Villain's Valor: A Noble Fantasy Resurrection

Chapter 206 Perséfone

"This is truly interesting," murmured Anthony as he observed with curious eyes a peculiar flower. Its petals were of different colors, each radiating a unique glow; for example, the red petal emitted a faint heat, while the white one conveyed a subtle coldness. "I think it's a good find, I suppose," he added, shrugging. "Don't you think?" he casually asked as he tucked away the flower.

Suddenly, a shrill voice interrupted the tranquil atmosphere. "That's mine, thief!" shouted a young woman tied to a tree, her green eyes gleaming dangerously as she struggled to free herself. Anthony watched her with a small smile on his lips.

He had been exploring the forest for three days without finding anything of interest until he heard a small explosion. Upon arriving at the scene, he saw this girl holding the flower in her hands. Initially, Anthony had considered eliminating her, but upon closer inspection, he realized something else. "I've found one of the four chosen ones," he thought to himself, intrigued by the situation.

He had been very lucky; literally, they were in a small world, and it turned out she had been sent to the same place as him.

Anthony squatted in front of the girl, holding the flower in his hands as he moved it slightly. "Is this flower yours?" he asked curiously. The girl's eyes gleamed intensely as she nodded. "Yes, it is," she replied determinedly.

"I could kill you and take the flower without any problems," Anthony said casually, observing the girl's reaction. She looked at him for a few seconds before shrugging. "You would have killed me already then. Instead, you caught me in this tree," she pointed out resignedly. Anthony found this girl more and more interesting.

"Do you know who I am?" Anthony asked curiously. The girl looked at him indifferently. "Does it matter?" she replied. A slight smile escaped Anthony's lips as he shook his head. "You're right, it doesn't matter," he admitted. Then, after a few seconds of reflection, he continued, "I'll give you the flower, but I have a condition."

The girl looked at him cautiously, waiting to hear his terms. "What is it?" she inquired. Anthony handed her the flower and then proposed, "I want you to come with me. How does that sound?"

The girl hesitated before firmly responding, "I refuse."

Anthony sighed and drew his sword from his ring. "I guess you've chosen the path of death," he said, bringing the sword's edge closer to the girl's neck. She reacted quickly. "Wait! I'll go with you!" she exclaimed, moving her neck away from the sword's edge.

"Perfect. The terms are simple: we'll split any loot we find equally," declared Anthony as he released the girl from the tree. She stood up and looked at her body. "Why are you doing this... you should know I'm from the lower classes," she said with a furrowed brow.

"I know you're from class 200, but my eyes never deceive me," Anthony replied confidently. After a brief moment of hesitation, he proposed, "In exchange for helping you ascend in class, you'll be my friend. What do you think?"

Anthony observed the girl in front of him carefully. At a height of 1.70 meters, she stood out among the forest undergrowth. Her green eyes seemed to contain something indescribable, something that escaped Anthony's understanding. They were like bright green sapphires, radiant and captivating.

The reason Anthony was willing to help her was quite simple: she was the best of the four chosen ones. She had been marginalized and harassed by her class. He vaguely remembered that she had also perished during the siege of the academy in class 200, along with many other students. However, those details didn't matter to him in the least. All he cared about was the young woman in front of him.

She hesitated for a few moments, clearly showing her insecurity. Anthony watched her with understanding; he couldn't blame her for feeling that way. After a few moments of hesitation, she finally spoke, "Fine," she said as she quickly stored the flower in her ring. Anthony nodded satisfactorily.

"My name is Anthony, nice to meet you," he introduced himself, extending his hand to her. She also stretched out hers. "My name is... Persephone," she responded hesitantly, as if pronouncing her name were a difficult task. "Nice name," commented Anthony, trying to ease the tension. The girl's eyes widened at Anthony's gesture.

"Alright, let's go. We need to search for more things to earn points," said Anthony as he began to walk. She looked at his back and then in another direction, but she knew she couldn't escape. With a resigned sigh, she decided to follow Anthony.

*****

POV Persephone

"Are you saying that there's an artifact in this place?" Persephone asked doubtfully. They were in the middle of a ruined house, having been walking together for two days. Persephone looked at the white-haired boy, who was sitting, staring at the ground. Suddenly, his eyes gleamed, and Persephone saw a black aura emanating from him. A thin layer of darkness sealed the entire house.

Persephone felt a mantle enveloping her body; she felt extremely comfortable, as if she were at home. Explore stories on My Virtual Library Empire

Anthony looked elsewhere and stood up. He clenched his fist and struck the ground, causing a cold dusty air to rise. "I found it," he announced with a small smile, his eyes shining as he nodded. Then he approached Persephone. She felt nervous and perceived as a very large hand rested on her shoulder, only to disappear from the place.

Opening her eyes wide, Persephone realized they were in another place, a different passage. Her green eyes contemplated a small greenish pyramid in the center. Around it, there was a lush and green forest, with large vines wrapping around the trees. The area was about five kilometers wide and long.

The strangest thing was to observe the ends of the forest: the walls surrounding it were of a deep black or simply huge stones. In front of them was a small lake, whose waters were pure and crystal clear.