Reincarnated with an SSS-rank Tamer System: My Harem of Villainesses-Chapter 25 – Thornwick

Adam began to wake up little by little, only to see Evelyne, who was looking out the window with an expression of excitement in her eyes.

"We arrived in Thornwick not long ago." She commented without taking her gaze off the outside.

Adam straightened up in his seat and looked out his own window; his eyes widened slightly at the enormous city that unfolded before him.

There were massive buildings rising on both sides of the stone-paved street. There were far too many people everywhere: merchants, nobles walking, children running through the crowd.

The kingdom’s flags waved from the tallest buildings, displaying the symbol of the crown.

And in the distance, towering above everything else, what could only be the Arcanis Academy could be seen. A massive structure of towers and walls that looked more like a fortress than a school.

"Impressive, isn’t it?" Evelyne commented with a smile as she finally turned her attention to him.

Adam nodded slightly without saying anything, simply observing.

The carriage continued moving through the streets until it finally stopped in front of what appeared to be a luxurious-looking inn.

Evelyne turned once more toward Adam with a serious expression. "I imagine you lost all your money in the attack."

Adam frowned at that, but he had to admit she was right. Everything he had brought with him had been destroyed or lost during the ambush. All he had left were the clothes he was wearing, and that was it.

"Stay with me tonight." Evelyne offered. Adam was about to respond, but she interrupted him before he could say anything. "Separate rooms, obviously. But at least you’ll have a place to sleep."

Adam looked at her for a moment; the offer was good. He did not have many options, realistically speaking, and she was clearly not suggesting anything inappropriate.

"Alright." He finally accepted. "Thank you."

"It’s nothing." Evelyne replied with a smile.

They both stepped out of the vehicle, and Adam immediately noticed how several people on the street turned to look at him. Their eyes traveled over his figure before stopping on the emblem embroidered on his chest.

The symbol of the Shadowend family.

Murmurs began to spread among the crowd as some discreetly pointed in his direction.

Adam ignored them completely. Evelyne, on the other hand, did not. "You’re more famous than I am." She commented in an amused tone as she walked toward the inn’s entrance. "How envious."

Adam shot her a sidelong glance before smiling faintly with bitterness. They both entered the inn and were immediately greeted by the owner, a middle-aged man with an elaborate mustache who practically ran toward them when he saw Adam’s emblem.

"Welcome, welcome!" he exclaimed with excessive enthusiasm while making multiple bows. "It is an honor to have members of the nobility in my humble establishment. Please, allow me to offer you our finest rooms."

The level of attention was almost comical in its intensity.

Evelyne handled the negotiations quickly, paying for two rooms for the night out of her own pocket. Adam tried to protest, but she simply waved her hand, dismissing his concerns.

"Leave it be. Besides, you don’t have any money, what are you going to pay with?" she said while the owner ran off to prepare the rooms. "It’s better to have a favor from you than money."

Adam raised an eyebrow at that, but nodded. Having a favor owed by a Shadowend was definitely worth more than a few gold coins.

The rooms turned out to be incredibly luxurious. Adam looked around, observing the large canopy bed, the carved wooden furniture, the wide windows with velvet curtains.

Evelyne put some of her things away in her room before appearing at Adam’s door with a smile.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. "There’s a good restaurant nearby. We could have dinner before tomorrow."

Adam considered rejecting the offer, but in the end she had helped him quite a bit during the day. The least he could do was accept dinner.

"Alright." He replied.

***

The restaurant Evelyne took him to was as luxurious as the inn, if not more so. There were several nobles everywhere.

Adam could see them clearly, groups of young people around his age, all wearing the emblems of their respective families. Some spoke animatedly about the academy, others ate in silence.

None of the emblems were as striking or recognizable as his.

They sat at a table by the window and ordered food while observing the atmosphere of the place.

That was when Adam noticed something.

A tall girl, probably measuring around five feet seven inches, taller than him, seated at a table on the other side of the restaurant.

She had long blue hair that reached the middle of her back and eyes of the same color. Her posture was perfect, and she wore a sword sheathed at her waist that clearly was not decorative.

What caught his attention the most was the emblem on her clothing.

It was elaborate and clearly belonged to a high-ranking family, but he did not recognize it immediately.

The girl glanced at him for a moment, her blue eyes briefly meeting his, before she turned her attention back to her own food with a neutral expression.

Evelyne followed his gaze and noticed who he was looking at. She leaned slightly forward as she lowered her voice.

"She’s from the Ashcroft family," she murmured in a tone mixed with respect and a hint of envy. "The most powerful family in the kingdom."

Adam raised an eyebrow at that as he continued discreetly observing the blue-haired girl.

’The most powerful?’ he thought. ’I thought our family was the most powerful... we must be second.’

"I’m sure you already know her, unlike me." Evelyne added with a teasing smile, though there was no real malice behind it. "The Shadowends and the Ashcrofts probably have... history together."

Adam simply looked at her without responding before turning his attention back to his own food, which had just arrived.

He had no idea who that girl specifically was or what "history" there might be between the families.

The original Adam’s memories were useful, but not omniscient, and there were clearly many things he still did not know about this world.

’One more thing to investigate.’ He thought as he began to eat, trying not to dwell too much on the matter. He already had a lot on his mind to add something else.

The academy.

The villainesses.

The changes in the story.

The whole damn circus was about to officially begin.

***

They finished dinner in silence after that, with Evelyne making occasional comments about the city or the academy while Adam responded with monosyllables or nods.

When they finally returned to the inn, Adam went straight to his room and collapsed onto the bed without even bothering to take off his shoes.

Nox appeared on top of his chest as he looked at him. Adam glanced sideways at him. "I forgot about you... are you hungry?" he commented, and apparently Adam’s remark annoyed the little one, who jumped onto his chest.

Adam did not know whether the dragon ate anything specific, since ever since he had gotten him, he had never fed him...

[Contracted beasts feed on their contractor’s mana, though it is only a small percentage, and it does not cause any harm.]

Adam read the message and sighed in relief; he was not a bad owner after all.

Without further thought, he closed his eyes, letting exhaustion finally overcome him as one last image crossed his mind: those blue eyes glancing at him.

’Who are you?’ was his last thought before he fell asleep.