THE PERFECT VILLAIN: Another chance with a system
Chapter 2: Traitor

Chapter 2: Traitor

Vael walked to the hot spring in the castle, washed up, and dressed in a fine black suit.

He stood by the mirror one last time, chin tilted, studying the horn against the black hair. This time, he had only self-survival in mind. Then he summoned the system:

Notice:

Abilities: Authority of Theft, Calamity Evolution, Shapeshifting.

Does this system respond like an assistant, or is it just a record guide?

Notice: Both can be possible.

"Huh? It can read my thoughts?"

Notice: The user and the system are in sync. Even thoughts can activate the system.

Vael’s mouth curved. "Well, this makes things a whole lot easier."

Vael looked at the abilities displayed on the system. In his previous life, he had only the unique skill of Sword Art, and even then, he had risen to the ranks of those with Authorities. Now, he had an Authority too.

"So, system, do you have a name, or should I give you one?"

Notice: I do not possess a name.

"Well then, I suppose I’ll give you one." Vael paused, his thumb pressing once against his palm, and a field of sunlight cut briefly through the dark behind his eyes — his daughter’s laugh, gone before he could hold it. He looked down at the system.

"Claire. I’ll call you Claire."

Notice: Name Accepted. Claire.

Notice: System shall now assume the name Claire.

Vael placed his hands under his chin, looking at the display in front of him. "Could you explain these abilities briefly for me? It would be important that I fully understand my abilities."

Notice: Authority of Theft—allows you to copy a skill or ability you witness.

Calamity Evolution—the more disaster you create and the more people see you as a calamity, the more you evolve.

Shapeshifting—ability to copy a person’s face after seeing them only once.

All possess the possibility for evolution.

"A possibility for evolution, huh? That’s perfect. For now."

Vael turned toward the door and stepped out. He had a map of the entire kingdom in his head, but he wanted to see for himself.

As soon as he stepped out, a voice called from behind.

"Vael, you survived."

Vael turned, unhurried, and found the face at once. Nevis — the one who had killed him.

Vael’s mouth curved. "Yeah, I did."

Nevis walked up to him and slung an arm around his shoulders. "You’re getting stronger. Next time, I’ll make sure to finish it."

He said it calmly, as though he were talking about a meal. Killing each other is considered normal here, huh? This will be fun.

"Oh, you’ll have to try harder next time." Vael slipped out from under the arm, easy as water. "Maybe we’ll see each other again later."

He walked on without looking back.

"Harder, you say? Vael is finally growing up," Nevis called after him, his voice pitched high with something close to delight. Vael took three more steps, then stopped and looked back.

"You should watch your back. You’ll be the first one I kill."

Nevis’s face drained pale for a heartbeat — then split into a wide grin, as if he’d just been handed a gift. "Now that’s it — that’s what I like to hear!"

Vael turned and kept walking, the corner of his mouth pulling tight and sharp for just a moment before it smoothed back out. He hadn’t said it in anger, and there was nothing of the body’s old grudges in it either.

He just didn’t like him. That’s all.

---

Soon, he reached the council’s office door. Four demons were already gathered, discussing an issue. None realized he was standing by the door.

"You think someone is meeting up with the humans and selling our secrets to them?"

A girl spoke up. She wore very short pants and a cropped leather shirt. Her horns were similar to Vael’s but slightly shorter. She was a demon princess—the leader of the Council.

"Yes, I have a feeling that person is of royal blood, or at least works in the royal castle," another added—a male, Valin.

"Also, we have the next spot for the meeting today, Lady Erna. It’s due north. An hour from now," Cole added. All three sat across the table from her, backs facing the doorway.

Erna finally looked up. "Vael, you’re late."

"Apologies, sister. I was almost murdered by my very own brother." He walked in, pulled out a chair, and sat at the side of the other three demons.

"Anyways," she continued, not so much as glancing up, "we need to find who it is and do it without them noticing we’re going after them."

"We have the spot, but it’d be easier if we knew who, right?" Sean added, the last demon in the row.

"Yes, it would." Erna paused as silence stretched among them.

A traitor, huh? I wonder who.

Vael’s gaze drifted to the door, to the corridor beyond it, to the hot spring at the end of that corridor. His mouth curved before he’d decided to let it.

"Vael, do you have a clue?"

