I Am a Villain, So What?

Chapter 225: Fierce little guard dog

I quickly mentally dismissed the System window before my absolute shock became too obvious on my face.

As the Head of Imperial Intelligence, Princess Rumina was a terrifying expert at reading micro-expressions. If she realized she had just handed me a weapon capable of effortlessly altering physics—a weapon that perfectly synergized with the First Gun Master’s impossible techniques—she might reconsider the ’generous’ gift.

I carefully closed the lid of the mahogany box, letting out a measured, highly controlled breath.

"This is... an incredibly generous reward, Your Highness," I said, looking up at her and offering a respectful nod. "Please convey my deepest gratitude to His Majesty the Emperor."

Rumina took a slow, elegant sip of her tea, her metallic amber eyes watching me over the rim of the porcelain cup.

"I will," Rumina replied smoothly. "Just ensure that this new addition to your arsenal remains firmly pointed at the Empire’s enemies, Cadet Lucien. And do try to keep a lower profile this semester. You always keep getting entangled in some major mess."

"I am a student of peace, Your Highness," I lied without missing a beat. "I have every intention of blending into the background."

Rumina let out a raspy, genuine laugh that echoed in the drawing-room. "A student of peace who drops from the sky to obliterate a monster vanguard. How very convincing."

She set her teacup down and stood up. The official business was concluded.

I immediately stood as well. Alicia appeared from the shadows like a ghost, perfectly holding the heavy black dire-wolf cloak. She draped it over the Princess’s shoulders with practiced, royal grace.

As Rumina turned toward the foyer to leave, her gaze fell on Nero once again. The ten-year-old boy was still standing near the hallway, his small fists clenched, glaring at her with unblinking, protective hostility.

Rumina paused. Instead of getting angry, a dangerous, amused smirk crossed her lips.

"You have quite the fierce little guard dog, Lucien," she noted, her tone laced with dark humor. "Make sure you train him well. Loyalty like that is rare in the Capital."

"I’ll keep that in mind, Your Highness," I replied, stepping between her line of sight and Nero.

With a final, lingering look at my estate, the First Princess walked out the heavy front doors. The Royal Knights fell into formation around her carriage, and within moments, the clatter of hooves faded down the cobblestone street.

Thud.

The moment the carriage was out of sight, Lily literally collapsed onto the pristine marble floor, clutching her chest and gasping for air as if she had been holding her breath the entire time.

"I thought I was going to die...!" Lily wheezed, her face pale. "Her aura is so scary! Boss, how do you just sit there and drink tea with her?!"

"You get used to the terror eventually," I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

Alicia, completely unfazed, calmly began collecting the teacups. "Her Highness possesses a highly oppressive mana signature. It is a deliberate intimidation tactic. You did well to remain standing, Lily."

Nero hurried over to my side, tugging on the hem of my jacket. His large, innocent eyes looked up at me with deep concern.

"Master," Nero whispered seriously. "Was that a bad lady? Did she threaten you?"

I looked down at the kid, feeling a sudden pang of warmth. He was ready to throw hands with the First Princess of the Empire to protect me. It was absurd, but touching.

"She’s... complicated, Nero," I said, gently ruffling his hair. "She’s not exactly an enemy right now, but she’s definitely not a safe person to be around. If she ever comes back, just stay behind Alicia, okay?"

Nero nodded firmly. "Understood, Master."

"Alright, everyone can relax. The royal inspection is over," I announced, picking up the mahogany box. "I’m going down to the basement training room for a bit. Don’t wait up for me."

*****

My new estate had a heavily warded, reinforced underground training facility. It was perfectly soundproofed and designed to withstand high-tier magical impacts.

I locked the heavy steel door behind me, set the mahogany box on a workbench, and opened it again.

The Lumeveil Enforcer gleamed under the magical lumen-lights. I picked it up. It was perfectly balanced, heavy but ergonomic.

Let’s test this ’Phantom Cylinder’ feature first, I thought.

I didn’t load any physical bullets into the chambers. Instead, I aimed the revolver at a reinforced steel target dummy fifty feet away. I tapped into my mana core and channeled a thread of raw, un-aspected mana directly into the ivory grip.

The gun hummed instantly. The glowing silver filigree along the barrel lit up with a harsh, neon-blue light.

I pulled the trigger.

BANG!

A hyper-compressed, glowing ethereal bullet shot out of the barrel with zero recoil, crossing the room in a fraction of a second and punching a clean, smoking hole straight through the steel dummy.

"Holy shit," I muttered, lowering the gun.

It only cost 10 mana points. With my current mana pool, I could fire this thing continuously without ever needing to reload, and the kinetic force was easily equivalent to my high-grade piercing rounds.

Now... for the real test.

I thought back to the ruined inn. To the Executioner swinging his arm, manipulating the kinetic energy and trajectory with his sheer will and spatial awareness.

I raised the revolver again. I focused all my mental energy, locking onto the Trajectory Override feature. I aimed slightly to the left of the steel dummy, deliberately intending to miss.

As I squeezed the trigger, I aggressively visualized the bullet’s path bending to the right, forcing my mana to guide it.

BANG!

The ethereal bullet fired straight, but mid-flight, it violently jerked. It didn’t form a perfect, smooth crescent arc like the Executioner’s—it was jagged and forced—but it actually curved.

Clang!

The shot sparked off the right shoulder of the steel dummy.

I lowered the gun, panting heavily. Just forcing that slight curve had drained a massive chunk of my mental stamina and given me a sharp migraine. The Executioner had made it look effortless, but the calculations required to alter trajectory mid-flight were mind-bending.

Still, a wide, genuine grin spread across my face.

It was crude. It was exhausting. But it worked.

With this gun, I didn’t need to spend decades mastering the underlying physics of the Curved Shot like the Executioner did. The Lumeveil Enforcer acted as a training wheel, bridging the gap between my current proficiency and the legendary Diamond-tier marksmanship.