Reborn As The Minor Villain In A Romance Fantasy Novel - Chapter 214

Chapter 214: Putting Matthias Down
Grimm sighed as he thrust his spear forward several times in a powerful motion.

Mana coated the metal in glowing layers, and each jab sent small wisps of energy shooting forward.

He exhaled sharply, adjusting his grip and trying to tighten the angle of his wrists.

“I think your form is great,” Raven commented from where he stood with his arms folded, observing like a quiet instructor. “Though it wouldn’t kill you to flow a bit more like water.”

Grimm raised an eyebrow, and Matthias, who had been nearby lying on a crate lifted his head with the same expression.

Raven was a fire mage. Hearing him preach about flowing like water felt like a joke.

“Quit reminding me that we’re in the middle of a floor that has literal blood as the ocean,” Cyrus groaned as he lay flat on the wooden ground beside them.

His arms sprawled out and his eyes staring hopelessly at the sky beyond the barricade. “I should have called in sick. I swear I should have called in sick.”

“Well, fun fact,” Felix said while adjusting his glasses like a nerd. “the sea isn’t actually made of blood but a mixture of blood and water. It could have been caused by monsters rapidly killing each other—”

“Nobody asked, nerd!” Matthias barked, stretching his arms above his head.

He sighed, staring upward with a tired longing. “I really need to ask Trisha out…”

“Trisha?” Grimm repeated, blinking. “She clearly has a crush on Boss. So does Erika… in fact all the women in our team have a crush on Boss.”

He thrust his spear again, more confidently this time. “Are you trying to steal Boss’s woman?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Matthias shot back, sitting upright. “Stealing Boss’s woman? Boss isn’t even interested in any of them! It’s just a one-sided crush. It’s not like he’s going to feed them or anything.”

The universe must have heard him, because the moment he said it, a scent drifted across the camp… it was hot, buttery, smoky, and unbelievably delicious.

A scent that made every man in the group freeze. It smelled like roasted crab… but richer, deeper, enhanced by roasted herbs and monster spices.

It smelled divine.

Then something large cast a shadow over them.

Before they could react, a massive shape plummeted down from the sky. Grimm and Raven instinctively raised their arms, bracing together.

Their palms hit something hot and meaty.

“It’s hot…” Grimm muttered as he and Raven lowered the object carefully onto the wooden ground.

When he finally looked down, his eyes widened.

“It’s… a big crab leg.”

And then Lucius appeared in front of them with a grin that could only be described as villainous generosity.

“You boys will be sharing that,” he said casually. “Should I split it for you? It seems heavy.”

Raven was already nodding with his lips parting to say yes, but Grimm stepped forward quickly.

“No, Boss! I can cut it myself!”

Lucius nodded in approval.

Grimm had seemed like the group’s idiot when they first began raiding, but he was growing steadily stronger and more reliable. He respected that.

Meanwhile, in his other hand, Lucius held a small tray piled with neatly cut chunks of roasted crab… meat that he had taken from the main slab.

As he turned to walk away, he thought to himself, ‘I can’t believe Matthias wants to date a fellow crew member.’

The thought alone made him shake his head.

He found Trisha fine-tuning her guns beside her tent.

Her hands were greasy with metallic oil as she meticulously cleaned every component. She didn’t even look at him at first… she was too focused on her craft.

But then she sniffed.

“Boss… is that crab?” she asked with a tiny voice.

“Yes,” Lucius replied, smiling lightly. “I got a monster crab from the sea.”

Her heart skipped.

Just the way he smiled at her… like she was the only one he approached, the only one he wanted to give food to made her vision blur for a second.

‘I… Boss is like… smiling at me,’ she thought, clutching her gun a little too tightly as her heartbeat quickened.

“I wanted to give this to you,” Lucius continued. “But your hands seem busy… Should I feed it to you?”

Her entire soul left her body.

“Y… yes,” she stammered, unable to stop herself.

She didn’t know if it was instinct, desperation, attraction, or the fact that Lucius’s face was too close but the answer shot out before she could think twice.

Lucius took one warm, steaming piece of meat between his fingers and raised it to her lips.

“Be careful,” he whispered gently. “It’s hot.”

Meanwhile, behind him, Grimm and Raven worked on the massive crab leg.

Grimm tossed it into the air with a grunt, and with rapid slashes of his mana-coated spear, the leg split into multiple clean pieces.

Each man grabbed a portion greedily. Grimm took a bite, crunched through the tender shell, and swallowed with a satisfied exhale.

“Amazing,” he said aloud. Then he noticed Matthias wasn’t celebrating with them. Matthias looked like he had just watched someone steal his future.

Grimm followed his line of sight and saw Lucius feeding Trisha.

A gentle, warm smile had bloomed on her face. She closed her eyes briefly as she chewed, savoring the flavor.

Lucius slowly pulled his finger from her lips and glanced down at the tray, as though checking how much was left.

“Did you like it? I put a lot of effort into it.”

Trisha swallowed.

“Did I like it?” she whispered. “It was the best dish I’ve ever had in my life…”

Lucius rested his palm on her head and patted her softly.

Trisha shuddered in happiness, tilting her head forward shyly.

She didn’t see his face, which had twisted into a villainous grin.

‘NEXT TIME HE WON’T TRY TO DATE TEAMMATES,’ he thought. ‘NEXT THING WE KNOW, HE’LL BE REQUESTING FOR A RAISE BECAUSE HE WANTS TO TAKE CARE OF KIDS.’

He withdrew his hand… only for a whipping sound to slice the air.

WHOOSH.

The tray was yanked out of his hands so fast the air snapped.

Lucius blinked upward.

Minerva hovered above the camp, floating effortlessly with the plate in her claws.

Before anyone could process it, she devoured the entire thing… the crab meat and the plate in one monstrous bite.

Lucius’s eye twitched.

He rose into the air slowly ominously until he floated directly in front of her. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he stared straight into hers.

“Once I get my hands on you,” he said in a lethal voice, “I’ll bind you up so hard that you won’t be able to leave my sight.”

“I think this is what humans call BDSM,” Minerva said innocently as she floated backwards. “You want to tie up an innocent woman who’s just interested in the crab you mad—”

She didn’t finish.

Wood erupted around her like constricting vines.

It sprouted from thin air, coiling tightly around her arms, legs, torso — sealing her movement completely. Lucius wrapped the bindings with space threads to reinforce them.

Minerva gasped as the wood snapped shut around her mouth too, muffling her indignant squeals.

Lucius grabbed her by the back of the wooden harness like she was luggage.

“Kidnapper!” she screamed through the muffling wood, though it came out as a series of angry growls and muffled noises.

Just then, Ayela swooped into view, descending gracefully with her hands clasped behind her back.

Her expression was terrified yet hopeful.

“Guild Master sent me for scouting,” she said, her voice trembling as she glanced nervously at the crimson ocean on the other side of the barricade. “But I’m a bit afraid since this floor has… we don’t know what’s lurking. Can you accompany me?”