Villain's Path: Transmigrated with an SSS+ Luck Stat

Chapter 40: Truth Beneath the Mask

The morning sun bathed the city of Thalvor in a bright glow. The sea outside the Great Wall shimmered, the waves swaying gently back and forth against the coast.

The people of Beastriheim—beast-men and beast-women—swarmed around the city going about their daily work. Some of them had cat ears, while others had long tails. Some were covered in thick fur, while others possessed bulky bodies with a single horn on their heads. Different kinds of beast kin were present everywhere. Not only that, but normal humans could also be seen walking among them. The strict division between different races was not preferred anymore. Everyone could live wherever they suited themselves.

In this world, hardly anyone believed in strict religious or racial boundaries. In the distant past, those very things used to shackle people, but now they lived independently and peacefully in their own comfort zones.

Inter-race marriages and bonds were a common occurrence. Finding such mixed couples was normal, as there was no discrimination based on caste, religion, or races.

The only thing people might discriminate against was the difference between those with power and those without it. That was the unofficial ranking system society had created over time.

The stronger people gained prestigious titles, while the weak remained at the bottom. But the world did not always treat commoners as the weakest. There were many past SS-rankers who originated from common backgrounds, achieving feats that even nobles could not reach. Because of this, the strict hierarchy between nobles and commoners had declined mostly over the years.

However, if a person was born into a prestigious or former noble family with low talent and weak abilities, it was considered a major blow to the family’s reputation. Such individuals often faced immense pressure to live up to their lineage. This led to internal struggles and sometimes desperate measures to gain power or recognition.

Outsiders would not consider a weak noble useful for their own good. Such people were usually outcasted from society. They were hated, despised, and judged. No one preferred staying around a person who was not even worthy of raising their own name in society.

Commoners had less hope from the start, but for a noble-born, being weak was a crisis. It was treated almost like a sin. Living a life while getting constantly insulted and discriminated against by others was often considered worse than death itself.

The original Alden had faced a similar situation. Born weak, he was hated by his parents and looked down upon by his family. He was framed by his own brother and, in the end, exiled by the very people he had once put his utmost trust in.

In the end, his life was a tragic tale of betrayal, despair, and regrets. But as his life ended, nothing remained except for lingering emotions and a faint hope to live a better next life than his current one.

...

16 July, Year 2550. The Island of Beasts, Beastriheim. Border city, Thalvor.

Location: The Border City’s Teleportation Gate.

The city was filled with swarms of people. Near the massive teleportation gates, the academy students lined up with their respective teams. They started to step through the teleportation gate to travel to one of the prominent cities of Beastriheim, ’Wynthalor’. It was famous for being a beautiful city situated high on the mountain ranges.

As the instructors guided the students into the gate, the large crowd slowly began to thin out.

Only a countable number of teams remained in the back, waiting for their turn. Standing at the very back of the line, three students were discussing among themselves.

"Is the last student even going to come or not? I think we should tell the professor about it," Ronan pondered nervously. He could sense the oppressive aura radiating from both girls standing a short distance away from each other.

Syrene looked at Alicia and narrowed her eyes. Sensing Alicia’s unusually quiet behavior, she felt tense.

"You do know something. I think you should tell us what happened to Alden. What was that intimidating act with that guy yesterday about?"

Alicia didn’t reply. Her gaze was fixed on the empty space ahead. She just waited calmly, acting as if she already knew he was surely going to come back.

Syrene stared at her and clenched her fists. She stepped forward, her expression turning colder as she spoke.

"Why are you showing worry about him now? You are the reason why he is suffering like this!"

Alicia didn’t flinch, but her eyes turned even colder as she looked back at her.

"What are you talking about?"

"I am talking about the exact things you have done to him. You made his life a living hell! You conspired against him behind his back while he was unaware. He never harmed you. He didn’t even disturb anyone’s life, and he didn’t even know you properly, but you still did those things to him."

Syrene took another step closer.

"Do you know what will happen if he ever finds out the truth about what you did? Tell me... Will you care if he finds out that the girl behind the expressionless mask is just a scheming bitch who is hell-bent on destroying his life for her own selfish gains? What then, Alicia? Will you still pretend to be the innocent maiden?"

Alicia remained silent. She didn’t reply to the harsh comments, and she didn’t deny them either. She just stayed quiet, as if she was lost for words.

The atmosphere became heavy and tense. Just as Syrene stepped forward to press harder for an answer, an interruption came.

A lady with a calm face stepped toward them. She was none other than Professor Carasina. With her usual stern expression, she noticed their tense standoff and asked.

"Is everything okay here? Why do you all look so tense? The teleportation gate is about to close, and your team is the only one left. I think you should all go in now."

Syrene paused her steps and turned her eyes toward Carasina. Calming her rising anger, she remained silent.

Alicia also didn’t react. She stayed quiet, clearly not in the mood to join a conversation with anyone.

Ronan, who stood nervously beside them, stepped forward. Feeling awkward that no one was answering the professor’s question, he spoke up.

"Professor Carasina... It’s just—well, it is our teammate. I mean Alden, he is..."

Carasina looked at him with full attention.

"Well, what is wrong with Alden? Did he get late? Did you not tell him to be early? We don’t have much time left. If he doesn’t come within a minute, he will be left behind here. You three should head to the gate now."

Carasina waited for them to say something else.

Ronan looked at the two girls and said, "I think we should just go. It is already late. We can’t wait for him forever when we don’t even know where he is."

Both girls didn’t reply. They didn’t want to leave, so they just waited stubbornly.

Just as Carasina stepped forward to give them a final warning, she suddenly paused. She looked toward the entrance and spotted a boy with black hair and sharp crimson eyes walking into the area.

As her gaze swept over him, she felt a sudden, oppressive aura brush against her senses. She narrowed her eyes as he walked closer.

’Wait a second... Is that guy standing at the D+ Rank? Just a week ago, he was only an E+ rank Awakener. How is it possible to grow that fast? Any normal person would take several months to break through a major rank, yet he is already standing at the peak of the next rank?’

She looked at him suspiciously but didn’t voice her thoughts aloud.

Alicia and Syrene also glanced at Alden’s approaching figure. His whole body and clothes were damp with seawater. He walked calmly, his face expressionless and showing no outward emotions. However, his crimson eyes looked much brighter and sharper than before.

Ronan also noticed the boy. He tilted his head and glanced at Alden curiously.

Alden stepped closer and spoke calmly, a small smile tugging on his face.

"It has been a while, Miss Carasina. I hope you did not miss me."

Carasina looked at him, then turned around and walked toward the teleportation gate.

"Don’t take up any more time. Enter the gate before it closes."

As she walked away, Alicia looked at him. She felt an immense wave of relief, and her cold expression softened imperceptibly.

"You are late... Where were you?"

Alden nodded calmly.

"I was... I just went for a swim around the ocean. Sorry for coming late. Shall we go now?"

She nodded. Without waiting for anyone else’s confirmation, she started leading the team toward the teleportation gate. Alden followed suit. Behind them, Syrene and Ronan quickly joined the line.

As they walked, Syrene’s eyes lingered on his back with a conflicted look.

As they approached the gate, Alicia opened her lips and spoke to Alden.

"This is our assigned team. It consists of me, the green-haired boy named Ronan, and... Syrene."

Alden’s eyes swept over his new team. He nodded after seeing Ronan, who gave a polite nod back toward him.

As his gaze caught the red-haired girl, his mind suddenly went blank. A memory of the original Alden rushed forward to his consciousness, bringing along with else too, something more profound.

’Wait a second... is she by any chance...?’