The Return Of The Exiled Villain

”Alright, let’s go into the next room,” Gray grinned before stepping forward.

Lyra, pouting, followed him while relentlessly cursing at him in small whispers.

[...Be careful, Gray.]

Jasmine suddenly warned, causing Gray to stop and look ahead.

And then...

Both of them froze.

Right before them stood a colossal white figure, motionless yet overwhelming.

Two massive wings, torn at the edges, hung limply at its sides, and a long, scaled tail coiled around the cracked floor like a serpent.

Its entire body glowed faintly under the pale glow of countless golden chains that bound it tightly, around its neck, chest, and claws, each one engraved with runes that pulsed weakly, as if struggling to hold the creature down.

The sight alone was enough to make Lyra stumble backward, her heel catching on the uneven rock before she landed hard on her butt.

”W-What... the hell...” she breathed, eyes wide in disbelief.

Gray’s expression darkened as his gaze rose slowly to meet the creature’s closed eyes, enormous, white lashes that trembled faintly, as though the being were only sleeping.

Without a doubt...

That was a fucking dragon.

”...A dragon, fuck...”

Lyra’s head snapped toward him, her voice trembling.

”You’re joking, right? That can’t be a dra....”

Rumble!

But the faint sound that suddenly vibrated through the cave silenced her.

The dragon’s tail shifted slightly, the golden chains clinking as sparks of light burst where they rubbed against each other.

Even Gray took a cautious step back, his instincts screaming that whatever was trapped here was obviously far beyond what either of them could handle.

”Why... why is something like that here?” Lyra whispered, gripping the ground with shaking fingers.

But before she could say anything else, Gray reacted instantly, grabbing her collar as soon as the dragon’s tail twitched again.

”Wha—! Gray, wait!”

Splash!

They shot back into the underwater tunnel like two streaks of light, bubbles bursting behind them.

Lyra barely had time to react before Gray dragged her through the passage, his hand gripping her tightly as the shimmering lake above came back into view.

They surfaced with a loud gasp, water spraying in every direction.

”Haah... haa...!”

Without a word, Gray pulled her to the shore, his expression darker than usual, his breathing heavy but steady.

Lyra coughed, wiping water off her face, then blinked several times before realization struck.

”Cough... ugh... was that actually a dragon?”

Gray didn’t answer.

He just kept walking until they reached the patch of grass where their clothes were.

The moment her feet hit the ground, Lyra spun toward him, her voice shaky but determined.

”We should warn the professors!”

She was already half-dressed, fumbling with her shirt, when she felt a hand firmly grip her shoulder.

”W–what?” she stammered, glancing back at him.

”We can’t tell them.”

Lyra blinked, looking at him with a confused gaze.

”Why not?! There’s a dragon down there!”

Gray slowly shook his head, squeezing his temples as if trying to find the right words. Then, he looked at her directly.

”And then what?” His voice was unusually cold.

”You think the professors can handle a dragon? The books said those things were almost as strong as the ancient gods. One roar could wipe out half the continent.”

Lyra opened her mouth to argue, but the logic in his words froze her tongue.

Gray exhaled slowly, brushing his wet hair back. ”Warning them would only cause chaos. Fear spreads faster than monsters.”

His gaze drifted toward the lake again.

’Besides... I have use for that dragon.’

His lips curled up inwardly.

Lyra stared at him, uncertain, her golden eyes softening as her panic slowly melted into uneasy trust.

”...Fine,” she muttered, crossing her arms, still dripping wet. ”But if that thing wakes up and starts flying around, I’m blaming you.”

”You already blame me for everything,” Gray’s lips twitched into a small grin.

She puffed her cheeks and looked away.

”...Because it’s usually your fault.”

[What did you mean by having use for that dragon?]

Jasmine’s curious voice echoed in his mind.

’...Isn’t it obvious?’ Gray replied inwardly, his eyes narrowing lightly as he followed Lyra through the forest.

[...No?]

’Dragons have divinity, don’t they?’ His grin deepened slightly. ’If I kill that thing, you’ll get stronger too.’

[...That is true, but how the fuck are we going to kill a dragon?]

’Who said it was going to be me? I’m going to talk with Gloria herself~, of course,’ Gray smirked, that same devilish grin.

[Do you think she’ll believe you?]

’It’s not a matter if she will... she needs to believe me.’

[...You’re planning to threaten her, aren’t you?]

’Nah.’ Gray tilted his head, smirking inwardly.

