Reborn As The Villain In A Game-Like World-Chapter 34: A Night With Master

Within a dark room filled with barrels of aged wine, a girl with black hair silently sobbed as she clutched the edges of her dress. The room would occasionally shake, causing dust to fill the air.

"When will Master come back for me?" the girl muttered between laboured breaths. "I hate these tight places."

Vivid memories of a horrible childhood flashed past her eyes. Being locked in a cupboard for days at a time by her mother, who endlessly screamed at her through the door, "A noblewoman should watch what she eats! Did you dare to ask the cook for another portion? Starve in there for all I care!" The raving woman continued to rant about every little flaw in Melinda’s personality. She was starved and beaten daily; any servant that tried to help her was either fired or joined Melinda in the beatings. Melinda complained to her father, but he always gave her an indifferent expression. He simply turned a blind eye toward her suffering.

A few teardrops fell down Melinda’s cheek and stained her dress. "I hate the dark and this place. I feel so trapped with no way out."

The rumbling of the earth finally stopped, and the world became still. Only Melinda’s deep and heavy breaths could be heard in the cellar.

A minute later, footsteps could be heard from above. With a flick of his wrist, Jack opened the cellar door and revealed a very distraught-looking Melinda. She was covered in dust and dirt, her hair was everywhere, and her face was stained with dried tears.

"You look awful," Jack said with a kind smile, one he would never show to others.

Melinda returned the smile with her own weary one. "Master..."

Jack activated his Psychokinesis skill, and his mana reached out to Melinda. She felt the mana envelop her like a warm blanket and did not resist it. She allowed her body to be slowly lifted out of the cellar.

Jack then walked upstairs with a floating Melinda following close behind. Once upstairs, he ordered Melinda to clean them both. Her expression brightened up at the chance to show off her magic once again.

Melinda stripped herself and cast her cleaning spell. Jack casually watched with interest as she was enveloped in a water tornado and then a warm gust of wind that returned her to perfect condition.

"Master, can I?" she asked sheepishly, the moonlight through the window dancing across her.

"Go on." Jack nodded.

With a bashful smile, Melinda helped Jack undress. Although he had worked out how to put the suit on and off a while ago, he enjoyed letting Melinda do it. She took her sweet time, enjoying the entire process.

Jack then eyed the bed and spoke. "Melinda, you may be my blood queen in the future, but as of right now, you are still human livestock."

Melinda had a dejected look. She didn’t like the idea that she was still livestock to him, but she was still excited for the future. "It’s okay, Master. I will sleep on the floor..."

Jack just casually waved Melinda over to the bed. "No need for that. We can share. Just don’t touch me."

He then picked the left side of the bed and promptly fell asleep the second his head touched the pillow.

Melinda had no idea how to feel. She just stood there, eyeing the other side of the bed. After taking a deep breath and steeling her resolve, she carefully entered the right side of the bed and pulled the bedsheet over herself. She faced the wall and tried to ignore Jack’s slow and calm breathing. Her heart was beating way too fast; she couldn’t believe she was really sharing a bed with a vampire.

The hours ticked by, and eventually Melinda managed to calm down and fall into a blissful sleep. Dreaming of one day standing beside Jack as an equal as they looked down upon the world.

* * *

In the middle of the night in the head professor’s study, Edward, who looked more undead than an actual undead, was downing disturbingly dark and foul-smelling alcohol. His hands were shaking as he brought the cup’s final contents toward his almost blue lips. He sat there in a daze while staring at the small painting on his desk.

It showed a scholarly man in the prime of his life wearing a carefree smile; the man’s arm was wrapped around a beautiful, middle-aged woman. She had a tired expression but looked happy as well. The woman’s hand was placed on top of a small girl’s head, who seemed to be jumping up and down in excitement.

While staring at the painting, a single teardrop could be seen in his red eyes. "Why... why... Why did you leave me all alone, Anna?" He then began sobbing again, as he did every night.

Edward screamed while hitting his desk. "No matter how hard I work, how much influence I obtain, I still failed you, Anna. That creature in human skin stole our daughter. Our precious... beautiful... Evelyn."

