Lies, betrayals and revenge… Am I the villain?

The new day began with a knock on Raz's door.

Knock, knock, knock.

His mind was still drifting between sleep and wakefulness, but when he opened his eyes, he felt… fine. Not tired, despite having slept very little.

He sat up in bed and stretched, feeling his body light and full of energy.

"This is strange… is it because I'm immortal? Or is it something else?"

He stood up and opened the door. In front of him was a servant, bowing slightly.

—"Sir Hero, breakfast will be ready soon. Please proceed to the dining hall."

Raz smiled with his usual expression.

—"Thank you, I'll head there now."

As he walked through the hallway, his mind continued analyzing his physical state.

"Not a hint of fatigue, not the slightest drowsiness… If this is an effect of my immortality, it's quite useful."

Meanwhile, in Lili's Room…

Knock, knock, knock.

—"Heroine Lili, please wake up. It's time for breakfast."

Lili groaned, shifting beneath the sheets with half-open eyes.

—"Five… five more minutes…" she murmured sleepily.

But the knocking persisted.

Finally, she forced herself to sit up. Her hair was a tangled mess, her face bore a faint pillow mark, and a small trail of drool ran from the corner of her mouth.

—"Mmmh…" she yawned, rubbing her eyes.

With sluggish movements, she made her way to the washbasin. She splashed cold water on her face, did her best to fix her hair, and changed into fresh clothes.

—"I'm… so sleepy…" she muttered while stretching.

Susan, on the other hand, was already awake and dressed, as if she had anticipated the servant's call.

When the knocking on her door came, she opened it immediately, startling the maid on the other side.

—"Oh… you're already ready, Heroine Susan."

Susan, her expression serious as always, simply nodded.

—"What's the matter?"

The maid, slightly nervous at her direct demeanor, lowered her gaze a bit.

—"Breakfast is almost ready. If you would be so kind as to proceed to the dining hall…"

Susan walked out without another word, her steps firm and determined

Susan was the first to arrive at the grand dining hall, where servants were setting the table. She remained standing, watching in silence.

A few minutes later, Raz entered, his usual smile in place.

—"Good morning, Susan. It's a pleasure to see you again."

Susan felt a slight warmth in her cheeks but didn't look away.

—"Likewise. I hope you managed to rest well."

Raz tilted his head slightly.

—"Enough. And you?"

Susan sighed.

—"Let's just say I've been… thinking."

Raz raised an eyebrow with curiosity.

—"Nervous about training?"

—"A little," she admitted.

There was a brief silence before Susan, with a mix of doubt and courage, asked:

—"Raz… don't you miss our world? You act like you don't care at all."

Raz let out a light chuckle.

—"What can we do if we can't return? We have to move forward and adapt. Complaining won't change anything."

Susan lowered her head, pressing her lips together.

—"I don't know how you do it. I wish I could be like you… but I do want to go back to our normal lives. Eating our food, going to work… living without worrying about magic or demons. I miss working with you… I miss everything."

Raz watched her in silence before offering a warm smile.

—"Honestly, I miss it a little too. But, as I said, we're not in our world. The only thing we can do is finish this as soon as possible and go back."

Susan looked into his eyes, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.

—"Raz… when we go back… we…"

Before she could finish her sentence, Lili's energetic voice echoed through the hall.

—"Good morning, everyone! Sorry for being late!"

Susan gritted her teeth and closed her eyes for a second, frustrated by the interruption.

Lili, oblivious to everything, ran toward Raz and hugged him tightly.

—"Raz~!"

Raz smiled with his usual patience and patted her head.

—"Lili, we're at the table. Let's eat."

Lili blinked and blushed.

—"A-Ah… right, sorry."

She stepped back and moved to hug Susan, but Susan stopped her with a look.

—"Not while we're about to eat, Lili."

—"Sorry…" Lili giggled nervously before taking her seat.

A few minutes later, the royal family entered the dining hall.

The king, standing tall, gave them a welcoming smile.

—"Good morning, heroes."

The queen and princesses sat elegantly as the servants began serving breakfast.

The king observed them with interest.

—"How do you feel? Today is an important day."

—"Important day?" Susan asked cautiously.

—"Yes," the monarch confirmed. "Today, your training begins."

They all looked at him with different expressions.

—"The Royal Guard, the Captain of the Army, and the Supreme Mage will be in charge of your training. Depending on your abilities and progress, you will rotate between them. If you improve in magic, you will train in physical combat. If you excel in combat, you will return to magic. Once you have mastered both aspects, you will train with the Royal Guard—the elite."

Lili swallowed hard and lowered her head.

Susan sighed, resigning herself to reality.

Raz, however, kept his smile, but his mind was restless.

"Why the rush to train us? We only arrived yesterday."

His intuition told him there was more to this than they were being told.

—"Your Majesty," he interrupted in a calm tone, "I have a question."

—"Go ahead, Raz."

—"If Vaelis is an elf… why is he considered human?"

An uncomfortable silence filled the room.

The king narrowed his eyes for a brief moment before answering with a forced smile.

—"That… is a royal secret."

Raz remained calm but pressed further.

—"We are your heroes. If we are to fight for this world, we must know its full history."

The king, still smiling, replied firmly:

—"I have no obligation to tell you anything at this time. Your training is the priority."

Susan and Lili glanced at Raz, waiting for his reaction.

Without realizing it, both were starting to see him as their leader.

Raz held the king's gaze for a few seconds before nodding.

