The Return Of The Exiled Villain-Chapter 182: A Trip To The City Of Sword & Magic (I)

The day of the trip had finally arrived.

And, to everyone's surprise… There was no teleportation circle waiting for them. Instead... they needed to walk.

Actually walking...

...Apparently, that was the first test granted by Clarentine's Academy.

Fifteen hours had passed since they started walking under a sky that slowly turned from bright blue to dull orange, then to deep violet.

Their feet ached, clothes clung to sweat, and even the most disciplined among them had started to breathe heavier.

The road beneath them had long turned from stone to packed dirt, then to a seemingly darker atmosphere, as if the land itself was slowly swallowing their steps.

"Gooooooosh… can we stop now?!" Ronan groaned loudly, bending forward with his hands on his knees.

"We've been walking for more than fifteen hours already! My legs are dead!"

Selina simply rolled her eyes at him and continued on walking.

"The faster we get there, the faster we'll rest," she added expressionlessly.

"Cruel… heartless… absolutely evil," Ronan muttered, dragging his feet.

"Indeed," Lyra nodded lightly, though her breathing was a little uneven as well.

She hesitated for a moment before speaking again, her gaze drifting ahead, where the land darkened unnaturally.

"But… shouldn't we at least stop for a short break? To eat something, maybe drink water. Ahead of us is the Forest of Nightmares, and people say it's… difficult to navigate."

"…The Forest of Nightmares?" Gray lifted his head slightly.

"...Yup," Selene replied before anyone else could.

She gestured forward.

Ahead of them, big black trees rose like twisted spears, their branches tangled together so tightly they blocked most of the light.

A faint gray mist crawled between the trunks, clinging to the ground like living smoke.

"They say the forest messes with your head... It creates illusions, voices, memories, and familiar faces. Paths that look real but loop endlessly."

"…Loop endlessly?" Ronan swallowed.

Selene smiled creepily.

"People who lose their way don't die. They just… stay there. Walking. Turning. Believing they're getting closer to the exit."

"So it traps you." Lira frowned.

"Exactly."

Gray's eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the forest.

The mist shifted, almost imperceptibly, forming shapes that vanished the moment he focused on them.

"…Interesting," he murmured.

Selene stepped closer to him upon hearing his words, her shoulder brushing his arm.

"You sound excited. Careful, Gray, this place loves to eat up people~"

She leaned in a little, fingers almost touching his sleeve.

Thunk!

However... before she could get any closer, Lyra stepped in.

She moved quickly, placing herself between them, then reached out and grabbed Gray's arm firmly, pulling it against her side.

Her grip was tight, possessive, as if afraid he might slip away if she loosened it even slightly.

"We should stay focused," Lyra spoke in a calm tone, but left no room for argument.

"This isn't a place to joke around."

"Tch. Touchy." Selene clicked her tongue, finally withdrawing her hand, her eyes lingering on Lyra for half a second longer before she turned away.

"I agree with Lyra here," Adrian suddenly spoke, stopping in his tracks.

He swung the heavy backpack off his shoulders and let it drop to the ground with a dull thud, a small cloud of dust rising around his boots.

He rolled his shoulders once, as if finally relieved of the weight pressing down on him.

"The Forest of Nightmares can be a real pain in the ass if we aren't careful," he continued with a serious voice.

"There's a rumor that the so-called Dragon Rider, the only guy who actually managed to tame a dragon, passed through this forest."

He paused.

"And came back missing a leg."

A brief silence followed.

"…A leg?" Ronan shivered lightly.

"That part is true." Leon nodded lightly, adjusting the grip on his own pack.

He looked toward the dark forest ahead and narrowed his eyes.

"The Forest of Nightmares is… semi-sentient. The illusions it creates scale according to the intruder's combat power. If you're in the Master realm, you'll face illusions of that same level."

"So it's fair?" Ronan asked weakly.

Leon shook his head. "Not exactly. If your actual combat power exceeds your realm, the forest becomes easier to pass."

He hesitated, then added, "But the forest can also sense abnormal strength. If it feels threatened… it adjusts."

"…That sounds unfair again," Ronan muttered.

"Oooh…" Claire nodded slowly, hugging her arms as if she suddenly felt cold.

Maelis also seemed to have agreed with their words as she quietly set her bag down near the edge of the group and uncorked her water container.

She tilted it back, taking a long gulp before letting out a satisfied breath.

"Haaah! That was refreshing," she said, licking the remaining droplets from her lips.

