I Am a Villain, So What?-Chapter 176: Can I ask you something?

The rescue was a complete success.

Because the serpent was neutralized instantly, the Reclamation Team only suffered a few minor injuries. Commander Sophie noted that if we had arrived even a minute later, the casualties would have been catastrophic.

It was a solid debut. I could feel the hostile and suspicious glares from the border guards and the other cadets soften considerably.

With the immediate crisis resolved, the Marksmanship Club moved on to the scheduled volunteer work.

"Here is how you plant the terraforming saplings," an experienced border instructor explained, demonstrating in the sand.

"It’s just dry sand," a cadet muttered skeptically. "Will these things even take root?"

"Just watch," the instructor said.

As the cadets planted the saplings, the instructor channeled specialized nature magic into the ground. The saplings rapidly sprouted. Their roots intertwined, drawing deep subterranean moisture to the surface. Within minutes, a small, swamp-like oasis formed in the middle of the barren dunes.

"These are aggressive terraforming plants," the instructor explained to the awestruck cadets. "In a normal forest, they are considered invasive weeds because they turn firm ground into swamps. But out here in the desert, they are invaluable for establishing permanent water sources."

Next, the instructor led the club to a nearby monster colony.

"Desert White-Ants," the instructor pointed to a swarming mound in the distance. "They are the size of an adult’s forearm, and their mandibles can snap bone. Their strength is in their numbers. Good target practice."

The club members lined up and opened fire. Spells and arrows rained down on the colony. The white ants were completely annihilated by the bombardment.

Among the cadets, three stood out immediately: Elisha, Professor Valerius, and Club President Leon. The Ravenscroft archery skills were famous for a reason, but Leon and Valerius’ family technique—firing multiple arrows in rapid succession like a physical barrage—was highly effective.

"Alright, time for the main event!" Leon announced once the area was clear.

Having warmed up, the club set up a makeshift shooting range to compete in long-range accuracy. The men’s and women’s divisions were held separately. Elisha easily took first place in the women’s division.

Then came the men’s finals.

"Whoa! Lucien just nailed the 700-meter target!"

"What?! How is his rifle outshooting a customized longbow at that distance?!"

Most traditional warriors and knights looked down on firearms. They believed guns relied entirely on the weapon’s mechanical performance rather than the user’s skill, and that high-tier archery eventually outscaled them. My shooting completely shattered that assumption.

"Men’s division winner, Lucien Ashborne!" Valerius announced, laughing. "Looks like our Club President came up a bit short today."

"Haha, it happens," Leon smiled, lowering his bow.

Valerius clapped me on the shoulder, genuinely impressed. Leon walked over and offered a polite word of congratulations.

But as Leon smiled at me, my Sixth Sense flared violently.

Raw killing intent.

It was suppressed quickly, but the malice was undeniable.

I looked at Leon’s smiling face.

I see.

He was a man consumed by jealousy and hatred. He was desperate to excel, but deeply plagued by an inferiority complex because his natural talent couldn’t match his older brother’s. And now, a ’trash’ cadet had just publicly humiliated him in his own club’s specialty.

He was the upcoming villain. This border camp was where his inferiority complex was scheduled to finally push him over the edge.

I smiled back at him, keeping my thoughts perfectly hidden.

It wasn’t time to strike yet. To deal with him without drawing the wrath of his Earl family or the Academy, I needed to wait for the perfect moment. I just had to let Leon set the stage himself.

****

"Now it’s dinner time! Today, we’ll be cooking for the hardworking border guards ourselves!" Valerius announced, clapping his hands together. "Let’s divide into groups. This group washes the vegetables, this one preps them, this group makes the base broth, and this one handles the meat."

It was a nice sentiment, but Valerius immediately hit a massive snag.

He had just put a group of pampered aristocratic cadets in charge of a field kitchen.

"Professor, how do we wash these potatoes? Do we use soap?"

"Professor Valerius! How do I cut this? The knife is too heavy!"

"Professor! The broth looks like mud!"

"Professor! I think I put in a whole cup of salt!"

"Professor!"

"Professor!"

Within five minutes, Valerius was completely overwhelmed, thrown into absolute chaos as he darted between stations trying to prevent a culinary disaster.

Elisha wasn’t doing much better. Born as the legitimate daughter of a Duke, she had likely never held a kitchen knife in her life. Still, her noble pride refused to let her give up.

She stood frozen at her prep station, staring intensely at a single carrot.

’...Now what?’ She racked her brain. She had seen head chefs grate expensive cheese over her meals at the estate, but she had never actually watched the cooking process.

Chop. Chop. Chop. Chop.

Looking around, the other female cadets were equally frozen, holding their knives awkwardly, buffering like broken clockwork dolls.

