My Maids are All Final Villainesses-Chapter 24: Dead Again

Clay’s body stiffened the moment the system screen appeared before his eyes, the bright letters flashing again and again as if something truly urgent had happened.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Emergency! Emergency! Emergency!

He sat up from his bed in an instant, his previous sense of calm completely gone. His brows knitted tightly as he stared at the floating screen.

What now?

The system did not delay.

Ding!

The host’s Villain Replacement almost died.

The host’s Villain Replacement almost died.

Clay blinked once, then twice, before his expression twisted in disbelief.

What?

Then his voice rose, filled with irritation.

It has nothing to do with me!

He threw his hands up in frustration, pacing across the room as if he could somehow escape the floating screen.

"I already said it, right? I am not part of that nonsense anymore. I escaped that fate. That so called Villain Replacement, whatever that is, has nothing to do with me!"

The system responded immediately, its tone unchanged.

Ding!

This is a hidden feature.

The host was originally a fated Minor Villain. Therefore, the system has automatically linked the host to the replacement that occupies the original role.

Clay stopped walking and stared at the screen as if he wanted to tear it apart.

"Linked? Linked?!"

His voice grew louder, filled with disbelief and annoyance.

"Who told you to link me to anything? Did I ask for that? Did I request this kind of feature? I am already trying my best to stay away from all that nonsense, and now you are telling me I am still connected to it?"

The system remained calm.

Ding!

The purpose of this feature is to ensure the host’s survival. By monitoring the replacement, the host can understand the progression of the timeline and adjust accordingly.

Clay let out a dry laugh, one that carried no humor at all.

"Understand the progression? Adjust accordingly?"

He pointed at the screen.

"You think this helps me relax? You think this makes things easier for me? I was just lying down, trying to rest, and suddenly you scream emergency like the world is ending! Why not just ring your bell later or save the message in something like an inbox so I can check it later?!"

The system did not retreat.

Ding!

The host is overreacting.

This is necessary information.

Clay’s eye twitched.

"Overreacting?"

He placed a hand on his forehead, rubbing his temples as if trying to suppress a headache that was slowly growing worse.

"Listen carefully. I am already dealing with two sets of memories inside my head. One from my said previous life, one from this life that will turn upside down . They collide every time I try to think deeply. Every decision I make, I have to consider both. Do you understand how exhausting that is?"

The system remained silent for a brief moment before replying.

Ding!

The system acknowledges the host’s condition, but the feature remains necessary.

Clay let out a long breath, his shoulders dropping slightly as frustration continued to build.

"Necessary, necessary, everything is necessary for you."

He sat back down on the edge of the bed, staring at the screen with narrowed eyes.

"Let me ask you something. If that replacement dies, what happens to me?"

Ding!

No direct consequence.

Clay froze.

No consequence?

Ding!

The host will not be directly affected. However, the timeline may deviate, causing unpredictable outcomes.

Clay stared at the screen in silence for a few seconds.

You damn bastard!

He suddenly relaxed his head.

Then he leaned back after calming down, letting himself fall onto the bed.

"It has nothing to do with me. It has nothing to do with me anymore..."

Ding!

It has indirect influence.

Clay covered his face with one hand.

"Of course it does. Everything has an indirect influence."

He let out another sigh, longer this time.

"Look, I get it. You want me to stay aware. You want me to know what is happening so I can avoid danger. But do you really have to scream in an emergency like that? Do you know how stressful that is?"

Ding!

The situation was critical.

Clay turned his head to the side, glaring at the screen.

Critical for him, not for me.

Ding!

The host is advised to remain cautious.

Clay closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, his gaze calmer but still annoyed.

"You know what, fine. Do whatever you want. Monitor whoever you want. Just do not disturb me every time something happens to that guy. He is fated, right? Then he should not die that easily."

The system did not respond immediately.

Clay waited for a few seconds.

Nothing.

"Good."

He rolled over on the bed, pulling a pillow under his head as he tried to relax again.

Honestly, what a defective system.

The only good thing is that it also gives him overpowered abilities.

He muttered under his breath, his voice filled with lingering irritation.

"You do not even know how much I am suffering right now. Two lives, two memories, everything mixed together. And on top of that, you keep throwing these random alerts at me... so now... let me rest..."

He closed his eyes, trying to force himself to rest.

Minutes passed.

His breathing slowed.

His body relaxed.

Then suddenly, his eyes snapped open.

He shot up from the bed, his face filled with frustration.

"You damned defective system!"

He ran a hand through his hair, clearly irritated.

"Because of you, I cannot sleeeeeeep anymooooooore!"

...

On the other side, inside a quiet room of a random inn, the young man suddenly opened his eyes.

He gasped as he sat up, his hand instinctively reaching for his neck.

It was intact.

He froze for a moment, then let out a breath filled with anger.

"That bastard!"

He slammed his fist against the bed.

"He killed me!"

His eyes burned with rage as he recalled what had happened.

"No... his maid killed me."

His voice lowered, turning cold.

"I am sure of it. That had to be them. That Clay Valmont and his maid."

Inside his dantian, the old man spoke, his tone serious.

"I did not expect that maid to be that terrifying."

The young man clenched his teeth.

"What do you mean?"

The old man continued, his voice carrying weight as if explaining something important.

"That was not an ordinary assassin. Her control over concealment, her timing, her ability to strike without leaving a trace... all of it points to someone who has reached an extremely high level in assassination arts. Even I, could not even detect her presence properly."

The young man’s expression darkened.

"Then how am I supposed to deal with her?"

The old man paused briefly before speaking again.

"Right now, you cannot."

The young man’s fists tightened.

"What?"

The old man continued.

"I’m being honest..."

His tone was calm but firm.

"At your current level, you are not her match. Not even close. The only reason I could sense fragments of her presence was because of the mark you placed earlier. If you had not done that, we would not even know what killed you."

The young man’s breathing grew heavier.

"Then what should I do?"

The old man answered without hesitation.

"Complete the ritual"

The young man frowned.

"The ritual?"

"Yes. Find the remaining Secret Stash. Once you gather all the required components and complete the process, you will gain access to a greater power. At that point, you will not only survive encounters like this, you will dominate them."

The young man’s eyes flickered with determination.

"And her?"

The old man’s tone turned colder.

"With the completed ritual, you will gain multiple chances at life. Ten thousand, to be precise. Even if she kills you again and again, you will return. Eventually, you will understand her patterns, her methods, and then... you will surpass her." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The young man slowly smiled, a dangerous expression forming on his face.

"Ten thousand lives..."

He stood up, his body trembling slightly with excitement.

"Then I will make sure to kill them."

His voice was filled with hatred.

"Clay Valmont... and his maid."

He raised his hand slightly, as if making a vow.

"I swear to the heavens of mana, I will crush them both."

The old man remained silent, letting him speak.

But then, both of them froze at the same time.

A chill ran down their spine.

The young man’s eyes widened.

"What is this?"

The old man’s voice turned sharp.

"Someone is here."

The young man’s breathing quickened.

"Impossible. I just revived for two hours."

The air in the room grew heavy, suffocating.

Then, a voice.

A feminine voice.

Cold.

"Killing my master?

"You wish."

The young man’s body stiffened.

He slowly turned his head.

But before he could even react, something flashed.

His vision spun.

Then darkness.

Once again, his head rolled across the floor.