The Villain Is Destined to Die: But as the Creator, I know All Endings-Chapter 226: Day – 1: Exploring Karnak, and Meeting with the Order [2]

Chapter 226: Day – 1: Exploring Karnak, and Meeting with the Order [2]

After the incident, the Twilight Order took possession of Lucian’s Soul Eater in the hope of further examining it and finding the solution to tackle Dark Mana it holds.

But no matter how much Ayaka and the others tried, the Demon god’s dark mana was too much for them to handle. Just being near it would make any normal human’s mana core corrupted.

"They are naive to think they would stabilize this weapon."

Leon muttered as he glanced down at the Soul Eater. As his fingers touched the blade’s sharp edge, he injected the tip with Light Mana.

Both the mana collide, repelling each other at an unimaginable force. But Leon held both his footing and even held the Soul Eater with his other hand.

He was trying to test what would happen if he covered the entire Soul Eater with his Light Mana, by infusing the same amount of Light mana frequency as Dark.

Will it register it, just like it registered the Dark Mana? Or would it fail?

But the more he gets closer to match its frequency, the more unstable the Dark mana reacts.

Spark–!

"You are quite stubborn." Leon blurted out. "Let’s see if you can handle this—"

’Haru, why are you talking to a sword....’

"..."

In the end, he had to halt his experiment.

"Yeah, let’s not blow up the whole inn."

He packed up the sword inside the box, and put it inside.

Next, he picked the finest attire he had purchased for himself from his bag.

Leon then stood in front of the long mirror in the room.

He removed his bath robe and slipped into a white silk shirt, refined perfectly to match his build. One by one, he fastened the buttons, then adjusted a coffee-colored collar tie that matched his pants. After that, he wore a half-vest of the same shade and topped it off with a long coat that fell neatly over his shoulders.

Then he slipped a golden watch onto his wrist. And a small gold earring followed against his pierced ear.

Leon finally picked up his brass revolver, checked the bullets chamber, and placed it at his side.

Only then did he look up.

His white hair was fully dried now, falling naturally against his forehead. His ruby-red eyes were clear as gems.

"How do I look?" Leon asked.

’Rich,’ Rumi replied instantly.

"Perfect."

Still, he squinted slightly. His vision was off without the glasses.

Leon frowned. He didn’t want to put on his old glasses which his sister gave him.

Instead, another idea surfaced in his mind.

"Rumi," Leon said quietly, "can you crystallize the moisture in front of my eyes until I can see clearly?"

’Alright, I know your eyesight,’ Rumi replied. ’Give me a moment. I’ll conjure a proper lens.’

Leon closed his eyes.

Rumi adjusted her mana output. Leon felt the ice mana getting flickered.

Instead of forming rigid ice, she altered the crystal lattice of molecule binding. The mana structure was loosened, softened, and the density reduced.

The ice lost its hardness and became flexible, transparent, and elastic to be called a proper contact lens.

A faint chill brushed against Leon’s pupils as the lenses formed, settling gently over his eyes like invisible contact lenses.

He opened them. And in an instant the world snapped into focus.

Every detail sharpened instantly.

He could see the faint moisture along his lashes. The fine weave of his coat. And even the subtle reflections in his own pupils staring back at him through the mirror.

Leon blinked once.

"...Damn, that’s some detail," he muttered.

It was on par with the specs which Veronica had given him.

’Unlike your old one, this doesn’t run on your mana. And I only had to maintain the coldness, everything else is constant.’

’...Rumi, that was impressive.’

He doesn’t want to act all impressed, but...

Rumi had just altered the state of matter itself.

’It wasn’t anything special,’ Rumi replied casually. ’I only adjusted what was already there.’

Leon let out a slow breath.

"...Right."

He didn’t argue.

To Rumi, reshaping matter at a fundamental level was just an adjustment.

Leon looked away from the mirror and shook his head lightly.

"...Good thing you’re on my side," he muttered.

— — —

"Huh... it’s about to rain."

Leon slowed his steps and glanced up at the sky. The clouds above had darkened, heavy layers of black clouds rolling in from the sea.

Because of its coastal location, Karnak was a city where rain came often. Sometimes without warning like today.

Looking around, Leon noticed the streets were noticeably less crowded here. Wealthy visitors rarely traveled on foot. Most of them were likely inside high-end establishments, enjoying their time away from the public eye, accompanied by their wives or attendants.

Leon continued walking toward the square.

He hoped to catch a local ride to the address Eula had given him.

Out of the Eight heads of the Twilight Order, the Merlin Kingdom housed two of them.

Tsubaki, the Second Seat, and the expert weapon artist of the Order. And Ume, the Third Seat, and the healer and alchemist.

They handled the Twilight Order’s operations within this kingdom. In a sense, they were the ones in charge here.

Leon glanced down at the note again.

"...Still though."

The location was written clearly.

[Chichi’s Kitchen]

"...."

It was a restaurant.

That was where he was supposed to meet Tsubaki. Where he would hand over Soul Eater and the Order. Where they would discuss the weapon deal and the transaction that followed.

Leon wasn’t doubting the choice.

The Twilight Order never picked a place without reason.

"Kyaa!! You’re so sweet!!"

Leon’s head turned toward the sudden excitement coming from the other side of the road.

"...What the hell is he doing here?"

His steps halted abruptly.

Across the street stood a man with white hair and sharp blue eyes. On both sides of him were five young women, all around his age, clinging close to his body, and laughing far too loudly.

