Villain Simulator-Chapter 116: Horrified Charlotte!

’Master, are you even human?’

Charlotte didn’t have the answer, but what she did know was that she seemed to be developing feelings for her master, Adrian, whose humanity remained uncertain.

Her assessment wasn’t baseless.

There was always a pang in her heart whenever Adrian showed affection for other women or engaged in intimate acts with them.

Sometimes, Charlotte even found herself eavesdropping and peeking at his interactions, such as in the dungeon when he kissed Sylvia, and she peeked at it secretly from behind the bushes.

These feelings of jealousy were uncharacteristic for a shadow, and Charlotte wasn’t oblivious to the unfamiliar emotions taking root in her heart.

However, fear lurked alongside her burgeoning feelings.

Despite being Adrian’s most trusted shadow, Charlotte knew she wasn’t special; her strength might surpass others’, but it was only a matter of time before Adrian surpassed her.

On top of that, Charlotte had her personal grudges that she had to settle with some people, which may cause problems for her master.

’Then what?’

Charlotte had no answer, yet the notion made her uncomfortable.

’Would he abandon me?’

The question arose in Charlotte’s mind before she quickly dismissed it with a shake of her head.

’No, master won’t ever leave me. I know for a fact that, no matter how manipulative and ruthless he may be, he cares for his own people above all else.’

Evidence of this could be seen in how he sent Sylvia away from the city for her safety and shifted that little girl, Kiara, to near the Vaiself family headquarters.

Furthermore, Charlotte recalled that two days ago, after they returned after Adrian spent the night with Rachael after their date, he appeared unusually serious and gloomy.

Charlotte hadn’t witnessed him in such a state since his awakening, and she sensed that he must have noticed something troubling, causing him great concern.

Later that day, he even asked her a question.

"Tell me something honestly, Charlotte. In Rachael’s behavior, have you felt any change in her? You’re an assassin-type player, so have your senses reacted to something abnormal around her?"

Based on this question about Rachael and the information she knew about Rachael’s awakening event, Charlotte understood that his concerns were related to Rachael.

His somber tone only deepened her suspicions, prompting Charlotte to impulsively make a gesture of wiping her thumb across her neck with a determined glint in her eyes, suggesting the idea of eliminating Rachael.

Nonetheless, instead of removing that source of tension, he chose to protect her instead.

Charlotte didn’t know the extent of his plans for Rachael, but his immediate rejection and shock at her proposal to kill Rachael made one thing clear.

He hadn’t even had the thought of abandoning Rachael.

Moreover, his next response resonated deeply with Charlotte and alleviated all her worries.

"Unless they seek their own death, I won’t let any harm come to those I cherish; if the push comes to shove and I have to fight the world all alone, I shall and will do it. For Rachael and for you too, Charlotte. You are precious to me."

Those words made Charlotte’s heart flutter, and recalling that scene, even now a blush couldn’t help but appear on her face.

But then, as she pushed aside these distracting thoughts and turned her attention to Rachael, a realization struck her.

’Why did Master take Rachael in after his awakening? Was it truly out of affection?’

The old Adrian would have thrown the girl out after spending a night with her, but the new Adrian took Rachael in.

’Did he care for her and her sick mother in anticipation of this moment? Did he foresee her awakening on that day?’

The more Charlotte pondered, the more unease settled in her chest.

If the previous Adrian, prior to his awakening, was intimidated by her to the point of avoiding eye contact, then this new version of Adrian instilled a sense of apprehension in her.

’This person, what secrets lie within his heart?’

To Charlotte, Adrian was like an abyss that grew darker with each deeper glance.

Fortunately, amidst that deep darkness, there was still a sense of warmth in him. But Charlotte still wanted an assurance from him.

’Then, should I ask him directly for a promise? Will he support me no matter the case?’

That question had just crossed her mind when suddenly...

Ring-ring-!

She received a signal from the Shadow Guards on her communication device, and not long later, she sensed a movement some distance away.

"Master, you’re here!"

Without needing confirmation, Charlotte recognized the newcomer. True to her intuition, Adrian emerged from behind a tree.

He wasn’t wearing a robe or a mask anymore and was in his iconic black suit.

"I am indeed. Did you miss me?"

"I did," Charlotte replied without hesitation.

Adrian smiled at her calm acceptance before shifting his gaze to Rachael, and Charlotte understood what he wanted, so she spoke.

"Rachael fell unconscious as soon as we entered the dungeon and has been like this since then."

"Maybe it’s because of her awakening."

Saying that, he was just about to check up on Rachael when, all of a sudden...

Rumble!

The entire Dungeon shook violently, and crimson warning signs flashed across everyone’s system’s notification screen.

[Warning! Warning!]

[The dungeon is undergoing mutation due to a large influx of Chaos energy.]

[Warning! Warning!]

"It seems like I arrived just in time."

Adrian whispered calmly, casting his gaze upward at the Dungeon’s sky, which was now cloaked in darkness under ominous clouds.

[The Dungeon’s difficulty level has been elevated.]

[Recalibrating...]

[Recommended level for the Dungeon: 400~???]

’It’s a bit higher than expected.’

The danger level surpassed Adrian’s original estimations.

Nevertheless, his emotions remained calm. He then turned his focus to Charlotte, who was obviously terrified by the Dungeon’s mutation.

