Struggling as a Villain

The moment the bear-masked one saw Ethan, he knew that his suspicion was right. This world belonged to that novel that he read back when things were normal.

He was a kid at that time so his memories are a bit vague, however, the moment his eyes landed on Richard and Emily, he knew that this indeed was that book which wasn't that famous even when it was at its peak.

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Ether, Aembr, Ambrobates…these terms were familiar to him. Although he didn't read until the end, Ben knew that this character, known as Richard, was supposed to be dead.

However, considering a resident from Earth has been reborn as the novel character, it doesn't remain surprising that Richard was able to survive.

Not only that, he has somehow shifted the plot so that Emily is on his side, as well as the Protagonist.

Ben has been holding back his curiosity since last night. He didn't even tell Carl about it.

And the person he chose to talk about it was none other than the same minor villain who left a very significant impact on Ben's remembrance.

Richard heaved a sigh. He wasn't shocked to hear that someone was aware of this world which was portrayed as a story back on Earth.

Not just Ben but Richard believed that back on earth, many people might recognize him.

Leaning back in his seat, Richard said, "I know you won't believe it, but a resident of Clion wrote that book. And I was Richard all along…"

Ben raised his brows, "You mean Ray and Richard were the same person?"

Richard nodded, "It's up to you to believe in it. But yeah, it is what it is."

Ben…somehow believed him since the utter nonsense he has seen until now through these few years, reincarnation and rebirth are not something he could disregard as completely impossible.

A brief pause descended between the two as Ben thought about how difficult it might have been for Richard to live as a minor villain.

Then suddenly something struck him and Ben was not able to stop himself from asking, "Umm…Brother, is Duchess Bellarine as beautiful as it was written in the book?"

Duchess Bellarine is the most popular and loved character in the novel. Someone who won the yearly poll for three years straight.

Richard smiled upon hearing that as he informed the guy, "She is more beautiful than what is written. The epitome of beauty."

The image of the red-haired beauty appeared in my mind as Richard spoke.

Ben sighed before leaning back, "Wish I could have seen her once…but well."

Another brief pause descended before Richard broke the silence this time, "Are you close to Carl?"

The masked one nodded, "Kind of…we have been together since the time he was traveling alone with big sis. We three formed a group and used to work together to survive."

"Since we knew the numbers were low, we used to hide in tall buildings initially. Stole ration, raided stores, and helped people when we found them in need."

"Slowly, our group became bigger, and we were as happy as we were. Like a family."

"Until he came…." Ben clenched his fist as agitation oozed from his demeanor.

Richard frowned, "Who?"

"Jin…the reason why Rena is in that condition."

Richard's eyes turned solemn as he heard the man continuing, "He was a very friendly dude, who got along with everyone. Not only was he helpful towards the weak, he showed a strong front in front of enemies."

"A true asset from the group's perspective, and a true friend from our perception."

"...until one day, a gang from the Far East arrived and completely defeated us. They took over our territory, took away our supplies, and killed several of our members."

"We had no option but to run away, and as weak as they perceived us, they didn't even bother chasing us."

"...however, Jin realized that if he remained among us, he would not be able to reach his goal. So he betrayed us and in exchange for golden information, he got himself a spot in the gang."

"He told them about Rena's powers," Richard added, urging Ben to nod in agreement.

"Yes…he backstabbed us and they took big sis away. I still remember how devastated Carl was for a very long time. He nearly died thrice while trying to rescue Rena, and along the path, his only life goal remained was to save his sister."

Heavy silence engulfed the duo as they sat wordlessly for a few minutes. Their minds were cluttered with thoughts relating to the same person.

Ben couldn't forget that day when those people came knocking on the door and took away Rena.

Ben did his best to fight back however, he was beaten black and blue easily. At that time when Ben was searching for Jin's support, that scumbag was standing on their side.

Richard remained silent for another minute before asking, "How strong is this Jin?"

"When he was with us, he was our strongest warrior. The only one who fought against an A-rank and came out alive, barely. However, as of now, he must be quite stronger given he has become the gang leader."

Richard hummed and decided to talk about the strategies and other important stuff once they reached Earth.

There was no way he would attack them without a plan. After all, even though the earthlings were weaker in comparison, Jin had the number to balance out the difference.

"Master." Suddenly Lilia landed before them, startling Ben as they heard the brunette maid say, "A dragon is advancing in our direction."

Richard frowned, "Is it the same dragon?"

Lilia nodded, "Yes…it's the same dragon that attacked you back in the academy."

Richard clenched his fist and got up, as he heard Lilia muttering, "It seems the invisibility turned out to be counterproductive. The dragon is heading straight toward us."

Richard realized his mistake. Ether-users are hyper-sensitive towards Aembr, and Emily is an Ambrobate now.

"Emily, take the barrier down."

Emily nodded, seemingly also aware of what went wrong.

Once the barrier was removed, they all went towards the deck and watched the small creature flying in the sky and turning bigger, passing each second.

Richard was about to step forward and take care of the creature when suddenly Emily suggested,

"Richard, let me handle this."

Richard frowned, "Can you?"

Emily nodded, "Trust me."

Emily erected a barrier beneath her feet and manipulated it to ascend into the air.

Everyone watched in awe at how fluently and expertly she was using her spells.

Once airborne, Emily waited for the dragon to advance towards them.

"Is this safe, brother?" Bella asked; her concern lay in the fact that once near, the dragon could attempt to sink the ship rather than harming the passengers.

And they were too far away from the shore to go back now.

Richard nodded and told her, "I trust her."

Bella frowned, hearing the fondness in his voice, but didn't say anything about it.

"Here it comes!" A masked man exclaimed.

The dragon roared, diving straight for the ship. Emily raised her hand, her barrier forming in an instant.

"Stop."

A translucent sphere shot forward, trapping the dragon mid-flight. It thrashed violently, wings smashing against the glowing walls. Flames erupted from its mouth, slamming into the barrier, but Emily didn't flinch.

Everyone froze as the dragon intensified its assault.

"It's holding!" Carl gasped, wide-eyed.

The flames licked the barrier, causing it to shimmer under the heat. The dragon clawed at the sphere, its talons screeching against the surface, cracks forming only to seal seconds later.

"Unbelievable," Ben muttered, his voice shaking.

The dragon roared again, twisting its massive body. It slammed its tail against the barrier repeatedly, each hit sending shockwaves that rattled the ship. Emily's hand trembled slightly, but her gaze remained firm.

"How is she holding this?!" Carl exclaimed, gripping the railing as the air seemed to vibrate from the force.

He had a few barrier users in his team…but none of them could have even withstood a single strike from the dragon.

Slowly, under everyone's astonished gaze, while maintaining the barrier's strength, Emily began to decrease its size.

Emily's eyes were cold and calculative; gone was the benevolence and mercy. If someone attempts to harm Richard, then they deserve death. And this dragon has already caused a lot of mayhem.

The barrier slowly decreased to the size in which the reptile could barely fit, as it slowly stopped moving its body.

However, just as they thought that they would see a huge mass of blood and gore, suddenly, a blinding light erupted from the dragon, and the creature began to transform.

Emily also stopped shrinking the barrier, since she couldn't retain her focus on the spell. However, she ensured to maintain the strength of her barrier.

Richard frowned as he didn't shield his eyes like others and looked closely at the dragon slowly turning into a human.

Soon, the light subdued, and a woman appeared from behind—glaring daggers at Richard with teary eyes.

"Release me now!!!!"

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A/N:- Thanks for reading. Drop a review if you have enjoyed the story so far.