The Villainous Me Turned the Losers into Blackened Bosses-Chapter 235 - Sneaking into the Capital

—

As the carriage slowly rolled into the capital, Will couldn’t help but think back to the first time he had come here three years ago.

On that journey from the Hysterm family estate to the capital, Eir had first demonstrated her ability to take on someone as powerful as a witch.

It was also the first time he had caught a glimpse of Leah, though only from a distance.

Sitting in the carriage now, he could once again see the tallest clock tower of the academy and, beyond it, the royal castle perched on the mountain behind the capital—the very place where he often met Treya.

One thing to be thankful for was that entering and leaving the capital in Entark wasn’t particularly troublesome. They didn’t inspect every passenger on a carriage. As long as the carriage itself had a permit, it could pass freely.

This left room for a little “monetary persuasion.”

“Huff... Here, take this,” Will said, handing over some coins.

“Wow, young master, you’re really generous—this is a lot for just a day’s journey,” the coachman said with a grin.

Pulling his hat lower to obscure his face, Will replied, “It’s nothing. Just get going.”

“No, no, I’m just surprised. It’s rare to see adventurers heading toward the capital these days. Even if you’re a young master from some family, it’s still unusual.”

“Hmm? Why’s that? Isn’t the capital supposed to be the center of the nation?”

“Well, there aren’t any dungeons nearby, and even the Adventurer’s Guild here is heavily restricted. Plus...” The coachman lowered his voice conspiratorially, like someone sharing a forbidden secret on the streets. “Lately, the royal family has been in turmoil. Everyone’s talking about it—the atmosphere in the capital is really bad.”

“I know. That’s... exactly why I’m here,” Will said with a faint smile under his hat.

A royal family in turmoil could become stable if just one person managed to suppress all others.

He was here to make sure that sensitive and troubled Treya—the one searching for him—became that person.

“Young master, you shouldn’t say things like that. Getting involved in royal affairs is dangerous.”

“It won’t be,” Will said confidently.

—I know the royal family very well.

The second half of that thought remained unspoken.

After bidding farewell to the coachman, Will turned his gaze back to the city he hadn’t seen in two months. It hadn’t been that long since he left, yet it felt strangely unfamiliar now.

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By the time Will arrived in the capital, it was already evening.

Zymart Town truly lived up to its reputation as a “nearby” supplier of fruit to the capital. Even with a simple carriage, it took less than a day to reach here.

Perhaps this proximity was...

The reason Carver had imposed restrictions on Tenth Demon Castle.

A dungeon so close to the royal family’s stronghold, capable of providing rare resources, was undoubtedly a threat.

Especially since this dungeon seemed to have ties to Entark’s royal family and its “demonic” lineage...

According to the original story, Carver’s involvement with the revolutionary army and his push against the Entark royal family would occur about a year and a half from now. But his dissatisfaction with the royal family had clearly started much earlier, as evidenced by his efforts to suppress dungeons like Tenth Demon Castle.

If Lucifa’s hints were accurate—that deeper exploration of dungeons yielded even more valuable resources—then such a dungeon posed an even greater threat.

“Huff... Still, did that coachman misunderstand my identity as an adventurer?”

Will turned around and noticed that the coachman had conveniently dropped him off right in front of...

The capital’s Adventurer’s Guild.

Under the darkening sky, the guild’s entrance looked just as rundown as it had three years ago when he first arrived. While there were some lights on inside, it lacked the lively atmosphere of other guilds. There were no sounds of rowdy adventurers eating and drinking—it resembled more of an abandoned tavern on the verge of closing down.

In most places, Adventurer’s Guilds were grand and bustling. But here in the capital, it looked like a forgotten relic.

This wasn’t solely due to Carver targeting the royal family. Even before Carver rose to prominence, Entark’s royal family had been wary of adventurers and dungeons.

Because what came out of dungeons was inherently “unpredictable.”

After all, their rise to power had been fueled by something they obtained from a dungeon—the “Demon Jar.”

“But still...”

“Even though I knew this was her territory and prepared myself mentally...”

“Why is my face plastered everywhere?!”

Will stared at the countless missing person notices bearing his portrait that lined the streets. He didn’t even dare remove his hat now.

It felt like there were a hundred versions of “Will” staring back at him from every direction.

He wasn’t particularly fond of looking at himself in mirrors—partly because he didn’t think he was very good-looking and partly because prolonged staring made him imagine himself with that comical expression right before being crushed by a slime.