"No, only a suspicion, though."

"Who? Who do you think it is?" Erna didn’t hesitate.

"Well, I think Nevis is the one." Vael sat up straighter. "Though it’s only a suspicion. I believe he has other motives—it’s the reason he attacked me. Maybe he needed to delay this meeting to buy time for his plan."

The room went still. Sean’s fingers stopped drumming on the table. Nevis was known for his outright hatred toward humans — but nobody in that room shifted their weight, or did any of the small unconscious things people do when a suggestion sits easy with them.

"How certain are you?"

Vael leaned back into his chair, unbothered by the silence. "Like I said, it’s just a suspicion. But I can monitor Nevis on my own. If he isn’t the one, then we won’t have to worry about anything. You all can focus on the location. And if it is him, you get a heads-up beforehand. There’s no loss if he’s innocent, but there’s a lot to gain if he’s complicit."

Nobody at the table moved to argue it. Nobody moved to agree either.

"Alright. Cole, Sean, and Valin—you three lay low at the meeting spot. I’ll remain in the castle to monitor who comes back around that time and who goes out. Vael, you watch Nevis carefully."

"Yes, Lady Erna," all three responded in unison.

"Alright, sister," Vael added.

The three demons stood up and left, while Vael waited before standing. He walked toward the door, and Erna called out to him: "Don’t get caught and ruin our surprise. I’ll kill you myself."

"As you wish, sister," he said, reaching for the door. Then he stopped. "Also, since it’s due north, I hope you focus more on that spot. It would be inconvenient if he slips in and out without your notice."

She stood up from her seat and looked at him. "Certainly."

He gave her a small nod and walked out.

---

He headed back to his room and then toward Nevis’s private section. He found Nevis deep in a hot spring, head tipped back, eyes closed, steam curling off skin gone slack with heat. Nevis didn’t stir.

Vael stood in the doorway a moment longer than the glance required — watching the water settle, the eyes stay shut — then stepped back out without a sound.

He walked out of the chamber and headed toward his own section.

Then he noticed something strange. A servant had begun sneaking toward the north, and Erna was far away, walking toward the stand where she had intended to watch from.

He’ll slip away before she gets there. I did tell her about this, though.

He had barely taken a step when he paused. He looked back in the direction where the sneaky demon had passed. His mouth curved, slow this time.

He walked back to his room and changed his outfit to match Nevis’s style. Then he headed toward the direction of the meeting. Erna was already there—he was certain she would see him if he passed.

"Claire, is my Shapeshifting ability strong enough to mimic my brother, and how long can it hold?"

Notice: Shapeshifting skill can mimic anyone’s appearance.

Notice: Current duration—one day.

"Perfect."

Vael walked toward the north wing. He immediately shifted into Nevis and walked out where Erna could see him. He didn’t act suspiciously nor hasten his footsteps. He simply moved with the pride Nevis would have, then headed north until he disappeared from her sight.

She immediately teleported using demon magic to the location they were meant to lay in wait and informed the others who was coming. They waited patiently for anyone to arrive first. The humans showed up first—a young man and a woman, their faces covered with cloaks.

"We’ll wait until he reaches them. Only then will we attack."

---

Meanwhile, Vael had hastened his speed the moment he was out of sight to catch up with the one who was selling the secrets.

He reached them before they could cover half the distance. He quietly followed behind for a moment before speaking.

"Hey there. You seem quite busy."

The demon instinctively turned around and shot flames at him. Vael moved smoothly, both hands behind his back.

"Ah... oh, Lord Nevis. What... what brings you here?"

Vael’s mouth curved into Nevis’s smile, borrowed and easy. "Just walking."

That question fully acknowledges Nevis’s lack of connection to this. It doesn’t matter, though.

Vael took a step forward. "It seems like you’re headed north. Do you intend to meet someone?"

"No... no, I didn’t. I was just—"

Before the demon could finish, Vael blasted him with the same flames he had used earlier—but more potent—totally obliterating the demon.

"I don’t care what you were doing."

He looked back toward the castle. I’d better get back early.

---

He moved back into the castle with the same grace he had walked out with. By that time, Erna had returned to her watch spot.

Immediately she saw him, she leaped from the building and landed down—but Vael had seen her first. He hid at a corner, shapeshifted back to himself, and ripped off his outer clothes. He had worn a more subtle set underneath. He burned the discarded ones instantly.

