The Survival of the Third-rate Villain

A day passed after the ceremony and the second attempt of the demon invasion...

And currently— Raye just woke up.

"Haaaaah~"

He yawned as he got up from his bed, rubbing his eyes lazily. Turning his head to the side, he saw Pyro sprawled out on the mattress, and Zephyrus curled up under a blanket like he was trying to hide from the world.

-...

-...

Both of them were still deep asleep, their faint snores filling the quiet room.

Raye stood up silent, careful not to wake them.

"Ugh~"

He stretched his arms, then walked out of the cabin. The air outside was a bit chilly, the early morning sun was just beginning to rise.

He headed straight to the small kitchen area outside and began preparing breakfast.

The first thing he did was heat water for coffee.

And while waiting, his thoughts wandered back to yesterday— specifically to his conversation with the Aurelian at the auditorium after the failed invasion.

'In the end, I really have no special connection with the second prince—'

Raye's lips twitched as he remembered the arrogant face of that royal.

'Just like usual, the original Raye managed to piss him off before just by being a dickhead.'

He sighed and shook his head, pouring the steaming water into his cup.

"His ability almost revealed my true identity as a transmigrator though."

He muttered under his breath as if speaking to himself.

"But thankfully, he didn't pry about it any longer when I told him I have a reason why I can't tell him how I lost my memories of the past."

The bitter aroma of coffee rose to his nose, comforting him in a way.

'And it did seem like he wouldn't try and order my execution this time around, so that's good.'

Raye added that thought in a calmer tone inside his head.

He sat down at the table with a cup of black coffee in one hand and a piece of bread stuffed with ham in the other.

The chair creaked faintly as he leaned back.

But without much care, he began eating, taking slow bites and washing them down with the strong coffee.

It was a peaceful day.

Then, while he was eating—

"Good morning!"

A cheerful, sweet voice suddenly rang out.

Raye looked up in front of him.

And there, standing— was Jerusha, her purple hair falling neatly over her shoulders, her smile bright and genuine as always. It was like she brought warmth with her just by showing up.

"Good morning."

Raye replied back with a small smile.

He nodded toward the table.

"There's bread and ham there, also coffee... Come eat."

"Okay, hehe."

Jerusha walked over happily. She poured herself a cup of black coffee, then reached for the bread and filled it with three thick slices of ham. After preparing it just the way she liked, she sat down right beside Raye.

And with that, the two of them started eating, slowly.

For a moment, there was only the sound of chewing, the faint clink of cups being set down, and the morning breeze brushing through the open window.

"So... about yesterday—"

Jerusha began, glancing sideways at Raye.

"That ceremony turned into something else entirely, huh?"

Raye chuckled softly.

"Yeah. Figures. Nothing's ever normal these days."

She giggled at his reply, then took a bite of her bread.

"But still, the way you handled yourself back there... You were really calm. Like, even when everyone else was panicking, you didn't waver at all."

Raye shrugged.

"What good is panicking gonna do? Demons won't wait for us to get our act together."

"True..."

Jerusha said quietly, her smile softening as she looked down at her coffee.

"Still, I thought you were so cool."

Raye sipped his drink, letting the bitterness spread on his tongue.

'Well, actually... I was just calm because I already knew that was going to happen.'

He thought, then at that moment—

"..."

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence again, eating little by little while the early morning light grew brighter around them.

For now, though, it was just them— sharing bread, coffee, and words that felt strangely ordinary despite the chaos of yesterday.

But after a while, Jerusha opened her mouth again—

"So, what's your plan for the [Hero Party]?"

Then she asked that.

"Oh, right..."

Raye looked at her at that question, and with a casual look on his face—

"I was just going to invite you... Want to join my party?"

He asked Jerusha that!

Fourth Year students are basically graduates.

After tertiary grade, students don't have any more classes— they all just stay in the academy one more year to hopefully find connections and opportunities here.

(Basically, they're already doing OJT in college :v)

That's why the third years like Raye and Leon got selected as the [Representative] In the [Hero Parties] program instead of them.

Moving on—

"..."

Jerusha didn't say anything at first after hearing Raye's offer.

"...?"

And because of that, Raye tilted his head.

"You don't want to?"

He asked her, his voice a bit down.

But then, at that moment—

"Idiot."

Jerusha called him that.

"Of course I want to... I was literally waiting for you to invite me."

Then ahe bashfully followed. A small smile on her face, and her cheeks a bit reddened.

Raye smiled at her response, he felt relieved.

Then with that, the two of them started eating while talking again.

Nom~

The quiet sound of food being chewed filled the air for a short while. It was warm, peaceful, and comfortable.

Jerusha stole small glances at Raye from time to time, her cheeks still a little red, while Raye simply ate calmly, his expression relaxed as if nothing could disturb him at the moment.

Still, his thoughts weren't just focused on her.

'Now, off to ask Lycus, Lena, and Blake.'

Raye thought to himself.

Except for Jerusha, he already has some people in mind to ask for his perfect party.

'Well, calling it perfect might be too much... But at least, it'll be crazy strong.'

Raye mumbled inside his head.

'Just wait, old man... I'll wake you up soon enough.'

He added.