A Regressed Villain: Heroines, Villainesses and Me?

The distant sounds of impacts and the screams of someone reached Avendial\'s ears from a fifty meters away.

A small cart, resembling a golf cart, carried two unusual individuals.

At the front sat a woman in a flowing black dress, her golden eyes shining brightly as she focused ahead.

Beside her sat a man with silver hair, contrasting with her sunny gaze; his deep blue eyes evoked the image of a vast ocean, while his hair glimmered like moonlight.

Avendial felt a twinge of pity for Leo, whose familiar, anguished cries echoed after each impact sound.

It was clear that Leo, having narrowly escaped death in the past, was now being used as a punching bag by someone.

"Marquess, aren\'t you curious about why we created this place?" Aecilia asked, her gaze fixed on the road ahead.

The headquarters for the nightcrawlers was far more than a mere base; it resembled a small city hidden away in the shadows and unnoticed by the outside world.

Avendial sensed Aecilia\'s expectation that he would ask questions, but he remained calm, choosing to keep his thoughts to himself.

"...I have a few guesses," Avendial replied.

He folded his hands, closed his eyes, and tilted his head slightly back against the cart\'s seat, contemplating the implications of their location.

Memories of history flooded his mind, particularly the tale of how a previous emperor had sought to suppress the Sertsul family by assigning them territory that was largely considered infertile.

This oppressive move didn\'t stop there; the head of the family at that time had married the woman who incited the prince\'s wrath—she was the very reason for the emperor\'s aggression.

After the prince ascended the throne, he targeted the man who had won her heart, resulting in that man\'s untimely death in what was described as an accident.

The specifics of history are well known: the subsequent rise of the Sertsul family and their ventures into pleasure houses and beyond.

Avendial pieced together that it was likely this new stronghold served as a precautionary measure, a safeguard against history repeating itself.

Furthermore, he recalled the child he had previously seen with the feather tattoo—having shared a conversation with him in the future, where the boy recounted living in a shelter due to his sister being abducted by the royal family.

They had wanted to take him too, but somehow he had escaped, finding protection under the Sertsul family.

But at that time, there were no remnants of the Sertsul family remaining, prompting Avendial to not delve deeper into it.

Now, however, this place appeared as though an entire small world had been meticulously crafted for people to inhabit.

Yet, the fate of those who lived here was far from favorable.

The child, in particular, met a grim end for standing against the royal family.

The last Avendial heard of him; he had attempted to go against the royal family, only to be killed by his own sister, who had been brainwashed by the royal family over the years.

Setting aside this tragic tale, Avendial reminded himself not to inquire further, as he lacked the time to listen to stories he had already heard.

"By the way, you shouldn\'t feel jealous of that child, Marquess," Aecilia teased, nudging his arm playfully.

She prompted him to look at her with a smirk before she halted the cart and stepped out. A small smile lingered on her face as she recalled how he had questioned that child about his blood type.

The way he had guessed it before the child became utterly horrified and fled, as if he bore some trauma triggered by such a question, amused her.

It gave her the impression that he was being jealous and threatening toward the boy.

Of course, Aecilia was aware there was much more beneath the surface.

With her extensive knowledge of the individuals residing in this place, she also understood the child\'s background and, coincidentally, confirmed that the Marquess\'s guess was accurate: the child indeed possessed the same blood type.

Though she couldn\'t ask him again—given that she had already done so and received no valid answer—she began to wonder why he was so fixated on having people with the same blood type as his own rather than a more diverse selection of groups.

But indeed, she was doubtful.

"I... wasn\'t jealous of him," Avendial said, stepping out of the cart and making his way toward a structure that resembled a metallic bunker, its thick door slowly sliding open.

He cast a glance back at Aecilia, who was just a few paces behind him, and felt a playful urge to tease her, mostly to make her forget about the thing she was doubting right now.

"I was just jealous of his courage..." With a nonchalant voice, he declared.

His words caused Aecilia to pause, her gaze shifting towards him, her eyebrow arched as she felt confused, prompting her to ask, "And why is that?"

