Author Reincarnated as Villain-Chapter 65 : Two Weeks III

Note : Sorry readers, I am having a bit of trouble adjusting to a new city (I moved away to this city for college hehe). That's why I haven't up for 3/4 days.

The sun had set in the west, and the moon took its place in the sky.

Unfortunately, Van and the two little monsters couldn't enjoy the beauty of the star-studded night sky, as dark clouds blanketed the heavens.

Van and the two little monsters sat in a circle with a campfire crackling in front of them. Several skewers of barbeque were roasting above the flames.

Behind them lay a pile of charred monster corpses.

Why didn't they keep the monster meat as emergency rations? Because those monsters' flesh had been tainted by Demon Blood, rendering it unbearably bitter—and even worse, those who consumed it would turn into horrific creatures stripped of reason.

Van and the two little monsters devoured the barbeque skewers ravenously, as if each skewer was their final meal. Not a single complaint passed their lips, even as their tongues burned from the freshly grilled meat.

"Eat quickly and restore your energy. The night is far more dangerous than the day," Van said, grabbing another skewer from the fire.

'Thank goodness I got into the habit of storing food inside [World Treasure]. I never expected that little habit to come in handy like this,' Van thought as he retrieved more skewers from [World Treasure] and placed them over the fire.

When Van first inherited [World Treasure], the skill only held weapons and ancestral wealth from the Black Family. But after Van took ownership of the skill, he turned it into a walking storage room. Everything—important or trivial—ended up stored inside.

It would be such a waste not to make full use of this timeless, space-bending dimension.

If Alexander Black, the ancestor of the Black Family, ever found out how Van used it, he'd probably attack Van with a full-power [101 Shadows] strike.

[MANA: 140,000 / 150,000]

Van glanced at his remaining [Mana] and thought, 'This much should last for two weeks, as long as I ration it and avoid fighting strong monsters.'

After a while, Van and the two little monsters finished their dinner.

"Time to sleep. Like I said, we'll take shifts. I'll stand guard for hours, and you two can take over afterward," Van instructed.

The two little monsters nodded in response and trudged to a nearby tree, leaning against it.

In mere seconds, both were fast asleep—exhausted both physically and mentally from an entire day of nonstop combat.

Van walked over to them and gently laid blankets over their bodies to keep them warm through the cold, windy night.

He then returned to the fire and sat down before its glow.

After a few minutes, Van retrieved two cups of coffee. He drank from one and set the other down beside him.

"The whole world would probably scream if they knew you were using a legendary skill just to store food."

"This skill belongs to me. No one else has the right to dictate how I use it," Van replied coolly. "Though I'm curious, why did you come back? I heard from my father that you hated political life."

"You heard right. I despise politics—internal conflicts, cold wars between kingdoms, racial hatred, all of it. I never wanted to come back, but that damn old man forced me to help my older brother," Van's uncle replied bitterly, downing the cup of coffee in a single gulp.

"I see. That kind of crap really is annoying," Van said while sipping his coffee.

"Why don't you come with me? Leave all this behind and join me on an adventure to explore every forbidden place in the world," his uncle offered in a teasing tone.

"Sounds fun, but I'll have to decline. There's still something important I must protect." Van answered calmly, glancing at the two sleeping monsters during the final sentence.

His uncle caught the direction of Van's gaze. He smirked and gave Van a knowing look.

"You care about them, yet you treat them like hell."

"It's for their own good. They'll thank me one day," Van chuckled softly. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"I think they'll murder you one day. By the way, how's your preparation for the [Summer Festival] going?" Van's uncle asked with a hint of curiosity.

"Why? Don't tell me you're planning to attend that sort of thing. Doesn't sound like you." Van said.

"No, not at all. I just felt nostalgic thinking about the Academy," Van's uncle answered, gazing up at the sky—though the dark clouds hid the stars from view.

"Didn't expect someone like you to feel nostalgic. I thought you only knew how to fight," Van teased.

"Bow before me, brother. Kiss my feet and apologize for everything you've done. Do that, and maybe I'll forgive you!"

"Damn you, brother! Taste my spell—[World Destroyer]! This is my ultimate magic that can obliterate the world!"

