The Villainous Me Turned the Losers into Blackened Bosses-Chapter 99 - Dinner at Will’s House

“So that’s how it is… It seems the Hysterm family—and you—are deeply entangled in a thrilling royal power struggle.”

Walking through the alley leading to his home, Will explained everything about Treya’s situation to Leah.

After all, the critical information about Eugenie being the mastermind had come from Leah in the first place.

Of course, Leah had already pieced some of it together—especially after realizing that Treya was the popular Ninth Princess.

“Complicated, isn’t it? But I have to thank you, Leah-sensei~ Without the intelligence from that letter, I wouldn’t have handled things so perfectly.”

“N-no need to thank me. Surviving and balancing such a dangerous upper-class society… that’s your own skill.”

Leah twirled one of her twin tails as she spoke.

“Hehe, it’s because Leah-sensei is such a good teacher.”

“Stop flattering me. I’m not good at dealing with political situations, so don’t give me credit for that.”

“At least now, Leah-sensei doesn’t have to worry about retaliation. Treya is safe, so we’re all safe.”

“So… you’re her fiancé now?”

Leah, having listened to the explanation, ignored all the political intricacies and zeroed in on the most crucial detail.

“Not necessarily? You know how it is, Leah-sensei. These things tend to drag on until they’re forgotten.”

“Hmm… I see…”

Leah pouted slightly, clearly a bit displeased.

She glanced at Treya, who was walking ahead. Since the explanation revolved around her, Will had asked her to walk ahead while he and Leah spoke privately.

Leah mentally calculated the average lifespan of a half-elf.

“By the way, since she’s a princess, I thought she’d have a bunch of guards with her. But she’s really alone?”

“Oh, that’s because I told her to come up with an excuse—like inspecting the school alone—to meet me.”

“Aren’t you worried about the danger?”

“Well… she’s pretty strong. If anything, I should be worried about my own safety for being too close to her.”

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

“Isn’t that what I’m here for… and your maid?”

Will had considered this.

But…

As the legitimate inheritor of Entark Demon Swordsmanship, Will doubted anyone in the capital could pose a threat to Treya’s life.

He even wondered if Leah, who had once been an assassin, could win in a fight against Treya if tasked with her assassination.

The battle-enthusiast in him was ignited.

One day, he had to find an open space and let the two of them spar!

“Hmm… Treya, turn right up ahead!”

“This is Will-sensei’s house?”

When they arrived, Treya stopped and tilted her head.

“Yes, why?”

“…It’s so small. You should move into the palace someday.”

She looked up at the three-story building, which, in the capital’s expensive real estate market, could be considered luxurious, and made her judgment.

“…Will, if I punch a princess here, I won’t be sentenced, right?”

A certain professor, whose dorm room was probably smaller than her lab, clenched her fist.

“No, no, forgive her. It’s just the typical royal lack of awareness… Uh… though I wouldn’t exactly call myself a commoner?”

“Whatever. I can smell the barbecue. Let’s go in already!”

—

Creak.

As the door opened, Eir’s bell-like voice greeted them—

“Young Master, you’re back? Eir has prepared everything as you instructed~”

Inside, the small table in the living room had been replaced with a barbecue setup. Above the grill was a large, chandelier-like mechanical device aimed directly at it.

“Young Master, what exactly is this thing for?”

“Hehe, I’ve always wanted to try having a barbecue here. But this house is too small, and it’d get smoky. A while ago, I learned about this anti-smoke mechanism from S-sensei, based on the literature about the Flame Dragon boss floor.”

Will patted the machine.

It was essentially a range hood, though this world lacked the technology for such conveniences.

He had to adapt dungeon-inspired ideas, specifically from the Flame Dragon boss floor, where mechanisms were used to manage smoke during battles.

After some magical modifications to suit the dungeon aesthetic, it worked perfectly for handling barbecue smoke.

He also had Treya open all the windows to ventilate the house, just in case of carbon monoxide poisoning—though he wondered if that was even a concern in this world, given that basic healing magic could probably handle it.

“Hmm… not bad.”

Leah, the magic expert, circled the device, giving it what could be considered high praise coming from her.

Speaking of which…

Although he hadn’t discussed it with Leah, this was also something he could test and later adapt for her lab.

Researching fire magic often involved burning things, and the resulting smoke could be a problem.

“And how do you eat with this?”

Treya, on the other hand, was more focused on the food. She pointed at the skewers of raw beef nearby.

“Oh, see, these skewers are raw. You place them on the grill, light the fire… Eir, show Treya how it’s done!”

