The Return Of The Exiled Villain

The students from Gloria Academy quickly tightened their circle, their eyes scanning the shadows around them.

The corridor was still echoing with Mariinne’s playful laughter, but no one moved rashly.

Adrian raised his hand to keep everyone calm.

”Listen up,” he said in a low but clear voice.

”This girl is dangerous. She’s from Dragon Slaying Academy, and she’s their ace for a reason. She uses shadow magic and she’s extremely fast. If we chase her one by one, she’ll pick us off easily.”

Maelis nodded lightly.

”She’s an assassin-type mana user. She moves through shadows like they’re nothing. But she has to come out to steal or attack. That’s when we can hit her.”

One of the support students, a boy named Ren, spoke up.

”She already stole one of our potion pouches. If she keeps doing that, we’ll run out of supplies fast.”

Adrian looked at Maelis.

”Your gravity magic is our best tool right now. You can slow her down or pin her in place. If we combine that with everyone else’s skills, we might be able to trap her.”

Maelis tightened her grip on her staff.

”I can do that. But I need to know where she’ll appear. If she keeps jumping between shadows, it’s hard to catch her.”

Selene, standing nearby, added quietly, ”She’s probably waiting for us to spread out. If we stay together, she might get bored and try something bigger. We should set up a fake opening.”

Adrian nodded.

”Good idea. We’ll make it look like we’re splitting up, but we’ll actually keep a tight formation. Maelis, you focus on the gravity field. The rest of you, be ready to attack the moment she shows herself. Don’t hold back. We need to eliminate her if we can.”

The group quickly discussed the details.

They decided to move in a tight cluster toward the deeper part of the ruin, pretending to be distracted by the carvings on the walls.

Maelis prepared her gravity magic in advance, keeping a thin layer of it ready to activate at any moment.

Selene and Claire positioned themselves to cover the sides, while the fighters stayed in the middle, ready to strike.

Mariinne, still hidden in the shadows, watched them with growing curiosity.

She had expected them to panic and chase her, but they were staying calm and organized.

It made her even more excited.

”Hehe... they’re not as dumb as I thought,” she whispered to herself from within the darkness.

”But they still won’t catch me.”

She waited for the perfect moment, then slipped out of the shadows behind one of the students at the edge of the group.

Her hand moved like lightning toward another small pouch on the student’s belt.

But this time, Maelis was ready.

”Now!” Adrian shouted.

Maelis slammed her staff on the ground.

THRUUUUUM!

A powerful gravity field exploded outward, covering the entire area around the group.

The air grew heavy instantly.

Mariinne’s body, which had been moving at high speed, suddenly slowed down as if she were moving through thick mud.

Her hand froze inches away from the pouch.

”Wha—?!” Mariinne’s eyes widened in surprise.

She tried to dissolve back into the shadows, but the gravity magic was pressing down on her, making it hard to shift forms.

The rest of the group reacted immediately.

Selene summoned a wave of water that wrapped around Mariinne’s legs, while Claire and two other fighters rushed forward with their weapons glowing.

The fighters swung their swords and staffs in perfect coordination, cutting off her escape routes.

Mariinne twisted desperately, but the combined pressure was too much.

She managed to slip into a shadow for a split second, but Maelis’s gravity field was already spread across the floor and walls, trapping her shadow form as well.

”Got you!” Maelis shouted, pouring more mana into her spell.

The gravity increased sharply. Mariinne was forced out of the shadows and slammed down onto the stone floor.

The impact knocked the stolen gauntlets out of her hands.

They clattered across the ground and stopped near Adrian’s feet.

Mariinne froze for a second, her body pinned to the ground by the intense gravity.

Her short brown hair was messy, and her eyes were wide with shock.

She had never been caught like this before. The gravity magic was crushing her, making it hard to move even a finger.

Then, something inside her snapped.

She didn’t struggle or fight back. Instead, her expression shifted completely.

Her eyes filled with tears as she looked up at the group, but her gaze wasn’t on them.

She was looking past them, as if searching for someone else.

Her voice came out shaky and desperate.

”M-My prince...! Where are you?!” she cried out, her voice cracking.

