Reborn As The Minor Villain In A Romance Fantasy Novel

Chapter 238: And That’s A Trip

"Huh?!" the men at the table shouted in unison.

Every council member leaned forward at once, necks extending like startled ostriches as they stared at Lucius’s phone screen. Because the S-rank texting him and using emojis, even... was not just any S-rank from Avalon.

She was the Avalon S-rank. The strongest one in the entire country.

A woman so powerful she didn’t bother attending international meetings, she was also a woman known for rejecting every man who so much as breathed toward her general direction and a woman famous for being cold, untouchable, and ruthlessly private.

Yet there she was on Lucius’s phone, texting with sparkly emojis like a maiden in love.

The President felt something tighten in his chest.

’What changed...?’

What kind of unholy rizz had Lucius unlocked?

Lucius casually leaned back, placing both legs on the counter as if he were lounging at home and not in a high-security council meeting room.

"So," he continued, completely unfazed by the tension in the room, "there’s no need for you to get me a guide or whatever. I’ve already promised her, and I’ll be leaving next week."

A cold silence dropped over the meeting like a lead blanket. Lucius stretched his arms and exhaled contentedly.

"Book the flight ahead of then. I’ll be back before the Academy officially opens."

That part, at least, he meant.

He didn’t want to miss any heroine debuts... even if classes would cut into his streaming time.

’Imagine not being able to stream properly because I have to go to the Academy.’

He sighed inwardly, he really didn’t want to go to the Academy anymore.

’Meh... I’ll leave that problem to Future Lucius.’

"I understand," the President finally said, forcing his face into a diplomatic mask even though his eyes twitched. "Please do well and not be swayed by the countless offers they’ll try to shower on you."

Lucius smiled lazily.

"Come on, Prez. I’m gaining a lot from the council. Why would I defect to another country?"

A unified breath of relief spread around the room...

"Of course," he continued cheerfully, "if they give me a trillion royals, I might reconsider."

Silence.

One man audibly gulped and another pinched his thigh under the table.

The Himmelsturm head quietly made the sign of the goddess. Lucius waved off their horror with a flick of the wrist and pushed himself to his feet.

"But seriously, Prez... what would you say the structural integrity of this building is at...?"

Everyone blinked.

The President turned his head toward the Himmelsturm clan head who stiffened like a man suddenly asked to disarm a bomb.

"This building," Himmelsturm began with professional confidence, "was made to withstand several kinds of attacks, even A-rank. Its defensive layering is extremely advanced. It’s very difficult to penetrate. Of course your space could do it, but—"

He didn’t finish the sentence because Lucius wasn’t there anymore.

In a blink, he had teleported above the entire building, floating in the open sky with his coat fluttering behind him. His expression was serene.

"I hope," Lucius said calmly, "this will be the last time anything like this happens. You shouldn’t cut into my resting time for trivial matters."

Then several orbs materialized around him... floating spheres of space.

Inside them, he placed fragments of Dimensium.

Fire.

Wind.

Holy magic.

Blood magic.

Also every other element he had snatched from the raid and then Lucius released them.

A rain of annihilation descended upon the meeting complex.

The first impact detonated like a small sun, vaporizing the upper layers of the building in an instant.

The second followed and merged with it.

Then a third.

Then a fourth, until the entire structure was swallowed by a blinding column of elemental fury.

The explosion towered into the sky... visible from kilometers away.

Lucius didn’t stay to watch.

He simply turned, shot into the opposite direction, and vanished from sight with a single teleport.

⸻

Below, in the smoking rubble, a slab of collapsed concrete shifted.

From beneath it crawled the Runenforscher head who was currently bloodied, shaking, and missing a leg.

His other leg twitched at an unnatural angle and half his face was bruised purple.

He dragged himself onto clearer ground, choking on dust and rage.

"Damn you..." he spat, gripping the dirt.

"Damn you... damn you..."

He raised his battered arm toward the sky, tears of fury at the corner of his eye.

"LUCIIIIUS VOOOOON HOOOOOHENBEEEERG!!!"

His scream echoed through the ruins.

⸻

Lucius appeared at the mansion’s front door and immediately sneezed.

"Hm? Is someone talking about me?"

He rubbed his nose and yawned.

’The life of a protagonist... always someone screaming my name with hatred somewhere.’

Before he could knock, the door swung open.

"Elara—!"

The young woman launched herself at him like a missile.

Her legs wrapped around his waist, her arms looped around his neck, and her face burrowed into his chest.

Lucius staggered, then steadied himself with a sigh as he walked into the living room.

"Seems like someone missed me."

Elara bit her lip, cheeks flushed, and pulled back just enough to cup his face.

"Are you okay, Master? I missed you..."

Then she sniffed and her nose scrunched like she’d smelled a corpse.

"You smell a lot. Didn’t you take a bath?"

Lucius blinked, then sighed.

"I don’t think there was enough time to do so..."

He raised an arm and sniffed.

His own expression twisted.

"...Okay, yes. I smell like the sewers. Definitely not ideal."

He tried walking inside, but Elara clamped her thighs around him like a koala refusing to be detached.

"Elara... what are you doing?"

"I’m going to take a bath with you," she declared boldly. "It’s been so long since we’ve had time alone. And... and I wanted to join your raid, but Vanessa assigned me to another group. And we also cleared an A-rank! So..."

She leaned closer with her eyes sparkling.

"Since I finished the raid... can I get a reward?"

Lucius looked down at her innocent expression.

’Right... Elara was the first person I met in this world. And Luna too... I’ve really been neglecting them. I already had sex with Vanessa and Elena.’

