The Return Of The Exiled Villain

D’Aurélion Manor...

The atmosphere inside the grand hall was thick, almost suffocating.

The long obsidian table stretched across the chamber as old yet exquisite-looking chandeliers hung from the tall ceiling, their golden lights dimmed, giving the perfect lighting to the room.

Crimson curtains were drawn tight across the windows, suffocating even the sunlight.

At the far end of the table, Duke Caelis D’Aurélion sat stiffly.

His head was bowed, one hand gripping his temple while the other clenched tightly against the armrest of his chair.

For a man known to crush armies with a word... this was a different kind of battlefield.

And he was losing.

After all...

His opponent was none other than his Eldest Daughter, Alina.

Click... click... click...

The sound of heels striking polished marble echoed like the ticking of a divine clock.

And then... she entered the grand hall.

Alina Von D’Aurélion.

Her presence was a storm dressed in elegance.

She wore a dress woven from what looked like flowing silver thread, shimmering faintly with each step as if light itself worshipped her.

The long slit on one side revealed smooth, flawless skin, pale as snow yet glowing faintly, like the moon had kissed her soul.

The fabric hugged her slender curves perfectly, causing even the most beautiful women to be jealous.

Long platinum hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall of moonlight, straight and silky, not a strand out of place.

A few delicate braids were woven near her left ear, pinned with a jeweled hair ornament shaped like a crescent moon.

And her eyes... her eyes were the most dangerous of all.

A soft violet hue, glowing faintly, calm and warm at first glance, but behind them... a cruel and overwhelming force.

They were the kind of eyes that didn’t need to scream.

Because everything... and everyone... already listened.

As she approached the seat at the other end of the table, she finally sat down with poise.

Her posture was perfect, chin slightly raised, long fingers resting neatly on the armrest of her blackwood chair.

She crossed one leg over the other with such grace, it almost felt choreographed.

And then... complete silence.

Only the subtle creak of Caelis’ chair could be heard as he finally lifted his head to look at her.

But his eyes never met hers as they couldn’t.

In comparison to the night when they had expelled Gray from the family, Aline looked much more graceful and... scary.

This was her true face, never shown to Gray or her sister because if it arrived at their ears, they would figure out that the person who held the highest power in the family was actually... her and not the Duke himself.

”Father,” her chin tilted just slightly higher than comfort allowed. ”You’ve been unusually quiet. How unlike you.”

Caelis didn’t lift his gaze.

Clack...

Alina’s fingers gently tapped the armrest once.

”...Talk.”

Her tone was calm, but it wasn’t a request.

It was a command.

Caelis swallowed audibly.

”The... The Inheritance Dungeon...”

He paused slighly, hesitating to finish his words.

That made her brows twitch slightly.

”My pet dungeon,” she corrected flatly.

”I—yes. That.” His voice shook. ”It’s... been conquered.”

”.....”

The room went completely still.

Even the chandeliers seemed to hold their breath.

”...Conquered?” Alina repeated softly.

Her violet gaze locked onto him.

”That’s funny,” she whispered. ”You told me last year it was impossible. Divine trial. World-class relic. Blah, blah. All those pretty words.”

She leaned forward slightly, resting her cheek against her fist, elbow on the armrest.

”And yet, someone walked right in and walked out with my inheritance?”

He flinched.

”I—I’m investigating—”

”Oh no, you’re not,” Alina said, still having the same smiling yet creepy face. ”You’re panicking. Which is even worse.”

And strangely, her next words were even softer.

”...Is there a chance it was Gray?”

Caelis froze, his shoulders instinctively tightened.

He didn’t respond immediately.

So she repeated, more slowly:

”Is there... A chance.... It was Gray?”

Duke Caelis let out a deep yet shaky breath.

”...Yes.”

It was barely above a whisper, but it was enough.

Alina stared at him for several seconds.

Then, she suddenly... laughed.

Not lightly, but actually loud.

A full, ringing laugh that echoed off the stone walls like a mad goddess descending into madness.

”Hah... Hahahaha...!”

She leaned back in the chair, wiping a tear from her eye.

”That thing? That little kicked-out bastard?”

Still chuckling, she muttered, ”You let him live... and now look what he’s doing.”

The laughter died instantly.

She tilted her head slowly... and her expression dropped into something far colder.

Her voice turned completely flat.

