The Return Of The Exiled Villain

Aurora arrived without announcement.

Fwoom!

One moment the narrow space between the stone formations contained three people, and the next it contained four as she appeared by stepping out of a red gate.

Gray looked at her in surprise.

She was deliberately causing trouble in the nether realm, and yet, there wasn’t a single wound or tear in her body.

Her luscious hair even had the same style and shine as before, as if nothing had actually happened.

She looked at Seraph first before then turning towards the Elf Princess... upon seeing her, she briefly glanced sideways at Gray.

”Are you sure you want to take her with us?” she asked, crossing her arms with annoyance in her eyes.

”You know who she is, right?”

The elf princess went very still beside Gray, her expression contorted with nervousness as she held the fabric of her sleeve tightly.

Gray looked at Aurora and shrugged his shoulders.

”I need a favor from her,” he said simply.

Aurora’s eyes narrowed.

She looked at him for a long moment before giving one last glance at the elf princess, but still, she didn’t ask what Gray needed the elf princess for.

She turned to Seraph.

”You alright?”

Seraph straightened slightly at being addressed directly; her composure returned to its original state as she calmly replied.

”Fortunately. Thank you for rescuing me.”

Aurora waved her hand once.

”Least I can do for my students.”

She turned back toward the open space behind them and snapped her fingers.

The same red portal opened, and Aurora stepped toward it without looking back.

Gray stood, brushed off his coat, and looked at the elf princess.

She was still standing slightly apart, her hand still holding her sleeve, her dark green eyes moving between the portal and Aurora’s back, as if she weren’t certain that the portal was safer than where they currently were.

Gray looked at her for a moment.

”You’re coming.”

She looked at him.

”...Where does it go?” she asked.

”Somewhere considerably better than here,” he said.

She looked at the portal again.

Then at the Nether Fortress, visible through the gaps in the stone formations behind them, its bruised sky pressing down above it, the lava channels glowing at its base.

She let go of her sleeve.

”...Alright,” she nodded meekly.

Gray gestured toward the portal.

She walked toward it, and he followed, with Seraph falling into step beside him as she usually did, close and without announcing her presence.

”That favor... What do you need from her?” she asked curiously.

”Later.”

She glanced at him.

”You say that a lot.”

”...I’ll tell you later, okay?” Gray sighed.

She looked as if she had several responses to that and was choosing between them. She chose silence, which was probably the most efficient option.

They stepped through the portal together, the dark red light swallowing them, and the Nether Realm’s bruised sky disappeared behind them.

...

The next moment, they appeared back at the academy, and unfortunately for Seraph, the hunting festival had already ended.

This was probably because the time in the Nether Realm is different than in the overworld, which meant a few minutes in the Nether Realm could potentially be a few hours in the overworld.

This made Seraph a little sad, as she wanted to win the hunting festival before proceeding to the other two competitions.

Aurora looked at Gray.

”What are you going to do with her?” she asked, with a slight tilt of her head toward the elf princess.

The elf princess was looking at the academy grounds around her with the quiet attention of someone reorienting after being a long time somewhere else, taking in the stone and the sky and the absence of a demonic atmosphere.

She had the expression of someone who wasn’t quite ready to believe it yet that she had escaped that place.

”I’ll take care of her for now. She can stay until she’s ready to leave.”

”And if she wants to leave immediately?”

”Then she leaves.” He glanced at the elf princess briefly.

”After she helps me with ’that’ favor.”

Aurora looked at him for a moment, then looked away with the expression of someone who had decided to let something go for now.

Gray turned to the elf princess.

She had stopped looking at the grounds and was looking at him, her dark green eyes direct and waiting.

”You can leave whenever you want,” he stared at her.

”I’m not keeping you. But I need one thing from you first, and in exchange I’ll make sure you get back to wherever you need to go safely.”

She was quiet for a moment.

”What do you need?” she asked instantly.

”Not now... you need to rest a bit since you’ll consume Spirit Energy to realize that favor of mine.”

She looked at him briefly before nodding lightly.

She had assessed the terms and found them reasonable given the circumstances. He had pulled her out of a Nether Realm cell.

A favor was a fair exchange for that.

Aurora watched the exchange with her arms crossed, her expression carrying something that wasn’t quite approval and wasn’t quite its opposite.

”She’ll need somewhere to stay,” she said to Gray.

”I know.”

”And clothes. And food. And probably about twelve hours of sleep.”

”I know,” he repeated tiredly.

”...Girls and boys aren’t allowed to share a dorm,” she added vaguely, looking at Gray in a sideways manner.

”And she probably wouldn’t want to stay in the same dorm as you.”

”...Then just get her a temporary solo dorm.”

”I don’t mind sharing with him.”

The words came out simply and without particular drama.

Seraph turned to look at the elf princess.

