Reborn As The Minor Villain In A Romance Fantasy Novel

Lala looked at the fellow dwarf holding her hands and smiled warmly at the genuine enthusiasm.

"So you’re a big fan of our small show, huh? I’m glad tae hear it." She said with genuine happiness in her Scottish accent, and Villy’s face grew redder with each passing second.

Lala’s character in the film prompted her to not be a fan of smiles, so it was incredibly precious to see her smile outside the movie like this.

"Small show?" Villy asked, making absolutely sure Lala was not joking with her. "Lady Lala... this show is a Top 3 on the charts amongst new thriller horror movies across the entire wold. It’s certainly not small at all."

Lala placed a hand on one of her pigtails thoughtfully, twirling it.

"You’re sounding like Arianne now, lass." Lala said with a slight chuckle. "I think it’s a very good thing that the show made it that far... to be honest, when I started this whole project years ago, I never thought we would make it this far at all."

Villy had read enough about this woman to know her entire story. Lala, which was both her original name and her movie name, was the original writer and owner of the show.

It came into fruition because of her relentless efforts over years of rejection and failure, and everything that she had right now was because she pushed herself beyond her limits when everyone told her to give up.

"Anyway, Moon Goddess called and said that you wanted a tour of the set and to meet our cast. Are you such a big fan?" Lala asked curiously, and Villy brought out her own phone immediately, loading a site before raising it in Lala’s face.

"Yes... I even used my entire salary to pay for the Premium site subscription and bought advance tickets for the next movie premiere. I can’t wait." She was practically very giddy about it, barely containing her excitement as her eyes sparkled.

Lala turned to Lucius with interest.

Of course she was happy about having the famous Lucius von Hohenberg at this establishment, but she wondered if he had actually watched the show as well or was just accompanying Villy.

"What about you, Master Lucius? Are you a fan of the show?" She asked politely.

"Not exactly." Lucius admitted honestly, but he checked his phone. "Though it is on my watchlist so I’ll watch it soon."

Apparently, it was a light horror series, not like the ones him and Esme usually watched together that were genuinely terrifying, but just hearing him say that made Lala’s pigtails rise up with excitement.

"Alright then, let’s begin the tour proper. If you have any questions tae ask along the way, please go ahead." Lala said, then turned to Villy. "The scenes for the movie are being shot in small segments throughout the day... we can even watch one if you’re interested, though they won’t be as perfect as you think they are without the editing."

Villy’s hair blew dramatically in a sudden wind and her eyes glowed even more with enthusiasm. "Let’s gooooo..."

Lala smiled and they began walking down the cobblestone street toward the Hollow Cottage, which was where the main character resided in the film.

The street itself was unsettling. The cobblestones were uneven and cracked as if centuries old, and the buildings on either side leaned inward slightly, making the path feel claustrophobic.

Gas lamps lined the street with flickering yellow flames that cast more shadows than light.

"That bit of wind that blew us just now is called..."

"Spectral wind." Villy interrupted enthusiastically before Lala could finish. "It’s a wind that comes from the north of Bruhilder Mountains and hits the town which is at the bottom. It comes at intervals of an hour."

Lala giggled at the knowledge. "Yes, that’s exactly right, lass. It’s Spectral wind coming from the mountains, however on the set... it comes from a large fan that’s turned on once every hour. You wouldn’t be able tae see it since it’s covered by cloaking magic."

"I see..." Villy said, and her green eyes began glowing as she looked up at the sky.

She used her Analyze spell, the same spell that she used to analyze the drones before recreating them. In the sky was a large fan overlooking everything and it was slowly pulling to a stop. "I can see the fan..."

"Oh? You can see through cloaking magic? How impressive, lass." Lala said while putting her hands together in appreciation.

Lucius noticed that the town around them had grown considerably foggier. There had always been fog present when they arrived, but it seemed like it was getting closer and thicker now, swirling around their ankles.

As they walked, Lucius observed the buildings more carefully. To their left was what appeared to be an old apothecary with a crooked sign hanging by one chain.

The windows were filled with jars of mysterious ingredients... black salt, dried herbs, and iron filings.

Through the dusty glass, he could see a counter with what looked like an old book sitting open.

"That’s the apothecary," Lala explained, noticing his gaze. "Where Warden Margaret gets her ritual components in the film. Every jar is authentic to the period we’re recreating."

Villy gasped. "Can we go inside?"

"Maybe after we see Arianne," Lala promised.

They passed a general store with empty shelves visible through the window, and what looked like an old church with a steeple.

The church’s stained glass windows depicted disturbing images that Lucius couldn’t quite make out in the fog.

"Next are the fog machines..." Lala explained as the mist grew thicker. "They are the ones that control the fog that comes around the whole set. You know fog usually comes out when there’s a ghost to be exorcised."

"Yes... so now that the fog is out, is there a ghost nearby?" Villy asked excitedly and raised her hand in Lucius’s direction. Something materialized in her hand through spatial storage.

It was a plate with a candle on it. "My exorcism set is ready to go. I just need to light the candle."

Lala giggled once more at the enthusiasm.

"Calm down, Villy..." Lala said gently. The Moon Goddess had mentioned her name when asking for the tour of the set. "The ghosts aren’t really real, though they do have actors playing them. That is true."

"I see..." Villy visibly deflated with disappointment. "Are we going to see the main character soon?"

"Of course! Arianne should be relaxing now but she was very excited tae see you. Let’s hurry up." She took Villy’s hand and began running down the cobblestone street, and Lucius watched the two dwarves running together and sighed.

"This set looks amazing..." He muttered as the fog came closer and thicker around him. There were also several people watching them from the spooky houses all around, some in costume, others appearing to be crew members.

