The Return Of The Exiled Villain

”...Mhm~”

Gray stretched his arms high over his head, letting out a satisfied hum as he walked away from the bloodstained training grounds.

”Finally... time to leave this dump.”

[...Really? Isn’t the academy’s entrance exam... in a month or so? You’ve got time, no?]

”So?” Gray muttered, eyes half-lidded with boredom. ”I still need to buy a few things in Gloria City... and that’s exactly why I stole one of my stepsister’s ruby pendants.”

[...You what?]

”Yup. Took it the night before leaving the D’Aurélion Manor,” he replied casually, hands in his pockets.

”I knew I was gonna get kicked out eventually, so I figured, why not make it worth it? And it wasn’t just any pendant... it was one of Alina’s favorites.”

[Alina?]

”My dear, sweet oldest stepsister,” he replied with a grin, teeth flashing faintly as his voice dropped into a dark, teasing tone.

”I really can’t wait to see her again...”

A chill ran down his back, not from fear, but anticipation.

Just imagining her shocked expression as his hand wrapped around that pale, delicate neck of hers.

The way her breath would catch, her eyes would widen...

”...Oh~”

The shiver that followed his spine was almost too pleasant.

”...The fuck is wrong with you?”

A voice broke the mood like a brick through glass.

Gray’s expression shifted in an instant.

From a pleasant smile to cold, sharp stillness.

He turned on his heel, stepping slightly to the right, and without hesitation, threw a sharp jab toward the source of the voice.

”AHH—!”

Thump!

The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed as a hand caught his fist mid-air.

A calm voice followed.

”...Relax. If you really need to hit someone, you can hit me instead.”

It was Lira.

And standing behind her, half-frozen, wide-eyed, was Ronan.

”...Ugh.”

Gray’s brows twitched as he looked at Lira’s fingers slowly wrapping around his own.

She wasn’t blocking him... she was... touching him, kinda.

Her fingertips brushed lightly over the fabric of his gloves, almost like she was caressing his hand.

And that sent a sharp spike of discomfort through him.

He pulled his hand back quickly, his expression hardening slightly.

Without saying a word, he pulled out a folded white handkerchief from his pocket and began to wipe at his gloves, slowly, firmly, like he was scrubbing off something unclean.

”...What was that for?!” Ronan finally shouted, stepping forward with a mix of outrage and confusion.

”I was just talking!”

Gray didn’t even look at him.

He just kept cleaning his gloves... as if Ronan’s voice was just background noise.

Lira stared at Gray for a second longer, then let her hand fall to her side.

Her expression was unreadable... but her eyes lingered on the glove he wiped so intensely.

”...Your hand seems quite delicate,” she said under her breath.

Gray didn’t reply, but his lips twitched, just slightly.

Like he was holding something back.

And then, Gray simply turned around, and seeing this, Ronan scratched his cheek as he stared at him.

”...Hey, wait, wait, where are you going now, Fingercrusher?” he called out, jogging up beside him.

Gray didn’t answer at first.

He just kept walking, but of course, Ronan didn’t stop.

”You got a silver knight rank, right? That’s... kinda insane. You beat everyone by points. So what’s next, huh? You gonna join some guild? Go kill bandits? Train in the forest?”

He grinned.

”C’mon, tell me~ I wanna know what kind of crazy shit you’re gonna do!”

Gray’s eyes narrowed in annoyance.

”...Leave this place.”

That was all he said.

But Ronan, in true Ronan fashion, did not stop.

”Leave to where, though? The capital? Another country? Don’t tell me you’re just gonna disappear like some dark and mysterious lone wolf type—that’s kinda cliché, y’know? Is it revenge? Is it training? Are you—”

Gray suddenly stopped walking.

His fists clenched, and his breathing slowed down...

And inside his head...

[He’s annoying. Kill him. Right here. Nobody would care. Just snap his neck and toss him into a ditch. His screams would be funny.]

Surprisingly, Jasmine’s voice now sounded sweet to him.

Like honey dripping on a blade.

But that was probably because they were finally agreeing in something.

[Let’s do it together~ I’ll even count down for you, okay? Three~ Two~—]

”Shut. Up.”

Gray muttered it under his breath.

”Huh?” Ronan blinked.

But before Ronan could say anything else...

”You’re going to Gloria Academy, aren’t you?”

Lira’s voice cut through the air like a clean slice.

And her words made Gray froze, his whole body went still

”Dammit...”

He clicked his tongue softly.

But Lira kept speaking, her arms crossed as she stared at him calmly.

”If I’m right,” she said, ”you only wanted the knight rank... because now your travel fees will be free.”

Her words made the silence heavier.

Ronan blinked again.

”Wait... is that true?”

Gray didn’t answer.

He just slowly pulled out a new pair of gloves from his pocket and began slipping them on, one finger at a time, tightening each one like it was armor.

Lira tilted her head, watching his movements.

”That’s smart,” she added.

”Saves you a lot of money... and once you’re at the academy, you’ll probably want to get strong for whatever reason you have, right?”

