Crushing flags and claiming the Villainess

"I am quite surprised that, as a King, you can leave the capital so often," Austin spoke those words which took everyone by surprise.

Only Sebastian chuckled.

Looking at his son with a sense of betrayal, Cedric said, "I was worried about you and now you are showing disappointment in me?

"Austin sighed, "I always tell you that your family comes after your Kingdom.

"Cedric shook his head.

"Your words don't change anything.

The moment I heard you went to the other side, I just felt like I needed to be there with you.

"At that moment, Cedric wasn't a king—he sounded exactly like a stubborn father who refused to let his son shoulder all the burden.

Feeling his wife's gaze, Austin turned to her.

She was gently shaking her head, her eyes quietly pleading, Don't say anything.

Austin let out a soft chuckle and gave a small nod.

Wives always knew best.

"By the way, Austin… you looked like you were in a really deep sleep.

Everything alright?

" Adam asked from across the table, his voice calm but curious.

Austin's smile faded.

That dream—or whatever it was—came rushing back.

He had seen another version of himself.

One who had never tasted failure.

One who moved like the world belonged to him.

That Austin was something else.

The way he carried himself—it was admirable but also a little unsettling.

Still, after everything Selner had told him about the different timelines and what those versions of him had gone through, maybe that kind of confidence made sense.

He really did have the strength to back it up.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Austin answered, "I pushed myself too hard during the battle… I just wanted to get out of there as soon as I finished what I came for.

"Of course, he couldn't tell them the truth.

That he'd wiped out a thousand demons in a single strike.

Even Valerie might not believe it unless he explained the reason behind such an impossible feat.

Scar.

A weapon unlike anything he'd ever known.

It wasn't just powerful—it was terrifying.

A tool that could wipe out every race on the planet if it fell into the wrong hands.

But when Austin held it… it was like something inside him clicked.

As if Scar had been waiting for him.

As if it was happy to be back where it belonged.

'I should thank the system for rewarding me the skill which allowed me to use Scar...

' If not for the skill—Soulwarden Veil—he wouldn't have thought of using that God-slayer.

"The medic checked on you but she didn't detect anything wrong.

Do you feel alright, son?

" Cedric asked with a frown of concern on his face.

Austin nodded, "Yes, I'm alright now.

That heavy feeling is gone.

And now that Valerie's back on her feet… I feel like myself again.

"Tell Austin that Valerie is in danger, he might commit a grave mistake in a winning battle.

He knew it was a weakness on his end but he couldn't find a way to overcome it.

'Guess, that's the side effect of loving someone so excessively,' he mused.

Valerie smiled fondly at her Lord as she felt her whole being wanting to hug him right now.

But she can't.

'Control Valerie...

he isn't running away...

'"Ah, by the way," Austin began, gathering others attention, "How is Mother?

I heard she fell unconscious?

"For a moment, when he heard the word 'mother' a hope flickered in Cedric's heart that Austin might be asking about Sophie...

however, that flickering hope died when he heard his following words.

However, he didn't let his grief appear on his face and heard Adam saying, "Yes...

the moment she saw me, she lost control over her emotions, and...

well, she is fine now.

" Adam told them.

Seeing his wife cry could never feel good to a man who loves his woman.

And Adam was no different.

He tried to calm her down, but she continued to weep while clinging to him, and soon, she fainted.

She was currently getting treated and Adam was checking on her every ten minutes.

"I hope she recovers soon.

"After that, they continued to have dinner while chatting about casual things.

They had a long day yesterday and today, too, so everyone decided to finish dinner and call it a day.

It was already too late so Cedric was requested by the Duke to stay here tonight.

The King, undoubtedly, sent a WarpMail back home, assuring his wife that their son was fine.

"Okay then, Austin.

Good night.

" Adam came to see off his son-in-law at the room's door.

Austin wryly smiled and told him, "Good night, father.

"He really wanted to join Valerie but he won't take a chance for another few minutes until the man of the house doesn't settle in his room.

Approaching the window, he asked the system,"You got any reward for me?

"[Ding!

][Upon reaching another milestone in the Trickery department, the host has gained a reward.

][Tap to open]Austin was surprised, "So the tool I used, which I gained from Trickery, to fool others gained me a reward?

" The Death Disguise was a reward he gained upon reaching a certain milestone in the Trickery stats.

And he used that pill to fool not only the Demoness but the Demon King himself.

[Indeed, host.

Once the System grants you a reward, it becomes yours completely.

The Death Disguise was your tool—choosing to use it at that exact moment was your own wit at work.

]Austin hummed with a nod; well, he was not going to reject a free gift.

'Open the gift,' he said as he jumped out of the window.

[Divine Mockery: It can bzzt-zz-bzzt-zzz....

i-zzht-*screech*]Austin paused, completely stopped in his tracks as he saw the system screen flickering.

He grew tense as he asked, 'System?

'[The system is being blocked by an unknown force.

][Need reboot.

][Force reboot is about to begin in 3....

2...

1..

][The system is rebooting.

][Time required: 12h 59min 57sec]Austin was dumbfounded...

this was the first time he had seen the system acting like this.

And what external force can disturb the system?

'That skill name...

was it something related to Gods?

' Austin was curious but he was more worried about the system.

However, despite trying to ask anything, the system wasn't responding at all.

'I hope you recover soon, my friend.

'°°°°°°°°°°A/N:- Thanks for reading.