Home / Parallel Memory / Chapter 720: The return of small time villain

Read free on Ficlyn

Parallel Memory

Chapter 720: The return of small time villain · Nov 03, 2026

Prev Chapter Novel Info Next Chapter

Chapter List (757)

Page number / 16

701 Chapter 701 701: Echoes of Victory, Shadows of Truth 2026-11-03
702 Chapter 702: The Hollow Victory 2026-11-03
703 Chapter 703: The Girl in the Ruins 2026-11-03
704 Chapter 704: The Instinct That Burns 2026-11-03
705 Chapter 705: A Fall of a Star 2026-11-03
706 Chapter 706: The Path Out of Ruin 2026-11-03
707 Chapter 707: The Hidden Return 2026-11-03
708 Chapter 708 708: The Successor Appears 2026-11-03
709 Chapter 709 709: The Crown of Shadows and Dawn 2026-11-03
710 Chapter 710: The Hero Who Came Home Quietly 2026-11-03
711 Chapter 711: The Heroes of Humanity Crowned 2026-11-03
712 Chapter 712: The Choice After Victory 2026-11-03
713 Chapter 713: The War After the War 2026-11-03
714 Chapter 714: The Assembly of Three Powers 2026-11-03
715 Chapter 715: Tech Genesis 2026-11-03
716 Chapter 716: Meeting day I- Indecisive 2026-11-03
717 Chapter 717: The Second Day 2026-11-03
718 Chapter 718: Meeting Day II - No progress 2026-11-03
719 Chapter 719: A Decision That Refused to Come 2026-11-03
720 Chapter 720: The return of small time villain 2026-11-03
721 Chapter 721: William as Always 2026-11-03
722 Chapter 722: Arguments continue 2026-11-03
723 Chapter 723: Regret 2026-11-03
724 Chapter 724: A Step Forward 2026-11-03
725 Chapter 725: The deadlock broken 2026-11-03
726 Chapter 726: The Devil Domain’s First Night of Peace 2026-11-03
727 Chapter 727: A Banquet Beneath the Crimson Sky 2026-11-03
728 Chapter 728: The Kingdom That Refused to Stop Living 2026-11-03
729 Chapter 729: The Divided Court 2026-11-03
730 Chapter 730: Beneath the Same Night Sky 2026-11-03
731 Chapter 731: Beneath an Unfamiliar Sky 2026-11-03
732 Chapter 732: A Visitor from the Countryside 2026-11-03
733 Chapter 733: The Building That Swallowed People 2026-11-03
734 Chapter 734: A Quiet Conversation 2026-11-03
735 Chapter 735: An Invitation 2026-11-03
736 Chapter 736 - : Rivals 2026-11-03
737 Chapter 737: The Week Before History 2026-11-03
738 Chapter 738: The Devil Queen Arrives 2026-11-03
739 Chapter 739: Two Sides of the Same Hope 2026-11-03
740 Chapter 740: The Price of Peace 2026-11-03
741 Chapter 741: The oppression 2026-11-03
742 Chapter 742: The War That Refused to End 2026-11-03
743 Chapter 743: When Peace Was Put on Trial 2026-11-03
744 Chapter 744: The First Test of Peace 2026-11-03
745 Chapter 745: The Shadow Behind the Peace 2026-11-03
746 Chapter 746: The Hand Behind the Shadow 2026-11-03
747 Chapter 747: The Familiar Hand 2026-11-03
748 Chapter 748: The Fire 2026-11-03
749 Chapter 749: The Shadow Behind the Fire 2026-11-03
750 Chapter 750: The Wrong Direction 2026-11-03

Chapter 720: The return of small time villain

By the fourth week, the number of observers had increased.

The gallery was almost always full.

Some observers were civilians.

Some represented guilds.

Some belonged to noble families.

Some were students from academies.

Some were simply people who had managed to receive an invitation through their connections.

The rules remained the same.

They could observe.

They could not speak.

At times, the situation became almost absurd.