Sensing his gaze, Charlotte lifted her gaze to meet his.

"Master! This..."

"I’m aware. The cause is uncertain; it’s possible the Chaos Dungeons outside have influenced ours."

He explained with a somber tone, though they both knew he was merely pretending to be concerned since they both knew beforehand that the dungeon would mutate.

But even though he was pretending to be worried, Charlotte was actually worried for real.

"What now, Master? We’re trapped here!"

"Do what? Of course, we have to deal with this somehow. You take the Shadow Guards with you and defeat the high-level monsters and dungeon bosses. I’ll stay here to protect Rachael and await your return."

"No! That’s impossible, Master!"

Charlotte instantly screamed fiercely in denial.

When Adrian had mentioned a high-level dungeon, she had anticipated something within the difficulty range of 300 to 500.

But what was the concept of a minimum recommendation of 400 with no upper limit?

It implied that mere survival in such a dungeon required a minimum level of 400, an insurmountable feat for the current Adrian in Charlotte’s eyes, no matter how mysterious he was.

’Master, you’ve done so much for this girl... I can sense your feelings for her. While you may have ulterior motives, I know you also wish her no harm. And by trying to send me away, you must have devised your own plan.’

’But even if you have some plan in this dungeon, don’t send me away!’

Charlotte’s heart cried out, but she stifled her screams and remained obedient to Adrian’s instruction to maintain a facade of obliviousness regardless of the circumstances.

The only things she could do were hide her worry and say what she could.

"Master! Despite your strength and unparalleled growth, even you are not immune to death. This is a high-level dungeon, Master! You’re putting yourself in grave danger."

She started to warn him.

"Even if we deal with those stronger ones, the lower-level ones will all be monsters at the level of the Dungeons Bosses you go through to level up, and that’s not all; they will be in the tens of thousands in number—maybe more."

Then she explained the danger to him in detail.

"That’s why it takes a minimum of level 400 here to survive. Not to mention, they are all Chaos monsters, thougher than normal monsters of the same level, and even one of their attacks could infect you with Chaos energy. You will be cursed as soon as you bleed!"

Her fears spilled forth, and each word of hers was filled with urgency.

"Your mental strength would deplete faster than your physical strength because of the corruption of Chaos energy, and you would become crazy. You won’t even be able to withstand the tremendous pressure!"

But with each passing moment and word, Charlotte’s voice rose, the sense of urgency overwhelming her restraint.

"You’ll collapse before the battle even begins! Even I can’t face them alone, let alone you, Master!"

Her words almost turned into screams.

"Then Why?!" she demanded, her frustration boiling over.

"Why are you so determined to commit this suicidal act?!"

Yet, despite her fervent pleas, Adrian remained silent and unmoved.

"If you’re determined to die, let me die with you, Master!! If protecting you is my sole purpose, then why?"

Charlotte’s eyes blazed with fury. She wanted to scream more, but before she could, she was suddenly enveloped in a gentle embrace, a firm hand patting her back soothingly.

"I understand your concern, but even with you here, there’s still a risk of death for us all. Moreover, the higher-ranking monsters will target us intentionally once they spot us, putting everyone’s lives at stake," Adrian explained calmly, his voice steady.

Then, his tone softened, and he whispered into Charlotte’s ear.

"Charlotte, do you truly believe I would do something I’m not confident about? Do you think I would jeopardize my life without careful consideration? Everything is within my calculations. I know you can sense my strength, but you underestimate just how powerful I’ve become."

With those words, Adrian patted her back gently, planting a light kiss on her soft cheek before breaking the embrace and turning Charlotte around, pushing her out.

"Trust me, and go."

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

Feeling his push, Charlotte felt helpless.

She knew she had to believe him, yet her heart couldn’t help but worry.

It twisted painfully inside her chest and hurt so badly that she wished she could make it stop, but she couldn’t.

Today, she had to trust her master.

"Then I will leave now. Wait for me, Master. I will be back as soon as possible."

With her resolve firm, Charlotte spoke no further, and after simply relaying orders to the Shadow Guards, who were hidden in the distance and were keeping this area safe, to come with her to clear this Dungeon as soon as possible, she simply stomped the ground as hard as she could.

Bang!

In a blur, she vanished from sight faster than a speeding bullet, leaving behind a trail of dust and debris. In her mind echoed only a single thought:

’Kill, kill. I must kill all these monsters quickly and return to save my master. I won’t allow anyone to harm him.’

....

"Now, only two of us are left."

Left alone, Adrian settled beside Rachael, running his fingers through her hair as he gazed in the direction Charlotte had disappeared. He was lost in thought.

’I’m no fool, my dear Charlotte. This dungeon and every creature within it—it’s all part of my grand scheme. It’s all my gold mine, so how could I share my spoils with anyone else? Besides, my strength is continuously growing with each passing moment. Even I, myself, don’t know how strong I currently am... And this event is my stage, so I’ll ensure I take center spotlight.’

Thinking to himself, he laid down calmly on the grass, then turned his head and looked at the sleeping beauty beside him.

’Rachael, my love, it’s time for you to wake up too. This play is incomplete without you, after all.’

Adrian spoke in his heart, and a playful yet devilish grin appeared on his lips.

’Hehehe. My dear... Let the play begin.’