Warning: This chapter contains mild gory descriptions for the first portion. For those who are easily squeamish, you can skip the descriptions.

The cobalt blue-hair and unique rogue-like outfit, along with his exotic features, Cecil recognised him instantly.

Th-this weird man...he really appeared again...at such a strange timing. And he is still talking about heads...

[ Optional mission #5 : The Nice Guy X2
Objective : Let the stranger help you once again.
Clue : Do not resist him.
Reward : 100 points. ]

"...?!"

"Again, AI500?!"

[ He is a very nice guy~ ]

Cecil doubted its words.

Xue observed the man with a cold stare, looking down and tugging at his spear. At that moment, Xue froze, his eyes growing wide and he snapped his head up.

Yelena gazed at the mysterious man, admiration in her eyes. "Ve--"

"You don't need heads? What about Widerlich?"

The mysterious man continued talking to Cecil. Cecil was bewildered now, her alarmed expression contorting.

The man smiled a little, a hint of amusement in his ebony eyes, no longer looking so bored.

"Your ugly face is much better," he nodded, pleased.

Xue extricated his spear and the man only stepped back calmly as Xue lunged at him. The man avoided the spear by directing it away from him, making Xue stumble forward.

"You...! Veau!"

"Good to see you again, Xue."

"Veau, you are here!" Yelena gasped out, completely forgetting that she was moments away from death.

The name that Xue and Yelena called the mysterious man echoed in Cecil's mind. Her breath hitched, and she felt her knees growing weak.

Ve-Veau? Th-this weird man is Veau?! Fuck me!

"AI500...you call him the nice guy...Do-do you know who Veau is?!"

[ If you want to complete the mission, and get the points, do not resist him~ ]

She sank to the ground, both from finally knowing the weird man and the system agitating her.

Alric carefully dropped the things he was carrying onto the floor, reaching out to catch Cecil, panicking.

"He-hey, woman?!"

The next message appeared.

[ Congratulations! You have completed an achievement "Nice Guy = Big Bad Villain"! You have twenty-six achievements remaining. ]

"You this damn AI! The optional mission before, you lured me into making him help me! You knew it was him, from the very start! And you didn't tell me!"

[ Why are you blaming me? It was an optional mission, you didn't need to accept his help~
Also, there is no rule that requires us to expose the identity of the villain~ ]

"If I knew he was the big bad villain all along, I wouldn't have said yes to his help! I got tricked by you!"

[ I never tricked you, you accepted his help on your own. I am programmed not to lie or trick the player~ ]

Veau, the big bad villain only appeared on the last few arcs of the book, and when he did, his appearance was completely different. Thus, Cecil did not recognise him in the slightest.

Wait a minute.

Cecil suddenly recalled, the appearance that Veau donned in the book wasn't his true appearance. In the end, the author did not even reveal Veau's true appearance, and left the readers hanging.

What the fuck!

So are you telling me that's his true appearance, right there?! And he somehow decided to show his true appearance, that day and even here?

Cecil really wanted to puke up some blood now.

Everything was derailing from the original plot of the book, even the characters! Are you kidding me! Why is everything changing?!

She felt that bleeding profusely from her arm wasn't enough.

***

Veau glanced around as Xue attacked him, unrelenting, the expression on Xue's face seemed worse than before.

He seemed crazed with fury.

Veau looked at the gash on Cecil's arm with a layer of black mist over it, and the miserable state of Yelena; who was still looking at him in awe. In addition to that, there was three extras in the room that Veau recognised.

Last but not least, he stared at Xue and a smile curved at his lips.

The smile drove Xue further into madness, his attacks becoming swifter and precise.

Veau dodged and deflected them all, he did not even seem to bother to fight back.

"You didn't deliver the presents to where I specified, even after I went through the trouble of killing two of them." Veau spoke, and he whizzed past Xue.

Xue then clashed his weapons with something, only to see it was a black figure that resembled Veau.

"...?!"

Xue was surprised, he noticed that Veau was already beside Yelena.

Hus movements proved too fast for anyone here to react.

"And you even harmed a toy I found, with your chakarm, Yelena."

Yelena's awed smile faded in an instant, but there was no change in Veau's expression. Yelena, however, knew what those words meant.

"If it was just the presents, I would be fine with it," Veau crouched down, resting his hand on his knee as he placed his chin on his palm. "As long as it was delivered to Xue."

"Veau, wa-wait, I didn't know she was your toy--"

Veau's fingers suddenly extended, becoming inky black. Its shape stretched and pulled, resembling black blades.

Before Yelena even finished her words, he jerked his wrist and beheaded her.

The blood splattered onto Veau's face and he watched, bored, as Yelena's head rolled across the floor. A trail of blood followed the head, and Yelena's eyes were still wide open in disbelief.

Cecil was still conscious, but feeling extremely faint. She observed the scene before her, her face blank. Her current thoughts were too preoccupied at the big reveal of the "nice guy".

Alric beside her let out a yelp, collapsing, scuttling backwards. Without his support, Cecil dropped to the ground.

Yelena's eyeballs moved, looking at Veau one last time, before glazing over.

Veau straightened himself, walking over to Cecil, he did not even bother to wipe the blood off his face.

Xue was kept busy by the clone, everytime he tried to move, the clone blocked him. Even his attacks against it were futile, whether it was physical, magma or lava.

Alric cowered in the corner, trembling in fright.

