The Villain Is Destined to Die: But as the Creator, I know All Endings

Chapter 301: Mark of the Astral Throne

Fifteen minutes had passed since Leon reached his dorm room.

"Whew—"

Relaxing on the sofa, he glanced around the surroundings.

The place had been cleaned down to the very carpet below his feet.

Myra had taken care of this place pretty nicely in his absence.

She had gone to her own room where all the other maids were stationed, since Leon had told her he would not be needing any assistance and would rest all day after entering his room.

As Leon lay down and stared at the ceiling, Rumi had returned to her humanoid form right next to him.

She stood just beside his bed and looked down at Leon.

"Haru, if you do not have any important things to do, then allow me to take a bath."

"Excuse me?"

Leon blinked as he looked at her emotionless eyes which were looking at him as if she had stated something completely normal.

"Yes, after the journey, I too need to wash myself, right?"

"Wait, hold on a second."

Leon sat up slightly on the sofa.

"When does a spirit need a bath?"

That was the part that confused him first.

But then his eyes caught the second strange thing.

"And wait, what is this that you are wearing?"

He just now noticed it.

Unlike her usual frost-colored fabricked dress that she had worn since they first met, Rumi was now wearing a normal short-sleeved shirt and a skirt that came down just above her knees.

And on top of her head sat a small silver tiara.

’...What the hell happened to her?’

Leon stared at her outfit in genuine confusion.

This was not the same Rumi he had known before Evana.

The Rumi he remembered did not care about clothing, or about her appearances. She was an ancient spirit who did not even consider her humanoid form important.

But that was before.

Before the time rewind, Rumi had spent several decades living with Cyan and the others in the previous timeline.

And apparently, somewhere along those years, she had developed her own sense of personal style.

Which Leon was now seeing the result of.

"What? Am I allowed, Haru?"

Rumi asked again casually, completely ignoring his shock at her appearance.

Leon hesitated for a moment.

He still did not understand why a spirit needed a bath. But he had also clearly missed several years of her personality development and was not in a position to argue.

"...Not at all, help yourself."

Rumi nodded once.

She turned and walked toward the bathroom.

Click.

She closed the door behind her.

Leon simply stared at the door for a long moment.

She had really changed.

"Haaah..."

He would have to get used to this now.

He decided not to think about her too much for now and simply rested his head back against the cushion of the sofa.

As soon as his head settled against the soft pillow, a translucent notification window popped up directly in front of his vision.

[Reward Has Arrived]

"Oh."

Leon shot up straight at once.

His exhaustion vanished in an instant, and his eyes locked onto the notification in sudden interest.

He had been waiting for this since yesterday.

The reward from clearing the hidden quest beneath Evana.

[Reward: Souvenir of Astral Spectrum]

[Description: A sigil that shall be burned directly into the bearer’s soul and body. This Mark designates the bearer as a recognized candidate for the unclaimed throne of the Astral Spectrum. Once embedded, the bearer gains the ability to summon and channel a measurable percentage of Astral Matter through their own body and mana core.]

[Note: As the bearer’s affinity with the Mark grows, the percentage of Astral Matter shall increase accordingly.]

But before he accepted the reward, another screen popped up on top of another.

[Warning: The Mark of the Astral Spectrum is permanent. Once accepted, it cannot be removed.]

[Do you wish to proceed with the reward?]

[Yes] [No]

A smile pulled at the corner of his lips.

The first real step toward the goal he had been chasing was finally here, and surely only a fool would miss this chance.

[Yes]

The moment his finger pressed the option, a sharp warmth bloomed across the back of his right hand.

A sigil began to form behind his palm.

Thin lines of light traced themselves into his skin.

It was not painful enough to make him flinch, but hot enough that Leon could feel every line being drawn into him.

After a few seconds, the burning settled down.

The sigil slowly faded down into a faint reddish-white blending into his skin, almost invisible at a casual glance.

From the faint illumination still lingering across the surface, Leon could make out the shape clearly now.

A circle cut vertically through the center by a single diagonal cross.

Leon glanced at the sigil as it settled into him.

As soon as it appeared on his body, a strange sensation began to spread through his veins. Mana was rushing back and forth between his core and the sigil, almost as if it was being acknowledged.

It was clear that his mana core had recognized this foreign power.

Astral Matter, after all, was a superior form of mana itself, if one could say it in simpler terms.

A smile formed on his face.

".....Hm?"

But before he could speak or even comment on the sigil, Leon felt his mana core slowly reacting.

His eyes widened once he realized what was happening to him.

The intensity around his heart felt close to painful.

His mana pulsed like a second heartbeat.

His chest grew warm, then hot, as something inside him expanded outward at a speed he had never experienced before.

Another window appeared.

[Mana Core: Ignite ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ → Spellweaver ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆]

He had broken into a new Mana Core.

Leon gulped as he read what had popped up on the screen.

Seven stars....

Just by receiving the Sigil of the Astral Spectrum, he had climbed up seven entire stars and reached a brand new level of Mana Core.

"That is insane."

He had to admit it on his own, he himself had never expected to see this.

He might be able to climb up the ranks quite quickly from now on, if he could just utilize Astral Matter more effectively.

And that was not all.

All of his other stats had increased alongside the breakthrough.

But that was not what caught Leon’s eyes.

What caught his eyes was yet another window that had popped up beside the others.

[Calculation Completed]

[Heavy Plot Change Detected]

[Fate Points Earned: 247]

His jaw fell open.

"...What?"

.

[A/N: Yaaay~ We crossed 300 Chs 😭]