A Regressed Villain: Heroines, Villainesses and Me?

The sound of the engine roared through the night, the driver skillfully handling the vehicle as if it were an extension of her own body, cutting through the air with an exhilarating rush.

The tires were overheating, threatening to melt once the car finally came to a stop.

"Call the Diego family and tell them the opposite of what you said to Williams," Avendial instructed from the front seat, his hands folded in his lap.

The exhaustion from multiple trips weighed heavily on him as he held himself upright in the seat.

In stark contrast, Aecilia drove with an energy that seemed boundless.

Avendial might have doubted that this would be his last drive, but after observing Aecilia\'s skills over the past few days, he at least trusted her reflexes, which were remarkably precise—more akin to those of a Formula One racer.

"Hm, but there\'s something more important than that. Do you want to hear it?" Aecilia said, a small smile lighting up her face as she glanced at a photo stick resting on the dashboard.

It was nestled next to a handmade statue she had bought, which held pictures of the two of them—causing her to feel a sense of satisfaction.

She mentioned some information she had received this morning, which she had pushed aside because she was prioritizing their important date.

"Where is Leo?" Avendial shot back, his gaze fixed on her.

Unlike what she might have thought, he wasn\'t fooled by her attempts to disguise the message or to act like they were simply on a date.

He had seen the notification about Leo pop up on her phone, albeit interrupted by her playful demeanor.

Still, aware that he needed to keep her in good spirits before delving into more serious matters, he prioritized being present with her during their time together, even as thoughts of Leo lingered in the back of his mind.

"Hm, I knew you noticed it back then," Aecilia said, nodding.

Her hands moved the steering wheel with an unusual swiftness, while the rest of her physique remained calm and composed.

She recalled her earlier doubts about whether he had perceived the message.

His silence had initially led her to think he might not have noticed it; however, now that he had acknowledged it, her spirits lifted.

He had chosen to prioritize their date even after seeing the message, which delighted her further.

Avendial, on the other hand, remained silent.

He patiently awaited her response, fully aware that his entire day had been spent in vain since early morning.

After informing Aria about her father\'s death and attempting to curry favor to utilize the nightcrawlers to his advantage, he had ended up caught up in trivial matters all day.

He needed a deal with Aecilia; otherwise, this day felt completely wasted.

"Ahem," Aecilia began, breaking the silence.

"We\'ve discovered that Leo is, in fact, an Empyreal." She recognized the gravity of this statement and noted how it would likely astound Marquess.

If Leo turned out to be an Empyreal, it would imply that he was potentially a spy sent by one of the noble families or Royal family who held a monopoly over them.

Moreover, if an Empyreal was present in the Free City, he should have already been contacted by the royal family.

She awaited the Marquess\'s reaction, anticipating the surprise it would bring.

"Okay, and?" Avendial replied nonchalantly.

He felt little need to react strongly upon hearing that Sertsul had uncovered Leo\'s awakened ability.

To him, it was an inevitable conclusion; he had to verify whether Leo truly was a spy for his own peace of mind—no one was better than Sertsul when it came to interrogation.

After being preoccupied with other matters, he had momentarily put the matter of Leo aside, mostly because without Aria experiencing her second awakening, he was unable to discern what kind of ability Leo possessed.

In the grand scheme of things, this was a win-win situation for him.

Most likely, the Sertsul family would directly confirm the nature of Leo\'s ability and gather all necessary details about his past.

However, what Avendial truly wanted to know was whether Leo had disclosed that he had injected him with something at the hospital—a far more critical concern.

This particular information would determine the category in which Avendial would place him in the future, as it would prove his loyalty.

If Leo was truly as mentally strong as Avendial had expected, then he would receive far better treatment than others in the future.

"...Don\'t tell me you knew already?" Aecilia said, raising an eyebrow as she took in Avendial\'s calm demeanor.

Despite keeping the car steady, confusion bubbled up within her.

If he truly knew that Leo had been awakened already—even before the Royal Family—it meant the accident where they encountered him was likely just another move that Avendial had predicted.

If that were the case, there were only two explanations: either he had awakened some form of ability that allowed him to see the future or he came from the future himself.

Why was this even a possibility?

Simply put, Aecilia had complete faith in her family\'s network.

The intelligence capabilities of Sertsul family were considered among the top three in the entire Arinphiam Empire when it came to information gathering.

If they were unable to track down someone of Empyreal status faster than the Royal Family could, it made some sense, given the Royal Family\'s influence over the Free City.

But Marquess Croceaus?

He was a man who had never shown any interest in the Free City or any pursuits outside of his business affairs, let alone in intelligence gathering.

Of course, this was just an exercise in reassurance for Aecilia, as she knew that he possessed neither an ability to see the future nor was he a traveler from it.

The latter was utterly impossible; after all, how can anyone travel back in time? Utterly ridiculous.

Regarding the former, she recalled that during their date, she had inadvertently placed her handbag near him.

Given the properties of Synergy, it was likely that the bronze button on her bag would have melted, but it hadn\'t.

So she was certain he wasn\'t awakened.

But if he still knew that Leo had awakened...

"I love you, Marquess," Aecilia mumbled, averting her gaze as she tightly shut her eyes.

Exhaling, she redirected her focus to the front windshield as they drove.

She couldn\'t believe she\'d just confessed to him.

But what could she do?

He was so smart to predict everything this perfectly, making her feel a rush of excitement, which was causing her to fall in love all over again.

Zzzzzz-zz

"Huh?" Aecilia suddenly heard a peaceful sound and turned to her side, where she found the man she had expected to respond, boldly sleeping instead.

"....." Watching his serene face with his head leaned against the window, she noticed how he rested comfortably, sighing.

Slowing down the car in hopes of rousing him, she added, "Good night, Marquess."

"Yes, good night," Avendial replied, stretching his body as he clearly just awakened from his nap.

Folding his arms, he focused on the road ahead.

"You heard that, right?" Aecilia\'s face twitched as she increased the speed again, feeling as though he was deliberately signaling that whenever she confessed her feelings, he\'d just take a nap, uninterested in hearing her sentiments.

\'Sigh. I\'ll try again some other day.\'