Reborn As The Minor Villain In A Romance Fantasy Novel

Chapter 261: Failed Assassination

The photographer stood behind the screen, looking at the several pictures he had taken while the girls looked at him expectantly, their eyes boring into him with an intensity that made sweat bead on his forehead.

Lucius was at a table at the far corner of the establishment and was currently drinking down water in long, desperate gulps like a man who had just crossed a desert.

’I’m completely drained.’ He thought with exhaustion seeping through every fiber of his being.

He had been forced to take different pictures with all of these girls... one, two, or three would have been fine, but taking it with every single one of them was simply hellish in ways he couldn’t even begin to describe.

He was sure he looked exhausted in some of them, given the constant need for different poses, different weights pressing against him, different everything that required adjustment and readjustment.

Taking pictures was such an enormous hassle that he was starting to understand why some celebrities hated photoshoots.

’Right, I also said I wanted to give those editors more content.’ Lucius thought, remembering his earlier promise to his followers.

So he not only needed pictures but videos as well to post across his social media platforms. And then he would create an alternate account to post them strategically for maximum engagement.

’Sounds like a bunch of work though.’

But regarding the pictures they had just taken, he would rather leave the decision up to the photographer than interfere with the selection process himself.

He had done his part by actually showing up and posing for the damn things.

"So Mister..." Judea said, leaning forward to look at the nametag pinned to the photographer’s chest. "Nelson, which picture was the best?"

Nelson looked at the screen with genuine difficulty, his eyes scanning across the various shots displayed in high resolution.

There was the elegant picture Lucius had taken with Selene, their bodies fitting together perfectly like puzzle pieces.

Then there was a standing side-by-side one with Judea that had this powerful energy to it, and even one with Vanessa where he leaned her in as if she was a ballerina performing a graceful move.

He simply couldn’t make a choice between them because all were so perfect in their own unique ways, each capturing a different dynamic and energy.

The lighting was flawless, the compositions were magazine-worthy, and even the wholesome family picture they had taken at the end was absolutely stunning.

"I can’t decide. Maybe Sir Lu—" Lucius immediately sealed his mouth with space manipulation, cutting off his words mid-sentence.

Nelson glanced over to Lucius in confusion, and the young man had placed a hand on his neck and drawn it across in a slashing motion that clearly showed that he would kill Nelson if he dared utter his name and put the responsibility on him.

Nelson immediately looked at his assistant who just entered with a burger in hand, grease dripping from the wrapper. "Luca... come here and pick the best picture."

Luca immediately walked over with enthusiasm and Nelson backed off carefully, putting distance between himself and the selection process.

He prayed internally for his assistant to survive what was about to happen. It was apparent that Luca didn’t understand the stakes at all, and Nelson preferred it like that since ignorance was bliss in this situation.

Who knew what would happen if none of the girls’ pictures were picked as the best?

Luca immediately touched a certain photo on the screen without hesitation, his finger landing decisively on one particular image.

"I think this is perfect... Sir Lucius really looks like he’s married in this one." Luca said with genuine appreciation, and Nelson took a glance at which photo his assistant had selected.

"Oh, the picture with Lady Luna?" He asked, and personally he had to admit that he liked that one quite a bit as well.

She was standing in front of Lucius with her back against his chest, and his hands were wrapped around her waist protectively.

They really looked like a married couple in their honeymoon phase, the chemistry was absolutely undeniable.

However, the next instant, the same thing he had expected happened shortly after with devastating consequences.

An immense amount of killing intent was directed specifically at Luca like a laser beam of pure murderous energy.

It missed Nelson by mere inches but still made him completely breathless, his lungs seizing up from the proximity to such power. As for Luca himself?

The guy fell on the ground straight up with blood coming out of his ears in thin streams, his hamburger squashed completely flat against the floor as his body collapsed.

’And this is why you don’t anger Awakened.’ Nelson thought with grim certainty, silently praying for the young man’s survival and hoping he wouldn’t have permanent hearing damage.

The killing intent receded like a tide pulling back from the shore, and Selene bowed apologetically with genuine remorse on her face.

"I apologize... I simply couldn’t contain my emotions." Selene said as she stood up gracefully to look at the screen more carefully, examining the Luna picture that had caused such a reaction.

She turned to Luna who looked victorious with barely concealed smugness radiating from her expression. "Fine, you win this round. Where do you want to go?"

Nelson immediately began dragging his assistant away from the scene, checking for a pulse and breathing.

"I want to obviously research some drone parts, and if you can help me get in contact with a few people that can design drones, I would love to see their views on the whole thing..." Luna said.

The last time she had met someone that was experienced in drone designing, which was apparently her so-called "role model," that woman had tried to steal her project outright.

"I see... for your business yeah?" Selene asked, then placed her hands together with a smile that showed genuine interest in helping. "I’ll recommend all of them then and call them over for a meeting, but first, let’s get these pictures framed properly."

"Thank you." Luna said sincerely, and then looked at her own picture with Lucius on the screen, taking in every detail of the composition.

It was really beautiful in a way that made her heart flutter slightly then she looked back at him, who was apparently watching some reels on his phone and completely ignoring the drama that had just unfolded. "We really do look like a married couple..."

...

Hours later, Lucius adjusted his shirt as he placed his legs up on the table casually, because honestly, who was going to stop him from doing whatever he wanted?

Luna and some others were sitting at this round table as well, including Selene who sat with perfect posture.

This was the top floor of the Bugzy Robots building, a massive structure that dominated the skyline.

