The Genius Villain Dies Tomorrow

[Ars Flare Lv. 1 has been added to Known Spells]

[Vita Aqua Lv. 1 has been added to Known Spells]

[Ward Glacia Lv. 1 has been added to Known Spells]

[Velo Volt Lv. 1 has been added to Known Spells]

"Alright...that should be enough spells for now," Rian muttered softly as he closed the spell book and gave it to Alicia.

They were both currently going to the garden, with Alicia pushing Rian on a wheelchair to maintain the appearance of "the sick youngest".

There was no reason to let anyone know his condition had improved. A dying heir wasn’t a threat, and for the time being, Rian intended to remain so.

Though he never noticed how extravagant even the side manor was. Everything was built and decorated from wood, carved in such a way that it gave an elegant feel. One would expect just wood engravings to feel rustic, but Rian thought the charm was enough.

But the more they both passed through the house, the more Rian noticed that there actually weren’t that many servants here. It was just one cook, a few knights that were usually on rotation, and Alicia—his personal maid.

’Maybe Alicia was skilled enough to handle everything, so that’s why they trusted her? Well, I doubt the patriarch would want to spend any more resources on his terminally-ill son than he has to.’

However, the moment they got to the main floor, somebody else was there. A man in his early twenties was talking to some of the knights stationed below.

He had the same maroon eyes and black hair, although his was styled sharply, with one side being swept cleanly to give the sophisticated look.

The moment he saw them enter, a cunning grin appeared on his face immediately as he waved the guards away and turned with dramatically open arms.

"If it isn’t my baby brother!"

’For fuck’s sake...of all the Rosenheims I could’ve encountered first. It had to be this one?’

Felix Rosenheim, second eldest son of the family, youngest child of the First Lady, and perhaps the least impressive Rosenheim of the generation.

There was only one thing he was exceptionally gifted at—talking.

"And Alicia!" he continued, his grin spreading wider. "As lovely as always."

"Young Master," she bowed in courtesy.

"Still wasting yourself pushing my brother around, I see," Felix frowned theatrically. "I know you’ll miss our baby a lot when he croaks...If you need a place to work, I’ll happily ask Father to arrange you to my detail."

"..."

Rian’s eyebrow twitched. He had forgotten what type of character this sleazebag was. To compensate for his weak talent, he had always been on the lookout for strong individuals to recruit.

And unfortunately, Alicia had been in his sight for a long time now. Well, that and the fact that he’d always been ogling her anyway

"Young Master Felix," she replied coldly. "I belong to the Second Lady and her only. Wherever she tells me to go, I will."

Felix’s facial expression suddenly twisted, like a kid throwing a tantrum because he couldn’t get what he wanted.

"But she’s dead. You know that, right?"

Alicia simply bowed once more and put her hands on the wheelchair handles again. "Precisely. Which means I now follow the command of her two children, Young Mistress Elaine..."

She looked down. "And Young Master Rian."

Knowing that he could never convince her, Felix slowly turned toward Rian.

"You really ought to release her, Rian. Keeping someone like Alicia chained to a dying man is awfully selfish, don’t you think?"

’So that was his game. Piss off the famously temperamental Rian, make him throw a fit, then present himself as the charming alternative.’

Unfortunately for Felix, the famously temperamental Rian wasn’t home right now.

There were at least a hundred types of insults that Rian could think of for this particular moment, but decided against it. He looked up at his maid and asked simply.

"Alicia."

"Yes, Young Master?"

"Do you want to go work for him?"

"No, thank you."

Rian blinked innocently. "Really? Why not? I mean there’s probably better accommodations, probably better pay. And unlike me, he’s unlikely to drop dead tomorrow."

Alicia made it look like she really had considered the offer seriously before driving the dagger straight home.

"The Second Lady instructed me to serve the exceptional children of House Rosenheim."

Felix’s smile twitched. Rian fought desperately not to grin, eventually managing to keep it down and turn towards his brother.

"Well, you heard her."

Rian bowed as deeply as he could in his chair, a supposed sign of respect for someone who really didn’t deserve any, before sitting up straight again.

"Whatever you’re doing here brother, I wish you good luck."

And with that, Alicia turned the wheelchair around, and the two of them disappeared into the east wing and toward the garden.

The garden was beautiful as expected, trimmed neatly and overflowing with blooming flowers.

’It must’ve been all of Alicia’s handiwork...’

But Rian couldn’t afford to gaze at how beautiful the flowers were. As soon as they got to the garden, he instructed Alicia to push toward the lone tree that existed at the edge of the palace’s courtyard.

"Young Master...what are we doing here?" Alicia asked, tilting her head. "Isn’t this the tree where the Mistress used to play with you as a kid?"

"Yeah," Rian stood up from his wheelchair to inspect the tree closer. "I was cursed back then, too. But have you ever realized how I could’ve played so freely only when we were here?"

After a second, the revelation finally sank in. Alicia rushed toward the tree herself, putting a hand on its bark.

"It’s...overflowing with so much mana!"

Rian crouched beside one of the exposed roots, brushing away some of the soil. This tree had existed long before Rian Rosenheim was born.

Yet despite all the details the novel gave about the Rosenheim estate, and especially how it was formed, Rian noticed the inconsistencies.

How could the protagonist simply waltz into the territory, and the seed was still there for him to take? It was the relic of a Goddess after all.

If it was buried inside the Rosenheim territory for this long, surely the First Patriarch of Rosenheim would’ve noticed something.

There were only two possible explanations for this:

1) There was some kind of lock or mechanism that prevented him from entering.

Or the more likely scenario...

2) The First Patriarch knew about it all along and decided to keep it a secret for some reason.

Well, Rian could’ve easily gone to the same entrance to the Temple of Ephenia like the protagonist did. But his hunch was so strong, and he was so sure of it that eventually—

Click—!

His hand caught on something while digging in the soil.

Suddenly, the ground underneath him shifted. Soil spilled inward, causing small stones to bounce and disappear into the widening seams. Several slabs of earth slowly separated from one another, creating a massive hole out of nowhere.

Rian barely managed to step away with the help of Alicia pulling at his arm.

Once the mechanism had finally stopped...a whole set of stairs leading underground had appeared from what seemed like thin air.

’Seems like our founder already laid the foundations...’

"...Young Master."

"Hmm?"

"How did you know that was there?"

"...Call it a hunch."

And without giving her any time to question it, Rian stepped down the stairs and disappeared into the darkness.

Alicia stared at the hole before turning to look at the manor’s courtyard, barely visible in the distance. She then sighed softly, before lifting her skirt up and stepping down.

"What have I gotten myself into..."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!