Blessed to be the Villain-Chapter 57: Attitude problems of a cat

Flames. Flames everywhere.

They were engulfing him—everything around him. He couldn’t breathe.

"Aaaagh!"

His voice cracked through the inferno. Every inch of his skin felt like it was peeling off. The air, thick with heat and smoke, clawed its way down his throat like fire itself. He coughed violently, each gasp only pulling more searing agony into his lungs. His eyes, wide and frantic, darted around for anything—anything—to grab onto. A hand, a rope, even a scrap of fabric.

Nothing. Just endless, dancing crimson flames, licking higher and higher like they were laughing at him.

"Aaaaaaah!"

He screamed again, but there was no answer. No response. No savior. Just the roar of fire, consuming all.

Then—

Something moved.

Through the haze and pain, his blurred gaze caught a shadow. No... not a shadow. Eyes. A pair of eyes, steady and unblinking, watching him. Amused. Distantly amused. Cold.

The longer he stared at them, the more dread coiled in his gut like a serpent waking from slumber.

And then—a hand.

A pale, elegant hand reached out and pressed against his chest.

His own eyes widened in pure panic. He couldn’t move. The moment his gaze met those golden eyes—eyes filled with twisted pleasure—pain exploded through his body.

He tried to scream again, but it was swallowed by—

Gasp!

Ethan jolted awake.

Sweat clung to his skin. His breathing was rapid, ragged, desperate. He clutched at his chest, fingers trembling as he scanned his dim room. No fire. No golden eyes. Just the quiet hum of early morning.

His chest rose and fell in quick succession as his mind tried to anchor itself to reality. A shiver ran down his spine.

Then, like a whisper, a familiar voice echoed gently in his head.

{Good morning, Host.}

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Ethan replied hoarsely, eyes still darting around. "Yeah..."

{Did you have a nightmare?}

He exhaled shakily, nodding before answering, "Yeah."

{Do you remember what it was about?}

Ethan swung his legs off the bed, the cold floor grounding him. As he stood, he muttered, "No... not really."

He made his way to the bathroom, feet dragging slightly, but the system’s voice carried a suspicious tone this time.

{Host, are you lying?}

A faint smirk tugged at the corner of Ethan’s lips as he caught his reflection in the mirror—his slightly curled lips and messy hair. His eyes were still heavy with sleep, but clearer now.

"Yeah, probably."

But then... he paused.

His brows furrowed. Something felt different. He looked down at his legs.

No stiffness. No soreness. No pain.

He took a cautious step. Then another. His muscles responded with surprising ease, no protest, no fatigue. In fact, he felt good. Energized.

He stretched his arms above his head, a satisfied sigh slipping out.

"Would you look at that," he muttered. "Arthur’s potion is really effective. My body feels great."

After a warm shower, Ethan got dressed. No maids today, which meant he could take his time. He threw on a loose white shirt and gray baggy pants, combed his hair to a neat 70-30 split, and stepped out.

Two guards were stationed outside. As soon as the door creaked open, they straightened like statues.

"Good morning, young master."

Ethan returned their greeting with a nod and a small smile. "Good morning to you too."

He was about to head off when one of the guards—an older one with a ridiculous mustache—cleared his throat.

"Young master, should we let the maids in to clean your room and collect your clothes for washing?"

Ethan turned slightly, eyeing the man’s almost cartoonish mustache.

"Yeah, you can."

Not giving it another thought, he made his way to the dining room for breakfast.

Today felt different.

Later, when he returned to his room, he noticed the change. The bed was neatly made, clothes gone, everything organized with pristine precision. A maid must’ve come in while he was eating.

He changed into his training clothes, tightened the wrist wraps, then headed into the bathroom.

Activating his OmniMark, he vanished.

And reappeared in a familiar alley.

His eyes scanned the surroundings.

No sign of Arthur.

Scratching his head, he muttered, "Is he late or am I early?"

He paced back and forth. Still no one.

Then—

A soft thud caught his attention.

He turned and spotted a black-and-white cat leaping from a nearby wall, landing gracefully right next to his feet.

Ethan stared.

The cat stared back.

They both blinked.

Again.

And again.

For reasons he couldn’t explain, Ethan felt awkward. Like he was being judged.

He raised a hand slightly and offered a hesitant wave. "Umm... hey."

The cat didn’t meow. It didn’t purr. It just kept looking at him with the kind of expression that made him feel... unimpressive.

Ethan narrowed his eyes.

"Why do you always look so smug? Huh? You’re just a cat. A cuppy, cute, fluffy, adorable little creature that I just want to pet once... if you’d just give me the chance! But noooo."

The cat blinked slowly. Then turned its back and flicked its tail in what Ethan could only interpret as pure disrespect.

His eye twitched.

"Ugh, god... why do I feel so insulted by a cat?"

Then—

"Yeah, she does have some attitude problems."

Ethan jumped, spinning on his heel.

A familiar voice.

There stood Arthur, black hair tousled, calm blue eyes watching him with mild amusement.

Ethan took a shaky step back. "Where the hell did you come from?!"

Arthur casually pointed toward the alley’s entrance. "From there."

Ethan rolled his eyes. "I know that. You showed up so suddenly I nearly had a heart attack."

Arthur held his hands up in mock surrender, chuckling. "Relax."

Once Ethan calmed his nerves, he frowned. "Anyway, why are you late?"

Arthur shrugged as they began walking together. "Had some things to take care of."

He handed Ethan the same concealing robe from before.

"Here. Wear this. We’re heading toward the city gates."

Ethan accepted it without question, pulling it over his head.

As they walked, the earlier dread of the dream still lingered faintly in Ethan’s chest... but with Arthur by his side and the sun climbing higher in the sky, things didn’t feel so heavy.

Not yet.