Struggling as a Villain

Ethan left the hideout where he had held Amelia captive, and the first and only person he could see was the violet-haired girl named Eleanor.

She was in this with him. This place was suggested by her.

When Ethan received the Divine Decree, the person who approached him was Eleanor, asking if he was prepared to fulfil his duty as the Emissary of Light.

Naturally, he didn't reject it. Someone who hates Ambrobates down to his core and detests them to death, he had to fight against those who sided with evil.

However, going against the evil-worshiper wasn't his duty, given there were risks involved. He was commanded to take someone crucial into captivity.

Amelia is the only person within Ethan's reach who can play a vital role in weakening Richard once he returns.

Although Ethan was not sure of where Richard went, or how strong he would be when he returned, considering the decree arrived from the heavens, this matter was more severe than Ethan could ever expect.

That's why it was necessary to abduct Amelia, in case things go south.

"You did the right thing, Ethan." Hearing her words, he shrugged.

"I am just following their words." His indifferent answer didn't make her disheartened.

Seeing Ethan identifying his destiny and choosing the right path filled Eleanor's heart with elation and allowed her shoulders to slump in relief.

When the other three regressors warned her that harming the Duchess could cost Eleanor dearly, she had no other option than to rely on the Divine Ones. Fortunately, they listened to her prayers and made Ethan realise his path.

Walking beside Ethan she asked, "What are we going to do now? Should I put a barrier around the place?" They were still on the island, yet the headmaster hadn't been able to locate them for some unknown reasons.

Although Eleanor had confidence in her golems, fighting against a bunch of trained professionals sounded risky.

Ethan nonchalantly stated, "I have camouflaged this place with my divine essence. Unless someone is looking at us from point-blank range, we will remain hidden."

Eleanor was surprised, "When did you unlock that skill?"

Ethan didn't reply to her and continued to walk forward.

There was a lot on his mind, and discerning the limits of his powers was not one of them.

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For the next two days, Richard continued to engage in a singular activity that revolved around the forge.

He had no idea how to forge the blade of a scythe, so he made a few prototypes.

For the first day, Richard devoted his whole time to the prototypes since he knew he would be able to craft the handle, grips, and other attachments with a little effort. What concerned him the most was the distribution of the blade's weight.

He did not feel satisfied with making it overly weighty or keeping it light.

The way he was pretty engrossed in making the weapon thoroughly surprised his helpers, given until now Richard had only worked with swords. But now, with scythes, it seemed he wasn't completely unaware of its mechanism.

"This one is pretty good, in my opinion. You can just refine and sharpen it, and you will get yourself the best scythe to present them, "Brad suggested while he held the curved blade Richard hammered yesterday.

It had the perfect weight balance, with the blade being heavy at the spot where it would connect with the handle, and the tip was the lightest part. From Brad's knowledge, this was an appropriate scythe blade.

However, "No, it's not good. I don't feel like it will make a good scythe. Too disblanced and feels incomplete. Swinging it with one hand could cause self-harm, and because of the extra weight at the tang, I feel the burden on the wielder's arm will lessen their pace of swing. Not to talk about the tip is not worth pricking the life out of its enemies. Too many flaws.

Don't show me that anymore."

Hearing Richard's detailed explanation of how bad the scythe blade was, even though Brad thought it was perfect, the brown-haired frowned.

However, before he could have said anything Jasmine glared at him with the expression, 'Don't dare say another word'.

Under the two-way assault, Brad yielded and dumped the blade.

Approaching Richard, he asked, "Why does it seem you are quite familiar with scythes? Didn't you say you are into batons and staff more?" Brad has become good friends with Richard in these few months. As such, he seldom hears about Richard's training and the battles he has gone through.

And in none of those stories, there wasn't any mention of a scythe.

Richard frowned, not because he realised it now, but rather because that question was something Richard had been asking himself for two days now.

"I can't say...." Letting those words hang in the room, he finally finished heating the material which was far different from normal metal.

Once it was hot enough, he pulled it from the forge and laid it on the anvil. Gripping the hammer tightly, Richard struck the steel, flattening and shaping it into a long, curved blade. Each blow was precise, forming the natural arc of the scythe.

His eyes narrowed, mind racing at what he could do to make it to his liking. Going with the manual didn't help; he wasn't satisfied with the design. He needed...something more precise.

He hammered the weapon while his mind went through several ideas and suddenly he muttered under his breath,

"No...only sharpening this won't do..."

Taking a thicker piece of steel, he heated it separately until it was malleable. With both pieces glowing hot, Richard laid the thicker steel along the back of the scythe's blade, where the spine would be.

Using a heavy hammer, he began to forge-weld the two pieces together. Each strike bonded the thicker steel to the blade, creating a raised spine that ran along the entire length. Richard focused on keeping the spine even but strong, adding just enough thickness to reinforce the blade without weighing it down too much.

"The hell...scythes are made to slice not to hammer. Why are you adding weight to it?" Brad questioned, which was met with silence

Richard didn't know why he was doing it, but he felt in this way the scythe would be efficient to use.

He hammered the spines and then reheated the blade once again.

Taking it out, he curved the tip a little more and made it thin like a needle near the tip.

And about the edge, then Richard went ahead and sharpened both sides to make it double-edged.

Each movement encouraged him to go on, almost like someone had put him under a spell.

Richard had a smile on his face when he moulded the weapon to his liking rather than adhering to the manual.

From time to time, Jasmine carefully wiped his back and neck with a wet fabric, only to store it carefully in a basket and take out another fabric.

Brad didn't even have to ask why she was keeping those sweat-soaked clothes, knowing her answer would creep him out.

It took him four long hours, but finally, Richard stood with the fragment of the weapon with a satisfied look on his face.

"Congratulations, master!" Jasmine beamed.

"This looks nothing like a scythe...." Brad sighed.

Ignoring both of them, well, not entirely, as he nodded towards Jasmine, he went to make a handle for the weapon.

Now, he needed the perfect handle to match its strength. He chose ash wood for its balance of lightness and durability. Taking a sturdy, straight branch, he began shaping it with his drawknife, smoothing it down until it had the perfect curve for a scythe.

He sanded the wood until it was smooth to the touch, then added two wooden handgrips for better control—one near the middle and one at the base. Next, Richard wrapped parts of the handle with strips of leather, tightening them securely. This would give him a solid, non-slip grip when wielding the weapon.

Satisfied with the handle, he attached the blade, securing it tightly to the tang with iron rivets. The final product felt balanced in his hands, strong yet light enough to swing swiftly.

"It looks marvellous." Jasmine complimented honestly.

"Yeah, now it looks intimidating as a scythe," Brad added while nodding in acknowledgement.

Richard smirked as he held the scythe over his shoulder.

Gripping the weapon he casually swung it....only to freeze in shock.

His lips parted and vitality escaped his eyes. Countless memories began to pour down his memory lane, and a shooting pain assaulted his mind.

Richard fell down to his knees, and despite how much Brad and Jasmine called out he wasn't able to listen to their voices at all

It was all ...blank.

What Richard failed to notice and will greatly shock him later was...

[Death Count: 18683/10000]

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A/N:- I hope you all liked the chapter. Thanks for reading.