From a single glance, Leon could tell. The man looked to be in his early twenties. And far too well-known to be ignored.

Leon stared at him.

"...You’ve got to be kidding me."

"The Crown Prince..." Leon muttered under his breath. "Raven Lunovar."

Of all people, of all times.

His appearance here was unexpected.

Leon acted naturally, slowing his pace as he waited for a carriage to pass by.

Outwardly, he looked calm. But his entire focus was on Prince Raven.

The Crown Prince walked past the shops with five women clinging to his arms, laughing loudly as he headed in the same direction Leon had come from.

Toward Blackstar Resort.

"...Ah fuck. Talk about coincidence," Leon muttered under his breath.

He looked away, pretending not to notice.

’Still though... wasn’t he involved in some dungeon-hunting business the last time I heard about him from Eula?’

Leon frowned slightly.

Was there a dungeon near Karnak?

Or was Raven simply here to fool around?

With Raven Lunovar, it was always hard to tell. The man’s public image and actual intentions rarely aligned with his status.

Leon didn’t dwell on it.

For now, he just took note of Raven’s presence and filed it away. He could ask Tsubaki about it later.

Right now, he had other priorities. He still had the entire day ahead of him to deal with this kind of stuff.

After waiting for a few more minutes, Leon boarded a local carriage and headed toward the address.

The area he arrived in was far more crowded.

This was where ordinary citizens lived.

Leon stepped down and looked around.

People moved in uneven steps. Merchants near the stall and their carriages shouted their prices. Children ran between stalls demanding things from their mother.

Leon noticed that the Guards here stood at intervals, subtly directing the flow of traffic and keeping the streets from becoming chaotic.

Leon couldn’t help but click his tongue quietly.

’So this is the place Tsubaki chose...’

Still, he trusted the Order’s judgment. Maybe the restaurant they choose would be fully reserved.

He walked nearly half a mile down the road.

The streets here were paved with worn brown stone. Lanterns lined the sides, currently unlit, hanging from iron pillars. Trees grew along the road at even intervals, there were leaves rustling faintly as the wind picked up before the rain.

Leon noticed several foreigners among the crowd as well. They were easy to spot with their different clothing, and different accents.

"...No, no, you take left," a man said in a rough, unfamiliar language.

"It’s too crowded," another replied sharply. "We circle around no?"

Leon recognized the tongue, and he understood the frustration.

He ignored them and moved forward.

Food stalls lined parts of the street.

Leon slowed slightly, glancing at one of the stalls. He wondered if he would ever visit those foreign kingdoms.

Honestly, he hoped not.

He never liked traveling in the first place. Even in his old world, he only visited a handful of countries, and that too strictly for business meetings, always aboard his private jet.

’I miss my Eagle-098...’

He sighed quietly and continued walking.

Finally, he reached his destination.

[Chichi’s Kitchen]

It was... small.

Much smaller than he expected. And the place was quiet. Too quiet, in fact.

Leon paused outside, listening.

He couldn’t hear a thing.

’Good.’

A soft chime rang as he pushed the door open.

Jingle 🎵

Inside, the restaurant was modest. A few wooden tables lined an even placement. The floor was clean. Warmly lit hall. And a faint melody played somewhere in the background.

Leon’s eves drifted around.

Only one table was occupied.

A woman sat there alone, facing the window. Her brown hair fell to her shoulders, and a white, round hat decorated with a single white feather rested atop her head.

Leon recognized it instantly. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"...Tsubaki," he muttered.

He didn’t need to see her face. That hat alone was enough to identify her.

Leon stepped inside and closed the door behind him quietly.

Leon stepped closer to the table and addressed her calmly.

"Greetings... Princess Asuna."

Tsubaki turned her head.

Her ruby-red eyes met his, and a bright smile curved her lips.

"You took your time, Mr. Cooper," she said, with a faint glint of slyness flashing in her gaze.

Leon inclined his head slightly.

"The border has been busier than usual. It took longer to clear things on my end."

Asuna nodded once.

"That’s fine. Have a seat."

Leon did as told and took the chair opposite her.

She rested her chin lightly on her hand and spoke as if discussing the weather.

"I booked the entire place," she said. "You don’t need to worry about eavesdroppers. My shadows are surrounding the restaurant."

Her smile still didn’t fade.

"And if someone tries to infiltrate this place," she added casually, "their head will hit the floor before they even realize what went wrong."

The way she said it, gently and pleasantly, made Leon narrow his eyes just a fraction.

She is a menace.

Asuna Everstone, The First Princess of the Merlin Kingdom.

And the eldest sister of Princess Clara, the president of his research club Luntara.

Despite being the eldest, she was never meant to claim the throne. Born from a concubine, her position had always been... complicated.

She carried the title of First Princess. And she was treated with the authority that came with it.

Yet she had none of the privileges that truly mattered to that title.

A rightful presence. Without rightful inheritance.

Leon glanced at her briefly, his expression was neutral.

Still, Asuna noticed it, and was somehow able to guess it.

She chuckled softly ans said.

"You and Princess Eula are the same."

Leon looked up. "What do you mean?"

"That look," Asuna said, tapping the table lightly, charmingly looking at him with her chin rested on his hand. "Eula had the same expression when she first met me."

She smiled, "Pity. no?"

Leon didn’t reply.

Asuna leaned back slightly. "It’s fine. I’m not someone who dreams about a throne that’s already doomed."

.

.

[A/N: Sorry for the delays, I am getting ill easily these days..."