He collapsed on the desk, short of breath, and tried to grab the crude alcohol bottle. Yet the bottle wouldn’t budge, no matter how much strength he put into it. His red and puffy eyes from a night of crying slowly looked up and saw a person in black was holding the top of the bottle.

Edward quickly straightened up and eyed the person warily. Anyone who could enter the head professor’s study without his knowledge would have to work for Prince August, since he controlled the university’s staff. Edward wished he could live in the Mage Tower for this very reason; the university was far too corrupt.

"She can be free, you know?" the person in black spoke with a distinctly male voice and gestured to the picture on his desk.

Edward just looked at the intruder with a defeated expression. "How?" he said in a quiet and strained voice.

"Prince August has requested that you murder Assistant Professor Jack in the duel tomorrow."

Edward suddenly stood up in rage but quickly sat back down as he felt incredibly lightheaded. "You know I can’t do that!" he shouted toward the black figure. "Do you think I’m not aware he was made a duke of the kingdom? I will be executed for murdering a noble!"

The black-cloaked figure showed no reaction and responded in an indifferent voice, "The prince is willing to release Evelyn from his employment should you succeed."

Edward’s ghostly pale face suddenly lit up. "He actually said that?"

The figure nodded. "He is even willing to take an oath on it. He needs that man dead by the end of tomorrow."

Edward quickly replied with a hint of hesitation. "Tell that bastard prince that I agree to his request! But he must take an oath tomorrow before the duel."

"Good choice, Head Professor," he said before disappearing into the shadows.

Edward lay back in his chair and took out a small vial of green liquid from his pocket. He eyed it with a complicated expression.

"Tonight’s my last night, huh..." he muttered while staring at the moon. "Sorry, Jack, but Evelyn is too important to me," he said while clutching the vial before placing it carefully back into his suit pocket.

* * *

"Oi, wake up, ya lovebirds! Breakfast’s ready!"

A loud voice woke Jack and Melinda up. Jack turned over and saw the startled Melinda. "Let’s go down and eat," he said, and Melinda nodded.

Feeling too lazy to get out of bed, Jack used his Psychokinesis to turn the bed upright and hold himself and Melinda within the warm blanket. He then floated their clothes over, and within the comfort of the bed, Melinda helped dress Jack before dressing herself. The bedsheet cover was then floated away, and Jack and Melinda were revealed as fully dressed. Jack returned the bed to its horizontal position and beckoned Melinda to follow him downstairs.

A simple breakfast of eggs and toast was placed on a table in the tavern. A very tired but excited-looking Dalon sat at the table.

Spotting Jack, the dwarf said, "Lad, I gotta thank ya for the insight last night. I really upgraded to B grade! Hahahah!"

Jack just gave the dwarf a smile and replied, "That’s great news, Dalon. Though, I was hoping I could make use of your newfound skills?"

Dalon stopped laughing and put on a business face, which looked ridiculous with his oversized mustache. "Got a personal order for me, lad?"

Jack nodded as he sat down. Melinda quickly dove into her food, and Jack passed his plate to her. As a vampire, he couldn’t eat the food. Jack then spent the next hour sharing ideas for his metal playing card weapon.

"So what do you think?" Jack asked at the end of his explanation.

"Quite a creative idea for a psychic mage." Dalon twirled his mustache. "I think this could work!"

In the end, they decided on a hundred thin metal plates that were all enchanted with different runes and, when placed in certain formations, would activate spells such as a shield spell. Jack handed the dwarf a single platinum coin for the job. The dwarf tried to refuse and offered to do it for free due to the enlightenment the previous night, but Jack insisted and gave him the coin anyway.

After breakfast and placing his weapon order, Jack and Melinda headed outside to where the car was parked. Walter was still in the driver’s seat, looking incredibly tired with his eyes shut.

"Oh, we forgot about him..." Melinda said with a light chuckle.

Jack walked over and knocked on the window with his knuckle, scaring the living daylights out of the poor man.

"Oh! Young Master, I apologise for my rudeness..." Walter quickly said while rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes. "Where do you wish to go?" He prepared his Water Cannon spell.

Jack and Melinda entered the back seats, and after getting comfortable, Jack said, "To the university. I have some business to attend to."