Villainess X Villain: They are obsessed with each other!-Chapter 49 -: 48 Could it be?[Bonus - ]

While the Church rushed to prepare, in the neutral city of Agarta, one man was even more worried, but for completely different reasons.

"Tsk... everything is falling apart," Nickel muttered. Dark circles hung under his eyes. His cheeks looked hollow and tired.

He spoke to himself quietly.

"First, the Daughter of Destiny was taken."

In TST, Rihana was called the Daughter of Destiny. Losing her was the worst possible thing.

At first he thought it must be an accident. But that felt almost impossible, nothing like this happened in the original story.

So it had to be something outside the plot. An outside force.

Right then, a blue screen appeared in front of him.

*Quest: Find the Anomaly – Completed*

*Rewards: ...*

Nickel gritted his teeth. He didn’t need to guess who the anomaly was.

The person who took Rihana didn’t even try to hide her. That person clearly had no idea a transmigrator like Nickel existed.

He let out a heavy sigh. His face darkened.

The problem was simple and terrifying.

The anomaly was *Julius Augustus Hayes*... the main villain of the story.

When Nickel first learned Julius had taken the girl, he actually felt relieved for a moment.

At least it wasn’t the old Julius, the cold, terrifying schemer who planned ten steps ahead.

Whoever had transmigrated into Julius’s body seemed weak. Harmless, even.

Nickel had heard all the rumors around the academy.

Julius lost a duel to the Villainess.

Then he became her servant.

He acted like a complete simp around her.

Nickel had thought: ’Okay, this transmigrator is just obsessed with the villainess. He’s trying to save her and change her bad ending. No big threat.’

But now he knew he was wrong.

Dead wrong.

The person Nickel thought was just a lovesick fool... was actually playing a much longer, darker game.

He bit his lip hard as he pulled a letter from the drawer beside him.

The seal of the Church of Benigore stared back at him. An invitation. *The Saint Trial.*

Nickel whispered in shock, "There was never a saint in TST. Not once."

So where did this sudden saint come from?

The answer was obvious.

’Julius Augustus Hayes.’

Only someone who knew the future, an anomaly, an outsider, would pull off something like this.

But how?

How did he create a saint candidate and push him into the trial in such a short time?

He changed the plot.

He stole Rihana before the protagonist even reached the academy.

He acted obsessed with the villainess.

And now he was twisting events... for something much bigger.

Nickel had seen this pattern before.

This was exactly how the original

Julius, the cold, main villain, operated.

Step by step. Patient. Ruthless.

Except one thing: in the original story, Julius didn’t appear this early.

The author introduced him much later.

Yet everything Julius was doing now...

felt like what the villain would have done ’if he had known the future ahead of time.’

Nickel stood up slowly. His voice shook.

"And that leaves only one conclusion."

He stared at the door, eyes wide with dread.

"Could he have... *regressed*?"

Horror filled his face as he walked forward.

Everything matched the original Julius.

The way he moved. The way he spoke.

The terrifying butler Alfred who killed anyone even slightly suspicious.

Nickel’s spies couldn’t get close, but the reports were clear: Julius behaved *exactly* like the book version.

The only difference was his strange, simping behavior toward the villainess.

But even that could be explained.

In the original story, Julius was schemed against.

Forced into a corner. Made to kill the villainess.

If he had come back in time...

knowing how it all ended...then this obsession could be explained.

Nickel’s hands trembled.

A regressor version of the main villain was far more terrifying than any random transmigrator.

Because this time...

Julius wasn’t just scheming.

He already knew who wins.

And who loses.

"Ryan," Nickel called. His voice was low. He was still lost in thoughts.

A middle-aged man stepped out from the shadows. He wore a perfect butler suit. He bowed slightly.

"You called, Young Master?"

Nickel snapped out of his daze.

"Yes. We’re going to the Holy Empire. Prepare the carriage."

"Yes, my lord."

Ryan didn’t ask a single question. He bowed again and walked away silently.

Thud.

Nickel shut the door. The sound echoed in the quiet room.

He stood alone, staring at nothing.

"What is his motive?" he muttered.

"Starting something this huge... across the entire Holy Empire. Why?"

He paced slowly.

"Does he want something from the Holy Empire?

It makes sense. That place is packed with ancient treasures... and massive influence."

Nickel stopped. His mind raced.

"The Holy Empire is split between two powers: the Church of Benigore and the royal family."

"If Julius is behind all this chaos, he must want something from one, or both."

A sudden thought hit him.

"Could it be... the Holy Sword?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

He shook his head right away.

"No. Impossible.

Only the protagonist can wield it, the one who’s truly pure in heart and character.

Julius is the villain. He can’t touch it."

Nickel clenched his fists.

"So then... what?

What does a man who already knows the future want so badly that he’s willing to shake the whole empire?"

His breathing grew heavier.

The answer felt close... but still hidden in shadows.

And that scared him more than anything.

"Should I ask Rosalina?" Nickel thought.

He walked to the chair and dropped into it heavily.

He stared at the floor for a long moment.

Then he shook his head hard.

"No. I can’t act recklessly anymore."

He had already asked her too many times.

Even if she knew something, she wouldn’t tell him now.

Not after all his questions.

His face tightened with worry as memories flashed back.

All those frequent visits.

All those repeated questions about Julius.

Way more than normal.

"I’ve already made her suspicious," he whispered.

"And if word reaches Julius that someone keeps digging into him for no clear reason..."

Nickel’s stomach twisted.

"With a mind like his, he would figure it out instantly.

He would know exactly why I’m asking."

He stood up fast.

He started pacing the room, steps quick and uneven.

"I can’t get caught.

The longer I stay hidden from him, the better. The longer I stay off his radar... the safer I am."

He stopped for a second. His voice dropped lower.

"Because I do *not* want to become his next target."

He started pacing again, faster now.

Mumbling under his breath.

"He stole Rihana first.

Then he forced a Saint Trial into existence.

So what does he want? What does he *want*? What. Does. He. *Want*?"

He kept repeating it, trying to force the pieces together.

"If I were him..."

Nickel muttered.

"Now that the whole Holy Empire’s eyes are glued to the Saint Trial... what would I do next?"

He paced harder. Mumbling the same words again and again.

His face was tight with tension.

Sweat started to bead on his forehead.

"Julius... what do you want..."

Suddenly, Julius’s face appeared clearly in his mind.

Sharp eyes. Calm expression.

And then, a slow, knowing smile curled on those lips.

The moment Nickel saw that smile in his imagination...

he froze mid-step.

His eyes snapped wide.

Breath caught in his throat.

"Could it be...?"