The Return Of The Exiled Villain

Gray stayed buried in Elárien’s arms for a long time.

He didn’t speak or exactly move much.

He just pressed his face into the soft warmth of her chest, breathing slowly, as if trying to hide from everything.

His body felt heavy, like it was made of stone.

The tears had stopped, but the pain in his chest hadn’t gone away. It sat there, heavy and sharp, refusing to leave.

Elárien held him the whole time with her arms carefully wrapped around his back.

She didn’t ask questions right away.

She just let him stay there, her fingers slowly running through his black hair in slow, comforting strokes.

Her heartbeat was calm and steady under his ear, the only sound in the quiet room.

After a while, she finally spoke, her voice soft and kind.

”What… happened?”

Gray stayed still for a few seconds.

Then he slowly lifted his head.

His eyes were red and tired, like he hadn’t slept in days. He looked at her, really looked at her, and for the first time in hours, he spoke.

”…My lover left,” he said quietly.

”She left to get stronger. To protect me… because I wasn’t strong enough.”

His voice was flat, almost empty.

He didn’t say more as Elárien could feel the pain in every word that he had said.

Elárien’s golden-green eyes softened.

She didn’t look shocked or jealous, and simply nodded, as she understood. Her hand kept gently stroking his hair as she spoke.

”I see,” she whispered.

”That must hurt a lot. To watch someone you love walk away because they think they need to become stronger for you. To feel like you weren’t enough to make them stay.”

She paused, her fingers still moving slowly through his hair.

”You’re blaming yourself right now, aren’t you? You’re thinking that if you had been stronger or faster or better, she wouldn’t have left. That this is all your fault.”

Gray didn’t answer, but his eyes told her everything.

Elárien pulled him closer, pressing his head gently back against her chest. Her arms wrapped around him a little tighter, like she was trying to shield him from the world.

”You don’t have to be strong right now,” she said softly.

”Not with me. You can fall apart. You can cry. You can stay quiet. I’ll hold every piece of you until you’re ready to stand again. I won’t ask you to smile. I won’t ask you to pretend everything is okay. Just… let me be here. Let me carry some of this weight for you.”

She gently kissed the top of his head.

”I know what it feels like to lose someone important,” she continued.

”When my home was attacked… when I thought I would lose everything… I felt empty too. But you saved me... and gave me a reason to keep going. Now… let me do the same for you.”

Her hand moved to his back, rubbing slow, soothing circles.

”You are not weak for hurting, Gray. You are not a failure because she left. You are just a person. Even the strongest people break when the ones they love walk away. And that’s okay. I will stay right here. I will hold you for as long as you need. Hours... days... as long as it takes. I’m not going anywhere.”

She held him closer, her voice dropping to a whisper.

”Cry if you need to. Scream if you need to. Stay silent if that’s what you want. I will listen to all of it. I will hold all of it. Because you… You are worth holding onto. You are worth every tear and every quiet moment. And when you’re ready… I’ll still be here, waiting. Just like I waited for you during your long meditation. Just like I will always wait for you.”

Elárien kept holding him, her embrace feeling extremely warm. She continued stroking his hair and rubbing his back, letting the silence wrap around them like a blanket.

”You don’t have to be the strong one tonight,” she whispered.

”Let me be strong for both of us.”

Thump... thump... thump...

Gray stayed buried in Elárien’s arms, his face pressed deep into the soft, warm swell of her massive breasts.

The steady rhythm of her heartbeat thumped quietly against his ear, a calm and gentle sound that should have brought comfort.

Instead, it only made the emptiness inside him feel heavier.

’If only I hadn’t tried to hide the Authority of Destruction…’

The memory played over and over like a broken record.

He had held back and chosen to enrage Lyra instead of using the power he had just unlocked.

He had thought it would be safer.

That it would give her the push she needed without revealing his own hidden strength.

What a stupid, selfish mistake.

If he had just used the Authority directly… if he had stepped in and ended that demon with one strike… Lyra wouldn’t have needed to push herself so far.

She wouldn’t have been forced to accept that offer from the distant Sect.

She could still be here, right by his side.

Smiling that soft, loving smile she always gave him when they were alone. Clinging to his arm like she couldn’t bear to let go even for a second.

But no.

His own cleverness had gotten in the way. His fear of showing too much power too soon... his stupid plan to ”enrage” her into a power-up.

All of it had pushed her away.

All of it had made her choose a path that took her far from him.

Gray’s fingers tightened slightly on the fabric of Elárien’s clothes. His jaw clenched so hard it hurt.

’She could still be here… right by my side…’

The thought burned inside his mind.

Lyra’s last words echoed in his mind, her bright, tearful smile as she faded into golden wisps.

The way she had promised they would meet again. The way she had said she would make him sign that contract when the time came.

He had lost her.

Not because of some enemy or even because of fate itself...

