The Villain has Perished



Five minutes passed.

My wishes were not answered.

…It was not a dream.

Massaging my brows, I sat back on the sofa.

"Sir Sol?"

"Leave me alone for a few minutes."

Jae-sung didn't seem willing to leave the room. However, he left when he noticed my grave expression – actually no, I always have an expressionless face. He left after sensing my mood.

Left alone, I reviewed my current situation again.

1. Jae-sung didn't regress

2. I'm getting a portion of stat points from Jae-sung (the only good news)

3. The Dragon Kings have awakened

4. Baizamu is suspicious of me

5. Illusive Dragon King is going to attack the Imperial Capital according to Baizamu

I reviewed the information again and again for a few minutes. 

In the light of the current situation, I ignored points 2 and 4. They didn't need immediate attention. Point 1 could also be overlooked for now.

I recalled every piece of information about Dragon Kings.

There are Six Dragon Kings.

Dragon King of Light

Dragon King of Slavery

Limitless Dragon King

Illusive Dragon King

Dragon King of Sky

Shadow Dragon King

In terms of raw power, the Sky Dragon King was stronger than all other dragon kings combined. 

Dragon King of Slavery could control every living being in its sight.

Limitless Dragon King never left its seal and went as far as strengthening its seal itself.

Dragon King of Light could attack and move at the speed of light. It has the highest destructive potential among all dragon kings.

Shadow Dragon King wouldn't leave the Labyrinth. It should be shutting down all routes of the Kamera Continent that connect it to other continents.

Finally, Illusive Dragon King. The Dragon King accused of a future invasion on the Imperial Capital of the Swordsmith Empire….

'If all dragon kings were to fight, the Illusive Dragon King will win, no questions asked.'

Physical or magical strength didn't matter against the Illusive Dragon King. A non-ascender and a King rank, all would be equally helpless in front of it.

'I can't catch a break, can I?'

…

..

.

After reviewing the same information continuously for one hour, I reached two conclusions.

'The first conclusion is that Illusive Dragon is going to attack tonight.'

Every Dragon King had a different personality. If Light Dragon King was valiant and obstinate, then Illusive Dragon King was sly and exhibitionist.

He liked to move when it would attract the most attention and tonight there was a Ball in Imperial Palace to celebrate the winners of Rite of Passage.

It was the perfect stage for Illusive Dragon King to move.

'I want to stop Setsuna but it's already evening. Even if I leave now, I would be caught in Illusive's spell. I can't run away.'

'The only way to go after Setsuna is to first deal with Illlusive Dragon King.'

Immediately after, I left the room to begin my preparation.

"Sir Sol, where are we going?"

"Royal Treasury. I'm giving you a Celestial Swordsmanship Series."

"What!?"

Jae-sung was utterly stupefied. 

I ignored his confusion and replied flatly. "This is your reward for your contribution in the Forest of Silence."

He nodded dumbly.

But of course, I was lying. 

Jae-sung hadn't regressed and the dragon kings had already awakened. It was best to strengthen him so he doesn't die.

Not to mention, he was my stats laying my golden goose. It wouldn't be fair of me if I didn't fatten him up as his owner.

'I'll also use this chance to see if I can find a different swordsmanship for myself. Phantom Swordsmanship is good but it doesn't have sure-kill moves like Jae-sung's Hell Knight Series.'

The attacks Jae-sung uses Demonic Slash and Demonic Slash: Maximus were from Celestial Swordsmanship: Hell Knight Series.

Currently, Jae-sung possesses the incomplete Hell Knight Series.

Ciel, the Gods of Games, had accessed the Records of World of Swords & Magic and taken the Hell Knight Series along with a few more Celestial Sword Series'. 

The bastar-Ahem, the eccentric god, was shamelessly giving Jae-sung techniques from the stolen series as the quest rewards.

This was the reason Jae-sung only had a few moves from the Hell Knight Series.