”The black-haired guy! The one with the cold eyes! My prince! You said you’d watch over me! Where did you go?! Help me!”

The Gloria students stared at her in confusion. Adrian frowned deeply.

”What is she talking about?” he muttered.

Mariinne kept calling out, ignoring the weapons pointed at her.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she struggled weakly against the gravity.

”My prince! Handsome black-haired man! You grabbed me earlier! You tossed me like a cat, but I still fell for you! Don’t leave me here! Come save me! My prince! My mysterious prince!”

She kept repeating the words, her voice growing more panicked.

”The black-haired guy from before! The one who ignored me but still felt so perfect! My prince! Help me! I don’t want to be caught by these boring people! My prince!!”

The group exchanged confused glances.

None of them knew who she was talking about.

Maelis’s gravity magic held firm, keeping Mariinne completely pinned to the ground.

Selene looked down at her with a mix of pity and caution.

”She’s completely lost it,” she said quietly.

Adrian kept his sword ready, but his expression showed he was thinking hard.

”Whoever this ’black-haired guy’ is... she seems obsessed with him. We can use this. Don’t let her go yet.”

Mariinne continued crying out, her voice echoing through the ancient corridor.

”My prince! Where are you?! Come get me! My prince!!”

As for Gray...

He had been watching the entire exchange from the moment Mariinne started causing trouble.

His expression stayed mostly neutral, but a small twitch appeared at the corner of his eye when he heard Mariinne’s desperate cries.

”My prince! My prince!! Where are you?! The black-haired guy! Help me!!”

Mariinne was still pinned to the ground by Maelis’s gravity magic, tears streaming down her face as she kept calling out for him.

His fingers rested lightly on the hilt of his rapier, but he made no move to step forward or reveal himself.

’She’s really calling for me...’ he smiled inwardly.

’And she still doesn’t even know my name.’

He could have stepped in easily.

One move and he could have broken Maelis’s gravity field and rescued Mariinne. But he chose not to.

His gaze shifted slightly toward Adrian.

The young man stood at the center of Gloria Academy’s group, his expression focused but calm.

To most people, he looked like a strong and reliable leader. But Gray’s eyes were easily sharper than most.

He could sense that Adrian was hiding a terrifyingly strong power.

And this meant...

’Another one who got the God’s Descent ability, huh? Did he enter into direct contact with his contracted God, already?’

Gray thought quietly as he remained hidden-

And seeing Adrian’s overflowing power, a strength that clearly surpassed the limits the Emperor had imposed on the field, his smile grew wider.

They really were weakening only him... Was Gloria that scared of him?

’...Should I test their power a bit?’

Gray was a little curious about how much stronger the others had gotten as well.

So, he decided to step out of his hidden place.

The moment he appeared at the entrance of the corridor, Mariinne’s eyes lit up instantly.

Tears slipped from her eyes as she called out to him happily, her voice cracking with emotion.

”My prince! You came! You really came for me!”

Gray barely glanced at her.

His cold black eyes moved past her and landed directly on Maelis, who was still maintaining the gravity field.

Maelis smiled happily when she saw him, but there was a clear hint of caution in her eyes.

Gray’s gaze stayed calm as he looked at her.

”You’re quite useless, aren’t you?” he stated directly, finally glancing at Mariinne.

Hearing his words, Mariinne’s face fell.

Her excited expression crumbled in an instant, replaced by clear disappointment and hurt.

She looked at him with wide, teary eyes, as if she had just been scolded by someone she admired.

Gray didn’t pay her any more attention. Instead, he raised his hand slightly and mumbled under his breath.

”...Nullify.”

Thump!

The gravity field dissipated instantly.

The heavy pressure that had been pinning Mariinne to the ground vanished completely.

Mariinne’s body felt light again.

Her eyes welled up with fresh tears as she quickly pushed herself up and threw herself straight into Gray’s arms.

”My prince!” she cried out, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

But Gray didn’t even flinch.

With a single, casual motion, he grabbed her by the collar and tossed her to the side like a cat that had jumped on him.

Thud...

”Oww...”

Mariinne yelped as she hit the ground again, rolling once before stopping.