—"I understand. Then, I look forward to our training going as planned."

The king relaxed slightly and nodded.

—"Of course."

—"If I'm allowed to choose, I'd like to begin my training with the Supreme Mage."

The monarch smiled.

—"Granted."

After some irrelevant conversations, breakfast came to an end.

The king rose to his feet.

—"Now, it is time to show you the training grounds."

And so, the day in which they would begin forging themselves as heroes… had arrived.

The sun shone brightly in the clear sky as Raz, Lili, and Susan walked behind the king, following his lead attentively. The royal family had departed to other matters after breakfast, leaving them alone with the monarch and his escort.

Lili, walking to Raz's left, had her hands clasped in front of her, and her steps were shorter than usual. He noticed right away.

—"Nervous?" Raz asked in his usual calm tone.

Lili lifted her gaze with a small jump, surprised that he had noticed.

—"Huh? I… no… well… yes," she admitted in a small voice, avoiding his eyes.

Raz smiled kindly and gave her a light pat on the head.

—"Relax. It's not like they're going to throw us into battle right away."

Lili sighed and nodded slightly, but her concern remained.

—"It's just that… I'm not like you two. I'm neither strong nor brave. I've never had to fight in my life."

—"And what's wrong with that?" Raz tilted his head. "We're still in the learning phase. No one expects you to become a warrior overnight."

—"Yeah, but…" Lili pressed her lips together. "If we make mistakes… won't they get mad at us?"

Raz looked at her for a second before letting out a soft chuckle.

—"Listen, Lili. We're not here to please anyone. We were brought here against our will. So if something doesn't go well, that's their problem. We just have to do what benefits us."

Lili blinked, surprised by his words.

—"But… what if they really do need our help?"

Raz sighed.

—"Well… if that happens, we'll deal with it then. But don't let fear control you. The important thing right now is to learn. Nothing more."

Lili took a deep breath and nodded.

—"Thanks, Raz…"

As they continued walking, Susan observed the conversation in silence.

"He's always supporting her… always saying exactly what she needs to hear."

She bit her lower lip and, almost without realizing it, tugged at Raz's sleeve.

Raz stopped for a moment and turned his head.

—"Susan?"

Susan looked away and frowned, but didn't let go of his sleeve.

—"I'm nervous too," she said in a quiet voice.

Raz raised an eyebrow, surprised.

—"You?"

Susan tightened her grip on his sleeve.

—"Yes…"

There was a brief silence before Raz smiled slightly.

—"Well, well… I never thought I'd hear you say that."

Susan shot him a glare.

—"Don't repeat it."

Raz chuckled.

—"Alright, I won't say anything… But listen, Susan. You're strong. No matter what happens in training, you have what it takes to keep going."

Susan took a deep breath.

—"Yeah, but… if we fail, if we're not good enough, what will happen to us?"

Raz crossed his arms as they walked.

—"No one is good at the start. Not even those born with talent. It's all about effort and patience."

Susan stared at the ground and slowly nodded.

—"I'll try to remember that."

Raz ruffled her hair gently, causing Susan to push him away with a slight blush.

—"Hey, don't do that."

—"Why not? Isn't it cute?"

Susan sighed, but deep down, she felt a bit more at ease.

Finally, after a few more minutes of walking, they arrived at a vast open area.

Raz, Susan, and Lili were speechless as they took in the immensity of the place.

There were three main sections, each designed for a different type of training.

1. Magic field

The Magic Field was a large area divided into multiple zones.

The first zone had a stone circle with glowing runes engraved into the ground, where mages practiced the control and channeling of their spells.

Further ahead, there was a section for elemental training with four separate areas:

• A platform with burning embers for fire magic.

• A crystal-clear pond for water magic.

• A small rocky field with stone pillars for earth magic.

• An elevated area with strong wind currents for air magic.

Along the edges of the field, reinforced training dummies, enchanted with defensive spells, stood ready to endure all types of attacks.

At the center of the field, some apprentices practiced with fireballs and lightning, while experienced mages supervised them with strict gazes.

2. Hand-to-Hand Combat Field

The Combat Field was a completely different area.

The ground was covered in sand, with no stones or obstacles that could cause fighters to trip.

On one side, there was a long row of practice weapons: wooden swords, spears, axes, and padded shields for safe training.

Several obstacle courses were set up, where soldiers had to run between barrels, climb walls, and dodge training arrows fired from wooden towers.

Further ahead, a sparring ring was marked with magical barriers to prevent fights from getting out of control. There, soldiers engaged in duels under the watchful eye of Sir Gaius, who corrected their stances and techniques.

3. Combined Training Field (Royal Guard)

The last field was the most imposing of all.

A gigantic open-air hall, with reinforced stone floors and multiple structures for advanced training.

Here, the warriors of the Royal Guard trained.

The section had several towers with archers, platforms where combatants practiced team battles, and a huge circle with a magical barrier, where the elites trained both magic and melee combat simultaneously.

Unlike the other fields, there were no practice weapons here—only real ones.

Those who trained in this field were not allowed to hold back.

Raz observed everything with an admiring smile.

"Impressive… but also terrifying. This field isn't for just anyone."

Lili hugged her own arm nervously.

—"Raz… this looks really difficult…"

Susan took a deep breath.

—"It's more than I expected."

The king stopped in the center of the grounds and turned to them.

—"Welcome to the Training Grounds of Valdoria."

He extended an arm.

—"This is where you will become heroes."

Raz smiled.

"Let's see how much I can learn here."