Eden System - Rise of the Villain Prince

"Ah!" Mira cried out in shock when she saw that hand gripping the blade aimed at her throat so tightly that the sword could no longer advance.

Fresh blood gushed from that hand like a stream, dripping continuously onto the ground.

Mira's eyes widened in disbelief. Her mouth opened as if to scream, but no sound could escape her throat.

Irelia was also startled, her gaze fixed on Lathel's hand gripping the sword and his resolute expression.

"I will not allow you to harm my woman," Lathel roared. His voice was not only filled with determination, but also carried the aura of a king.

Upon hearing the deep and heavy tone of Lathel's voice, a trace of fear arose within Irelia's heart.

She wanted to withdraw her sword—but she couldn't.

'What the hell?!' Irelia's heart trembled in fear. 'He… that's impossible! He's just a useless man—how could he possibly possess the strength to stand against a Rank 1 Awakened One at the late stage like me?'

'But… why can't I pull my sword out of his hand?'

As Irelia remained confused, a familiar voice rang out.

"Irelia! What are you doing?" Professor Lyra and Selvia had just stepped out of the room. The moment they saw the scene before them, they were both startled.

Lyra raised her hand, and a magic sigil radiating dazzling light appeared, shooting toward Irelia.

"Not good!" Irelia saw the sigil flying toward her and instantly let go of her sword, trying to dodge.

Suddenly, Irelia felt as if her body slowed down. Though the sensation was faint, lasting only a fraction of a moment, it was enough for Lyra's seal to strike her directly.

BAM!

A loud explosion rang out, the surrounding air pressure erupted violently, sending Irelia soaring through the air before crashing to the ground.

"Pfff!" Irelia coughed up a mouthful of blood, her entire body wracked with pain as if it were being torn apart.

"Lathel! Lathel!" Selvia also panicked at that moment, running to his side to check on his hand.

"Ah! Your hand..." Selvia saw the wound on his hand was so deep that even the bone was visible. Blood flowed freely, and her face instantly turned pale.

Mira saw it too, and tears uncontrollably streamed down her cheeks like twin waterfalls.

Lyra, on the other hand, seemed used to this kind of situation. Without hesitation, she pulled out a magical bandage and threw it toward Lathel.

The strip of bandage shot out like a snake, immediately wrapping itself tightly around Lathel's injured hand, radiating a gentle glow.

"Don't worry..." Lyra approached and said, "The wound isn't too serious."

Hearing Lyra's words, Selvia and Mira both let out a breath of relief, though their eyes still brimmed with worry as they looked at him.

Lyra glanced at Lathel. In her eyes, there was now a touch more respect and satisfaction.

But then, her gaze turned cold and indifferent as she looked toward Irelia.

"It seems Professor Ashford hasn't taught you properly, has he, Irelia Ashford?" Lyra's icy voice rang out.

Irelia struggled to stand up. Upon hearing Lyra's voice, her body trembled violently.

She wiped the blood at the corner of her lips with her sleeve, her eyes filled with frustration as she looked toward Lathel, then turned to Lyra.

Standing up, Irelia clenched her teeth and said, "Professor Lyra, do you truly intend to take him as your personal disciple?"

"Hm?!" Lyra frowned, her voice turning sharp. "Whom I choose as my disciple—what does that have to do with you?"

"But... he... he's just a liar," Irelia shouted. "Professor, please don't let his lies cloud your judgment. He—"

"Silence!" Lyra snapped. The temperature in the room suddenly dropped so sharply that Irelia couldn't help but shiver from the cold.

"Are you implying that I'm too foolish to recognize who is lying?"

"No!" Irelia quickly objected. "That's not what I meant, I... it's just... he's unworthy. He's useless. How could he possibly—"

"That's enough," Lyra sighed. "If he's unworthy, then who is worthy to be my disciple? Lucien?"

"Ah! That..." Irelia was startled, her eyes widening as if she couldn't believe what Lyra had just said. "Lucien... he... he..."

"So the rumors in the Academy are true," Lyra sighed again, shaking her head. "You and Lucien are lovers. You've even snuck off into the Black Skull Forest to rendezvous."

"No, that's not true!" Irelia quickly refuted.

"Tsk! Your Highness, Your Highness the Princess, did you hear that clearly?" Mira pouted mockingly and said, "Lucien always claimed he loved the Princess, even challenged the Prince to steal her away. And yet in the end..."

"He's here dating another woman."

"I was wondering why that woman went mad and attacked the Prince—looks like it was because of Lucien."

Selvia sighed and softly said, "Mira, say no more. I no longer care about that man. Right now, my heart belongs only to Lathel."

Irelia pressed her lips tightly together, her gaze shifting toward the woman standing beside Lathel. That woman was stunning, dressed in a regal fashion, with hair the color of gentle blue, as calm as a tranquil sea.

Seeing that woman gently cradling Lathel's injured hand, Irelia felt an even deeper discomfort growing within her.

She gritted her teeth and said, "Professor Lyra, everything I've said is the truth. He's nothing but a liar. Moreover, he possesses no talent whatsoever—making him your personal disciple would be a disgrace to your name."

"Enough!" Lyra waved her hand and frowned. "What I do is none of your concern. Irelia, if you continue stirring trouble with my disciple, even if Ashford himself shows up, he won't be able to stop me."