He opened his mouth.

"Sur—"

SLAP.

A loud smack echoed as someone slapped Elara’s ass.

Elara let out an involuntary moan and dropped off Lucius entirely, collapsing onto the floor with trembling legs and a crimson face.

Lucius stared.

’I really do attract perverted women...’

Before he could process that, another warmth pressed against him.

"Daddy~ Welcome home."

Emilia wrapped both arms around his neck, pressing her body flush against his. Her lips neared his...

"H-Hey! Get off!"

Elara grabbed Emilia’s waist and tickled her savagely, making the crimson-haired girl squeal and lose her grip.

Within seconds, the two girls were wrestling on the carpet, yelling each other’s names like feral cats.

Lucius pinched the bridge of his nose.

Then...

DING.

A bell rang sharply through the room.

"Enough."

Villy walked in. She was balancing a tray with a single steaming cup in one hand... and holding a small ceremonial bell in the other.

She looked... weird.

Her bangs were cut into a straight line, her dress was frilly and old-fashioned, and she gave off the energy of a disciplined head maid from a vintage film.

Lucius blinked at her.

’Did I... come to the right house?’

"She’s been watching a lot of Exorcist movies as of late." Emilia said before she was hit by a whip made of magic.

"I said Enough!"

...

In the end, Lucius was dragged... no, forced into the bath of his personal room.

He hadn’t even resisted that much. Between Elara’s clinginess, Emilia’s ambushes and Villy apparently trying to be an exorcist from a movie, he realized he was better off surrendering than trying to negotiate.

Besides, the hot water felt too good to complain about.

He lay in the enormous marble tub, one leg crossed over the other, steam rising into the air as the enchanted jets kept the bath at a perfect temperature.

His head rested comfortably against the edge.

’According to them... Vanessa and Luna aren’t home yet.’

He closed his eyes briefly.

Of course they weren’t. Vanessa was probably still dealing with the aftermath of the A-rank raid... reports, guild finances, assigning teams and whatever she did in that office.

As for Luna? She would probably be covering for Vanessa until late at night.

’Who knows the amount of paperwork waiting for her over there? Poor thing.’

His fingers tapped the water lazily.

’Right... before the trip, I should call Alexi. Need to secure that warehouse for Luna.’

That was priority. Luna’s business was already scaling too fast.

She needed a central hub for drone storage, manufacturing, repairs, and customizing the special units Lucius kept designing for her.

He already had plans... international distribution, supply lines in Avalon, maybe deals with the Eastern Nations. If she expanded her brand across borders...

She’d be super rich.

Just then...

Click.

The door to the bath slid open quietly, then shut again.

Lucius opened an eye.

Standing there, wrapped in a towel that clung desperately to her curves, was Elena.

The towel slipped slightly as she stepped inside, revealing the side of her hip... it was smooth with pale skin that glistened from the steam.

Her thick thighs were pressing together shyly, and the towel was just a little too short at the back... Lucius let out a low appreciative whistle in his mind.

’What a view.’

Her cheeks were pink from either embarrassment or the heat or both. She tugged the towel down just a bit, drawing the line between modesty and invitation as she approached him.

"Master..." she whispered, voice soft but filled with urgency. "Please don’t tell Emilia I’m here."

He lifted a brow but nodded.

She exhaled in relief, then bit her lip, eyes flicking to the bathwater before returning to him.

"Will you give me my reward now?" she murmured.

Lucius sat up slightly, meeting her gaze with a slow smile.

"Sure. What do you want, cutie?"

Elena’s breath hitched. Being called that made her knees wobble.

She glanced down at the steaming water again, then up at his bare chest, then back to his eyes.

"I... want Master to bathe me."

Lucius opened his mouth then closed it.

He spread his legs in the water and patted his lap.

"Alright. Get in."

Her towel loosened instantly.

Elena let it fall to the tiled floor, revealing every curve, every soft line of her body. She was blushing furiously, but she didn’t hide herself from him... not even a little.

Lucius’s gaze trailed deliberately down her figure, and she shivered slightly under the weight of it.

Slowly, she stepped into the hot water, submerging herself until she settled between his legs, her back pressed to his chest.

The warmth made her relax immediately.

A spray of water from the tub by Lucius using space cascaded down on her, soaking her fully.

Elena inhaled sharply, then melted backward into him making Lucius touched her shoulder gently.

"Where would you like me to start?"

Her lashes fluttered.

"Please... wash my hair."

He reached for the soap bar, running it through her long blond hair.

As the suds formed, he massaged her scalp, fingers skillfully working through her locks. Elena’s eyes closed in bliss.

The stress of the past few days drained from her body with every slow, firm motion of his hands.

Lucius spoke softly, almost apologetically. "Sorry for not giving you much time lately."

Her eyes opened briefly before closing again as a happy smile tugged at her lips.

"Master, I don’t mind... as long as you don’t leave me alone anymore." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Your hands feel amazing..."

Lucius lifted a strand of hair and frowned.

"You’re dirty. You don’t even wash your hair properly."

She gasped. "Eh?! I do wash it!"

"It’s tangled," he remarked, gently working through a knot.

"Ow—! Master!" she squeaked, then giggled when he soothed the area.

"I feel so much bett—"

SLAM.

The bathroom door burst open.

Both Lucius and Elena turned their heads... and saw Emilia.

She was completely naked and currently sprinting directly toward the tub with the enthusiasm of a child diving into a pool.

"I’M GOING IN!!!!"

There was no pause.

Only a running jump...

SPLAAAAAASH!!!

Water surged out of the tub in a massive wave, flooding half the bathroom floor.