good with runes," Yennefer added, finally looking at me.

 "Our ancestors learned them from the goddess herself."

I rubbed my chin. "Isis, huh?"

"Yes," she confirmed, shifting her attention back to the floor. "But not every Von Casita can perform rituals."

I tilted my head. "Yeah, I've always wondered—why is that?"

"Rituals require a connection to the Prism," Yennefer explained, her gaze fixated on the circle.

"It's the fuel that powers them. Right now, only six people can actually perform them."

"I'm one of them," Zenith said, sounding way too pleased with herself.

"The pink undertone in our hair is a clear sign of the contract."

I grinned. "Bet you're still a novice."

"Says the guy who can't even use runes," she shot back, sticking out her tongue.

I scoffed. "I can use runes."

My eyes flickered toward Yennefer.

She was frowning now, her brows drawn tight as she leaned back in her chair.

Picking up a pen, she started scribbling on a sheet of paper, deep in thought.

"Something bothering you?" Zenith asked, noticing her shift in demeanor.

"We're missing something," Yennefer murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "Maybe a rune…"

I glanced at the design again.

I wasn't an expert, but El had drilled rune theory into my head whenever he had the chance.

And it didn't take long for me to spot the flaw.

"Dream." I whispered, looking at Yennefer. "We are missing the dream conceptual rune."

"There isn't any dream rune, idiot." Zenith chimed in, standing beside me.

I ignored her and turned back to Yennefer.

"How many runes are you actually aware of?"