Life Of A Nobody - as a Villain-Chapter 408: Finn and Nera

Rio looked at Tanya standing by his carriage, with a backpack that looked thicker than three of her combined, and shook his head.

"You're not staying behind, are you?"

"Noo."

"Will follow me even if I refused?"

"Yes."

"Umm, and you won't cause me any trouble?"

"Noo."

"Will do as I say, without asking or making demands?"

"Yes."

"... You brought something to eat?"

"No…I mean yes." Tanya replied like in previous order, before understanding the question, and changing her answer hurriedly.

She placed her bag on the ground, pulling it forward with both hands, until it budged a few centimeters before giving up in embarrassment.

"Here, see I made this last night, and this one this morning, this one I haven't tasted yet, as I was in a hurry to pack my stuff, but it smells nice. Wanna try it?" She spoke as she pulled out one packed box after another and started showing him her work, her eyes shining with stars as she pushed them into his hands, hoping he'll eat and praise her like always.

"Umm, Tanya, you do know where we're standing right?" Rio said with a smile, as he held her hands and stopped her actions.

Hearing his words, she looked around, only to see the guards and soldiers standing near the carriage all looking her way with a smile on their lips, even the horses turned their faces and neighed, as if telling her, 'Seriously? In front of us? Where's our box?'

"Ah haha ha" With a sheepish smile, she took the boxes back and shoved everything back into her backpack, burying her head down fiddling with the chain in embarrassment.

Seeing her like that, Rio couldn't help but poke fun at her further, as he circled around the bag, before clicking his tongue and shaking his head.

"Tch tch tsk, pity." he said, his words making Tanya confused, "huh?"

"Oh, I'm just thinking how will we fit this big a bag into our small carriage. It looks quite heavy, right?" Rio said, as Tanya too looked at her bag, and couldn't help but nod. "Unhh"

Rio turned to his shadow and asked, "What do you think, Esme, do you think our horses can carry this heavy bag too?"

"I _ um, we are going far so it must be very tough." Esme though surprised for a second, still understood and responded smartly, "They'll be tired."

"You're right. Plus our Tanya probably packed half the kitchen's utensils in it, so it'll also make loud noises on the road," Rio said, slapping his hand randomly, hitting a steel and making a clunking sound, "Yeah, with this we probably won't be able to sleep or rest either."

"Yes, master. _ how about we _just leave it here." Esme suggested and looked at Tanya whose face went from rich expressions of confusion to understanding, to horror, and then to sadness in a single second.

The poor her took a second to coax her heart, before looking up sincerely, willing to sacrifice her hard work for their smooth sailing, only to see faces of both master and shadow looking at her jokingly, barely controlling their laughter.

It took another few seconds for her innocent head to process what they said, or how she reacted, and when she looked back up in anger, the duo only broke up in laughter even more.

"Bad brother." Tanya said sourly, and started dragging her bag to the carriage. Tears welled up in her eyes which she tried to hide by turning around, only to feel the weight behind her disappear, and herself getting picked up.

"Come on, you can't blame us for laughing when you act like that?" Rio said, helping her enter the carriage, "And besides how do you even forget that storage rings exist? All that salt, sweet, and spices really must be messing up with your mind? We'll have to get it checked by a healer."

Rio joked again placing his hand over her head, which she so wanted to slap away, but couldn't find the courage to. 'Forget it, it feels nice anyway.' She thought and just stayed like that.

"So Tanya, will you follow me back to the academy too this time? Or will you still stay at home with your mother." Rio asked, changing the topic, lest this kid really gets angry. Cause then he'll have to be hungry for the next few days.

"I don't know." Tanya replied honestly, she wanted to follow him, but she didn't want to leave her mother behind either. Her thoughts, "Who knows what she'll do when I'm not around?"

"Well, there's no rush." Rio replied, and added, "And besides, if you want you can stay for a few more months here, join us after my exams end. As for your master, don't worry, I'll talk to him."

"You met master?" Tanya asked excitedly.

"I went to his restaurant once." Rio replied.

