Struggling as a Villain

Why did she travel all the way when she was suffering from such a high fever—under normal circumstances Richard would have asked that to the maid and the soldiers who have brought Bellarine here. However, considering his mother's nature and the desperation she shows when things come to him, he couldn't say anything to them.

The head maid who works in the mansion situated in the capital has also arrived, so the preparation of remedial soup was in her care. Lilia wanted to help, but under Richard's stern gaze, she decided to get first treated.

The area was surrounded by soldiers, so Richard didn't have to force himself to stay on alert, and he was able to pay attention to Lilia and Bellarine.

The crimson-haired lady was currently lying down inside the carriage while using Richard's lap as a comfortable pillow and holding his hand like it was the only support she had to feel at peace.

Lilia has consumed a recovery potion, and currently, she is applying an anti-burn gel to relieve the burn.

Richard insisted to let him apply that but her reaction told how shy she could become for such trivial matters.

"Young master...wouldn't it be wise to return now?" Lilia, in a hesitant voice, asked her master while her fingers moved soothingly around her neck.

Richard heaved a sigh and looked at his peacefully sleeping mother. She looked so relieved to be near him, for a moment, Richard felt like he should really return home.

However, "No...I need this training, Lilia. I had to become stronger before enrollment."

If his mother had arrived even a day earlier then he might have surrendered. However, after hearing Lilia's words in the morning after she rescued him from the waterfall, Richard knew what he had to do.

He wasn't here just to prepare against the main cast and upcoming events, but he wanted to become strong for his own sake. To become strong so nobody again could threaten him and the people he loves.

Thanks to the system, now he has more reason to continue forward, given the rewards he would gain in the path.

'Now that I think about it...System, what is my reward?'

The last quest was to hunt the two Thunderpelt wolves, which he did(somehow), and surely he received some kind of reward.

[Ding!]

[Quest completed!]

[Reward: 1. Connector

2. Ether Orb X3]

Confused he was, so he clicked on 'Info'.

[Connector: A device that allows two people to communicate over a long distance without any visible connection. The connector was built with Space Magic which allows the user to connect with the person having the other twin from anywhere in the world. ]

[Limitation: Only can be used once in 24 hours and for only 1 minute.]

[Cost: None.]

[Ether Orb: An artifact made to store ether. It can store one's ether and the person could retrieve the stored ether by breaking the orb.]

[Limitation: Only the user's current ether limit be stored in a single orb. And once broken, the orb becomes useless.]

....

Richard didn't have much trouble discerning the use of the first one since it pretty much-meant a normal phone in simple terms. What intrigued him was the second one, which urged him to ask,

'So the ether amount I have now can be stored in a single orb, and when I need it, I can just break it and re-energize myself?'

[Indeed host. Once you touch one of the orbs, your current ether capacity becomes the orb's limits.]

Richard hummed a bit while thinking. If his current ether becomes the orb's limit, then he won't use all three orbs right away and will save two of them once he grows his ether capacity. The more he stores, the more he will be able to replenish in the future.

That would be the best.

[System Storage: 3 items]

Richard decided to check the rewards later and helped his mother to get up. She already had some hours of sleep while Richard was talking to himself and the system.

Groggily rubbing her eyes, she looked like a small cat who had a good sleep and was finding her master.

The moment her eyes landed on Richard a toothy smile extended her lips as she wrapped her hands around his stomach and mewled,

"Baaaaby~~"

"How do you feel now?" Combing her hair with his fingers, Richard asked in a whispering tone; not wanting to wake Lilia up.

Bellarine snuggled close and closed her eyes in contentment before responding, "I had a good sleep. Felt very safe."

Richard wanted to chuckle. Safe around him, eh?

He brought his hand to her cheek and softly caressed it, "You have made many people worried, including me. Why did you have to move around so much when you were sick?"

Bellarine hid her face in his chest and resisted to look at him. She knew she did something bad and unbecoming of a lady of her age. However, only Bellarine knew what was going on with her when she heard about Richard's whereabouts.

After helping her change her clothes—the previous one was slightly burned— he brought the lady out of the carriage where the head maid was waiting for her with several dishes prepared.

The delicious fragrance of herbal soup filled the air, making Richard's stomach growl with hunger. The rich aroma wrapped around him, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. He could see the tempting cabbage rolls waiting for him, looking savory and delicious. Their filling peeked out from tender, steamed leaves, making his mouth water. To complete the meal, there was a pot of herbal tea.

Its soothing scent hinted at a perfect balance of flavors, promising comfort. Everything was just too tempting, and Richard couldn't wait to sit down and enjoy the delightful feast before him.

However, he decided to bring Lilia first.

Making Bellarine sit on the small stone that Richard usually used, he went to wake up Lilia—only to find her already awake and staring at the ceiling.

"What are you thinking about so deeply?" Richard asked as he crouched down to match her eye level.

Lilia didn't want to say what was concerning her but this might be her last chance to properly converse with her master alone so she didn't hold back,

"Possibly, Madame Duchess would fire me today and she has all the reasons to."

Richard wasn't surprised to hear that, but he still pretended to be unaware and asked her, "Then...does that make you worried? But why though? With your skills, you can easily get a job as a personal instructor or maybe live a better life as an adventurer, just like your mother. Well, those options would be far better than serving an arrogant prick like me."

Lilia turned to look at him and instantly shook her head, "I never disliked my job, young master. In fact, I loved the way we have been spending days recently."

"So in short, you want to be with me?" Hearing his straightforward question, a subtle blush appeared on her face.

Richard never saw her denying, which was enough for a response for him.

Holding her hand, he urged the maid to get up and led her outside of the carriage.

Bellarine still hadn't started eating and was chatting with the maid when she saw the duo leaving the carriage....with their hands joined.

"Mom, I want something from you."

Bellarine recovered from her momentary wariness and asked her son sweetly, "What is it, Richie?"

Glancing at Lilia he responded, "I want Lilia to be my exclusive maid even after entering the Academy." Turning his innocent eyes toward his mother, he asked, "You can grant my simple wish, right?"

Lilia was shocked that her master was asking his mother to let her be by his side. The same master who used to call her eye sore and boring woman was now going out of his way to plead with his mother, so Lilia doesn't get fired.

'What did I do to owe such favorability from you, my lord?' Tears welled in her eyes as she stared at her master with quite complex emotion whirling inside her.

Truth be told Richard believed that his mother would agree instantly. After all, he seldom ask for something from her.

However, her response was a little unexpected, "Before allowing that...I want to have a private conversation with Lilia. Will that be fine, Lilia?"

Lilia trembled to hear that cold voice as she lowered her eyes and hesitantly nodded. Honestly, she didn't want to be alone with Bellarine again, however her desire to be with her master easily out weighed her nervousness.

"I will listen to you, Madame."

"Good~"

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A/N:- Next chapter, we would get to hear about Richard and his origin. A scene of Earth as well. And some hints to join the two worlds.

The academy arc isn't far away. I will probably introduce the other main cast soon. And yes, the real main character as well.

See ya~