Three days before the duel, everything went wrong.
I was in the academy library researching combat tactics when the system blared a warning.
[CRITICAL ALERT]
[ADRIAN HAS NOTICED LUCILLE'S SUSPICION]
[HE IS CURRENTLY CONFRONTING HER]
[LOCATION: Training Ground Seven]
[ESTIMATED TIME UNTIL SITUATION ESCALATES: 3 MINUTES]
Damn it, that's oo soon! She wasn't ready for a full confrontation yet!
I ran.
The training grounds were on the far side of campus. I pushed magic into my legs, a basic enhancement technique that would leave me exhausted but got me there in under two minutes.
I heard their raised voices before I saw them.
Training Ground Seven was empty except for two figures. Adrian and Lucille facing each other. His posture was relaxed but his hands were glowing with holy light, and Her hand was on her dagger.
"...asking you to trust me," Adrian was saying. "When have I ever steered you wrong?"
"That's not an answer, Adrian. Why were you in the restricted section? What are you planning for the dungeon practical?"
"I was studying. That's what students do."
"You're lying." Lucille's voice was hard like cold steel. "You've been lying about a lot of things."
"Lucille, listen to yourself. You sound paranoid." His tone shifted to gentle and concerned. "Has someone been putting ideas in your head? Maybe someone who wants to turn us against each other?"
I nearly rolled my eyes. For what's worth he's really good at gaslighting and manipulation.
I stepped out from behind the building. "That would be me."
They both turned. Adrian's expression flickered through several emotions before settling on his public smile. Lucille looked torn between relief and anger.
"Hadeon." Adrian said pleasantly. "What a coincidence."
"Not really. I was looking for Lucille. We have matters to discuss."
"I'm sure whatever you need to say can wait." Adrian's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Lucille and I are having a private conversation."
"It didn't sound very private. I could hear you from the library."
[SKILL ACTIVATED: Analytical Eye]
[ADRIAN CELESTIUS]
[EMOTIONAL STATE: Angry, Calculating, Threatened]
[THREAT LEVEL: Very High]
[WARNING: He's considering attacking you]
"Lucille," I said calmly, not taking my eyes off Adrian. "You should leave. This is going to get ugly."
"I'm not leaving," she said with a stubborn set to her mouth.
"Yes, you should." Adrian's voice had lost its warmth as he slowly discard his disguise. "Hadeon and I need to have a conversation. Alone."
"That sounds like a threat," I observed with a casual voice.
"It's a fact." Holy light intensified around his hands, ripping with intensity. "You've been interfering with my life, Hadeon. Spreading lies. Poisoning my relationships with people I care about and I think that ends today."
"Poisoning? I've only told the truth."
"You've been manipulating Lucille against me!" The holy light flared even brighter.
"No, I've been giving her information. What she does with it is her choice." I glanced at Lucille. "You should really leave. Adrian's about to do something that will prove every point I made."
"I'm not going to hurt him," Adrian said quickly...almost too quickly. "I just want to talk."
"With holy magic charging in your hands? That's an interesting definition of talk, ehh, Adrian."
Lucille looked between us, her expression torn. "Adrian... is what Hadeon said true? About you seeing me as a tool?"
"Of course not! Lucille, you're my best friend. My oldest friend. I care about you more than anyone."
"Then why does it feel like you only talk to me when you need something?"
His mask slipped just for a second and I saw it the flash of annoyance, the calculation that he's hiding under warm gaze.
And so did Lucille.
"Oh," she said quietly as she went rigid. "It's true."
"Lucille..."
"All this time, I thought..." She laughed bitterly, her face turning even more cold. "I'm an idiot."
"You're not an idiot," Adrian said, his voice taking on that gentle, concerned tone again. "You're confused. Hadeon has been manipulating you, making you doubt everything. But I can help you see clearly again."
"Don't." She snapped and took a step back. "Don't use that voice on me. The one you use when you want me to do something."
"What voice? Lucille, I'm worried about you."
"No, you're worried about losing control." She looked at me. "Everything you said. It was all true."
