Reborn As The Minor Villain In A Romance Fantasy Novel - Chapter 193

Chapter 193: Instant Noodles
‘It’s really funny how fast they set up the tents already,’ Lucius thought as he floated in the sky above the newly formed campsite with his arms crossed.

The whole clearing looked suspicious… it was too peaceful for a second floor in an A-rank dungeon but apparently, nobody cared about that right now.

Canvas domes, mana-wired tents, and flickering lights stretched across the field like a miniature city.

The sun was dipping low, brushing the sky orange and pink.

Laughter came from different corners, the scent of food drifted through the air, and people were beginning to relax after a long, exhausting day. And the drone was deactivated too, there was no need to stream right now.

Lucius hovered higher.

“So we’re trapped here, huh?” he muttered, glancing at the vast expanse around the island.

The ocean stretched endlessly in every direction, glowing under the dying sunlight.

He extended his senses outward but hit resistance.

‘There’s a barrier about ten meters off the shore,’ he realized, watching faint spatial ripples shimmer where the water met the invisible wall.

‘So that means the staircase to the next floor is hidden somewhere here… huh?’

He sighed and rubbed his temple. “Great. A mystery island.”

A voice called from below.

“Boss! Come down, dinner’s almost ready!” Grimm waved enthusiastically from near the campfire.

Lucius’s stomach betrayed him with a loud grumble.

He looked up at the fading sun and exhaled.

“Fine, fine…” He descended slowly, boots touching grass as the chatter of the camp surrounded him.

At the center of it all stood Vanessa, wearing an apron that didn’t quite fit the image of the Guild Master.

She was stirring a large pot on a portable mana stove.

Lucius approached from behind and peered over her shoulder.

“What are you cooking?” he asked. “Instant noodles?”

“Yeah,” she said simply, holding up a spoonful toward his face. “Smell this.”

He leaned closer, inhaling the aroma.

“Smells good,” he admitted. “But can’t you cook something… more wholesome? We just survived the first floor of an A-rank dungeon. Might be nice to eat something that doesn’t come in a plastic wrapper.”

Vanessa’s cheeks puffed up. “I forgot, alright?”

“You forgot?”

“I forgot to pack the proper ingredients!” she snapped, looking away. “Deli helped me with the supplies, but I left most of them outside my storage ring! This was all I had.”

Lucius sighed dramatically.

She glared. “Do that again and I’ll jab your eyes.”

“I didn’t even say anything.”

“It’s not like you packed food either,” she muttered, stirring the pot again. “We’ll just have to survive on pepperish noodles. I’m sure the squad won’t complain, right?”

She turned toward Lucius’s team, who were lounging nearby on smooth rocks.

“I’m fine with whatever Guild Master cooks!” Grimm said, his cheeks had turned pink. “I always wanted to taste your cooki—”

A small rock whizzed through the air and smacked him square in the forehead.

“Ow! Boss! You didn’t have to hit me that hard!”

“Instant noodles are fine,” Raven said with a nod, and the others nodded in agreement.

Luna adjusted her suit’s gauntlet and tapped a button. “Just… add lots of onions. I love onions.”

Vanessa’s eyes lit up. “Yay! I love onions too.”

Lucius raised a brow.

“Then yeah, I’ll have some too,” he said casually, floating backward. “If the two of you agree, it’s bound to be edible.”

He left her mock-glaring at him and drifted off to inspect the rest of the camp.

…

Everywhere he looked, people were busy… Some were eating, others fine-tuning gear, and a few still erecting their tents.

He stopped above two Awakeners fumbling with a manual beside a half-set mana tent.

“Oi, make sure the mana circuits are aligned!” one barked. “If you mess this up, it’ll blow!”

“Right, right,” the other replied, rummaging through a pile of cables. “Uh, which ones are the circuits again?”

“Not there, you idiot, that’s the—”

A flash of light interrupted him.

Boom!

The tent exploded into a fireball, sending both men screaming and tumbling into the dirt.

Flames licked at their armor before fizzling out harmlessly. They groaned and rolled around as laughter rippled from nearby camps.

Lucius shook his head.

“Professionals,” he muttered and kept moving.

At the far end of the camp stood a colossal tent… easily the size of a house supported by steel poles.

Supreme Man and Rita, the Saintess, stood outside it deep in conversation.

Lucius landed quietly beside them.

“Oh, Lucius,” Supreme Man said, straightening his back. “We need you to scout if there’s any way off this island.”

Lucius gave him a blank look. “You’re really making me do everything, huh? I don’t work for you.”

“I’m aware,” Supreme Man said firmly. “But this benefits all of us, including you.”

Lucius sighed again. “You don’t have to bother. I already checked. There’s no way off this damned island.”

Supreme Man’s fists clenched, though he said nothing.

‘Just as I thought… we’re trapped,’ he thought grimly.

Lucius gave a lazy wave.

“You’ll think of something, I just came to check on everyone.” he said and floated back toward his group.

…

By the time he returned, the noodles were ready. Vanessa and the others were sitting in a small circle near the fire with bowls in hand.

Lucius took his seat beside Vanessa and picked up his chopsticks. He twirled them in the noodles and took a bite.

He blinked. “Hey… this actually tastes pretty good.”

Vanessa smirked proudly.

“Told you I can cook.” She scooped up a bit from her own bowl and raised it to his lips. “Here, have some.”

Lucius leaned forward, eating from her chopsticks without much thought. He chewed thoughtfully and nodded.

Across from them, Grimm’s eyes went wide and so did the others.

Luna tilted her head slightly before leaning closer to Lucius herself.

“Here,” she said softly. “Try mine too.”

He turned, slightly confused, but Luna had already lifted her chopsticks toward him.

He took a bite.

Vanessa frowned immediately, scooping up another bite and pressing it against his lips again. “Mine’s better, right?”

‘You were the one that made it!’

Lucius didn’t get a chance to answer before she stuffed it into his mouth.

The squad tried not to laugh, but even Luna’s lips twitched.

“Shouldn’t you all be eating—” Lucius tried to speak, only to be fed another spoonful mid-sentence.

The mood was cheerful and everyone looked genuinely relaxed.

Even Grimm was sprawled across the grass with his phone in hand watching Stitch videos.

“How’s he even streaming that here?” Raven muttered.

Luna replied without looking up. “The Council made a router system that connects the dungeon to the real world. Lets us use the internet.”

“That’s… actually impressive.”

“It’s called a mana-link router,” she added. “Stable enough for entertainment. It’s similar to what I’m using for my drones too.”

Lucius slurped another mouthful and sighed contentedly. It was peaceful…

But the peace didn’t last.

The conversation died down as footsteps approached.

Rita walked into the clearing, her pink hair catching the firelight.

She wasn’t wearing her usual battle clothes but a light dress that flowed around her knees. The delicate fabric was doing little to hide her curves.

Every head turned toward her.

Vanessa’s brow twitched, but Rita’s expression didn’t change.

“May I…” Rita began. “May I borrow Lucius for a bit?”

The fire crackled.

Lucius blinked, then stood up slowly.

“Sure,” he said simply. He caught the brief glances exchanged between his team and Vanessa before following Rita out of the clearing.

They walked until the light from the campfire dimmed behind them and they were among a cluster of trees.

Lucius leaned against a tree. “So,” he said quietly, “what do you want?”

Rita hesitated, her fingers clutching the hem of her dress. Her usual confident demeanor seemed to have vanished.

Her eyes lifted to meet his.

“Can you…” Her voice cracked. “Can you… hold me?”