THE PERFECT VILLAIN: Another chance with a system
Chapter 17: Claire!

Chapter 17: Claire!

Vael’s brow furrowed for a fraction of a second before he smoothed his expression. He turned back to them, a bright smile spreading across his face.

"Oh, an old man gave it to me not long ago. I thought it was fake," Vael said cheerfully. He assumed Niel would be the type to help strangers without being asked.

The blonde girl leaned in, studying the blade more closely. The dark-haired girl tapped the sword with her finger, then looked up at him.

"It looks real."

Vael lifted the blade to his face, pretending to inspect it further. "I don’t know. I’ve never seen the real one before."

He glanced down at them, a part of him wondering what their names were. He could pretend to be Niel, but he still didn’t fully know what role he was meant to play.

How do I find out about this current world without sounding suspicious?

Claire: Ask about their names jokingly.

Huh? No! That’s literally the biggest reveal.

Claire: Kill one, and the other would scream out their name.

No! What kind of ideas are you giving? What kind of personality did you even develop?

Claire: Isn’t it obvious, Lord Vael? One that aligns with your system’s unique abilities, of course—and a little bit of your resolve.

System abilities? You mean Calamity Evolution? So your evolution was triggered by it too. Your personality loves chaos and destruction?

Claire: Absolutely.

Vael sighed inwardly.

Could you reduce the calamity-level intrusions? Not every moment requires destruction. There are times that need silence and kindness for horrors to bloom.

Claire: Fine. As you wish.

Then Claire hissed.

The sound caught him off guard.

Did you just hiss?

Silence.

Vael stood there, frozen in confusion.

Claire? Claire! CLAIRE!!!

"Hey, Niel—are you still here?" The blonde girl’s voice cut through his thoughts.

"Yeah," he replied, scratching the back of his head. "I just got lost for a second. If this is the legendary sword, it would be amazing!"

His voice came out warm and cheerful, not from genuine excitement, but because he needed to match the kind of person he thought Niel would be.

"Hey! I have an idea," the dark-haired girl said. "Let’s ask Sir Lance."

"Yeah!" the blonde girl agreed, and both of them grabbed his hands, pulling him toward a weapon shop.

Inside, the walls were lined with thick oak wood that looked too polished for a merchant’s shop. Behind the counter sat an old, short man with grey hair.

"Sir Lance!" the blonde girl called out as they approached. "Look what Niel found!"

She pointed at the blade in Vael’s hands. The old man looked up from his counter.

"Hello, Mia. What brings you here today?" He glanced at the sword, then back at Vael—still wearing Niel’s face. "Is that the original sword?"

Vael handed it over. "I don’t know. Check it out."

The old man examined it for a long moment. His eyes widened. "It’s the original—but how... how did you find it?"

"An old man gave it to me after I saved him from an attack," Vael replied smoothly. "I thought it was fake, but I couldn’t say no to an old man’s gift."

Both girls’ eyes lit up.

"He got the legendary sword!" Mia said, turning to the dark-haired girl. "Anna, let’s go tell Mira about it!"

Before they could move, the door slammed open with a loud thud.

"Tell me what?!"

A tall girl filled the doorway, her chestnut hair pulled into a short bun. Her green eyes blazed with barely concealed fury. Her gaze locked onto Vael—still wearing Niel’s face.

"There you are!"

She marched toward him, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him out of the shop. Vael stumbled after her, caught off guard.

"My sword!"

She didn’t slow down or look back. Her fist tightened on his collar as she dragged him toward the door. "We’ll come back for it. You can keep slacking on missions, Niel."

Her voice, once furious, dropped into an exhausted sigh. "You keep doing this, Niel. We need to clear out the east cave before the monsters there find their way to the village. We can’t keep postponing it."

She finally stopped at the door and fixed him with a serious look. "We’re doing it today. Now."

"Fine! Fine!" he replied, though he had no idea who she was or what relationship they shared. For now, he would simply play along.

She released his collar, and he straightened himself.

"Hey, Anna—could you bring me the sword?"

Anna grabbed the blade and ran to him. She handed it over, and he muttered politely with a smile: "Thank you."

Mira’s eyes caught the blade. "Wow—is that the legendary sword?"

"I believe so," Vael replied.

She snatched it from his hands without asking. "I can’t believe it! How did you get it?" Her eyes widened with excitement.

"He said an old man gave it to him when he helped him," Mia chipped in.

Mira’s face twisted, disbelief written across her features. "An old man? That’s unbelievable."

Vael let out a silly scoff. "Believe me or not, that’s what happened."

She looked at him for a long moment, then at the sword, then back at him. Finally, she sighed. "You know what? You can explain in detail when we return. For now, we need to leave."

She grabbed him by the collar again and reached for the door.

"Alright! Alright! I’ll walk!" Vael countered.

She dragged him out of the shop before letting go.

"Dan is waiting. We need to hurry—follow me." She sprinted toward the field he had come from minutes earlier. In the distance, he spotted a young man—same age as the face he had stolen—with long black hair, waving.

They reached him quickly.

"Yo! Where did you go, Niel?" Dan asked, his smile warm. Then his gaze drifted to the blade in Vael’s hands. "Is that—"

"Yes, it is," Mira cut in before he could finish. She grabbed both of them by their shirts. "Questions later. Work now!"

They all headed toward the rocky cave across the field. Neither objected to her decision. Vael instantly knew she was the leader of the party.

To the right, farther away, stood the tree where the body of the original Niel lay. Though he wasn’t bothered if they found out or not. He wanted to know more about the world he had left six months ago—and to do that, he needed to observe from the sidelines.

Even if it meant playing the hero.

An adventure on the first day in the human world. Interesting. Very interesting.

I wonder... how will this mission end?