I Am a Villain, So What?-Chapter 137: Boyfriend?

Walking through the corridors of the Imperial Academy with Clara von Marigold clinging to my arm was a tactical error. I realized this approximately three seconds after leaving the classroom.

"Look at them..." "Is she being threatened?" "She’s blinking SOS! I’m sure of it!" "Should we call a professor? Wait, what if he curses us with necromancy?"

The whispers followed us like a swarm of angry bees. The cadets parted before us like the Red Sea, their eyes wide with a mixture of horror and morbid curiosity. The "Idol of Class B" and the "Trash of the Academy" walking arm-in-arm was a scandal of epic proportions.

I let out a long, tired sigh, feeling the headache returning.

"You’re enjoying this, aren’t you, Lady Clara?"

Clara giggled, her pink twin-tails bouncing with every step. She squeezed my arm tighter, not out of affection, but out of necessity.

"A little bit! It’s funny seeing everyone so shocked. Besides, if I walk with the scariest person in school, no one will bother me about... that day."

I glanced down at her.

Beneath her cheerful facade, I could see the faint shadows under her eyes. Her grip was trembling slightly. She was putting on a brave face, using this spectacle to distract herself—and everyone else—from the fact that her childhood best friend was dead by my hand.

She was using the "Villain" as a shield against pity.

I decided to humor her. If clinging to the bad guy helped her cope with the trauma of Elena and the demon, I could endure a few stares.

"Just don’t trip," I muttered, keeping my gaze forward. "I’m not carrying you again."

[The Grand Cafeteria]

We entered the dining hall. The chatter died down instantly the moment we stepped through the double doors. It was as if someone had cast a mass [Silence] spell. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

We grabbed our trays.

I loaded mine with the special beef stew, a side of roasted potatoes, and black coffee. Survival food.

Clara, on the other hand, piled hers high with strawberry shortcake, three types of macarons, a chocolate pudding, and exactly one leaf of lettuce to make it look like a "meal."

We walked toward the center of the room.

Usually, finding a seat at peak lunch hour was a war. But today, it was a breeze.

I simply looked at a table occupied by four second-year swordsmen. They made eye contact with me, looked at the pink-haired girl clinging to my arm, turned pale, and scrambled away, leaving their half-eaten salads behind.

"You really have a talent for crowd control, Lucien," Clara said, taking a seat across from me and immediately stabbing a macaron.

"It’s called infamy," I replied dryly, breaking my bread. "Enjoy it while it lasts."

I dipped the bread into the stew.

But before I could take a bite, a shadow fell over the table.

Thud.

A tray was set down with deliberate, terrifying precision right next to mine. The sound echoed in the silent cafeteria.

I froze.

I looked up.

Ariana Solmere stood there.

Her ivory hair fell perfectly around her shoulders, shimmering under the magical lights. She was holding a bowl of mushroom soup and a book on Advanced Theory of Mana Poisoning.

But the scariest part was her face.

Her expression was perfectly calm. A small, polite smile graced her lips. However, her violet eyes were completely hidden behind the glare of her glasses, reflecting the light in a way that made her look like an anime villain about to unleash a prohibited spell.

"Mind if I join you?" Ariana asked.

Her voice was perfectly polite, soft, and melodic. It was also the most terrifying sound I had heard all week—and I had heard a Chimera scream.

"A-Ariana!" Clara blinked, surprised, a piece of cake hanging from her mouth. "Of course! Sit! There’s plenty of space!"

Ariana didn’t walk to the empty seat next to Clara.

She sat down right next to me.

She sat so close that our shoulders brushed. She placed her book on the table, staking her claim on the territory.

The temperature at the table plummeted. I could see my breath misting in the air.

"Hello, Clara," Ariana said, stirring her soup slowly. Clink. Clink. "It’s rare to see you in the dining hall with... my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Clara tilted her head, confused.

Cough!

I choked on my stew. Hot broth went down the wrong pipe.

"Ack—cough—!"

I grabbed my water, hacking my lungs out.

Ariana didn’t look at me. She simply reached out a hand and patted my back—hard. Thump. Thump. It felt less like comforting and more like a warning beat.

"Oh?" Clara swallowed her cake. Her eyes widened as the realization hit her. "Wait... really? You two? Since when?!"

"Since a while ago," Ariana said smoothly, finally pushing her glasses up to reveal her sharp, possessive eyes. "We prefer to keep it private. But it seems some people might get the wrong idea if I don’t clarify."

She stared pointedly at Clara’s arm, which had been linked with mine just moments ago.

Clara blinked once. Twice.

Then, a mischievous grin spread across her face. The gloom that had been hanging over her seemed to lift, replaced by genuine amusement.

"Ehhhh?" Clara leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands. "So the ’Trash’ of the cunt family and the youngest daughter of Solmere duchy are a couple? That’s big news! Does the Daily Aurelian know?"

"No," I rasped, finally recovering my voice. "And they won’t. Right, Ariana?"

Ariana took a sip of her soup, ignoring me.

"That depends on the behavior of the... surrounding pests," she murmured.

Clara giggled, seemingly unfazed by the killing intent radiating from the Alchemist.

"Don’t worry, Ariana! I’m not trying to steal him!" Clara waved her fork. "Lucien is just my savior! He’s like... a big, scary guard dog! I feel safe when he’s around."

My eyebrow twitched. Guard dog?

Ariana paused. She looked at Clara, assessing the truth in her words. Seeing no romantic rivalry, only trauma-induced attachment, her aura softened slightly.

"I see," Ariana said, taking a bite of bread. "A guard dog. That is... an acceptable description."

She turned to me, her eyes curving into a sweet smile.

"Then, as his owner, I suppose I should allow him to do his job. Good work, Lucien."

She slid a small vial across the table toward me.

[Stamina Potion (High Grade) - Strawberry Flavor]

"You looked tired," she whispered, her voice finally returning to its usual warmth. "Drink this. And... explain later."

I stared at the potion, then at the two girls—one eating cake like a squirrel, the other dissecting her soup with surgical precision.

The entire cafeteria was watching us.

Kael and Bordon were in the distance, looking pale.

I opened the vial and downed it.

’I’d rather fight the Chimera again’