Reincarnated and Regressed Villain - Make heroines beg for forgiveness

Chapter 362 - Spying

Esme stood there, feeling two arms wrap around her waist. She flinched at the sudden presence but calmed down upon recognizing the familiar whisper belonging to Ryuk. Reflexively, she relaxed and leaned back against him, saying softly, "I was just trying to help you."

"How?" Ryuk appreciated her concern, but curiosity tugged at him, especially observing Jenny's unusual words of plea, which seemed to stem more from fear than guilt or regret.

"I delved into her memories," Esme explained, folding her arms and shaking her head. She still felt residual anger for Jenny's actions against him. Despite her immunity to the emotional states of others, she could sense how foolish some men—and a few women—were in the choices they made. "A lot happened, and I can't even remember the name of one of the girls who served you, but from Jenny's memories, her decisions were clearly wrong."

"I am not hurt," Ryuk replied, his eyes, partially hidden by a mask, glancing down at the unconscious figure of Jenny. As memories resurfaced, he recalled how much of his life he had invested in giving her a good life, only to be met with disappointment rather than pain—something he was already aware of, given his villainous title and her heroic one.

"I am, though," Esme continued, reflecting on her observations of Jenny's memories. "I realized that no matter what happened, she would never feel regret or remorse for what she did."

"And why is that?" Even though Ryuk already had a hunch, he inquired further, his focus shifting as he cautiously scanned the area for others nearby. He sensed Yu Shao Yan returning for some reason.

"It's just how the human mind works, I guess," Esme replied, her hand sliding down to rest gently above his. She tightened her grip before adding, "When we betray someone close to us, we're more likely to feel regret after we realize our mistakes. But for her, she never truly believed she betrayed anyone. She thought she was exacting revenge for her family against an evil...ahem, man."

"What about the others?" Ryuk asked, resting his chin atop her head, noticing the strange but pleasant fragrance of her hair. He wanted to know if others might react in the same way Jenny had.

"She's unique, that much is true, but their tendency to lean towards their own interests makes their decisions seem foolish—just like that saintess woman," Esme thought, her eyes closed. A hint of her golden pupil peeked from beneath her eyelids as she considered how he still hadn't fully opened up about his life, making her know about him from the memories of someone else.

"Nice observation, I suppose, but could you take your feet off her?" Ryuk found her assessment logical; he had entertained similar thoughts. He directed her to remove her feet from Jenny as he sensed Yu Shao Yan's presence coming closer.

"W-What have you done to my granddaughter!?" Yu Shao Yan exclaimed, having come here at her daughter's behest after discussions with the cultivators about moving to the lower town. Upon arriving, she was met with the sight of her granddaughter lying in the dust, clearly humiliated. A surge of maternal instinct propelled her forward as she leaned down to check Jenny's pulse.

"Have the warriors been sent to the lower town?" Ryuk asked, completely ignoring her distress and directly inquiring about the task he had assigned her.

"...Yes," Yu Shao Yan replied, her anger palpable. However, as she lifted her gaze to glare at him, a sudden, sharp pain pierced her heart. It felt foreign, as if something was preventing her from harboring ill thoughts about him; it compelled her to simply answer, leaving her unwilling to jeopardize her granddaughter's life.

"Go and place a slave seal on her," Ryuk commanded, his tone brooking no argument. Despite the fact that he possessed an enslavement grimoire that could easily bend Jenny to his will, he instead sought to force her to realize that she had become his slave once more.

'!?'

"How dare you...ugh," Yu Shao Yan stammered, visibly shaken by the order. The thought of using the slave seal on her granddaughter, which harbored traumatic memories, made her glare at him with anger. But as soon as she reacted, she was hit with an overwhelming pain that coursed through her body, forcing her jaws to clench as she struggled to withstand it using her internal energy.

"Do it, or I'll inject the same poison into her body," Ryuk asserted. Without her knowledge, he had injected her with the enslavement grimoire earlier, a tactic to ensure her loyalty. He used it now as leverage to make her carry out his command of creating the slave seal on Jenny.

Simply, he ordered her to do it instead of doing it himself, so that Jenny, after waking up, realized that the ones she trusted are the ones pushing her into the same trauma she had faced before.

"...N-no," Yu Shao Yan found herself trapped, an overwhelming sense of humiliation washing over her. Her lips were bitten as she grappled with the reality of her situation. She realized that the only way to protect her granddaughter was to acquiesce, leading her to nod in reluctant acceptance.

With that, she gently lifted Jenny in her arms and hurried away from the scene.

"She would definitely hate it," Esme reminded, as given two different memories within Jenny's mind revealed how she had a very deep hatred towards slave sales, considering it undermined her position and held trauma linked to it. Seeing how he tried to scratch the same wound, she couldn't help but chuckle.

"Give me your hand," Ryuk, on the other hand, just interlocked his fingers with hers, stretching slightly before pressing the ring within her ring finger. He then added, "The ring I gave Yao Lian had cultivation resources, unlike this one—"

"Huh? I know, though?" Esme interrupted him in the middle as he was confused, retreating as she looked towards him and then at her hand with a smile, slightly confusing him as he realized that maybe it was just Sam who thought Esme was in a mood.

"I see." He just gave a nod as he saw a small smile on her face, eyes taking a peek towards feathery before stepping forward, leaning towards his face. Given the height difference, she slightly lifted her head, coming near his ear before whispering, "I was slightly jealous, though, but not anymore, d.a.r.l.i.n.g."

'....'

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Explore new worlds at empire

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Far away from the lofty peak of the Celestial Phoenix Order, nestled in the heart of the Jade Dominion, lay the main city where the empress of the Dominion governed.

Within the boundaries lined with thousands of cultivators, a particular group clad in cloaks maneuvered cautiously through the bustling streets of the main city.

"What if we get caught?" a woman asked, glancing nervously at her companions. Her voice was laced with apprehension as she sought reassurance. Following the recent attack on the city, they had been ordered by the elders to leave the safety of the Phoenix Order and uncover the reasons behind the Empress's destructive intent towards their order.

"I've employed a stealth technique unique to our race," the woman at the forefront replied confidently, her determination evident in her tone.

"We must uncover the truth, no matter the risk." As they navigated the narrow alleys, paved with cobblestones and flanked by wooden structures, it was clear that the city possessed an architectural style that harmoniously blended modernity with tradition.

Although her cloak concealed much of her face, the pointed ears and dark skin that peeked out revealed her identity as a dark elf, making her stand out in the group of four women.