How a Villain Defies Destiny Chapter 89

“I was so focused on the conversation that I didn’t notice anything else,” I whispered softly, glancing around the quiet, empty hallway.  

 

“Did Yves Leblanc know about this too?”  

 

“Yes. I drew my sword because I sensed an unfamiliar energy from the barrier.”  

 

“Ah, I see…”  

 

No wonder, Yves seemed more on edge than usual. Turns out I was the only one who didn’t notice.  

 

Xenon, who had been staring intently at me, chuckled lightly and said, “You’re surprisingly slow, huh?”  

 

His tone sounded teasing, but the corners of his lips curled up in a way that suggested no malice.  

 

So I responded with a sly grin, “Well, you could say I just have great focus.”  

 

Xenon seemed to ponder this for a moment, stroking his chin, before suddenly bringing up something completely random.  

 

“Also, you kinda look like Pandinus.”  

 

It was an unfamiliar name.  

 

‘Who’s that? I don’t remember hearing that name in the game…’  

 

I might not have memorized every extra’s name, but I knew most of the supporting characters with decent importance, like Endymion’s aides. 

 

Still, no one came to mind.  

 

Meanwhile, Fenrir looked at Xenon with a shocked expression, as if he knew who that was.  

 

Curiosity piqued by his strange reaction, I asked in a puzzled voice,  

 

“Who’s that?”  

 

“A scorpion I keep.”  

 

“Are you insane?”  

 

The absurdity of it made me blurt out the first curse that came to mind.  

 

But I didn’t regret it. I never imagined I’d be compared to a scorpion in my life.  

 

“He looks fierce, but he’s actually really gentle. Don’t you think so too, Fenrir?”  

 

[Xenon, I respect your unique tastes, but I completely disagree. And Laura, don’t take it to heart—you don’t look anything like it.]  

 

Fenrir firmly denied Xenon’s question and quickly tried to defuse the situation.  

 

“…Alright. I’ll let it go for Fenrir’s sake.”  

 

I had a lot more to say, but Fenrir’s calm handling made me decide to drop it. 

 

However, Xenon, tilting his head as he looked back and forth between me and Fenrir, stirred the pot again.  

 

“Huh? Did that upset you? It was meant to be a compliment—you’re cute!”  

 

This guy’s seriously insane.  

 

Now I understood why Fenrir called his tastes ‘unique.’  

 

‘I didn’t realize this when playing the game, but he’s completely out there.’  

 

Xenon was a hidden character, so his story was absurdly short compared to the other romanceable characters, but it was generally normal and uneventful.  

 

Unlike the others, he didn’t have any specific flaws or keywords or any dramatic conflicts worth calling a climax.  

 

‘I had no idea he’d be this eccentric…’  

 

While replaying Xenon’s story in my head, I suddenly remembered something very important that I’d forgotten.  

 

“Oh, right! Class!”  

 

“…”  

 

“Class?”  

 

When I shouted urgently, Yves also seemed to realize it belatedly, his face stiffening. Xenon, looking clueless, repeated my words.  

 

But for me, today’s class was more important than their reactions, so I immediately turned to Fenrir and asked,  

 

“Fenrir, does this barrier affect the flow of time inside compared to outside?”  

 

[Yes. It just slightly warps the space so that those inside and outside can’t perceive each other. Time flows the same.]  

 

I’m doomed, ‘I’m definitely going to be late.’

 

Despite the situation, I clung to a sliver of hope and turned to Yves this time.  

 

“Yves, how long do you think we’ve been talking here?”  

 

“At least… an hour has passed.”  

 

Unfortunately, that hope quickly turned into despair.  

 

“So we’re definitely late, right?”  

 

“…If we move at full speed, we might avoid being late.”  

 

“But even if we hurry, it’ll take more than 20 minutes to get to the lecture hall from here.”  

 

The building where apprentice priests are trained is located in the western part of the papal grounds.  

 

It’s not far from the Nanna Temple, but since we’re near the Astarte Temple, which is all the way to the east, it takes even longer to reach the lecture hall.  

 

“If I carry Laura, we can get there in under 10 minutes.”  

 

“Huh?”  

 

“Time is tight, so if you have any other suggestions, I’ll listen while we move.”  

 

“No, that’s…!”  