[CRITICAL MOMENT]
[LUCILLE'S TRUST IN ADRIAN: 71% → 34%]
[LUCILLE'S TRUST IN YOU: 28% → 52%]
[ADRIAN'S THREAT LEVEL: MAXIMUM]
Adrian's friendly expression vanished completely, what remained was cold and calculating like the tip of a frozen mountain.
"Fine," he said. "If you're going to believe him over me, then you've made your choice."
"Adrian...."
"I tried to be patient, I tried to be understanding." Holy light flared brighter. "But I'm done playing nice with people who betray me! People who lose faith in me so easily!"
And with that, he moved.
Very fast...SSS-rank speed. His hand shot toward Lucille, glowing with holy magic that's not a killing blow, but a stunning spell that's designed to incapacitate.
But even then I was moving before I consciously decided to.
Shadow magic erupted from my hands, one of the few abilities original Hadeon actually practiced. I threw up a barrier between Adrian and Lucille.
His holy magic shattered it instantly.
But it bought enough time for Lucille to dodge.
Adrian's attack hit empty air. He turned to me, his expression murderous and the aura around him flowing with bloodlust.
"You just made a very big mistake, Hadeon." His voice was low and dark.
"Did I? Or did I just save you from making one?" I kept my voice calm despite my racing heart. "What do you think would happen if you attacked Lucille? How would that look?"
"She attacked me first. Self-defense."
"With witnesses? There's a dozen students watching from the windows."
His eyes flicked to the surrounding buildings. Sure enough, faces had appeared at various windows, drawn by the commotion. Adrian's friendly smile returned immediately like a mask snapping back into place.
"You're right," he said pleasantly. "I overreacted. Lucille, I apologize. I shouldn't have lost my temper."
But the damage was done. Everyone watching had seen his mask slip and at the very least they saw part of his real self.
"We're done," Lucille said quietly with a broken tone. "Stay away from me, Adrian." She walked away.
Adrian watched her go, his smile frozen in place.
Then he turned to me.
"The duel in three days," he said softly, the light in his eyes heating. "I'm going to destroy you."
"You can try."
"Oh, I'll do more than try. I'm going to humiliate you so thoroughly that no one will ever take you seriously again." His eyes were ice-cold. "And then I'm going to take everything you care about, what's left of your reputation and your family's standing."
"Big words for someone who just lost his childhood friend."
His hand twitched toward his wand. But with all the witnesses, he couldn't attack.
Instead, he smiled easily. "Three days, Hadeon. Enjoy them. They're the last three days anyone will respect you."
And with that he left.
I stood there, my heart pounding, adrenaline flooding my system.
[EMERGENCY QUEST COMPLETE: SAVE LUCILLE]
[REWARDS: +500 Villain Score, Major Reputation Boost]
[LUCILLE NIGHTSHADE: Recruitment Progress 52%]
[WARNING: You've made a powerful enemy]
[COUNTER-WARNING: You already had a powerful enemy. Now he's just showing his true colors.]
[DEATH FLAG ACTIVATED: The Humiliating Defeat, difficulty increased to MAXIMUM]
[ESTIMATED SURVIVAL CHANCE: 12%]
[RECOMMENDATION: Run away and change your identity]
I let out a shaky breath.
Fuck! Fuck!
Twelve percent chance of survival, those were not good odds at all.
Damian appeared beside me as if he'd been hiding on the side before. "Young Master, are you insane? You just protected someone from Adrian Celestius in public!"
"I know."
"He's going to kill you in that duel!"
"Probably."
"Then why...."
"Because it was a fun thing to do." I started walking back toward my dorm. "And because I'm tired of watching him hurt people while everyone calls him a hero."
[EVALUATION....You're definitely insane.]
[But also... interesting.]
[Keep going. This is getting fun.]
My eyes hardened as I heard the system.
Three days until I faced an SSS-rank protagonist who wanted to destroy me, three days to prepare for a fight I had a twelve percent chance of surviving, three days to prove that villains could be more than stepping stones.
I smiled despite myself and whispered. "Yes, you are right, this is going to be interesting."