"Then _ did he say something about me? Did he give you some new book of recipes? Or any secret tips? Or wait, some special spice?"

"... Woah easy there," Rio spoke, interrupting the girl who gets possessed when it comes to making food, "I did went there, but we didn't talk. _ he was unconscious and I was under attack."

"Huhhh what?" Hearing his words, Tanya made a big 'O' before turning her face to him and asked excitedly, "Then? Then what? Tell me everything? It sounds fun, tell me."

"..." (Rio's silent stare, wondering what's fun about her master falling unconscious, and him fighting for his life.)

[You're surrounded by weirdos.] (System's speech)

"..." (And Rio's silent approval)

"Huh, what happened? Why are you silent?" Tanya asked as she grabbed his hand, "Tell me what happened? I haven't heard this story yet. _ ohh and speak slowly so I remember it, I have to go back and tell all my friends too."

"....."

Esme looked at the scene unfolding in front of her, and silently smiled to herself.

'Life is perfect.' She thought, her mind wandering back to the day years ago, when she was in prison, charged with treason, waiting to be killed, and the little Rio came to see her, _ save her.

Who would've known the day she thought she was gonna lose everything, was the day she actually started gaining everything.

Rio raised his head and stared at Esme smiling at him with a lost look on her face, and couldn't help but agree with the system once more. 'He really was surrounded by weirdos.'

…

The journey to Harendale city didn't take long, Rio and group first went to their guildhouse 'Shade', and after meeting a few familiar faces like Luke who trained him physically in childhood, or Asher, who led the Alphas to search for him when he was in the dungeon, and Myra, his mother's shadow, who stayed in guild for some work _ they took the teleportation directly to the next branch at their destination.

{Ps teleportation between cities is allowed freely, though always monitored by the nobles and guilds ruling there.}

Rio stepped out of the portal and in front of him were another bunch of familiar faces.

"Hello, Finn." Rio said and bowed his head a little, before hugging his cousin with a smile.

"God, you're growing great, what are you eating?" Finn said, as he patted Rio's back, a little harder than what's considered normal.

"I see your childish habits haven't changed?" Rio said, before pushing him away and shaking his hands.

"You know, I was just coming to meet you in Damascus, but you came here first." Finn said, placing his hand over his heart, "It's like we're connected."

"Urghh," Rio sighed in disgust as he pushed it away.

"Come on, you don't trust me now. I'm really telling the truth." Finn said in all sincerity, "Wait, I'll show you the tickets and bookings and… ."

Rio looked at the man pushing his hand into his pockets while looking at him, before into another and then in another…

"Bro, I'm telling the truth, I forgot my card at home, you come with me there, and I'll show you then, okay." Finn said, giving up on the fake search, knowing Rio had no intention of stopping him, but was more interested in his acting.

His open lies making Rio smile, as he shook his head, "I'll trust you when you pay me back my money. It's been what, four years now?"

"Come on," Finn said exaggeratedly, hearing him mention old debts, "I thought you forgot that, or wait, didn't we cancel that out when I gave you that one gift on your birthday?"

"Nope. You're talking about the one before that," Rio said and added, "You still owe me five and a half million, pay up soon."

"Wait_ you didn't come here on your holidays to collect some money from me, did you?" Finn said with a hurtful expression.

"When did you turn so cheesy, don't your face hurt with all that acting?" Rio said, not buying a single word from him. Dude was a genius with a talent and skills like no other, yet this stupid acting skill ruins his whole serious setting.

"Oh come on, I'm a merchant. Acting is in my blood." Finn replied proudly, with a fist on his chest like an army salute.

"God, you're worse than Nera." Rio said and slapped him on the shoulder to cut it out.

"Talking about Nera, she quite missed you." Finn said, turning serious as he mentioned his little sister. "She made me swear I'll bring you home, or she's gonna drop a water bucket on my bed every night for a week, so I can't sleep."

"Tough punishment." Rio joked.

"Yeah." But Finn nodded rigorously, knowing his sister's personality, he couldn't be sure when that water will turn into fire, as she may explode his bed and body in sleep.

