The Survival of the Third-rate Villain

Later that night—

Raye and Jerusha sat across from each other in a cozy booth at a well-lit restaurant.

The place was calm and warm, filled with the soft hum of conversations and clinks of silverware. The smell of grilled meat filled the air.

"This place really is something."

Raye commented, cutting into his third steak already.

Jerusha nodded, chewing happily.

"Mm! It's my first time here, but I like it!"

The restaurant was known for their premium steaks—perfectly cooked, tender, and juicy. It was also a business partner of Kyle and Devin, which meant their meals tonight could've been completely free.

But Raye still paid.

'I don't feel right eating for free.'

He thought when he handed over a pouch of coins to the cashier earlier.

'Besides, I have a lot money. Like really a lot.'

Anyway, with that—

Raye and Jerusha ate a lot, until their bellies feels like they were going to pop.

...

...

*****

Now, a few hours after having their dinner—

Tap-

Swoosh~

Raye and Jerusha stood in front of the [Amaya Dormitory], a gentle wind blowing past as the quiet night wrapped around them.

The warm lights from the building's entrance glowed softly.

Jerusha faced Raye with a sweet smile.

"I had fun today."

She said, voice soft and sincere.

"I enjoyed it more."

Raye smiled back.

Jerusha chuckled lightly.

"Congrats again for today."

Then she followed with that. It was about the assessment test.

"I didn't do much."

Raye shrugged casually.

They both knew that wasn't true—but neither of them brought it up again.

And with that, silence followed. Not the awkward kind, just... quiet.

"..."

"..."

The kind of silence that felt heavy because they didn't want to say goodbye.

"I love you."

Jerusha broke it, her voice almost a whisper.

"I love you the mostestness."

Raye replied, like always.

Then, opening his mouth again—

"Sleep and rest well."

"...You too."

Their smiles slowly turned sad.

Neither of them moved.

They just stood there, frozen in the moment. Not saying anything. Not doing anything. Just... there.

But finally—

Jerusha raised her hand and gave him a small wave.

"...See you tomorrow."

Then she turned around and entered the dorm.

Tap... Tap... Tap...

Raye watched her go. His face calm, but his heart just a little heavy.

She disappeared inside. The door closed. And he was left standing alone.

"..."

He looked up at the quiet sky, exhaled softly, then after a couple of minutes—

"Well, time to go back."

He turned his body and started walking away, the sound of his footsteps accompanying the quiet of the night.

...

...

*****

Around [10:30 PM], Raye arrived back at the cabin.

Creak~

He quietly opened the door, careful not to make any sound. The place was dimly lit by the moonlight peeking through the window.

He stepped inside—his footsteps soft and measured.

He headed straight to his room.

Click—

The door slowly opened.

Raye peeked inside, and the sight that greeted him made his expression soften.

Zephyrus was curled up in the corner of the bed, his cotton-like feathers rising and falling gently. Pyro lay sprawled across him, faint embers flickering around his tiny body.

"...I bet they trained the whole day."

Raye muttered under his breath.

Careful not to disturb them, he walked over to his bed and sat down slowly... then he gently lowered himself.

PAT—

The mattress shifted, but neither of them stirred.

'They really worked themselves today.'

Raye thought.

A faint smile tugged on his lips.

'I should treat them tomorrow... They still need to rest.'

Raye turned his head, watching the two quietly breathe. He was proud of them—proud that they wanted to grow stronger, proud that they wanted to help him.

But...

'Zephyrus still hasn't recovered his full strength... And Pyro's still just a child.'

He closed his eyes.

'They want to protect me... But I also want to protect them.'

The weight of the day slowly settled on his body.

His muscles ached. His mana felt heavy. And his mind, though calm, was tired.

Raye exhaled deeply.

The room was quiet. Peaceful.

And before he knew it—

"..."

His breathing evened out.

Raye drifted off to sleep.

*****

The next morning...

Raye woke up early. And surprisingly—

-meep! papa!

-Raye!

Pyro and Zephyrus were already awake too.

-It feels like we haven't seen you in a while.

-yeah... meep...

They both said, flying closer to him.

"..."

Raye was speechless seeing how excited they were seeing him.

He remembered what he thought about last night when he saw the two peacefully sleeping.

And after that—

Raye smiled and gave them a small nod.

"I feel the same, guys. I missed you both."

He mumbled softly, his voice gentle.

And through their connection, he could feel it—their joy, their warmth.

Zephyrus and Pyro were happy to hear that from him.

So opening his mouth again—

"Let's clean ourselves up."

Raye said that as he stood up from the bed.

"We're going out."

-Huh? Aren't you going to train?"

Zephyrus tilted his head.

-meep... we're going to hunt this early in the forest?

Pyro asked too.

Raye turned to them, smirking. Then— he shook his head.

"We're going to eat outside. We all deserve to rest."

He declared!

"Let's visit Old Man later too, after that."

Raye added after.

And the moment they heard that—

-...!

-...!

Zephyrus' and Pyro's eyes widened.

They looked at each other for a second, then without hesitation—

FWOOSH~

They both zipped through the air and landed on Raye's shoulders!

"Haha, I'll just take a short bath and get dressed, then let's go."

Raye said with a small laugh, shaking his head at their excitement.

And without further ado, he started to get moving.

...

...

...

Knowing that the two were waiting, Raye hastened his movements.

He finished preparing in just half an hour. The three of them were already hungry, so without beating around the bush—

"[Fly]"

-Let's go!

-meep! go!

W H O O S H—!

They all soared through the sky, heading toward the town!

([Fly] is a new spell Raye created using Telekinesis and Wind Attribute. He got the idea from Jerusha's flight spell.)

*****

Upon arriving at the town, the three immediately headed to a cozy cafe for breakfast.

Raye ordered the most expensive cakes on the menu, a hot milk chocolate for Pyro, an iced coffee for Zephyrus, and a hot one for himself.

Raye also happened to have a VIP card—because, yes, the cafe was a business partner of Kyle and Devin as well.

(Lol. Those two are slowly taking over the town.)

Anyway—

Thanks to that VIP status, they were prioritized. Their orders arrived quickly.

"Let's eat."

-meep! yay!

-I'm hungry now.

Raye, Pyro, and Zephyrus said respectively. They were just about to dig into their breakfast, excited.

But at that moment—

"Why does that kid and his weird monsters get their orders first?! I arrived earlier than them!"

A man's voice rang out, filled with entitlement and annoyance.

"Why are you even letting him in with his dirty monsters?!"

He even followed.

And hearing that—

"…"

Raye's expression darkened.