Villain's POV: The Heroines Want Me!

Chapter 19: Chapter 19- Self-Control

Chapter 19- Self-Control

"Rize?" The kids stared at one another, wondering if any one of them could recognize him. However, seeing the confusion in their eyes, they turned to him. "What family are you from?"

"..." Rize looked at them and then at the cup that the bartender served him before he sighed. "Is that something you need to know?"

"Oh?"

The trio was taken aback by Rize’s rather hostile response, and it made them stop drinking before they got off their seats and approached Rize. The boy audibly sighed. ’Why do I have to deal with this nonsense? Now of all times when Geralt told me not to cause any trouble.’

"Your face is foreign. You aren’t from here, are you?" One of the boys asked.

"You could say so," Rize replied. "Now, if you will excuse me. I have to leave. I’m in a hur-"

"No, hold on right there." Another boy grabbed his shoulder with a grin on his face. "Come on, enjoy your drink with us. We are all buddies here, aren’t we? Same age, just enjoying a nice evening."

"..." Rize stopped as he looked over his shoulder coldly. For a second, the boy made eye contact with his eyes and shuddered before releasing his grip, not even noticing that he did just that. He felt oddly threatened but in an incomprehensible way.

"Come on now. Where would you even be going, huh?" Another boy asked. "The event will start later. Just relax. We won’t hurt you, are we?"

"Of course not. We like meeting new people."

"Same here."

Seeing the looks on their faces, Rize knew that their ’invitation’ wasn’t really an invitation. It was something he couldn’t turn down, or these idiots would take it as an offense and perhaps annoy him even more later. Rize wanted to avoid any trouble, so he decided to indulge them for a bit before leaving.

Sitting back in his chair, he sipped his soda. ’I really miss soda; this one tastes even better than the one back on Earth.’

"So, foreigner, where did you come from? And how did you get a VIP invitation?" One of the kids asked.

"Uh, I guess I got lucky? Call it fate." Rize replied as he sipped his drink.

"Haha, you’re a really funny guy, Rize." One of the boys tapped his shoulder as the trio laughed together. The atmosphere seemed friendly, but underneath that facade was a very tense situation that seemed to only get worse by the second.

’These boys aren’t here to get to know me.’ He frowned as he gripped his glass tightly. The sound of ice cracking in the drink echoed in the quiet cafe.

"So, I didn’t get your names, gentlemen," Rize said as he looked left and right.

"I’m Arthur, he’s Victor, we call him Vic, and that idiot over there is Ethan."

"Ethan..." Rize looked at the boy with a weird expression. ’Haven’t heard my name in a long while. I almost forgot it, to be honest.’

"Nice to meet all of you."

"Likewise. Say, Rize, I’m quite thirsty. Can I take a sip from your drink?" The boy named Arthur, who seemed to be somewhat the leader of the group, asked with a friendly smile. Rize stared at him and then his gaze shifted to the cup a few meters away that Arthur was drinking from. It was still half full.

"So?" He asked.

’As Geralt said, no trouble. Just... no trouble.’ He sucked a deep breath.

"Yeah, of course," Rize said as he gave him the cup.

"Thank you~" Taking it, Arthur sipped from it. "Oh, this is quite refreshing. Hold on..."

Then, he took another sip, and a sip after that before he finally chugged it all down in one gulp. Rize watched silently as his expression grew colder by the second.

"Haha..."

He heard the other two trying to hold back their giggles as they watched their friend. After finishing, Arthur looked at the cup before he suddenly spat in it.

"Ah! So refreshing. Here, thank you." He said as he handed the cup back to Rize.

"..." Rize didn’t reply as he stared at the cup.

The trio waited for him to react or show anger so they could use it against him. However, much to their surprise, the boy smiled.

"No problem. I’m glad you liked it."

"..."

"Anyway, I seriously need to go back now. It was nice meeting you guys." He said as he dropped down and left the cafeteria quickly under their stunned looks.

"That idiot..." Vic muttered.

"He ran for it. Bastard."

"He is no nobility. I can smell commoners when I see them. I don’t know how he got in here." Arthur said as he squinted his eyes. "Disgusting... Commoners make me sick. Just seeing them makes me want to wash my body."

"Huh? Commoner? You think a commoner would be allowed in here, Art?"

"I told you, I can tell commoners from nobility. That scum is not one of us." He replied. "We will have to confirm it later. I’ve been looking for someone to have some fun with... He is the perfect target."

Smiling wickedly, Arthur stared at the door. His mind was already coming up with ideas as to how he could toy with Rize. Something told him that this toy might be a very interesting one.

***

"Fuuuh, that was close. I almost carved his face in." Rize muttered to himself as he rested against a wall and exhaled. ’He spat in my cup. These spoiled brats need a rude awakening. Dammit, if I wasn’t worried about what could happen, I would’ve beaten him till he pissed himself.’

Grumbling to himself, Rize walked back to the main hall where he found Geralt talking to a group of men. As he approached him, Geralt looked over his shoulder. Rize signaled for him.

He immediately understood that Rize wanted to tell him something, so he excused himself.

"What?"

"Three brats were trying to bully me in the cafeteria. I left before things escalated."

"Brats? What are their names?"

"Uuuh, Arthur, Victor, and Ethan, they said."

"..." Geralt froze for a second. "Are you sure those are their names?"

"Yeah, why?"

"..."

"Sir? What is wrong?" Rize asked as he suddenly saw the door to the cafeteria open and the trio walk out. "Look, those three."

Geralt stared up, and his face paled visibly.

"You... Rize. You better tell me you didn’t offend them?"

"I didn’t. I left before things got out of hand. Who are they?"

"Arthur Silverman, Victor Klein, and Ethan Frost. Each one of them is from the big three families in the nation. They’re the sons of extremely important nobles and the closest individuals to the king."

"..."

’Those idiots?! Oh my god, give me a break!’ Rize facepalmed. "I didn’t know..."

"You better stay put and do not talk to them again. If something bad happens, even I wouldn’t be able to save you."

"I won’t... I’m not even in the mood for a drink anymore."

"Come with me. We will go take a seat." Geralt said as he grabbed Rize’s arm and pulled him to the dining section. Each table had names assigned to it, and theirs was in the corner, not too far or too close from the event itself.

’Mmm, these chairs are so comfy. I feel like I’m floating.’

"Listen, Rize. Once the event starts, I want you to do something..." Geralt said as he leaned in and whispered something in Rize’s ear that made him raise an eyebrow.

"Are you sure, sir?"

"Yeah, just do as I say."

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