He could feel chills just imagining the scene of little Nera standing by his bedside in the middle of night, with a bomb in her hand, as she threw it onto his face with a smile, saying "Brother, catch."

'Urghhhhh rhrh'

"She scares you that much?" Rio said, looking at this guy acting like he saw his death, with goosebumps standing on his hands.

Hearing his words, Finn just looked at him like looking at a fool. "She's Nera." That's it. His answer was just this. As if her name is all the explanation needed.

"She's not that bad, she's a cute kid." Rio said, remembering the 8 year old little girl from his memories.

"Come on, everyone just pampered her too much, and now I get to pay the price." Finn sighed, looking at the sky, as if cursing his fate and complaining to gods about it.

Until of course he heard something behind him, and turned his head.

"Umm, Esme sister, who is he?" Tanya said as she tugged at Esme, after seeing Rio laughing and chatting so happily with a stranger.

"He's…" Esme was answering when Finn stepped forward and stopped her.

"Allow me to introduce myself, me' lady. My name's Finn Raven, The heir to the Elite Raven family, and the maternal cousin brother of this one, Rio Blake." Finn said seriously in a nobalistic behaviour, with a straight face and a gentle heroic expression, causing Tanya to just freeze in the moment.

"You idiot, don't scare her like that." Rio said, as he slapped Finn's head and pulled Tanya away, who for the first time met someone this shameless and this frank. Someone who changes his face and tone at a moment's notice.

"Don't worry about him, he just likes to act too much." Rio said, his words calming the girl, who started remembering rumors that say if you don't greet some nobles right, they will kill you.

"Hey, come on, at least introduce me to our guest." Finn said and followed him, "So who is she, the alchemist, the healer, or the priestess?"

Seeing the dude just spilling out all the girl characters Rio gathered from the protagonist group, he interrupted him, "Tanya, that's her name."

"Ahh, the genius chef." Finn said and looked at Tanya again, "You know, he and Amy praise you a lot, always saying you cook the sweetest sweets in all of Arcadia, though these two have never given me a taste yet so…"

"He said that.." Tanya interrupted him slowly.

"Huh?"

"About my sweets, he s_said that?"

"Oh that, of course he did." Finn replied, before looking up to see Rio staring at him sharply, and changing his words, "I mean, those weren't exactly his words, _ but I could feel that that's what he meant,."

"So_ about what I was saying, me not getting a taste…" Finn was speaking again, shamelessly asking for what he wanted, when Rio interrupted him,

"Ohh look, the car's here. We're late for a meeting, so Tanya say goodbye to my cousin. We'll probably see him next year, if he survives the seven explosions under his bed."

Rio said as he sat in the car and then signalled Esme to drive them away. Leaving Finn behind with a confused face.

"Wait, what do you mean, explosions? You're coming to our house, right?" After waking up, he shouted behind the vehicle but Rio just raised his hand out the window and waved him goodbye.

"I'm dead." Seeing him leave, Finn said to himself, already feeling the shadow of death lingering behind his back, until a phone call broke his thoughts.

He changed his expression, smiled and picked up to answer, only to hear a tone that sent his soul into a cold freezer.

"Brother, are you there? Did he come? You saw him?... You're bringing him back right, I already told grandpa.. Grandpa said, if Rio brother doesn't come, you don't need to come home either… anyway, I'm going to play in your room now, call me when you come home…booomm booomm… 'Nera, you okay?'.... I'm fine grandpa, nothing happened.

Everything's fine here…Bye bye brother, I'll call you back later. (Cough cough)"

".... My rooom????"

....

Author note -

Finn's real name is Finnley Raven. But he doesn't like that, so he introduces himself as Finn. And much prefers others call him that too. (Current age - 20.) (A third year student at Sunshine academy.)

Nera's Real name is Cristine Raven. But she merged both and chose Nera for herself. And as perks of being the youngest and most pampered princess, her wish is everyone's command. (Current age - 10) (A blasting* cough cough, I mean, a budding engineer in making.)

She was born after a lotta years of hard work, cough cough, i mean, ... , plus she was very sick in childhood too, so she got some extra special place in everyone's heart.