At that moment, Erna rushed in, hoping to find Nevis—but she found Vael instead.

"He escaped, to his chamber!" Vael replied before she could ask any questions.

She didn’t ask further. She immediately ran toward Nevis’s chamber, and Vael followed behind, unhurried, a half-step back the whole way — close enough to seem helpful, far enough to watch.

He’s likely still in the spring. He wasn’t gone long enough to have moved.

---

As she reached his chambers, she snapped her fingers. Portals opened, and ten different demons ran out. She had backup.

They immediately launched into the room. None asked any questions before attacking.

Vael’s gaze went first to the water on the floor, tracked from the spring to where a robe hung, hastily thrown on. The real Nevis, then — pulled from his bath by the noise, still damp, still blinking heat-fog from his eyes when the chains found him.

Five shot black chains at him, and three others joined in with a barrier, sealing him in place.

"What is this, Erna?!" Nevis screamed angrily.

"You traitor! Do you think acting like nothing happened would save you?!" She replied, charging dark, pure energy at him. Those with chains let out an electric shock through them. The barrier dropped as two attacked with blades from behind and one from the front.

"What the hell are you doing?! ERNA!!!!!" Nevis screamed in pain, but no one stopped.

Erna stood in front of Nevis, charging some kind of black ball that looked nothing like the flames Vael had seen from the other demon.

After a while, she launched it toward the center of Nevis’s chest. He shifted at the last moment, and the blast took off his right hand. A massive explosion followed.

All the demons around got badly burnt, but Nevis had disappeared. Vael noticed the shimmer of teleportation magic where he’d stood.

Vael watched the scorch marks smoke on the floor, the demons around him nursing burns without a single complaint between them. Living pawns. He tucked the thought away and stepped forward.

Perhaps it was the simple fact that they were demons that made him feel nothing, or maybe his very nature had been so thoroughly shattered that he had lost whatever heart he had left.

"It seems he escaped," Vael finally said, looking at Erna.

She walked past him without stopping. "I’ll mobilize some demons to find him before he fully recovers and escapes. It’s a kill-on-sight order."

"Alright, I’ll go searching too," Vael responded.

"Do as you please." Erna didn’t stop. She walked out and headed for her chamber.

Vael let out a short breath, almost a laugh, and walked out of the chamber, heading to his own room.

Claire, how many abilities do I possess now?

Notice: Five.

Abilities: Teleportation, Devil’s Chain, Lightning, Barrier, and Black Flames.

Vael stopped in his tracks.

"Huh? What about the other demon’s flames?"

Notice: A copied ability can only be used once. The system is currently unable to save abilities for long.

Vael let his head fall back for a second, eyes on the ceiling.

Of course. The Authority hasn’t developed yet. It should eventually allow me to save them. That means I can only copy and use each once. This is a major flaw... but I can work with that.

He kept walking toward his chambers. As soon as he reached the door, he paused. He suddenly recalled a memory of a spot Nevis had taken him to just to torture him. It looked like a perfect place to hide.

"I currently have five spare abilities to work with. Well, there’s no harm in trying, right?"

Vael’s mouth curved. Instantly, he activated Teleportation and appeared at the spot from his memories.

---

Inside, Nevis sat at the edge of the wall, skin severely burnt and one hand missing. He looked exhausted and sleepy.

Vael shot a lightning blast at him, leaving a hole in his other hand. Nevis woke up. Before he could move, Vael activated his barrier, sealing him in.

"You! You bastard!" Nevis spat.

Vael walked in, chin tilted the way it always was before he said something he meant. Every step moved with intent. "Hello, brother."

"You—what did you do?!"

Vael stopped a few feet away from Nevis. "Do you forget? I told you earlier that I’d kill you first, didn’t I?"

Nevis’s eyes went wide. "How... how did you do it? And what exactly did you do?!"

"None of that should concern you now, brother. This is our goodbye." Vael stretched his hand toward Nevis. The black ball similar to Erna’s appeared in his palm. In that moment, Nevis’s eyes shot open.

"You... you shouldn’t be able to do that. You bastard! Who the hell are you?"

Vael’s head tilted upward, his gaze dropping onto Nevis the way one looks at something already dead.

"I am Nemesis."