Villain's POV: The Heroines Want Me!

Rize and Rose followed the group quietly, keeping a good distance so they wouldn't notice them. Rize knew that trying to stalk someone like Fate was bound to be a very tricky task, but he was an expert in following people and making sure his presence was always hidden. Geralt had taught him how to blend with his surroundings, and with his ability to control Essence now, he could make it even harder for someone to notice him.

That was a very powerful ability, especially against stronger enemies or in situations where he needed to remain hidden. Rose was no different in that regard, as she was a highly trained warrior herself.

As they ascended the stairs after the group, they heard them spread out as they searched for more targets for badges. Rize signaled for Rose to move with him and stay in the shadows. He didn't want to alert them yet and see what they wanted to do exactly.

The way Fate was moving told him that he had a clear plan of what he wanted to do. After all, why was he even gathering that many mediocre candidates and helping them gain good positions if not for a clear goal that he wanted to achieve?

As they reached the third floor, they saw Fate walking with another candidate as they searched every single room. At the same time, the rest of the group spread around, pushing all the furniture out of the way and emptying the center of the floor as if they were about to do something.

'This is so weird. What the hell are they even doing?' Rize squinted suspiciously. He didn't like where things were going, even if he didn't know what was happening.

"It seems like they're taking the floor as a base or something," Rose said calmly.

"You think?" Rize muttered. "I guess he wants a good location to keep an eye on everything."

This building had a major advantage of being in the heart of the dome, giving it an overlook of most of what is happening. People were constantly moving down on the ground, and the situation was ever-changing, and Fate probably wanted to have some sort of control over it.

Rize, however, knew that if he really wanted to gather as many badges as he wanted, staying in this building was a waste of time.

'He has to get 12 times the number of badges he would possibly need. That is… How is that a viable plan? Or even worth it?' Rize frowned. He hated that he couldn't see what Fate wanted to do, but still, he remained there, watching the situation silently.

'I guess if this is all they want to do, we can leave them be. But…' Rize pursed his lips. 'I need to go check the rest of the floors for Venera, and I don't want that bastard to see me. He would definitely know that I'm the one who has Kaizer's badge, and that will not be good.'

However, what other options does he have? He can't leave Venera alone. After all, Fate would see this as a perfect opportunity to try and strike Venera. He was the type to use everything to his advantage, so even if he did ask her to work together not that long ago, if he deemed it better to take her down now, he would do that without thinking twice.

"So, what do you plan on doing?" Rose asked as she watched them. "We surely aren't going to stay here and watch, are we?"

"We can't. But I need to get to the upper floors." He said.

"I doubt they would make that any easier."

"I know," Rize said as he looked over his shoulder. "But we can't go back either. I guess our only option is to just walk through. Get ready; things might get ugly."

"I welcome it all," Rose said.

If anything, this was bound to be fun if things got out of control. Rose was yearning for a good challenge, and Fate was exactly that.

With that, Rize sucked in a deep breath and stood up, emerging from his hiding spot. Almost immediately, as he walked in, someone saw him and quickly took a fighting stance.

"Who the hell are you?!" He yelled.

"Leader!"

The rest heard the noise and looked at Rize with wary eyes. There was an intruder carrying a bag.

"Hm?" Fate peeked out of the room and looked at Rize as his eyebrows rose slightly. He walked out with a smile on his face. "Now this is such an unexpected encounter. Rize? Is that you?"

"..." Rize looked at him coldly. "I see you've gathered a group of your own."

"Hahaha, I just wanted to find nice people to work with, and these are now my friends," Fate said with a kind smile on his face. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just passing by. I wanted to explore this building." Rize replied as he looked above him. "Would you mind if I passed? I'm not here to fight you."

Fate looked at him silently for a second before he pursed his lips. "Of course, you're not my enemy, Rize. I don't want to make you my enemy either."

"Ummm, who is this guy, leader?" One of the candidates asked.

"Oh? Right, I forgot to introduce him. This is Rize, an acquaintance of mine who happens to be the personal bodyguard of the Princess of Sagardia."

"..."

Silence fell over the entire place as the group stared at Rize silently for a few seconds before…

"WHAT?!!!"

"Princess of Sagardia?!! That princess?!"

"Now that he mentions it, I did hear that she will be joining the academy this year. That's crazy! That guy?!"

"He does look really… unique." One said. 'And too damn handsome!!'

Rize, meanwhile, remained silent. However, in his head, he was cursing this shit luck.

'He really exposed my identity without thinking twice. Fucking bastard,' he mused. However, to make sure the situation remained completely calm and peaceful, he looked at Fate.

"Thank you for understanding. Also, if you don't mind, I have a companion with me."

At that moment, Rose emerged from the hiding spot as she walked towards Rize. The moment they saw her, the people were completely in awe of her jaw-dropping beauty and fierce looks. Her presence commanded attention.

Fate, for the first time since Rize walked here, seemed quite surprised. "Rose? You're here with Rize?"

"Been a while." She said.

"Now this is getting quite interesting. If I had known so many important people would come here, I would've organized the place better." Fate joked with a smile on his face. "This world is truly so small."

"Care if you let us pass now, Fate? We're a bit in a hurry."

"Of course, of course."

"Thank you," Rize said as he started walking, passing Fate without giving him a second glance. Rose tagged behind him silently.

'There is no trace of Kaizer. This is good; if I can just pass him without him seeing me, that would be idea-'

Just as Rize walked past a particular door, a boy emerged from it, and they made instant eye contact. Rize froze for a second before he sighed in his head.

'You always speak too damn soon, don't you, Rize?' He facepalmed mentally.

"You… You!!!!"

It was none other than Kaizer, the protagonist. He looked at Rize, froze, and dropped everything in his hands.

"Hm?" Fate looked over his shoulder. "What is it, Kaizer?"

"This… This guy! You're the one who took my badge! He's the one who took my badge!"

"Wait, what?"

"Him?"

The group started whispering to one another while giving Rize weird looks. Fate, however, didn't react strongly as he looked at Kaizer.

"Are you certain, Kaizer?" He asked.

"Yes! He is! You are!!"

"Now this is taking a very interesting turn," Rose muttered.

"Rize, do you remember taking his badge?" Fate asked with a kind look on his face.

"Hmmm, I don't remember every single individual. I've taken a few badges from a good number of people."

"I swear, leader! He is the one! He even said I won't be able to make it!!"

"..." Rize pursed his lips.

"Well, um, this is a bit awkward. But if you do have his badge, may I make you an offer, Rize?"

"Offer?"

"In return for giving his badge back. I will give you 10 badges in return." He said. "How about that?"

"..." Rize squinted his eyes. 'Is he serious? Is he ready to sacrifice badges just to get his badge back? Why? What does he win from that?'

It only got more and more confusing as time passed. Fate seemed like the best leader ever, and for someone of his selfish nature to be ready to make such sacrifices, it terrified Rize about the future. Something just didn't seem right, and he didn't like that.

So, he looked at Fate and then smiled coldly.

"No."