’I wouldn’t do something that stupid when she can erase me from existence with one breath.’

[You threatened me, a Goddess...]

Jasmine grumbled in his head.

He didn’t even respond, but she could already imagine him shrugging casually.

”Gray, come on!” Lyra’s voice snapped him out of it.

She was pacing in circles now, scanning the area.

”We can’t lose this challenge!”

Gray lifted his gaze toward the fading sun.

”...One and a half hours left, huh?” he muttered softly.

He continued following Lyra, but soon after, his ears twitched.

Somewhere deeper in the forest, he caught faint voices through the rustling leaves.

”We finally found all the stones!”

”Damn, it took forever...! I thought we weren’t gonna make it!”

His lips curved into a slow, mischievous smile.

”Lyra,” he said suddenly, brushing some dirt from his coat, ”I think I left my cigarettes near the lake. I’ll go grab them real quick.”

Lyra turned to him with narrowed eyes.

”You brought cigarettes?”

”Uh... yeah, emergency stress relief.” He coughed lightly, pretending to look innocent.

”Fine, but quickly. I don’t want to waste time.” She sighed before crossing her arms.

Gray gave a lazy salute.

”Got it.”

He turned around, and the instant her eyes were off him, the soft grin on his face sharpened into something else entirely.

The lake, huh?

He walked in the exact opposite direction.

A few seconds later, his calm footsteps turned into silent, precise movements, his figure melting between the trees, a faint shimmer twisting around him like smoke.

The color of his clothes shifted, darkening into black and crimson tones as a wide, painted grin spread across his now masked face.

In just a few blinks, the man named Gray was gone.

What stood in his place was something else, something playful, dangerous, and mocking.

A clown with an eerily cheerful expression and half-lidded golden eyes.

He tilted his head, voice dripping with mock amusement as he arrived behind the group in mere seconds, their laughter still echoing through the trees.

”Found all your shiny toys, have you?”

The four students instantly froze, their cheerful chatter dying the instant that strange voice brushed the back of their necks.

A cold chill ran through the air.

One of them, the tallest, a boy with short brown hair, slowly turned around. His eyes widened immediately.

Standing just a few meters away was a clown.

His face was pale white, smeared with a faint red smile that stretched too wide to be real. His eyes, golden and half-lidded, gleamed with a lazy sort of madness.

”Oh, don’t be so shy~,” the clown said, tilting his head. His grin widened as he showed a perfect row of white teeth.

”I don’t bite.”

”W-what the hell is that?” one of the girls whispered, stepping back.

”Is he from the academy?” another muttered, gripping her staff tightly.

Gray’s painted smile didn’t falter; in fact, it only grew colder.

”Aww... hiding your treasures already?” he cooed as one of them hurriedly tucked the glowing crystals into their pouch.

”That’s not very nice. I just wanted to see them.”

No one spoke.

The group instinctively spread out, forming a defensive semicircle.

Then Gray’s tone dropped, turning much colder than before.

”Hand them over.”

”Like hell we will! Back off, freak!” The tall boy drew his sword with a metallic hiss.

The others followed, one summoned a flame, another pulled out daggers, and the last girl began chanting under her breath.

Gray just sighed softly, his grin returning.

”Now, now... you’re making this difficult.”

He raised his gloved hand slightly, threads shimmering faintly between his fingers as the smile on his face turned cruel.

But just he did so, Gray tilted his head slightly, watching their trembling hands and twitching blades.

”You all look so serious,” he said with a soft chuckle, his voice carrying that mocking gentleness that only made their nerves worse.

”Relax a little~. I’m not some monster. I just want those shiny little stones.”

”Shut up!” the swordsman barked, sweat trickling down his temple.

”So rude. You should really work on your manners. Don’t you know how to treat a clown?”

The girl with the staff hesitated, glancing at her teammates.

”M-maybe he’s bluffing...”

”Oh, I do love when people think that,” Gray murmured.

The group tensed, but then, seeing that he still hadn’t moved, one of them snorted.

”Let’s just ignore him and move. He’s wasting our tim—”

That was the last thing he said.

Swoosh!

Gray’s figure blurred, vanishing from their sight in a faint gust of air.

Before anyone could even react, a wet sound echoed behind them.

Splurt!

Blood splashed against the dirt.

Gray stood there, behind the now-limp body of the boy who had spoken, his grin stretching wider under the white paint as crimson stained his glove.

”One down...”

The others froze, horror dawning on their faces as the clown’s golden eyes turned toward them next.