Isn’t the wannabe Villain too cute?

"Battle me, right here and right now! You hear me!"

As Venessa approached the brother-sister duo, she shouted at the top of her lungs with rage filling her amber eyes without minding the gazes she was receiving from the surrounding.

Austin raised his brows toward the woman on the back, who looked like the adult version of Venessa, as she seemed to calm her daughter down but failed pitifully.

Saya had a blank look on her face as she saw the little girl approaching her before she asked in genuine curiosity.

"...Who?"

Vanessa's steps came to an abrupt halt as a look of complete disbelief instantly dyed her face.

As soon she registered, the raven-haired woman just said, a thick vein popped on her forehead, with lips twitching in annoyance.

"Y-You!!!"

Before Venessa could have launched toward the arrogant woman in front, Austin came in between before anything irreversible could have taken place.

"Calm down, Venessa. We are in a public place. Not everyone is used to experiencing intent here."

As his word traveled, Venessa was pulled out of her stupor as she realized that, indeed, the marketplace was filled with a variety of people who might not be a mana-user.

Instantly self-reflecting, she pulled back the blood lust she had been drawing subconsciously.

"It seems you both know each other, so why not take this conversation somewhere private?"

Austin proposed the idea since it seemed she wouldn't let go of Saya this easily.

"Fine by me."

"Me too, only if Onii-sama is also coming. "

Saya was utterly unbothered and chimed like an energy ball, making Venessa irritated and baffled simultaneously. Not so many days ago, Venessa saw the complete emotionless war doll, but now the way Saya behaved seemed she was seeking her brother's attention.

'Wait, when did he become a brother of her...?'

Vanessa held the question to herself as she, with Saya beside her, started walking to the nearby cafè.

Austin turned toward the woman for the first time as he saw her sighing toward her daughter.

"It's an honor to meet Madame Elizabeth Charles in person for the first time. My name is Austin. Pleased to meet you."

Austin brought his hand on his chest before bowing slightly and greeting the woman he once saw in a book in the school library.

"You seem to know me. A warrior being interested in herbs is quite rare. Anyway, it's nice to meet you too, Sir Austin."

The reason she said so was simply the field in which she was famous. Herbs and potions were her fortè, and before marrying Charles Sinton, Elizabeth worked in the Eden Academy as a professor.

Without any further words, both of them exchanged a glance before they also walked inside the cafè.

Elizabeth, by appearance, looked gorgeous enough to stand out in the crowd with her long fiery hair, which was depicted like an actual burning flame, with a figure completely denying her real age, which was around early forties.

Both Charles and Elizabeth loved each other since their teenage even though they didn't attend school together, and only after they became well accomplished in their life make the decision to marry and have a child the very next year.

Various thoughts about how such a delicate-looking woman married such a burly man, but there are those too who thought of them as a perfect couple who compliments each other in various ways.

In contrast to the mature beauty both Saya and Elizabeth carried, Venessa was entirely shadowed as every gaze was glancing at those adult females every once in a while.

Unbothered by all this, the group of four took a table at the corner, which was slightly less noisy and comparatively less in the populace.

"Wh-what would you like to order, dear customers."

It seemed the midget waiter was intimated by the women as he stuttered those lines, which he practically pronounced a hundred times daily.

"I will take a coffee without sugar, thanks."

Austin made his request signifying how used he was to order the same beverage.

"Me too, same as Onii-sama."

"I-If she's going to order, then me too. Coffee, please!"

Saya orders the same thing to match Austin's taste and have same things in common. Vanessa's order was simply just to compete with her rival.

"No, Venessa, your stomach cannot handle caffeine. Mr. Waiter, put a simple chocolate shake for her and for me a cup of tea."

"Mama...."

Vanessa tried to protest as she sensed the sneer coming from the person opposite her, but Elizabeth wasn't in the mood to listen to her daughter at all.

"And you too, Saya. I remember you lose your appetite after drinking tea or coffee. So put a fruit juice for her. Thank you."

"Onii-sama...."

This time Saya pouted as she received a smirk from opposite her. But Austin as well, just smiled at her; however, he didn't have any intention to change the order.

In the end, the two silently accepted their guardians' outright rejection.

"So, how come you both know each other?"

Austin asked since he wasn't sure when Saya left the dorm or whether she had met Venessa before reuniting with him. He completely forgot about the fact that before meeting him, Saya came to Gram for her mission.

"I really don't know her, Onii-sama. I just have a vague recollection of someone cursing me with the same face as her."

"Rejoice that I was injured that day, or instead of a curse, I would have directed something more lethal that day."

"Yeah... Yeah. Whatever."

"Huh?! Are you taking me as a fool?!"

Seeing the rising temperature around the table, Elizabeth pulled her daughter before she could have jumped to fight.

"Calm down Nes. You still aren't properly well, so leave the fighting and brawling after you recover."

Vanessa didn't say anything just crossed her arm under her bosom and turned her head in frustration.

"So, you both are here to shop today?"

Elizabeth, to lighten up the mood, asked Austin, which the latter understood very well and answered with the same motive.

"Yeah, preparation for the ceremony. And what about you two?"

"We also are shopping for Nes' formal gown for the ceremony. Since it's her first time in the royal court, I plan to decorate my daughter like a doll."

"I am not going to dress like that!"

Vanessa protested, but the smile on Elizabeth's charming face told how lightly she took the plea.

"You are invited too, Venessa?"

"Umm... Yeah. And not only me but all those who contributed the most in the war. You didn't know?"

Austin slightly shook his head since he wasn't aware of anything about it. In a way, he was thankful that he wouldn't become the only piece of attraction in the court.

"Ah, that reminds me, Austin..."

Suddenly Elizabeth tapped on the table before the surrounding became utterly frozen.

Austin's eyes went wide as he sensed that other than him and the mature beauty in front, everyone was unmoving as time had halted for them altogether.

'Time magic barrier? '

Austin gasped in astonishment since all these things happened so suddenly that he never got the time to registered it completely.

Only did Elizabeth continue to talk did Austin come back to himself, but when he heard her, Austin's mind went blank.

"...when are you going to marry my daughter?"

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A/N: - Dangerous mages popping out of nowhere. The whole plot has shifted and taken a massive turn. In some chapters, we will see a power boost in Kyouki and huge events unfolding.

Excited? Drop a commentt~