She glanced around casually, as if the forest didn't bother her much at all.

"…Are we camping here, then?" a cold, lazy voice suddenly reached them from above.

Everyone looked up.

Cassandra was stretched out on a thick tree branch, one leg dangling freely, her arms folded behind her head. She looked half-asleep, as if the conversation bored her.

Gray sighed and also set down his bag.

"It seems so," he nodded.

"THANK GOOOOODDDD!" Ronan shouted instantly, throwing himself face-first onto the ground.

He spread his arms wide, breathing heavily.

"I swear… if I had taken one more step, my legs would've divorced me."

The others also set down their things and gathered in a small circle... all except Cassandra, who didn't want to join them at all.

And after they were done setting up, Ronan suddenly pushed himself upright.

"…Hold on."

The tone alone was enough to make several people tense.

He crawled toward his backpack, dragged it closer, and began rummaging through it with exaggerated movements, pulling out random items like a long rope, dried meat, a dented tin cup, and something that clinked ominously.

"Ronan," Selina warned flatly.

"If you're about to do something stupid...!"

"Found it!" he exclaimed, eyes lighting up.

He straightened, grinning like a man who had just uncovered forbidden knowledge.

"Alright!" he announced proudly.

"Who's up for some Spicy Jenga?"

The clearing went dead silent.

Every head turned toward him.

Even Cassandra lifted her head slightly from the branch, one eyebrow raising just enough to express a very clear you have five seconds to explain yourself.

The looks he received weren't confused.

They were the looks people gave someone moments before a public execution.

Ronan blinked.

"…Why does everyone look like that?"

All of them stared at him with a deadpan expression... but two of them were a little different.

Crack...!

Selene slowly cracked her knuckles.

"This is how idiots die," Selina muttered.

"C'mon! At least let me explain before you kill me," Ronan waved them off.

Before anyone could stop him, he reached back into his bag and started pulling things out.

One bottle. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Then another... and another one...!

Glass clinked against glass as he lined them up on the ground.

By the time he finished, nine full bottles of wine sat neatly in front of him.

The silence somehow deepened.

"…Why do you have nine bottles of wine?" Lyra asked with her eyelids practically twitching.

"Preparation." Ronan puffed out his chest.

"For what?" Leon asked.

"For fun."

"For what kind of fun?" Selina pressed.

Ronan ignored her and grabbed a small wooden bundle from his bag, unwrapping it to reveal a neatly carved Jenga set.

Each block had faint markings burned into the wood.

"Simple rules," he said cheerfully.

"Normal Jenga. You pull a block… You read what's written on it."

He grinned wider.

"They're dares. Spicy ones."

A pause.

"…And if you don't wanna do the dare," Ronan added, lifting one of the wine bottles, "you take a shot."

Gray's gaze instantly followed in interest.

Adrian's eyes lit up immediately.

Leon adjusted his posture slightly, expression unchanged, but his attention was clearly caught.

"…Oh?" Adrian said.

"That kind of spicy?"

"Exactly that kind." Ronan pointed at him.

The girls, on the other hand, looked far less impressed.

Lyra hesitated, her hands folded in her lap. Selina crossed her arms. Selene leaned back with a skeptical click of her tongue. Claire looked a little hesitant, while Maelis didn't seem interested whatsoever.

Cassandra obviously wasn't interested, and Lira... seemed as expressionless as ever.

But then, Gray leaned forward with a faint smile as he looked at the stacked blocks… then at the wine… then at Ronan.

"I'm in," he said casually.

The atmosphere shifted instantly.

Lyra froze.

Selene's eyes gleamed.

Claire's ears practically perked up.

Even Selina blinked once in surprise.

"…Gray?" Lyra murmured.

"YES! See? A man of culture!" Ronan slapped his knee.

"Well, if Gray's playing, I can't back out." Taking the opportunity, Adrian laughed and rolled his shoulders.

"…I suppose one round won't hurt." Leon sighed quietly.

The girls exchanged glances, clearly reevaluating their stance.

After all, Maelis and Cassandra refused, while the other accepted... except one of them that Gray particularly didn't have any memories of.

"…I'll pass," Katia said calmly, setting her bag aside.

"I'm still preparing curse bottles."

Gray frowned slightly, turning toward her.

"Curse bottles?"

"Just in case." She nodded.

That gave him pause.

'A curse user… in our class?'

The thought lingered for barely a second before Ronan shoved the Jenga tower into the center of the circle.

"Alright!" he declared loudly.

"No backing out now!"