A Villain's Survival Guide

Late into the night, Leomaris, his butler, Hazel, and his older sister Rosalith arrived at the party’s designated destination.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The distance was short, but highly respected nobles such as themselves couldn’t arrive on foot. Hence, Rosay brought over the most expensive carriage in her collection.

Amidst a cluster of villas at the academy’s outskirts sat the venue. It distinguished itself without effort, towering over the neighbouring buildings, impressive in size, intricate in decoration, with bright lights placed to accentuate it all and set it cleanly apart from the others.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"We are here..."

The driver said his piece, and Leomaris’s heart skipped a beat.

He had been in the right state of mind for the party until Rosay encouraged him to read the invitation letter Alicia Silverbird had sent.

—

To: Leomaris of House Runerth

We extend our most sincere greetings and cordially invite you to partake in our exchange. Your presence is certain to elevate the grandeur of the occasion, and we eagerly anticipate the honor of your company, Apostle of Death.

The event shall feature refined conversation, exquisite music, fine cuisine, and cultural enrichment. Furthermore, your presence would greatly delight the Lady, and without it, the occasion would feel incomplete in her heart.

We await your esteemed presence with great anticipation.

—

His little brain couldn’t handle it.

He hardly knew anything about Alicia and only hoped those words were her way of being polite and welcoming.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Even so, he braced himself. Freshly worn black suit, neatly layered, cream cravat matching his handkerchief, and black cane in hand. He was only a hat’s throw away from looking like a British noble.

Rosay followed behind him, a red silk dress doing well enough to shape her hourglass figure. Her red lips made her look almost like their mother, Rosemary, except for the cascading golden hair.

Dressed in her usual butler uniform, Hazel went ahead and handed the letters to the butler in charge. A young adult with black hair, probably a year or two older than Rosay.

The welcoming smile was rather bothersome. He extended his hand toward the door of the villa and opened it.

Before the lights and overwhelming crowds could welcome them, another butler alongside three maids greeted them at the entrance, each maid carrying a tray of wine, champagne, and smoothies, respectively.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"Welcome, Leomaris and Rosalith of House Runerth. Please... make yourselves comfortable."

Leomaris struggled to keep himself composed. The original Leomaris had countless gatherings under his belt. He did not.

’This is ridiculously excessive. Why are there so many people? Honestly, even a tea party would’ve been better.’

There was also the matter of the attention he was getting. He grabbed a glass of champagne to look occupied, eyes already glancing around for any of the first-year Calamities. But from where he stood, there was no light.

"I know you’re supposed to protect me, Leo, but hanging around you might make me look suspicious. See you later."

Rosay smiled and excused herself immediately. But that didn’t sit well with Leomaris.

Nothing but an ordinary human right now. Her senses were dull, sharpness far from what it was when she used her notorious personality. He couldn’t bring himself to let her wander alone.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Despite loathing the idea of being left alone, he leaned toward Hazel and whispered. "Be Rosay’s butler for the night, would you?"

Hazel didn’t hesitate to attend to Leomaris’s request.

Taking a deep breath, Leomaris proceeded deep into the hall, but the farther he got, the more it felt as though his notorious personality was doing the heavy lifting.

"Isn’t that the lout?"

"Why would the Ace bring someone like him over?"

"What do you mean? He already redeemed himself, didn’t he?"

"Yes, he defeated a follower of the Lady of the Frozen who attacked his butler. The cadet withdrew personally shortly afterward."

"Why should it matter? It won’t change what he did in the past."

"Yes... I’m with you on this, Sara. He was horrible... and he probably still is."

Leomaris’s head was throbbing from the whispers around him. He had proved worthy of the title of Calamity, but that didn’t erase everything. It wasn’t his prowess in question now. It was his personality.

’I am truly the most hated one.’

As he sank deeper into his thoughts, he drifted further into the venue, and none of those words reached him.

Familiar faces began to appear. Even a particular Calamity he’d encountered during his entrance exam. One he wholeheartedly believed to be an enemy of his sister’s.

He’d once pondered aligning with this man to take her down, but after his alliance with Rosay, that wasn’t particularly possible anymore.

As if the cadet could read his mind, he greeted Leomaris with a smile and a nod. Leomaris reciprocated, though hesitantly.

Then the woman of the hour caught his attention. The blue-green dress commanded the room, weaving through the crowd: graceful, engaging, and welcoming.

A presence that contradicted everything cold and intimidating about her usual demeanor, and yet drew every focus in the room toward her.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Alicia Silverbird.

One of the best students in the entire academy. A faction that could easily rival the fifth years. The finest strategist and leader, said to have participated in the unnamed war against the West Dean Kingdom and the Braek Kingdom more than once.

Best cadet among the fourth years. The one most likely to attain the rank of Archmage before her reign at the academy was over.

Just as Leomaris noticed her, she noticed him. He thought nothing of it. Seeing her this bright toward everyone meant the letter was just a formality. He prepared to look away, and all of a sudden, she smiled.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

’Was that smile directed at me?’

He sweated bullets. That smile, for some reason, felt different from the one she’d been wearing moments ago. He momentarily stepped back. She stepped forward. Everyone instinctively gave way as though they knew something Leomaris didn’t.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

’Why’s the atmosphere shifting?’

Just as his mind wandered, Alicia closed in on him. Her violet eyes darted warmly into his golden ones. Then her mouth parted, and her tender voice finally reached his ear.

"I’ve been waiting for you... Calamity Leomaris."

She extended her hand, her smile growing warmer than before. A sight that shocked everyone. Her words made it worse.

"Would you allow me the honor?"

Leomaris swallowed hard.