...But because of his own actions.

But what use was crying about it now?

Tears wouldn’t bring her back.

Regret wouldn’t change what had already happened.

The only thing left was to move forward and become stronger.

To make sure that when they met again, he would be ready. Strong enough to protect her. Strong enough to stand beside her without forcing her to leave everything behind.

Elárien’s hand continued its gentle strokes through his hair.

”You don’t have to say anything,” she murmured.

”I’m here. I’ll stay as long as you need.”

Gray didn’t reply.

He simply stayed pressed against her, letting her warmth seep into him. For the first time in days, he felt a small, fragile sense of safety.

His thoughts drifted back to the Demon Hunting Book.

The Authority of Destruction had proven itself, and even if it was just a mere minute,.. it was more than enough to erase almost anything.

But one minute wasn’t enough for everything he needed to do.

He needed more.

He needed Jasmine at full strength.

Gray closed his eyes tighter, burying his face deeper into Elárien’s chest.

’Jasmine…?’ he called inwardly.

[What is it, Gray?]

’…I’m going to undo your seal.’

There was a long pause.

[…What?]

’You heard me right.’

[That means…]

’Yeah… I’m going back to the D’Aurélion Manor. To pay a visit to my dear father… and make sure that his pitiful low life is gone for good.’

Jasmine was quiet for a moment, processing.

[Do you think that your sisters will let you do that?]

Gray’s lips curled into a faint, cold smile against Elárien’s skin.

’Hah… even if they don’t, so what?’

He snuggled closer to Elárien’s breasts, feeling the soft warmth surround him like a blanket. The emptiness inside him didn’t disappear, but it felt a little less heavy for now.

’This time… I’m not fucking holding back my talent.’

[...They probably blocked my temple, no?]

’That I’m not so sure about... I’ll ask Maelis to go on a date and try to get information out of her,’ he replied inwardly.

’The question is... how much can the temple unseal your power? I know that if your temple is destroyed, you won’t have any more believers, but we can resolve that thing one way or another since your power doesn’t exactly come from faith.’

[My temple... it still has some useful things, so it might recover at least... 10% of my power, if not a little more.]

’Ten percent...? That’s more than enough... as long as I don’t meet people above the Monarch Realm, it should be fine then.’

[...Aren’t you underestimating me a little?]

’I’m not, but I don’t want to provoke one of those high forces, just to get followed for more than five years.’

’Besides... ten percent of your power is more than enough to destroy half of this planet with a single move, no?’

[Indeed. Even with one percent, I can do that, but I unfortunately cannot materialize until I have 5% of my whole power. It’s like the rules of this planet are chaining me...]

’I see...’

Hearing her words, Gray remembered that the gods only started materializing in the middle stages of the novel because of the apocalypse.

The planet was hit by a supernatural force and lost its ”rights”, meaning that there wasn’t anything more holding the gods back from creating clones or materializing there.

’...The world’s will, huh?’

He slowly lifted his head and looked at Elárien’s beautiful emerald green eyes, which were just too similar to Lyra’s.

”Thank you.”

Elárien’s face contorted in surprise, but she gently smiled... actually smiled. That smile was extremely beautiful, even causing the whole room to light up.

”Always...”

She gently patted Gray’s back and tapped his head twice. Seeing this, Gray leaned in and gently pressed a kiss on her forehead.

Then... he smiled.

A smile... real enough to cause the Elárien’s face to freeze and her cheeks to turn beet-red in a matter of seconds.

[Ding!]

”Elárien...?”

[The passive skill ”Blessing of Beauty” has reached level seven!]

[The Authority of『Beauty』has reached level seven!]

[The title ”Incubus In Human Form” is under extreme effect!]

’...What the actual fuck?’

Gray looked at the stack of panels in total confusion. He had just smiled... so why did his beauty skills actually level up?

Was it because he made Elárien freeze in shock or something?

[Ahem... that...]

’Jasmine?’

[Well...]

’Is there something you aren’t telling me?’

[...Just look at a mirror.]

Hearing her words, Gray frowned but actually looked to his left, where a conveniently placed full-body mirror could be seen.

His eyes instantly widened in complete shock.

”...My eyes?!”

His left eye had turned into a beautiful crimson red color that completely matched his right black eye.

Not to mention...

A delicate black ruby mark appeared exactly in the middle of his forehead.

’...Jasmine?!’

[That’s... the so-called Marks of Beauty. I didn’t expect that your way to activate them... was to actually get your heart healed.]

’Marks of Beauty...?’

[Yeah... in the Divine Realm, they usually appeared when someone’s beauty had reached the point of being ”second to none”, but they still had a hidden condition to activate. Their perk was simply to make the user more beautiful.]

[And I... was the only one to have them... which means that right now...]

Jasmine didn’t need to finish those words.

’...I’m the most handsome man in this world?’

[...Exactly.]