Struggling as a Villain

So here's the new plan.

Since Richard had to rescue Ethan for the sake of this world and the wish he wanted for himself, he decided to change the initial plan of just watching the world burn.

Richard thought he would just sit in a corner and see his mother dominating the field to make the Emperor realize the importance of the Duchess. However, now he had to act, in order to accomplish his goal.

Ethan would not get any help from the four regressors and that was something even the heaven residents have accepted. As such, it becomes crucial for Richard to act prudently to save the Protagonist.

"Richie? Is everything alright?" En route to the teleportation center—situated in the church—Bellarine asked.

Since Lilia used the one located in the mansion, they had to use the portal of the church.

Richard nodded before replying nonchalantly, "Yeah, everything is good. Do I look strange?"

"No...it's just...I feel you are both anxious and excited about something."

Lord...I need to be careful—he inwardly muttered while glancing at the lady who could read him clearly like a large banner. Not only her but Lilia as well has begun to tell his thoughts and emotions so casually these days that in his free time, Richard improves his poker face.

"I am just...excited to see the strongest witch in action again. I have heard your tales but only have seen you in battle once before. So yeah, I am kinda thrilled." His response held credibility from his perception.

Bellarine looked doubtful, but to not make the atmosphere gloomy, she extended her lips in a smile and responded, "I will put on a good show for you, so make sure you watch me carefully, okay?"

"Mm. My eyes will be always on you."

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The church situated in the Scarlette region would surely be prepared to be used by the Duchess any day. As such, once they reached, they didn't have to wait for long before all the preparations were done.

"Hmm? Potions? Even more?" Bellarine tilted upon seeing her son getting out of the medic room with some more vials of potions. She couldn't clearly tell the nature of those potions but by their shade and faint smell, she perceived them to be ether-refiller and stamina boosters.

Richard awkwardly laughed as he packed the vials in his small pouch, "Teleportation charges a lot of ether, so I thought it would be better to remain cautious."

Bellarine tilted her head with her finger pressed against her chin.

The amount of ether her son possesses can easily allow him to use teleportation seven times a day without letting his magic deplete to the point of self-harm. Then why is he...

Bellarine frowned, "Richie...you aren't intending to fight alongside me, right?"

He somehow expected such a question so he promised, "I promise Mom that I won't take part in this invasion. Trust me." He held certainty in his voice since the only thing he intended to do was to somehow rescue Ethan. And thanks to the chaos Bellarine would be causing, his task would become less challenging.

The duo soon stepped on the altar and thanks to the elite group of church workers, the teleportation spell was being cast without any redo.

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[Capital of Eldor Empire]

Outside the city, was situated a church where the duo was teleported. And instantly, Bellarine sensed something that urged her to come out of the building immediately.

Richard followed his mother, unsure what brought such urgency...only to realize the reason once he exited the place and looked at the rising smoke from within the capital boundaries.

"Mom...are they already getting invaded?" Richard couldn't help asking in slight shock as his keen senses picked up the loud explosive noise blended with the cries of civilians.

Bellarine held Richard's hand firmly before stepping forward.

Richard decided not to speak for now as they neared the security checkpost. The soldiers standing there were panicking all over the place—placing barricades, and moving about the checkpost to keep the outsiders away.

"Ah, isn't she..." One of the soldiers caught the figure of the red-haired duo—or, to be more precise, the stunning beauty that brought stillness even in this disastrous situation.

Bellarine neared the soldiers, who became still upon seeing her.

She asked the one with the battalion captain's badge, "Situation report."

The captain looked at Bellarine with his mouth agape and remained unheard of her demand.

Richard heaved a sigh before he slammed his hand on the table—startling everyone before the Captain finally answered,

"U-Uhh...we also don't have a clear report of the situation, but from what we have visually verified, several silver-haired young youths who look identical have been wreaking havoc all across the capital. Any attempt of suppression has been proven futile."

"Wait! Did you say, identical?" Richard asked; his voice sounding grim enough to make the soldier nervous before the latter nodded,

"Yes...they all look the same."

Richard shared a glance with his mother before they mutually decided to go inside and look at the situation first. Naturally, no one stopped them.

The once-grand medieval capital lay in ruins, a shadow of its former glory. The marketplace, where merchants once haggled and townsfolk gathered, was nothing more than a field of broken stalls and scattered goods, trampled underfoot by chaos.

Richard and Bellarine didn't have to move much to find the subject of terror as one of those identical beings was currently floating just parallel to them—mercilessly slaughtering the soldiers with his bare hands and pulling out their innards before devouring them.

Richard couldn't believe that face belonged to the same person whom this world would call their savior in the future. And now, the same person was being used by these people for their twisted ambitions.

"Richie, come here with me." Bellarine pulled Richard aside and brought him to the nearby stall. Under the shed, she pulled her pendant hanging around her neck before locking it around his neck, as she said,

"I had a feeling that this could get dangerous, but I didn't know they would experiment over a Divine Awakened."

"Mom...you know him?" Richard asked in a bit of surprise

"Yes, I saw him during the invasion in Awsperg. He was fruitlessly attacking the Headless. But forget about that." Cupping his cheek, she continued, "This artifact has Sage arts imbued in it. It will protect you from any possible danger, okay?"

"You won't tell me to retreat?" Richard asked in slight surprise.

Bellarine fondly smiled while her hand brushed his skin as she said, "My baby has grown up enough to understand what he should do and what he shouldn't. Just..don't do anything to make your mother cry, okay?"

Richard diligently nodded as he held her hand and said, "I won't. You can rest assured."

Bellarine kissed his forehead before getting up. She turned towards the city before she began to levitate.

Glancing at her beloved once more, she finally took off.

Bellarine initially intended to let these fools know the necessity of her to remain around, but it seems she didn't have to create a farce for that. The blockhead Emperor seemed to have stabbed himself with the dagger he was preparing and everything went haywire. The cloning experiments were going on surely, but she never thought it would bear fruit so soon.

"Hmm~let's see if this can entertain me," Reaching the first clone which seemed to be awaiting her arrival, Bellarine clenched her fist and began her onslaught.

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This was bad. Richard never anticipated that Ethan would get dragged into this messy situation all of a sudden.

Canonically, he never gets trapped by the Empire since they only get to know about Ethan's attributes after he enters the Academy...but it would be already too late. The headmaster of the academy treats every student as his child, and given his personality and the might he carries, not even the Emperor could force his will on the Headmaster.

So then how the Emperor noticed Ethan this early?

'Wait...is it that, because Elizabeth went to Awsperg, they investigated the place and the incident thoroughly and found a perfect test subject?' It sounded possible. Other than that, Richard couldn't think of any other route which could have connected Ethan with the Emperor.

'Now I get why the heavens seems so desperate...' Having decided on what he had to do, Richard made his way towards the palace.

Time to rescue the Protagonist.

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A/N:- Someone commented that Richard should wish to reunite with his sister, but don't forget, he cannot disclose the fact that he is someone from the other world.

Truth be told, the way Ethan has been physically and mentally broken down in these few chapters would significantly change the plot. Now whether these changes would bring fortune to Richard or bad luck remains uncertain.

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Drop your thoughts in the comments. See ya.