 

I tried to point out that he didn’t seem interested in hearing other opinions, but I felt myself being lifted off the ground before I could finish my sentence.  

 

In the blink of an eye, Yves had picked me up.  

 

However, Fenrir stepped in front of Yves, who was about to dash off.  

 

[Wait, I still have something to say.]  

 

“Huh? There’s more?”  

 

We’ve been talking nonstop since morning prayers until now, right before class.  

 

Unable to hide my surprised expression, I asked, and Fenrir shouted indignantly.  

 

[I’ve only been answering your questions this whole time!]  

 

“I’m genuinely grateful for that. But I really can’t miss this class. It’s bathroom cleaning duty. Let’s finish this after today’s schedule.”  

 

[No matter what…!]  

 

Fenrir tried to argue, but I couldn’t hear him out to the end.  

 

Perhaps deciding there was no need to listen further, Yves, who was holding me, easily sidestepped Fenrir and started running at full speed.  

 

As I watched the scenery rush by from Yves’ arms, I noticed people passing by and realized we had left Fenrir’s barrier.  

 

‘I was a little nervous since we were inside the barrier, but surprisingly, it was easy to get out.’  

 

💫

 

Thanks to Yves, I was able to complete the rest of the day’s schedule without issue, which was a relief.  

 

“Laura, are you okay?”  

 

During dinner, Yves, sitting across from me, suddenly asked if I was alright.  

 

“Huh?”  

 

“You seemed distracted during class.”  

 

His sharp observation made the hand holding my spoon twitch involuntarily. He had hit the nail on the head.  

 

‘I tried to act normal, but I guess it’s impossible to fool Yves’ eyes.’  

 

Knowing that lying wouldn’t work anyway, I admitted it honestly.  

 

“Actually, there’s something… that’s been bothering me.”  

 

It was about what had happened between Selene and the goddess Nanna that caused her to be trapped in an endless cycle of regression.  

 

“Is it because of what happened this morning?”  

 

Of course, it was Yves.  

 

‘He’s not like Fenrir, who can read minds, yet he sees right through me. He’s really amazing.’  

 

While I was genuinely impressed, I didn’t want to delve too deeply into this topic, so I deliberately stood up and replied.  

 

“Yes. But maybe it’s time to head back now?”  

 

There was still food left, but I was trying to use the excuse of being tired to return to my room before the conversation could go any further.  

 

“…Understood.”

 

It seemed Yves had seen through everything, but he didn’t press me further.  

 

‘If it were before, he would’ve stubbornly kept pushing.’  

 

Yves had always disliked it when I hid things from him.  

 

Early on, after I first possessed this body, I had lied unnecessarily, and it had only made things worse. Since then, I’d tried to be as honest as possible with him whenever something came up.  

 

‘Maybe this means we’ve built enough trust.’  

 

Lost in thought about how much had happened in less than a year, I suddenly realized we had already arrived at my room.  

 

“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”  

 

“Yes. Good night, Yves.”  

 

With a cheerful heart, I bid Yves goodnight and entered my room, only to find an unexpected guest waiting inside.  

 

“Wait, why are you here?”  

 

[Well, you said we’d talk after you finished your schedule.]  

 

It was Fenrir, the one who had insisted earlier this morning that he still had more to say.  

 

“Even so, don’t you think it’s rude to barge in without the room owner’s permission?”  

 

I directed my words at Fenrir, who was lounging comfortably on my bed as if it were his own. He let out a lazy yawn and replied in a nonchalant tone.  

 

[I think it’s also rude to walk away while someone’s still talking to you.]  

 

He had a point, ‘Besides, from Fenrir’s perspective, whether I clean bathrooms or not probably doesn’t matter. Yet he waited patiently until now.’  

 

As I was pondering this, I suddenly heard a loud crash from behind me.  

 

“Yves?”  

 

Yves, who had just smiled and said goodnight at the door, now stood there with a grim expression, having broken through the door.  

 

[I didn’t think he’d actually break through the barrier.]  

 

“You set up a barrier again?”  

 

I wondered why he’d even bother setting up a barrier when it was just the two of us in the room, but Yves pulled me back before I could dwell on it further.  

 

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”  

 

“I’m completely fine, so please calm down.”  

 

“Ha… I’m glad nothing’s wrong.”  

 

“It’s the same situation as this morning. Why are you so surprised?”