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

"Haah…" I sighed, exhaling slowly as I peeked through the slightly ajar door.

The hallway stretched out before me, silent and empty.

'Should be safe,' I thought, exasperated, as I slipped out and carefully locked the door behind me.

Retrieving Rizel from the private training room had been more trouble than I'd anticipated. If most students weren't still stuck in class, I would have been screwed the moment I set foot in the hallway.

All's well that ends well, I guess.

The room I had just snuck out of wasn't random—it was actually the one I used to stay in before moving in with Shelly. Taking Rizel back to my current dorm was out of the question. Nelia would probably kill her on sight, no matter how much I tried to intervene. But for some reason, this old room was still registered to my meta-watch. That made it, ironically, the safest place in this entire facility.

If either Ariana or Selena found out about Rizel…

…Yeah. I didn't even want to imagine that disaster.

"Alright, where was that again?" I muttered under my breath as I strode down the corridor.

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I was in the dormitories now, but this wasn't my destination. I was headed somewhere far more elusive—the Black Market.

A place only a select few knew about.

And I was one of them.

The only difference was how I came to know about it.

The Black Market was a haven of illegality. If you knew where to look and had the right connections, you could find anything. Literally anything. Even something as rare as an eighth-tier mana core—provided you had the luck and the funds.

But my reason for going there was far more specific.

I needed to buy a certain item.

How did I know of its existence? Because in the novel, Lorelle had acquired that very thing and used it for exactly what I was about to use it for.

…Alright, enough with the mystery.

He used it to NTR the protagonist. And it worked.@@novelbin@@

Of course, it happened near the end—right before the whole world was thrown into chaos and destruction.

Lorelle had managed to enslave Eloisa and used her to nearly kill Lucas. Nearly. Absurd luck and plot armor saved the bastard's life.

Eloisa, however, wasn't so fortunate. She died. And even in her final moments, she had smiled, embracing Lorelle as if nothing else in the world mattered.

Lorelle had tried to kill him, but…

…Well, that was impossible.

The universe practically bent to Lucas's will. Once again, stupid plot armor intervened, and he escaped.

But that wasn't the part that had pissed readers off the most.

It was what happened next.

Lorelle had knelt beside Eloisa's body. She had smiled at him—hugged him, even. Then, she whispered something, words the author conveniently decided to censor. After that, he kissed her forehead, then her lips.

And then she died in his arms.

That exact scene had driven readers into a frenzy. It was the foundation of most of the hate comments, especially from those who shipped Lucas and Eloisa. I won't lie—I was one of those who found it infuriating. But now that I am Lorelle…

…I feel a little biased about the whole thing.

But back to the issue at hand.

I wanted that thing Lorelle had used on Eloisa.

Not to steal a lover.

I just wanted Rizel under control.

If I could force her to obey my every command, not only would I get her off my back, but she would also become a valuable pawn in the long run. With her bloodline, I could turn her into a far greater asset—one I could make even stronger if I continued to… satisfy its needs.

Creak!

A door swung open.

Right beside me.

I didn't even have time to react before a hand wrapped around my throat and yanked me into the room.

'FUCK! WHO IS IT NOW?!'

"Let me go!" My mana flared, surging like a wildfire, and I was moments away from casting the most powerful spell at my disposal. I would rather die than go through what I endured at the hands of that bitch—Miranda.

"Turns out you're still a crybaby, even now."

That voice.

The moment I heard it, all the mana building inside me dissipated, vanishing like smoke in the wind. My body stiffened, and my breath hitched.

"A-Ariana?" I muttered, my eyes widening in disbelief. I could never mistake that voice. Not in this life. Not in the next.

Before I could react, I felt an arm snake around my shoulders, pulling me close. A familiar warmth pressed against my back—a soft, tantalizing sensation. Her hands, smooth yet firm, trailed from my shoulders down to my chest, her fingertips lingering as if savoring the touch.

"Missed me?" she murmured, her voice dripping with amusement.

I instinctively grabbed her hands, trying to turn around, but—

Yeah. I was still weaker than her.

Damn it.

"Why were you sneaking around?" she asked, her breath fanning against my neck. I barely caught the subtle sound of her sniffing me.

Yeah… I was used to this.

Both she and Selena had this odd habit of getting way too physical whenever we reunited, as if the mere hours apart felt like lifetimes to them.

"I had some stuff to take care of," I replied, my voice coming out a little strained as her grip softened, finally letting me turn to face her.

Platinum hair cascading past her shoulders, tinged with sapphire at the ends. Those piercing blue eyes, filled with mischief yet carrying an unmistakable intensity.

She looked divine.

"Stuff?" She pulled her hands free and placed them on her waist, tilting her head as her eyes narrowed.

I knew that look.

She used to give me that exact same expression back on Earth, the one that screamed, 'I know you talked to another girl.'

No matter how many layers of different perfumes I wore, she always knew.

"You're keeping secrets from me," she accused, her gaze sharp. "I can feel it."

I sighed. "Come on, it's just—ugh. Fine. I wanted it to be a surprise, but… fuck it."

I met her gaze, lips curling into a small smirk. "How about it? One last date before we move to the main academy city?"

Ariana's eyes widened.

We both knew that wasn't what I was actually hiding.

But the moment she heard the word date, everything else seemed to melt away.

"Really?" She gasped, gripping my hands tightly, excitement dancing in her eyes.

"Yeah," I chuckled. "But it might not be a place you'd like."

She grinned. "That doesn't matter."

Her expression softened slightly before shifting into something more serious. "You know… I was really worried about you."

Her fingers traced absent patterns against my wrist.

"I heard about the alchemy lab." Her voice dropped. "Some idiots destroyed it while fighting. I literally ran out of class to check on you." Her grip tightened. "Were you hurt? Who were those bastards?!"

I looked away. "I'm fine."

That didn't stop her from touching me all over, her hands trailing over my arms, my torso—checking for injuries, even though I just told her I wasn't hurt.

"Just forget about it," I said, gently taking her face in my hands, tilting her chin up so she had no choice but to look me in the eyes.

"Thank you."

For a second, she just stared at me. Then, a bright, dazzling smile bloomed across her face.

And before I could say anything else—

She moved.

Our lips met.

It was soft. Warm. Deep. A moment frozen in time.

It was beautiful.

Well… it was supposed to be—until she suddenly slammed me against the door and ravaged me.

"Hahh… ha… haaa… WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" I gasped between breaths.

Ariana looked away, cheeks tinted pink. "…I lost control."

Bullshit.

She totally did that on purpose.

Damn it!

I sighed, fixing my slightly disheveled shirt. "Fine. Let's go." I grabbed her hand, ready to pull her along, but—

She didn't budge.

"Huh?" I looked back at her.

"Is that… it?" she asked, looking genuinely shocked.

"Why are you—" Then, I realized what she meant.

"Wait. No, we can't. There's no time," I said quickly.

But she wasn't having it.

"Heh." She grinned and stepped closer, leaning in until her lips nearly brushed my ear.

Then she whispered, "Then let's just go for ten minutes."

Her hot breath tickled my skin.

Yeah…

…like hell it would only be ten minutes.