Cecil gulped, holding her bloodied arm, her face pallid. "You planned this all."

Veau stood beside her, gripping her injured arm as she winced, the blood seeping out. Her entire robes was covered in blood now, and there was a small pool of blood beneath her.

If it weren't for the torn sleeve slowing down her bloodflow, Cecil would have been in a bad situation now.

"I planned the presents for Xue, yes. The invasion, however, was not me. I didn't like it anyway," Veau observed her wound, and pointed at Yelena behind him. "You can ask Yelena--"

He paused, lifting up his head and blinked. "Oh, right. I killed her," he shrugged his shoulders. "Still don't even know why I kept her around..."

Veau then hovered his hand over her arm, a swirl of black mist coming out.

"Keep your hands off her!" Xue hissed, trying to charge his way over but the clone stopped him again.

Cecil seemed composed, and she did not resist.

Well, if I resist him now, more blood would just pour out...that's even worse. Not like he would let me go anyway, his grip...is too strong.

Cecil sighed, resigning to her fate of letting this nice guy help her once more.

"You are entertaining, letting you die would be a pity," the black mist from Veau started to absorb the one over Cecil's arm. "I'll take away the enchantment, since you entertained me with your ugly face."

Cecil felt a sharp sting on her arm, and she grunted in pain. "Why are you giving these souls to him willingly?" she asked.

Veau raised his eyebrows. "I thought you were just one of Xue's treasured lackey. Seems like you are something more. You know Xue, and you know me?"

Cecil saw no point in lying, nodding her head.

"A human that knows me? And Xue? And knows that these three are his soul fragments?" Veau smiled, intrigued. "Cecil Lan, you are an interesting human."

Veau released her arm and Xue broke through the clone at that moment, his spear aiming for Veau's head.

Veau immediately switched places with his clone, and his clone was the one who was stabbed. The shadowy figure dissipated, and Xue clicked his tongue.

"I'm leaving, this is boring," Veau stated and yawned, walking to the window and he paused. "Oh right, Xue--"

He turned and avoided Xue's attack.

"Enjoy your souls."

Veau smiled lazily, leaping back and vaulting over the window.

The bleeding on Cecil's arm had stopped, not a single hint of black mist on her arm.

[ Optional mission #5 : The Nice Guy X2
Objective completed!
Reward : 100 points.
Your total points is now 4230 points. ]

[ Mission #6 : Invasion! The Power of Dark Magic
Objective completed!
Bonus objective completed!
Reward : 1000 points
Bonus Reward : 500 points
Your total points is now 5730 points. ]

Cecil was still trying to comprehend what had happened, only to barraged by multiple notifications from the system. She closed them in frustration, and frowned when she saw the next notification.

[ Warning: Please treat your injury as soon as possible. Even though you are not a soul of this world, and this is a novel, you can still die and will not be reincarnated if you do not complete the main goals of this novel. We, the Transmigration World System, will not be responsible for your death in this world. ]

Cecil snorted in her mind, once again, the system only warned her of the consequences after the deed was done.

She was vexed, pursing her lips and called out to Alric, who was still trying to recover from the traumatic event.

"Alric."

Alric gasped, scrambling over to Cecil's side.

"Y-y-yes?"

"Pass me the herb and the medicinal supplies."

Alric did as she commanded, and Xue sheathed his spear, hurrying to Cecil. He crouched down, inspecting her bloody wound.

"Don't worry, that man...Veau...he actually removed the dark magic enchantment, the bleeding has already stopped."

Xue nodded, his face complex.

During her time here in the academy, especially during the long silence of an entire month, Cecil visited the healer frequently as well.

Ever since that day, when she started to read the medical book that the healer loaned to her, she became interested in medicine.

She knew about the basic treatment, and she knew about the various herbs needed as well. The herb that she hoped Alric has possessed in his wares, which he did, was a herb famous for its medicinal properties for wounds, and it was an antiseptic as well.

Alas, the herb name was something that made Cecil cringe in embarrassment.

Flaming Lotus.

Dearest author...this is just like Flaming Lavender, where you just threw the word "flaming" in front because it's red.

...and why is it another red herb?

Unfortunately, the herb wasn't fully matured. Cecil had to make use of her elemental energy to make it grow, and she wouldn't be so grumpy about it if it wasn't for the situation now.

"You are planning to stitch the wound on your own?" Xue furrowed his eyebrows, looking at her.

"I have to, Alric will be busy with simmering the herb after I grow it," Cecil said, the herb resting on her right palm. "You also need to absorb those two souls first."

Cecil gestured to the two handsome corpses. They were still standing in the same position, not moving, looking on with empty eyes.

"...the absorption will be quick, I can do it for you."

Cecil widened her eyes, shocked.

Th-the great lord protagonist will help me stitch my wounds?! With those golden hands?

I...I have never felt so alive!

Though, Xue was equally shocked at what he uttered out.

***

Pt. 1

《 start 》

Cecil is alive.

Oh, thank god. She's alive.

And her wound, it looks painful...

What? Xue will fix her wound?

I highly doubt so.

Yeah, definitely doubt so.

《 stop 》

***

Pt. 2

《 start 》

That bastard helped this woman? Why? Why would he do that--

...wait.

She plans to stitch her own wound?

...before I knew it, I had already volunteered to stitch her wound.

......

How does one stitch a wound?

《 stop 》