Irelia heard Lyra's threat, and though her body trembled, her hands remained clenched tightly, her tear-filled eyes brimming with grievance.

Lathel inwardly scoffed with contempt. After all, Lucien was just a nobody—of course no one would know anything about him.

That was precisely why Lathel had taken this opportunity to 'help' Lucien become more well-known.

Irelia was the daughter of a professor in the academy. So what if she was dating some ordinary man?

Aris had helped Lathel spread the rumor that Irelia was dating Lucien. After all, it was just a rumor. People didn't care whether it was true or false—they only wanted something to gossip about.

At that moment, Lathel spoke up: "I'm sorry. I truly don't know you, but if I've somehow wronged you, then please tell me. I'll do my best to make amends."

His voice was sincere, like warm sunlight shining down in the middle of a freezing winter.

Hearing this, Lyra felt even more pleased with Lathel's character.

Mira, however, frowned and said unhappily, "Your Highness, you don't need to speak to her. She's just a fool who believed the nonsense of some bastard."

"I won't allow you to slander Lucien!" Irelia shouted angrily.

"Ah!" Mira pouted mockingly. "So it's fine for you to insult the Prince, but I can't insult you in return?"

"You..." Irelia gritted her teeth and said, "Because he's a liar. He's just deceiving all of you."

"Huh!" Mira scoffed. "Then please, Lady Irelia, present your evidence. Prove to us that my Prince is a liar."

"That... I..." Irelia bit her lip, unable to come up with a response.

"No evidence?! Hah! I think you're the one who's been deceived," Mira said with a sneer, her contempt written all over her face.

Irelia was so furious that her face turned red as if it were about to catch fire. Her fists trembled violently.

She took a deep breath, then frowned and cast a glance at Selvia, who stood beside Lathel.

"I've said everything I needed to say. When the time comes and you're all fooled by him, don't go crying like dogs."

"You—" Mira shouted in rage, but Lathel stopped her.

Lathel watched Irelia leave, feeling no particular emotion within.

Lyra glanced at Lathel, frowned, and said, "You were too reckless. Do you know what level she's reached? If I hadn't appeared in time, you'd probably be dead right now."

"Even if you didn't die, you would've been seriously injured—hardly able to recover."

Lathel listened to Lyra's scolding, but he could hear the concern behind her words. He smiled and replied, "At that moment, I just wanted to save Mira. I couldn't think about anything else. I'm sorry, Professor Lyra."

Hearing that, everyone felt a warmth spread in their hearts. Especially Mira—she bit her lip, tears falling as she said, "Your Highness, I'm sorry. You got hurt so badly because of me."

"All right, it's just a minor wound," Lathel said gently with a smile. "Besides, you are my woman. When you're in danger, I… will definitely save you."

"Master..." Mira was moved to tears. In her eyes, Lathel's figure grew even larger—like a towering presence.

[Ding! Mira's Favorability has increased by 1%, reaching 92%.]

[Ding! Professor Lyra's Favorability has increased by 5%, reaching 70%.]

Lathel glanced at the System notification panel, his eyes filled with growing satisfaction.

"Lathel! Your hand..." Selvia asked worriedly.

"Don't worry," Lyra said softly. "That bandage contains healing magic and special medicine—it can quickly restore his injuries."

"By tonight, his wound will be fully healed."

"However, Lathel, next time, I won't allow you to take such risks again. Understood?"

Lathel nodded lightly. "I understand."

Hearing that, Lyra let out a sigh. The tension in her expression faded as she looked at his warm smile.

"You… Fine. You may go now. I still have matters to attend to."

"Yes, Professor!" Lathel replied, then left with Mira and Selvia.

Lyra's gaze lingered on Lathel's back as if wanting to say something. In the end, she chose to remain silent.

...

That night, another fierce battle passed.

Though Mira and Selvia were still shy, they were noticeably more proactive. Especially Selvia—at first, she had tried to avoid him, but in the end, she was even more forward than Mira.

Lathel stepped out of bed, put on his night robe, and walked to the tea table.

He waved his hand, and two layers of spatial fields appeared. One surrounded the bed where Mira and Selvia were sleeping, the other enclosed the entire room, blocking any attempt to eavesdrop.

He then removed the "Magic Bandage," revealing a flawless hand without a single wound.

At that moment, Evelyn's voice suddenly rang out: "You weren't injured at all."

"That's right," Lathel replied with a smile. When he grabbed the sword, he had activated his innate talent, 'Space,' creating a protective layer around his hand.

As for the injury? A simple 'Disguise' card had been enough.

"How strange..." Evelyn asked curiously. "Why go to such ridiculous lengths? You could've just snapped that girl's neck—it would've been faster."

"Pfff! Hahahaha..." Lathel laughed. "That's true, but also not true."

"Evelyn, killing someone is easy. But… why do that when she's still useful?"

"Useful?" Evelyn asked. "You mean…"

"Killing her serves little purpose. On the contrary, it would bring me trouble," Lathel said with a smirk. "But letting her live… she'll be far more useful to me that way."

His eyes sharpened, gleaming with intensity. In the darkness, he was like a wolf waiting for its prey.