A Villain's Survival Guide

"I will kill Father."

The words felt heavy in the air, and Leomaris wished Rosay were kidding. The determination in her eyes, though, spoke volumes without a word. She meant every bit of it.

"What?"

"You heard me." She avoided his eyes for a moment.

"I know Mother has always favored you. But even you can’t deny how dangerous she is."

She exhaled. "She barely does anything... yet everyone fears her. Not just Father, but even his siblings and the Sovereigns in the underground community who know even a little of what she truly is."

"So she’s beyond what I can handle. And because she cares about you, I doubt you’d want her dead either...

"Father is the reason for all our suffering. Once he’s gone, we can finally run our businesses freely, and you won’t have to live in fear of being killed for failing his missions."

Leomaris smirked. He knew wholeheartedly that Rosay would be killed if she ever pulled something that foolish. She was right about Rosemary, though; the woman was shrouded in mystery in the novel.

Even after Godfrey became a Sage and managed to exist without a physical body, the novel never failed to note that he still feared his wife.

None of that discredited Godfrey, however. The main character, Lucius, would gain unbreakable defence and five hours of mortality upon becoming an Archmage, and still, he’d failed to defeat Godfrey countless times before the man had even become a Sage.

Despite this, Leomaris knew better than to stand in Rosay’s way. The story had already shifted too much. If she succeeded, it would be a welcome development, and if she didn’t, her failure was something he could turn to his advantage. So long as he kept himself out of it.

"How are you going to do that?"

Rosay shrugged nonchalantly. "It’s a trade secret."

Leomaris giggled. This was a side of Rosay that the original had never been granted the chance to see, and it amused him greatly. But his seriousness kicked in soon enough. He was growing greedy. He wanted more.

"I appreciate the offer, but there’s something I need on top of everything you’ve already promised me..."

Rosay anticipated his demands.

"...I will need your absolute loyalty. In addition, you must purchase a grimoire for my butler." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

For a moment, Rosay’s expression went flat. Then she extended her hand, and they sealed the deal with a handshake.

"After asking this much of you, I’d have no choice but to give you my undying trust."

Her words brought a slight unease over Leomaris. He was starting to realise that an offer this intriguing would never come at a cheap price.

Rosay relaxed in her seat.

"I’ve been betrayed," she said.

"Someone within my faction used my identity to contact the Black Arms, a mercenary group largely involved in acts of terrorism. I cannot say why, or what exactly was promised to them, but an attack on the academy was part of the negotiation."

Realisation hit Leomaris. He hadn’t been wrong after all. Rosay was connected to the attack.

"I figured it out before Father arrived. That’s why I leaned into my notorious personality. But now the attackers are dead, and the Black Arms will likely see this as a breach of contract. I’m exhausted, and I have no idea what the traitor is planning next."

Leomaris frowned. "Exhausted? Don’t tell me..."

Rosay nodded positively, but with a saddened expression behind it.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"Trinity grants me access to three additional personalities alongside my original one, each with unique abilities. I operate in seasons, and within each season, I can activate each personality twice, with each activation lasting one week. If deactivated early, the use is consumed. Right now, I’m out of slots for my notorious personality."

Now Leomaris understood why Rosay hadn’t deactivated her notorious personality during Godfrey’s visit, but she’d forced composure instead.

That was her last slot for the season, and it meant she was out of combat ability until the next one came around.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"My third personality is tricky, so I’ve never really used it. I tend to activate and deactivate it at the start of each season just to remove it. And now, only my calm and relaxed personality remains."

A nod of understanding from Leomaris. It had been the same in the novel. Her calm, relaxed personality was that of a tactician and strategist, and it gave her the ability to master every weapon.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Just as her notorious personality made her rushed, uncanny, and aggressive, always quick to anger with unparalleled confidence and physical strength, her calm personality carried its weaknesses too.

"When I switch to my calm and relaxed personality, my stamina drops, and even my ability to master every weapon becomes useless."

That much Leomaris knew, but something wasn’t sitting right. He was missing something.

"Why didn’t you use your calm and relaxed personality to solve this problem? It should have been easy, shouldn’t it?"

Rosay shook her head in disagreement.

"It’s obvious the traitor wants my downfall. Forcing me into a physically weak personality gives them the advantage. It would mean nothing if I learned who they are and still died with that information."

The direction of the conversation wasn’t lost on Leomaris, and he was starting to regret the deal. Had she come with her notorious personality, at least it would have been worth his time.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"I know you’ve already figured out how my goods to San Paulette were hijacked, haven’t you?"

He gave her a lazy look. That didn’t bother him. He only hoped her demands weren’t what his mind was already jumping to.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"What do you want me to do?"

She exhaled and broke into a taunting smile, elbows propped against her thighs, hands folded under her chin, red eyes fixed teasingly on Leomaris. Everything about her screamed that she knew she’d gotten one over on him.

"I want us to work hand in hand. You build your reputation to impress Father and figure out who’s been causing trouble for you in the academy. I’ll get my business back on its feet before Father returns, and find the traitor."

A sneer from Leomaris. His pride and ego weren’t exactly in the healthiest of places at that moment.

"So in return for everything you’re doing for me, you want me to be your sword in this and protect you once you go into hibernation?"

The smile on Rosay’s face grew more nerve-wracking by the second, her eyes clenching shut in the process.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"You understand me too well, little brother. Now I understand why Mother is so fond of you."

’Dammit.’

He couldn’t help but curse himself.

The contractual cost behind Rosay’s ability, Trinity, was three months of hibernation. Every season ended when she went into hibernation and started again when she woke up.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Compared to Leomaris losing his memory or Raine going blind, it was an acceptable price. But for someone like Rosay, with enemies on all sides at all times, it was the worst cost imaginable.

She could easily be killed the moment she entered hibernation, and with a traitor somewhere in the mix, it made everything worse.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

’Tsk. I should have known. There’s no way she would ask someone like me for help... she just wanted to use me from the beginning.’

"Why so gloomy, little brother?" She giggled. "Cheer up a little."

"Since the Privileged Hall was destroyed, once you are discharged from the hospital, you will be living with me. Don’t worry, I have already sent your luggage to the mansion."

She got to her feet and made for the door, waving at Leomaris across her shoulder on the way out.

"We’ll go over your introduction to the underground world once you arrive, little brother."

Teeth gritted, irritation plain. He’d been fooled and he knew it, and the fact that she’d known she would win him over before she’d even arrived made it that much worse.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"And stop calling me little brother... my soul is four years older than yours."

He muttered it to no one, anger written all over his face.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​