If everything goes as it did in the plot, Jae-sung would choose the Hell Knight Series in a few minutes

It would complete his missing knowledge of Hell Knight Series and give him a boost in strength.

'I think I'll take the one Jae-sung was supposed to take.'

Hell Knight Series was the one that suited Jae-sung. However, in the novel, he chose a different sword series after returning from the future. 

It was called the Star Slaying Series.

The Star Slaying Series didn't suit him and he couldn't reach its full potential. Nevertheless, there was a reason he chose it.

It used 'Stellar Mana', a rare type of elemental mana capable of harming higher-planer entities.

Now, however, he hasn't regressed and he won't be able to put the Star Slaying Series to good use. 

So, I'll take it instead.

After all, as an upright villain, it was my duty to take the opportunities the protagonist discarded. This wasn't stealing, but a rightful change of ownership, okay?

We continued to traverse through the wide halls of the Imperial Palace. It had soaring ceilings, elaborate arches, and majestic columns. 

In our path, we met many servants and knights who bowed to us.

It seemed as if the news of my hair color had reached the Imperial Palace too. Everyone recognized me at a glance.

The guards opened the doors when I told them I was going to the Royal Treasury to use the Celestial Sphere.

Celestial Sphere was the device used to access the virtual library where the Celestial Sword Series' are stored. There are only two of them, one at the Imperial Royal treasury and another at the Lionel estate. 

The sphere can be used only by those with the blood of Lionel's inside them.

Celestial Swordsmanship belongs to the Lionel Family and it has a near-infinite number of sword series in it. 

If a person has made a high contribution to the Empire, our family's job is to award them a chance, allowing them to use Celestial Sphere to choose a sword series.

Other than this, the decision of how we use Celestial Swordsmanship and to whom we give it solely belongs to Lionel Family members. 

"Is it alright to give me a sword series without Duke's permission?" asked Jae-sung.

Theoretically, there is no restriction on how a family member uses the celestial sphere as long as it doesn't bring harm to the family. 

But it was an unspoken rule to ask for the family head's permission before using the celestial sphere.

'I'm not going to ask for the Daemon's permission for an unspoken rule. It's not like our family situation is good enough for me to talk with them. My current actions would be thought of as a childish rebellion at best.'

We reached the door of the Imperial Treasury. After completing several procedures, the Imperial guards began opening the door.

"Don't worry about it." I answered Jae-sung.

As we entered the Imperial treasury, I questioned Jae-sung. 

"Where are my family members?"

"They have joined with the Imperial army and marched towards the borders to defend against the dragon kings."

'This means, the awakening of Dragon kings is common knowledge.'

The Imperial treasury was divided into several rooms connected by a long corridor. Each room held different kinds of treasures. Spell Books, Items, Books explaining historical and geographical findings, herbs and many more such valuable possessions.

We followed the Imperial guards to the deepest part and stood before a magnificent door. 

The guards opened the door and stood outside. 

"Let's go"

As soon as we stepped inside, we saw a shining sphere placed on a pedestal in the middle of the room. Except for the pedestal and the celestial, the room was empty.

This room was one of the most protected areas in the entire continent. No one would know what happened inside until the door was opened.

I didn't use the celestial sphere immediately and faced Jae-sung.

I was now going to say something that would make him suspicious of me as it was a knowledge no one should be aware of. 

Until now, I've been monitoring and analyzing his behavior. I could say with confidence that he doesn't know about Setsuna and me being a 'prophet'. 

Nevertheless, if Illusive Dragon King was going to attack the Imperial Capital tonight, I needed Jae-sung's help.

"How long has it been since the information of Caliburn Kingdom, Haltozai Kingdom, and Kingmaker Kingdom was received?"

"...? ...Two days ago."

I nodded.

If Dragon Kings awakened the day I lost consciousness, it would leave them with 7 days to slay 3 Kingdoms.

Going by the estimates of the novel, it was a reasonable speed.

However, I was sure about the second conclusion I arrived at, after contemplating for an hour…

"That information is fake."