Still, Gray said nothing, but there was the faintest twitch in his cheek.

Like he didn’t want to be seen through.

”Fucking hell...”

He turned his back again.

But before he could take a step, Ronan leaned closer.

”...Wait, so you’re going to Gloria Academy too? Huh? No way! You serious?! That place is nuts! So many elites go there! You think we’ll meet again there? Or will you be too busy acting cool?”

Gray’s shoulders tensed slighly.

[...Kill him later. With her here, you won’t be able to do anything. Besides, you’ve already wasted too much mana killing that instructor. You can’t even use Puppet Strings properly right now.]

Gray’s jaw clenched.

He didn’t reply.

Just gave a silent nod to her voice, his gaze lowered as he shoved his hands into his coat pockets and began walking down the gravel path that led toward the outer section of the outpost.

But neither Lira nor Ronan seemed to get the message.

They followed him anyway.

Lira, calm and quiet as usual.

And Ronan?

Nonstop.

”Yo, wait up! Gray, hold on! You really gonna ignore me now? Bro, I’m proud of you, okay? You made it to Silver! That’s badass! Don’t act like we’re not comrades now!”

Gray didn’t even turn his head.

But what really made his blood simmer...

...were the eyes.

The street ahead was open, lined with wooden stalls and benches. Merchants and travelers moved through the area.

Soldiers wandered by with casual interest. But the moment they recognized his silver emblem, worse, his face, they started staring.

And most of the stares?

Came from women.

Soft giggles and whispers.

A few bold ones even licked their lips or adjusted their clothes in front of him.

”...Tsk.”

He turned his head away, his eyes twitching.

[Oh my~, you’re so popular, Gray~]

He ignored her.

And soon, the trio arrived at the wide, stone-paved station where travelers lined up in front of a long, gray structure with iron-plated doors and brass signage.

「Southern Terra Express Station – Departure Terminal」

Underneath the sign, several receptionists stood behind glass booths, assisting soldiers, knights, and adventurers.

Gray walked up to one of them without a word and placed his silver emblem down on the counter.

The female attendant, a young brunette in uniform, looked up and blinked in surprise.

”Oh, a Silver Knight?” she said with a smile.

”You’re heading to Gloria, right?”

Gray gave a slight nod.

She tilted her head.

”I’ll need your real name. I can’t use your nickname from the Gladiator Arena.”

Her fingers were already hovering over a crystal typewriter device.

Gray was silent for a moment, hesitating slightly.

Then...

”...Gray. Gray Vireux.”

The woman blinked twice.

”Gray? That’s a nice name.” She gave him a sweet smile and leaned forward just a little.

”Please wait a moment while I register it~”

She batted her eyelashes.

Gray simply rolled his eyes and looked away.

The smile on her face froze for a second... then faded into a quiet frown as she turned back to the screen.

He didn’t care.

He just wanted to leave.

And next to him, he could already hear Ronan whispering again.

”...Gray Vireux, huh? Sounds fancy... You from a noble family or something?”

This time, Gray didn’t flinch.

Not even a twitch.

He had already figured Ronan out.

The loud voice, the nervous laughter, the nonstop questions, Ronan was predictable now. In fights, in casual talk, in tense moments... he followed a pattern.

Like a noisy clock that couldn’t shut up.

So Gray simply ignored him.

Let him ramble.

Let him guess.

Let him annoy himself.

But what did bother him, what itched under his skin, was actually Lira.

Not her presence, but her annoying eyes.

She was standing behind him, quiet as ever, her arms crossed loosely and her weight shifted to one side.

But her gaze...

...It felt like it was stripping him bare.

As if she wasn’t just looking at him, she was studying him.

And worst of all?

She wasn’t looking at him like he was a threat.

She was looking at him like she had already figured out something important... and was just waiting for him to admit it himself.

[Kill her too, maybe...? Just one twist of the neck. Quick. Easy. Her eyes are too sharp. I don’t like it.]

Gray didn’t respond to Jasmine.

His hands tightened in his pockets instead.

He heard the soft clack of the receptionist typing out his details. The clicking of the keys helped drown out the pounding in his skull.

”...There,” she finally said, sliding him a small iron card.”

”Silver Knight, Gray Vireux. Ticket and verification tag registered for express ride to Gloria. Please show this at Gate B before boarding.”

Gray took it without a word.

”Thanks for choosing the Southern Terra Express~” she added, though her voice was colder now.

He turned around, and instantly, Ronan stepped up beside him with that same annoying grin.

And as Gray walked away, his ears suddenly perked up as he heard Ronan’s voice.

”A ticket to Gloria’s Academy, please!”

’...Fucking hell...’ Gray thought.

’Do I really need to kill him?’

Right now, Gray was actually considering killing Ronan.

He was that annoying.

But finally, Gray was going to head towards Gloria’s Academy.

The academy where monsters are made.

And hopefully... meet his step sisters...

After all...

He can’t wait to meet them~