I Became The Novel's Biggest Antagonist

Chapter 101 Lightbringer

"i— i can't believe it!"

saya's voice rang out in disbelief, breaking the quiet inside the cramped carriage.

"what is it, saya?" lua asked, frowning. mona, seated beside her, looked equally puzzled by saya's sudden outburst.

"look at this!" saya thrust her phone forward, the device shaking slightly in her hands.

the phone, clearly a budget model, bore the marks of frequent use. no one in the group judged her for it—after all, they weren't wealthy. every spare coin they earned was sent back to support their families in the village.

"hm? isn't that the woman we saw earlier?" lua asked, her voice tinged with surprise as she leaned in for a closer look.

the screen displayed a low-resolution yet clear image of minerva.

"yes! i've been wracking my brain trying to place her face, and now i know!" saya said excitedly, her fingers flying over the screen as she scrolled. "minerva rosenwald—the eldest daughter of duke rosenwald from the kingdom of unadora!"

"a duke's daughter?!" reynold blurted out, his jaw dropping.

among the nobility, a duke was second only to royalty, their rank towering over commoners like reynold and the rest of the group. to people of their station, the idea of interacting with such an individual was utterly surreal.

"and get this—her sister is diana rosenwald! together, they're famous throughout unadora. they're known as the rosenwald sisters. oh my god, i can't believe we met them!" saya was practically bouncing with excitement.

reynold's astonishment turned into disbelief. "this... this is insane. and king just casually tried to court her?"

all eyes turned to king, who was sprawled out across an entire row of seats, completely unfazed by the revelation.

lua's expression darkened as she glared at him. "do you have any idea what you've done? courting a duke's daughter? are you insane? it's dangerous enough for us commoners to even speak to the daughter of a baron, and you think it's a good idea to flirt with someone this far out of your league?"

the group exchanged uneasy glances, their collective anxiety growing. they'd already experienced the harsh consequences of crossing paths with nobility before. the thought of what could happen now, thanks to king's recklessness, sent a chill through them.

"relax, everyone." king's voice was calm, his smirk oozing self-assurance. "she didn't seem to mind. in fact, i think she took a liking to me."

the three women grimaced in unison.

"unbelievable," mona muttered, shaking her head.

none of them had ever met someone as arrogant—or as dangerously self-confident—as king.

"well, anyway, you won't be seeing her again," lua said with her arms crossed. the others nodded in agreement. meeting minerva today had been a fluke—a stroke of luck that brought them far too close to her world.

"i wouldn't be so sure about that," king said, a meaningful smile tugging at his lips.

if minerva was from unadora, their paths might certainly cross again.

before lua could respond to his smug certainty, the carriage rolled to a stop.

"we've arrived," the coachman said.

king wasted no time. he leaped out of the carriage window nimbly, landing lightly on his feet. stretching his arms, he looked up at the sky.

"what a perfect morning!" he exhaled the fresh air. reaching into his pocket, he picked a glinting gold coin and flicked it to the coachman. "here you go—payment for blessing my eyes with two world-class beauties back there."

"e-eh?!" the coachman stared at the coin, slack-jawed in disbelief.

reynold and the others froze, equally dumbfounded.

the grumbles of the disgruntled crowd rose in volume, but king only sighed in exasperation. slowly, he turned to face them, holding up a badge that shimmered faintly with yellow hues.

"i am king siver, a c-rank hunter on an important mission assigned by the ocryphia guild," he said coldly. he then pointed to reynold, who stood awkwardly behind him. "and this is reynold lightbringer, an s-rank hunter. watch your mouths."

the effect was instantaneous. the angry murmurs died away as jaws dropped in astonishment. the tension in the room evaporated, replaced by hushed awe as the onlookers began whispering among themselves.

"s-s-rank?"

"no way... an s-rank hunter here?"

even those who had been glaring moments ago now regarded reynold with wide-eyed respect, stepping back to clear a path.

the most stunned of all, however, was reynold himself. his mouth hung open as he struggled to process king's declaration.

"l-lightbringer...pfff–!" mona managed to stifle a laugh, covering her mouth as her shoulders shook.

"this is not the time to laugh, mona!" saya said, trying to keep her composure.

"since when has rey been an s-rank hunter?" lua whispered furiously, glancing between king and reynold.

"but look!" saya shot back, gesturing toward the crowd. "they're all believing him!"

indeed, the crowd believed king's audacious claim without question. it was a clever psychological ploy on his part. by first presenting his badge and proving his identity as a c-rank hunter—a high enough rank to earn their respect—king had laid the groundwork for the next step. to the townsfolk, if king's rank was true, then reynold being an s-rank hunter didn't seem far-fetched.

"m-my sincerest apologies, sir! please, follow me!" fina panicked, clearly flustered as she gestured for them to come along.

"thank you," king replied smoothly, motioning for reynold and the others to follow.

before they could take a step, the crowd erupted around reynold.

"m-may i have your autograph, lord lightbringer?!"

"me too! please!"

"can i take a picture with you?!"

the enthusiasm of the naive townsfolk was overwhelming. it was clear they rarely encountered anyone of reynold's supposed stature, and they were eager to seize the moment.

"i-i... i really have to go!" reynold stuttered, his face flushed as he hurried after fina, the others close behind.

as they moved through the halls behind the clerk, reynold grabbed king's arm in unease. "king! what was that all about?!"

"a glimpse of your future," king replied, grinning. "you're bound to reach s-rank someday, aren't you?"

"huh? i mean... yeah, i guess..." reynold mumbled, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish smile.

"don't let his sweet-talking get to you so easily!" saya snapped, glaring at reynold before turning her ire on king. "and what if they find out it's a lie?"

"then what?" king interrupted, raising a brow.

"well..." saya hesitated, her argument faltering.

she knew he had a point. they weren't fabricating their mission—this was an official task from the ocryphia guild. the small lie was merely a means to expedite the process. what repercussions could there possibly be for something so minor?

with the group silenced, king resumed walking at a relaxed pace. catching up to fina, he struck up a lively conversation with her, his charm on full display.

by the time they reached the mayor's office, king seemed to have won the clerk over entirely.