He had to admit, from all the horror movies he watched with Esme, this place genuinely creeped him out even if it was supposed to be a ’Light Horror.’

The atmosphere was oppressive. The temperature had dropped noticeably, and the fog created shapes that looked almost humanoid before dissolving.

The gas lamps flickered in patterns that seemed too coordinated to be random.

"I’d hate to be on set of the other movies that Esme and I watched..." He muttered with a shake of his head. That would be like inviting death directly... This was relatively mild in comparison. He increased his walking speed and caught up with them.

They were standing outside a cottage that looked very old from the outside. The wood was quite chipped and weathered, and the structure was even slanted quite a bit to one side.

The garden was overgrown with dead plants, and a gate creaked in the wind even though there was no wind. The fog that had now spread everywhere made it look like a true horror house from a nightmare.

He arrived beside them.

"Oh, Master Lucius... you caught up." Lala said, and Lucius’s eyes twitched. What was it with dwarves and their honorifics? Villy was calling him ’my lord’ and here Lala was calling him ’Master.’ "This is the Still Cottage and where Wardens in the town gather for meetings as well as a place where ghosts usually attack in the movie."

The cottage itself was imposing up close. Victorian-style with broken shutters, seven windows with one that was always dark, and symbols carved into the doorframe that looked disturbingly authentic.

She touched the handle and it glowed in green light.

"I always thought that it was some special effect in post-production." Villy leaned in closer to examine it.

"Not exactly, lass. I still live here off-screen with Arianne, so I and Arianne are the only ones that can open the door. It’s keyed tae our mana signatures." She explained as the door of the cottage opened slowly with a creak.

"Oh?" Villy’s lip trembled.

Lala was the only one that could open the door to the Still Cottage in real life, however in the first movie, Margaret, the main character, managed to open it as well which made a lot of fan speculation as to whether they were related by blood.

"Please come on in..." Lala took off her shoes at the entrance and so did Lucius and Villy, and they entered the cottage.

The door closed behind them automatically with a soft click. "This is the Exorcist Dining room..."

Lala hadn’t even finished talking and Villy was already at the table, pressing her hand against it reverently. "This is where all the Exorcists sit down for their meetings... including Lady Lala’s seat."

The room was exactly as it appeared in the film. A long wooden table with seven chairs, candles everywhere, salt circles on the floor, and symbols painted on the walls.

The fireplace had cold ashes, and above it hung a portrait of someone Lucius assumed was the first Exorcist or something like that.

Lucius and Lala swore they could see Villy drooling, and Lala pointed to a place on the right. It was a machine that looked like it belonged to the old days with green liquid bubbling inside.

"And that’s the Broth that we drink when acting... It has stuff inside that makes one pretty energetic so you shouldn’t take too much of it unless you’re that buff bastard Joseph."

"The energy broth from the first movie!" Villy exclaimed. "When Margaret had to stay awake for three days straight!"

"Aye, that’s the one," Lala confirmed.

"Ooh~ Lala, have the visitors arrived?" From the staircase, a beautiful lady descended gracefully. She had shoulder-length coily black hair and pink eyes, but most notably, she was wet and wearing only a towel to cover herself.

She got to the base of the staircase and looked at Lucius, Lala and Villy, however she didn’t shrink in shame or embarrassment. Lala, however, was the complete opposite.

"Wear your clothes!! Stop coming downstairs without clothes! What kind of example are you setting for your fan, huh?!" Lala shouted.

Villy looked at her with wide eyes. They barely talked to each other in the movies unless Lala’s character was giving Margaret a mission, so it was quite refreshing to see them interact naturally like this.

Arianne turned her head to the side dismissively.

"You wouldn’t understand... to keep my body in peak physical condition, I have to do this daily." She said, and Lala walked over to her with a sigh.

Arianne was purposely not addressing Lucius directly since she was sure that it was what every woman that met him did immediately.

He was probably tired of that constant attention, and would pay attention to her more if she ignored him strategically. There were a lot of celebrity men that loved women who weren’t obsessed with them.

Unfortunately for her, Lucius was not one of those men.

He looked around the cottage interior instead, examining the details.

"There are holes in these walls.... What are they for?" He asked, pointing at several damaged spots.

Villy was the one that replied immediately with encyclopedic knowledge.

"The fights with the ghosts... and between Exorcists. It caused a lot of fights in here, though I thought it was edited in post-production with CGI. It really makes the cottage look real and lived-in." Villy said and walked over to Arianne. "Miss Arianne... I’m a big fan of your work."

Arianne was a human woman so naturally she was taller than the two dwarves. Arianne bent over, making sure to show her curves, and then she pinched Villy’s cheeks affectionately, making her laugh.

"I’m always happy to see a fan." She smiled warmly.

And then in that instant, something strange happened.

Lucius saw something white pass through him entirely. It came from behind the door and passed through him as if it was a ghost, moving in a spinning direction toward the girls.

He raised his hand immediately to clamp it shut with spatial manipulation, however space simply went through like it didn’t exist... or rather like a refraction of light.

Then it blurred past the girls before returning to the door. He blasted it a few more times with concentrated space manipulation, creating holes in the walls while the white thing went through the door and back outside.

"The fuck was that...?" Lucius wondered aloud. It didn’t have any mass or physical substance. It was just like reflected light or energy.

"Master Lucius... please don’t look in this direction."

He looked toward them and saw that all three girls were hanging off the staircase with their clothes being used to tie their legs to the stairs.

All that remained on their bodies was their bras and panties. Villy covered herself desperately and so did Lala, however his eyes twitched.

Dwarves were very short and were like children in stature. How was he meant to be interested in a child’s body?

The same couldn’t be said for Arianne who was hanging by her towel, and her breasts bounced as she screamed.

’What a weird day.’ He thought.

There was actually a ghost in Hollowmire.