A representative would make a statement.

The observers would react.

Some would nod.

Some would shake their heads.

Some would whisper among themselves during the breaks.

But the moment the meeting resumed, everyone became silent again.

The people were close enough to see the debate.

Yet far enough away to have no influence over it.

Among the observers were also several well-known adventurers.

They had been invited because of their reputation.

Among them was William.

William had reached Rank S.

More than once.

He had reached it through rank-up potions.

That fact was not a secret.

In the current era, Rank S had become far more accessible than it had been in the past.

Rank-up potions had changed the world.

What had once required years of talent, danger, and luck could now be achieved by those with enough money and the right connections.

The potions did not make Rank S meaningless.

An S Ranker was still powerful.

But the title no longer carried the same weight it once had.

William, however, did not seem to understand that.

Or perhaps he simply did not care.

To him, Rank S was still a symbol.

A symbol of superiority.

A symbol that separated him from ordinary people.

And William had always been fond of reminding others of the distance between himself and everyone else.

Especially when Mia was present.

Mia Frostine was now a member of the War Council.

She had also become one of the most celebrated heroes of the recent war.

The public believed she had defeated the Devil King.

William had accepted that story immediately.

In fact, he had embraced it.

Because in William’s mind, a woman who had defeated the Devil King was exactly the kind of woman worthy of becoming his wife.

At least, that was what he believed.

He had begun visiting the assembly hall frequently.

Not because he was particularly interested in the peace treaty.

Not because he had suddenly developed an interest in politics.

He came because Mia was there.

And whenever he had the opportunity, he spoke about it.

”Mia is an extraordinary woman.”

”Only someone of my status could stand beside her.”

”Of course, I have always admired her.”

”She would make an excellent wife.”

His followers laughed whenever he said such things.

They had long since learned that the safest response to William’s confidence was agreement.

William had a large group of followers.

Some were genuinely loyal.

Some were impressed by his Rank S status.

Others simply enjoyed being associated with someone who possessed wealth and influence.

Together, they followed him through the observer gallery like a small procession.

And every time Mia entered the hall, William found a reason to approach her.

Mia ignored him.

That was usually enough to make him angry.

But he had never been very good at recognizing when someone wanted him to leave.

*******************************************************

On the twenty-ninth day, the assembly hall was more crowded than usual.

The reason was simple.

The Authority had announced that several new clauses would be discussed.

The Church had requested amendments.

The War Council had requested military clarifications.

And the guilds had demanded that the issue of adventurer movement be discussed.

The main hall was full.

The observer gallery was also full.

William was sitting in the front row.

He had chosen the seat deliberately.

From there, he had a clear view of the main table.

More importantly, he had a clear view of Mia.

She was seated among the War Council representatives.

Her expression was calm.

Her posture was straight.

Her usual cold demeanor was present.

William smiled.

One of his followers leaned toward him.

”Master William.”

”What?”

”You are staring.”

William did not look away from Mia.

”I am observing.”

”Of course.”

William’s smile grew wider.

”Today, I will speak to her.”

”You have spoken to her several times.”

”Not properly.”

His follower wisely remained silent.

William adjusted his expensive clothing.

He had dressed carefully that morning.

His suit was made from expensive material.

The fabric had been enchanted to resist damage.

The buttons were made from a rare metal.

His rings were expensive.

His entire appearance had been designed to communicate wealth.

William believed appearance mattered.

And he believed that people should immediately understand his position when they saw him.

He was a Rank S adventurer.

He came from a wealthy family.

He had connections.

He was respected.

Therefore, in his mind, he was a high-class individual.

The world had been created for people like him.

At least, that was what he believed.

The meeting began.

And for the next several hours, nothing happened.

The representatives argued.

The observers watched.

William became bored.

He glanced toward Mia.

She remained focused on the discussion.

William sighed.

Then, just as he was preparing to leave his seat during the next break, a disturbance occurred near the entrance.

The doors opened.

Several people turned.

