The Survival of the Third-rate Villain

The next day—

"Haaaa..."

Raye woke up with a deep yawn, stretching his arms as he sat up in bed.

The morning light peeked through the small window, casting a soft glow across the modest room.

And Raye, without wasting time—

"Hup..."

He got up and began preparing to continue their journey.

Meanwhile—

-hmnm…

-me…eep…

Zephyrus and Pyro were still sound asleep, curled up comfortably.

Lately, they had been training until their mana was completely drained, so they had been sleeping much longer than usual.

Raye glanced at them briefly before shifting his attention back to his preparations.

'Hmm… I'll probably just order breakfast downstairs.'

Thn with that thought, he grabbed his belongings and—

Creak—

Thud—

He stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him.

The inn was quiet, with only a few muffled sounds coming from below.

The guest rooms were located on the second floor, and down on the first—

It was a restaurant.

*****

Raye made his way to the restaurant downstairs and ordered a simple breakfast.

The establishment was cozy, filled with the aroma of freshly cooked food and the quiet chatter of early morning customers.

He sat at a corner table, waiting for his meal in peace.

Then, a little later—

-morning…

-meep…

Fwoosh~

A small gust of wind swirled as Zephyrus and Pyro fluttered down from upstairs, still looking groggy from sleep.

They had finally woken up and instinctively followed after Raye.

"Morning."

Raye greeted them casually as they settled near him.

Since they had just woken up, he went ahead and ordered breakfast for them too.

And when their food finally arrived—

"Let's eat."

-Thanks for the food.

-Meep!

With that, the three of them began their meal.

...

...

After finishing their breakfast—

"Thank you, we're leaving now."

"Thank you, dear customer! Take care!"

The innkeeper bid them farewell with a warm smile as Raye stepped out of the inn, Zephyrus and Pyro floating beside him.

And as they moved through the bustling streets—

-How are we going to travel now?

-Meep?

Zephyrus and Pyro questioned curiously, keeping pace with Raye in the air.

"Meh."

Raye simply shrugged his shoulders before answering—

"We're heading to the city gate. Merchants traveling to different cities usually gather there to hire mercenaries for protection. We can pay them to let us tag along too."

He declared.

-Ohh… So we're heading there now?

Zephyrus asked, intrigued.

And after that, casually—

"Yep."

Tap- tap- tap—

Raye started walking toward the city's gate, weaving through the morning crowd.

-Meep!

Pyro, who didn't quite understand the plan, simply grinned and followed after Raye and Zephyrus, happy to stick with them regardless.

*****

T A P—

After a few minutes of walking, Raye, Zephyrus, and Pyro arrived at the city's gate.

-Where are the merchants? The carriages?

Zephyrus scanned the area, only to find nothing but the massive wooden gate in front of them.

"Calm down… They're outside the city, just behind that gate."

Raye answered, his gaze settling on the towering 20-foot-tall wooden doors, tightly shut.

-Meep!

Pyro suddenly chirped. He didn't add anything to the conversation—he just wanted to be included.

Anyway, just then—

"Hello, Sir. How can I help you?"

A city guard, clad in full-plated armor, approached Raye and inquired.

Fwish—

Raye turned his gaze toward the guard.

Then, opening his mouth—

"I want to leave the city."

He stated plainly.

"Oh? And why is that?"

The guard asked.

And without hesitation—

"I'm a traveler. I don't live here. I just stopped by yesterday to rest."

Raye answered.

"Ah! Then there's no problem and complicated papers to do then."

The guard replied with a nod.

Fwish—

Then, pointing toward the left side of the gate—

"Just head over there and tell the same thing to the guard stationed there. They'll open a small door for individuals leaving and entering."

He explained.

"Thanks."

Raye replied simply.

And without waiting for further responses—

Tap- tap- tap—

He started walking in the direction he was pointed to.

Meanwhile—

-Things are going way too smoothly and calmly… I bet something's going to happen soon.

Zephyrus whispered under his breath.

-Meep…

Pyro nodded in agreement.

And Raye, hearing them—

'Don't jinx it, idiots!'

He scolded them internally as he continued walking.

*****

TAP—

The moment Raye stepped out of the city gate—

"Going to the Vera City!"

"Come here, were hiring mercenaries!"

"We're finding someone who wants ti tag along and can fight well!"

He was greeted by a lively, bustling scene.

Merchants were scattered around the area, some standing by their carriages while haggling with potential clients, others tending to their goods and making final preparations before departure.

Groups of mercenaries roamed about, seeking employers willing to hire extra protection for the journey ahead.

Travelers, much like Raye, were moving from carriage to carriage, hoping to secure a spot with a merchant headed in their direction.

The air was filled with overlapping conversations, the occasional clinking of coins, and the creaking of wooden wheels as carriages were loaded and readied for travel.

-Where do we go now?