“Got it~”

Eir picked up a skewer, lit the grill, and placed the meat on it.

With one hand, she sprinkled cumin and chili powder, while the other hand expertly brushed on oil.

Will nodded in satisfaction.

For a Hysterm family maid, this was a mandatory skill.

The reason was simple.

The Hysterm family, being dungeon explorers, often ventured into remote dungeons. If they were stuck in one for a while, they had to figure out how to eat.

Barbecuing was the simplest and most effective method.

As a result, every Hysterm maid was a barbecue master, skilled at grilling meat and balancing it with vegetables for nutrition.

Not to mention, they wore specially designed aprons over their maid uniforms, ensuring they remained elegant and spotless even while grilling.

“Here! This is my masterpiece!”

Eir handed a skewer to Treya.

Treya stared at it blankly. Though her expression didn’t change much, and she didn’t say anything…

She had already swallowed a few times.

“…It’s delicious… I’ve never had anything like this before. Mmm!”

Even Treya, normally reserved as a princess and half-elf, couldn’t resist stuffing her mouth with the barbecue.

Will thought to himself, Of course you haven’t. This kind of simple, hands-on, smoky, unhealthy food would never be allowed in the royal palace.

“This is royalty for you. Back when I lived in the forest, I ate this all the time. It’s nothing special.”

Growl~

Before Leah could finish her sentence, her stomach growled loudly.

“Alright, fine, I admit it! I really want some! Give me a skewer!”

However…

There were still some issues.

“…The fire seems unstable. It went out… Hmm… Let me relight it.”

“It looks like the suction is too strong, creating wind and destabilizing the flame…”

Will analyzed, pondering ways to improve it.

Then…

Sizzle.

The grill’s fire reignited, perfectly controlled—not too strong, not too weak.

Such precise flame control, such efficient ignition, and such stable maintenance—

“Leah-sensei! It’s you!”

“Of course, it’s me.”

Leah proudly raised her finger, the flame flickering in sync with her movements.

“Didn’t I say? I used to do this all the time. Lighting a fire is nothing. I’m a witch specializing in fire magic. This is child’s play.”

She even used her free hand to flick her hair, emphasizing her effortless skill.

“Well then, Leah-sensei, could you assist Eir?”

“No problem.”

The two began grilling, and their teamwork was surprisingly good right from the start.

Before long, the plates were piled high with skewers of perfectly grilled meat.

Treya, holding a half-eaten skewer, watched the two of them. Her hands suddenly stopped moving.

“What’s wrong, Treya~?”

“I feel bad just sitting here, watching them do all the work.”

It was Treya’s first time participating in an event where she had to “do it herself.”

Or rather…

An event requiring teamwork.

Though she hadn’t always worked alone, she’d never had anyone to truly collaborate with.

She looked at Will… and the two others she wasn’t very familiar with.

After being recognized by the demon, she wanted to integrate into social situations better—not be pushed around like before, or manipulated into traps like her sister had done.

“Oh, you. Just eat.”

“I… feel a bit guilty.”

Treya, looking unusually serious, wiped the grease from her mouth and set down her half-eaten skewer.

“Just kidding. Actually, there is something you can do…”

Seeing Treya take his every word seriously, Will couldn’t bring himself to tease her further.

No, wait. He used to enjoy bullying the little princess. He couldn’t just go soft now.

“What is it?”

Treya looked up, her eyes lighting up.

“Finish eating, then come with me.”

In truth…

Will had specifically asked Eir to leave some tasks for Treya.

In the original story, Treya was terrible at teamwork. Her lack of coordination with her team often left her feeling out of place, contributing to her eventual downfall.

If she could integrate better with a group, perhaps she could be reshaped for the better.

After all, for someone who might one day hold power, understanding people…

Was key to controlling them.

Will led her to the kitchen, where some beef still needed to be cut into skewers.

“For someone skilled in swordsmanship, using a kitchen knife should be easy, right?”

“Hmm… like this?”

“Surprisingly intuitive. Are you naturally talented at cutting… things?”

“…Will-sensei, that sounds a bit creepy.”

In just a few moments, Treya’s skilled knife work had turned a large chunk of beef into neatly cut pieces.

Meanwhile, Will…

Happily became the only one in the room…

Who could just sit back and wait for the skewers to be ready to eat!

“Hey, shouldn’t you help too?”

“Nope. The Young Master’s only job is to eat!”

“Exactly. Will-sensei works hard enough; he should just enjoy the food.”

“You two… are spoiling him too much!”