Hearing the two little monsters mutter in their sleep, Van gave them a cold glare while his uncle chuckled.

"Looks like they're holding a serious grudge against you," Van's uncle said.

"I'll make sure they experience hell for the next two weeks," Van replied calmly.

- - - - -

Van and his uncle chatted without realizing how much time had passed. Hours slipped by unnoticed.

"I think it's time you woke them up," Van's uncle said, eyeing the two little monsters who were still murmuring in their sleep.

Van gave a light nod and walked toward the tree where the two small monsters lay. His uncle had vanished without a trace.

When Van reached them, he first returned the blankets to [World Treasure]. Then, he pulled out a sword and swung it down toward them.

In an instant, both monsters snapped their eyes open, rolled away, and leaped into fighting stances. Oliver unsheathed his sword, and Olivia grabbed her magic staff.

They scanned their surroundings with high alert before finally seeing Van standing where they had just slept, a sword still in his hand.

"Not bad. Good reflexes," Van said coolly, returning the sword to [World Treasure].

"You damn bastard! What the hell is wrong with you?! Were you trying to kill us?!" Oliver yelled, hurling curses.

"You're the worst big brother ever! The most vile, cursed, and evil I've ever met!" Olivia screamed, pointing furiously at Van.

"Cut the crap and get to your watch. I'm exhausted and want to sleep," Van said, closing his eyes and lying back against the tree.

Seeing their beloved brother fall asleep so easily, the two of them went quiet. But a moment later, they exchanged wicked smiles.

Coating their hands with dirt, they crept toward Van with mischievous grins.

*TUK

Just as their hands were inches away from touching Van's face, a sound startled them.

They spun around—but saw nothing.

"Did you hear something?" Oliver asked.

"I did. What was that?" Olivia replied, trembling.

Oliver was already used to Olivia's fear of anything undead or spooky.

"Relax. I think it's just a monster in the distance," Oliver said, trying to calm her sister.

Hearing his words, Olivia nodded slightly, her trembling easing bit by bit.

*WHOOSH

Both of them glanced around in fear, startled by the sense of something moving nearby.

"I'm scared," Olivia whispered, her voice trembling and eyes brimming with tears.

"Don't be such a coward. It's probably just the wind," Oliver said bravely, though his trembling body betrayed his words.

*PUK

A pebble rolled in front of them. They turned toward the sound—and saw a pair of glowing red eyes staring back.

In that split second, their eyes widened in terror. They clung to each other tightly, not caring about their dirt-covered hands.

- - - - -

Van opened his eyes and found the two little monsters lying on top of him, hugging him tightly. Their dirty hands had left smudges all over his clothes.

'These naughty kids. They couldn't even stay on watch for a few hours,' Van thought in annoyance.

He looked around and noticed the faint golden light gently blanketing the [Forest of Death]. A cool breeze brushed across his face.

'It's probably around five or six o'clock in the morning,' Van guessed.

He shook the two of them awake.

"AHHH! GHOST!"

"DON'T EAT ME! I'M STILL A CHILD!"

They screamed in terror, their faces pale with fear.

Their screams were so loud that Van had to cover his ears. He clenched his fist and bonked them both on the head.

*THUD

*THUD

"Shut up. Do you want to attract monsters in the early morning?" Van asked coldly.

After being smacked, the two finally went quiet, though they were still shaking in fear.

"Big Brother! There's a ghost in this forest!" they cried with tears in their eyes.

"Ghosts? Are you serious?" Van asked in a calm tone, though inside, he was shocked and confused.

'Ghosts? Since when did I add a horror genre to my novel?' Van thought.

"We're serious! We saw it with our own eyes!" Oliver insisted.

"Its eyes were red! It was super tall! Like a giant monster!" Olivia added.

'Red eyes? Tall?' Van mused, suddenly thinking of someone.

"You're just hallucinating. Get back to training," Van said calmly.

"But—"

"No buts. Sounds like an excuse to skip training," Van said coldly.

Hearing Van's words, the two fell silent and lowered their heads, as if they'd done something wrong.

'Being a kid is so hard. When will we finally grow up?' both little monsters thought as they cried inside.