A young man entered the hall.

He wore a dark suit.

It was simple.

Elegant.

The design was similar to the clothing worn by officials serving inside the assembly hall.

The fabric looked expensive.

The tailoring was perfect.

But the man did not seem interested in drawing attention.

He walked calmly into the hall.

The guards at the entrance did not stop him.

Several representatives turned.

Then the entire atmosphere changed.

Mia looked up.

For the first time that day, her cold expression disappeared.

Her eyes widened.

”Zero?”

He had returned.

Quietly.

Without announcement.

Without ceremony.

Without anyone knowing that he had arrived in the capital.

And the moment Mia saw him, everything else in the hall became irrelevant.

She stood.

The representatives around her looked surprised.

Zero noticed her.

Then smiled faintly.

Mia moved.

She crossed the distance between them faster than anyone expected.

And before Zero could say anything, she threw her arms around him.

The hall became silent.

Completely silent.

Zero froze.

Mia held him tightly.

For a moment, she did not care who was watching.

She had not seen him since the battle.

She had spent weeks believing he might have died.

Even after learning that his body had been found, she had not known whether he would wake up.

And now he was standing in front of her.

Alive.

The sight of him caused something inside her to break.

Her usual composure disappeared.

Her cold demeanor vanished.

She pressed her face against his shoulder.

”You came back.”

Zero blinked.

”Yeah.”

His voice was quiet.

Mia held him tighter.

”You’re late.”

”I was busy.”

”You almost died.”

”I’ve done that before.”

Her arms tightened around him.

”Don’t joke about that.”

Zero smiled slightly.

But beneath the smile, Mia sensed something.

His body was not completely healed.

His mana was hidden perfectly.

But she could still feel the difference.

The rhythm of his breathing.

The slight tension in his muscles.

The way he stood.

Zero had recovered enough to move.

But he had not fully recovered.

Mia knew.

And seeing him standing there still made her happy.

So happy that she forgot about everyone watching.

Everyone except Zero.

The entire observer gallery had gone silent.

The representatives had gone silent.

The guards had gone silent.

And William—

William stared.

The smile had disappeared from his face.

He had seen Mia reject him.

He had seen her ignore him.

He had seen her remain cold toward everyone.

But he had never seen her look at someone like that.

Never.

His followers were equally shocked.

One of them whispered.

”Is that...”

”Who is he?”

Another stared at Zero’s clothing.

”He looks like one of the officials.”

William’s expression darkened.

Then Zero noticed him.

For a moment, their eyes met.

And the past returned.

Ace Academy.

Etheron City.

The Elven Kingdom.

Every time William had attempted to prove his superiority.

Every time Zero had humiliated him without even trying.

Every time William had been forced to realize that Zero was stronger than him.

The memories returned like old wounds.

William’s jaw tightened.

He had thought time would erase them.

It had not.

And now Zero had appeared again.

Standing in front of Mia.

Being embraced by her.

The embarrassment returned.

And this time, it was worse.

Because everyone was watching.

Prev Chapter Novel Info Next Chapter

Recommended Novels

The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era Tyramisu

Rebirth: The Courtyard Bride Is Cool and Radiant Spring Splendor in the Garden

Supreme Warrior in the City River Handsome

The Devil Does Not Need to Be Defeated Ruqing Rusu

My Silly, Sweet Wife Bu Fei

Library of Heaven’s Path Heng Sao Tian Ya

The Divine Urban Physician The Wind Laughs

King of Gods Fast Food Resturant

Hogwarts: Even Voldemort Can't Stop Me From Studying Yamaha

The Lovely Heiress Is Actually A God Beast Have a Bowl of Noodles

Prodigal System in the Flourishing City Wind and Thunder Brewing Wine

Sect Recruitment: I Can See Attribute Entries joyce_4070

Master Of None 1King_Rep1

The King's Avatar Butterfly Blue

D.E.M.O.N.S: Getting Summoned Weekly isn't so Bad Vongrak