But...

These missing person notices filled in every detail of his face that he hadn’t seen in over a decade of life.

“Is this what you wanted?” Will muttered as he walked through streets covered in his own likeness. He glanced up at the royal castle looming above him.

“...Treya.”

From the moment he arrived, something felt off...

Why...

Why did he feel so uneasy?

Was it because he was in Treya’s territory, surrounded by her missing person notices, making him feel trapped?

Or was it...

The city itself exuded an ominous aura. Walking through its streets felt like being watched by countless unseen eyes—it was unsettling.

Drip—

Already uneasy from the capital’s atmosphere, Will noticed it had started raining.

He tilted his head back but couldn’t tell if the sky was clear or overcast. Raindrops fell slowly from above, illuminated by nearby streetlights as they landed on his nose.

“I need an umbrella...” Will muttered before realizing something—Eir had always been the one holding an umbrella for him when it rained.

Now that she wasn’t around, he’d forgotten to bring one himself.

“Never mind. I’ll probably need to stay here for a few days anyway. I need to find a reliable blacksmith to forge these materials,” Will said to himself as he fiddled with the ring Leah had given him as a birthday gift. Inside it were not only Lucifa’s items but also materials from Moonlit Frost meant for crafting Eir’s shield.

Snow Hymn Shield – Beginner.

Shadow Wraith Sword – Beginner.

At least these two pieces of equipment needed forging—and someone had recommended a blacksmith before.

During this time, he’d also gather information about the royal family and prepare thoroughly before meeting Treya.

“Huff... The rain’s getting heavier.”

“So... where should I stay?”

Most inns would require identity verification.

The weather was too cold for sleeping on the streets with other vagrants.

Which left only one option...

“Oh right! I do have a house in the capital!”

“A house! In the capital!”

“A house!”

In his excitement, Will stomped his foot loudly before quickly toning it down and slipping into an alleyway to avoid drawing attention.

—

Click.

The door creaked open after two months of disuse.

It felt like reopening a treasure chest filled with memories from his three years in the capital.

Though he didn’t particularly like Carver, there were times when having a wealthy father came in handy.

This house—left for him during his school years—had given him three incredibly happy years.

When he and Eir first arrived here, it had been covered in dust with no furnishings or amenities—just an empty shell of a home.

But now, every piece of furniture held memories—

At this table facing the door, they had shared meals and talked about their dreams of forming an adventuring party and embarking on real adventures.

In the kitchen were pots and pans Eir had carefully chosen for their practicality and affordability—despite Will repeatedly assuring her they had enough funds not to skimp on such things.

At the corner of the staircase stood a small bookshelf filled with rare magical tomes Leah had acquired using school funds—one book at a time over several months until it was completely full.

In his room sat trinkets Treya had gifted him—royal curios that gleamed gold or sparkled with gemstones.

“It’s a shame... If I could’ve gone on more real adventures with all of you...”

“Just like we dreamed about here.”

Will sighed as he wiped dust off his desk with his hand.

Back then, he’d spent countless hours here poring over The Quest System, revising and modifying its contents bit by bit.

Come to think of it... He hadn’t kept that book close recently...

He’d spent so much time drifting aimlessly without any active “quests.”

Sitting down at his desk, Will used a small flame spell from his fingertips to light an old lamp he hadn’t used in ages. From a stack of notebooks nearby, he pulled out one that looked almost untouched.

“Oh... This one’s for... magical computation theory...” Will chuckled awkwardly. Aside from a few notes on its first two pages, most of it was blank.

He sighed and flipped to its last page.

From his days as a student in his previous life, he’d developed this habit—if he wanted to reuse a notebook with only a few pages written on it, he’d start writing backward from the last page.

“Let me think... Hmm...”

“Alright. Let’s write this down—”

With determination akin to when he first penned The Quest System seven years ago or when he revised it over three years based on his experiences, Will began writing again.

This time, he wanted everything to return to his control—to his story.

—

[Quest 1000: Prepare Treya’s weapon—Shadow Wraith Sword.]

[Quest 1001: Investigate current royal affairs.]

[Quest 1002: Meet her at the palace alone.]

“And finally—”

[Quest 1003: Sincerely win her heart.]

—

“As for rewards—”

[Reward: Princess Treya.]

—

For someone who had once been a game designer—and for players—quests were crucial tools for building narrative logic and driving stories toward their conclusions.

It was such a simple concept.

Every time before this...

And this time should be no different... right?