They specialized in the building of robots and various automated systems, though their drone device sales had gone down quite a lot over the past few months due to increased competition.

The head of the company, Matthew Blacus, looked at the direct cause of this drop with narrowed eyes that held barely concealed irritation.

Luna Keller sat opposite him on the table, completely unbothered by his hostile gaze, and he clicked his fingers together in a nervous gesture.

The rest of the girls were at the bottom floor, scrolling through what they wanted to buy in the showroom downstairs and examining various robot models on display.

"So you made the Moon Goddess request for us to meet... why?" Matthew asked bluntly, leaning forward slightly. "What is in it for us...?"

Selene gave him a look that could freeze hellfire itself, and he swallowed hard, his throat clicking audibly.

He couldn’t risk angering the Moon Goddess who could obliterate his entire company with a thought, however he also couldn’t keep his cool in front of the direct reason why their drone sector was falling apart.

Luna, on the other hand, smiled confidently as she placed her phone on the table’s integrated slot.

As they had entered the meeting room, Matthew had explained the special features of this table with obvious pride.

You could slot your phone into the designated port and from there, use the advanced hologram feature which was perfect for pulling up complex projects and presenting them in three-dimensional space.

"A collaboration." Luna said simply, her voice carrying absolute certainty.

And with that declaration, she waved her hand upward and several holographic schematics materialized in the air around them.

They filled the space completely, floating diagrams and equations appearing everywhere, and one projection even appeared directly above Lucius’s leg where it was propped up.

Lucius blinked at it in mild surprise, then decided to stand up and move away from the projection.

The equations seemed to be even more complicated than anything Luna had shown before in their previous conversations.

There were mathematical formulas and engineering concepts that he was completely confused about, though if he used Eyes of Space then he could probably parse them with enough focus, but why waste all that mana on something so trivial?

Matthew’s expression changed dramatically from hostility to genuine interest as his eyes scanned the schematics floating before him.

"Ah, I see..." He said as he examined the central schematic more closely, his fingers reaching out to manipulate the hologram. "So the Ultra Globimus Terminal will conduct the primary power distribution through a revolutionary quantum lattice framework that bypasses traditional energy loss patterns entirely. That’s a very genius idea, one that could completely revolutionize the entire industry standard."

The other engineers and executives in the room began contributing their thoughts as well, their voices overlapping with technical jargon and excited speculation about the possibilities.

But what surprised Lucius the most was that Selene was speaking at their level as well, throwing around complex terminology like she had designed drones herself.

"The integration of B-rank core energy calibration with the terminal’s core processing unit would create unprecedented synchronization efficiency," Selene added thoughtfully, her blue eyes scanning the equations with obvious understanding. "We’re talking about reducing lag time to essentially zero, which would give any military application an insurmountable advantage over competitors."

With that realization that they were all exactly where they wanted to be, deep in technical discussion that would probably last hours, Lucius decided to leave the room quietly and let them handle their business.

...

Amber looked around the showroom floor, examining various weapons and equipment on display behind reinforced glass.

Although she didn’t manage to get the Reaper’s Scythe at the auction, she had purchased a similar scythe weapon with a quite moderate ability, though it was simply not as overpowered as the legendary artifact, all thanks to Selene.

’Well, Father didn’t care enough about the weapon, so I’ll forget it too.’ Amber thought pragmatically, trying to move on from the loss.

But the next moment, she recalled the sleek body of that magnificent scythe, the way the blade had gleamed under the lights. The weapon was simply a masterpiece of craftsmanship and enchantment.

Just then, the door of the shop opened with a soft chime, and she caught sight of a handsome light purple-haired young man entering with purpose in his stride.

’Not as hot as Lucius though...’ She thought automatically, though she slapped herself on both cheeks immediately after, the sound echoing in the showroom.

She really had to stop subconsciously comparing every guy she saw to Lucius, it was becoming a genuine problem.

The newcomer seemed to be looking around the showroom with searching eyes, but something about his features struck her as oddly familiar. Why did he look like Luna?

It was at that exact moment that Lucius descended the staircase from the upper floor.

The purple-haired man’s eyes immediately locked onto Lucius with laser focus, and something began forming over his body almost instantly.

It was like a mechanical suit made of advanced armor plating, forming piece by piece in a dazzling display of technology. The components materialized and assembled themselves completely into a full combat suit in the span of just three seconds, and he shot forward directly at Lucius who had just turned to face him.

"Lucius von Hohenberg! I will end you here and now!" Luke shouted out with genuine killing intent lacing every word.

However, a simple slap created from compressed space sent him flying to the side like a ragdoll, his body sailing through the air completely knocked unconscious from the impact.

But before he could hit a shelf full of expensive equipment and cause massive property damage, Lucius used his space manipulation to catch the falling body and let it drop to the ground harmlessly instead.

The mechanical head section of the armor fell apart with a hiss of releasing pressure seals, revealing Luna’s older brother underneath with his purple hair matted with sweat.

Lucius smiled with amusement as he walked over casually and lifted the unconscious man by grabbing his head.

"It seems your attempts to assassinate me have failed spectacularly once again..." He said conversationally, as if discussing the weather. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Upon seeing no reply or reaction whatsoever, he shook the guy roughly like a toy. "Answer me when I’m talking to you."

Villy pulled at Lucius’s leg with her hand and pointed up at Luke with obvious concern.

"He’s unconscious, my Lord." Villy pointed out helpfully.

"Oh..." Lucius said with realization, then promptly dropped Luke back onto the ground without ceremony. "Let’s carry him to Luna instead then. She can deal with her brother’s nonsense."