Zephyrus asked, hovering beside Raye as his gaze swept over the scene.

And Raye—

"No idea."

He admitted that bluntly.

-Huh?

-Meep...?

A brief silence followed.

Zephyrus and Pyro turned to him with slight frowns on their faces, clearly unamused by his answer.

-Meep…

Pyro let out a tiny sound of disapproval, his little fiery body flickering in response.

Raye simply shrugged.

"We'll figure something out. Let's roam around and see if we can find someone headed our way."

He suggested.

And so—

Without wasting any time—

"Let's go."

-Meep!

-Ugh, fine...

The three of them started wandering through the crowded area, scanning the merchants and carriages, listening in on conversations, and looking for any signs of a caravan traveling in their desired direction.

It was a hassle for them.

After all, this was their first time doing this.

But then—

As Raye was looking around carefully—

"Huh?"

He suddenly halted in his tracks.

His sharp eyes locked onto a familiar figure among the crowd.

A man, looking somewhat ragged, with a tense posture and a nervous aura.

And Raye immediately recognized whi it was!

It was the lone bandit from yesterday!

And just as Raye saw him—

"Wha—?!"

The bandit's eyes landed on Raye too!

The moment realization struck, his face twisted in shock.

His entire body stiffened. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple!

And in panic—

"Shit!"

He cursed under his breath, his fight-or-flight instincts kicking in immediately!

And choosing the latter—

'I need to escape!'

He turned on his heels, attempting to run!

But before he could even take a proper step—

"[Flash]"

Raye muttered that under his breath.

And in an instant—

FWISH—

He vanished from his spot!

"...!!!"

And reappeared right in front of the bandit!

"Gah?!"

The bandit let out a startled yelp.

BAM!

His legs buckled, and he fell backward onto his bottom in sheer surprise.

His eyes darted up, trembling, as he stared at the figure towering over him.

And looking down at him—

A shadow cast over Raye's face. His expression unreadable.

Then, suddenly—

A smile crept up on his face.

"It's nice to see you again."

Raye spoke, his voice light, almost friendly.

And opening his mouth again—

"I need a little help, you see."

He added, tilting his head slightly.

And looking at that unsettlingly calm smile—

Gulp—

The bandit swallowed hard, his throat dry. His entire body tensed.

He had a very, very bad feeling about this.

*****

After capturing the lone bandit, Raye wasted no time and got straight to the point.

"What are you doing here?"

He asked, his sharp gaze fixed on the man.

The bandit, still tense from their sudden encounter, raised his hands slightly as if to show he meant no harm.

"I was hired by a merchant group..."

He started, his voice carrying a hint of nervousness.

"They couldn't afford to hire a real mercenary, so they took me in instead. I swear, I'm earning clean money! Don't hurt me!"

He added quickly, as if pleading for his life.

Raye remained silent for a moment.

"...?"

He tilted his head slightly, processing the information.

A bandit getting hired as a caravan guard? That was… unexpected.

But more importantly—

Something deep inside him, an instinct, kept nagging at him.

It told him he should meet the merchant group that had hired this guy.

He couldn't quite explain why.

But his gut told him this was the answer to his current problem.

And so, trusting that feeling—

"I want to meet your employer. Lead the way."

Raye commanded firmly.

The bandit flinched, realizing he had no room to argue.

So with a defeated sigh—

"Ugh… Okay."

He reluctantly complied.

...

...

With the bandit leading the way, Raye, Zephyrus, and Pyro followed closely behind, weaving through the crowded area filled with merchants, mercenaries, and travelers.

It didn't take long before they arrived at a small merchant group with a few carriages and supplies stacked neatly.

And once they were there—

The bandit turned to Raye.

"Stay here. I'll call my employer."

He said before walking off.

Raye simply nodded, standing still as he watched the bandit disappear into the small camp.

-...

-...

Zephyrus and Pyro were quiet too, just looking around the area.

And at that moment—

Swoosh~

A strange feeling washed over Raye.

It was subtle at first.

But as the seconds ticked by, the uneasy sensation only grew stronger.

Then—

"He's here."

The bandit returned.

And with him—

"Huh?"

Raye's eyes widened slightly as he laid eyes on the merchant standing beside the bandit.

A fat merchant.

A familiar fat merchant.

One Raye recognized.

"Huh?!"

The merchant's reaction was just as shocked as Raye's. His face paled, his eyes widening in disbelief.

-MEEP?!

Even Pyro flinched in surprise.

Because this merchant—

This greedy, lying, backstabbing pig—

Was the very same merchant who had employed Raye before.

The same merchant who had employed Timmy and Reggie!

(Chapter 42.)

Raye's mind went blank for a second.

Then—

'FUCKING PIG, I'VE BEEN SEARCHING FOR YOU!!!'

A silent but furious exclamation echoed in his head as the memories came rushing back.