"Why wouldn\'t I?" he replied, approaching her before standing beside her for a second, giving her a smile with narrowed eyes before he walked past her, murmuring under his breath enough for her to hear: "How did he manage to gather enough courage to propose to you? I\'m still here, struggling to find that very courage..."

"...."

thump thump

"Phew~," Aecilia exhaled, standing in place as her heart raced.

She covered her face briefly, taking a moment to compose herself after being unexpectedly confronted by a man whose personality belied the evident playboy image he projected.

Doubts crept into her mind—had she truly gathered enough information about him?

Only four or five days ago, he appeared to be solely focused on business, and now, he had the audacity to stir feelings within her heart.

If he could so easily rattle her composure, she feared she was a lost cause.

Bam!

"Haaah!...."

Krieeek

\'What the—?\' Avendial exclaimed as he stepped into the bunker.

The first thing that met his eyes was a stark, white room adorned with several mirror-like surfaces, each bearing the marks of blood.

Some stains were dry, while others were fresh, with nail marks on some; even fingerprints seemed to be visible on some.

His gaze quickly swept across the room, taking in the sight of numerous individuals trapped inside.

They were subjected to unspeakable torture, their fingers displayed grimly alongside plucked teeth, their hair embedded within torn skin, and their flesh openly leaking blood.

The gruesome scene before him clearly revealed that this place was less an interrogation room and more a torture chamber.

"Leo is in the interrogation chamber; these people have already been questioned," Aecilia explained as she stepped forward, guiding him toward the only door that lacked soundproof glass.

The emanating screams hinted strongly that there were distinct areas designated for both interrogation and torture, and these unfortunate souls were now enduring the latter phase after having already revealed all they knew.

"I see..." Avendial replied, following behind her until they reached a seemingly ordinary wooden door, the kind one might find in any home.

Aecilia slowly opened the door, and the sight that unfolded before them was anything but ordinary.

Inside the room, four women encircled a single man who was brutally bound at the wrists and ankles. Among them, three stood by while one delivered gruesome punches.

What struck Avendial as alarming, however, was that the person delivering the punches seemed abnormally strong, evident from the sound and air-tearing noise; it was the undeniable fact that she was an Evolver—not an ordinary one at that.

"Hey, everyone, stop! Can\'t you see who\'s here?" Aecilia had initially thought they would only be asking questions of Leo, not suspending him in mid-air like some sort of sandbag, with his arms and legs bound by chains.

Despite that, one could not ignore the fact that his body was impressively muscular, every detail of his physique clearly outlined beneath his tattered clothing.

However, Aecilia was more concerned with the fact that she had just brought the Marquess to this place for the first time, and the very first thing he witnessed was this rather shocking scene.

"Huh? Aecilia? Oh, so he is the Croceaus guy."

The woman at the front, who was punishing Leo with punches that reddened his flesh with each blow, turned to acknowledge Aecilia\'s voice.

Recognizing familiar tone, she approached them, casually unrolling the band she had tied around her hand.

\'.....\' Avendial, standing there, glanced at the woman who just casually mentioned him while striding closer.

He noticed the striking similarity between her and Aecilia—both had the same golden-hued complexion—but this woman\'s physical appearance was strikingly different.

She sported a boyish look, complete with a funky, gray-haired, tomboyish hairstyle.

Her attire consisted of tight jeans that revealed glimpses of her toned abdominal muscles, and piercings near her lips added a hint of rebellious flair as she came within just an arm\'s length of him.

"What a handsome man you have here, Aecilia," she remarked, eyeing her cousin, who had brought along this rumored individual—someone Aecilia had a crush on.

Billie then took a towel from one of her subordinates, wiping the sweat from her face as she stretched her hand out toward Avendial.

"My name is Billie Sertsul," she said, her gaze lingering on him.

"How about I take the time to properly introduce myself to you, Mr. Handsome?" Her eyes, filled with mischief, roamed down to his pants, glinting with flirtation.

As she closed the distance between them, leaning closer to his ear, she whispered in a voice dripping with seduction, "Maybe I need to change the venue to my bedroom... for my deep introduction. What do you say?"