Villainess X Villain: They are obsessed with each other!-Chapter 43 -: 42 Sudden visits of the masked man.[1]

Chapter 43: Chapter: 42 Sudden visits of the masked man.[1]

Far away from the Royal Arcane Academy, in the Holy Empire, there was a wild, lawless place.

One of the biggest, but also one of the poorest and messiest, cities: Nightspire.

Deep underground, in a smoky gambling den full of shady people, someone let out a creepy laugh.

"Hehehehe..."

A man in a pitch-black robe stood there.

His face was hidden behind a pure white mask with a huge, twisted grin carved into it.

A dark hood covered his head, so you couldn’t see much of his body either. He looked like he walked straight out of a nightmare.

"You again?" a bored voice came from the front.

Sitting on a big, ugly throne was a normal-looking guy.

Black hair, black eyes, nose a bit wide. Nothing special about him, except the cold, dangerous vibe he gave off.

The masked man chuckled again. "It can’t be helped."

He stepped closer, still grinning under that creepy mask.

"Even with all the info I gave you, you still couldn’t kill Cardinal Raphael when he came to visit. Now it’s turned into a much bigger mess."

"Tsk!" The throne guy clicked his tongue hard.

"You think killing a cardinal is easy or something?"

He leaned forward, eyes narrowing.

"There were paladins everywhere. Plus the commander of the Holy Knights himself was there. How the hell was I supposed to take them all out?"

He let out a tired sigh and rubbed his face.

"Still... we got super close. Right at the last second, some random kid jumped in and blocked everything. Haa..."

The masked man’s grin somehow got even wider.

"Hehe. And that ’random kid’ is going to be a much bigger problem than you think."

He leaned in like he was sharing the juiciest secret.

"I watched the whole thing with my lord. He said that brat is not normal at all. You should have killed him right there on the spot."

The throne guy frowned. "What do you even mean by that?"

The masked figure clicked his tongue again, loudly this time.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Are you guys really from the lawless zone? How are you this clueless?"

He shook his head like he was disappointed in a little kid.

"In every novel I’ve read, people like you are supposed to be amazing at gathering info."

"Even though the Holy Empire hasn’t made any big announcement yet, you should’ve at least heard the rumors by now. How incompetent..."

A thick vein popped on the throne guy’s forehead.

"Get to the damn point already," he growled.

"If you weren’t a servant of our great friend Sanachi, I would’ve choked the life out of you five minutes ago."

He cracked his knuckles, clearly fed up.

This wasn’t the masked creep’s first visit.

Last time he showed up, he’d told them the Cardinal of the Church of Benigore was coming to Nightspire.

They tried. They failed. And now this annoying masked weirdo was back to rub it in their faces.

The masked man just laughed again, that same creepy "hehehe", like none of the threats bothered him at all.

"Oh don’t worry," he said cheerfully. "I’m about to tell you something that’ll make your night a lot more interesting..."

He paused for dramatic effect.

"That kid who saved the cardinal? Yeah... he’s not just some street brat."

The grin on the white mask stretched impossibly wide.

The masked creep let out another creepy "hehehe," clearly enjoying how much he was pissing off the throne guy.

"He is the most beloved child of Goddess Benigore... or at least that’s what the rumours say," the masked man continued, rocking back on his heels like he was telling the best bedtime story ever.

"But that’s just the cute little rumor they’re letting leak out. The church is hiding the real bomb before everything’s ready."

He paused again, loving the drama.

The throne guy leaned forward so fast his throne creaked. His eyes were wide, full of greedy curiosity now.

"What?" he demanded.

"Such an impatient one," the masked creep clicked his tongue. "Tsk. Doesn’t even let me build the vibe properly."

He sighed like a disappointed teacher, then finally dropped it.

"Okay, fine. The kid’s name is Uriel. Super holy name, right? Fits perfectly. So my lord, the great Sanachi, told me to pass this straight to you."

He leaned in close, voice dropping to a excited whisper.

"That child... is a true child of Goddess Benigore. He carries her holiness inside him. And from what I heard..."

Another dramatic pause.

The throne guy exploded.

"This motherfucker!!" he snapped, slamming a fist on the arm of his throne. "I’ve had enough of your stupid games!"

The masked creep just laughed harder.

"Tsk. You are no fun at all."

He waved a lazy hand like he was brushing off a fly.

"So anyway... the kid is about to take on the Saint Trial of Goddess Benigore. And according to my lord’s visions..."

He spread his arms wide, grinning under the mask like a maniac.

"...he’s going to pass it. He’s going to complete the trial and become the third Saint after five hundred freaking years."

Silence.

Dead. Absolute. Silence.

The throne guy’s ordinary face twisted. His black eyes bulged. His mouth hung open.

The wide nose flared like he couldn’t breathe.

For a second he looked like a completely different person, ugly with shock and rage.

Then the scream ripped out of him.

"WHAT?!!!!"

The masked creep tilted his head, that creepy white grin stretching even wider under the hood.

"Yes, my impatient friend," he said, voice dripping with fake sympathy.

"He is going to be the next Saint. And once he becomes the Saint... his divination abilities will be unlocked at full power."

He leaned in closer, almost whispering now.

"It might even surpass our great lord Sanachi. You do know what that means, right?"

The throne guy’s eyes went so wide they looked ready to pop out of his skull.

His mouth opened, but no sound came out. Just pure, stunned silence. He couldn’t even blink.

The masked creep checked an invisible watch on his wrist like he was late for tea.

"Oho... it’s already time," he sighed dramatically. "Okay then, so long. I have other matters to take care of."

He raised his gloved hand and snapped his fingers.

The second the snap echoed, his legs started fading away like smoke in the wind.

First his boots, then his knees, then his robe, everything dissolving into wispy black nothing.

"Hehehe," he chuckled one last time. "I know exactly how you must be feeling. If Uriel becomes the Saint... you won’t have an easy time anymore."

"After all, he’ll be able to find you and your little hideout anytime he wants. Just a tiny prayer to the goddess, and poof, your location lights up like a bonfire."

He gave a cheerful little wave with what was left of his hand.

"Goodbye, my trusted friend~"

"Hehehehehe..."

And with one final creepy laugh, he vanished completely into thin air. Gone. Not even a footprint left behind.

The throne guy just stood there, staring at the empty spot where the masked creep had been.

His brain was still frozen.

The whole gambling den felt quieter than a graveyard. Even the dice stopped rolling in the background.

Minutes passed. Maybe ten. Maybe more.

Then a tiny fly buzzed in from somewhere and landed right on the tip of his wide nose.

The second its tiny legs touched skin—BAM. The daze shattered.

Rage exploded across his face like a volcano.

"That MOTHERFUCKER!!!" he roared so loud the walls shook.

He slammed both fists down on the arms of his throne, cracking the wood.

"At least tell me the goddamn DATE before you vanish, you annoying piece of shit!!!"

*********

A/N

Hello everyone! We’ve crossed 100 Power Stones again 🥳🥳

However, the promised Chapter will be delayed by about 5 days. I hope you understand and continue supporting the story.

Also, The Adventures of Detective Rosalina has officially begun! You can find it in the Auxiliary Volume section. I hope you enjoy it.

Thank you all for your support!