I Became The Novel's Biggest Antagonist

Chapter 99 New Quest

"wait! if you're a c-rank, does that mean we can take on a c-rank quest with you? right, miss celine?!" reynold asked excited.

"well, yes, it's possible—if mr. king agrees," celine replied, casting a subtle glance at king.

"oh, celine," king sighed, shaking his head as he approached her. "how many times have i told you? just call me king. no need for formalities between us at this point."

"'at this point'?" mona's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "don't tell me you two..."

everyone else stared at celine in stunned silence, their disbelief obvious.

there was no way someone as pure as celine could have already lost her virtue.

"n–no, we haven't!" celine's face turned a deep shade of red as she shook her head furiously.

"well... not yet," king added with a sly smile before plucking a letter of recommendation out of nowhere. it bore the signature of ferdinand himself, approving a specific quest.

celine took the letter, her eyes widening as she read its contents. "this quest is recommended for c-rank and higher. are you sure?" she asked, quite concerned.

"no need to worry so much about me, celine. i don't die," king replied before turning toward reynold and his harem. "go ahead and include them as well. reynold's a dear friend of mine."

"thanks, man!" reynold nearly leaped with joy.

lua, mona, and saya exchanged hesitant glances, sighing in unison. yet, they ultimately agreed.

with reynold in tow and king tagging along, it seemed nothing could go awry and they became stronger anyway.

"alright," celine relented, shaking her head as she began registering the group of five. "the quest involves subjugating a criminal named davon crook. he's the leader of a small band of thieves. at first glance, they might not seem dangerous, but they are. several e-rank and even some d-rank hunters have never returned after facing them," she explained, her voice tinged with sadness.

"davon crook, huh? always with these flashy names to make themselves sound important," king said, shaking his head.

in his life as an assassin, king had dealt with countless criminals—many of whom gave themselves such pretentious titles.

meanwhile, the other hunters couldn't help but grimace at the irony.

siver king. his very name seemed designed to breathe arrogance and flair. the truth, however, was more complicated. whether it was truly his name or not, well—that was a story for another time.

"please, be careful," celine said as she handed king a file containing everything they knew about davon crook, including his known whereabouts.

"oh, his last sighting was outside ocryphia. it'll take a few hours to travel there," lua observed, skimming through the document.

"well, we should prepare for the journey," saya said calmly.

"yes, we're ready," reynold affirmed with a serious nod, engrossed in reading the details about davon crook.

meanwhile, king was already back to his usual antics—flirting with celine.

"of course i do," king replied with a hearty laugh, as though the question were absurd.

"but i saw you flirting with celine," reynold said hesitantly. "isn't that... cheating?"

king's grin widened. "look who's talking about cheating! you've got a whole harem of three women following you around."

"h-harem?! n-no! i mean..." reynold fumbled, his words trailing off as he shrank under the weight of three intense stares. lua, saya, and mona's gazes pinned him in place, their expressions unreadable but undeniably intimidating. reynold wisely decided against saying anything further.

still, reynold's curiosity about king's unusual relationship got the better of him. he leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice.

"does your wife... accept this?" he asked cautiously.

"not at all," king replied, nonchalantly.

"eh?!" reynold's eyes widened. "she doesn't accept it? then why doesn't she do anything about it?"

king chuckled, his grin widening. "oh, she does plenty. first, she'll kill any woman i get too close to. then she'll lock me in a prison cell, chained and bound. lucky for me, i'm resourceful. i always manage to escape."

reynold's jaw dropped, and an eerie silence filled the carriage.

the others stared at king, their faces pale. the mental image of his wife as some kind of vengeful force sent shivers down their spines.

was his wife truly such a terrifying figure? and why did king seem so casual about it?

surely, this meant celine was in danger. reynold thought briefly of warning her, but king seemed utterly confident that his wife couldn't reach this world.

despite the danger she posed, king's expression softened. he missed his wife and daughter deeply. he knew they were alive, waiting for him, and he was determined to find a way to return to them. for now, his patience stemmed from a single purpose: ivan. all their thoughts were connected and he was much more patient like all the other antagonists. first arcadia's fall then the other worlds.

until then, he intended to enjoy himself as much as possible.

king leaned back against the carriage wall, arms still folded behind his head. his azure blue eyes gazed out the open window, scanning the passing scenery.

they were about half an hour from drales when something caught his attention.

his relaxed demeanor shifted, ever so slightly. the carriage seemed to slow as his sharp eyes locked onto a figure sitting in an outdoor restaurant near an inn.

it wasn't uncommon to see travelers stopping for a meal, but this woman stood out, even to king.

she was stunning—exceptionally so, even by his lofty standards. her beauty rivaled that of luna-evelyn, a woman king held in the highest regard. as a self-proclaimed expert in appraising charm and elegance, king's gaze swept over her features with meticulous attention to detail.

her forest-green hair, cut to a graceful medium length, brushed just past her neck. it framed her delicate face perfectly, complementing her calm, slate-gray eyes, which were accentuated by long, fluttering lashes.

she exuded an air of tranquility, sipping from a cup as her perfectly shaped lips parted ever so slightly.

for a moment, king was silent. then, without a word, he stood.

the others barely had time to react before king kicked open the carriage door and stepped down.