The Return Of The Exiled Villain

One day later...

The first day of the Island Survival Challenge had passed relatively peacefully for Gray’s group.

Gray didn’t order any direct attacks on other academies. Instead, he told the girls to explore the island and mark key locations that could be useful on the final day.

”Spread out in small teams,” he said calmly.

”Find ruins, resources, good defensive spots, and the bases of the other academies. Mark everything important. We don’t need to fight yet. Just gather important information.”

The girls nodded excitedly and split into small groups to explore.

They moved carefully through the dense jungle, rivers, and rocky areas, using their skills to stay hidden and efficient.

Over the course of the day, they found several ancient ruins, hidden caves, and resource spots.

Some of the girls discovered multiple artifacts in the form of small weapons, mana crystals, and protective amulets.

Nothing was particularly interesting to Gray, so he let them keep whatever they wanted.

In the end, each girl had at least two artifacts in their possession, giving them a significant advantage in the coming days.

The most important information they brought back was the locations of the other academies’ bases.

They had marked them carefully on their maps: Gloria Academy’s main camp near the central waterfall, Dragon Slaying Academy’s hidden camp in the eastern cliffs, and the positions of the other four remaining academies scattered across the island.

Gray studied the map quietly as the girls gathered around him in their temporary base.

”Good work. We’ll use this on the final day.”

His plan was simple but effective.

On the final day, they would attack all the remaining academies at the same time.

Gray and Seraph would personally handle Gloria Academy, while the other girls would focus on eliminating as many students as possible from the other academies, without getting eliminated themselves.

It was an easy plan in theory, but they still needed to be careful.

Other academies might have already discovered their base and could launch surprise attacks at any moment.

That night, Gray rested alone in the main tent of their base.

As the leader, he had the largest and most central tent, though he didn’t care much for the privilege.

He lay on his back on a simple mat, his eyes half-closed as he reviewed the map in his mind.

Until... the tent flap suddenly rustled softly.

Seraph entered quietly, closing the flap behind her.

She was wearing a loose jacket over her clothes, the kind they had brought for cooler nights.

Gray didn’t think much of it at first as he assumed she was just checking on him or bringing a report.

”What are you doing?” he asked calmly, not bothering to sit up.

Seraph didn’t answer immediately.

She walked closer to him, her steps slow and hesitant.

When she was standing right beside his mat, she stopped. Her cheeks were flushed a deep red, and her hands trembled slightly as they held the edges of her jacket.

Then, without a word, she opened the jacket.

Gray froze.

Underneath, Seraph was wearing only a small, delicate bikini.

The thin fabric clung to her body, barely covering her full breasts and leaving her smooth stomach and long legs almost completely exposed.

The soft lantern light in the tent cast gentle shadows across her skin, highlighting every curve.

She stood there, breathing a little faster, her golden hair falling loosely over her shoulders as she looked down at him with nervous but determined eyes.

”I... I wanted to thank you for today,” she whispered shyly.

”And... I thought maybe you’d like to see me like this. Just for a little while.”

Gray remained completely still for a few seconds, his black eyes fixed on her.

The sight of Seraph standing there in such revealing clothing, her gorgeous body flushed and vulnerable, was enough to make even him pause.

Seraph bit her lower lip, clearly nervous, but she didn’t close the jacket.

”If you don’t want me to... I can leave,” she added quietly, though her eyes begged him to say otherwise.

Gray didn’t reply with words.

Instead, he directly grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down, making her sit on his lap facing him.

Seraph let out a small, surprised gasp as she straddled him, her barely covered body pressing against his.

Her face flushed even deeper, and she quickly averted her gaze, looking down at his chest instead of meeting his eyes.

Gray gently but firmly grabbed her chin with two fingers, tilting her head up so she had no choice but to look at him.

”...Why are you doing this?” he asked softly.

”You would never do something like this.”

At those words, Seraph lowered her head slightly, her cheeks burning.

”Well... I was talking to the girls, and they all said that men liked things like this, so I thought of trying it on you...” she bit her lower lip, looking at him aggrievedly.

”Did you not like it?”

”I liked it.”

Gray’s reply was instant.

”However...”

Rustle...

His hand brushed against her leg lightly, his lips curling up into a wicked yet charming smile.

”Did you not think about what I was going to do if you appeared like this in front of me?”

At those words, Seraph actually gained a bit more courage. She touched his chest lightly with her fingertips, her voice soft but determined.

”Didn’t you say that if things went south, we could elope and get out of here?” she even smiled confidently, though her cheeks were still flushed.

Gray raised an eyebrow, then lowered his head, causing his face to fall into those soft, huge mounds.

”A-ah...? Gray?”

He stayed like that silently, his hot breath tickling her breasts through the thin bikini fabric.

Her body quivered slightly, but she continued holding his head gently, stroking his hair softly with hesitant fingers.

After a bit, he raised his head and looked at her shimmering, gorgeous eyes.

”I... already have a lover, and probably will have more lovers. I don’t want someone who’ll lie, saying that I’ll only love you.”

Seraph’s eyes softened at his sincerity. She didn’t look hurt or angry. Instead, she leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his, her voice barely above a whisper.

”I know,” she said quietly.

”I’ve always known that. But I still want to be with you... even if I’m not the only one.”

She stayed on his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck as the lantern light cast soft shadows across their bodies.

She looked at him for a long moment, her cheeks still flushed, before speaking in a soft, almost shy voice.

”Gray... if you’re going to have more lovers... can I at least be the main wife?”

Gray paused for a second, then let out a low, genuine laugh. His laugh sounded strangely contented and warm, making Seraph’s heart skip a beat.

”In the future, you girls should decide that by yourselves...” he replied, still smiling faintly as he looked at her.

Seraph nodded slowly, accepting his words without argument. Then, she shifted her hips a little, pressing herself closer against him as she whispered.

”Aren’t you going to do anything?”

Gray laughed again, softer this time. He stroked her cheek gently with his thumb, his touch warm and careful.

”This isn’t the right place for this,” he said quietly.

”You deserve a much better and more prepared place, and not in the middle of a tournament, on a deserted island.”

Seraph’s eyes softened at his words.

A happy smile spread across her face as she leaned in and planted a soft, affectionate kiss on his cheek.

”But if you want... I can still hold you to sleep. Will you be satisfied with that?” Gray asked softly, wiping away the remnants of the tears she had on her eyes.

”Mhm!” Seraph nodded quickly, her smile bright and genuine.

With that, Gray instantly let his back fall onto the mat, pulling her down with him.

He shifted his grip on Seraph, holding her softly against his chest. She nestled into him comfortably, her head resting on his shoulder as her arms wrapped around him.

The thin bikini and jacket she still wore pressed against his body, but Gray simply held her closer, one hand gently stroking her back.

The tent was quiet, filled only with the soft sound of their breathing and the distant noises of the jungle outside.

Seraph closed her eyes, a content smile on her lips as she felt safe and warm in his arms.

Gray stared at the ceiling of the tent for a while, his hand still moving slowly across her back.

He didn’t say anything else, but the way he held her showed a rare gentleness that he didn’t show to many people.

[Sanguina: ”One more girl to the list...”]

[Jasmine: ”Shut it.”]

[Sanguina: ”At this point, he might actually cultivate the Law of Seduction.”]

[Jasmine: ”...”]

[Sanguina: ”What?”]

[Jasmine: ”He already did that, and even reached a minor achievement...”]

[Sanguina: ”Oh... that explains a lot.”]

[Jasmine: ”...”]

[Sanguina: ”My condolences...”]

[Jasmine: ”Fucking kill yourself.”]