”What??”

The elf princess looked back at her with the calm expression of someone who had said something reasonable and was mildly surprised by the reaction.

Aurora’s eyebrow also rose in surprise.

Gray said nothing, but he had stopped walking.

”Elves are—” Seraph started.

”Known for their views on such things, yes,” the elf princess nodded.

”I’m aware.” She paused.

”But... I’ve been disowned.”

The courtyard was quiet for a moment.

”So I don’t need to follow elven customs anymore,” she continued in the same level tone.

”Though for what it’s worth, there is actually a provision in elven law. If a woman is saved from death or prolonged suffering, she may offer herself to her rescuer.” She glanced at Gray briefly.

”If the rescuer is a woman, she becomes her sworn companion. If the rescuer is a man, she may offer herself as a wife.”

Seraph stared at her.

”...Are you serious?”

”I’m always serious,” the elf princess replied.

”You’ve known him for two hours.”

”He pulled me out of a Nether Realm cell, and I’ve been there for almost half a century. Time isn’t the relevant measure.”

Seraph glared at Gray, as if daring him to accept her offer.

[Oh~hoo~]

Jasmine suddenly laughed in Gray’s head.

[First an half-mermaid... and now an elf~, I wonder what more species are you going to charm?]

Gray rolled his eyes at Jasmine’s words, letting out a sigh before looking at the elf princess, who surprisingly looked quite eager to share a room with him.

”Sure...”

”GRAY?!” Seraph almost shouted.

She gritted her teeth and then grabbed Gray’s wrist, pulling him into a corner away from the two of them.

The moment Seraph took Gray to a place that seemed relatively free from prying eyes, she pushed him against the wall and grabbed his collar.

”What is wrong with you?” she snapped at him.

”You dragged me here to ask that?” Gray frowned slightly.

”Yes,” she shot back immediately.

”Why would you accept that damned offer?”

”I didn’t—”

”You said yes,” she cut in, tightening her grip on the collar. ”You didn’t hesitate. Not even for a second.”

”I said yes to sharing a room.”

”And you think that makes it better?” Her eyes burned into his. ”She just offered herself to you, Gray. As a wife.”

”I didn’t accept that part.”

”You didn’t reject it either.”

At those words, Gray furrowed his eyebrows, sighing.

”Sera...”

”No, don’t call me that!” She shook her head.”And don’t brush this off. Don’t act like this is nothing.”

”It is nothing.”

”It isn’t!”

The word came out louder than she intended. She froze for half a second, then forced her voice back down, but the anger didn’t leave.

”You’re overreacting.” Gray’s gaze hardened slightly.

Her expression snapped.

”Stop acting like I don’t have a reason to!”

Silence pressed in between them.

”Or what? You’re jealous?”

The word hung there.

Seraph went still.

For a moment, it looked like she might deny it. Her jaw tightened, her eyes flicked away... and then resolutely stared at Gray’s back pearls.

”Yes.”

No hesitation this time.

”I am.”

Gray blinked, caught off guard for the first time.

Her grip loosened slightly, but she didn’t step back.

”Why shouldn’t I be?” she went on, voice lower now, but heavier. ”We were separated for over ten years. Ten.” Her fingers curled again in his collar. ”And I still...”

She stopped herself, breath catching.

Then forced it out anyway.

”I still loved you.”

The words landed harder than anything she’d said before.

”And when I finally find you again...” Her voice thinned slighly.

”You already have someone. And now you’re letting another girl walk in and stay in your room like it’s nothing.”

Her eyes burned, not with tears, but something just as raw.

”So yeah,” she said, almost bitter.

”Why wouldn’t I be jealous?”

Gray didn’t answer.

For once, he had nothing immediate to say. Seraph stared at him for a second longer, searching his face for something... any kind of reaction.

Then something in her snapped.

”Damn it!”

She grabbed his collar harder and pulled him down.

”Chuu!!!”

She kissed him forcibly, probably fueled by fueled by everything she hadn’t said for years.

Frustration, anger, longing all crashing together at once.

The kiss lasted fifteen seconds before she broke it just as abruptly, her breath coming out uneven.

The space between them felt tight.

Her grip loosened completely now, but she didn’t move far. Just enough to look at him without strain.

”...That’s why...,” she mumbled.

She stepped back fully this time.

”Do whatever you want,” she added, turning away.

”You always do.”

And without waiting for a response, she walked off, faster than before, like stopping would mean saying more than she was willing to.

[...Aren’t you going to chase her?]

Jasmine asked curiously as she was taken aback by how easily Seraph had erupted just by Gray accepting to share a dorm with the elf princess.

At her words, Gray wanted to laugh.

’Why would I chase her when she directly fell onto my trap?’

He wiped his lips lightly, curling them up into a smirk.

”A white moonlight, huh?”