Chop. Chop. Chop. Chop.

This was hopeless. Elisha realized she had no choice but to turn to Professor Valerius for help—

Chop. Chop. Chop. Chop.

She paused. Noticing the rhythmic, incredibly fast sound, Elisha turned her head. It was coming from the only chopping board in the camp that was actually being used properly.

A male cadet wearing a black apron was skillfully and rapidly prepping vegetables.

"Hey, Cadet Lucien," Elisha said, walking over. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"...What is it?" I asked, not looking up from the cutting board.

"You can cook too?"

"To an extent," I replied dryly. Did she forget I literally owned and operated Kitchen 21, the most popular restaurant in the Academy District? After imparting my modern recipes to Lily, I didn’t cook as often, but my foundation was rock solid.

Elisha looked back at Valerius, who was currently yelling at a cadet trying to boil a piece of frozen meat. She closed her mouth, clearly deciding not to add to his misery.

Instead, she steeled her pride and turned back to me.

"Then, Cadet Lucien, do you know how to prep this too?"

She handed over her carrot, trying to act as casual as possible.

I took it, placed it on the board, sliced it crosswise into four sections, and diced it into perfect, uniform cubes before sweeping it into the ingredient bin.

Chop! Chop! Tatatatatatang!

It happened in less than three seconds.

Elisha couldn’t hide her shock.

[Skill: Cooking (Lv. 8) is highly active.]

It had been a while since I had to prep a meal for this many people. Muscle memory took over.

Elisha quickly made excuses beside me. "I-I didn’t ask for help! I just asked for a demonstration of the method. Hmph!"

I didn’t have time to care about her tsundere act. The kitchen was a disaster, and I wanted to eat a decent meal tonight.

I wiped my hands, walked over to the next paralyzed female cadet, snatched the vegetables from her cutting board, prepped them at lightning speed, and tossed them into the pot. Then I moved to the next cadet, and the next, and the one after that.

"Amazing..." "He’s faster than the head chef at my estate..." "He outshot the Club President, and now he’s saving dinner. Does Trash Lucien actually have skills?"

As the cadets murmured in surprise, Elisha watched me from the side.

’He really is capable,’ Elisha thought to herself. ’Who would seriously look at him right now and see a trash villain?’

For this brief moment, the hostile atmosphere had vanished. Everyone in the kitchen was looking at me with genuine relief and friendliness.

’Huh?’

By chance, Elisha’s gaze drifted past the prep stations and landed on Club President Leon.

Leon was staring directly at me. His eyes held a dark, heavy light that could hardly be called kind. It was a look of pure, unadulterated malice.

Elisha frowned slightly. ’Does Senior Leon have a grudge against Lucien too? But why? The old Lucien only ever bullied minor nobles and commoners. He never crossed an Earl’s family.’

"Oh, thank the gods!" Valerius gasped, finally making his way over to my station and seeing the massive pile of perfectly prepped ingredients.

Seeing my efficiency, Valerius immediately dragged me into every remaining step of the process. With my Level 8 Cooking skill guiding the seasoning and the meat preparation, the camp’s massive iron cauldrons were soon bubbling with a rich, hearty beef and vegetable stew.

****

Commander Sophie was the first to taste it. She walked up to the cauldron, eyed the thick stew sharply, stirred it with a wooden spoon, sniffed it, and took a bite.

"Delicious!" Sophie declared loudly.

"Yesss!"

"We did it!"

The border guards and the Shooting Club cadets gathered around with their bowls. Everyone praised the taste without holding back, devouring the hot meal in the freezing night air.

’I just hope they don’t expect me to cook every single meal after this,’ I thought, rubbing my tired shoulders.

"Mmm! So good!"

"I’m definitely having two bowls."

"Why does a camp stew taste better than the food at my manor?"

"Heh, because we cooked it ourselves!" a cadet boasted, completely ignoring the fact that I did ninety percent of the work.

Amid the lively chatter and the clinking of spoons, I grabbed my bowl and walked away from the crowd.

I sat down alone on a log near a small, isolated bonfire on the edge of the camp. Mingling with the other cadets wasn’t my thing. I knew my presence here usually tainted the mood, and I preferred the quiet anyway.

I just needed to finish my food quickly, get some sleep, and prepare for whatever Leon was planning.

As I scooped a spoonful of hot stew into my mouth, I heard footsteps crunching in the sand. Elisha walked into the firelight.

"Hey," Elisha said, holding her own bowl. "Can I sit here?"

"...Do as you like," I replied, staring into the flames.

Elisha sat down on the other end of the log. She ate a few bites quietly, the fire reflecting in her eyes. She opened her mouth, closed it, hesitated for a long moment, and finally resolved herself.

"Hey, Lucien. Can I ask you something?"

"No."