The Villainess Just Wants To Be Alone

Chapter 8

The silence that settled over the clearing felt heavier than Leo's overwhelming mana.

I couldn't take my eyes off the enormous black raven standing behind Troy. Unlike Leo, whose crimson eyes radiated authority and intimidation, the raven carried itself with quiet elegance. Its silver eyes calmly observed me, almost as if it were judging whether I was worthy of standing beside its master.

"So..." I finally said, breaking the silence. "You're really a Dark Magic user."

Troy smiled sheepishly.

"I was hoping to make a better first impression."

"You think this isn't shocking enough?"

He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Fair point."

I lowered my blades completely, though I remained cautious.

"If you're alive, then the novel was wrong..."

The words slipped out before I realized it.

"The novel?" Troy repeated, tilting his head.

I immediately froze.

"...I misspoke."

He narrowed his eyes, clearly unconvinced, but thankfully he didn't press the issue.

Instead, he sat on a fallen log as if we were old friends catching up after years apart.

"My name is Troy Ashcroft," he said. "I travel from place to place. That's about all I'm willing to tell someone I met five minutes ago."

"Fair enough."

"I'm guessing you're wondering why I'm not locked inside the Magic Tower."

"I was."

"The answer is simple."

His smile disappeared.

"They don't know I exist."

I frowned.

"How?"

"My brother made sure of it."

The answer only created more questions.

"You have a brother?"

"I do."

"He raised me after our parents died."

His tone remained calm, but there was a sadness hidden beneath his words.

"He taught me one rule above everything else."

Troy looked directly into my eyes.

"'Never let anyone discover your magic.'"

The breeze carried fallen leaves across the clearing.

"For years," he continued, "I've hidden my mana whenever I entered a town. I never stayed anywhere long enough for people to become suspicious."

"And your Kemono?"

The raven quietly dissolved into black mana before disappearing entirely.

"I only summon him when no one's around."

I stared at the spot where the bird had vanished.

"...That sounds lonely."

Troy chuckled softly.

"It is."

His answer lingered in my mind.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

The only sounds were birds singing high above the forest and the gentle rustling of leaves.

Finally, Troy looked at me again.

"So..."

"Now it's my turn."

"What exactly are you doing all the way out here?"

I hesitated.

There was no way I could tell him I had reincarnated into the world of a novel.

Even if he seemed trustworthy, that truth was too unbelievable.

"I came here to train," I answered.

"Train?"

"I need to become stronger."

He looked at me thoughtfully before nodding.

"I figured as much."

"You figured?"

"You've only recently formed a stable contract with your Kemono."

His eyes shifted briefly toward Leo.

"Your mana is powerful, but unstable. You're wasting too much of it."

Leo let out an approving grunt.

"He's observant."

I blinked.

"Really?"

Leo folded his wings.

"Your control is poor. Earlier, you released nearly three times the mana necessary to create those blades."

"...Three times?"

I stared at the weapons in my hands before allowing them to dissolve into black particles.

"So that's why I already feel exhausted."

Troy stood from the fallen log.

"If you keep fighting like that, you'll collapse before your enemy does."

I sighed.

"Not exactly encouraging."

"I'm not trying to encourage you."

He grinned.

"I'm trying to keep you alive."

I couldn't help smiling a little.

He was surprisingly easy to talk to.

There was none of the arrogance I had grown accustomed to among the nobles.

No hidden mockery.

No condescending attitude.

Just honest conversation.

It was... refreshing.

Troy glanced toward the sky.

"The sun's starting to set."

Only then did I notice the warm orange light filtering through the trees.

How long had we been talking?

"I should head back," I murmured.

"If I stay much longer, they'll notice I'm gone."

Troy nodded.

"I figured you weren't exactly supposed to be here."

I took a few steps before stopping.

"...Will we meet again?"

He smiled.

"I was hoping you'd ask."

Reaching into his satchel, he pulled out a small piece of folded parchment.

"There'll be a market in the village of Elmshade one month from today."

He tossed the paper toward me.

I caught it instinctively.

"If you still want to become stronger..."

His smile widened.

"...come find me there."

Before I could respond, he turned and began walking deeper into the forest.

Within moments, the trees swallowed his figure.

Only the faint sound of rustling leaves remained.

I looked down at the folded parchment in my hand before carefully slipping it inside my cloak.

One month.

I didn't know why...

But I had a feeling meeting Troy again would change far more than my own fate.