Reborn As An Overpowered Villain

Judy stood there, matching Lucien's gaze. To make sure she did not come across as rude, she had taken care to inform him that she had come here to ask for something and that she hoped he would not reject her request.

Judy waited patiently for Lucien to reply, but the man did not utter a single word. Rather, he simply placed his elbow on the armrest and leaned his chin upon his fist, eyeing her curiously as though he were sunk deep in thought, contemplating something that would profoundly alter the way he perceived the world. He looked as though he had fallen into a trance. And then, for just a moment, Judy thought she caught the faintest shift in his otherwise impassive expression, something so subtle and fleeting that she could not help but wonder what it meant.

Lucien rarely showed any expression at all. In the previous events and banquets where Judy had crossed paths with him, he had always worn the same impassive look that made him appear entirely devoid of emotion.

And despite the many times their paths had crossed at those gatherings, Judy had always been caught off guard by the sheer magnitude of his power, for he seemed to have grown stronger every single time she chanced upon him.

Though they had never truly interacted, as he rarely interacted with anyone, she who had deliberately tried to strike up conversations with him had always found herself dismissed in two or three words, with little opportunity to press further. She had done so with a purpose in mind, hoping that he might one day help her family restore their rank as count.

But even back then, deep down, she had known it was nothing more than a foolish wish, and now that she had grown older and wiser, she had come to accept that it had been an utterly false hope. Lucien would never help anyone without receiving something of equal value in return, and her house had nothing to offer him.

Beyond that, helping her house rise in rank would only invite trouble within the Duskbane Duchy, pressuring the other baron and viscount houses to revolt, for if her house were to rise to the rank of count, the other houses would lose portions of their territory. It was not something Lucien would ever involve himself in. He was not foolish enough to turn his own vassal houses against him.

"First, take a seat." Lucien said, gesturing toward the two chairs arranged beside the desk in a manner that had them facing him directly. "I will give you my answer once I hear what you are asking."

Judy nodded and stepped slowly inside. The office was simple, with no grand drawings or paintings adorning the walls or ceiling, yet the room was spacious and furnished with everything one might require, a sofa along one side, windows lining the walls, and every necessity that Lucien could need. She felt it somehow resembled his personality, rigid and placid, stripped of anything unnecessary.

Judy sat down and looked at Lucien, trying to form the right words in her mind, searching for the best possible way to phrase what she had come here for. Even though she had practiced it countless times since the previous night, she still could not summon the courage to speak, and a part of her was having second thoughts, that she should simply run away from the room and claim she had been playing a prank on him.

But she knew better than anyone what the consequences of such a claim would be. Lucien would never let something like that slide so easily. She had witnessed enough of his ways to know that he was utterly ruthless, and that he would not let anything go unpunished, not even something as trivial as a prank, not even if it were his last dying breath.

Just as Judy braced herself and parted her lips to finally speak, Lucien began tapping his fingers against the wooden surface of the desk and said, "So, you too wish to increase your challenge and have your mana restricting bracelets modified to allow only fifteen percent mana circulation. Am I right?" When he finished speaking, he fixed his sharp gaze upon her, and for a brief moment, Judy thought she caught a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, as though he were entirely certain he had guessed her reason for appearing, which was wrong, utterly and completely wrong.

Why in the world would she increase what was already a grueling challenge? She had learned from Mark that he had requested exactly that, asking to have his bracelet reduced to fifteen percent mana circulation, and she had thought the decision reckless at best. With around twenty-nine days still remaining before the test, pushing forward with only fifteen percent would be extraordinarily difficult, and she was not willing to gamble on something so punishing merely to satisfy her pride.

As a matter of fact, Judy had even tried to talk Mark out of it, urging Mark to go back to Lucien and withdraw his request, but Mark had been immovable in his decision.

In the end, Judy had no choice but to let it be. One could not push a mountain that refused to budge, after all. And yet, the very fact that Lucien had apparently agreed to Mark's request and accepted the modification had only strengthened her resolve to come here and ask for the thing she had been rehearsing in front of the mirror since the night before.

"You may leave your bracelets here," Lucien said plainly, watching Judy with an air of expectation, as though waiting for her to remove the bracelets from her wrists. "Connor will send them to you once the modification is complete."

Time seemed to blur around her, and then Lucien began tapping his fingers against the desk once more, tilting his head ever so slightly. "What is the matter?" he asked. "Do you not want fifteen percent mana circulation? Or, do you prefer something lower, perhaps ten percent, or even less?"

Judy's eyes went wide at where his words were heading. She shook her head quickly, with every ounce of will she could muster. She felt the color drain from her face and bit down on her lower lip. "No," she replied.

"Then perhaps somewhere in between," Lucien continued evenly, "twelve or thirteen percent mana circulation. Tell me the exact figure and I will have Connor prepare it accordingly."

"No." Judy shook her head again. With every word that left Lucien's mouth, her breath grew shorter and the warmth continued to flee her face.

"Then what in the world do you want?" Lucien asked coldly, his fingers tapping the desk in steady succession as he regarded her. "Speak, girl. Do not test my patience."

He let the silence hang for just a moment before adding, in an equally cold tone, "Or else, get out of this room."

***

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