Villain Path

Chapter 20. Souvenir for the memory

[System notification! +10 points for showing restraint. -100 points for lack of villainous charisma. -20 points for losing the discussion...]

"You call THIS a discussion?!" Shen was indignant, but System continued enumeration:

[+40 points for oppressing a large number of opponents at close range. An additional story arc "Confrontation of the Meeting of lords against the Black Lotus Lance" has been opened. The story quest LOrd Lev's Trust has been opened. Accepted story quest Lord Lev's Trust. The achievement "Recognized as Dark" is unlocked. An overwhelming dark aura has been activated.]

System fell silent. While she was listing all of this, Shen managed to descend the steps of the administration building and head towards the bridge to the Black Lotus Peak.

"What is this aura? How can I deactivate it?" Shen wondered.

[Acquired after the gift of the black fox as one of the developing abilities on the path to becoming a demon.]

"What?!"

Shen almost lost his footing when he heard it.

"So this is what 'demonic transformation' meant?! Can I seriously turn into a demon?!"

Out of anger and shock, Shen started running. I myself did not understand where the forces came from, but he reached the bridge in no time. Feeling that he had finally got rid of the idle student gaze, Shen fell to his knees, trying to catch his breath.

[I am powerless to explain the current situation to you,] meanwhile, System said. [In the original novel, Shen was just scum, but didn't try to become a demon. Although its golden core was gradually crumbling, it would simply be consumed by darkness. If the protagonist hadn't killed him earlier.]

Shen calmed down a bit and sat down. His gaze unconsciously turned into the distance, to the mountains covered with gold and fog. It was so beautiful around that my heart ached.

«I won't think about any of this now,» Shen decided. «Not about the plot tasks, and even less about the demons. I will think about it tomorrow.»

He felt someone else's presence aside and turned around. Muan Gai stood at the beginning of the bridge and silently looked at him.

In the assembly hall, Muan hesitated, not knowing what to do. Should I stay in the meeting and try to stand up for Shen? Or is it better to go and talk to him in person? In the end, he chose the second option, because ... because speaking to the lords on Shen's side was something very controversial for Muan, and he was far from sure that it would be correct. The lords' attitude towards Shen was quite justified, and Muan did not think that he could change it, and he was not sure that he really needed to be changed. Shen remained for him a person with incomprehensible motivation, both earlier and now, and Muan chose to think, say, let wiser people decide whether he is worthy of trust or not. Muan, who always spoke out strongly against Shen before, decided that this time it would be more than enough if he just remained neutral.

But, despite all these considerations, personally, as a person, for some reason he worried about Shen. Thanks to the autumn procession of spirits, Muan saw Shen in completely different colors. Let's start with the fact that he saved him. And earlier, Muan would have given his head to be cut off, that Shen would sooner enjoy the spectacle of his death from afar, and then he would also dance on his grave. And out of absurdity, Muan set himself up just in such a way that the only thing Shen had to do was to step back and laugh, watching from the sidelines his quick death. However, he saved him. Back then, Muan might have decided that Shen did it simply on a whim. But it turns out that on the very procession he helped other spellcasters and his disciples out of the same whim. These were the actions of a noble person. Did he do that too for fun? With Shen will become. But he could not go so far in his entertainment that he himself almost died due to lack of strength. So he did it out of noble motives, and not because he wanted to have fun? Or was he just playing? Muan had considered it trash for years. But for some reason now, when he was near, such a feeling did not arise. What's wrong with that Shen?? Muan's brain was already exploding.