”...Useless.”

Caelis straightened in fear.

”Get out of my face.”

”But—!”

”I won’t repeat myself, Duke.”

That word struck harder than any slap.

She’d never called him that before.

Duke Caelis rose without another word, walking stiffly out of the hall like a disgraced servant. His back was soaked in sweat.

And finally, once he was gone, Alina raised one finger and twirled it slowly.

Fssshkk...

The air shimmered beside her.

And from that ripple stepped a figure.

The lower half of her body was long, scaled, black as obsidian, and massive—a snake tail thicker than a man’s torso that coiled with silent tension.

The upper half was that of a woman, mature, dark-skinned, deadly beautiful. Her golden eyes were slitted, glowing faintly.

Tribal markings shimmered faintly across her shoulders and throat. Her presence was really suffocating.

She was at least above the Great Grandmaster level.

A serpentkin.

A pureblood elite from the Southern Serpent Clans.

The woman knelt at Alina’s side, bowing down her head in the utmost respect.

”...What are the orders, Your Grace?”

Alina’s smile returned, but into an actual calm one.

”Keep an eye on my dear brother. Watch who he talks to. Watch where he sleeps. Watch what he kills.”

”And if he hides anything...”

Her eyes gleamed like sharpened glass.

”I want to know what he’s hiding...”

She paused slighly, before remembering something.

”Oh! And you can also stop spreading rumours about him.”

”Yes, my Queen,” the serpentkin murmured, before vanishing as silently as she came.

Now alone once more, Alina leaned back again, draping one arm lazily over the chair.

The flickering chandelier light danced across her pale skin, throwing long shadows behind her.

Her lips curled into a smirk.

”...Let’s see what you’ve been hiding all this time, my exiled little villain.”

She rested her cheek against her knuckles once more.

.

.

.

.

.

[Wake up, sleepy head~]

Jasmine’s voice rang out sweetly.

[Mmm, you’re not dead yet, so don’t sleep like it. Come on, you’ve got a shiny little badge to chase, remember?]

”Ugh...”

Gray groaned lightly.

His body ached everywhere.

His ribs throbbed, his shoulder stung from a reopened cut, and his knuckles were bruised from yesterday’s... fights.

”...Fucking hell...” He sat up slowly, running a hand through his messy black hair.

Despite the bath he had taken last night and the attempt to wash his bloodied clothes, the white fabric of his shirt still bore light stains here and there—ghosts of the arena. But it was clean enough. Clean enough to walk into a place where knights strutted around with polished armor and empty pride.

He stood, cracked his neck, grabbed his rapier, and stepped outside into the fresh morning air.

He started heading towards the Knight Assessment Grounds, which were just outside the eastern gate of the City of Knights.

What Gray saw when he arrived was a vast training field the size of a small village, rows of dummies, obstacle courses, target ranges, and dozens of sparring platforms arranged with almost military precision.

Tents were scattered along the edges, some used for healing, others for administration.

Everywhere he looked, he saw knights in full armor, silver, bronze, some even clad in faint traces of gold, training with weapons, jogging in formation, or shouting commands.

The sun gleamed off their polished pauldrons and breastplates like a sea of metal.

And... Gray... he was still wearing a torn, light-gray shirt with faded blood patterns over it.

He looked like a stray.

A very irritated stray.

[Wow...]

Jasmine exclaimed in a mocking tone.

[Look at all these muscleheads. So serious, so clean, so... damn boring.]

Gray didn’t respond to her words, but nodded nonetheless.

But his eyes were already scanning the crowd, counting blades, postures, weaknesses.

Always thinking about a situation where he would perhaps fight then, but suddenly...

”You there!”

A voice cut through the noise.

One of the armored examiners, wearing the symbol of the Knight Division, a silver sword crossing a hawk’s wing, was walking toward him, clipboard in hand, eyes scanning his battered figure.

”You’re here for the assessment?”

Gray simply nodded once, showing the Knight Assessment token he had gained yesterday.

The man narrowed his eyes at him.

”You look like shit.”

”I gained the token yesterday,” Gray said flatly, walking past him.

The examiner paused... then smirked faintly.

”...Alright then. Let’s see if you can survive the real thing.”

And just like that....

DONGGG—!!!

The first bell rang from the center of the grounds, calling everyone who was going to enter the Knight Assessment.

It was finally beginning.