I Became The Novel's Biggest Antagonist

Chapter 70 [Demon Subjugation Exam] [8]

"Inform whom?"

"...!"

Ludivine froze, her heart skipping a beat. She looked up to see Ivan standing before her, arms crossed, casually leaning against a tree as though he had always been there.

"How...?" Ludivine's voice faltered, her breath catching as she stared in disbelief.

She had sprinted with every ounce of strength she had, yet Ivan stood before her. Not even a hint of exertion marred his expression.

"What happened to the demon?" She asked cautiously.

"Exorcised," Ivan replied curtly.

A heavy silence fell between them.

Ludivine was really skeptic.

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That explanation didn't sit right with her. Exorcisms weren't supposed to be this brutal. Worse still, exorcising a fully possessed human was considered reckless—saving the body was possible, but the risk of failure far outweighed the benefit. Besides, she had witnessed Ivan's methods firsthand. He hadn't used a single exorcism spell. He'd simply... fought.

With nothing but his bow and his bare hands, he had dismantled the demon with frightening efficiency.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"...Who are you?" She finally asked, her voice trembling despite her best efforts to sound calm.

She knew better than to dismiss Ivan as merely a skilled individual. No, skill was a gross understatement. He was beyond exceptional—a prodigy who could be recruited into the Order's elite ranks without hesitation, perhaps even someone already among their circles.

But she couldn't be certain.

Ivan met her question with silence. The longer he stared, the heavier the air seemed to grow, pressing down on her like. Unease coiled tightly in her chest, and she turned abruptly, desperate to escape the suffocating place.

"We should rejoin the others—"

Her words were cut short by a sharp gasp as her arms were suddenly pinned against the rough bark of a tree. His hold was strong enough that she couldn't even move an inch like before when he grasped her wrist.

"What are you doing?!" Ludivine shouted with a glare.

Ivan didn't answer. His piercing gaze bored into hers, the dark brown of his irises cold and unfeeling. It was as if he could see straight into her soul. Unable to withstand his intensity, Ludivine turned her head away.

She didn't understand what was happening, but she knew instinctively that resistance was futile. All she could do was wait for him to speak, though dread churned in her stomach.

If only she knew the truth.

Ivan was deliberating whether to kill her.

Had she known, she might have clawed, screamed, or done anything in her power to escape. But Ludivine had no inkling of how far Ivan could go.

Killing her would undoubtedly complicate matters. She hailed from a powerful family—her death wouldn't go unnoticed. Still, this spot was perfect for such a deed: remote, secluded, devoid of witnesses.

After all, the Elite Order wasn't deployed for trivial matters. Then, a chilling thought crossed her mind.

'Could this have something to do with Stewart's disappearance?'

Stewart Roden, one of her classmates, had vanished under mysterious circumstances. Ludivine couldn't help but connect the dots. In her mind, Ivan became a noble figure, a secretive investigator sent to Ocryphia to uncover some truth that had to do with Stewart's disappearance. Little did she know, her conclusion couldn't have been more wrong. Ivan wasn't investigating Stewart's disappearance—he was the very reason Stewart was gone.

While an umpteenth misunderstanding brewed around Ivan, his attention shifted elsewhere. His expression darkened with irritation, and Ludivine quickly understood why.

The faint rustling of leaves grew louder until two figures emerged from the forest.

"Eh? Ludivine?" Theresa exclaimed in surprise, spotting her. Her astonishment was evident, though it quickly turned to curiosity when her gaze moved to Ivan.

Beside her, Travis's eyes were already trained on him. Ivan, however, ignored the pair entirely, though his annoyance was clear.

'What are the damn odds they'd stumble upon this exact spot?'

He should have left already, but Ludivine was still a liability, and he needed to be certain about her.

"What are you guys doing?" Theresa asked.

"Oh, we met a dem—kyaa!" Ludivine's excited explanation was abruptly cut off as Ivan seized her hand again, pulling her to him with startling force. The sudden motion elicited a surprised yelp from her, one far too delicate and unguarded for someone of her typically noble bearing.

Her cheeks flared crimson, partly from embarrassment and partly from anger. She glared at Ivan, her eyes glistening as she fought against the sting of pain. "What now?! What is wrong with you?" She snapped, her voice quivering.

Ivan clenched his teeth. "Are you stupid? Or do I need to repeat myself a hundred times before it gets through that thick skull of yours?"

"W–What?" Ludivine was confused.

"There is no 'we.' You're the only one who met the demon," Ivan whispered, leaning in close enough that his words wouldn't carry to the others.

She stiffened, realizing her near-blunder. Ivan had just explained what she was supposed to say, and she'd nearly given him away—to the two worst possible people, no less. His annoyance was quite visible, and understandably so. Travis, already suspicious, needed no more ammunition. Ivan had no doubt that Travis had been digging for information about him for some time now. The last thing he needed was to fuel that curiosity further.

For now, he had to remain in the dark—at least until Ivan secured Seraphiel's Relic.

"Ah... yes," Ludivine murmured, nodding quickly as her error dawned on her.

But Ivan wasn't finished.

"Do you really understand?" He asked, his tone turning cold. "Or do I need to sew that talkative mouth of yours shut?"

His words sent a shiver down Ludivine's spine, but to her, it sounded less like a serious threat and more like a disturbingly teasing remark. Still, the intensity in his gaze made her cheeks burn with shame.

"I–I said I understood!" She whispered back, her voice flustered as her blush deepened.

Their back-and-forth, however, hadn't gone unnoticed.

Theresa, standing a short distance away, stared at the pair in stunned silence, utterly flabbergasted. She had never seen Ludivine behave this way with a man before. Ludivine, always dignified and aloof, now stood close to Ivan—closer than Theresa could ever imagine—whispering together with an intensity that seemed far too personal.

And then there was the hand-holding. Neither Ivan nor Ludivine seemed to notice, their focus consumed by their hushed argument. Yet to Theresa, with only their backs visible and their hands seemingly clasped together, the scene couldn't have looked more intimate.