The cunning NPC and his reincarnated villainess

*knock* *knock* *knock* *knock* *knock* *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *knock* *knock* *KNOCK*

"..."

Medea opened his eyes and stood up from the bed at the first sound of someone desperately drumming on his door. The disgust in his eyes was a testament to his annoyance at the perpetrator.

It was still some time until daybreak, so the list of people who were stupid enough to get in his bad books wasn't that long—still, it was much longer than the list of people who could do that and not find themselves at the bottom of a barrel about to be incinerated.

Following that line and accounting for people who had no idea such lists existed in the first place, in addition to the recent events, Medea breathed out and leaned against the wall by the door.

"Ava. Don't you think that you're acting a bit too rude for our first proper meeting since I was forcefully enlisted into the military?"

*knock* *kn...*

The black-haired young man spoke up and, pulling the door open after the knocking, suddenly stopped at his words.

"...a... wha...?"

...and lo and behold! The person standing in front of his room was none other than the hazel-haired alchemist prodigy, Ava, with her hand still raised, with a wax-dripping lit candle in the other one and her mouth hanging agape.

"..."

Medea let go of the door, letting it open fully, and motioned with his head so that Ava would get inside.

The pixie-cut girl not only lost the advantage but was also thrown off and couldn't gather her thoughts. She sheepishly followed the nonverbal command and stopped three steps away from the black-haired man as he locked the room.

"Well then... what did he do?"

"!!!"

Medea rolled his eyes and asked a vague question that honestly could be about anyone, but Ava repeatedly blinked as if the black-haired man had thrown a bucket of ice-cold water on her head, and she tried to comprehend what was happening.

"...?"

Medea tilted his head and raised one brow, patiently waiting as the flame of the candle in Ava's hand flickered under her nervous breath.

"I... I need advice... and probably some help, too."

The pixie-cut girl took a moment to calm down and finally said, hesitantly looking up at the black-haired man.

"Bishop Valentine's was murdered in his own mansion THIS NIGHT, and Teo was apparently seen leaving the crime scene... and one of the servants admitted to getting money from someone who looked exactly like him to swap bishop's paralysis protection charm for a fake one! I... I don't know what to do! I have no idea WHY Teo would do something like that!"

Ava's shoulders trembled, and she burst out in a hushed meltdown.

"That is... surprising, to say the least... Why would little Tee even... hmmm..."

Medea furrowed his brows and shook his head slightly before lowering it and squinting his eyes as if trying to recall some details.

"Isn't he leading a part of a gang back in Startinton? Maybe the bishop was in the way of their plans or something? Or maybe someone with more power ordered him to do it?"

The black-haired young man said slowly, carefully considering each word.

"No way! Valentine was such a minor character that he appeared only twice, and within those times, merely once was he referred to by name! He was supposed to be a nobody!"

Ava burst out, violently shaking her head from side to side.

"Then, if you are so sure that it's not a matter of business, then what about feelings? Valentine was the person who was responsible for performing the virginity inspection on my Zorivia."

"Na-uh! That's maybe a reason for YOU to get him, not my Teo!"

"...~"

Medea shrugged his shoulders and pointed out, but Ava merely scoffed at his words, making him snicker softly.

"Hold on... Don't tell me that you have been around your boy-toy all this time, but I am the one who knows more about him?"

"...!"

Medea raised his hand before lifting his chin and glancing down at the suddenly wide-eyed Ava.

"...wh... what do you mean by that...?"

The pixie-cut girl backed off and looked up at her amused accuantice.

"Do you remember the time right before my enlistment when neither you nor I had any idea where little Tee was after the botched attempt at kidnapping my Zorivia? I couldn't even get Kenny to reveal what happened."

Medea tilted his head to the other side, and his eyes wandered off to the side as if he was recalling a distant memory.

"...true... but Teo showed up not long after that with a chunk of his memories missing..."

Ava bit her lips and nodded without taking her eyes off Medea.

"What if I tell you that although he doesn't remember what exactly happened during the attempt, he does perfectly remember waking up? Especially the face of the person that made him wake up...?"

"..."

Medea spread his hands to the sides while leaning forward and looking in Ava's eyes, making her lower her gaze and furrow her brows.

"...still nothing...?"

Medea leaned even further and asked in a hushed voice.

"...let me phrase it like that... what if losing a bit of memory was equivalent to losing the affection points in the game...? Would you understand what happened then?"

"!!!"

The black-haired youngster glanced to the side before sharing more details, which caused Ava's back to straighten as her eyes and mouth opened wide in realization.

"Someone used perfect panacea to revive him?! What?! How?! Teo died?! Who besides us had access to the complete recipe?!"

Ava trembled and gasped, grabbing her sides as if struck with a gust of chilling wind.

"..."

"...ah...!"

Medea raised his brow again and continued staring in silence at Ava until she gasped in realization.

"Kenny kept his mouth shut no matter what, but my Zorivia had no problem telling me everything. Kenny did indeed kill and chop up little Tee. He tried to cover it all up by taking the body and discarding it in secret, but my Zorivia used the so-called legendary elixir of life that was hidden within Rotteloss's mansion treasury and brought him back to life. I believe that seeing her pretty little face after cluelessly wandering in the darkness must have affected him in the most inconvenient way for both of us, Ava."

Medea said while leaning back and carefully observing the changes in Ava's expression and posture.