THE PERFECT VILLAIN: Another chance with a system
Chapter 33: Arrival

Chapter 33: Arrival

[The present]

Amira—now Elestar—shot upright almost at once. She could recall exactly how and why she’d ended up in this body, and with the memory came a heavy sense of what she now had to do.

She could feel her body beneath her. Slowly, she tightened her grip, then released it, and frowned. This body was physically weak, untrained. There was no way she could stand against Vael in such a fragile form.

She drew a deep breath in, then let it out. Her decision was already made. Vael might be on a mission to burn down the society that had wronged him, but she couldn’t step in yet. Not yet.

I’ll take six months to train properly. After that, I should be able to hold my own against him. For now, I have to prepare.

Just then the door swung open again. It was the head guard, Namor, his face lit with relief and joy as he crossed the room toward her.

"Princess Elestar. You’re awake."

Only then did she remember she was still wearing another body, another life. She would have to play the princess too, for now. She gave the guard a small nod and let a smile settle over her face.

"Certainly, Sir Namor. I am."

---

Somewhere near the city gate of Warstone, Vael stood staring up at the great wall, still wearing Niel’s face. There was no need for pretense any longer. From here on, he would live exactly as he chose.

"I finally have the chance for a much better start. A far larger place to build a life—who knows what it’ll bring?"

Vael thought, taking a step toward the gate. Then it came.

Claire: Note—Calamity Evolution has granted a gift for calamity caused.

New skill gained: Teleportation.

Skill limit—once daily.

Wait, what? Why the limit? And why no Evolution this time?

Claire: No Evolution occurred. This is merely a gift from a calamity caused.

Vael frowned, unable to grasp why he hadn’t evolved as expected after the disaster.

I don’t understand. I did cause a disaster—shouldn’t Evolution follow?

Claire: No. For Calamity Evolution to advance, each disaster must exceed the last.

Vael paused, letting the words settle. It was true—the demon castle had been at least thirty times the size of Velroth. Destroying a village a fraction of that scale was never going to be enough to trigger another leap. The whole spectacle had been, in that sense, wasted effort. Vael sighed.

At least I’ve severed all my past ties, and taken out a hero besides. That’s still a win. But—

The idea of teleporting only once a day struck him as fairly useless. It would be far more valuable if he could use it freely. Still, no point dwelling on it now—it would improve eventually, the way everything in his system did.

"Well, not entirely useless. It might prove its worth in a truly desperate moment—at the very least, it’s a guaranteed way out," Vael muttered, heading toward the main gate. "Now, let’s see what Warstone has to offer."

---

The kingdom of Warstone was renowned for the richness of its architecture and weaponry, making it one of the hardest kingdoms in the land to overthrow.

Its streets were paved in thick marble, its buildings raised in solid oak and matching stone, giving everything a look of wealth regardless of who walked past.

He headed for the adventurers’ guild first—to blend in properly, he’d need a job and a place to stay.

He stepped inside to the loud, aimless chatter of adventurers crowded around the guild bar. As he made his way to the counter, something caught his attention. An adventurer passing by murmured to someone beside him.

"Hey, did you hear Velroth was destroyed, and Lady Amira was behind it?"

Wow, news travels fast. Vael thought. But the next words stopped him mid-step.

Another voice answered from nearby. "I heard, but that can’t be true. Those girls must be lying—there’s no way a bunch of D-rank girls survived a meteor. If I hadn’t seen the place myself, I wouldn’t believe it. How did they make it out?"

The words hit him like cold water.

Girls. D-ranks. Survived? Mira and the others made it out? Vael thought, and a moment later, a smile slipped free. I’m impressed.

He continued to the counter. At the far end stood a young woman in a long brown skirt and white top, wearing a tired but pleasant smile.

"Welcome to Warstone. Would you like to register as an adventurer?"

Her voice came out smooth, familiar. It wasn’t the first time they’d met—not in this life, but in his old one, they’d been good friends, and she’d been the only one to show her face when he was arrested and charged. Her name was Ciara.

"Yes, I would. Miss...?"

"Ciara is my name," she replied with a smile.

"Miss Ciara. A pleasure to meet you. If it’s no trouble, I’ll also need a new card and an urgent quest—I’m a bit short on funds," Vael replied, smiling.

"Oh, that’s no issue at all. What’s your rank, primary power type, and name?" she asked.

"B rank. Power type is poison and swordplay. Name’s Niel," Vael replied casually. He’d brought the blade along but had switched it into a different sheath, disguising it well enough to pass unrecognized.

She smiled and nodded, stepping away. "I’ll be back shortly."

It didn’t take long before she returned, handing him a card bearing his name, rank, and listed skills. Vael pocketed it and looked back at her.

"About that quest," she continued, "there’s a hero who needs some assistance, and the listing requires B rank. It’s the only job available today, and you fit the requirement—would you like to accept it?"

Vael turned the offer over in his mind. Hero or not, it made little difference to him—but if there was one hero he’d rather avoid, it was the leader of the heroes. Cael. Even with his newfound abilities, he was still no match for him, and unlike Amira, Cael wasn’t the type to be fooled easily.

It would suit him far better if it were anyone else. He looked at her and asked, hoping for the best.

"Which hero, exactly, would I be working with?"

She glanced up, realizing she’d left the name out. "Apologies for that. The hero available now is Sir Cael."